Another busy week, almost on my way

I normally don't cover the previous weekend but for this post I'm making an exception. 

What a day Saturday turned out to be! When I arrived at the community center at 9:15 a.m. one of the board members asked if I would work in the store that day, rather than in the gym. I readily agreed, as I knew it would be a busy day in both locations. Two women were assigned to the cash desk in the store, and I roamed, picking up clothes that were dropped on the floor, collecting empty hangers, and helping customers with their questions.

The gymnasium where the winter/autumn sale was being held was incredibly busy, and in turn the store was too. Folks would walk down to the store after visiting the sale and buy more stuff. Keep in mind that very few items in either location were priced at more than $5. I won't give a precise number but if all of the items were $5 each, we sold over a thousand items. In actuality it was a lot more items than that as children's mitts were 2/$1, winter coats were $3/children, $5/adults,  children's clothing is $1-2/children and adult clothing is $2-3 in the store. Another volunteer arrived at the store shortly before noon, and I moved into the sorting room to sort...hangers!

As a result, I didn't get the annuals pulled on Saturday when the temperature reached 20C/68F. Instead the job was done on Sunday afternoon. It was a bit cooler (13C/55F) but in the sun it felt quite warm. All the containers and garden tools are now tucked away for the winter. It looks barren out there now. 

With everything done outdoors, I'm ticking off my list indoors. The Christmas gifts were wrapped and tucked away in the closet, or in my bag to be dropped off at my son's this weekend. I finished a snowman for my daughter - realizing that I didn't have any yarn for the nose, D used her cricut to create a cone out of foam. I think it turned out pretty cute!

I also updated my list for the items I'll be taking to Yuma, revised my itinerary slightly. It adds about a half hour of driving time, but the cost of a hotel for the night is less than I'd pay for accomodations on the other route. I've double checked my Airmiles (now Blue Rewards - I believe this is a Canadian thing) and can book at least one of the hotels on their website using points, thus only paying for taxes and fees.  

I put in another nearly 5 hours at the thrift store on Tuesday. More donations had come in through the week including Saturday, and the volunteers were piling them in every storage area they could find. We were able to sort clothing donations but only until we filled the available racks in the sorting room. Several racks from the winter/autumn sale were brought in to the hallway and store. I spent some time sorting and then went into the store to help the lone cashier. It was busy again, as families had received child benefit that day and were filling up their baskets. There was also a woman who shopped for a group of South African individuals expected to arrive in the community in the next few weeks. It was wonderful to see so many items head out the door as there is still so much more to be sorted and put out in the store. That includes about 15 or 20 bins of winter clothing still in the bins from the weekend! 

Neither D nor I had anything booked for Wednesday. While she worked on tidying counterd and then went for a nap, I started on the Christmas baking. She had asked me to make my shortbread. It's the easiest recipe but she insists that I make it better than she can.  One half cup of butter, 1/2 to 2/3's cup of berry sugar (I prefer the lesser amount), and two cups of flour. Cream the sugar and butter together until smooth, and add flour a half cup at a time. I usually turn the dough out on the counter to add the last 1/2 cup of flour and knead the dough. Divide the dough in half and refridgerate for about 30 minutes or so (or leave it overnight). I shape the dough in small balls, press with a fork and bake on ungreased baking sheets for about 10-13 minutes at 350F, turning the pan half-way through. If you prefer you can pat the dough into a round cake pan and bake, though I've no idea how long it would take as I've never done it. For fun, I sometimes add sprinkles to the cookies.

In between batches, I got working on Eli's sweater. I'd started it last fall, put it away for the winter, and then couldn't find the pattern this spring. It's been lanquishing in a bag since then, but I recently dug through my patterns and found it. After blocking, it was time to sew up the raglan, the sleeve and side seams, and finally knit up the neck and button bands. 

I took it with me to Knit and Natter on Thursday afternoon, managing to get the seams completed and started on the neck band. I also a hat for Willie Wonka to go with the scarf I made last week. The librarian told me they'd received a gift from another patron of a red jacket so he'll be all decked out for the winter. :)

With rain in the forecast for the weekend, and possibly Friday afternoon, I spent some time in the morning cleaning up the car interior and loading most of the items I'm taking with me, either to the city or to Yuma. I'm hoping this year is the last of the multi-container loads. I'd like to pare down to a bag of clothing, personal toiletries, bedding, and a few food items. I bring home all of my unmentionables as elastic gets destroyed by the heat (no personal experience, this is what I've been told), and the bedding will go back and forth as I bring it home to wash. This year I'm taking down a Breville convection oven, a Costway washer/spin dryer, and several containers of craft, household, and food items.

