Greetings and salutations, everyone; yes, once again it is I, your popular host, Mani the purebred border collie, here today to offer you something ever so slightly different. You may remember me from such posts as “One Hundred Snowdrops”, among so many, many others.
Here I am in a characteristic pose.
Our theme, maybe for the next several months, will be coziness, and as you can see, I pretty much perfectly exemplify that.
I love my couch, a lot, as you know. Around Christmastime, the guy I live with sometimes sits on the couch with me, and reads stories to me.
He says we might get new cushions some time. The cushions on the couch right now are about fifty years old, with not much stuffing in them.
Night before last, there was some freezing drizzle, or something, on our late night walk. It was kind of weird because we could hear this soft clattering everywhere.
In the morning, the leaves out in the field were sprinkled with ice.
And in the garden, the first of the Crocus niveus appeared, so we know it’s getting pretty late in the year.
The flowers will freeze, but there will be more later.
Today, the guy I live with moved four plants inside. That’s about all we had out in the garden this year, because maybe you know this has been a very strange year indeed. Some years there are pots filled with colorful annuals, but this year there wasn’t anything like that. The guy I live with never visited a nursery. That’s highly unusual for him. He wanted to go, with his friend, but they had a hard time arranging that. It turned out not to be such a problem, since it’s been so frightfully dry here.
Which, hopefully, the snow forecast for tomorrow will help with. And help with all the fires to the north of here, too.
In my last post I totally forgot to show you a picture of our shade garden, on the north side of the house, so I will now.
Mostly hellebores and Solomon’s-seals. That stick kind of in the middle (made of oak, actually) shows where the south (left) side of the path through the shade garden is. Not that many people have walked through here in the last few years.
There are hundreds and hundreds of snowdrops on the south side of the path.
Well, so, anyway, that’s that. It’s supposed to snow, and I guess we’re ready. I think you’ll agree that I have the art of being cozy pretty much down pat.
I am also getting pretty good at taking selfies, and that’s why I decided to make a post today, to show you my selfies. 
Pretty good, don’t you think?
I wanted to take one of my rear end and send it to a dog I see on my walk whom I don’t like very much, but the guy I live with said no.
He can be so strict, sometimes.
And that’s all I have for today. 
Until next time, then.
the miserable gardener 
You look very noble, but even so, I want to boop your nose.
Thanks. My nose is pretty boopable, though with as dry as it’s been, there might be static electricity and my nose’d get zapped.
It snowed overnight, though, about half an inch. So less static.
The hair on your “Chinny Chin Chin” looks quite “scritchable”. Do you like that? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Ual01qmkA
It pretty much is. I do like things like that. I hear that a Furminator has been ordered for me, too.
” I hear that a Furminator has been ordered”. Very cool. You are loved. Perhaps we could explore purebred border collie periodontal care again one day.
Maybe, huh.
I love those selfies, Mani! That second one down is so nice and kissable!
I didn’t get any annuals either, and never had any for spring, other than the ones I tried to grow from seed. None of my annuals did very well this year. Oh, the self-seeders were fine, like calendula, but no pansies or snapdragons, and even the nasturtium did poorly.
Thanks. We had the usual annuals, beeplant, and cowpen daisy, but even they needed to be watered this year.
And now it’s snowing. We’re supposed to get a foot of snow, if you can believe that.
The selfies are great!
Thanks. I tried to tell the guy I live with that it was about time to focus mostly on me. If you’ll pardon the pun.
My life can use some major Cozy for several months, so thank you. So you are, Mani, cuter than the cute crocus, and your selfies make you appear a serious, contemplative pure-bred border collie. May your tail proudly wave on.
Thanks, and you’re welcome. It is pretty chilly here, and tomorrow night, the low is predicted to be 1. One degree. A blast of cold just like last year, so coziness, and toastiness too, have become priorities.
Great selfies!
Looking forward to your romping in the snow pictures!
Thanks. The snow is almost gone, though. Only got a few inches. Other places got a foot or more.