color

  The weekend was a busy one.  Some things arrived in the mail, and other things were purchased.  

   One of the mailed items was these rubber step mats.  Because the steps are wood, and old, they become very slick when it rains or ices over during the winter.  More than once I have almost slipped and broken a tailbone, something I would really rather not do.  The mats give a little more gripping power and when it ices over, I can salt them and know that it will stay better.

   To make sure that even they did not slip, I nailed them down, including the larger half-circle.

   I've been keeping a calendar book of the daily average highs and lows temperature-wise, and items of note for the seasons, such as my electrical KWH usage so I can see when I need to be a little more mindful.  Lessons learned ... such as putting the ice salt in a covered bucket instead of leaving the bag itself outside the door where it can be easier accessed.  Last winter it must have rained one night and so I wound up with a huge block of frozen ice salt.

   I was also able to finally get a plant stand for outside the front door that I had been looking for.  As you can see, the rescued sedum is quite happy, and I wish that the peony roots I bought and planted would be just as happy.  Maybe after they have been in the ground for a year.  Out of the five, one grew and will come back stronger in the spring.  One was a maybe, and three just disappeared, so I have to assume they have died.

   I've ordered some small fairy lights to put on the tree, and hope that by the time winter comes, it will be weather hardy.  I had bought it last year as my Christmas tree for the kitchen window.  It is a small cypress something shrub.  The wood sorrel below it may or may not be winter hardy, but if not, I will find another perennial to plant in the pot next spring.  The vine growing up the wall is white morning glory, a volunteer.

  Also arrived were some wine cork(ish) fairy lights I ordered for some colored bottles in the kitchen window.  My winter hygge lights.  They are battery-operated and will be on when I am doing some planned Christmas baking.  I have a designed shortbread stone baker and want to try some recipes this fall to send to my sisters.

   Christmas baking is high on my wannado list this year.  I have a patterned rolling pin that I bought in Germany on my first river cruise in 2007.  It will make some beautiful Springerle cookies!  I also have some loaf pans with Thanksgiving and Christmas-themed tops (bottom of the pan) and don't know if I could do a shaped Stollen bread in them since it is not usually a shaped bread but more like a fold and flop.  But a quick search does show one image in a pan so it could be doable.

  I also received the new ornament display tree I found affordably priced.  It is not as tall as the last one I had, so some of my September ornaments are big on it.  I might see if I can find an affordable full-sized one I can put in the living room, and then use this one in my office and find smaller ornaments that will fit its size.

   My leaf platter of rocks are some I collected in the UP and Wisconsin along Lake Superior's shoreline.  Agates.  Geodes.  Ones that called out to me.

   On the health front, everything is a waiting game again.  But I've decided to go down fighting ...