Pea Soup

 No, not the kind you eat, the weather kind.

Woke this morning to thick fog, it has since lifted and it is cloudy and damp, certainly  not the weather we normally see in this area at this time of the year.  It is quite mild, 7*C and rain is forecast for Saturday,  Another day closer to Spring with no snow and freezing temperatures.  

These dark evenings we tend to settle down for the night either reading or watching the "tube" until past midnight some nights even later.   Hubby naps for an hour or so, but I can't, so he is awake and ready to start the day shortly after 7:00 a.m. as he had his required sleep.  Me, however, I need at least 7 1/2 hours sleep each night but, have not been getting that for several nights recently, what with the holidays etc.   Last night did not get into bed until 1:00 a.m. so, this morning I slept in and my feet did not hit the floor until 8:30 a.m. Did not even need to visit the loo.    Feel a bit more ambitious today.    

I keep a diary of everything we do each day, usually at least one member of the family gives me  one for Christmas, however, did not get one this year, so had to go and buy myself one this morning.   Just happened to walk past, not that is not true, I made a beeline for the potato chip dips in the dairy counter as one kept on calling my name.  Our New Year's eve snack.  Tomorrow, well that is the day I stand on the blessed scales in the bathroom, I swear it lies.   Make a note of the number in said diary, and intend on losing some of those holiday pounds and also the ones that have a habit of  piling on over time.   This is not a new years resolution, I never keep them anyway, but a conscious effort to be healthier in the coming year and years down the road. 

Hoping this weather stays and the streets and pathways remain clear of ice and snow, wishful thinking, I know, but I plan to walk every day, even if it just a short distance.  

Hubby is out picking up some stray leaves that were missed in November, he is pleased the snow has gone so he can take care of that job at the neighbours.   They asked him to take care of the lawn and leaves earlier in the year as they rent out this property to students, and most of the time I believe they are out of the country in Bermuda.

Time to get myself moving,

Wishing all who visit my blog a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Stay safe.

Regards.

 

Slow week and Quilts.

 The days this week seem to be going so slow, not that I want to wish my life away, but yesterday, even Hubby was thinking it was Thursday and had all of the garbage ready for pickup, which is not until tomorrow.  Maybe it is because we got to the grocery store on Wednesday instead of Tuesday.   We are such creatures of habit, do something out of sequence and we are thrown off course very quickly.   

Do you have a regular routine or just wing it?

Made lots of turkey soup, some for today and tomorrow and the rest will go into the freezer for other lunches or dinners.   Not sure what we will have for dinner tonight, all the leftovers from Christmas are gone,  so will have to cook something  today, maybe something light for a change, salmon with some stuffed mushrooms on the side and a salad. Or, turkey soup, sausage rolls and a salad.  Got a couple of hours to decide.

 I have been asked to show some of the quilts I make, here are three made for my children and their spouse.   The brown one was for my DD1 and SIL, the blue for DD2 and SIL, and the green one for son and DIL.

I will show more in future posts.

Currently working on the binding for the quit for a local Women's Shelter which will be given through our guild. Also, need to start putting together the blocks for our guilds Chemo unit donation.
 

The smell is making me hungry

 The turkey bones did not get put in the soup pot yesterday, they remained in the fridge until this morning after I got the celery and carrots when we got our groceries.  Now they are gently simmering away, and as my title indicated, it smells so good, I could eat it now, but it needs some more time.   

As mentioned, we got our groceries this morning,  and the cereal aisle had a lot of empty spaces with signs indicating there was a supply issue.  Most of the missing ones were popular ones such as, corn flakes and rice crispies.  A sign of the times...could be.

We had a light dusting of snow overnight, but the temp is now 3*C so it is starting to melt, the weekend forecast is calling for rain.   Another day not having to shovel snow, so I will take it, not that I shovel snow any more.  Too hard for me to do, so Hubby uses the snow thrower.

Not much else on the agenda today, will finish the soup and continue to sew the binding down on the quilt currently be made for a local Women's Shelter.   Then I am going to put the blocks on our guilds chemo quilt together, sandwich it with batting and backing then quilt it.   Want to get those two things taken care of so I can start a new project.  Lots of ideas are running around in my head, so will need to concentrate on at least one of those.

Almost lunch time, so will get off here and get moving. 

Have a wonderful day, no matter what you are doing.

