Bulk Barn

We've tried several recipes from the Bulk Barn and none of them have turned out--not even enough to eat with a spoon before throwing out.  I remember a fruit cake recipe I tried.  Just the fruit alone cost over $20.00 per loaf, and it all went into the garbage.  I have to wonder how fresh the gumdrops were. If those suckers get dried out they're like rocks.

Yesterday was International Coffee day.  It was also the actual day that Starbucks celebrated their 50th birthday, and they were giving out free coffee to anyone who came in with their own re-usable mug.  Of course we had to take our travel mugs down and each get a cup of coffee, even if I was the one to drink both.  We were careful to ask if we could both get a cup as our cards are both linked to the same account, but they weren't even worrying about the cards.  Although they jokingly asked David if he was going to actually drink it.  We were parked right in front of the door and while getting into the car noticed a nun, in full traditional habit, going into the store.  Not something one sees every day.  We took a couple of minutes to get going, and saw her come out--carrying her free coffee in a McDonald's paper cup.  N'uff said.

Then we spent a good portion of the day sitting outside.  What a beautiful day for late September!  David is still puttering in the garden, everyday, mainly blowing and collecting leaves, but I had to force myself inside while I drafted a design for my new piece--the one that made me buy $80.00 worth of coloured pencils.  Now I've got a better idea of the size of the thing, I'm glad I bought so many pencils.  Next is to transfer the design onto fabric. 

Lastly, after watching The Masked Singer on tv ( we're addicted!) I hand washed dishes in the kitchen.  Yes, they've been accumulating over the past couple of days while we lollygagged outside.  (Oh My!  Spellcheck didn't question "lollygagged!  I'm shocked)  I just couldn't face that pile of dirty dishes in the morning, and getting up today I'm darn glad I did them.

Today promises to be another nice day, although we aren't expected to break any heat records as we did yesterday.  The previous record was set in 1897, so we can truthfully say we broke a 120 year record.  (Can you say "climate change"?)  Getting my design on fabric will require a couple of "hurry up and wait" steps, so I know I'll get some more time outside, even if I have to wear a sweater.    I just have to worry about supper.  And the forecast is for sitting outside every day this week. Sounds like a plan.

Early Wed morning...

 ...and as i sip my coffee I write a little note to keep my ball rolling and ensure the road of our communications goes both ways.  I just viewed your pictures on the Mouse Factory blog Pati and I like the touch of gold leaf as well. Very nice work, Now anxious to see what you have up your sleeve next.

I was able to do more outside cleanup yesterday as the day was sunny and according to forecast I may have a few more such days to work. I lay in bed last night going over all that has to be done to get ready for Winter and i ran out of time ...and energy! So i shall revise that list and do only what I need to do to be able to shovel snow and access what is needed to get through the winter. And then come Spring, see what mess has been left ...lots of fun. That pile of bricks still sits on the driveway where it was left after we made three, three hour trips to pick them up free this past summer, Nice to have free bricks but now there they sit. My usual shoveling routine for the winter will have to be revised....

Harry bought a "make your own" package of GumDrop Cake at the local Village Bin store yesterday...I made it up and it turned into a big disaster. You add the extra ingredients such as butter, eggs, flour etc but the kit has the raisin, cherries and of course the Gumdrops. They had to be sliced and I could not do it with my poor old hands so Harry had to take that job over. It took a long time to bake and it was still gooey so i got mad and left it on the counter and went to bed. I guess i will assess the damage this morning and see if it can be used in any part. i never did like gumdrops haha!

Last days of the month so I have been doing the bookwork and paying bills on line which I do not like to do but have no choice. Somehow I still have money left for groceries so I guess i cannot complain.... that won't last for long though. 

We have Thanksgiving next weekend and havd a turkey in the freezer ready to make. It has been a few years since we have had turkey so i am looking forward to it. There are also cranberries for me to make sauce which I love allover the turkey and dressing. My mouth is watering thinking about it now. What are you folks planning for the celebration?

Time to go and get ready for another day. Take care and be safe and wear your masks ...😉

Hail, Hail! the gangs all here.

When there were no postings for over a week I was concerned that the  blog was no longer as important to us as it had been.  But, I'm now reassured.