In the afternoon I worked on Eli's sweater. The knitting is complete, but the buttons I have are too small. D will look for others and sew the buttons herself. That should be interesting as I don't think she has ever picked up a needle and thread. There is a first time for everything. 

The winds picked up overnight and parts of the province experienced heavy snow. We missed that, thankfully, and only got a bit of rain. I'm off to the city this morning and will spend a few days there. I've been watching the weather in Montana, thanks Jim for the heads up), and will wait until I'm certain the storm they are getting has passed and I get few things done. I originally planned for this upcoming Friday, but am hopeful I'll be on the road no later than Wednesday morning. Wish me luck! 

P.S. The photo on Wednesday was Eli, first time riding a horse. He has been working with the horses, especially the pony Rocket (since passed away) in the arena and lately has been learning to bridle the bigger horses. His therapist asked if he wanted to try riding, and he enthusiastically agreed. I suspect it won't be last ride. :)

 

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

So much to do

I had to chuckle; the post about blogger issues  garnered over 450 views and 15 comments. Much more than I normally see. Perhaps my content needs to change? I did find it interesting that some are having the same thing and others are not. In any event, I'll continue to write about the mundane moments of my life and toss in a rant every so often. 

We had a full week, though it started off quietly with Thanksgiving Monday. We'd had our big meal the day prior so dinner was easy, just leftovers. D and I did a bit of laundry (she washes/dries and I fold), and she unloaded, I loaded the dishwasher. Otherwise it was a restful day.

I did a five hour shift at the thrift store on Tuesday. There were more than the unusual number of volunteers as we were preparing for the annual fall/winter sale on Saturday. Three ladies were in another area of the building unpacking the totes and hanging coats and sweaters, folding scarves and toques (I think others call them beanies?), and matching gloves, mitts and boots. These are items that have come in over the year and are stored until this sale.

My time was spent clearing racks in the store and walking them down to the other room. We certainly didn't clear out the store but were able to take 5 more racks out to use for the sale. I also did something that has frustrating me for weeks; I sorted the children's clothing racks by age, there are now spaces for 2T-5T, 6-8, and 10-14. Not only was it all jumbled together, I found adult clothing mixed in too. It is easier to just stick things on racks, but this should make things easier for the parents to find what they need. 

I should note, we weren't sorting the regular donations that day, except to look through the bags for anything fall and winter related. It was a bit annoying to some as it means we'll be sorting those bags again in a few days. I tried to stay out of the way as much as possible and my self determined project in the store was helpful for that purpose. In the meantime, the donations have piled up in the sorting room, the back hallway AND in our coffee room. I can only imagine how much more shows up over the next week.

I'd had my tires rotated at the garage last week, and realized I'd only driven 7 kilometers (less than 4.5 miles), and needed to put 100 kms. on before the bolts could be re-torqued. So D and I decided to make a run to the next town over on Wednesday after Eli went to school. First though, we had our booster vaccines for both Covid and the flu. We hit up our favorite stores and were home in just under 3 hours, in time for lunch.

I found, in the night, that the arm with the Covid vaccine was quiet sore, especially when I rolled over and laid on it. But otherwise I had no serious reaction to either. I've found that continuing to keep moving my arms seems to resolve the tenderness. 

D and I dropped into the thrift store on Thursday morning. She was looking for clothing for a friend who has recently returned to work and has little that is business casual. The store was having a sale for $10 a basket; we filled those baskets to the brim, not only with clothing for her friend, but for Eli, D and I, as well as items for her friend S and her children. Here are the bags we brought home, with just under 60 pieces of clothing for $20! She mailed the package to K on Friday; she's receving six or seven pairs of dress pants and five or six tops. Even with the cost of postage, it cost less than a new outfit at a women's retail store. 

Knit and Natter was held on Thursday afternoon. G and I were joined by two young women. The youngest, has learned to spin her own yarn, and was knitting up a cable sweater for herself. The older sister was busy memorizing lines for a play she'll be participating in. I had finished the ornaments for my brother and SIL, so planned to started on a snowman that D requested. However the library recently acquired a decorative goose, named Willie Honka in a recent contest, that is in need of winter wear. While I was there I made a crocheted scarf, with fringe. Earlier this week, I'd tried to make a bell, that ended up looking more like a hat. I brought that home to add elastic so it will stay on Willie's head.

Definitely the final garden update: We had a heavy frost two nights this week, so it was time to pick whatever tomatoes we could and pull the plants. I so dislike pulling plants that have gone mushy from freezing. Here's our one and only pick from the cherry tomatoes. 

