The smell of heaven. I grow Buddha’s hand citron and its sweet, floral scent is like no other earthly smell. Order a plant and you will see. My kitchen is filled with it’s smell.

Haven’t made a chess pie in a long time. I am making pecan pie and a tart cherry pie for Thanksgiving dinner. I just might make one of these too.

I would have liked Truman. I tend to like unlikeable people. Sagittarius to the bone.

Never hit anyone. Selling off antiques on eBay and decided to sell this old fortune teller’s card. So, would you ever club someone? I decided I would if I caught someone mistreating an animal.

First frost and had to scramble to get all of my citrus trees up. I have a closet built into the side of my house where they spend the winter with grow lights. The mandarins broke the stem by too many fruits. The Ponderosa lemon got in the way. Some thorns are 4” long and plants too big. Oh well.

I saw a special about a southern chef who has a restaurant and is famous. I can’t remember her name. A story she told was about middlins, the broken, leftover pieces of rice slaves would gather to eat. I was so surprised to see these in Fresh Market the other day.

First rain in more than thirty days. This fall has been unusually hot.

Maypop, i.e. wild passion flower. I never knew. They are growing in my lower garden. Read up on them. Native Americans ate them and supposedly the fruit tastes like expensive passion fruit from the store. Since I couldn’t garden this summer in the beds next to the lake, I guess some seeds started.

If the other side of the universe hears me and makes my dreams come true, why has my summer sucked so bad? Maybe this container is empty.

She asked for some pecans this morning.

Tried all summer to lure hummingbirds to my feeder. Finally got one.

The destroyer of tomatoes. They are hard to spot. They freeze and are camouflaged. This one is getting pitched down into the lower yard. It is lucky I don’t throw it in the lake.

Haven’t baked any bread lately. This was a cocoa, dried cherry loaf inspired of course by none other than the GOAT, Seamus Blackley.

Never saw it again after I put it in the goldfish pond.

How can someone, who hasn’t got time to work in her garden, fall and break her pelvis in three places? I can’t just let it go. I have so much to do!

We own acreage on a mountain that had two old log cabins from pioneer days. They say you can find the front by finding flowers. This is an old one they brought with them from Europe. It’s amazing they made it across the Red River to Indian territory.

My oldest granddaughter is seventeen. I bought her Billie Eilish tickets. She asked who my favorite concert was. Frank Zappa. “Who’s that?”😳

A goose with a hurt foot called me till I went out to feed it. Lo and behold, a pigeon I’ve been trying to commune with for two weeks, was there and I fed it too. It flew up on my head and I got in a tickle. Made my summer. We don’t have them here and it hangs with the ducks.

Weenies with oregano and strawberries.

My three littles just taking a walk and not even scared of Bigfoot. Seems not a thespian in the group. Some of the grandkids are going to the farm this weekend to fish and look around.

I love/live for interesting factoids.

Raindrops on roses. Planted these last summer. They smell heavenly. I’m not religious, but excited for the white smoke at the Vatican.

My middle daughter is following in my footsteps. She cooks and bakes, has chickens and is now starting to can. She made pickled redbuds. Yes, the berries from a redbud tree. I have never heard of this in my decades of canning. Learn something new everyday.

Woke up to reflections from the lake. I sleep with curtains open. Don’t like it dark. My sister slept with eye covers and pitch black. I like the play of light across the back of house.

Turtles waiting for food. Gander goes hurriedly to see what his lady goose is fussing about. She’s standing over her nest hooting.

This lemon-sized strawberry is probably the last one for a time. They came from California, but wonder who picked them? I know we’ll be getting hit with dump’s tariffs. I’m going to plant the green tops to see if they root.

I’m late but got it done. Juiced the oranges and lemons. Citrus is easy to grow but in zone 7, it has to go up in winter (lower than 40). My citrus is my pride and joy. Grow it in pots.