So what have I been doing for the last week?  I'm not sure.  I know that Thursday, David took the car in to the dealership to find out what sort of oil change schedule we would have to follow to maintain our extended warrantee.  Because of our low mileage, there is no concern, but David went for a test drive with the service manager who told him several things about the car, that we were supposed to have been told by the salesman, when we bought it.

Thursday morning I had finally managed to register for a series of classes to acquaint me with my new sewing machine. (m Now several months old) They weren't able to run these classes, during Covid restrictions but are now  offering them between now and the end of the year.  I had been promised a phone call telling me the registration was open, a few times over the past few months, so was a little pissed when I found that most of the classes were already full. I  did manage to get into the two I was anxious to take. Then, Thursday afternoon  we ( the Royal "we") decided that it was time to head over to the machine store to buy some fabric that I haven't been able to find around here.  As I was paying, she came out with her book, to tell me that someone else had got into the last seat in one of my class selections and I had to re-schedule my first class.  Not really any problem to me.  But then--on the way home--we drove past the art supply store, and the car just naturally turned in.  We knew that they were moving shortly, and there was quite a sale on, but I just wanted to buy more of the pencils that were used in the workshop I took on Sept. 15th.  I have a project planned, and needed a few more colours---18 more colours as we realized when I checked out.  Spent more there than I did at the fabric store--and I had spent too much there!

Once home, I tried to print off the pictures that I had taken of my subject for the coloured pencil project I had planned.  The pictures were of leaves, but they came out orange and bright yellow where they should have been green.  So, David got on the line with the Geek Squad to see if they could help us figure out how to clean the nozzles in our printer.  After a couple of hours, it turned out that they couldn't, and that they would have to send someone out, but, because of our membership, we would get 50% reduction in the cost of the visit.  (snort). When the dust settled we had an appointment for today ( Sunday) with a window of 9:30 am and 7:00pm.  So we were up early and ready when he arrived about 12:40.  Imagine our surprise when it was the same fellow who has been looking after our computers since the first time the Geek Squad visited us.  His kids were in Day Care when he first came and are now teenagers.  He had several promotions since the first time, and today brought a young fellow along that he appeared to be teaching.  At one point we had been told that he had moved so far up the line, that he would never be making home visits again.  They left about 2:00, but now the printer is working and we're happy.

Friday morning we had a "planned power outage".  We had received a flyer in the mail box telling us it was coming, between 9:30 and 12:30, and David found out that they were upgrading some underground cables on the block.  We washed the bedding on Thursday, leaving everything else for Saturday, and planned to be out Friday morning.  There was to be a trip to the casino, eating lunch there, and then coming home for the afternoon.  Well, we got home about 5:00.

Saturday, there was the wash to do.  I was to have picked up my pieces in the Gallery in Selkirk between 3:00 and 4:00, and Gail was finally available for a coffee date, also at 3:00.  I decided that Gail was more important than Selkirk, and headed out there at 1:00.  David went along for the ride, but I drove both ways, so the trip was a little slower than usual.  Got the pieces, and was home at 2:40, Used the washroom, dropped off David, and headed for Starbucks, book in hand, to try to find a table for the two of us, as I expected them to be busy Saturday afternoon.  Gail was there before I was!

All in all, this week has been somewhat exhausting.  I fell asleep after the Geek Squad left this afternoon.  It was a lovely day but slightly too cool to sit outside to read, but I tried it for awhile anyway.  A quiet evening without even the tv. But now for a cup of Honeybush, Mandarin and Orange tea, and read for a few minutes before bed.

I will never learn

 Despite my claims to the contrary I once again have a pot of tomatoes stewing on the stove.  I have no idea where I am going to store them.  This time I pureed a bunch of Romas and Italianos with pureed peppers, onions and garlic.  It should be good as a base for pasta sauces. (Yes, I know I have already put a batch of tomato sauce in the freezer)  The chunkier stewed tomatoes are great in soups and stews.  I will, however, be eating nothing but beans, carrots and stewed tomatoes all winter.  

Jim went to the windup party for the potato haulers yesterday.  Even though he "retired" half way through the season (His body just couldn't take it even though his mind was willing), they texted him yesterday to tell him it was on.  They provide it all.....Beef, buns and booze.  (I had toast and peanut butter).  

Our house has been invaded by mice.  We have caught 11 since Thursday night.  If we had more traps I bet we would catch more.  Disgusting!!  

