Thankful...

Taz sits at the french window, watching the first few flakes of snow...

Its been a rough few days on our little island, starting with the snow and ice blasting down from the Arctic on Monday, making for treacherous driving conditions.  The day after the storm, we ventured out to buy groceries and found the roads littered with abandoned vehicles, some had slid and collided into one another, or people had simply stopped where they could rather than risking going any further and must have walked the rest of their way home.

The news reported record breaking, freezing winter temperatures (and its only November!)

The winds picked up the following day and temperatures continued to drop, the power went out in many homes and businesses including ours and was slow to come back on.  The night before Thanksgiving our power returned (such a relief..., I was due to have 4 families come for dinner.)  However later that evening,  we discovered the pipes had frozen in our laundry room and had flooded the floor.  We had to turn the water off, we had a visit from the local fire department who assured us that our burst pipes/damage was nothing compared to what they had seen over the past 24 hours...(thank goodness for small mercies...)

 Thanksgiving was a bit of a challenge, as no running water meant no dishwashers, toilets flushing, etc. etc..., (things that I've so completely taken for granted for most of my life.)  And sadly, several guests were not able to make the dinner due to their own set of difficulties caused by the winter storm...

However, despite the setbacks,  I felt very thankful... I had both my children at home (which always puts me in a joyful, contented mood), the power/heat was back on, we had shelter protecting us from the elements.  

A great fire roared in the hearth (I always feel a sense of well being when we have a good fire blazing.)

And we had an abundance of tasty, healthy, delicious food and... each other...:)))))

How was your thanksgiving???

It Would Seem That Winter Has Arrived...

Standing outside yesterday and looking up into the leadened sky, I noticed occasional, tiny white specks of something strange and unexpected floating lazily down to settle onto leaves and branches... I thought at first I was seeing ash from the chimney - perhaps from the burning inferno we had going in the fireplace...

But on closer examination, I saw the specks disappear... It was trying to snow...  I didn't think it was time yet, or cold enough...) 

Well, today it persevered and has settled in places, and has caused much anguish for drivers on the road...

I came home early with the pups, to make sure we didn't get stuck. After gathering wood for the inferno... I took a few minutes to photo the white wonder that used to be the garden...

Frosting on the Calicarpa berries...

Down the driveway towards the road where cars slip and slide down the hill.

Snow-topped pumpkins on the front steps.

Perhaps this year we'll have a White Thanksgiving???


Here's a beautiful Mary Oliver poem to celebrate the first snow...

First Snow 
by Mary Oliver


The snow
began here
this morning and all day
continued, its white
rhetoric everywhere
calling us back to why, how,
whence such beauty and what
the meaning; such
an oracular fever! flowing
past windows, an energy it seemed
would never ebb, never settle
less than lovely! and only now,
deep into night,
it has finally ended.
The silence
is immense,
and the heavens still hold
a million candles, nowhere
the familiar things:
stars, the moon,
the darkness we expect
and nightly turn from.  Trees
glitter like castles
of ribbons, the broad fields
smolder with light, a passing
creekbed lies
heaped with shining hills;
and though the questions
that have assailed us all day
remain - not a single
answer has been found - 
walking out now
into the silence and the light
under the trees,
and through the fields,
feels like one.


o ~ O ~ o

Chinese Lanterns...

Here's a few photo's of one of my favorite flowers of the season...

Chinese Lanterns ~ Physalis alkekengi

Flowering in late summer then developing these fruits in October, turning from green to brilliant orange... they truly are stunning to look at.

Physalis is actually a herb, related to potatoes, and tomatoes..., its also known as "Winter Cherry," its fruit is harvested for its high vitamin C content, but can be toxic if not fully ripe, its  known for its inflamation-reducing and , cough suppressing qualities and has been used to treat many other varied symptoms... (such as bedwetting!!!)  I love learning about the herbal lore of plants grown right under our noses, don't you? 

However, I'm not in any hurry to chomp these fruit, but they are so very photogenic..., don't you think?

Look what happens to the outer papery skin as it ripens...

All that is left is skeleton like outer shell, cage like holding the little orange like fruit in the center.

Do you have a favorite Fall flower?

Maple Syrup and Toasted Walnut Scones...

Here's my prescription for spending a perfect day indoors when the chill Autumn winds are blowing and the rain is beating down on the windows...

A roaring log fire...

A cup of tea along with a favorite book or magazine...

And a plate of Gluten/Dairy Free Maple Syrup & Toasted Walnut Scones 

fresh from the oven... mmmmmmmmmm

Here's my recipe for the scones...

(by the way if you don't have to eat GF and DF simply substitute the GF flour

for Wheat flour, marg. for butter, and cream for the Almond milk.)

