Plenty o' nuttin'

That's what I got. So I'm taking a Blogger's Break (is that a thing?) today. Enjoy!

The ghost of Thanksgiving past

It's that time of year again. One week from today is Thanksgiving in the USA. We're working on what ours will look like this year. Our tradition is to roast a leg of lamb. This year we might try shoulder. Ken's going to see a local butcher today and, hopefully, place an order for next week.

Last year's roasted gigot d'agneau (leg of lamb).

This photo is from last year's meal, a boneless rolled leg served with Brussels sprouts and flageolet beans. Yum! Just FYI, we really don't need to order a gigot a week in advance. Thanksgiving is not a holiday here and lamb is normally available whenever you want it. A boned and rolled roast could take a day or two, depending on the butcher.

Baby, it's cold outside

We're down to about 3ºC this morning. Forecasts are for 1º and below as we approach the weekend. That means a freeze is possible. But, you know how it goes. The news folks get all excited about possible wintry weather and blow it out of proportion. Then nothing happens. So, we shall see.

Are we tired of leaves, yet? The show's almost over.

I got my hair cut yesterday and now I feel much better. I haven't let my hair go that long in quite a while.

Making our way

Our daily walks with Tasha are much less adventurous than they used to be. The fact is that we're all getting older. Tasha will be nine years old this spring! We rarely venture off the dirt road that runs through the vineyard parcels. When we do, it's on paths that know well and we don't go far.

The dirt road through the vineyards.

I've got an appointment to get my hair cut this morning. Ken's taking the Peugeot in for an oil change and some other little fixes. A busy day! 

Here we go

The weather site that I look at each day is predicting a low of 1ºC on Tuesday morning. One degree above freezing. Shiver. We'll spend some time today making sure that any remaining vulnerable potted plants are moved indoors or up close to the house.

Some of the cut trees from the edges of the piney woods.

We just decided to make a baked lasagna for lunch. That should keep us warm for a coule of days! 

 

 

The once piney woods

I used to walk Callie, then Tasha, in these woods. I haven't for ages. We just haven't walked out to the end of the vineyard road very much recently. The last time was in the spring when those potatoes and tomatoes were planted out there in an unused vineyard parcel.

The trees and shrubs that formed the outside wall of the woods are now cut and piled neatly on the ground.

So, last week I headed out there just to see if that garden was harvested and was surprised by this. Half the woods have been cut down! The tree trunks are very neatly stacked on the ground waiting for some unknown (to me) fate. Before, it wasn't possible to see through the thick patch of conifers that I call the "piney woods." They were that dense. I could barely get to the inside through the thick, overgrown wall of shrubs and young tees that surrounded them. But once through the barrier, the woods became a magical place, its thick floor of pine needles muffled all sound from the outside world, a place where elves and fairies might have gathered. Now the woods have been laid bare, they themselves reduced to a thin veil, no longer able to keep secrets. I'm going to have to go out there again one of these days and walk through the remaining patch of trees.

I won't really miss them. They'll all grow back. For older views of the piney woods (and what's inside), type "piney woods" in the search box above and scroll through the photos.

To be or not to be

That's our Hamlet! A little English Lit humor there.

Sunrise soliloquy.

The weather is changing. Rain is upon us, according to the radar. And I must venture out into it, and suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, with Tasha.