Absolutely Nothing

The title describes yesterday, as I did absolutely nothing.   Only shower, made the bed, tidied  bathrooms and kitchen.  Had leftovers for lunch and dinner,  did a bit of hand sewing on a binding for a quilt and watched TV.   Had a good night's sleep, so ready to tackle the day.

We did not get groceries as we usually do on Tuesdays, two reason, one, we still have enough of the basics until tomorrow, and two, wanted to make sure deliveries were taken care of at the grocery, so there were products on the shelves.  A lot of companies gave employees Friday and Monday off as "stat" days off due to Christmas and Boxing day were on the weekend.   

The turkey carcass is going in the pot today for soup, so that will be on the menu for the next few days.  We still have a few leftovers which will be used up for our dinner tonight.

This morning, finally able to book two appointments for our booster Covid vaccinations this morning.   Yesterday, I booked appointments in another city about 3/4 hour drive away as they had opened up spaces, however, they were for January 25th.   Tried this morning in the city where we live and was able to get two for January 22nd. and cancelled the two for the 25th.   Not as early as I had hoped to get them but at least we now have an appointment.  

Light snow yesterday morning, freezing drizzle last night and this morning temp is just above zero and we have a bit of sunshine, so some of the ice is melting.

Well the bones are calling, so will wish everyone a pleasant day. 

All Done and Dusted

Christmas that is.     It was a busy time for me and noting how I feel after two days of prepping food and cleaning up after, (I did have help from Hubby), I am done all of this work, it is now someone else's job to serve me Christmas dinner.   It is not only the physical work which is done, to me it is the mental preparations that start at the grocery store and continue on until the last mosal is finished.  Don't get me wrong I love doing all of this work, my mind says "Yes, you can do it", but the body is saying today "You are an idiot, slow down".   So for future Christmas's I am listening to my body.

For dinner on Christmas day there were 10 people around the table.  Turkey, stuffing, rolls/butter, squash, cauliflower cheese, baby peas, sauerkraut, (Hubby's late wife kept Polish traditions, so his daughter always wants the sauerkraut,), mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce and a pickle tray..  Dessert, homemade cherry cheesecake,  shortbread cookies, butter tarts and mince tarts.   Hubby's DIL brought a trifle and DIL's Mother and brought brought a bottle of white wine.  Boxing Day, nine people from my family, (one GD was working), we just had nibblies, polish sausage, cheese, crackers, chips and horseradish dip, sausage rolls, shimp, pickle tray.  Sweet tray held, shortbread cookies, tarts mentioned above, chocolates, and leftover cheesecake.   I don't buy booze these days, so if anyone wanted a special drink, it was BYOB, and that worked out very well.

We had a green Christmas and Boxing Day with the temps above the zero degree mark, which is just the way I like it.  This morning, we have a dusting of snow.  In my diary from last year on Boxing Day  we had eleven inches of snow on the ground.  

The turkey has been striped and the bones are currently waiting in the fridge, eventually to become soup tomorrow, which will be on the menu for a couple of days.   

I did not hear from my son or DIL during the weekend, at first I was upset, but now have come to accept the fact that those things are a part of the cycle of life.   They live a good two hours or more drive away, they have children and now a granddaughter, so they are busy with them celebrating.   But, in my heart feel as if I am forgotten, my argument, a phone call takes such a small amount of time but can mean so much.  I am done initiating calls,, not just to family, but also friends that I thought were "friends".   Sounding like a miserable b$#ch, but the world we live in at the present time also adds to the feeling of desertion.  If I didn't have Hubby I just can't imagine what my life would be if I was living alone. 

On a positive note, my youngest GD "C" received fantastic results from the first semester final exams she wrote a couple of weeks ago for a light training.   Second  youngest GD "K" as I am mentioned previously is working on her Masters in Biology, informed up yesterday, she will be "fast forwarding" her Masters studies in September 2022, to start a five year course of studies to receive a PHD in Biology.  She is currently doing research in a lab, which she hopes will eventually result in her creating crops that will be able to grow in the climate changes of the future.  Both of them are Asian and have received many unfavourable  comments regarding the Covid virus.  

Dinner tonight, LEFTOVERS, easy peasy.

Have a great day.

 

SIGH!

