Smokin'!

My mom and dad are here, we're having 30 for Thanksgiving dinner and I work until 12:45 today! Scatter-brained? Yes! Discombobulated? Definitely!

BUT!

I have a secret weapon that's called FAMILY! So there's LOADS of help for all the prep work/cooking/decoration/cleanup, etc. Jules (always my very secretest - that's a word, btw - weapon) desperately tried to have Turkey-day at her home, but all the ~children~ overruled. They all informed us - from the oldest at 30 to the youngest at 2 (ok it wasn't Little Miss Magic, it was that 8 year-old) - that tradition dictates Thanksgiving is always here while Christmas is always there! There being Jules and family's home.
Whatever! Just know getting to the big day is a lot of work, but once we're all seated around the table(s), we'll all count our many blessings and be very thankful we've all gathered together one more year.
That said, the time for bloggin' will be a rare event for the next week like anyone will really miss anything.
So, my friends, I want to wish every one of you a very blessed day full of wonderful moments that turn out to be future moments you give thanks for. Thanksgiving...the very best holiday...

May Thanksgiving day and the thoughts behind it be just wonderful for everyone!

~~~

xoabb
expecting thankful thoughts all around!

Above photo taken last Thanksgiving '08.

P. S. We always have 3 turkeys each Thanksgiving - a traditional roasted one, a deep fried one, and a smoked one. This year, we're only doing two as Tony is smoking one for us in his Big Green Egg! Just thrilled as , 1. it's one less thing to do and 2. I know it will be delicious!

Autumnal Serenity

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."

~ John Muir

~~~

xoabb
expect anything!

Most trees around here have dropped their leaves, but we still have a few desperately clinging to their leaf-load (see above and here). And I must say, those left are still all kinds of beautiful shades! Such a strange autumn it's been this year. The trees all seemed to peak at different times, so instead of one big glorious autumn, we've had little bits of autumn glory here and there. Not bad...not at all bad...just different.

Fire on the Horizon

Glorious Sunset
Looking over the river
What could be better??

xoabb
expect anything!

Sky Watch Friday
Do join us!

Well, That's Just Delicious!

Part of our meal Wednesday evening...so VERY good!!

Pan Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch pencil thin asparagus,rinsed
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to coat skillet
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Over medium heat, saute garlic till just golden. Remove from pan and turn heat up a bit. When pan is just smoking, throw in wet asparagus and then immediately clamp on a pot lid! Shake pan vigorously and more than once until asparagus is toasty on all sides. Toss garlic back into pan, then add salt and pepper (always fresh ground!) to your taste. Serve hot or room temp - delicious both ways!

Um, the rest is up to you!

~~~

xoabb expect anything!

BlyHot TNG, Yup, The Next Generation!

BlyHot TNG

For many years my parents have grown a bunch of different pepper plants in their garden. At the end of each growing season, they've dehydrated and ground them (in the Cuisinart) to make their famous (at least to our inner circle) BumHot. (Depending on the growing conditions, some years are hotter than others.) We've been the grateful recipients of BumHot over the years and we're hoping for another supply this year, but this year we've harvested, dried (in my ancient Galloping Gourmet (!!) food dehydrator) and ground our very first supply! Of course, all our plants were from seeds the BumHot originators supplied, and though I'm sure our mix isn't the same as theirs, it's good!

I wanted to call our dried pepper mix BumHot Jr., but was overruled...surprise surprise!

So we're going to go with BlyHot TNG.

Ours was a tremendous sneeze and watery eyes producer while in the making, and it has a tremendously wonderful tingly hot flavor now that it's finished! Maybe we got it just about perfectly right!

xoabb

expect family traditions to continue!

Autumnal Ripples...

Ripples of beauty
Upon my Autumnal pond
Seasonal Splendor!
~~~

xoabb
expect anything!

Double Magic, Sundog Style!

Sun in the middle,
With sundogs* on either side
A sight rarely seen...
~~~
(And just beautiful)
(Thank you, Mother Nature!)

xoabb
expect the very unexpected!

P. S. To my young friend, Weather Boy, aka JBM (Nurse Nancy's son), that makes 4 sundog sightings for me in the last 6 weeks! ?

*The scientific name for sundog is parhelion (from ~beside the sun~). According to my very favorite source of information, Wikipedia.org, sundogs/parhelia are atmospheric phenomenon. (Click on the highlighted words for more information and incredible photos.) Oh, and it has something to do with ice crystals. I like anything that involves ice crystals!

Southward Bound w/a Side of Sundog

Air growing colder
Winter's just 'round the corner
Homeward bound we fly!

~~~

xoabb
expect snowbird behavior!

This began as a double sundog WHOOPEE, I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT ACTUALLY OCCURED, A DOUBLE SUNDOG AND I GOT TO PHOTOGRAPH IT!! post. But I'm just too lazy to go to the trouble to post all the pics from flickr to here this evening. SO, if you want to see that double dog double down terrific sundog phenom, just scoot on over to my flickr page. And if you're too lazy to do that, pooh on you!

Oh, it's Friday the 13th...that must by why we don't care!

SkyWatch Friday!
Do join us!

Turkey in the Tree

My turkey's have finally returned to their tree home...
And I couldn't possibly be happier!
I've missed them so...

Another winter season begins.

~~~

xoabb
expect anything!

Abstracted Still Life, Pet Edition

It's a quiet moment for the Bly animals that own us. Clockwise from the very large dog, (that would be Stella on the right), is Trey-you lounging as only he knows how to do. Then, of course, just above Trey-you, is Baby...that would be Stella's nearly three year old stuffed baby bear that she loves dearly and completely.

So there! That's the picture of the Bly animals that own us completely and entirely! And that's a very good thing. As Martha has said more than once. Amen.

~~~

xoabb
expect anything!