Cats on Tuesday ~ Meet Dolly

We have a guest on our blog today because our human mom didn't get any cute pictures of us for our special day, Cats on Tuesday. So, instead, we're showing everyone pictures of our friend, Dolly, who lives in Hertfordshire, England. We love this picture of Dolly and think she's so smart to sit on the bird table in the garden! MOL!! 

Here's another one of Dolly enjoying a cuppa!

...and here is Dolly showing off for camera!

We hope you've enjoyed meeting our friend! She'll probably get a big head now for having her picture on the internet. For more cute cat photos and cat stories, visit Gattina's blog, My Cats and Funny Stories by clicking HERE, or click on the orange cat photo. Happy Tuesday!

Buster, Rudy, Sam and Cindy

Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center

Yesterday I visited the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont, Ohio, which is only about a 20-minute drive from where I live. Ohio is called the “Mother of Presidents” because eight men who served as President of the U.S. were born here (more than any other state.) Hayes, who was a Civil War General and the nation's 19th President (1877-1881,) inherited the 25-acre estate (called Spiegel Grove) from his maternal uncle, Sardis Brichard. This is where he retired and lived until his death in 1893.   

The 31-room mansion was constructed in 1859.

Spiegel is the German word for "mirror." Hayes' Uncle Sardis named his estate this due to the puddles of rainwater that collected underneath the large trees on the property, creating "mirror-like" reflecting pools. Luckily, it had rained just prior to my visit and I was able to capture a little bit of this beauty.

Sardis Brichard is also to have said that the trees and thick underbrush reminded him of the German fairy tales from his youth. As I walked the grounds, I detected a bit of this magic myself!

  

President Hayes and his wife, Lucy Webb Hayes are buried at Spiegel Grove. Hayes' horse, "Old Whitey" who served with him during the Civil War is also buried on the grounds.

Some very interesting facts:
President Hayes was the first President to have a telephone in the White House.
Lucy Webb Hayes was the first wife of a U.S. President to be called "First Lady."
Lucy Webb Hayes was the first wife of a President to have graduated from college.
President Hayes began the tradition of the "Easter Egg Roll" on the White House Lawn in 1878, which continues today.

For more information, visit the R.B. Hayes House website HERE.

Linking to Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper
                  Outdoor Wednesday on A Southern Daydreamer
                 Time Travel Thursday on The Brambleberry Cottage

I'm a Cat Person...enough said

"A catless writer is almost inconceivable...it would be easier to write with a herd of buffalo in the room than even one cat; they make nests in the notes, and bite the end of the pencil and walk on the typewriter keys" Barbara Holland  *

*make that computer keys today!  CA

 "...If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat." Mark Twain

 

"The smallest feline is a masterpiece."  Leonardo da Vinci

"Cats are love on four legs" Richard Torregrossa



"Kittens are born with their eyes shut. They open them in about six days, take a look around, then close them again for the better part of their lives." Stephen Baker

Until next time, have a great weekend!

Cindy

Linking to Pink Saturday on How Sweet the Sound

"In a cat's eyes, all things belong to cats" English Proverb

Pumpkin-Ginger Scones and Tea ~

 I admit - I haven't made these scones, but I've had the recipe for a while and they sound so good ~ especially for this time of year ~ and I wanted to share it. So, the photo isn't mine, but one I found on Google images from a website called Brown-Eyed Baker found HERE.  I've heard Starbucks has a pumpkin scone, but I don't know for sure about that because there is no Starbucks in the small town where I live. I think these would be perfect with a spicy chai tea, pumpkin or cinnamon-spiced tea. Yum! 

Pumpkin-Ginger Scones:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

 
Sift together:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon powdered ginger with 1/2 cup sugar
Add 4 tablespoons of chilled unsalted butter chopped into small pieces (soy or vegan margarine works great also). Gently work the flour-butter mixture with a pastry blender until the dough looks like coarse meal.