It is not a sigh of frustration, it's a sigh of RELIEF.   Received a call from my grandson early this morning,  "Hi Grandma, we have A's test back and she is negative".   Thank goodness she is not ill. She and the family can go to see Grandma and Pappa late on Dec. 26th and everything will be OK.  We can get on with preparations for our dinner which will be happening late tomorrow.

Good news all around, as my sister and her family have received negative test results also.

Residents in this area have been advised to ditch the blue face masks and use the N95, sounds good for those who can find them and purchase them.  Twice Hubby had to go to a store which was selling them, first time they were out of stock and was told to return later in the day as a new shipment was coming in.  He was able to get some for both of us and his daughter.   How people who are not able to go to this store to get them or who have to make the choice between getting these masks and buying food is beyond me, as they are not cheap.

We had about 2 inches of snow late yesterday and over night, but it is now melting and should all be gone by morning, if the forecast is correct as rain is expected tonight and tomorrow.   Green Christmas for us.

So, I now need to get myself moving and close by saying.

If you have been good Santa will come and visit you and bring everything you wished for.   I am wishing for Peace, Happiness and Health for all of my family, friends and the world.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS.  

Baking

 Shortbread cookies, butter tarts and a few mince tarts all made this afternoon.  Now, having a few minutes sit down before I start getting dinner ready.   Can't really say "start" as we are leftovers from yesterday's and the day before dinner.   I am sure some of you are saying yucky, but I hate throwing away good food just because it has been in the fridge for a day or two. Dinner is---roast beef, asparagus, squash,  and I might do a salad to balance it all out.  Have no idea for dessert, maybe one of those baking items for me, Hubby well, we shall see what he wants, likely nothing.

He has been doing some errands this afternoon, just arrived home.  Yesterday, he said he no longer wants or needs to work, it has taken two years for him to come to that conclusion.  

Seventy two hours since we saw our great granddaughter, so keeping our fingers crossed we remain free of the virus.

Cool and cloudy today, a few little flakes in the air but really nothing  to mention.   It appears we might have a green Christmas, which is just fine with me.

Well, dinner was perfect, no pots and pans to wash, my kind of dinner.

Taking it easy for a while, been on my feet all afternoon, going to watch TV after 8:00 p.m.

Up in the Air

Received a call from my grandson this morning while we were out getting our groceries.   He is the grandson who visited us on Sunday afternoon.   He very seldom calls on the phone, it is usually via messenger on my phone or laptop.   Humm, the fact he called means to me it is not going to be a jolly happy call.  Did their family dog pass away? She is old.   My son ill? someone else in the family?    I think you can almost guess what the reason for the call might be already.  Apparently, Audrey was in day care yesterday and when they picked her up, they were told one of the other children and tested positive for Covid.  Grandson was doing a PCR test on Audrey this morning and would not get the results back  until Friday, Christmas eve day. So Christmas and Boxing day plans are up in the air.   Do I prepare of the "make ahead" things for Christmas? do I do it at the last minute?  Has anyone frozen a homemade baked cheesecake and thawed it when needed?

The grocery bill was big this morning, glad Christmas does not come around more than once in the year, I would be bankrupt.   Just happy I can do it and not have to eat Kraft Dinner for a month after the leftovers are all gone.

Christmas gifts are all bought, I am done, not that I needed to buy a lot.

Dinner tonight, chicken,aspargu, baked potato.

 

Little Audrey

 Yesterday afternoon we had a visit from one of my great granddaughters, her Mum and Dad.  Audrey is 2 1/2 years old and such a sweetheart.   Busy little people, aren't they, made us tired just looking at her on the move all the time.  The family will be home for Christmas day and then going to see Grandma and Papa on Boxing day and staying with them for a couple of days.   

Granddaughter C has finished he first semester, wrote exams and now working for a couple of weeks prior to starting her second semester.  K is home from Ottawa's Carleton U for Christmas week and today is marking exams for the professor she is working with.   I will see both of them and their Mum and Dad on Boxing day.   

My niece's daughter has had another COVID test and that confirmed she is positive, not ill, just a bit congested.  She is in the house by herself, so today she is cleaning the house for something to do.  My sister, niece and her husband were only able to get a test scheduled for Friday and won't get their results back until after the weekend.  