Rrain is officially moving out of her house and into a different one.  It is a commercial building that her Dad owned on the main drag in Neepawa (no yard to speak of)  The apartment part is no bigger than her current place, but there is the studio at the front and a full basement.  The rent is higher, but she will have the space to paint and sew (She lost the use of the studio at her old job when she quit.) And utilities are included, which will help offset the rent.  But no bathtub😔

As soon as the tomatoes are stewed, and I can set them to cool I guess it is back outside to do more yard work.  With the weather so nice we don't really want to put away all the lawn furniture. And who wants to put up Christmas lights when it is warm..... wait until -30c.  The guy at the corner has been working on his Christmas display all month.  It is really something to see. He and the next yardsite south on the highway are amazing.  There are often cars parked on the edge of the highway to watch.  Somehow my little string of lights seems insignificant. Maybe we'll just put one of those lights that spread a picture on the wall of the house.

Early Sunday morning

 Hello again...I have my coffee in front of me and hope to write a few words to you both. I miss the blog interaction but I also realize like myself this week, that we are all busy. It started with that darn election and my stubborness to stay up and watch the results on the CBC live streaming on the computer. I have never used this before and I guess i was both curious about the technology and also about the results. At 12:30 am i finally went to bed none the wiser about either aspects haha! The rain keeps coming and it really dampens one mood when it is a constant in our lives day and night. As well, monitoring the water levels outside and ensuring all is well with drainage etc. And then the power outages - Tuesday night it went out at 6 pm and did not come on again until the next morning. And it continued to rain so a bit of shoveling required outside. My annoyance is with the next door neighbour ( the fellow from Netherlands who came for a 3 week period to check his house) He placed his 2 downspout long black tubings along our fence between the properties so of course, since there is a slope down to our property, where do you think the water flowed??? Not once but twice since I had gone out and dangled over my fence and tried to push the ends of the tubings back onto his area a bit and he again moved them. So it was either on purpose or he did not realize what he was doing ( hard to believe) So on it went. And in meantime we dehydrate. We bought a 1/2 bushel of mac apples and 1/2 bushel of freshly dug potatoes at a local farm, and I saved some apples for eating and pies but the rest were dehydrated. And we dehydrated all the celery as well. it means the kitchen is a full and busy area and at some point one tires of the mess. 

On the bight side, i attended my eye appt on Thursday and pleased with results - i shall be slated for Sx for both eyes although my left eye is by far the worse. I filled in all the forms, and paid the excess $$ required by my choice for that which was not covered by OHIP, and was measured for the lenses. Then I was told that there is a slight delay in dates for Sx and it may be in Nov but most likely after Christmas. That's OK as I know it will happen and that was my greatest concern. On the way home we shopped and I foolishly went into the Giant Tiger store beside No frills, and looked for underwear which is on my wish list for ages. I realized with my dilated pupils that i could not read the packages and was desperate enough to beg for help from an attendant. She too had difficulty finding the size so I bit the bullet and bought one package of three to take home and assess. Fortunately for me they are perfect - so now to get back there and buy a few more packages and throw away all my other rags haha!

So today it is laundry day as I have not been able to get at it lately. My how it piles up even for just the two of us! I just put some bacon in the microwave and will treat myself to a nice breakfast before starting in. Hope all is well with you folks. And I hope this rain will stop. The forecast is promising. Take care

Still living here...

 Greetings....it has been a rather hectic week from my perspective so I have not been able to write anything for awhile but things seem to have stabilized a bit now and will hope to write a message probably tomorrow if all goes well. It is still raining in our parts so nothing done outside. How can the skies pour down for so long? We have just come from walking the dogs at the South River /Lake and I can see how much the water level has risen over the week with all the added water. But no water surprises here at home so maybe that new roof is proving itself worthy after all haha!  All is well here ...Take care

An excursion. (long)

 Gail had told me that she was participating in an art show in conjunction with the Le Rondezvous celebration in Richer this weekend.  The weekend had originally been planned for a studio art tour of the area, where people go from studio to studio.  The Le Rondezvous celebration was a Manitoba 150 event that had been postponed from last year, so the two events ere combined.  There have been quite a few such celebration in towns all over the province.  The recent concert at the Forks where Bachman and Cummings reunited, was one such, and shown on CTV nationally.  Gail further told us that this event would include the arrival of Red River carts travelling the Old Dawson Trail from further east.  We decided to go out there Saturday.

