Goodbye Peacock

This peafowl photo is a repeat. The peacock lived on a farm nearby but is no more. He and some other animals were killed and eaten by a bear recently and I just learned about the attack. Another friend lost a pet goat the same way last year during the summer. I forgot to bring my hanging bird feeder inside last night but it was okay this morning. This is a note to self not to forget again! Have a great weekend. xo

Simple Life Quote

I couldn't have said it better.

"It is no

bad thing

to celebrate

a simple

life."

~~~

J.R.R. Tolkien

via

xo

Black Basalt Teapot + My Neti Pot

There is an unintentional selfie in the mirror. The spout of this black basalt teapot looks as if it has dust on the spout but in person it doesn't. This photo was taken in my kitchen Wednesday after dark without a flash. My teapot is quite small and I've always liked it. I have been doctoring myself with lots of liquids since late Sunday night when I felt a sore throat coming on. I started right away with the Neti Pot and gargling with diluted Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar and I can report success today. I am almost cured. I think you can nip a cold in the bud if you start treating it right away. Green tea with mint was my favorite hot drink followed by hot apple cider. 

It's time to say goodbye to November and hello to December tomorrow. It rained all day and I was so happy to hear all of my gutters running nicely down all the downspouts. I put on my rain slicker and went outside to check them all. I am so happy my handyman thought to clean them yesterday. It was the perfect time, not too cold, and all the leaves are off all the trees. So my gutters are all set until a spring cleaning. 

I finished The Last Detective and I am now watching 

Season Two of HOPE STREET on BritBox.

See you tomorrow. xo

UPDATE: Here is a photo of my neti pot and salt.

The plastic neti pot was from CVS and the Himalayan Institute salt and measuring spoon set was purchased at Whole Foods years ago.

To see a YouTube video demonstration, click HERE. Worked for me. My sore throat that turned into a runny nose was nipped in the bud before it moved to my chest.

xo

A Video of Birds Feeding on The Stump

 I made a video of the birds feeding here and posted it as a Reel on Instagram. I think it's on a loop and keeps repeating itself but I'm not sure. It starts out like the photo above, zooms in in the middle, and ends with a long view like you see in the still photo above. Watch it HERE.

My handyman stopped by today to clean my gutters just in time for tomorrow's 90% chance of rain and big wind. He's the one that flattened the rod and screwed the weathervane on the stump. He was very pleased the birds liked his handiwork. My tree man liked the video too.

xo

Silver Tray with Engraved Coat of Arms

This tray is old English Silver Plate, called Old Sheffield Plate, that is very different from dipped silver plate. The silver is actually rolled on over a copper base. I bought it years ago even though the left handle was broken off because I loved the large hand engraved armorial crest in the center.

It must have had an important owner at one time.

I went to google translate for the inscription.

fide et spe

"The faith, and the hope of."

Now I love it even more.

If these old things could only talk!

xo

Miniature Arrow Back Rocking Chair + Sweet Potato Recipes

I picked up this little handmade painted rocker years and years ago at a garage sale. The lady didn't know anything about it and sold it to me for a song.

Side view.

Rocker next to a miniature picture frame. Rocker is 6-1/4" high. Frame is 2-7/8" high. Unknown gentleman in frame reminds me of my grandfather. 

I bought a mesh bag full of sweet potatoes on Wednesday. I scrubbed six of them and put them in a cold oven and turned it on 350° and set the timer for 90 minutes. I used my downstairs electric oven because it has a more even heat. I usually cook these for one hour at 400° but they were much better cooked slower and longer. I ate two for lunch and they were soft and sweet and really delicious. Butter wasn't required but I put a dab on each for good measure and sprinkled on a light shake of pink himalayan salt. I'll never bake them any other way from this day forward. This was a perfect lunch for a Sunday that turned out to be a rainy one. My kitchen range has a gas cooktop and a gas oven as well but the oven has uneven heat. I'm glad I have the choice of both. xo

UPDATE -- TRY THIS RECIPE TOO

Slow Roasted Sweet Potatoes from Smitten Kitchen

Read the article and get the recipe HERE. 

She cooks hers at 275° for 2-1/2 hours!!!

Enjoy. Sweet potatoes are very plentiful right now.

xo

Recent Photos Inside and Outside

My kitchen table wasn't prepared to be photographed so this is a real life photo. I walked in and was stunned by the way the sun was shining on the apron of my farm table and luckily I had my phone in my hand.

