well, darn, I had a nice long reply all ready and don't know what happened but suddenly it was all gone and have to start all over.makes me so mad when this heppens.I just love your painted pumpkins, they are gorgeous...Larissa is just not wanting to shut it down and rest up for spring, thats a gorgeous rose.Love that clematis,I sure have a time to make one grow. I had a big gorgeous purple one years ago growing on my fence, until my mother decided it was a weed and she pulled it all out.yep, I took care of my mother, too.plus my hubby too, and the two of them togther was a real handfulyour grandson looks cute with his litle skunk outfit on. wish you had your gourds fixed slready, as I might want to copy one from you ;).I havw some stored thats amaybe 10 yrs old. I had painted a few of them, and made a birdhouse or two with them, and then I quit with them. I guess some one liked them, as one got stolen one night. Ms LILY looks so cute laying there with the stuffed toys. am so glad shes feeling better, she is such a pretty cat. but, where is ZEUS and Nemo, they got left out.Is that sunflowers growing in the one picture in fron of that mountain? I love sunflowers.I always had a few growing each summer, but did not grow any the last couple years.I am glad you still have you power on and the felling trees has not took it out.

Jean

I'm so glad to hear Lily is feeling better. She is looking grand between the lions. Your painted pumpkins are just adorable, and so is your grandson in that cute skunk costume! Are you able to maneuver in 22 inches of snow? Stay warm and dry.

Debra

Not only are you a great gardener but a artist to, love the pumpkins and as always great photos of the NH countryside. Your grandson sure makes a cute skunk. I'm glad to see Lily is feeling better do you think she could have eaten something that was toxic to her or maybe she had a small stroke ?.
Linda

Awesome pics Celeste! Love your talent!! And that little skunk is just the cutest little creature going! I love Halloween!

Poor Lily. You are probably correct in thinking that she could have had a stroke. One way to tell is to check her responses to either side of her face. Often an animal will not respond to stimuli on one side or the other if there has been some damage to the brain. Also, they may walk in circles or lopsided. Perhaps it is getting close to her time. So sorry. :( She is a beautiful kitty and I know too well how difficult it is to watch the process of our beloved pets.

Sending love and positive vibes your way. Can't send warm cause it is probably colder here. :)

Namaste

Ginny

Oh my gosh your cat with the lions is just such a cool picture. I Love It!

Love your pictures and your pumpkins, but your gandson and Lily take to cake ... also glad Lily is feeling better!

As usual, Celeste, everything you send is too, too wonderful. How talented you are--those painted pumpkins are fabulous. It goes without saying that all the garden and landscape photos are breathtaking, and Connor is adorable in his skunk costume--did you make it? Thank goodness Lily has perked up. She looks so pretty posing with the lions. I liked the photos of the old tombstones, too. Do you know the age of the cemetary, because those do look pretty old. Maybe by now a lot of the snow is gone, and you are getting back to normal, hope so. Avedon

Your pumpkins are really excellent! A good way to stretch the dollars. I'm glad Lily is better. I love the gourds...birdhouses are a needed thing, in my opinion.

Your grandson is precious too. So glad Lily continues to be better. She is a lovely lady and is cute with the lions.

And I am trying hard not to envy Larissa, but she is a beauty.

kay

You have a great talent for painting those pumpkins are awesome. Hope you post the gourds when they are done. Larissa is beautiful, I am thinking of doing a rose garden, I have the perfect spot. I don't get over here too often so I missed the post on Lily, I am glad she is feeling better though. I take care of my Mom too, she has dementia and is 89 years old. Of all your photos I think I like the little skunk best, he is adorable. Sharon

Those painted pumpkin faces are FABULOUS!!!!! You are really very talented to be able to do them. I loved seeing the picture of Lily the lioness too and am very glad to know that she is doing so much better. And that is the cutiest 'skunk' I ever did see :-)

The roses looked wonderful and the sceanery around your place is always just too pretty. I really am sorry that it is all under two feet of snow now. It is nice here, no snow here but plenty in NJ. Going up to near 60 this week and begining of next week.

JEAN....I had the same thing happen to me just now! I had replied to all of you and hit 'preview' and then it froze up then went blank. I couldn't retrieve what I wrote so I had to start all over. Frustrating. Anyhow, yes those are sunflowers in that barn scene. I thought they looked so pretty with the fall foliage.
DEBRA....it was above freezing today and sunny so the snow is doing some melting. In the shady areas there is still about a foot but at least it's shrinking. All my plants are flattened out like pancakes from the heavy, wet snow.
LINDA....I still have no clue what happened to Lily. When I found her outside sleeping under a rosebush she couldn't get up, like her hind feet were paralyzed. She walks fine now and is eating and acting normal other than she just wants to sleep a LOT. She doesn't even go to the door to be let out and she always hated to stay inside before.
GINNY...you are probably right. I think Lily is getting near the end...she is really slowing up and has gotten so skinny. I feel comforted to know she has had a great life with us. We saved her as a flea-infested kitten that nobody wanted 13 yrs. ago.
FLOWERGIRL...I went in to check on Lily who was sleeping on my mom's bed all day. When I looked around the room there she was up on the toy shelf between the stuffed lions. I had to take a picture because it was so cute!
As sick as she was she made me smile.
PAM...Thank you!
AVEDON...The stones in that graveyard are from the late 1700's to mid-1800's so yes, they are very old. Some are so old you can barely make out the names and dates.
KAY...Larissa still looks the same today as she did when I took the photo of her last week. You could never tell she went through a snowstorm or that it gets down into the teens and twenties at night. Leaves are still bright green and buds are slowly unfurling. This is a hard rose to find...I ordered mine from Palatine Roses in Canada.
It's one of my toughest, prettiest and healthiest roses, and has the longest bloom cycle.
Sharon....I was glad to hear from someone in the same situation as me, caring for Mom. She is 88. She has advanced Alzheimers, is legally blind and has had both
hips replaced. I hope you visit this forum more often!
Rita...I'm so glad you didn't get dumped on in the storm.
There are still folks here in parts of NH that still don't have power. It is much too cold at night to be without power so I feel badly for them. I have heard that it will warm up here too so we are looking forward to that to melt
what's left of the snow.

Celeste

celeste, I think that maybe lILY has a bad case of arthuritis.ms Blackie has arthuritis bad, too, she does not like to be petted or patted on the hind legs at all, she whirls around and bites at me if I touch her backend. she dont bite at me to hurt me,as I can barely feel her bite, she just wants me to leave her rear end alone.She loved for her head to be patted and scratched, too.shes a very loveable cat, just craves attention, but shes a sweetie like Lily is.
jean

Hmmmm... Well so much for trying to post my thoughts. Guess this was not the place.
Celeste ~ I just wanted to let you know that I too understand what you must be going through taking care of your mom. Been there, done that and am still there somewhat. It is a long winter and if you ever want/need to *%#&^ you can always email me. :)

Namaste

Ginny

Jean....it could be arthritis...I really don't know. But it is possible, since she is getting up there in years and the weather has gotten so cold. Lily just doesn't have 'pep' anymore and isn't interested in going out which is strange to me, since she hated to stay inside before.
She just wants to lay down and sleep. Sorry about Ms. Blackie having arthritis, poor sweetie.

Ginny....Thank you for your offer of support. I will keep you in mind. We are both in for a LONG winter, esp. since it started so early already. Now that we have to set the clocks back this weekend it will be getting dark much too early! I know at Christmastime I put the outside Xmas lights on at 4:00 because it's almost dark. THAT's what I hate the most about winter. It's not so much the snow and the cold but the lack of sunlight and being cooped up inside. (And not being able to garden). You're a zone colder than me so I can't even imagine what it's like for you.

Celeste

Your pumpkins are so cheery (especially love the sunflower face) and that is one cute little stinker ;)
I bet that's relaxing to paint gourds and such. Looks like a lot of fun!

Celeste and anyone interested ~ I will do my best to provide some form of amusement or conversation at least over the long winter. Before Dad went into the nursing home it was especially tough in the winter around here. He didn't sleep well and was always wandering around in the middle of the night wanting to go check the neighbours or the hose he left running or get the mail or something. Alzheimers and dementia are terrible to live with and I couldn't lock him in his room! It was trying to say the least! And he would have panic attacks too! He followed his little dog outside one night at -42C in his boxer shorts and a pajama top and fell down the back steps. If I wasn't up, he would have froze to death in minutes! It is often difficult for well meaning others to really understand what it is like to care for aging parents. I am grateful I had my husband and very good neighbours! And a momma dog who followed Dad around like a shadow!

I sew a lot (in the kitchen where the big south windows are), do all kinds of crafts, use my computer, and have puppies occasionally to get me through the winter months. I am very much a homebody and part bear in the winter. As long as I can get to the garage, garbage bins, mail box and bird feeders, I am pretty content to stay in my fleece jammies all winter! I start getting cabin fever by about Valentines day so I start browsing the gardening sites and catalogues.

Has anyone ever done any winter sowing? Or overwintered anything in the house? Or greenhouse? *as she sighs cause she doesn't have a greenhouse*

Whatever I can do to be helpful, just let me know. :) I'll post pics of my Christams display and the puppies when they arrive if you like. :)

Namaste

Ginny