Friday was a very tiring day; I hadn't slept well through the night. On the bonus side, I nailed down my route for my travel to Yuma, had come up with a solution for a niggling problem, and had cleaned up after my cat threw up several times before my daughter woke and stepped in it. The latter was my fault, I'd given Eli ice cream for a bed time treat, and not reminded him to take his bowl to the kitchen. Saku loves anything dairy, anything dairy does not agree with him.  

After far too few hours of sleep, I had to be up and at it as I had agreed to help with the set-up for the Saturday sale. At the community center by 9 a.m., I worked alongside the rest of the volunteers until just after noon. Some came later in the morning, but there must have been 20 of us there. The gymnasium is an array of racks, tables, and shelving units holding all of the clothing. I did get a brief nap in the afternoon - I needed it.

Today, I'm heading back in for another shift at 9:30 a.m. A well-known fellow here in town died suddenly  From what I have heard, he was very involved in the community, active in his church, a volunteer fire fighter, played in a local band, and just a long-time resident. Many of the volunteers to attend the funeral, and one asked if I would replace her as a cashier, at least until 2 p.m. when they expect to be available. We are anticipating a good turn-out and will have two check-out areas staffed with extra people. 

This is anticipated to be our last day of nice weather, so back on home, it will be time to pull the remainder of the annuals. I'll miss the colour but we're waking to frost most mornings now. Time to get everything put away. My inner wimp is on high alert.

The day lilies have taken a beating from the frost, while the sweet peas on the fence are still going strong. Most of the deciduous trees have lost all of their leaves.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

What's up with blogger?

 Is anyone else seeing an inordinate amount of page views? Normally, I have about 100 views and average of six to eight comments. The comment numbers haven't changed but the last view posts have close to 1000 views. When I opened blogger this morning, I saw yesterday's post had about 350 views, and within minutes that number was up to over 400.

I know my blog isn't that popular, so I'm assuming a lot of the traffic is due to bot activity. Just curious, is anyone else seeing similar numbers?

Winding down

Another full week is nearly in the books. If it seems like I am fixated on time recently, you are correct. The days before I leave for my winter home are passing quickly. I've got a to-do list that is growing shorter by the day, but seems to get added t as well. 

This week, I finished the ornaments for my niece and nephew, completed a short scarf to wear under a jacket, and started on crocheted Christmas ornaments. I also managed to find gifts for D and Eli (from Santa), for my brother and SIL, and ordered an Ancestry DNA test for D - this will be her gift from Eli. She agreed this was something she really wanted. The gifts I've ordered should arrive sometime early next week, so I'll get them wrapped and tucked away in the closet. 

Every year I buy Co-op gift cards for my niece and nephew for Christmas through Eli's school fundraiser. It ia held in late November so this year, D will purchase them for me and arrange to mail the gifts to my brother's family. I've made certain that everything I've made or purchased will be light weight and easy to mail. 

I've been through my food box, most of which I brought back from Arizona in the spring. These were items that would not have done well in the extreme heat; spices, oil, etc. Checking through the list of banned items, I discovered the chicken boullion cubes cannot cross the border as they contain chicken fat. Ooops! While it is unlikely this would result in anything more than a confiscation, should the officer even check the box, I'll be leaving them behind. I am taking a box of tea bags, a few packets of yeast, and a bag of flour with me. These didn't appear on the list of items that are banned.

Outdoors, I pulled two more containers of annuals as they were looking rather rundown. The Gerbera daisies and petunias are still looking great - I'll wait until a really hard frost or...heaven forbid, snow. There is some possibility of that horrid word in areas of the province this weekend. We may see some rain on Friday, but unless something changes I think the flowers will last another week or two.

Iin the meantime, my daughter has installed Halloween in the front yard. She had a bit of an accident one afternoon when she was mowing the front lawn. The large pumpkin is gone. I was hoping to get a nightime shot for you, but I keep forgetting.

I worked at the thrift store on Tuesday for nearly 5 hours. Oh my, did I hurt after that stint. I was on my feet for most of the time, and though we have fatigue mats in the sorting room, I also spent a fair amount of time moving racks and reorganizing clothing on the store racks and shelves. Again, the sorting room was full of donations, there were mounds out in the back hallway and at least two more loads came in from the bins during the time we were there.

It was also our "Halloween sale" where everything collected for the holiday since last year was put out in the hallway leading to the store. There were two racks, one of adult costumes, and one for children, along with anything decorative you can imagine on the tables. Adult costumes were $5, children costumes $3, and the decorations were $2. We didn't get rid of everything but it was well picked over when I left just before 3 p.m. 

D and Eli dropped by as one of the donations was a guitar, and he is interested in learning to play. For $5, it was a steal. She also brought home several pieces of clothing for herself, Eli, and for friends. Average price was 48 cents per piece. Then the thrift store posted a basket sale on Thursday for just $10 a basket...she went back again, with even more clothing. This time the average cost was 38 cents per piece. I'll deliver the items for S and her children when I go into the city. D will mail other items before Christmas to her friend K. (I don't need any more clothing, though I suspect I'll go thrifting in Yuma this winter).

