“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost

Friday, September 22, 2017

Autumn Breeze

Well I'm trying to turn over a new leaf by posting more than once in a blue moon! I thought that fall would be a good time to try and get back into a rhythm again. Leaves are on my mind of course, because I'm already starting to see them fall from our trees. The other day it was raining and windy and the leaves were falling like crazy. And then things change. 

Zig-Zag Goldenrod and Phlox

The first day of Autumn and our temperatures are scorching! Almost 90 degrees and humid to boot! We've had an unusually warm September and and unusually cool August! It's like the months are switched around, it seems it's been like that all year. Nothing is dependable anymore, just a sign of our times I guess.

There have been terrible storms and other natural disasters across the nations. What have we done to deserve this? Well nothing, it just happens. If you're reading this on a tablet or your phone, you may not see the little message at the top of my blog, it reads....

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life:
It goes on.” 


I've kept this quote up for several months as it seems to fit and it's a good reminder for me whenever I happen to show up on my own blog!



Wild plums


Other things of note:  plums, husbands and cats. 

The wild plums above were picked from our very own plum shrubs in our wild area of the yard next to the lake. Many had been harvested by the deer. They left us enough for a batch of wild plum jam. After it was cooked down, I ended up with about 2 pints of jam. It's pretty tart even with lots of sugar, but I thought of another way to use it that was delicious. Upside down Plum Cake. 

 Upside-down Plum Cake
It's basically the same recipe as you'd use for Pineapple Upside-down cake. What I did was spread about 1/2 cup of my wild plum jam onto the bottom of the pan. I then used about four store bought plums and arranged (dumped) them onto the top of the jam. I then sprinkled on about 1/2 cup of brown sugar and then dotted with a couple of tablespoons of butter. Then I spooned the batter over that. After it came out of the oven all you need is a bit of whipped cream or ice cream if you prefer!


Husband.... too much yard work and hauling trees branches and just doing too much gardening over the weekend brought on a bout of sciatica. He's already better but has a new understanding of what I've been through several times over the years. The pain can really be unbearable. I was there to help him through it and he's almost back to normal, well his normal, which is non-stop doing things!



Guy actually loves his cat carrier...

Cats... well poor Guy has not been feeling well. After 3 times to the vet, I finally think we have this under control. He has Feline Idiopathic Cystitis, also known as Pandora Syndrome. In short he is prone to urinary tract irritations. Not always bladder infection, but similar in feel and effect. So he has been an unhappy boy for awhile. Seems that diets high in dry food cause it to be worse. Mainly because cats don't drink enough water. I've always fed my cats both dry and wet cat food, so this was a shock to me.

Guy just happens to be more sensitive than our other cats were and therefore more prone to this condition. After a few tests, pain medication and new upgraded wet cat food he seems to be getting a bit better.

Guy trying to take a nap...


So it's been a busy couple of weeks. Let's hope the rest of Autumn is normal and easy breezy!

Thanks for taking a moment to read and comment on my blog. 
I'll try and visit yours soon. 
~~Diane~~

 

26 comments:

  1. I bet is was the delicious upside-down plum cake that cured your husband. If only it could work for poor Guy too!

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  2. Hey Diane! We have been hitting record breaking temperatures for the past 2 weeks! We are melting! By friday next week, we are suppose to finally cool down! I hope so!
    Tell hubby to take care of himself! Sciatica is no fun, as you know!!!
    I love the quote on your blog!
    Did you save some cake for me? It looks so good! I love plums! That was a great idea!
    Poor Guy! Give him lots of love from me!!!
    Big Hugs!

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    1. It's supposed to cool down next week. Yesterday was 95 degrees! Thank you, Guy is doing better!

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    2. Happy Guy is doing better! The heat is crazy!

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  3. Gus is adorable, Diane! A gorgeous way to celebrate Autumn! Beautiful photos!

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  4. That cake looks delicious! I'm sorry to hear about Guy. It must be a little frustrating for him.

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    1. Thanks Martha! As you know, cat problems can be perplexing. I think we have Guy on the right food and he seems to be almost back to normal, for him anyway! I'll always have to keep an eye on him to see if his behavior shows symptoms of the condition reoccurring, which could happen.

      Mostly he needs high quality canned cat food with extra water mixed in. I found a great site to help trick your cats into eating a canned diet, use low sodium chicken and beef broth to add the extra moisture. And at least in the beginning, crush Temptations cat treats and sprinkle a few on top of the canned food. It works like magic!

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  5. Your cat is cute - I hope he and your husband feel better.

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  6. Hello Diane, well it is lovely to see you no matter how frequently you post.

    I’m so pleased Guy is getting better, and your husband is also on the mend. I probably put that the wrong way round – i.e. cat before husband, but it’s just the way my brain works. :-)

    Your upside-down plum cake looks delicious – can you please send me a slice to have with warm custard! Thank you.

    Enjoy the autumn, hugs Barbara

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    1. Oh thank you Barbara! You are so sweet, I would love to sit and have some cake and custard and a nice cup of tea with you! Maybe someday...

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    2. That would be very special Diane and I hope so too...

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  7. Glad kitty and hubby are doing better. We too have had upside down weather this summer - extremely dry in the Pacific Northwest - over 90 days with no rain so the fires have been unbelievable. Fortunately we have not had any really close to us - but suffered with horrid smoke for several different weeks. It is raining now and cooler - and we had cooler weather than normal until almost August - strange weather. You plum cooking looks delicious. I like fruit upside down cakes.

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    1. Thank you JoAnn ... we have friends in Seattle and can't believe the crazy weather. The smoke made it all the way here to Minnesota! Thank goodness you are finally getting some rain out there.

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  8. Dear Diane - welcome back...lovely picture of your autumn blooms. Sorry to read about hubby and Guy. My Sinbad had the same problem - put him on dry cat food especially for urinary tract and he has never had a problem since. I give all my kitties this food as well as wet. We have had the same weather pattern as you...so hot today but by the end of the week will be much cooler. Well take care and thanks for stopping by to visit me. Hugs!

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    1. Thanks Debbie! We'll do just about anything for our animals, won't we?!

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  9. Your plum cake looks PLUM good!
    Your sweet kitty and sweet husband, hope they are both better!

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  10. Husband.... too much yard work and hauling trees branches...

    I know the feeling! September down here in South Carolina is above average hot and my grass, which I have literally been trying to kill by turning off the sprinklers, is still growing. As for branches, I've got a Leland cypress tree broken at the base and leaning over into my neighbor's backyard.

    Thanks for dropping by my blog.

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    1. Thanks for visiting! I love your blog! Trees, I love them, but they can be difficult to deal with when they get damaged. I'm sure the hurricane season there has made things worse for you!

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  11. Hi Diane! I'm sorry to read about Guy but so glad he is getting better. We had the same heat, September feeling more like July or August, whew, but now it finally is feeling like fall. Yum, love your Plum cake, and jam sounds great. The birds get most of our figs, but leave us a few also. ;)
    I've fallen off the blogging wagon myself, trying to get back on.

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    1. Hi Pam! We're having cooler fall weather now and so much rain! We had flash flood warnings for our area last night. We were keeping an eye on our lake, as all the streets drain into it now! Blogging gets to be hard to keep up with sometimes with all the other social media now. I'm trying to post at least twice a month, well that's the goal anyway!

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  12. I'm glad he is getting better. Have a nice day!

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  13. Thrilled that your kitty is feeling a little better. Can I tell you that I love, love, love plums and wish you could ship all of them to me! (lol) Great idea to use them in a cake, too! Hugs...RO

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