A wintery autumn day

I love Thursdays as I get to sleep late. With the temps hovering around 30 and the wind-chill in the low 20s (as well as a fierce wind rattling our windows), it was a lovely day for sleeping in. There was snow in our vicinity but we didn't have any. I'm thankful for that; I didn't get a chance to take any of my herbs, mums and other greenery in containers into the garage until today. Before transferring the above into the garage for safety, I took a couple pictures of my front porch decorated for autumn (having faith it will return before "real winter" sets in). I'll be turning the film in to be processed and ready for the computer soon.

The winter-like weather put me in the mood to make my favorite vegetable beef soup and I had all the ingredients on hand, having purchased a large chuck roast on sale yesterday and having soup bones in my freezer (I buy then whenever the store has them for sale, which isn't often). My recipe is basically the same my mother made, except I brown the soup bones, an onion and some carrots in the oven before adding them and half the roast into a stockpot and simmering all afternoon. The aroma is already heavenly. l leave it in the frig for a day or two for the fat to solidify on top, then finish it off with potatoes, carrots, corn, green beans and a couple cans of Italian style tomatoes. The other half of the chuck roast was cut into cubes and placed in the freezer for a later meal. It is cold enough outside that my windows are steaming from the soup simmering on the stove!

I took a break to brew one of my favorite cold weather teas. It is the Good Earth Original (sweet & spicy tea & herb blend). I've enjoyed it for many years but I had a hard time finding it when we moved out of the area. It's available in quite a few grocery stores close to us but I found it only in health food stores when we were in Michigan. It has a fruity, cinnamon flavor. Although I prefer this original blend that contains black tea, it is also available in an herbal equivalent that is yummy.

It was so peaceful here for a change with both of the guys elsewhere. I was able to sip my tea, eat a couple pumpkin cookies (after taking a shot of insulin) and watch As Time Goes By on the BBCA channel...a perfect combination to relax before starting late afternoon chores.

Since all outside work is finished and my hands are thawed out, I will spend the afternoon going through papers that I know need responses soon. I have been dumping "to be taken care of when I get a chance" materials in a box now for a few weeks. It is time to pay the proverbial piper and get to work.

I have large russet potatoes and sweet potatoes baking in the oven and I'll start frying some chicken when the immediate "gotta do's" are finished. (What can I say, my mother was from Kentucky and fried chicken is a must for comfort food in colder weather!) The chicken is in a brine right now and will be ready to shake in the flour-seasoning mixture (prepared ahead of time in a zip lock bag I keep in the freezer) later this afternoon.

My husband has taken over all chauffeuring duties today so there will be time for evening reading, too. Sounds good to me. Since my normal days are packed solid with things that must be done outside of the home, I'm always happy to have a day like this. Once the dinner dishes are washed and draining, I'm heading for the sofa with a throw over me and a cat beside me and a great book to read. My son is working his part-time job this evening and my husband is hooked on a Francine Rivers book so it looks like a quiet evening at home.