Knit and Natter on Thursday was quiet, with just G and I there. I'll see her again next week, as that will be the last afternoon session. J, the librarian joined us briefly while she cleaned cushions from the couch in the children's area. They both said that the afternoon sessions get busier in the fall as people finish their gardening or lake trips, and have time to attend. This is in contrast to the group I attended in the city. Many were snowbirds, and with colder weather there were only two of us there for most of the last winter I attended. I'll likely drop by the library the week I'm in the city before I leave just to check in.

It's a long weekend here, with no school for Eli on Friday or next Monday. We'll have our Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday, with roast pork loin - it is the other white meat (did you ever see that advert?) We season it with sage and poultry seasoning and there will be mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, mixed veg, and fresh buns. In other words, too much food!

To my Canadian readers, enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend, however you choose to celebrate (or not). 

Have a great week ahead everyone! 

Friday Funny

 

A slow week

This week was pretty quiet productivity wise. The temperature has dropped with morning lows of 1-4C/32-39F. The afternoons were decent, ranging between 13-19C/55-69F. I managed to get the garden bed weeded, the asparagus and chives and the regular lilies cut back on Sunday. But the rest of the week was pretty much a wash for yardwork. 

We did all the normal stuff; I picked up groceries on Monday, while D made a run for pellets (used for cat litter) and a couple of other errands. Tuesday was housework...we really are creatures of habit aren't we?

I hadn't slept well Monday night and had thought I'd have a brief nap while D and Eli were at equine therapy in the afternoon.  However, Stanley had other ideas. Somehow he got out the back door and went for an adventure. I thought I heard the door close and got up thinking D had forgotten something.  But they weren't there. Nor was the blanket.

What blanket, you may be asking? Stanley, too, has his habits. Every time his mom and boy leave the house Stanley grabs a blanket and hollers for a few minutes. I immediately headed out the door calling for Stanley. No sight of him. I came back in and checked all of the places he normally sleeps and some he doesn't. I did this a couple of times, indoors and out, shaking a treat bag and calling his name. No Stanley until my 4th trip to the yard. I spotted him sauntering across the neighbour's yard 2 doors down. The bugger saw and heard me when I called out but didn't stop. I caught up with him just outside the garage one more house down. Oh, he was mad to see me. He hissed and growled but apparently had enough sense not to scratch. I footballed him back to the house and gave him a couple of treats. I swear he took three years off my life...I could only imagine how upset D and Eli would have been had he not been found.

The photo on Wednesday was of Saku (18 1/2 years) and Spencer (about 3 1/2 years). D says Saku likes his space, and Spencer also likes Saku's space. He's a grouchy old man cat so I'm always surprised when he decides to let her settle nearby. The almost touching paws was particularly unusual. Tolerance is the goal with these two.

More housework on Wednesday, and I dropped some items off at the thrift store bin. Eli was at school until 2 p.m., and I picked him up so his mother could nap in the afternoon. While he played on his device, I sorted through the items I've put together to go south with me. I managed to wean out a container and a small box of stuff...though I'm certain I'm taking more than I'll need. The park has an annual garage sale in January - I can get rid of any extra things then.

There has been lots of activity at the houses on both sides of us. The good landlord (GL)has been emptying the house of all of the garbage, and I mean literal garbage, and other household items in preparation for a new tenant. GL told D that she has taken nine trailer loads to the landfill and expects she'll need to take at least one more. Apparently the previous tenant bagged his garbage and threw it in the basement - though were lots of bags found in the garage when he first left. They lived there for almost two years...I'll let you use your imagination.

The new tenant moved in on Thursday and had lots of help. There were at least two half tons and a couple of SUVs used to move her items. She likes colour - her dresser is pink and there was a very colourful chair brought it. I told D the two of them can bond over those items. :) Apparently, the unpacking continued until 2 a.m, at least, as D said she heard music though it wasn't loud. I slept through it.

On the other side, the house that seemed to have been used as a transitional house has being emptied out. The original tenants were there with a number of other individuals. They've taken away two U-Haul truck loads, and returned on Thursday to remove a pile of debris, mattresses, couch, chairs, etc. that had been lingering in the yard for weeks.

