We All Were Skunked!

 I didn't know we had such beautiful skunks! They look like chows, and maybe that's why this female was so attracted to my dogs. I left them out at 6:30 am as usual and the barking started immediately. We both got outside asap to find this skunk in the dogs' yard.
 

We'd herd her toward the fence and she would get through and immediately turn around and come back into the yard. It was not making any sense except that she may have rabies? She would come straight at the dogs and keep spraying. We were trying to get the dogs in the house, but with all the ice and stubborn chows, that was not easy and took quite a while. By the time we got Hucky in the house Persia had taken off after it as it ran to the pasture.

I got the phone and called the county wildlife manager. Unfortunately, he was at a conference in Vegas, but called me anyway to explain because it was dawn, she was hellbent on getting back to her den, she was not rabid, just let her get to where she needed to go. Not easy with a persistent chow after her. Of course, by that time we all smelled to high heaven. I thought after all that time she would run out of spray. 

She kept trying to come back into the pasture through the fence, we kept her at bay by hitting a bucket on the fence. The strangest thing happened. Out of nowhere another skunk appeared. He was bigger, had more black underbelly. He came over to her, she followed him across the stream and they disappeared into the woods. He never bothered with us or Persia, he was on a mission, and she listened to what he told her. They were not seen again.  

This is the male on the right, female over by the deer block. What beautiful creatures! So now we have to bring the dogs in before dusk because of the coyotes, and leave them out after dawn when the sun is up.  Hard to get them to change their routine.

 

Gardeners Are The Best!

Over a decade ago I could buy Suzie Wong Torenia seeds, then they disappeared. I searched for years and found gardening forums where others were looking, too. Last month I got an email from a lady in Palm Springs, FL, who saw my comment in a group from two years ago. A Suzie Wong appeared in her garden (above) a volunteer that she did not plant!
 

A few weeks ago it bloomed and she sent me this photo. Yesterday I received a packet of seeds in the mail! I am so excited to get these growing for the summer and will start them in trays on heating mats. 

People just don't do things like this anymore! I love it!!

You Have To Try This Soup!

Zanzibar Soup! Yes, those are bananas! This is the craziest soup with such an odd combination of ingredients, but it is so delicious and healthy. I have been making this for years. The recipe comes from the Sconset Cafe on Nantucket.  We loved that cafe, and I bought their cookbook on one of my trips there. 
 

 I make California Pizza Kitchen's Humus recipe and toast some Naan Bread to go with this soup.  Perfect on a chilly night!

Christmas Eve & Christmas

Christmas Eve is always more special to me than Christmas Day, maybe because it's dark and the lights look prettier and there's a fire. This is when we have our "special" meal and pick a movie to watch and relax.
 

Never get tired of those colored pinecones you throw in the fire to give a special glow!

Brought out my smokey green wine glasses, I only have a pair and I'm so afraid I'll break one, but it's Christmas Eve!

The Pioneer Woman's potatoes au gratin, so delicious but fattening!

Filet Mignon with bernaise sauce, I cooked myself and couldn't believe how well it turned out. Yes, I ate a steak!!

A gift from my aunt was waiting at the gate, felt like it weighed 50 pounds and I didn't have a clue what it was.  CHEESECAKE!! How did she know I LOVE cheesecake??  Well, maybe everybody does.

I had made a batch of raspberry thumbprints, but opted for the chocolate cheesecake instead.

Christmas morning Bob made breakfast. As you can see the kitchen, this is why Bob is not allowed to cook, but he made Eggs Purgatory (not very fitting for Christmas) but they were damn good!

So Bob can cook.  Why does it only happen once every 20 years??!!

I've been hiding out since days before Christmas. We had a huge tree taken down (well, almost . . . I fired the crew, story later) but huge limbs were left in the treetops and I didn't want one falling on the dogs. Got a ladder and a pole to knock it out and it came down and hit me in the face. Haven't had a black eye since I was a kid.  

Very few gifts this year. Sent Rich and Pat some Ice Cubes, yummy chocolate squares.

Fabby was the recipient of an afghan this year for helping me to get Persia from Kentucky. (She is Hucky and Persia's Godmother.)

Baked a yule log for Lynn on the lake, my egg lady.  Love geting my eggs from her.

Christmas Day was 76 degrees, you know where I was all day, in my yard doing gardening (and cleanup from the loser tree guys.) My deer were eating cranberries.

The sun was out, the camellias were blooming and it was a really nice Christmas day.

A Real Live Christmas Tree!

Last year I saw this faux tree at Lowes and was bound and determined to copy it. I bought the same lights in large and small on sale to prepare for this year.
 

A very simple tree, flocked with pinecones.

It was the perfect year to get a live tree with two young chows that we didn't know how they would react to a tree and supporting a local tree farm since Helene destroyed a lot of the NC tree farms.

They all smelled good and were nice looking trees, was hard to pick the one to take home.

This is the one!

I have bins of pinecones from all over just waiting to be used. I have some really huge ones I collected when out on the NC coast and the Norway Spruce cones I got in Flat Rock.

My tree was not as heavily flocked as the faux one giving it a verdigris patina which I really liked. 

Even sprayed the lights to give it a softer glow as if it had snowed.

Added feather balls, nothing breakable just in case the kids wanted to mess with the tree.

Some faux fur balls, too. I thought the kids might have interest in those, but none whatsoever, so I think next year I can use glass ornaments.

Sparkly deer head tree topper.

                                        Merry Christmas.