Friday, November 21, 2014

An Ordinary Day


The early morning sunshine streams in
as I sip my morning coffee.


Those first beautiful rays bring the promise of
a brand new day.


I am enjoying the morning sun
as we are expecting heavy rain and wind
later in the day.


Weekdays find me packing my Ramblin' Man's lunch,
ironing his clothes, and sharing some early morning chatter
about our day.


I kiss him goodbye, then it's time to feed the pets,
tidy up, and do a bit of laundry.


Maggie and Ling Ling get comfy after breakfast.


My sweet Maggie is 15 years old now and spends
her days finding the most comfortable place
 in the house to survey her kingdom.


Ling Ling prefers to be in front of the fire, and settles herself down
as I do a bit of crocheting while I watch my favorite soap opera.

*My one guilty pleasure*
(besides chocolate :)


I've been tidying up the deck for the winter season
the last few days.

I've taken down hanging baskets that have succumbed to our
recent freeze, and thrown pots of annuals into the compost.


I've put away my ceramic birdbath
and replaced it with my birdcage.


I can see her from my kitchen...


Even with the flowers gone,
I still have a bit of color.

I will look for potted ivy and tiny evergreens
at the nursery
to carry through until spring.


Having fun with my new camera here....
taken through the chair back.


Who needs flowers?


Whitey Bear is bored with all this fussing
around with plants.

The baker's rack holds herbs
and the smaller plant stand
holds winter pansies.
They will sporadically bloom
all winter, then put on a show in early spring.


Some pots of rosemary.


My empty pots are waiting for bulbs.
I am late in planting my bulbs
due to a delayed shipment and freezing
weather that kept me inside.

The Japanese Maple is putting on a show
before shedding her leaves.

My youngest son gifted me with all the turquoise
pots over the years, for various occasions such
as Mother's Day and my birthday.

<3


I will pot up my smallest bulbs and bury them in leaves
under the cedar tree where they can stay warm and
dry until spring.

My poor angels need a good cleaning and so I have
put them here to remind me.

The window is one of 30 that my sweet Ramblin' Man
found for me on one his business travels.


They were skylights in an old warehouse and the workmen
were just throwing them down from the roof and smashing them!
He convinced them to let him have them
and he hired a U-haul to take them home to me <3.

Someday they will be a greenhouse.

I thought I could hang one in my window, but it was
 too big, so it waits to be put away.
It is heavier than it looks and I can't lift it.


This time of year, we can stand here on a clear night
and see the Big and Little Dippers:)

A bonus of isolation....
Sometimes it feels a little too isolated.
xo
The rain has held off, and the deck is tidy,
so now I need to rake leaves,
especially out of the drainage ditch.


I have my work cut out for me!
I have been waiting for all the leaves to fall....

I did manage to plant 100 Camassia
and 75 fragrant Narcissi in my front garden.

Something to look forward to this spring.


The sedum are still adding a bit of color here.


So many leaves!


Champ supervises....
He loves to play in my neatly raked up piles!
You can see the drainage ditch behind him.
When it rains heavy, we have a little burbling brook.


I work until the rain starts.
I love working out in the fresh air, listening
to the birds.
We have a pygmy owl that whistles in the trees,
and we've seen a large grey owl in the evening
when we go out to get firewood.

We had a coyote trapped inside our fenced 5 acres
for several days before we figured it out and
left the gate open so it could leave.
The downside to fences :(

I knew something was lurking due to the behavior
 of my dogs and cats.
Even the wild birds were sounding the alarm.
It wasn't until the poor coyote cried in distress
for two hours one night that I figured it out.
All is well now.


Just an ordinary day.


Tiny crab-apples hang on.


Raindrops on cabbage.


Time to go inside and catch up on some housework.

xoxo

Thanks for coming along on my ordinary day,
Dear Friends.

I hope you are having an extraordinary, ordinary day.

xoxo

37 comments:

  1. Your home is so beautiful. I can relate to the morning rays of sunshine giving way to clouds and rain while I tend to my cats & dogs after my husband goes to work.

    This post is a delight and balm to my eyes and heart. You are blessed, very blessed.