I do have another garden update! If you recall I shared that a few tomato plants showed up in the perennial bed. I'd tossed a few rotten tomatoes in the bed and forgot about them. Well, they bloomed, and more surprisingly have set fruit. We're having to cover the plants as temperatures are dipping near freezing, but we may just be getting cherry tomatoes in a week or two. :)

Thursday afternoon was Knit and Natter at the library. I finished the first ornament at home, with the backing (red felt) and a cord to cover the edges. I was able to finish the cross-stitch on the second ornament at the library, so I should have that one complete this week. Of course, I've started another project! I want a short scarf to tuck into a jacket and had a ball of orange yarn I felt would give me the length I needed. 

Eli was home from school on both Thursday and Friday with a head cold. His mom may be coming down with it too, but I feel fine. In any event, Friday was a fairly quiet day, Eli and I were up early while his mom slept. We definitely had frost overnight, it was only 1C/33F when I checked the temperature. Brrr!

I did get out in the early afternoon to bring in the geranium. I alsos removed some annuals that were dying back. There are six containers still with annuals outside; I'll continue to water them occasionally until they show signs of frost damage. The rest of the outdoor furniture was put away in the shed.

Today looks to be the same kind of easy day. A bit of cross 3, some crochet and sports to watch. The Riders played last night but I didn't watch until the end...too nerve wracking.

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Packing Summer away

Monday - grocery shopping, for a few basic items and some cherry-picking of sale items. Three bags of groceries and $110 gone, poof! And I am fully cognizant that prices are only going higher due to the cost of diesel. I did read somewhere that some stations in Texas, in particular, have run out of diesel fuel. I hope we can avoid that here. 

On a happier note, at least for me, curling bonspiels are back on Youtube. I tend to watch those available through Curling Stadium as the channel has featured games with commentary. Not that I always agree with the announcers but it is nice to be able to keep up with the scores while I'm doing something else. 

For dinner, we made a new-to-us recipe, a tex-mex casserole. It used up some leftovers too. A crushed tortilla chips layer on the bottom of a casserole dish, ground sausage from the prior nights meal, heated up in the fry pan with the last of the salsa, chopped peppers and tomato added to the casserold dish, then a layer of sour cream (the last of the container), and finally, shredded cheese and sprinkled with green onion. We baked it for about 30 minutes - it was delicious! There was enough we were able to get a second meal out of it. 

Tuesday - this seems to be our housework day. Vacuuming, laundry, tidying and food prep took up most of the morning. D had to stop by the pharmacy in the grocery store, and did a wander around the store. She found this beef roast marked down 30%. Original price, just under $45! I'd bought another pork loin a week or so ago and had pulled it from the freezer to cut up. This resulted in two small roasts, four pork chops, two steaks, and three bags of stew meat in the freezer. I did the cutting, D did the vacuum sealing. 

I've been working on the cross-stitch ornaments in the afternoons when the light is better. Along with my neck light, I'm able to get in a couple of hours of stitching before my eyes start feeling tired. When D and Eli went to equine therapy, I enjoyed a nap. 

This is the near completed first ornament. I still need to cut off the excess Aida cloth and attach the backing, and a ribbon for hanging. 

Dinner was chicken Caesar salad. D had marinated the two chicken breasts in Greek Feta dressing (one of my favorites). I made up the salad while the chicken was in the air fryer. I like the croutons to soften a bit in the dressing. 

Wednesday - It was a cloudy, gray day, so when Eli went to school we tackled more housework. There tend to be piles left on the kitchen counters, things that need to go outside or to another room, and the window sill was lined with various items. I decided to clear the counters to scrub the window sills and backsplash. Meanwhile D was vacuuming her room (again) in preparation for using the carpet cleaner. When she finished I vacuumed my room (again) for the same reason. She ran the carpet cleaner while I folded laundry.

I picked up Eli at 2 p.m., while his mother had a much needed nap. My orders from Amazon had arrived at the post office. One contained D's birthday gift from Eli (her b/d is in early December), and the other more Aida cloth and the ornament hangers for the cross-stitch. 

Knit and Natter was held in the evening. I was on my own, but sat and did my cross-stitch. When she had time, J the librarian chatted with me. I suppose I could have gone home but I like having the time away. This month my group isn't working at the thrift store, we'll be back on Tuesdays in October. Thus my interaction with the outside world has been limited to a few shopping trips.

Thursday - the morning started off cool and cloudy, not conducive to yard work early in the day. We were all tired too, as Eli hadn't been able to fall asleep until after midnight. His mom was up and down, and I could hear their on-going discussion from my room. D was up at 5 a.m. and both Eli and I were up just after 6. She decided to keep him home from school, though he didn't get out of doing school work. D is a former teacher and is quite capable of working with him. By noon they had covered his French dicte (spelling), English - identifying verbs and adverbs, Math - multiplication, and had practiced the reading he will do in church on Saturday evening. 

