In Good Company

This week, hallelujah! it's been warm enough to have my first meal on the deck overlooking the pond lake pond lake...whichever it is. You decide. Grilled salmon with honey sauce and roasted asparagus with EVOO, S&P and the gifted flowers which brighten up the table immensely.

Ste Chateau Michelle 2009 Riesling was the wine and thoroughly enjoyable. I'm not a fan of sweestish wines, unless dessert wine, but I did enjoy this. Heck, I enjoyed it all two nights in a row. Some years ago, I served Dave supper (we're Old School) and he commented on how good it was and how much he enjoyed it. I said, "That's great because when you see it again tomorrow night, please act surprised." Some meals are simply too good to eat only once.

All sorts of beasties kept me company; above is Pixie, she of Pixie and the Inkspots, born of Ole Bones whom you met last post. The cats give me heart palpitations each time they walk along the ledge. Said ledge is, at the shortest, perhaps seven or eight feet above the ground and, at the most, somewhere between fifteen and twenty feet above the concrete apron leading into the garage. I'll be SO glad when the deck is screened and they are no longer able to sashay on the ledge.

Sam P. Spade, Secret Angel Agent with Inky 1 and Inky 2, of the aforementioned Inkspots. The Inkspots are entirely black, as is Smudge Moonbeam (an elder kinsman) with not a hair of difference between the Inkspots. Smudge might have one or three white hairs but not more.

My first spring on this farm and I'm seeing all sorts of lovelies coming into bloom. I haven't a clue what this is but it is extremely pretty...and I'm usually no pink fan.

In the powder room, gazing upon the semi-bird cage is my Knight in Shining Armor. I haven't a clue who this is supposed to be but it's quite old...guessing 1930's...? He's hung on every wall of every place I've ever lived, a reminder of all the good in the world and, to my way of believing, God always triumphs (because His ways are not our ways...)

The "semi-bird cage" has Bible verses written on index cards which are trimmed with scissors cutting a pretty border. Anyone who visits is invited to add a verse and the goods to work with are in this

little egg basket, hand crafted by my Mom's Mother some 40 years ago. The milk stool belong to Aunt Bonnie, Dad's oldest sister and the same who taught me how to churn and instilled in me a love of farming, tending to animals, etc.  One Christmas season Grandma asked me, "What do you want for Christmas?" I asked for one of her hand made baskets. She said, "That's not enough. What else do you want?" I replied, "Two of your hand made baskets." That Christmas she gave me two baskets and a "Christmas" sweater which has gone the way of all flesh but those two baskets are still in service and Grandma is thought of with love every time my eyes rest upon either basket.

Yes, the scales do work; much to the dismay of folks who use them. (I can usually hear the screams of "OH NO! That CAN'T be right! ~LOL~)

Also in the powder room is this ancient bowl and dish. Memory denies me the pleasure of where or when the bowl was purchased...or did someone give it to me...? It's been carried with me for donkey's years and when I moved here, the dish under was being used on the back deck, holding cat food. Well. thrift stores are full of perfectly useful cat food dishes so I married my bowl and the cat's dish, bringing both inside and put into service as a soap dish. It brings me enormous pleasure every time I go into the powder room...small things can be SO joyful, can't they?

Whilst on the deck, one can look up at the second floor windows which is where Mellow likes to live. He's a rescue (What? No gasps of surprise?! haha) who has been with me for a week today. Beloved Sistah's neighbor moved, leaving all her cats, including (Marsh) Mellow (the first part of his name was dropped Post Haste!) to fend for themselves (yeah, don't get me started). Mellow had been de-clawed and was supposed to be an inside cat but... grrrr. Anyway, when Beloved Sistah would go out of town, I'd drive 60 miles, round trip, to feed the felines (and glad to do it!) and we'd decided I was going to bring Mellow home with me as he was already gentled. (After all, when there are so many to feed, what's one more, eh? However, at this point, I have stopped all rescue...all I'm saying...ALL!).  Wouldn't you know it!? The woman who'd abandoned the cats had the County Animal Control Officer go get three...leaving, at least, three more, one who is extremely old, eighteen or older and blind in one eye! Beloved Sistah told me, we talked about it and I said, "I cannot leave that cat in the shelter to be destroyed. I just can't. Mellow is a loving boy with a gentle, sweet disposition and acclimated to the household in two or three days. Five days into the household, Mellow and Sam were touching noses, getting acquainted and, once again, all seems to be well with our little world at Thistle Cove Farm. (Now, about the old boy, blind in one eye...yes, we're working on him...)

And, as on the back of my farm sign says...Y'all come back soon, ya hear!

Ponder this ~ 

"The power of finding beauty in the humblest things 

makes home happy and life lovely." 

~ Louisa May Alcott ~