Maple Syrup & Toasted Walnut Scones

Ingredients:  

1/4 cup of good quality Maple Syrup

6 Tablespoons of Almond Milk (or other milk.)

2 1/4 cups of All purpose GF Flour (I like Pamela's or King Arthur brand.)

1/2 cup of GF Rolled Oats

1 1/2 Tablespoons of Baking Powder

Pinch of Sea Salt

1 1/2 cubes of chilled DF Margarine (I like Earthbalance.) 

1 egg beaten

1/2 cup of chopped Walnuts

4 tablespoons of Turbinado or brown sugar

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

3.  Mix flour, oats, baking powder and sea salt in a large bowl.

4.  Slice the marg. into small cubes and blend with the flour, using your fingertips to 

     make a crumb like consistency (or blend these ingredients in a food processor till they resemble

     breadcrumbs.)

5.  Mix the Maple Syrup and Almond Milk and add to the flour mix.

6.  Blend well with a fork, then use hands to pull the dough together.

7.  Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and roll out till its about and inch thick.

8.  Cut out the scones using a cookie cutter or a small drinking glass.

9.  Arrange on the lined cookie sheet, leaving 1/2 inch between each scone.

10.  Brush the tops with the beaten egg.

11.  Mix the chopped nuts and sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle the surface of each

       scone with a generous teaspoon of the mixture - press it down into the scone a little bit.

12.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, till golden brown and walnuts are toasty looking...

MMMMMMMMMMMMM........ Enjoy!

Stirring The Soul...

This hand sized, heart shaped leaf caught my eye in the park the other day...

Dear Friends, it has been a while since I last blogged, since putting back the clocks, my usual time for photographing (around 4-5pm) has had to change, as its almost dark by the time I get home from work... and as I prefer to shoot my photo's in natural light,,, I'm feeling a little frustrated... 

Seeing as my photo's help me focus on a subject to blog about, I am trying to figure out how (and more importantly) when I'm going to be able to get my photo's taken...

I'm having to relearn the meaning of patience, and show myself a little kindness as I try to navigate my "wish list" of things that I truly LOVE to do, as opposed to my daily task list of jobs I NEED to get done...

So this evening, I am curled up by a roaring, fire, crackling and hissing in the fireplace, T.V is turned off, and after browsing my bookshelf I have re-found a favorite poem that I would like to share with you,  written by the Pulitzer prize winning author ~ Mary Oliver... this poem truly stirs my soul...  

West Wind # 2 ~ 

by Mary Oliver

You are young.  So you know everything.  You leap

into the boat and begin rowing.  But listen to me.

Without fanfare, without embarrassment, without

any doubt, I talk directly to your soul.  Listen to me.

Lift the oars from the water, let your arms rest, and 

your heart, and heart's little intelligence, and listen to 

me.  There is a life without love.  It is not worth a bent

penny, or a scuffed shoe.  It is not worth the body of a

dead dog nine days unburied.  When you hear, a mile 

away and still out of sight, the churn of the water

as it begins to swirl and roil, fretting around the

sharp rocks---when your hear that unmistakable

pounding--- when you feel the mist on your mouth 

and sense ahead the embattlement, the long falls

plunging and steaming---then row, row for your life

toward it.

Pink In Autumn...

If you think Autumn is all about copper and golds, crimson and every possible shade of orange?  Think again and think Pink!!!

To celebrate Beverley's Pink Saturday http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/ , I searched out some pink, in nature and around my house...

Dusky pink hydrangea flowers with purple Callicarpa berries...

Stunning late flowering dahlias...

More dahlia's...

Pink pearls and sparkling gems...

Happy Pink Saturday Everyone!

Love,

Neinah

More Fall Comfort Food...

Taking the dogs for a walk, I noticed this little maple tree in the park...

All these colors  from just one branch of one maple tree...

o ~ o ~ o

Going for walks in the park stimulates my appetite - especially for soup...

Here's a recipe inspired by a recipe for "Moroccan Carrot Soup" from the latest edition of Mary Jane's Farm magazine...

Ingredients 

3 cups of peeled chopped carrots

2 cups of peeled chopped parsnips

2 medium size chopped peeled onions

4-5 peeled chopped garlic cloves

1 cup of chopped parsley

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tspn. Ground Cumin

1/2 tspn Ground allspice

6 cups of Vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

After 5 mins. add carrots and parsnips.

Add broth, bring to boil and cook for 20 minutes or so, till the veggies are soft.

Stir in parsley, lemon juice, cumin, and allspice.

Puree with a hand held blender (I don't have one so I used my Vitamix.)

Add salt and pepper to taste...

Quick, easy and sooooooo tasty...

Enjoy!