We first found the Area Museum in an old church that was also a historic religious site complete with a cairn/small grotto.  The art show was inside the museum and there was large Farmers' Market in the parking lot, plus parked cars for both directions down the street.  We found a spot and then discovered that my walker had been left behind.  We persevered and made it into the church.  I was quite impressed with some of the art I saw.  There was lady who sold buttons, but also used them in creating art.  We spoke for awhile and I was equally impressed with her deer hide dress, obviously made to fit her. It made quite a picture with her long blond hair.  I also ran into a Metis beader.  Absolutely wonderful work, priced according to the skill shown.  She was also a relatively new book binder and combined both beading and bookbinding into her work.  I doubt she sold much given her prices, but I was very impressed.  We chatted with Gail for awhile, and she gave us a couple of passes into the Rodeo ground where the actual event was being held.

Then we hit the Farmers' Market where I bought a large cookie ( it was awful!) and David bought a 2kg tub of honey.  There were all sorts of booths there including someone selling tanned fur hides and a Tarot card reader.

As we were walking back to the car we saw a horse-drawn wagon and found out it was taking people back and forth to the Rodeo ground and the Church.  Turned out there were three of them going around and around, but we stuck with the car.

It was a very long walk from the parking area to the "Dawson Trail Park" as we found out the area, which included the Rodeo Ground,  was called.  I had forgotten to take my camera into the Museum, but remembered it at the park.

The first three pictures are of the Teepees and two obviously reproduction Red River carts.  They were close together, but that was all we could see of what we had thought would be more of a temporary settlement.  Turns out that this was it.  These two carts were the only one involved in the trek.

In the distance, behind the Tee-pee, you can see the huge tent was being used for the live music.  The people in front of it will give you an idea of the size.

I was quite taken with the pink and blue Port-a-potties, outside a huge tent, one of the largest I've ever seen.  You can see one of the Horse-drawn wagons unloading behind the young fellow in the foreground.

It was quite a large park  and I was impressed at how they had retained some old, old trees.  So much history in trees.

There was a general store on the grounds--the smallest general store I've ever seen.  It sold souvenirs and candy.

There was a very large picnic area, L-shaped. Behind it you can see the tent that had been erected for the event.  Between the tent and the sitting area was a parking lot where there was a Poutine food truck, and a large B-B-Q area that had obviously seen set up for the event. The other half of the L-shaped sitting area is off to the left and we chose to sit there in the shade while we ate some of the best French Fries I've had in a very long time.

The big tent was being used for what they called a "Busking area".  There was almost constant music but it was so loud we just wanted to stay well away.  We saw a couple of ladies in "Ribbon Dresses", one of whom was carrying a bunch of hoops, so we figured that there had been some of that type of entertainment as well.

We stayed for awhile and then made our way home.  There was just so much walking, that I slept for awhile, before a pizza supper and a very quiet evening.

Looking at this coming weeks weather

 ...and all I see is rain, rain and more rain. I was hoping i could get more garden/yard work done but maybe i will have to stay in and do housework instead? I am thinking about my appt to the Eye Surgeon on Thursday and whether the Sx date will be immediately forthcoming as it was in Harry's case. I am not supposed to do heavy work after the Sx so wanted to get a lot done before. Time will tell i guess. But my primary focus will be on my eyes regardless. And I have been thinking about Hallowe'en as well -last year it was cancelled here because of Covid and i was really very pleased not to have to bag candy, and decorate and then hand out candy. Others on our street often just turn off their lights and not do anything each year, so for us it was a change but a nice change haha!

The next door neighbour came on Friday night from the Netherlands after been absent for two years due to the Covid. His wife stayed back but he flew over and plans to spend 3 weeks here. I guess he was anxious to see his home after so long. His brotherinlaw across the street (my deceased friend Ruth's husband) has been taking care of the house and yard best he can so I am pleased that this fellow has come to do the fall cleanup etc. The first thing I noticed was that he put up his flags on the front of the garage. Always has the Canadian and the Netherlands flags flying when they are in residence ( just like the Queen does when she goes to Windsor castle) I have not greeted him yet but will surely see him soon over the fence. I will miss the privacy we have when no one is living there but think i can manage for a few weeks haha!

