I actually accomplished a little today.

This is one reason that I always Hate to see Winter come - my beautiful flowers have worked hard all Summer long and are now at their most beautiful. If only I had a sunroom where I could save all of them and then start baby plants off of them for the next Summer - that would be perfect. I really do not like to waste things and that includes flowers for me.

I actually have a Christmas Cactus that I have had for 34 years . It belonged to my neighbor to start with. She disliked me tremendously because I had goats and they would figure out a way to get out and head to her house. I needed the goats to have dairy products for my children , but it was a battle keeping them in. A goat can stand at a regular stock fence and flat foot over the fence and just laugh at you. But, I LOVED them so much. I said they were the animal that I had that you could love and they would give you groceries back !

We used the milk -one neat tip about goat milk - If you are allergic to poison ivy or poison oak -the goats will browse on both of those -but then you drink the milk that comes from the animal that ate the poison oak and ivy and it will give you protection . That was a real blessing.

Then I learned how to make all kind of cheeses and butter and the kids Loved the ice cream. My youngest had a favorite that he and I both loved -it was chocolate chip -mint ice cream. Yummy! I really Hated that my neighbor disliked me so intensely-but I understood.

O, got side-tracked. This cactus belonged to the neighbor and my girlfriend was friends with her. One year she gave the cactus to my girlfriend . My friend knew how I loved flowers to she gave the cactus to me. All these years I have tended it faithfully and each Christmas it blooms so beautifully and I tell Miss Pearl that I am trying to honor her by taking care of her flower. :)

This is my little mud room that DH built for me . It is 4 x 8 and to the left is my pantry (it used to be a bookcase) and the wooden shelf  he built for me to bring my flowers in and have somewhere to put them . I pulled everything outdoors and cleaned it and then cleaned the windows so the light could come in.Then I drug everything back in - it is So nice to see it clean again.If only it would last longer. :) I realized too late that I had done too much (according to my back) but not too much according to my "want to"! It was hurting so bad that I wanted to cry, so I gave up and took a pain pill and laid down about 10 minutes and as it eased up hurting I went back and fixed hubby and I some supper, which was rice and broiled fish. Our baby son bought us some tilapia , which is a fish that I had never heard of before. This is the second time I fixed it  and it turned out really neat this time. I put mayonnaise on first and then rolled them in Parmesan cheese and then broiled them on low for 5 minutes on each side. DH liked them and that made me happy. He could not eat the rice because it had got too crisp in the rice cooker and then I liked the rice but I got choked on it and had to go outdoors and try to get it to go down. I Hate when that happens. DH used to have that happen to him -after he was burnt -the doctors said it was because he had breathed the fumes from the fire and it damaged his tract. For Years we had to watch what he ate and it is miserable to see someone you love choked and not be able to help.

After we ate I went outdoors to say goodnight to some of the critters. This is my white fantail pigeons and for some reason I just love them to death. They are so funny .

They make me think of little turkeys the way that they strut. They rear their little heads straight back and puff their breasts out front . Sometimes I wonder how they can see to walk without falling over backwards. Makes me think of a toy that my kids had once -little egg shaped figures -and they always said -Weebles wobble , but they don't fall down! LOL   But " fantails wobble - but they don't fall down"! LOL

Of course the furbabies accompanied me along the way. Poor little Dixie Doodle -that is a terrible picture of her.She is a sheltie and she was in the middle of fussing at me . Then the littlest is Mocha - my angle and above her is her Mama - Blondie - leaving Snowball the pekingese.This is just half of my crew , but after losing 3 this past Spring -at times it seems so empty. I no longer have to step over our collie Lassie because she always had to lay right in the middle of what-ever was going on. After being in your life for 10 to 15 years - they become a part of you.

As I walked along watching the pups playing - I passed by Tommy Turkey -who was laying down watching the commotion . It was starting to sprinkle rain so I told Tommy that he needed to go to his little house so he would not get soaking wet. I leaned over and wrapped my arms around him and tried to lift him up - but He was Too heavy for me to even budge him at all! He is One big bird! :) So I told him to come on and he lurched up and I guided him like a boat across the driveway into the little house. I went and got him his supper  and he was quiet happy. His sweet heart - Danny was keeping an eye on what was going on. It does no good to tell her to do anything because she is young and full of herself and she flys where ever she wants to go.

As I walked along I could not help but admire the sky as it was getting darker and darker. But it makes me so happy to be able to just look out and see Mother Nature all around and no human houses. We do have some really nice neighbors just up the road-but I just love to see Nature . I know that Fall is really here Because there are very Few birds around and I always miss them so badly! That is one thing I really enjoy about Spring and Summer because the Birds move back and that is usually the first thing I hear from my bedroom window! But, we did see a woodpecker today. I heard the sound it was making and told DH that I heard a squirrel barking and he said that was not what it was . We stepped out to the tree that I knew the sound was coming from and it was a big beautiful woodpecker . He was busy stalking down bugs , he was so pretty.

Well, I think I will take my tired aching body and try to finish cleaning up our supper dishes . I have a few more flowers on the front porch that I am working toward the goal of bringing back indoors. There is 3 of them that are Big and I am trying to figure out where to place them I think that one begonia has outgrown its usual wondow???? Plus, the cat -Midnight will be so insulted because she claims that window and does not really like to share it. :) She is now 13 and thinks she is a Spring Kitten! LOL

I want to get back to my sewing - but I have to get these flowers in before old man - FROST ! comes knocking at my door!
Love to everyone and have a great day -or -night! :)