Meanwhile I used a few ripe tomatoes to make soup. The fruit was showing discolouration, likely due to stink bug damage so I boiled them briefly to remove the skins. I cooked the tomatoes with garlic and onion, and after cooling a bit, used the immersion blender and a sieve to reduce it to a liquid. I added the juice to a roux, and seasoned it with a bit of salt and sugar. I ended with a SINGLE bowl of soup...but it made a delicious lunch. In addition, I made a pot of mashed potatoes for D as she wanted to make potato bread. I had a piece with my soup and it, too, was delicious.

By the time I was finished with the soup, the sun was shining. I took my tea and had a telephone chat with my brother. He had sent me several photos of the valley in the fog. 

Then it was time to get some work done. I cleared out several of the annual containers, though left the gerbrera daisy and the two containers of ivy, geranium, and verbena. The front of the houe is looking rather sparse. I used the wheelbarror to carry the heavy clay pots to the shed to be stored for the winter. I had two containers of pansies that I am trying something with. In the new perennial bed, I dug holes and placed the containers upside down in the holes, covering most of the pot with dirt. We'll see if they survive the winter - I've heard of success stories with other plants, and at the very least the pansy seeds will be in the ground.

After lunch, I went back out to do more yard-work taking Eli with me so his mother could nap or at least rest. While I'd been outside in the morning, she had made potato bread, as well as garlic bread, while keeping Eli on task with his school work.

I didn't accomplish much as he really doesn't like bugs! One of the major tasks was taking up the one raised bed and placing it on top of the other. I moved as much of the dirt as I could, then put down some grass seed where the second bed had been. I hadn't left room for D to mow between them, and while it will give me less room to grow things, I am going to be a bit more strategic next year. A few pieces of outdoor furniture and plant stands were stored in the shed as well. 

Speaking of bugs, Wednesday's photo was a centipede I found in one of the pots. Alongside it was a slug. Both ewww! I've never had slugs before so I'll have to do some reading on what they like to eat in the garden. Apparently, I need beer too, as they will drink and drown in a small container of it. 

Dinner was penne with a sausage meat sauce, baked in the oven with cheese and accompanied by D's garlic bread. That's a fall meal!

Friday - Another morning of yard-work. Mostly reorganizing things in the garage and shed, and putting things away, furniture and such. 

We emptied the rain barrels and turned them upside down. We were able to extend the drains so that the water will flow away from the house, should it rain. I did start the process of weeding the garden, but will putter at that over the next week or two. The ground is very hard, so I'll want to add compost to it before I add a straw layer for the winter.

I was sore from both Thursday and Friday's efforts so took the afternoon off. There was more laundry to fold, but other than that, I relaxed and watched a bit of curling. Our football team was on the field in the evening. 

Dinner - homemade pizza with chicken, red onion, peppers, basil pesto, with cheese. 

Today, we're off to the city for a Costco run. There are a number of things on sale, enough to make up for the cost of the fuel to go there and back at least. D's pantry will be full, and she should have enough garbage bags, dishwasher tabs, and various other items to see her through the winter. There are socks on sale too, a gift for my son's birthday! :)

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Time ticking by

Another week is nearly in the rear view mirror. When I look back, it seems this summer went by so very quickly. Yet, at the beginning of summer it seemed we had so much time for all the plans we tentatively made. But with Eli's activities, our house and garden work, and my volunteering, there wasn't a whole lot of time remaining for other possibilities. We did make the one trip to a town nearby for the parade, garage sales, and swimming pool. 

This month, too, is flying by. In spite of no time required at the thrift store this month, I've still managed to fill the time. There won't be any more garden updates, as I brought the carrots in this week. While I still need to cut back the asparagus ferns (they are laid out on the garden over winter), and I'll plant garlic, lily, and tulip bulbs closer to the end of the month, this season is coming to an end.

The Manitoba maple tree leaves are starting to turn yellow. It is the last to leaf out in the spring and the first to drop its leaves in the fall. While it is sad in some ways, I can use the leaves to protect some newer perennials, the clematis, spirea, and the hosta. I appreciate how nature takes care of its own.

Indoors, I've been puttering. My closet got cleaned out and reorganized, as did the cabinets that hold the spice jars and various baking incredients. When I had finished that job, I showed D how it was organized. Fingers crossed she keeps things up. :)

Eli and his mom finished the back of the teacher's Christmas ornaments, so I was able to finish putting the last of them. D has tucked them away for later. My cross-stitching is continuing to be a slow process. But I am determined to have these finished by mid-October. My brother and SIL may not get one but the niece and nephew will. Since most of the gifts I am planning to give are gift cards, I will be able to wrap up Christmas before I head south. Eli's gift was purchased months ago, and D has asked for a dashcam for her SUV. In other words, she'll arrange the purchase and installation and I'll pay for it. :)

I'm planning to head to the city on October 25th, to spend a few days with my son, his g/f, the granddog and her kitties. There are few things I want to do while I'm there, meet with a few friends, purchase those aforementioned gift cards, and finish the preparations for the trip to Yuma. It seems like a long way away right now, but I suspect that time will pass quickly as it did this summer.