Time for my coffee and get on with the day. Enjoy Election day and the results which may not be conclusive for a few days apparently. I think we may be in for some troublesome times ahead? Take care

My early morning greeting

 What a great way to start the day. And I must say that Dave looks wonderful in his new hat. Very complimentary on him and no wonder you were determined to pursue it's purchase after the first had proved to be off size. I truly like the look of Dave wearing this hat and hope you have many outings now to show it off ...?  Thanks for sharing.

Something new has been added

 Yes, David's new hat has arrived and he is pleased.  So pleased that we had to christen it, and went out last night.

Yesterday was a busy day. Our doctor's appointment at 6:00am went well, and we were out in time for a breakfast at Tim Hortons.  Then we did our weekly grocery shopping, and made it home in time for me to join the 9:00 Zoom meeting of my sketching group.  I left that at about 9:40 and took the computer downstairs and set everything up for the 10:00 zoom workshop on Milagros.  I learned that the word Milagro refers to small charms made out of wood or metal, in Mexico.  These are densely decorated with various people, animals, and birds.  The lady giving the workshop has taken some of these images and worked them so they could be added to white cotton. She then used these examples to teach us various ways to use Inktense pencils on textiles.  It was basically a workshop for that, and, boy,  did I ever learn a lot! I've been using the pencils for several years, but had no idea of the potential they have.  I have made several examples, but they will not be truly finished until tomorrow, and I will take pictures then.

At first I had thought that I might be exhausted after such  a day, but I feel pretty good today.  I have expect that the crash will come tomorrow.  Well, all that's scheduled is the laundry, and I should be able to deal with that, no matter how I feel

My fingers have stopped dancing, as the nail polish started to chip, and I took it off.  At first I had no luck, but David and I took the time to figure out how long it had been in the cupboard, threw it out, and  went out and bought more.

We have nothing more scheduled until a week Saturday.  I'm finding the sudden return to "normal" exhausting.  I've been wishing for a return to the time I spent in my house, doing what I want.  It appears that I'll have a week of just that.  I wonder how long it will take for me to be starting to want to be getting out again.  LOL😉  But, if nothing else it may give me enough time to do a few chores, and get a good start on a new studio piece.  Lately, various chores have been written into my BuJo with a "complete by" date.  It appears to be working.  David is even learning to check there for chores, although he usually asks me to check.

So, supper is over, so I may just change into my nightie, and fool around on the internet.

H'mmm

 Since David tries to limit me to one glass, I'll have to look into this.  LOL

OK

 I'll have a glass of whatever you are serving...and in this 2 cup wine glass. haha!  Love it

Wine

 

I have a new wine glass!  It is a mason jar and the measurements are even on the side. It only goes to 12 ounces but I am sure if I go to the top it will be 2 cups😜.  There were two of them and I would have bought both, but Winona (another of the volunteers at the museum) liked them too, so we shared. I am so easily amused 😜

Voting

 We voted today as well.  I looked up the location of the advance polling  station in my Sherlocks, and remembered the route from my cycling days.  However, since then a whole new community center has been built.  So we got there, but certainly took the long route.  Once inside there were long line-ups.  We finally got to our specific voting station and waited, and waited, and waited while the guy at the table did a whole bunch of paper work.  At one point a supervisor came to see what he was doing, but he told her that he was just in the middle of something and had it in his brain, and needed to finish it.  We were sitting about 6 feet in front of him, but he was oblivious.  Finally another staff person came and told him that people were waiting and had he finished yet.  He looked up and appeared very apologetic stating that he hadn't seen us.  But we got'er done.

Then off to Starbucks for our reward for voting.  We just took take out, but we saw one of the staff checking for vaccination status of a woman sitting at table.  This was a pleasant surprise, as the tables had been closed last time we were in.  Then home to a late lunch in the garden.  Some parts of the garden have certainly been attractive this year.

The Hydrangeas have been the best ever, although they came a little later than others in the neighbourhood.  These are the two on the right side of the house when viewed from the street.  In between is the tiny one that was just planted this year.  The one we bought last year didn't survive the winter, and we were quite concerned about this one as well.  Then David moved it from its first location and it seems to be coming along quite nicely.  We'll wait  to see what we have next spring, but I'm wondering if we should perhaps shroud it in burlap for the winter.