*Tip: Overworking the dough makes these pumpkin and ginger scones tough and heavy. Be gentle working in the butter/margarine.

In a separate bowl, beat together:
1 large egg, or 2 egg whites (vegans may substitute soy milk)
1/2 cup homemade or canned plain pumpkin puree
1/4 cup sour cream (you can use cream cheese, non-fat yogurt, or tofu substitute)
3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
Add to flour mixture and stir just until blended.

If you are making large triangular scones, pat the dough into a circle and cut into wedges. Or you can roll out to 3/4 inch thickness and use your cookie cutter or selected shape.
If you are making smaller triangles, divide the dough in half, pat into two rounds, then cut into wedges.
Place on the baking sheet, bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks.

Drizzle with ginger icing:
Mix ½ cup powdered sugar with 1 teaspoon finely chopped crystallized ginger and 1-2 tablespoons milk, cream, or soy milk.

Serve warm. Makes 12 large scones or 24 small scones
 

If you make them, please email me and let me know how they were! Maybe one of these cool, rainy autumn days, I'll bake up a batch of them myself to have with my afternoon tea. ~

Until next time,

Cindy

Linking to Potpourri Friday at 2805
and
Sarah's Homemaking Link-up Weekend on Hope in Every Season

Cats on Tuesday - Playing in Leaves

Click on picture for more Cats on Tuesday stories and photos!

Our Mom is late posting our pictures for our special day, but here we are! The weather was much nicer this week - almost no rain and warmer! 

Buster and Rudy giving themselves an outdoor bath!



Uh oh! Someone is coming!!

It was just Sam - Buster getting ready to pounce on him!!

Sam wouldn't wrestle...so Buster finds pile of leaves to play in!

Happy week, everyone from Buster, Rudy, Sam and Cindy

Linking this to Cats on Tuesday on My Cats and Funny Stories!

More Fall Colors ~ Indian Mill

The leaves are at peak color in Northwest Ohio this week. I love autumn and can't get enough of it! I hope to get out and about later in the week. In the meantime, here's some of the color I've captured at the Indian Mill in Wyandot County, Ohio on the Sandusky River. This structure was built in 1861 to replace the original one-story building the U.S. government built in 1820 for the Wyandot Indians.

For history buffs (like me), you may enjoy seeing this old millstone located on the grounds, used by the Native Americans to grind corn prior to the mill being built.

More fall color around the area...

I hope you've enjoyed my autumn photos...

 Have a wonderful week!

Cindy

Linking to Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

                                Outdoor Wednesday on A Southern Daydreamer

                              Time Travel Thursday on The Brambleberry Cottage

Vintage Pink Style ~

"Be yourself. The world worships the original."

Ingrid Bergman

"I've always admitted that I'm ruled by my passions."

Elizabeth Taylor

"...the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years."

Audrey Hepburn

“I avoid looking back. I prefer good memories to regrets.”

Grace Kelly

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle.”   

Marilyn Monroe 

"After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life."

Sophia Loren

"A woman has to be intelligent, have charm, a sense of humor and be kind. It's the same qualities I require from a man."

Catherine Deneuve

 Linking to Pink Saturday on How Sweet the Sound

Savouring Autumn ~

Autumn is my favorite season...well, that is until spring arrives and then that's my favorite season! Actually, I enjoy all the different seasons ~ I've even learned to appreciate winter's stark beauty. But, after the slow, humid days of summer and before the harsh, frozen months of winter, the rich colors and pungent smells of autumn are heady at times. Nap taking, chili making, pie baking rainy days followed by Indian summer's sunshine and crisp nights. If only I could make autumn last a little longer...

October is a symphony of permanence and change.

~Bonaro W. Overstreet~

 

How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.

~John Burroughs~

 A woodland in full color is awesome as a forest fire, in magnitude at least, but a single tree is like a dancing tongue of flame to warm the heart.
~Hal Borland~

 Until next time, savor Autumn!
Cindy

Photos: courtesy Photobucket