As of today, everyone over a certain age and it has been the required length of time since their second jab, could book for their booster.   So on the web site I went early this morning,  finally after a run around to numerous sites I was able to get on the appropriate one to get an time for our jab.   I waited for 21 minutes and then was directed to another web site only to be advised everything was booked up my DD2 everything was booked up until Jan 17, 2022.   I wasn't able to go on a waiting list, if someone had cancelled.   So frustrating to say the least.   There is a pop up clinic at a local mall, and was instructed the hours of operation, and also, if there is a line up and all of the time slots have been assigned you might as well go home.  I am at a loss of words to describe the mess this system is in or should say the lack of anything that resembles a system.   Done my rant.

Had a quick dinner tonight of leftovers from yesterdays roast beef and veg as Hubby had to go to a meeting, only to come a short while later as it had been cancelled due to the Covid restrictions.

Tree up

 I put up and decorated the small artificial tree, and place other Christmas decorations around the house.  Not very many just enough to give off a bit of Christmas spirit, even though I am not very Christmassy this year.  

Just taken out of the oven a batch of shortbread cookies,  In the past I made a recipe that involved a lot a mixing,  rolling, cutting and baking.  Then out of the oven, they cooled and then sandwiched with grape jelly in the middle of two cookies then iced and decorated.   It was a lot of work that I am not prepared to do, so I made some whipped shortbread.  Oh!  so much easier, this will be my go to recipe from now on.  Also, might add they are delicious. It was a recipe Hubby's aunt in law gave me two years ago, after she offered them to us during a visit.   Unfortunately, she had cancer with no hope of recovery, she was in her 90's.  Towards the end she was in a lot of pain and decided she had had enough and chose the day for her to depart. 

Expecting a great granddaughter to visit this afternoon so I can give her her gift.  

Will have ten, including us for Christmas dinner, and expecting the same number for Boxing Day nibbles.

Had a call last night from my niece advising me not to go and visit my sister on Monday.   Niece's daughter has been exposed to COVID and who knows if my sister and her family have been also.   The rapid test indicated positive, however, no report back from the other test, when talking to sister this morning.  My niece  has cancer, her husband has been ill for almost two years with an infection so they both have had their boosters, sister will not be able to get registered for her booster until tomorrow.   Such a mess, so sick of all this virus.   It is splitting families between those not vaxed and those who are.  Those battles will take a long time to heal, if ever.

Cloudy and cool today, no wind which is a blessing.   

Dinner, roast beef, squash and brussels, may just have a cookie for dessert.

 

House cleaning

 Cleaned the main living floor yesterday and just finished the downstairs.  Made sausage rolls this morning also, had to put them in the freezer or I would eat them all.  No very pleased with the puff pastry I bought last week, it wasn't very puffy.   It tasted good though, so that is all that matters.

I believe a mentioned a little while back, we rescued a Christmas tree from being composted, I have had it in a pail of water in our cold room and we decided to decorate it today.   It didn't go well, as soon as we moved it too many needles came off of it and I was not comfortable putting lights on it.  They get warm and you know what happens then.   It will be back in the recycle depot tomorrow.  Disappointed to say the least but I still have a small artificial one which has been used for several years, so that will be my focus either this afternoon or tomorrow. 

Here in the city where I live we did break a record for the high temp for Dec. 16th.  it went up to 16.8*C, today, is a different story, only a high of 4*C but we do have sunny skies and no winds like we had yesterday.

Not getting as many Christmas cards this year as I have done in the past, I am sure a lot of people are cutting back as the postage is quite expensive especially for international mail.  There is a lot of on line greetings taking place too, so that is probably a more accurate reason.  I remember years ago my MIL would have a ribbon strung from corner to corner in her loving room, it was not a small room either and cards would be filling that ribbon.  You must remember also, if the envelope was not sealed it only cost a couple of cents to mail it almost anywhere.  

Have not heard from Hubby's DIL as to whether her mother and brother will be joining us for Christmas dinner, she always leaves everything to the last minute, so don't expect and answer until Christmas morning.   Going to prepare as if they are coming, all the extra food can be frozen and used in the coming week.

Dinner tonight, not sure yet must start thinking about it.

Have a great day.

I can Hear!!