This is the large one on the left side of the door.  It came a few weeks before the others, but still puts on a good show.

This is a tiny  one under the front window, just to the right of the one above.  This is the first year it has bloomed.  Not a great show but a good effort.  I hope it comes along better now, as it's been here for a couple of years, without showing much growth at all.

Finally these Geraniums were in a small hanging basket.  It quickly became obvious that they need to be moved.  Once here they have grown and bloomed wonderfully.

But that's about it for our garden.  David looks after everything, and we've tried to create a space where he can work, but not to the point of exhaustion.  That worked for awhile, and then came the rain.  He now is cutting the grass weekly-something we hadn't planned on.  Still, being able to sit outside is quickly becoming a highlight of our day.

To vote today...

 With great concern, and a bit of hesitancy, we shall go up to the Advance polling Station this morning to cast our vote ( and get it over with). The choice of candidates in our riding is dismal, and the National Leader debates even less stimulating. What to do....??

Coldish nights now and things around the yard are looking a little weather worn. Cathy's productivity seems to be far and away amazing and a bit overwhelming for me, but then we know where to go in the depths of Winter to feast haha! Here we come Cathy....

I shall be making Salmon Loaf for my meal today. It is heart warming and comforting and it is Friday! Remember when we only had fish on Friday?  And I shall once again throw my money away to the OLG and buy more lottery tickets. How disappointing the last few weeks have been for me in not winning as much as a free play. 

Have a pleasant weekend ladies, and have one for me! (oops, I forgot, no more wine in the fridge so maybe as well as the lottery store, i better hustle over to the LCBO for another cardboard box haha!) 😞  Take care  💓

Cathy said it best!

Time is certainly slipping away.  Our time under Covid lockdown was almost a "minute out of time" as we did very little except pass time away in our individual personal spaces.  Things aren't that much more open now, even if we are fully vaccinated.  I miss Starbucks.  It was fully open for such a short time, and now back to take-out only.

Yesterday I was out at the gallery in Selkirk. volunteering.  We are now required to ask all visitors if they have been fully vaccinated. I kept forgetting, but my partner usually remined me.  ( She was a retired Emergency and ICU nurse).  It was really a joke, as we had no way of verifying anything.  But I must say that everyone was very cooperative about it, so we had no hassles.

My week really started on Tuesday with the carpet cleaners arriving.  We knew we would have to vacate after they had finished, as the carpet would be wet, and the smell would be obvious.  So we were hoping they would come later in the day, but they called Friday to let us know it would be anytime between 10:00 and 2:00.  They were there before 10:30, and gone by 11:15.  Their prices have increased significantly, and the bill was quite a shock.  I won't be having them back any time soon.

We had a list of errands to run but had a leisurely lunch in the garden before setting out.  Dollarama, the library, the bank, and David's sister-at work.  I had finished the quilt for her first Great-Grand child and she had pictures.   I found out that my Grand Niece is now my Grand Nephew.   We chatted in the parking lot for quite awhile, including a debate on the potential reasons for young women to choose to become young men, before the wind sent us on our way to out last stop--Walmart.  By then we had no excuse to head for the Casino and an early supper.  We were home quite early.  But despite a good night's sleep I was still exhausted by the time I got home yesterday. 

However, last evening was the regular monthly meeting of my fibre art support group and it was on Zoom.   I went for the first time in several months.  By the end of the meeting I was much more energized.  I enjoyed the meeting although I had no show'n'tell.   I will try to post a couple of pictures on the site this morning, before we both head out for our Manicure/pedicure appointment at 1:00.  

So this has been a busy and expensive week--maybe even a KD for dinner week, but we should survive.  thank Goodness there is nothing but the laundry for tomorrow--not that I'm looking forward to doing that.  Next Wednesday we have a 6:00am doctors appointment, followed by my art-related monthly zoom meeting at 9:00, immediately followed by an all day fibre art workshop, also on Zoom.  I signed up for this relatively inexpensive workshop in the early Spring, but it was re-scheduled in hopes of attracting more participants.  The workshop is then followed by another fibre art support group Zoom meeting in the evening.  YEE Gods! I don't want to go there! What a Hell of a day!

So--the message hidden within this post is--be careful what you wish for. Those quiet peaceful days of the lockdown are looking pretty good from here.