I did get out of the house a couple of times this week. On Monday, I made a trip to NTO for groceries and a stop at the $ store for items, our local store doesn't carry. Btw, Wednesday's photo was from the $ store....my jaw almost hit the floor when I turned the corner to find both Halloween AND Christmas!

The grocery list was heavy with items for baking, and wow have the prices gone crazy. A small bag of Chipits was $6.44 at Walmart - it was $7.49 at our Independent grocer. That works out to between $4.20-5.33 in USD. As you might expect, I didn't buy any. D will keep an eye out for sales later this fall. Oddly, I cannot find Eli's favorite apples, Red Delicious, in any store besides our Independent Grocer. I needed to make a stop there and at the local Co-op when I returned to our town for some sale items. 

On Thursday D and I did some shopping. First up I made a stop at the grocery store for more fruit and milk, then the two of us headed to the Legion hall for the Friends of the Library book sale. I found three paperbacks, while D managed to find several treasures including more books for Eli.  Later we headed to the thrift store after seeing they were having a sale - a basket for $12. We agreed to share a basket and between the two of us, we filled it quite quickly. I found five pieces, she found another 20-25 items for Eli and two of her friend's children. 

D immediately grabbed a nightgown, while I kept two tops, a pair of leggings, and a t-shirt dress. I loved the pattern on the front of the dress.

On the way home, D dropped me off at the library for Knit and Natter. Just G and I again, but one of the librarians joined us for part of the time. Lots of chat about the weather, books, and crafts. 

Friday was a mostly quiet day, some housework was completed, and I worked on the Christmas ornaments for my niece and nephew. I realized I am missing two colours for the one ornament, but I managed to backstitch a portion of it. I'll pick up the last floss when I go the city, as I'll be seeing my brother when I'm there. 

Stanley, the cat is healing though not as quickly as D would like. He's been through his course of meds. But he hasn't been eating very much. We've been mixing the vet food with the Fancy Feast..he'd eat a little and walk away. I tried feeding him just the vet food and he refused it entirely. So I gave him the regular and he ate some but not all of it. D called the vet and has an appointment for Monday for a check-up.

As for today, our football team is on a bye week but there are two CFL games to watch. I'll do more stitching while I glance at the television..as I'm not invested in the games. Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Weather woes, cat worries, and lots of harvesting

We got rain, a lot of it, over Sunday and Monday. The first day we saw 52 millimeters and the following day another 20 millimeters. That is approximately 3 inches in total. The worst of it was the inch or so that fell in less than an hour on Sunday. Again, we had water in the basement, through the one window well. I'm considering digging out the well and added a layer of heavy plastic to cover the bottom and sides, then a layer of rock, and replacing the window well cover. The one I have doesn't fit snugly so I'll have to do some finagling to get it to fit better. There's a bit of a low spot in the pavement which creates an issue I can't correct. The window and it's rotting wooden frame is the big issue, but that will have to wait until spring to be dealt with. 

Regina had a deluge of even more rain. I've heard four inches on Sunday alone. A friend posted video of her street; their car had water up past the wheel wells, and across the street cars had been moved by the current and were perpendicular to the sidewalk. More fell on Monday, and my son called to tell me his basement was flooding as well. He contacted a plumber who came out and removed the drain cover to allow the water to flow. C is going to have to arrange to have a sump pump installed soon, and this was a good reminder to him why he needs to clean the gutters regularly!

Tuesday started out with a bit of sun but it soon clouded over. Oh, and the wind! My corn stalks were nearly blown over by this point. The gazebo frame had been pulled out of the pots of sand that we use to stablilize them - thank goodness we have it staked down too, or I think it might have ended up a few doors down. 

I did my grocery shopping, mostly sale items and D dropped her vehicle off at the dealership for some warranty work. What was supposed to take about 45 minutes stretched on into the afternoon. Part of this was a software update that took far longer than expected. We did a bit of housework in the morning before Eli came home from school at noon. Then the two of them were off to equine therapy and Eli's haircut. That meant I had much of the afternoon to myself.

Wednesday, we had sun in the morning, hooray! But it also started with some not so needed excitement. Stanley, D's cat - age 11, was exhibiting behaviours that had us thinking he had a blockage of some sort. A few years ago, she lost her Sheldon to a twisted bowel, and of course, our minds went to the worst case scenario. She called the local vet office when they opened at 7:30 and we were able to take him in immediately. The vet's examination indicated a urinary tract blockage and surgery was required. By lunchtime, they had called to say the surgery went well, he was cranky but resting. He remained at the clinic until the following day.