Yesterday I had an earlier that had expected appointment  to receive my new hearing aids.   The old ones are six years old, way past their best before date for sure.   During the past a couple of months I have had several trial aids to determine which ones I prefer.  Decided on a pair that are made by the same company of my old ones.   The audiologist was the best one I have ever had any dealings with.  My appointment was scheduled for  11:30 a.m. with S and I walked out at 1:00 p.m. so through I was very pleased with everything she did and answered all of my questions.  Except when I came to leave and the Visa card had to be taken out of my wallet.   Ouch!!! that hurt or I should say, it will hurt when the bill comes in, in January.   The government chipped in a grand and my extended health care will do the same, which certainly helps a great deal.  I have a clock that ticks!  and the fridge makes a lot of noise.  

Batting down the hatches today and it is very windy, but warm, in fact our city could see record breaking high temps for December 16.   Then, tomorrow we get back to reality and it will be cold.

Hubby just came in......I now need to taken my car into the garage, my rear drivers side tire is losing air, if it is not one thing it is another.   

Dinner last night was left over Chinese food and I made some extra rice, also made a peach pie.

My youngest daughter and her family are not fond of turkey, so many years ago when her two daughters were young they decided to have a theme for every Christmas dinner, everyone preparing a food from the country they decided  it would be.  Her daughters are Chinese born, so obviously the first year was Chinese food, then I am English, so next was British Christmas food.   On and on it went, Mexican,  Canadian etc. and then French.   Eldest GD was thinking of some French food we could prepare and she decided her choice would be "French Fries"  LOL    After several years of doing this, families get bigger and things need to change, but it was great fun researching to foods, finding the ingredients and preparing the dishes.  Some were a success and others not so much.   During the Mexican Christmas, I decided to make "Fried Ice Cream"   what on earth was I thinking.   It turned out to be edible.

Not sure what we will be having tonight, must start thinking about it.

Have a great day.

Need to get my rear in gear

 December 15th and I have not done anything in regards to baking anything for Christmas or Boxing Days, so I need to get that sorted out.  Not that I do a lot anymore.  On the list of "to do baking" is whipped shortbreads, and a cheesecake for Christmas meal.  Mini quiche, butter tarts, peanut butter cookies and sausage rolls for Boxing Day.   It all sounds so quick and easy but, it never turns out that way,  the weekend will be the days to get it all taken care of when the electrical power is a bit cheaper.   

Do you have different prices for your electrical power for different  seasons and days?   Here in Ontario we do.

Finished the shopping yesterday, it was such a nice day out as the weather was beautiful, not many people in the stores I went to, however, the street traffic was very busy but, it always is here in this city.

Hubby has eight bags of leaves and branches to take to the recycle today when it opens at noon.  I received a call from my audiologist this morning indicating my new hearing aids are in and there is an appointment open for today.   Can you say Cha ching $$$$$$.  I guess it is a Christmas gift to me from me.

It must be the damp weather because today I feel very achy, I will blame it on the weather as I have not done anything that would cause my shoulders to be causing some discomfort today. Tension I suspect, as I had a "talk" to DD1 last night.!!!!!

Need to get myself moving and change  so I can my new "ears".

Have a great day.  

Beautiful

The weather yesterday was just lovely, therefore I had to get out and go for a walk.  I wish I could have gone further but some muscles said "NO".   Today is even better than yesterday, lovely sunshine, mild temp, ( for this time of the year), no wind.   Every day could be like this until Christmas Eve then it can snow, huge soft flakes drifting down and sparkling in the lights outside.  The snow can then disappear on December 27th and the sun can shine and be mild again.  On March 1st it can start getting warmer.  A dreamer I am.

Yesterday I also wrapped the gifts that I had bought and discovered I had forgotten to buy for one, so that is an errand for me this afternoon.  

Off early to get the groceries bought, went by myself today as Hubby had an appointment.  The store was not busy so pleased about that and most of what I wanted was on the shelves and some even on sale, a bonus.

It's just about lunch time, so must close, so that I can get outside, do my errands and enjoy the day.

Have a great day.

Monday, Monday

Where did the weekend go!  Saturday was very windy here, certainly not as bad as some locations.   While talking to my sister today, she live in the country, her electric power was off for 24 hours, glad it wasn't freezing cold, she was uncomfortable enough as it was.   Sunday, was  more calm, and we were both very lazy.  

