Winter Garden

 

We had another snow on Tuesday, probably an inch or so here.  By Wednesday there was a coat of ice on the snow that had fallen and it was a bit trecherous walking the dog.  

The squirrels in our area seemed to have a problem finding their food.  By Wednesday we caught one enterprising squirrel on our Beauty Berry bush devouring the berries:

Thanks Barb for giving us the bush!  The birds will feast on the berries and the seed heads in our garden through the winter.

It's interesting because squirrels are always burying their food.  Whenever I dig soil, I find peanuts that they have hid in the soil.  The thing is they seem to forget where they have buried them. 

So this little factoid fascinated me:

What kind of wildlife are you seeing in your garden?

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

Shepherd's Pie

 

My family background is Irish/Scottish/Welsh/English with a wee bit of German.  When I was a child, there didn't seem to be any kind of potato that wasn't served on a regular basis.

On Monday when Beth and I talked about cooking ideas, we both settled on Shepherd's Pie for Tuesday's meal.  Now here's the thing...some foods remind of specific memories.  Shepherd's Pie reminds me of the lack of them.

I had never heard of Shepherd's Pie until I was in my 30s. Even yesterday, I mentioned to my mother that I was making Shepherd's Pie and she said, "What's that?"   This is amazing to me because the pie originated in the UK and was often referred to as "Cottage Pie".   I don't know of anyone in either side of my family that made it.

My Pop-pop's family came from Centralia, the town with the underground fire.  There's really very little to see there anymore.

My maternal great-grandmother had never made spaghetti or heard of lasagna until my Nana cooked it for them.   It got to the point that my great-grandfather would open Nana's front door when they visited and throw his hat in first and yell, "What are you making this time Betty?"  😃 An action that made all of us children laugh.

Nana's family lived in Shamokin, Pa.

After World War 2, many folks emigrated out of the coal regions into other areas.  All 5 of my grandfather's surviving siblings moved out to cities and one even ended up in Saipan (government work).

Anyway, I thought about all these things yesterday as I cooked my husband some Shepherd Pie.  It's funny how things come back to you when you are in the kitchen...or the lack thereof.  Does any specific food bring back memories for you?

The First Snow

 

Hello December!

Yesterday the first snow of the season fell.  It was a light snow.  Still my husband and I think it suggests a snowy winter when the precipitation falls this early. 

Lucky and I enjoyed our walk because we were both bundled up!

"Is this really necessary?"

I am grateful that we had replaced our front pathway and removed the slate path that was so slippery during inclement weather.

I'm not a fan of bad weather but I do appreciate the one thing it always seems to bring:  silence.  We didn't see or hear a car for hours and there was an unusual calm to our city neighborhood.

This type of weather makes me want to hibernate in the sewing room where I can watch the snowfall, listen to music, and hang out with Lucky and the snowing machine.  How's the weather where you live?  Have you had your first snow yet?

Have a safe and happy day!

Happy Black Friday

 

I worked retail a total of 17 years; I started as a teenager and kept working in retail after my first husband left.  Often it was a second job because back in those bad old days, the state didn't pursuit deadbeat fathers for child support.

But today is about celebrating!  For the last 30 some years, I haven't had to work on Black Friday.  Yippee! 

Soooo... here are some of my favorite memes for today:

Hope you have fun today and if you are out shopping, be nice to those haggard store clerks!

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to folks in the U.S.!

 

Tuesday's This and That: November 25, 2025

 

Lucky and I send holiday greetings!

Yes it's cool enough some days for Lucky to be wearing his coat.  Hope you are all doing well and having decent weather!

***

Well the Seamsters' Union has done it again.  They've made another Sunbonnet Sue quilt reflecting our current political and societal landscape.  You can see it here.  You may remember that back in the 1970s, the Seamsters' Union did a quilt entitled "The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue."  It was a protest against all the cutsie Sunbonnet quilts being made at the time.  There was a great uproar about it in the quilting community.  You can see that one here.

As a person who adored and collected Sunbonnet quilts and patterns, I will tell you that I never minded these quilts.  I understand why some people found these objectionable.  But the way I see it, everyone has their own opinion and...quilts like these make the pattern even more popular and relevant.

***

Haptic and Hue have a few new podcasts.  I haven't had time to listen to any of them but I'm particularly interested in the hooky rugs one that was released recently.  Marion (from Marion's World on Youtube) did a whole show about the rug making.  It was interesting.  You can see a list of the podcasts here.

***

Have a safe and happy day!

I'd rather be sewing...

 

Well it's been a busy few days again.  My husband is great; he's just not good (patient) at paperwork, phone calls, and other things.  With all the things that needed to be done, I ended up on the phone for most of last week....and again this week.  I worry about my husband.  His whole identity revolved around his job and it was the main topic he discussed with everyone.  He won't admit it but I know he is grieving the loss of his job.  I am just focusing him full-time these days.

Obviously, I haven't been sewing except for the binding on the red quilt I posted this week.

I might actually get to sew tomorrow (fingers crossed)🤞.  I'd like to get 2 very easy wall hangings done.  At our guild quilt show, I purchased a stack of panels that featured the 4 seasons.  This is the Autumn one:

I fell in love with these panels and have no idea who designed them.  My mom loved them too.  I made a little wall hanging for her, me, and Aurora, Jim's daughter.  I have 2 winter panels that I want to make for mom and me.  There are some spring and summer ones too.  I bought little clips to hang them from (you can see one in the top left corner) and we are enjoying them.  This job will take an hour or two plus binding time.  

Nora is my cousin's 1 year old daughter.  She will be 2 in February.  I always give the little ones an I-Spy quilt for their second birthday so I have to get a move on that.  I have the blocks completed, just need to assemble.

I need to finish assembling the set-up for my 2026 temperature needlework. 

And there are a few Christmas things I would like to make.

What are you working on?

Have a nice day!