strange weather, beautiful blooms, critters, and coyotes

Is it just me or have you noticed that the weather around the world has been a bit erratic?  I know that hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunami, earthquakes, lava flows, floods, etc. happen... and have happened throughout history,  but do they seem to be happening a lot more?

I do believe in Climate Change... and I expect this is all a part of that, but with the earth warming and the seas rising, I worry (no, not worry exactly... but am concerned) that things may be happening faster than people seem to realize or care to admit. 

We went from almost 80 degrees to in the low 20's recently... and although probably not that unusual - seems like a small warning sign saying the weather is 'in flux' (not sure that's the right word, but it fits my feeling).

Anyway, on to happier things...

Amaryllis with 4 blooms on each stalk

Thought you might like to see our amaryllis in total bloom. It has 4 large flowers on each stalk. Really pretty! And so far, the cats haven't even noticed it. Of course it's not usually in the center of our kitchen... but the light was better here for the pic.

The weather here has been cold, damp, and downright nasty. Perfect for sitting by the fireplace with a good book.  Since I use that area for my pottery too... it's a great time to underglaze my little critters.  

seal 

puffin

These are on the shelf ready for the first firing...

Oh.. and a heads up! DH and I just chased a very large coyote out of our backyard! He was after one of the feral cats. Don't think he caught him... at least we hope not. DH went out with one of those 'screaming canisters' and I ran out banging pots together. He ran. Must have jumped the 6 foot fence...

We've had a few coyotes around the neighborhood. They usually run when you make noise. I've never worried too much about them, but some areas (Frisco, TX) have had people attacked lately... really odd that they would do that. 

As always - Have a wonderful week and thanks for reading! I plan to go make a bacon cheeseburger meatloaf for supper tonight... something I saw on one of the cooking shows and thought the boys would like. Will let you know how it turns out. 

grandkids, superbowl, cats, and an Amaryllis

grand daughter at her desk at St. Joseph's

DH and I were there for her first Grandparents' Day Friday. She turned 6 in November and is in Kindergarten at St. Joseph's.  We were worried when she started as she always said that she wasn't going to school... that she wanted to be home-schooled. But as it turns out, she loves it. There are only 15 in her class and after visiting this week, we both agree that it seems to have been a great choice.





Today is the Superbowl. Will we be watching? Probably not. We are Saints fans and even though I don't sit and watch the game normally, DH said that he wasn't going to watch it either. More than likely most of our friends and relatives in New Orleans aren't watching. From what little I know/or heard, it was a botched call - but it happens. My philosophy is: breathe in, breathe out, and move on. But of course it's easy for me to say... not so much the players.

Tux, Julie, and Ghost are taking full advantage of the situation. They are sleeping in DH's chair today - where he usually watches TV. 

And I can't remember if I mentioned that we have a crazed Cardinal that keeps throwing himself into our window. It's been going on for weeks. Apparently he doesn't hurt himself or he would have stopped by now. I took a video, but can't figure out how to get it from my iPhone to the blog. I tried to send it to my email (like I do pictures from my phone), but it doesn't seem to work. Anyway, I can post a picture of Tux watching him.

Tux watching crazed Cardinal

Oh... two other things I should mention: First, they still haven't fixed our streetlight... and second, our Christmas Amaryllis is starting to open!

 
It's not a great picture and I had to enlarge it so you could see the red colors. Also, it's getting tall and top heavy.  We may need to put it into a heavier container (there's hardly any dirt in the one it came in).

Enjoy your Sunday and have a wonderful week!  Since the groundhog has predicted an early Spring.... we can only pray that this crazy weather is on it's way out. Stay warm and stay safe!

a little cooking, a little clay work...

Cast iron pineapple upside down cake

I had 2 projects today... that I just finished. One - was to make a cast iron pineapple upside down cake (a favorite type of cake for DH (and one I almost never make as I'm not fond of pineapple) and two - I needed to create 2 more ceramic stamps for the studio.

I think I've mentioned before that I've been trying these Cast Iron Cooking Magazine recipes. So far I've tried several... including Chicken Pot pie, Bacon wrapped sausages, Chicken Spaghetti, and a giant Snickerdoodle cookie. 

DH saw this Pineapple upside down cake in the magazine and has been waiting for me to give it a go. Today I did. It came out pretty good... if you like pineapple. But I can actually eat around the pineapple. The little pie bird in the center is just there to make it look cuter.... and I sprinkled a little powdered sugar on it for effect.

And as for the ceramic stamps... this was our first project this past Saturday. We were told to make at least 3 stamps in either different sizes or different styles to use as our signature stamp. I made 3 in class and came home and made 2 more this morning.  One is a signature stamp... the other is a chicken head stamp (surprise, surprise!).

signature stamp

chicken head stamp up close

chicken head that hopefully imprints

These are just recently carved out of a hunk of clay... still have to dry, be cleaned, and fired before use. 

That's my Sunday so far... how's yours?

Amaryllis bulb growing

Oh, we got an Amaryllis bulb for Christmas and it's just starting to do it's thing! (Please excuse my dirty windows - it'll be spring before I get to them - pictures are not forgiving) I put it tentatively in the computer room window so it could get some sun - so far the cats haven't noticed it. Wish me luck with that.

Thanks for coming by. Wish I could serve you some coffee and pineapple upside down cake!