Meanwhile I kept D outside after she dropped Eli at school. We took down the gazebo, dug potatoes, picked the remaining tomatoes and cucumbers, and put away some of the decorative items. The cucumbers were quite the surprise as the two were well hidden in the foliage. Both are overripe, one more so than the other. I plan to keep the largest one on the counter for a few days and harvest seeds from it for planting next year. 

I continued to toil away when she'd had enough, then I harvested the basil and oregano, and weeded the raised beds. Everything was cleared out except the marigolds, oregano, and the green onions. The latter were left for harvesting on Thursday. I determined that the oregano is hardy to Zone 4. We're more in Zone 3 than 4, but with a good covering of straw and leaves, I'm hopeful it will survive the winter.

In the evening, I headed to the library for Knit and Natter. Another new woman joined me, she hasn't knitted in 40 years but thought she'd try it again. Good on her! She brought her knitting needles, some yarn and a few patterns. After some thought, she decided to start with a slouch beanie, knit flat and seamed. The pattern was a lousy one (in my mind) as it didn't give instructions for the number of stitches required to start. I recommended she start with a swatch to decide the opening row. I worked on my cross-stitch ornament. It is taking forever as I have to change colours frequently. Also, because I have had time to work on it at home either.

Thursday morning was busy, with more harvesting of corn and green onions. I didn't have great luck with the corn, just six small cobs. That was likely my fault because I planted it in rows and apparently they prefer to be planted in a square pattern. I also planted them behind the potatoes which grew faster than the corn and shaded them for a good part of the summer. We'll get a decent feed from them, as part of our Sunday dinner this week.

Potatoes were peeled for hash browns, and after blanching set on a tray to dry a bit before going into the freezer. The green onions were cleaned; some went into the fridge for use this week, while the rest was chopped up to be frozen. I added about a tablespoon to the slots in an ice cube tray, then added a bit of water to cover. We can use those over the next while in various dishes. 

I had washed and dried the basil the day prior, along with dehyrdrating the oregano. D and I made a small batch of pesto with the basil. Friday night's dinner is a chicken pizza and we'll be using the pesto as the base. It tasted delicious on the spoon, so I was sure it would be fantastic on the pizza.

D and Eli left to go to NTO about 2 p.m. and I took advantage of their absence to sweep and mop the kitchen floor. I'm not the neatest prep cook. :) After a bit of a rest, I headed over to the vet clinic to pick up Stanley. After I paid the bill and got instructions, they asked if I would go to the back to get him into the carrier for the ride home. Apparently, he'd been quite cranky with them. He seemed pretty happy to see me, but still fought going into the carrier a little. But he didn't fuss at all on the way home. I brought him into the house to the front porch as we'll keep him isolated from Spencer and Saku for a few days. Of course, they're curious and he wants to be in the main part of the house. Trying to get in and out of the porch without a cat escaping can be a challenge. 

The librarian had given me a bag of white onions on Wednesday evening (in exchange for some tomatoes...though she didn't need to do that). Friday morning, was spent peeling and chopping onions, some were carmelized and some were dehydrated for onion powder. The remaining half dozen were tucked in the pantry for cooking. When cooled the majority of the carmelized onions were placed in ice cube trays for future use, though I put some in a bag for our pizza. It was a very flavourful pizza with pesto, carmelized onions, BBQ chicken and of course, ooey gooey cheese. :)

Meanwhile I also cut up more potatoes for French fries. Some became my lunch. They do take a little longer to air fry, but definitely worth it to me. There is still a container of potatoes to be dealt with. We'll have some with our Sunday dinner, but I suspect I'll be making more hashbrowns and fries over the next several days. I do wish we had some cold storage! Next year, I'll just plant a couple of hills.

Garden update: The only thing remaining to be brought in are the carrots. We may see a mild frost this weekend, so I'll leave them out until early next week. Mom always said they tasted sweeter after the first frost. I must say the ones I've had so far were plenty sweet...but one should listen to their mother, right?

I'll keep watering the flower containers (has not been needed this week since the rain). But it won't be long before the plants start dying back. I'll pull a few more marigold seeds and perhaps the pansies. The good landlord has given me permission to harvest seeds from their hollyhocks as well. 

There are four CFL games on Saturday - I'm guessing scheduling has something to do with the NFL. Hence, I'll be doing not much of anything. Maybe I can work on my cross-stitch.

This post is getting incredibly long...and probably very boring. I'll end it now with a photo of my granddog Sage and her bestie, Kota. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny