Pictures galore and cold came to Plum Cottage

Brrrr, it's cold outside. At 6:04 EST this morning it was 46 and the real feel temp was 41. It has warmed up a couple of degrees in the past half hour. High today expected to be 69. Inside Plum Cottage it is a comfortable 70 without any heat on. I do have on warm, fuzzy socks and a long warm nightgown. 

I may do some Christmas decorating today. Yesterday I was sweating as it was very warm and humid. It was windy yesterday and as the day progressed, you could feel the temp dropping. This morning the wind has calmed and it is now getting lighter out.

Thought I'd share some floral eye candy with you all. but first let me get another cup of 'French Market Coffee & Chicory'. This is delicious and chicory has health benefits as well.  I don't drink this every morning, but felt like having it today. I've yet to find a real favorite coffee. I don't like Maxwell House or Folger's too blah for me. I recently bought Chase and Sanborn, recommended by a friend. It's not bad, but I could stand a little stronger coffee. I can't afford to just go out and buy/try coffees, I look for good deals to try new ones. ;-) ☕

Before I share, I need to get into my art program to edit photos. Be back later. 

It is now several hours later and I may have to share photos in two different posts. It is 12:57 p.m. EST and the temp has reached 62 and real feel is 64.

I think this is a knockout rose bud. 

  Tahitian gardenia ~ sure wish you could smell this huge bloom.

This is a lovely old cast metal urn.

Old wagon wheel.

 This is 'Sophie's Garden' a mandala pattern I found online.

I started the second row of light pink, getting all the way around and then started the next row and didn't have the amount of stitches needed. I recounted a couple of times, re-read the directions again and again, and found my mistake, so have had to rip out stitches, and haven't picked it up since. This was just before Thanksgiving. This row has to be right in order to turn the round piece into a square. I will keep you posted.

As I was putting cooked, crumbled Italian sausage onto pizza the other day, I saw this heart shape.

It was soon covered in cheese and black olives. I cut up each quarter into fourths, eating one quarter at a sitting and freezing the rest. Nice to pull this out of the freezer when I don't feel like cooking.

 This is a ground cover that some consider a weed and eradicate it from their yards. Some let them grow and they look like a light purple carpet. I just mow over them and they keep spreading, which is fine with me.

The next few pics are of a shrub called 'Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'.

This photo below was taken on a chilly morning a week or so back. This morning I could not see out that window at all.

I love plumbago.

Next is a 'wild petunia' which grows like crazy, very tenacious.

 What a treat this lone gardenia bloom has been.

 I picked it and brought inside. The first photo under a more golden light from a lamp.

This one is under a daylight LED crafting light.

This is a tiny 'grey leaf' shrub bloom.

 This is one of my favorite simple roses, International Herald Tribune, with a really sweet rose scent.

Here is 'Tropical Goldenrod', and the bees love it.

 More 'International Herald Tribune'.

 I loved the shimmer of the morning dew on this knockout rose. When I edited these photos I was pleasantly surprised to see the heart in the center of this rose.

Here is that wild petunia with a bee visitor.

   'Hugs -n-kisses' beautiful hibiscus blooms, no two blooms are a like.

 Another hibiscus.

I'll close with sleeping Miss Tork.  (I just heard a noise on the little screened porch off kitchen, which is my main entry, and what do I see, a black snake. So, I went out the back door, around to the porch door and opened it a bit hoping he will find his way out. I sure wouldn't want him slithering inside here. He's harmless, but he would certainly cause havoc with me and Miss Tork and for himself.)

I crocheted this 'sampler stitch' afghan for us many years ago.  (Have also made it several times and given them away.)
Still have the one window covered with plywood from the hurricane in Sept. ;-) That's the reason for the reflections and the heart shape in the right window in picture. The covered windows should be uncovered soon.

Ok, now that I've overloaded you with all of this, hope it wasn't too much. 

Enjoy your Christmas holiday season. Stop in the middle of all of the hustle and bustle to think about the true meaning of Christmas. See the beauty in God's creation all around, no matter where you are. Thank Him for coming as a babe,  God in the flesh, who would grow up and give His life for the sins of the whole world, so that we may have life eternal with Him, because of His great love for us.

FlowerLady