hello {mid} november.

 

{this gorgeousness was snapped by a local in our village}

yesterday, it snowed. unexpected. large heavy flakes, just enough to grace roof tops and pines with powdered sugar sweetness. and with a mug of tea by my side, i relished the serenity of the moment though as quickly as it began, it subsided. and melted. more's the pity.

comfy blankets are making their way from storage to the great room. there's something special about snuggling with a comfy, hm?

milling wheat for 'cream of wheat' makes for a filling and delish breakfast on these chilly mornings before we begin our day(s) in earnest. 

i'm not sure time moves more swiftly due to age or as a state of mind... but this year? gracious sakes it seems to be at warp speed.  before you know it it's mid-november.

"if God gives you a few more years, remember, it is not yours. your time must honor God. your activity must honor God. and everything you do must honor God." 

{A.W. Tozer}

"so teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

{Psalm 90:12}

________________________________________________

we're hosting thanksgiving again this year, gathering local friends who have become more like family in many respects, some being orphans like us. it's a joy to have a table surrounded by dear souls, quiet conversation erupting into gregarious laughter, sumptuous food, fire blazing, prayer of thanksgiving for such a day to honor the freedoms as detailed in our constitution. in moments of the day i breath thanks heavenward. as we once again open the doors of Haven Haus - a refuge from the storms of life - to others, i pray they sense the peace God offers, embracing it deep within their own hearts. Selah.

there will be 10-12 'round our tables this year. maybe more. God always makes a way to provide extra places at a table as well as sustenance. i have a fairly set menu and have begun prepping what i can in advance. i found humongous yams so yesterday set to roasting, cooling, coring out the gorgeous orange flesh, then into the deep freeze. once thawed a day before thanksgiving i'll prep the casserole to be easily popped in the oven the next day. i'll make whipped potatoes in advance, sharing space with the sweet potato casserole. i don't often make turkey for thanksgiving - i'm a bit of a rebel i suppose. this year will be pork tenderloin & german sausages and a countertop full of sides. here's the menu .. 

*****

appetizer yet to be determined

apple cider glazed pork tenderloin and german sausages

sweet potato casserole

whipped potatoes and apple cider gravy

roasted brussel sprouts with bacon

cornbread stuffing

harvest salad with pumpkin vinaigrette

cranberry sauce

crescent rolls

desserts a'plenty

coffee - H2O - martinelli's cider

*****

i doubt we'll end the day hungry.

________________________________________________

well dearies, i need to get ready for the day and all it entails. bless you dearly as you step softly through your own days, giving thanks for every little blessing. 

with love,

.sherry.

busy summer days.

hello there.

our days have been busy here at home and beyond.

do you sense time slipping away at warp speed?

it's july 1st. june flew by and the previous months

of this year were no different. to me. 

Tozer said,

"If God gives you a few more years, remember, 

it is not yours. Your time must honor God,

your activity must honor God,

and everything you do must honor God."

i've been thinking on those words lately,

knowing that for me and other faith-based

folk, it is truth. may my words, thoughts,

intent .. may the core of my heart .. honor him.

my garden grows. mostly. not everything is 

growing well if i'm to be honest. the pole beans

have issues and i'm *this* close to ripping

them from prime garden real estate. 

i'm tired of watering something so forlorn.

the hubs says wait. he didn't say for how long.

will they miraculously change their tune

and develop healthy leaves and grow a bean?

or two? hard telling since locusts from the

pit have arrived in this area. how thoughtful

they waited until the buffalo gnats died.

torturous gnats gone .. enter the next plague.

.wink.

i spy with my little eye,

a sweet fawn resting under the 

protective shade of a 

zucchini leaf.

(the white powdery stuff is diatomaceous earth)

swiss chard.

both delish & beautiful.

happily coexisting with calendula.

before the chard turns bitter i'm snipping,

cleaning, trimming, using .. 

planning to use in salads,

eggs, dehydrating, and in place of cabbage.

there's plenty more where that came from.

ever made cabbage rolls?

i have. plenty. popular dish on my father's side.

i read about using chard instead of cabbage

so thought i'd give it a go. there's a slightly

different flavor (leaf-wise) but i'd gladly do it

again, next time though i'll double the chard leaves,

and a quick-blanch first.

i didn't quick-blanch these leaves before filling

and rolling. hm. it would have been an easier

process if i had. just extra care in the steps.

before the lot went into the oven:

i trimmed the chard spines and threw them

on top. the chard stalks i chopped fine and

added them to the meat mixture. 

and plated:

i was sharing about using chard in this dish

with a dear friend. she asked if i was plating

with potatoes. gulp! i forgot about the potatoes

and in fact had no potatoes in the pantry!

lickety split quick to our miniscule town market

the hubs went, returning with two beautiful

russets which while the chard rolls were

baking, i cleaned, peeled, sliced, boiled,

whipped ... ready shortly before the 

chard rolls. whew! 

the dish was delish!!!

we had a very cool morning recently .. high 40's.

best time to bake, 'specially since temps are

spiking this week for a possible extended

number of days. ew. ew. ew. & ew.

good for the garden i suppose ..

i don't do heat well.

rather than baking bread i chose to make oodles

of sandwich rolls which can be used for sammies,

burgers and dinner rolls. we sampled one,

but of course! with a slather of fresh homemade

butter.. didn't require anything else. 

pillow soft wonderfulness.

once cooled they were individually wrapped and placed

in freezer bags .. then into the deep freeze for later use.

and today i made a new batch of ranch.

i know what's in it. IYKYK.

no strange ingredients or golly gee "additions."

i've so much to share .. in later posts.

pictures, quips, stories, thoughts, etc.

in time. until then, please care for yourselves

tenderly. for those who reached out asking

for prayer.... i'm still praying. 

let me know via email if there are updates

to the original requests.

bless you all dearly,

.sherry.

.. my steps are ordered by the Lord ..

"The Lord directs the steps of the godly, 

he delights in every detail of their lives. 

Though they stumble, 

they will never fall, 

for the Lord holds them by the hand." 

Psalm 37:23-24

one potato two.

never despise meager beginnings..

I planted potatoes in buckets the latter part of April. purple potatoes gifted from my sweet sister Shirley and her husband, and white potatoes - organic from the market. yesterday I did a bit of preliminary scrounging the spring potato buckets, unearthed this darling wee purple then set to empty two buckets resulting in a nice little harvest of purples and whites. I’ve a potato patch in another area of our property.. hoping the harvest will be far greater than seen in the picture. It’s a darling potato, don’t you think? quite small. but perfect. 

 the buffalo gnats have died out for the year... save for mosquitoes, it’s now safe to venture out of doors without risk of blistering bites from the pit. Glorious!

the garden .. the starts are in ground and surviving if not flourishing. we have a short growing season so every day counts. visiting the nearby garden center yesterday (so thankful for our village garden store) I bought various pepper plants as my starts had zero germination. Bah! they’ve been repotted until July when space will open in a garden bed reserved just for them. I also bought five shrubs for a sunny area. And steer manure.. 

scapes are ready! professor kimi gifted me oodles of garlic which I planted last October with the advisement to watch for scapes. they’re here! her further advice is to sauté the scapes in butter. yUmmmm.

this morning I’m setting up twine for the tomatoes. trying the Florida Weave style this year. then we’re heading to the farmers market in the next county, my favorite thrift store, and checking out a Jeep trail to a lookout point. 

with that I’ll bid you all a blessed good day. 

love, 

.sherry.