One of the benefits of fall. This wreath is made with bittersweet berries harvested on our property. The colors are bright and cheerful and the berries last for weeks. We had plenty to share which resulted in a family wreath making session. I could join in because I was participating in a dog event. Go figure. This wreath was made by my husband and sits on one of our mantels.
I will be retiring from my job of 32+ years at the end of the month. What does this mean for my immediate future? I will soon be opening an Etsy site as well as spending more time on the blog!
I intend to focus the blog a little more on the country lifestyle. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty about dogs. But since my life won’t be tied up with a full time job, at least for a bit, I should have more time to spend on home based endeavors.
The Etsy site will have arts and crafts as pictured, for sale. I also plan to have gourmet dog biscuits available. Other items are still in the planning stage. Perhaps bandanas that slip over dog collars.
I will keep you apprised as the site gets closer to going live. This next chapter in my life promises to be full of change.
I can tell you, Zekie has been waiting and waiting for me to stay home with him. If every dog has his day, Zekie’s is coming soon!
Today was a beautiful fall day. We took the opportunity to do winter preparations. I dug up all my gladiolus bulbs and spread them out to dry before bagging them up. There were also a few dahlia bulbs as well.
After that I helped my husband put storm windows on the house. The storm windows are newly built and should help keep things warmer this winter.
This evening I saw the weather forecast for the next couple of days. It’s a good thing we got those tasks done. Six to ten inches of snow is predicted in our area. I’m glad I didn’t wait for another day to get things done. When summer comes again and we enjoy all the beautiful blooms, I will be doubly glad.
Now that the weather is cooler, soup season is here! I love homemade soup. We rarely have canned soup because homemade is so much better in all ways. It is more nutritious, has less salt, is more filling, and tastes better. And you can put whatever you want in it. My daughter says, that I “get” soup.
This morning I took my soup sack out of the freezer, dumped the contents in a pan of water and let it simmer for more than an hour. After it cooled, I scooped out all the chunks from the soup sack and let the broth cool. Everything I scooped out got thrown away. All the flavor was cooked out. I let the liquid cool and used my fat separator to remove the fat. You can also refrigerate the broth until the fat solidifies and scoop it out that way. Then I split the skimmed broth in half. Half went into the freezer and the other half went in today’s (and probably tomorrow’s) lunch.
I cooked some sweet white onion in olive oil until it was soft. Then I added the broth which I spiced with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders, dried garden basil, and oregano. While this simmered lightly, I went out to the garden and cut some Swiss Chard. It is still growing even though we had frost last night. It is a hardy vegetable. I sliced the stems, chopped the leaves, and added both to the pot. From the pantry I added a can of garbanzo beans and some bronze cut penne pasta, along with two links of sliced Italian chicken sausage. All of this simmered together for two hours. Part of the secret to delicious soup is this long, slow simmer. It allows the flavors to to meld and become one.
Personally, I don’t eat the meat because of the whole “dead animal” issue, but my husband does and I only want to make one soup. This however makes me very popular with the dogs if I find any meat in my portion.
List of ingredients:
I did not bother listing amounts because, it’s soup, it doesn’t really matter. Make it to your preference. If it’s too thick, add water. If it’s too watery, boil it down. That’s the beauty of soup. There is no wrong, make it your’s!
Zekie is learning to be a good dog. If you’ve been following his antics, you know he is quite the challenging dog. But he is eager to please so his good behaviors continue to happen more often. Here he is (on the left) near the end of our hike at Shaw Woods over the weekend. He and Shelby are holding a stay so I can get some pictures.
Oops, he got distracted and wanted to see what daddy and the other dogs were looking at. He didn’t break that stay command though. And I didn’t even have treats! Good dog Zekie, good dog.
How many dogs does it to shower? This is my view as I get into the shower.
For me, the answer is three. Three of our five dogs must be present. Baxter and Nikki do not participate. Baxter keeps an eye on the house and trusts that I can handle it. Nikki just doesn’t care what I’m doing as long as it doesn’t involve her.
Shelby, on the right, must be present to bite the bathtub faucet when the water is turned on. She started doing this back when the faucet squeaked every time we turned it on. You can’t have that faucet thinking it can squeak without repercussions. The faucet has long been fixed but Shelby stands by her tradition.
Zekie and Cassius, left and middle respectively, must accompany me because, hey, you can’t be that far away from mom. You never know when she might sneak out the bathroom window, never to be seen again. Or so their thoughts seem to go.
How many dogs does it take you to shower?
Nature is a work of art.
On display in our garden from dawn until dusk.
Showing until frost.
What do you do when your hubby isn’t home but you want something to do? Take dogs hiking! Although it was hot, Cassius, Baxter, Zekie, and Shelby all had a good time.
Nikki stayed home because, hey, it was hot and she’s 12 years old.
We walked at West Branch State Park on the path along the dam. These turkey buzzards watched us from atop the building. There seem to often be a lot of buzzards in the area. They must like all the wooded areas that surround us.
The pups were all well behaved on our walk and we enjoyed ourselves despite the heat.
Even though it is officially fall and only one more day until October, the garden is still putting on a grand performance.
The roses look better than they have all summer. Many of them are new this year so they may just be getting established.
Rosebud unfurling.
Rose in peak bloom.
Cleomes’ majesty.
Even Zekie seems to relax and enjoy the garden beauty.
The peaceful days of autumn are some of my favorite. Weeds have slowed and there is less garden work to be done. It is a fine time to read a book on the patio and enjoy the breeze and cricket song.
The summer heat is tapering off.
Except for today when I refused to go outside in the afternoon.
Cooler weather means a return to hiking for us.
Last Saturday I took Zeke and Shelby for hike.
And then on Sunday we took the dogs and hiked at Towners Woods. Although I am out of shape, it was a fun time. And I am in better shape than before I went.
We did try to hike this morning before it got too hot but Cassius re-injured his toe. He tore the nail off it while running at high speeds and turns in the pasture. The trail was rather rocky so it didn’t go well. We turned around and came back home when Cassius started having trouble. There were also quite a few mountain bikers using the trail so it was crowded.
But with fall being near, we should have numerous opportunities for other hikes. Looking forward to it!
Sanctuary Acres 