This is probably a weed of some sort but the bright green color wass beautiful on a drab overcast day.

A new branch is forming on the blue spruce near my bedroom.

This wall near one of my French doors was photographed last night on "night mode" and doctored a little with Snapseed.

Have a great weekend.

xo 

Now Watching: THE LAST DETECTIVE

This series is so good. If you are looking for a kind and caring detective, this is the series for you too. I found it quite by accident on BritBox by typing the word detective in the search box. I finished Season One last night and found out this morning there are FOUR SEASONS and that made me so happy. It got its name because this low key detective is the LAST person his boss would choose if he wanted a case solved. He is the underdog of the office but that doesn't seem to bother him so he finds cases by himself and investigates secretly until they are solved. I think it is on Acorn too. Let me know if you like it or have already watched and recommend it too. It's considered to be both a Drama and a Comedy but it's not corny or silly. It's also on DVD if you want to borrow from your library.

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday and am working on having a pajama day today. Yesterday was an absolutely perfect day with mild weather and sunshine. Today it's raining and feels chilly and raw but the birds don't mind and neither do I. xo

Happy Thanksgiving 2022

Jessie Willcox Smith is one of my favorite illustrators.

I love these two giving thanks for their breakfast.

This illustration is from A Child's Book of Old Verses 

published in 1910 with 10 color illustrations.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

xo

Pam just commented she grew up with this illustration by JWS on her home's kitchen wall and I just had to know more. It was an advertisement for the American Radiator Company published sometime between 1910 and 1920. I love it.

Thanks, Pam.

xo

Crisp, Crunchy Leaves

This photo says the leaves are very dry and you just know if you squeezed them in your hands they would be crisp and crunchy, right? An older photo but one I like. I have gotten my house back in order since Missy was picked up this morning. Tomorrow I will shop for the dishes I am taking to a friend's house for Thanksgiving Dinner. xo

"Pumpkin" Bread

Photo found here.

I love this baker's kitchen. Isn't this bread that was styled like pumpkins beautiful? I love the floor to ceiling cabinet with glass doors full of jars filled with baking supplies. Clearly, a talented baker lives here and is all set to wow her Thanksgiving table this week.

xo

First Front Yard Bird Photos

I am so happy to see my woodpecker friend again.

Yum. These sunflowers seeds are SO good!

Look at that bird just landing with his legs still outstretched.

I like the shadow on the brick wall too.

Look at the bird still in midair on the left.

I am getting reacquainted with my Nikon 35mm camera. The original rechargeable battery finally went completely dead months and months ago. I got the camera in 2005 so that was a really long time for a battery to last, wasn't it? I finally ordered a replacement and it arrived this week, just in time for birdfeeder photos. YAY! 

xo

Goodnight Everyone from Missy

We just got in from a cold walk and Missy is tucked in tight. She loves this fleece blanket I pulled out for her. Today was very cold and windy and the birds were thankful for the sunflower seeds. The tube was filled this morning and only went down about 4 inches. Next week I will try to get some good bird photos. I am tucking in myself pretty soon to get ready for some PBS Sunday night viewing. xo

My Pantry - Wide View and A Detail

Tara Dillard must be a mindreader. Her comment in yesterday's post requested a photo or two of my pantry as she described hers. I had been experimenting with the wide angle lens on my camera phone and it worked to get the front window (with tin cat) and the rear window overlooking my red barn both in one photo. I have a bucket bench under the rear window and the lower shelves are filled with appliances that won't fit anywhere in my kitchen cabinets. My Instant Pot, Panini Press, Steam Iron and my KitchenAid stand mixer are just a few items. I keep seldom used things there too. This room was a small screened-in porch conversion for me and I continue to love it more each day. I pay my bills at the desk and stool under the "cat" window on my laptop (not shown). Paperwork is in the files shown in right corner. More shelves below for receipts, etc.

I should have tried to neaten my stack of pans to the left of the cookbooks but didn't. The wide shelves continue to the left of the pans with more bakeware in metal and glass. The hanging "onion" light fixture with amber glass was a garage sale find and it couldn't be more perfect.