The lake finally melted yesterday. This red tailed hawk has been in the cottonwood tree out back, but decided to come to the porch. That’s where all the birds come to eat. He did not catch one. #hawks #lakes #winter

I ventured out to see the snow and the ducks came! They want me to feed them. I dare not go down the stairs to the lake. My fall last week is still healing. Took out half an eyebrow and road rash on my cheek. Black eye is going away. Poor ducks. #ducks #winter

There must be different kinds of matcha. They had some at Starbucks this summer that was heavenly. I had two packets. Both failed miserably. I can’t get it up to my mouth. It smells like liquid fish fertilizer and tastes worse.

My middle daughter, head of the Woody Guthrie Museum and caterer extraordinaire, made this nutcracker charcuterie board. It was delicious, but I could only eat a bite or two. We always have too much. What bombed? I bought a boatload of colossal shrimp. Little shit daughter thought it out too long.

Have you ever had pink strawberries? Best I’ve ever had.

Ol Mr. Grinch came to our festivities. The littles didn’t miss a beat. As soon as Ollie said something, they knew who Grinch was. Dr. T is behind the pillow and Grinch is trying to see which gift to steal. You’ll never guess what I got. A taser. I’m going to tase myself.

Cold out and climbed into bed to peruse my new book. B&N book of the year. Since I’m such a bird lover, it looks great. I’m sure I was a bird in a past life. This quiet introvert likes to think I was an emu! 😂

This is my favorite part of fall. These leaves are resplendent and each time I pick up one, I think, oh this is the prettiest one ever.

Native American youth from 9 separate tribes in Oklahoma dance in their regalia. Oklahoma means red man. The tribes in our state have done very well in their tribal businesses and casinos. They often help the state out. Nobel and they honor their heritage.

The mallards have come to finish off the seed. I won’t be putting it on the ground again. A norther is coming and I will have to turn on the heater. It was 64 degrees inside this morning. Everything will freeze and the cleaning of the garden will begin.

I got out one query last night. Researching the agency, the agents, et al. It was exhausting on top of everything else. Got up this morning and who is feasting at my bird seed? The fattest Norway rat. Mother Nature thinks they’re kind of cute.

I spend every summer day feeding the fish, turtles and waterfowl. My zen time. Soon the turtles will dig into the mud to hibernate. Usually have up to 30. Nature is my heaven.

My third grandchild, Penny Lane, helping her Nonna shell peas. I told her her great great grandma use to call it ‘peaing’.

I’m a collector. Like Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt. This is a sperm whales tooth. Thought I might inscribe art or words on it and make a necklace out of it.

Ever wonder what a whale’s eardrum looks like? This is fairly heavy bone. There are three other parts that go with it somehow. I put it to my ear to hear the sea or whale songs. I went on a boat to watch whales once. I think it’s one of my favorite times in life.

Tam jalapeños pickled peppers. I still have quite a few jars left from last summer. I have planted more for this summer. These aren’t as hot as regular ones. Someone better get to eating peppers. #canning #peppers #gardening

Buttermilk biscuits are a southern ‘thang’. Like cornbread in the deep south, biscuits are a staple. These were covered in cream gravy, but I like mine with butter and jam. #breads #biscuits #brunch

I wish I had a houseful of these finches. #birds #finches

A morkie? Teeny cross between a maltese and a yorkie. So precious.

Picked my lemons and tangerines. Juiced the Meyer lemons. I used to have a large greenhouse at the farm and would often get 150 pounds of fruit.

Heirloom seeds from the Choctaw Nation. Only for members, I can wait to grow them.

It’s that time of year. Chicken and dumplings time. Grandma great’s recipe though she was so frugal. Her’s had necks and backs in it. She had rubber band balls, foil balls and used powdered milk. She had hot water in the morning because there was a time she couldn’t afford coffee.

Croots! My oldest little had to have these for Xmas. They came out in October and sold out. This child just turned 16 and has to not stand out from anyone. Everything embarrasses her. I got them and I need to find out if she’s worn them. I wouldn’t.