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  2. I love your ordinary day Karen. And the sunlight in your home. And that view! You have a wonderful deck and still lots of colour there with the plants and your beautiful turquoise planters. Thanks for letting us join you on an ordinary day. Have a blessed weekend. Pam

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  3. Oh Karen your ordinary day is perfect. Isolation can be hard on some but you have made it a beautiful place to snuggle in and create and live.Oh HUGS to you my friend you make it look easy. BEAUTIFUL life in a beautiful place. You are a strong woman. HUGS B

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  4. Dear Karen
    Nice life affirming post about daily life's pleasures -
    filled with lovely pictures ....

    Hugs
    JetteMajken

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  5. Karen, I love early morning and early morning light! It looks so peaceful and promising. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  6. seems like just a couple of months ago, you were cleaning your deck for winter. and here we are again! the coyote... glad he didn't get your dogs or cats!

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  7. Well your ordinary Karen is beautifully extraordinary. The views you have, the beautiful decking, the amazing autumnal colours and the luxury of remoteness are what dreams are made of. Enjoy your wonderful weekend my friend xx

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  8. Dearest Karen,
    Hope you are okay as you had published a sad looking title earlier...
    Indeed having a fence might trap such animals, good thing he's gone now!
    We don't have to rake the leaves off our lawn as we always have had a John Deer mower with mulcher. That is precious humus for the lawn as well. We only need to keep our patios clean as leaves also do clog up the gutter drain.
    Your husband was thinking fast and smart for salvaging those heavy windows. They will work just fine for using as a greenhouse!
    Stay warm and cozy and hope it is not too stormy.
    Sending you hugs and blessings for the weekend.
    Mariette

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  9. I love seeing your beautiful tidy rooms. Your landscape is wonderful in such a gorgeous part of the country, and your description of the wildlife and your coyote visitor is quite evocative. I love that story of your hubs rescuing the windows for you! I can just picture the wonderful greenhouse it would make.

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  10. Thanks for being one of my" yellow friends"
    Love

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  11. Hola amiga querida! Que lindo el entorno otoñal de su campo l es una belleza esos campos llenos de hojas con esas bonitas vistas

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  12. I loved spending sometime with you at your home seeing what your ordinary day is like, not unlike mine, although My hubby Mr France & I are retired so we spend our days together not unlike yours . We too are putting the garden to rest for the winter. Still have a bit more cutting back on some shrubd , but all my bolbs are planted. I had to look up in one of my gardening books to see what Camassia were like, what a pretty flower, once planted will they come up every year ?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Barbara,
      Thank you for your sweet visit and sharing your ordinary day, too! To answer your question - yes, Camassia will come up every year and hopefully, multiply! Crossing my fingers...... Hugs xo Karen

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    2. I will see if I can find some at our garden center, where live it's very rural so I might have to try on a website , what did we do before internet :)

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  13. There's always an endless to-do list to keep us busy isn't there? I love that you share this as I can definitely relate! I would curl up in your cozy kitchen and enjoy a cup of tea first and admire that view. I swear it's prettier than the prettiest painting.

    We've actually been having trouble with a coyote that keeps coming to visit our back yard and little poochie. We've had to keep our Ruby on a rope now because of it. :(

    One last thing: I'll confess a soap opera vice too. Mine has the initials DOOL - is that similar to yours? Lol

    Have a wonderful weekend and don't work too hard!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Carrie, for your sweet visit. xo Yes, an endless 'to-do' list for sure! Oh, coyotes are funny creatures - you never know their true intentions. We always have to have BIG dogs, living up here - we have Mt. Lions. So nice to know there are others with the soap opera addiction, and yes, the initials match! *grin* Hope your weekend is lovely, too. Hugs xo Karen

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  14. danke für die bilder und inspirationen, ein schönes wochenende wünscht angie

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  15. Your ordinary day is anything but ordinary. Thank you for sharing all your beautiful pictures. Your Ramblin' Man is a real sweetheart for bringing those windows home to you. They're going to make a beautiful greenhouse some day.

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  16. Karen, your Japanese maple is just gorgeous!
    Yes, you do have a lot of leaves to rake up yet. I am thankful ours are finished. We have some trees that drop their leaves late so it is always a scramble to get them raked before the snow fall, and this year we made it by a day.
    Your dear Kitties gave a beautiful home to live in.
    Enjoy the rest of your week end.
    Debbie

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  17. Every time I see that view of yours, I just sigh. It's so gorgeous! You must just love it so much! Thank you for taking us through an ordinary day -- yours is filled with so much beauty. I love my "ordinary" days too, we are both of us blessed!