Time keeps on slipping slipping slipping.....

 ....into the future.  (Steve Miller Band)  I think I am starting to really understand those lyrics.  Everyday I start out intending to post to the blog and everyday finish up my work and just want to sit.  This morning I decided to do the opposite  I let Rodney's dogs out first thing, made breakfast and then went for the longest walk with Lucky (I am going to regret that later as the aches and pains set in) And now I am sitting with a cup of tea and blogging. 

 Rodney & Kristy went to his nephew's wedding this weekend so I was house and pet watching.  I was supposed to start Thursday night but he texted me and they were going to get away late so they would do the dogs that night and I could start in the morning.  The next morning I grabbed my phone as I left and when I got to Rodney's the dogs greeted me.  How did they get out?  Then I read my texts.  They didn't get away until 7am (it is now 7:20) and the dogs were out.  I didn't have to start until that night.  Oh well.  It was a beautiful morning to be out and about.  I went home and took Lucky for a walk.  Half way through the field to the west of us my shoe disintegrated.  I had to walk home barefoot and it was Cold!  

Other than that my life has been devoted to stewed tomato "junk", tomato sauce and beans and carrots.  I still have 1/2 a milk crate of carrots that I don't know what to do with.  Next up is salsa, but if Rrain doesn't give me back some of my jars she is not getting any.  I have no room in my freezer to add salsa.  I really want to get myself another dehydrator.  I want a good one, though, like I used to have. Not a cheap one that has no thermostat or air circulation.  I did get a manual pasta maker. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but as soon as the garden slows down I am going at it. The neighbour got a brand new fancy electric contraption that does everything for her. She just has to add the dough and pick the shape she wants. Which is why she sold me her old one. It is in immaculate condition.  Original box and instructions. 

 The Legion finally reopens tomorrow (Tuesday, Sept 7). It has been a long time.  You have to be fully vaccinated and wear a mask unless seated.  Jim starts hauling potatoes on Wednesday so he gets at least one visit to the legion. He is trying hauling again this year, since they are desperate for drivers, but if his back can't take it he will have to stop.  

I did get "The Madness of Crowds" finished.  It was almost scary in that I could see that happening in the world.  No more spoilers though, until you are both done it.  

Rrain told me she would need my help moving stuff today.  She has to close her studio since she no longer works there, and the place she was offered was flooded when the sewer the town was working on collapsed outside the building. She is just supposed to be getting a corner and a table, but it is a workspace (once repaired).  Meanwhile I will have rubber tubs of fabric in the spare bedroom.

So now to start my day by ignoring the dishes in the sink.  Have a great week.

Good Morning

 Good Sunday morning to you,

Woke up to rain this morning so we may postpone our regular early walk to the lake in South River with the dogs. I felt like sleeping in this morning as the night was long and boring again. I wonder how many times i can listen to the CBC radio news and hear the same reports hour after hour. 

I wanted to mention your news office chairs Pati as i was very impressed and a bit envious of you both. They look exceptional and I hope they are performing as well as you had hoped. Since i started to watch Time Team regularly, I have noticed my neck is becoming sore and stiff and I know it is the position I am in for extended periods and I know my ergonomics are all off . It is the computer chair and I have tried to adjust it a bit but it is an old chair and not much I can do with it. So I adjust my sitting and move around a lot so as to prevent the stationary position causing my pain. Although since yesterday was a bit of a down day for productivity, I had the opportunity to sit at the computer to watch not one but two episodes back to back in the afternoon. I do not feel too bad this morning actually haha!

We have Kale in the dehydrator going all weekend. Picking the plants, and cleaning and cutting and soaking in a brine and then into the machine. This time around Harry changed the ingredients of his brine and I must say the results are most delicious. I have also been trying to eat up all that candied ginger I made. One piece at a time!

It is becoming obvious that Fall is here for sure and the plants are in need of harvesting. No way will I cover up if the night temps dip to freezing so now I wonder what we shall do with all the tomatoes on the vine. We have some very big lovely looking ones but they need to ripen. I expect I may have trays and trays of them soon in the kitchen. or maybe I can convince someone that we could use one of the greenhouses short term? Who knows.