I contacted by Granddaughter today,  as I have had only second hand information about her vaccination status, I asked her if she and he husband had had their jabs.   She did not really answer the question and only came back to me asking why I wanted to know.  Well, I told her, explaining we do not intentionally expose ourselves to possible exposure to Covid.   We are of an age where we need to be careful, and I went on from there, will not bore you with everything I told her.  Lets just say, I said more than I should.   It upset, disappointed and also made me somewhat depressed that I had to explain.   In my opinion, she should have been the one who indicated they were unable to visit because of their vaccine status and wanted me to continue to be safe.   I believe thinking about contacting her has been on my mind for sometime, making me feel very down.   Now it has been said, I am feeling better, just hoping there is no backlash from other family members.

Housework done today and I puttered around the house, had to go for a walk as it was a beautiful day, too nice to stay in the house.  I forgot a gift for someone, so need to go out and get that tomorrow.  Also need to get groceries.

A little late today to say, have a great day, so will end by saying have a great day on Tuesday, or Wednesday depending where you are.

Missed a few days

 But now back,   still very little going on around our house these past few days, just the usual chores that need to be done.

All of the gift shopping is now done for my great grands, just need to get some money from the bank for two of my granddaughters that are in university and college.   I also give Hubby's two youngest grandchildren a small amount of cash too and he does the same for my two mentioned above.   Once anyone in my family is over 18 years of age or working I do not buy gifts.  There are just too many to buy for.  I have a gift of an amerlisis (sp?) bulb for my sister to plant and plan on visiting her within the next few days to give it to her.  

After a windy day yesterday, we have a few small branches to pick up from the trees around our property and I had to retrieve my compost container lid from the front lawn, other than that no damage for us.   Today, we had a frosty morning, but now a beautiful blue clear sky and sunshine, cooler than yesterday but that is OK.  

Hubby talked to his DIL yesterday to make plans for Christmas dinner, in the past Hubby's son and family would have a mid day meal with his MIL at noon, and come here for dinner and no one ate very much as they were still full, so I was getting rather upset as I cooked a lovely meal, (in my opinion) and they just picked at the food.   I needed something to change.   The solution we have suggested is son and DIL's family and DIL's Mother and brother come here for dinner, everyone will be together for the day and eat the dinner I cook, I must also add that Hubby does a lot to help prepare the meal.

My children will be having their families for Christmas dinner, so only seven of them will be visiting me on Boxing day.   I will have two charcuterie boards one savory and one sweet to nibble on during the afternoon.  I feel sad and somewhat upset that I will not get to see all of my six great grands and the rest of my family but, it is what it is and nothing can be done about it.   One of my granddaughters and her family have not had any of the jabs, so I am having trouble telling her I can't invite them over, we are healthy but our age is not on our side, so we need to limit the amount of intentional possible exposure to a minimum.    I should not complain as they are all doing well, they are healthy and have good jobs.   Some live some distance from me, as they needed to go where those jobs are there for them to have.  

Yesterday, I gave Hubby a haircut and he still was able to go out in public without worrying about how he looked.   I said don't worry about that, with a mask on nobody knows who you are anyway.  LOL  I did do a good job, (again, if I do say so myself).  

Football day today, Hubby just got all of his TV games looked up, I know where he will be all day,  he will be a couch potato for sure.  Me, some sewing is calling me and I need to start making some lists  as I always do.

Have no idea what we will be having for dinner, could be a pizza eaten in front of the TV.   Something we very seldom do.   Actually, I could almost count on two hands the amount of times during my lifetime I have sat in front of the TV to eat any meal.   Do you eat at a table either in your kitchen or dining room OR do you eat on a regular basis in front of the TV?   When I eat out, I do not like going to a restaurant which has multiple TV's hanging on every wall in the place.  No conversations happening.

Well, must get myself moving. have a great day.

Random

 Flakes of snow float past the window, certainly not what was in the forecast I watched on TV last night., for which I am thankful as the weather person was indicating a lot worse.

Not much going on here that is worth noting today, Tuesday groceries were bought and put away.  Then an errand to find a certain light bulb for a garage light.   Successful in finding the place where they are sold, but none in stock, now on order.

Still feeling a bit out of sorts, not health wise just ........

Dinner tonight is chicken,   asparagus  another veg, and some of the fruit in jelly for dessert.   I am beginning to sound like a broken record, as this is our normal Tuesday dinner.

Going to do some sewing.

