It's hard to believe it's October already. It's a temperamental month where I live, not really knowing what you will get in any given week. There are mostly nippy, windy days with a few warm ones thrown in. There can be abundant sunshine or endless days of rain.
I'm relishing the flowers that are still blooming ~ gerbera daisies, hydrangea, Russian sage. This is the last of them. Same with the cherry tomatoes. I picked the last few today. The dried up stalks and leaves will go into the compost bin.
I take daily walks around the neighborhood, relishing the last of the blue skies and sunshine, and picking up fallen red maple leaves to use in decor. Squashes and apples are in abundance at the farm stand and make beautiful displays until eaten. I love all fall and winter veggies...acorn, butternut and delicata squash; turnips and rutabaga; carrots and parsnips; pumpkin and sweet potatoes; cabbage and cauliflower.
It's also soup weather again! We love soup and I make many kinds during the fall and winter. This one is Kale, White Bean & Squash soup. I used butternut squash in this recipe instead of the kobucha squash that was recommended. I couldn't find kobucha squash and the recipe said butternut would work just as well. This soup has everything going for it...easy to make, warming and filling, delicious ~ and it's even vegetarian/vegan, if that's what you're looking for.
I'm still worried about Monkey. (That's him on the left, cuddled up with Zippo.) He's had about four or five cold laser treatments on his bladder to relax it so any stones would break up and he could urinate without any problems. He seemed fine...eating normally, usual activity level. But last night I was able to observe him in the cat box again (very hard to catch your cat "in the act"!) and saw that he was still squatting for about eight minutes to urinate. I called the vet this morning, but he's at another animal hospital this morning. I left a message asking what the next steps should be, so I hope to have an answer soon.
Happy weekend, everyone.
Your soup recipe sounds good. I'll probably make a pot this weekend since it's been in the low 50's over night. I'm sorry to hear that Monkey is still not feeling well. I really hope your hear from the doctor soon.
ReplyDeleteHugs.
There's that soup again...and now I have a recipe! Thanks!! :) Love that first red flower. Amazing shot! Hoping Monkey is ok...Happy October Melanie.
ReplyDeleteHard to imagine indeed. Best to make the most of October then. Great photos, enjoy the weekend!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry that Monkey is still having this trouble. We have to keep our Jack Russel on a special prescription dry food where she won't keep getting bladder stones. This cold laser treatment is new to me but I sure hope it helps that pretty baby of yours.
ReplyDeleteAnd doesn't it seem like the remnants of summer, the last flowers and vegetables, are always so special to us? Maybe we really see them and know we're going to miss them when they're gone.
I'm such a soup lover too!
Dewena
I sure hope Monkey is feeling better soon. I hate when our fur babies aren't doing well. I love soup and this is the season for it!
ReplyDeletehugs,
Linda
You must be a little warmer then here, sadly we are in almost a jacket weather...but it's still beautiful with all the colorful leaves.
ReplyDeleteJen
What great pictures!! Poor Monkey. We had a cat that had bladder infections all the time. I felt so sorry for him. If you've ever had a UTI you know a little bit of what your cat goes through. Hope they can get him through it in short order.
ReplyDeleteYour soup sounds delicious. Squash soup in on my menu this weekend, too. xo Diana
Nice pictures and soup recipe. Keep me posted on Monkey.
DeletePoor Monkey - hope he's better soon.
ReplyDeleteI love October.
We are not huge squash eaters here, but last year we did try the delicata after I saw it on your blog. Greg really liked it, so I tried growing some. Didn't work out - I just do not have good luck with squash in the garden - but we'll grab some at the store.
Sending prayers for Monkey. Poor baby.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try making that soup, Melanie. It sounds perfect for us!
xo
Claudia
Your fall colors are lovely.
ReplyDeleteAutumn is such a beautiful month, loved by so many. Our is starting off chilly and damp, but I'm sure it will warm up again. But for right now, it feels like November, only with green leaves.
ReplyDeleteGreat autumn moments and thoughts! The weather here has been good, but is due to change to rain this week, no fun! I hope that all will be well with Monkey and that it is a temporary set back. xx
ReplyDeleteBeautiful fall photos! I hope Monkey is on the mend soon.
ReplyDeleteI love fall, it's my very favorite. We just finished a very hot spell, unusually hot even for here, and now it really feels like fall. I'm so excited! I have to put the kids' fall pajamas in their drawers tomorrow. It's getting chilly at night now. I just bought some little gourds and pumpkins today to make a display on my dining room table. I love that you can decorate with real food (even though we don't plan to eat them) and it's cheap and easy. I hope you're having a good weekend. Best wishes for Monkey!
ReplyDeleteLovely fall photos and the kitties look so sweet cuddled up together....I hope the vet can help him recover completely. After several days of rain I look forward to a nice walk later on today.
ReplyDeleteYou've got me hankering for a bowl of hot hearty soup! I love the cool sunny days we've been experiencing, too, but I wish I could slow down the days so fall would last a little longer. I hope the vet has a solution to Monkey's problems. Poor kitty!
ReplyDeleteI love soup, too! Hope Monkey is better soon.
ReplyDeleteFall is a wonderful time, and only wish it didn't lead to winter, oh well :-{. We took Minnie out this weekend and it was cold at night...but we have a furnace in the trailer. The one thing I do like about cooler weather is soup! Gosh I could eat soup everyday. But, there's no way hubs will eat kale and he's pretty picky about squash too. I'll just have to make it for myself!
ReplyDeleteAutumn looks beautiful in your neck of the woods! I sure hope your kitters is on the mend. We love them so much, don't we?
ReplyDelete