Lunch, anyone?

On Today's Menu:                    Hamster Tacos!!

"Why, thank you!  I'd love to come to lunch."

"Wait!  You're having me for lunch?"

 

"Um, I think I'll leave now, but thank you for thinking of me!"

 
Froyo's reward for letting us mess with her:   a banana chip!

 Cold winter days and bored children:  the perfect recipe for mischief!

Coming Out of Hibernation

Growing up in the Southern California year-round sunshine, it never occurred to me that I would be a hibernator. Moving to a place with a real winter, complete with gray days and freezing temperatures, has taught me that I do, in fact, hibernate.

Winter began early last year...we had real snow on the ground in October. Winter kept a firm grip on the land for six long months. We didn't see crocuses until the end of March and the tulips have just this week begun to bloom. Finally, the snows gave way to rain and freezing temperatures stopped being part of the weather forecast. The grass has really started to grow (and so have the weeds!)

As it held on to the land, so did winter seem to have a firm grip on me. Just like the flowers are stretching and reaching form the sun, I find myself waking from the deep hibernation of a long winter. The sun shone so brightly today...the blue sky so crisp. I felt my blood warming up as I threw open the windows before heading out to work in yard.

Now I sit here a bit sun-kissed, a bit sore from using muscles that took a winter break and keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow will be another beautiful day...after all, I have flowers to plant!

Isn't it amazing what a little sunshine can do?

Looked Out My Window This Morning...

and realized I live in a winter wonderland.

Sam isn't particularly impressed.  (I wonder if he's remember "winter" in Southern California.)

Winter Cold is Headed Our Way!

The weatherman is forecasting temperatures in the low single digits this week.  I'd say Jack Frost is definitely nipping at our heels, wouldn't you?

Tomorrow the kids and I will be adding the plastic to our windows.  (Skeptics take note:  Adding window insulation helps get rid of drafts and lowers heating bills...even if  your home is relatively new.)

We've tried a number of different brands, but have come back to 3M Window Insulation kits for consistent quality and sealant tape that does lift off at the end of the season.

Bedtime when the temperatures drop sees a line at the microwave, too.   Why?  Because we all have bed warmers.  I made these bed warmers a few years ago and now we swear by them.



Each is filled with rice and a little bit essential oil. You put them in the microwave for 1-3 minutes and they become radiant heat packs. I made pocket warmers, a bed warmer, and two other warmers that I'm told by Superman and Buttercup are "neck warmers". Now, I don't know about you, but my neck never gets particularly cold...I was planning on using them as foot warmers, but, hey, I can be flexible. Anyway, everything was made out of scrap fabric: the two solid color ones were made out of the extra sweatshirt material I had from making those nightgowns I told you about, the pocket warmers were made out of leftover fabric from little gift bags I made, and the bed warmer is from flannel I had leftover from making Buttercup some pajama pants. These are really, really cool and if you tend to be cold, I highly recommend taking the ten minutes to make one or three.

The kids new winter coats and snow pants are ready and waiting...those kids keep growing, darn it.  The mittens and scarves have come out of  storage.

Brrrrrrrr! (UNCLASSIFIED)

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: FOUO
Dear Family-
Well, they say that winter drops in to Wonderland overnight. Last
night, it arrived! As soon as the sun goes down the temperature drops
noticeably and continues to drop quickly overnight. Last night we
definitely down in to the 30's. I am going to have to put together a
list of winter clothes to send. Wish me luck in my comfy tent!
Love you!

Fertilizer Friday - We're almost through...

We're almost through here...the growing season is pretty much over. The sprinklers are off now...in fact, as I'm typing this on Thursday evening, we've enjoyed a day of rain in Eastern Washington with more rain predicted for the weekend.  Before I know it, it will be time to blow them out and just off  the water to the yard for the season.

I can't believe the first week of October is already finished.  The time seems to go so quickly.  February rolls in with its winter winds and I'm chomping at the bit to get my garden going, longing for the vibrant colors of spring and summer.  By the end of September, however, I'm tired.  I've fretted over those same vibrant flowers, worried about the health of my vegetables, and generally expended tons of mental and physical energy in caring for the outside of our home.  I secretly rejoice when the weather calls "game over".  Still, here we are in the first week of October and no hard freeze has hit.  I spent a number of hours in the yard Wednesday.  The lawn is loving the mild weather and so I'm still mowing.   I finally decided to rip out the tomato plants.  While I had roughly 100 tomatoes on the vine, the slugs were taking advantage of the weather and enjoying them at unprecedented rates.  Not only that, but we just weren't getting the weather they need to ripen.  (I did save 20+, but between black moldy looking stuff and slugs, the rest were goners.)    In the meantime, there are still interesting things to see in our yard.

The fairies seem to be moving in.  Doesn't this look like a fairy village?

These tiny little white flies come every year at this time.  They're all over the neighborhood.

Our pumpkin plant sent its vines up a tree and then crossed into another tree.  We have tiny little pumpkins in our trees!   I know they won't ripen for us this year...so sad, but I think it is so silly that they're in the tree.

Oh, and our zucchini continue to be confused...they're blooming again.

Sam is still enjoying the garden.  (Buttercup says that the plant Sam is eating is catnip, but I couldn't say...I just know it comes up everywhere!)

There you have it!  I think this is it for the Nagle5 garden this year.  We've got enough rain the forecast that I'm going to have to take advantage of the occasional sunny day to get the zucchini out of the ground...and the spring bulbs planted.  That's okay though...I'm ready to come inside for winter.

It is Fertilizer Friday (sans fertilizer!), so head over to Tootsie's to see what is going on in gardens that aren't winding down...lots of them aren't and it is wonderful to see those tropical flowers as we get ready for winter here.  (Tootsie herself is featuring some absolutely amazing photos of the Mosaiculture International Gardens in Montreal ...you'll be stunned, I promise.)

Food for Thought

"Winter is the time for comfort - it is the time for home."

- Edith Sitwell

What cats do in winter...

Bring the birdwatching indoors!