Now for my coffee and think about the day to come. Long weekend and yesterday there was a parade of sorts of four wheelers /ATVs (or whatever you wish to call them) going down the Street heading for the waterfront. There was some sort of gathering apparently as about two hours later up they came again. The trails head off into the bush in all directions up the hill from us and although we get a lot of traffic normally this was unusual. 

Take care, and by the sounds of the Covid situation both in Man and Ontario - be safe. 💕

Today's Mis-adventure

David's sister Gail, has just told us that she has her first great-grand child, a little boy, William.  This is also her daughter Lyala's first grand child.

Of course, yesterday I delivered 8 charity quilts, all the right size for a small child.  I could have kept one behind as a gift, and no-one would have known. Darn! Now I have to make another.

Early this morning, David found a Staples flyer, that not only had my favourite pens on sale, but also rolling desk chairs, like the one that's been in my studio for about 10 years. I didn't think too much about it, until he asked later if we were going to Staples or not.  It was a zoo, but we finally found someone to talk to.  The chair on sale just wasn't comfortable for me, so I started looking around for something different, as did David, but he kept returning to the first one we had seen.  I came to realize that we were going to buy two chairs instead of one.  It took awhile to find chairs and they came in boxes, so we agreed to pay for assembly, paid, and went for coffee as the clerk said that normally they could have it done in 20 minutes, but the crowd meant if would take a little longer..  So we and made sure they had our cell shone number to call us when the chairs were ready.  We got out to the car and David turns to me and says " I didn't realize we were going to buy a chair for you".  I gulped and turned to him and said "I didn't realize we were buying a chair for you!".   There was a minute of shocked silence, and then we both looked at each other, and just shook our heads.  So we each have a new chair.  David's is a better, more expensive chair than mine, but on sale.  I'm happy with my chair, which evidently has a leather seat.  Regardless, the prices were within $10 of each other.

David's new chair in his computer room.

And mine in the studio by the sewing machine.

My old chair is out in the garage, but David's old chair is now in my studio, by the work table.  It just may be quite useful there.

And since David went to pick both of them up ( two trips), and then was faced with carrying chairs up and down the basement stairs, he is relaxing beside me, drinking brandy in hot chocolate.  I just sniff and feel envious, although I do have a bit of brandy and ice.

Time to write

 It's not that I have been too busy but instead, that one day leads into the next and then into the next and it seems as if it is the same stuff every day. That is why i enjoy reading your posts so much because you go out and do things haha! I am not even winning anything on my Lottery tickets - not even a free play and this is upsetting me! It is hard to realize that Sept has come and with it, all that is NOT done yet in the yard and all that will likely NOT get done in the yard. Very depressing thought but i shall not dwell on that. The night skies are brilliant in the early morning and I love to look up and observe what i can remember are constellations and their names. So much I have forgotten.  But here is Orion for sure, the sign of Winter for me. 

I spent an entire day on Monday making Candied Ginger. Harry pulled off a recipe from the Net and voila - it was my chore to produce it. Fortunately he sat and peeled and cut the ginger root for me but it was a long process to complete it. The end results are pleasantly good and i expect i shall be eating it for the next little while as in the end Harry could not chew it. But one has to take only so much at a time. It is good for your stomach though, but only in small quantities. Do either of you eat Ginger in any way - not just candied, but maybe in foods?

I have been trying to follow the Blue Bombers by reading on the WFP and so far they seem to be OK. Does Dave still follow the games Pati on the TV. I bet he would love to actually go to a live game, and I remember when he went with Loren way back when people could go out to games haha!.

September brings a month of many appointments for Harry as well as myself. Every week we have something booked but of importance to me is my visit to the Eye Surgeon on Sept 23 for the next examination pending possible Sx for my cataract. i am most anxious - in many ways - to proceed. And I have hopes that it may be done before the depths of Winter are upon us. Fortunately I am able to give my own eye drops if it comes to Sx- I shall never forget what we went through when Harry got both of his eyes done last year one after the other. it seemed i was giving him drops for months, and in reality i guess i was. 

Time to get on with the day. My early morning "self" time keeps getting shorter and shorter - I wonder what i could do to rectify this situation???   Soon Ontario will follow Manitoba in requiring a Covid Vaccination proof of sorts. I only have the paper i received from the PHU which apparently may be enough, along with Government ID. They keep mentioning the "code" to download onto your Smart phone to be used but for those of us who do not have a Smart phone it gets a bit more complicated. Take care XX