The year in review

Google summed up my year in pictures and video.  Just click on the link to see the video on youtube.




My year in review

The Beauty

I brought home Fern's ashes on Christmas Eve. Fern passed away on December 15th around 6 in the morning.  She was the big spot of comfort in between the other two dogs and she leaves a huge hole in our family.  Fern was a class act right to the end.

Snow on snow...

We've had around 8 inches of beautiful snow.

Come inside where there is more snow....

Feather trees

Trying to wrap up decorating for this year.  Christmas is only fifteen days away. This is the first time I have decorated the old feather tree.  I always wanted a feather tree.  I missed getting one at an auction years ago when I didn't have much money.  Then a friend and I exchanged reproduction trees.  I was able to gradually build up a collection of feather tree ornaments for that one.

Then one day several years ago I went to an estate sale.  I wasn't one of the first into the sale.  When I finally got in I saw a feather tree across the room.  I knew that a dealer had already gone through so I guessed that it would be pretty expensive if she had passed it by.  I decided I would have it whatever the cost.  I saw the tag with 3 and 0.  Thirty dollars?  Very cheap.  But to my amazement it was only three dollars.  I shook with excitement as I paid for it.  It is very scraggly but I love it.

Christmas is coming

Woke to snow on Sunday morning.  This fueled my enthusiam for more decorating.  More to come.

Apples

Took a ride to Wolfe Orchard in Monticello this past weeked.  Beautiful apples and lots of variety.

Cathouse Sunday

Building a warm house for Queenie as she supervises.

Fall update

It has been a rough few weeks for some of the dogs and fish.  Fern had a swollen and weeping foot.  Gunner lost his front incisors to the vet.  Two of the goldfish fry had dropsy.  But everyone recovered.

Fern having an epsom salt soak.

Gunner's swollen lymph nodes.

Happy fish.

The ornamental quince produced lovely scented fruit.  They say that the summer drought has put fruiting plants in survival mode, producing bumper crops in hope of saving their species.

Some late grape tomatoes from the plants that Orlinda and Avery brought in July.

The water hyacinths are now in the compost pile. They will make rich compost next spring.

The October Hunter's Moon.  Very spooky amid dark clouds.

Change

In a feat of computer and blog incompetence I lost my bootsjones blog address.  Cottage Industry was already in use by someone else.    I changed the address to oldcottageindustry.  So the blog is now called Old Cottage Industry for that reason.  And life goes on.

The moth

Ghost fish

One of the fish hadn't been seen for a couple of months.  It appears to be blind and I feared something had happened to it.   It is all white with pale transparent eyes.  Today it slowly appeared from the depth of the fish tank.  I'm happy that it is still part of the fish family.

An Anniversary

September 19, 1953

Today would have been Mom and Dad's 60th wedding anniversary.  I'm sorry they aren't here to celebrate it.  Mom in a gray wool suit with black jet bead trim and Dad in a gray suit to match.  They were married in Lawrenceville and Aunt Betty and Uncle Frank were witnesses.  Mom's ring was her grandmother's wedding band.

I don't know if Mom and Dad had "a song" but there were always Mantovani records in our home.  I heard this today and it reminded me of them.  Mom wore a perfume called "Here is my Heart" so I suppose my mind makes this connection.  Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFhGS4z_PjI

Shadows and silhouettes