Have a great Saturday.

More Missy photos tomorrow.

Maybe some birds too.

Click photos to enlarge.

xo

Ceiling detail, the center is one flat board. The boards leading up to the center are on an angle. Quick photo to answer Lisa D.'s question.

This pitcher is my newest addition to the shelf. I bought it along with my curtain rods at the Firehouse Flea Market in September and never mentioned it.

Pam loves my drafting table desk area. Here is my old 2019 post showing this area of my "office" in greater detail:

https://contentinacottage.blogspot.com/2019/02/my-home-office-in-pantry-rearranged.html

https://contentinacottage.blogspot.com/2010/08/desk-under-window-in-my-pantry.html

Both of these links show better photos of the drafting table desk in my pantry.

Missy's Back

I moved her dishes to another location by the radiator.

This was taken Thursday evening.

Friday morning, thawing out after a walk.

She likes this new cushion I bought at the Firehouse Flea Market in September. I have her until Tuesday morning. 

Thawed and back to the living room for a nap. I liked the head shadow made by the sun coming in through one of the French doors that open to my balcony. The other one is still closed because of the sun glare.

We'll see you later. 

PS: I will be adding photos to this post. 

I love popovers and have a special pan made for them. I have avoided making any for way too long because most recipes call for SO MUCH melted butter. This one calls for only one tablespoon. It's worth a try. If you don't have a popover pan you can use a muffin tin.

Click here for full recipe and the backstory.

xo

The Starlings Have Landed

The starlings ate all of the black oil sunflower seeds I spread out on the tree stump today in minutes. The small birds make them last all day. I uploaded a video of these greedy birds to my Instagram Story and saved it as a Highlight. Watch the video HERE. At this rate my 50 pounds of seeds won't last a month. I liked the shadow of the bird on the brick wall in this still photo. Starlings are not native to America. Read the history about how they arrived HERE. xo

For anyone who is bothered by mice and other rodents coming into the house because of the bird seed, please see this article written by a farmer who made up a recipe that works and does not harm any other wildlife. It has only two ingredients: packaged cornbread mix and baking soda. 

Click HERE for the article & recipe.

Pies with Fancy Top Crust

King Arthur Flour has a great article about fancy Pie Crusts:

Decorative pie crust tips Pastry lattice, braids, and more. 

It's that time of year with Thanksgiving a week away.

Maybe you will get an idea or two and try one!

xo

First Day for Wearing Mittens

These red berries really pop on an overcast day with no shadows.

Thawing ice in the birdbath. Love the bubbles!

A gathering of river rocks with water, leaves, and ice.

Handle and knot hole on my bunker door.

The dahlia tubers are inside overwintering.

A favorite brown & white transfer plate in the Aesthetic Movement style. I love the animals in the border, especially the dog. I'm getting Missy for a few days late Thursday afternoon. 

Today was the first day that felt like winter. I wore my mittens when I went to the grocery store. I took these photos when I got back around 3:30. I should have gone out early when I got up to take frost photos but I didn't. There will be other opportunities for those on another day.

Last night I finished the last episode of HOPE STREET on BritBox. Luckily Season 2 premiers in a few days because it Season 1 ended with a real cliff hanger. Then I watched Miss Scarlet and the Duke on PBS Video.

That's all for Tuesday with rain on the way. xo

Monday Evening Pics

Close-up of the tip of a Blue Spruce showing tiny cones.

A recent golden hour in the back woods.

This is how I found a suspended stray feather last week.

That's all. Short and sweet. Had a very busy day and now I'm headed to my bedroom to stream the Sunday night Masterpiece shows from PBS. Miss Scarlett and The Duke will be first. Then Magpie Murders and Annica if I can stay awake. xo

Sunday afternoon

I have been going in and out my back door too many times to count today wearing just a sweater. When I went out on my balcony at 3:30 to take this photo because I liked the light I was shocked at how cold it was. Guess the weather people weren't kidding when they said it was going down into the 30s tonight and next week as low as 22°. Brrr🥶 but I'm ready. All the outside faucets are drained and turned off. 

This photo is right out of my phone with no editing at all. The trees out back are completely bare now as you can see.

Late Sunday afternoon in my living room. I like the reflection of a lamp next to my sofa on my flat screen tv. Enjoy your Sunday evening.

xo