It’s still 60º out, but windy, and starting to rain.  My perfect weather.  Elsewhere in the country it’s a blizzard.  Haha.

Here are last night’s two lights, and tonight’s setup.

It’s a good thing we only spin for M&Ms, not cash (as if), or my lucky loaded dreidel (conveniently but subtly marked) would win me bundles.  Of course, we both take turns with the same dreidel, so we both get to eat lots of M&Ms.

Misu also scored–some more catnip mice.  She has a whole collection.  She’s a real stoner.

Here is some tabbouleh I made, with homegrown parsley and mint, bulgur wheat, and all the other things.  I’m keeping it Sephardic this year.  So much healthier.

Tonight is the second light, for anyone keeping track.  Here are: last night’s first light, preps for tonight, some red mustard greens holding on in the veg bed, and Middle Eastern-style latkes.  It’s actually 63º outside.  That’s more like it.  Happy erev.

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah.  Speaking of miracles, it would take one to get these trump howlers to get a brain and act like grownups for a change, as thousands more of their fellow Americans suffer and die each day.  Not holding my breath.

But anyway, we’re still alive, and there’s some hope on the horizon.  That’s worth a candle or eight.  Any illumination in the darkness of 2020 is welcome.

Today is even nicer out, so I got more yard cleanup done.  There are still pretty images to be found.

Today I had a little more energy, plus it was milder out.  I began to clean up the main veg garden, which involved removing piles of marigold tumbleweeds which had taken over the garden.  I dumped them in the back ditch to help fill it in.

I was happy to find the first berries on my largest cedar and holly.  Soon they’ll provide more winter food and shelter for the birds.  Plus here’s a giant leaf from my one sycamore tree. It’s the size of my head.

I finally feel well enough to dress, eat, and venture outside again for short bursts.  It’s too cold to do much, but I was able to fill bird feeders for the first time this fall.  Right on schedule, the squirrels homed in on it, giving Misu some welcome stimulation.

I’ve been under the weather (no, not “It”), plus the weather itself is under itself(?), thus no posts or photos lately.  These random ones are already a few days old.  One is actually a childish drawing I did; I’m pretty out of practice.  Not much happening outside right now, and no energy to do stuff.  It’ll still be there when I come around.

We had a slight hitch this morning on the way out to get groceries.  The car battery finally bit the dust after that deep freeze.  Fortunately our neighbor was nice enough to drive E to the auto parts store to get a new battery, which E then easily installed herself.  It works!!  So we went to the store.

Later, the rest of my native seeds arrived, so I promptly scattered them in the “prairie”, the shade garden, and even the CA rock garden.  Now to let winter do its thing while I try to be patient (and hopefully live to see them).  I’ll have to settle for indoor plants in the meantime.

Did I say it was in the 60s just a day or two ago?  Well, last night it snowed.  Snowed?!  Not only that, we have a freak deep-freeze throughout the south.  I think it’s colder here than up north.  Like, teens/20s at night, and frigid, windy 30s by day.  It’s not even winter yet, damnit!  Not the south I signed up for.  I’m wearing four layers–indoors.

This too shall pass, but to what I have no idea.  It’s TN, after all.   Still, it’s pretty, and my native seeds are happy.  Did I time that right or what?

Here’s yesterday evening, and what I woke up to this morning, including a full moon high in the cold northern sky.