Love the Warm Temperatures

With a temperature high of 55 degrees this afternoon, the kitties were happy when I left the sliding glass door open. Birds, chipmunks.......life is good for all the felines in this house!

More yard work today, however, I couldn't resist building another fire with the totally perfect pine cones that dropped to the ground for a second time. This is the year of the PINE CONES and they are covered in lots of pine pitch.! For the third time since September, we've raked pine cones, pine needles and now oak leaves. This was it, no more raking......I'm raked out. Bring on the white stuff.

You couldn't ask for a better fire starter. Pine cones covered in pine pitch are perfect. Want a campfire? Just call me......1-800-campfirequeen!

Thanks Dad

I have the best dad ever! He gave me an early Christmas present since he understands my enthusiasm for learning new technology. Dad decided to give me his iPad that he bought last year, and now plans to buy himself the new iPad 2. I love this cool tablet.....light weight, touch pad, displays with beautiful colors and lots of apps. Downloaded an eBook, which was super easy. Wow, never thought I'd like an Apple product, but I do!

Thanks dad.....I still have a lot to learn about Apple.

What Do You Do......

Rice Pudding

What do you do with extra eggs? You make rice pudding.....well, Bike man made rice pudding! Very nice. Milk, eggs, sugar, nutmeg, white rice, brown rice and red rice. Guess what I'm eating for breakfast?

Thinking of You All

My prayer list really grew quickly over the past week. Family members, personal friends and blogger friends are all battling medical issues, so all I could do was keep everyone in my prayers. Good health can never be taken for granted. Count your blessings if you are healthy and cancer free.

Healthy tip of the day: According to Dr. Zorba Paster ( I like this guy) eating higher consumptions of chocolate can protect you against heart disease and strokes. That's the best news ever!!!!! Read the full article here.

The Water is Cooling

After my late day run yesterday, I grabbed my camera and headed down to the dock. The lake is changing in colors, and definitely has a late fall look. No more algae, no more duckweed. Just cooler water and less leaves on the trees. Lake ice! Could happen 4-6 weeks from now. Yikes, that's a scary thought!

Some Things Just Won't Give Up

The leaves have fallen, the pine cones have dropped, and the flowers are gone. So why is this tomatillo plant still trying to bare fruit? Sadly, it's running out of time. By tomorrow night the temperature will bring this poor plant to it's end. Dang it, and I wanted to make salsa verde!

Who Doesn't Love Pumpkins?

The weekend came to a close today with the high winds blowing all the leaves in every direction....25 mph + that is! By mid afternoon, it was time to head for home after visiting my parents. Family scattered in different directions. My sis & her hubby flew back south to Florida, while Bike man and I headed home to Northwest Wisconsin and the Son and Trisha headed back to St. Paul. Quick weekend, but nice to be with family......that's what life is all about.

As for the house of cats, the felines greeted us with open paws when we arrived home! It's so nice to feel missed.