Morning sun

It seems I have a "Thanksgiving cactus" instead of a "Christmas cactus" like I originally thought. 

Whatever you call it, it's nice to have flowers blooming in the house to brighten these dark November days. The colors glow in the morning sun from a south-facing window. 

Cold and dark

It's cold here on the East Coast this week.

Last night the temperature dropped to 27 degrees (-2.7 for all you Celsius folk out there) after a day of rain and high winds. The wind chill was in the teens when I woke up this morning. Today the high was only about 10 degrees above freezing, and tonight is going to be just as frigid as last night. This kind of cold is highly unusual this early in the year.

I don't mind the cold; in fact, I kind of like it. I run on the warmer side naturally anyway, and with plenty of extra weight padding my body, too, freezing weather just isn't that big of a deal. I lit the fireplace this morning for the first time this year, reviving last winter's habit of drinking my morning coffee by the fire. That was kind of nice. I just hope the weather is this cold the week before Christmas, when I'm hosting my book club's holiday meeting/party. I'd like to be able to turn on the fireplace for picturesque effect, and serve pretty mulled wine to drink.

Last year's mulled wine.

What I'm not liking right now are these short days. I can't wait to pass the solstice so that the days will slowly start to lengthen again. This is the part of winter I dread each year.

Speaking of dark, I'm reading The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. The first 50 pages or so are very disturbing, but I couldn't put it down. I'm about a quarter of the way through now and it's fascinating, but still very dark.

What's the weather like where you are?  Are you reading anything good to pass the time on these long, dark, cold nights?

November....meh.

Is it just me, or is the latest time change a real downer? I wish we'd just leave the time alone, one way or another, because I always have trouble adjusting when DST begins and ends. Monday I came home from work, decided to take a "quick nap" at about 6:45 (I was feeling wiped out from a stressful day and the early darkness) and ended up sleeping 11 hours! I didn't feel particularly well rested the next day, either. I'm not sure if it's the time change or the flu shot I got late last week, but I've been feeling really.....meh.....since the November began.

I've got to try to perk up before the weekend, though. Saturday is Gregg's birthday and I want things to be festive for him. I'm planning to take a piece of art that's dear to him to be matted and framed for his gift. It was painted by a sweet elderly lady he had a long friendship with before she passed away several years ago. Her name was Margaret and she gave him three or four of her paintings when he admired her work. We're slowly getting them all nicely framed and displayed in our home. It makes Gregg happy when he sees them, because they remind him of Margaret. She was a sweet, sweet lady.

This is one of her paintings hanging in our kitchen. I discovered that it's

 not possible to get a good snapshot of it thanks to the reflection of the lights. 

As per usual when Gregg's birthday rolls around, I'll cook a nice meal and special dessert, and we'll stay home. He's the kind of man who never, ever wants to go out. He's a true introvert, yet his job(s) require him to be out in the public and dealing with strangers and semi strangers every day. When he's off, he wants to be at home; and so of course on his birthday we do whatever he's happiest with.

Speaking of this weekend, it's supposed to be really cold--down to freezing--for the first time this year. I don't mind that part of winter. Maybe some of the huge flying "Palmetto Bugs" (aka, Monster Roaches) will go away. They're really bad out here because we're very close to a creek, and one of the first things we did when we bought this place was get a contract with a pest control service for quarterly preventative treatments. I can't stand a roach. Our guy keeps the fire ants at bay, too. (That's another evil that's best avoided altogether.)

How's the start of the month (and the time change) been for you? I'd love to hear about it, particularly if you're like me and the onset of winter makes you want to eat yourself into a semi-coma, eschew most humans contact, and hibernate in the house with Netflix and a warm, comfortable bed. And maybe a book, of course.

November Saturday

It's a bright, beautiful Saturday in northeastern South Carolina. The autumn color peaks in early November in my part of the world, and I woke up to an intensely blue sky and a tree with golden leaves outside my bedroom window.

A block from my house. Look how blue that sky is!

I decided it would be a good weekend to start getting caught up on some housework. One of the tasks I had been putting off was cleaning out the garage where the dogs live. I had some new bedding I had bought for them at the Goodwill store. We have to (cheaply) replace the dogs' blankets and cushions regularly, because George will chew them up and destroy them. Here he is with his new soft bed--hopefully it will last until Christmas. I doubt it, though.

Handsome Devil.

I also cleaned and mopped the kitchen, put away the Halloween decorations, and cleaned the main bathroom and shower. It was all badly needed.

Tonight my friends Martina and Marla are coming over. I still have to go shopping for groceries and snacks to serve them, and I think I'll pick up some hard apple cider to drink. I'm looking forward to seeing those two and catching up with them.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone.

Bleak November days

Winter is settling in early this year, or so it seems. Nighttime temperatures have already been hitting the freezing mark, and the days have been damp and chilly. The almanac is predicting a cold, snowy winter this year and I wouldn't be surprised if it's right, based on the weather so far this month. I would dearly love to see some real snow this year.

Today there is a cold, intermittent rain falling outside, and the wind will chill you to the bone. It's certainly not a day to go out and take pictures, which is what I had planned to do with my day off. On the way to see my family last week I saw some interesting landscapes about 10 miles outside of town, cotton fields blooming and abandoned tobacco barns and swampy areas with bare cypress knees reaching up out of the water. I promised myself on my next day off I would pack a lunch and a camera and go get some photos, but unless the rain lets up soon it will have to wait until later in the week. Possibly Thursday will be better (that's my next opportunity).

Meanwhile, it's a good week to enjoy the comforts of home. Pajamas at night, the fireplace lit, movies to watch, warm home cooked meals, and books read in bed are how we're passing the time on these bleak early winter days.

A poem for November I wanted to share:

"The wild gander leads his flock through the cool night,
Ya-honk! he says, and sounds it down to me like an invitation:
The pert may suppose it meaningless, but I listen closer,
I find its purpose and place up there toward the November sky."- Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, 1855, I Celebrate Myself, Line 238

Beautiful November skies

A couple of days ago I was out raking leaves in my front yard and was struck by how pretty the sky looked. For once the batteries in my camera were fully charged and I was able to get a few photos. These were taken from my front yard and the street in front of my house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November is here!

November came in on a cold front this year! This morning dawned clear and cold, but with bright sunshine and the bluest of blue skies. This month contains my darling GB's birthday, Thanksgiving, and the start of the holiday season!

The past three nights I've worked very late, doing holiday merchandising at the bookstore. We've pretty much completed the bulk of the work, and I'm very happy that tonight I will finally make it home before midnight. Last night I finally understood why we have so few trick or treaters at our house....the mall was packed with little ghosts and goblins and princesses looking for goodies. I never knew Halloween at the mall was such a big event. I'm still not terribly impressed, I think the old fashioned door-to-door thing is better, but it was nice to feel that I got to see a little of the fun. Our store gave out candies, pencils, and stickers.

I'm happy to see November arrive, and more than anything I am looking forward to New Year's Eve. It's been a rough year at my house, and we're going to have to do some major celebrating when we finally see the end of it! Actually, we plan to do some major celebrating throughout all of the winter holidays this year!