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  18. I love, love, love what you are crocheting, Karen! Will it be a big basket?

    Your pictures and words are refreshment to my soul, dear friend. You "ordinary" day seems quite divine. How I would love to have a cup of coffee with you :)

    Love and hugs to you!

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  19. Boy do I love the windows that your husband picks up for you on his journeys!! Such treasures they are as are all of your garden pots! Your outdoor deck garden is still so colorful and lush! And I love that angel inside your birdcage!! How pretty is that!!! And wow...I can't believe that there was coyote trapped inside your property! Your animals are amazing watch dogs!!! Your ordinary day looks like heaven to me! Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving friend! Nicole xoxo

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  20. You have created a wonderful home in the countryside, full of warmth and beauty. I can understand, though, how you may feel the isolation at times. I imagine blogging gives you some sense of connection to "neighbours" who stop by to read your lovely posts.

    -Karen

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  21. I envy your ray of sun... We had a very, very rainy day today! My cats were bored and I couldn't work in the garden. My favorite picture is the one taken through the back of your chair.

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  22. Your home and garden have been made so beautiful by you in so many ways! I love the way that even though your pots are stacked waiting for bulbs to be planted in them, they still look beautiful and artistic! xx

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  23. What a wonderful, privileged, tour. Stunning scenery and lovely photographs. Your new camera obviously works a treat!

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  24. Hello Karen!! For an ordinary day, it sure was a beautiful one. Maggie is adorable. She looks a lot like my Ruby. I hope you have a beautiful Monday, my friend :)

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  25. There's something so comforting about an ordinary day, Karen. Thanks for giving us a glimpse of the beauty that's in yours!

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  26. Let me just say the view you have is extrordinary and gorgeous. Your deck is lovely and the perfect place to soak in that beauty. Maggie and Ling Ling are so adorable as is Whitey. They all seem very happy there. This was just a very pleasant post to view.

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  27. Such a lovely tour of your 'ordinary' day. Loved all the beautiful nooks and crannies, and catching glimpses of the four-footed family members. Ahhhhh..... I want to come and give them snuggy-huggs!

    Your home is cozy and inviting, and I enjoyed the tour of your outside world too.

    Wishing you joy ... and some chocolate too!

    Hugs,
    Brenda
    xox

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  28. Your home looks lovely and inviting and I enjoyed this peek into your day.

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  29. Sounds like a lovely day to me. Your place is beautiful, I love the doggies and your views are just gorgeous.. Beautiful post, have a happy Tuesday!

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  30. Karen,
    Your ordinary day is just wonderful. You know, your home is so lovely, and it reminds me very much of my mother-in-law's home in the mountains. Your deck is similar to hers, and so many of the same trees and such. I have to say that those little angels are precious, dirty or not. I would love to see them everyday at my house. The picture of the red leaves with the whitish plant caught my eye, that is one pretty picture. I'm so glad you're having fun with your new camera. Did I ever tell you that I call my camera "my friend" because it allows me to take pictures of so much beauty in this world. I thought it was a great idea to have an angel in the birdcage. I can see why you like to look at her from your kitchen. Your pets seem to love their home and like roaming around the area.

    Sorry this was such a long comment, but seeing bits of your home truly brings me joy, and I have a lot to say about it haha. Happy Thanksgiving to a very special blog friend of mine. May your day be filled with laughter and love.

    ~Sheri

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  31. Just wanted you to know that I added you on my side bar as "lovely blogs." :~)

    Have a nice day, Karen.

    ~Sheri

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  32. O que nos faz amigos é essa capacidade de sermos muitos, mesmo quando somos dois.
    Pe. Fábio de Melo
    Obrigada querida pela amizade carinhosa!
    Um doce abraço, Marie.

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  33. Beautiful photos. Love following you through your day! Poor coyote! Glad you could finally let him out.

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  34. It´s not just a ordinary day...it´s a beautiful day! I love your pictures!
    Have a happy weekend, take care,
    Titti

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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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