Weather statement issued

 The statement  advised of very high winds during today and overnight.   Now, when these north/west winds blow in the Winter time they are cold winds, the temp goes down and a wind chill reading is calculated.   When we woke up this morning, the temp was a balmy 10*C, and it was calm, as the day wore on it went down and the wind started to blow. Now when I write at 6:30 p.m. it is 1*C feeling like -15*C.   When we wake up tomorrow the wind chill temp will be -17*C, the only consolation there is now snow.   That is my weather report for today.

I started my Christmas shopping today, got all the clothes I wanted for the great grandchildren, such cute  outfit in the stores these days.   Not when my kids were young, just the basic outfits back then.

I looked for some nice colouring books but the ones I saw were not very nice, the pages were covered with gross animals and faces, not something I would want my child to colour, so they are still in the store.  I will go to a couple of other places later in the week.   I like to shop in stores, so have not looked online for any.   Also bought a couple strings of small lights and a star for my Christmas tree.

Other than shopping I have done little else today, just the necessary tidying and cleaning the bathrooms.  

Dinner tonight was left over roast beef and gravy, brussel sprouts, sweet potato, jelly in fruit for dessert.

Slow Sunday

 Sunday, a day of rest, so that is exactly what I hope to do today, it never happens that way but  lets just say it will be slower.

Hubby cooked breakfast this morning as he does every Sunday, it is so nice to get up and not have to prepare a meal.   We do not go out for breakfasts or brunch,  I like to take my mornings easy until after I have eaten, showered and got dressed.   Going out to work five days a week for 27 years as well as  looking after a family,  retiring, then caring for an ill husband for ten years, it's time for me to  take my mornings SLOW.  That is what I do now.   Do you go out for your morning meal?  OR have your breakfast as home?   The only time my routine is changed is when I went on vacation and when we go on vacation now, those are days of relaxation.  

Planning on doing some Christmas shopping tomorrow, I have a list made, not that I buy a lot of gifts these day,  but usually I forget something or other.   Going to the garden centre to get a poinsettia  that I usually display on the fireplace hearth in the living room.  We don't light the fire in the living room only the one in the rec room.  

I am a list maker, for almost everything so need to get one started on Christmas dinner and Boxing Day nibblies get togethers.   I like to be organized, my sister thinks I have OCD and sometimes I think I do, but only a mild case of it.  She always "wings it"  I cannot do that.

Dull grey day, might get some rain this evening, and tomorrow more rain, rather that then snow.  

Hubby is getting the lawn mower ready to store away for the Winter and has retrieved the snow thrower from the back of the garage, time to get ready for the onslaught of snow which we know is going to arrived sooner or later.  I would prefer the latter or never would be better.   He is getting much too old to shovel and I will not do that anymore, too hard on my body.

Dinner tonight, roast beef, potato, brussel sprouts, roasted parsnip, carrots, and gravy.   Fruit in jelly for dessert.       

Time to get myself warmly dressed for my jaunt out for my walk, have a great day.

Weekend again

 Where does the time go, it's hard to believe a whole week has gone by again.  Nothing to show for it, well I shouldn't say that,  my house is clean, near the end of a quilting challenge, we have ate some nice meals from the groceries we got earlier, we have clean clothes to wear and .....well know I know where the time went.   Whew,  busy busy busy.

Hubby was able to get out yesterday and pick up the last of the leaves he is going to do.  There are still some to come down but they will be staying until Spring.   After dinner last night we took six bags of leaves to the recycle depot.   As we were leaving we eyed a pile of wood chips,  plans were made right then and there to return today and get some of these chips for the garden.   We have done this on two previous occasions, it makes the garden look neat and tidy and also helps to keep the weeds down.  First thing on the agenda this morning was the chips, nine bags are now waiting for Spring so they can be put on the gardens. 

All the laundry washed, dried and put away and housework is done, meat out of the freezer for dinner tonight and also the roast for tomorrow.   Writing  to you now and then going to do some sewing.   Hubby is watching a football game between the University in our city and another University team,  I will go and watch towards the end of the game.   I can't imagine anyone sitting outside today to watch a game, as it is windy and cold.  The sun is shining but no heat in it this afternoon. 

Dinner tonight is homemade Chinese as I still have some of the rice left over from last nights dinner.

That is all for me today, tuckered out so going to take it easy and sew on some stars to my project.

Have a great weekend.  

Housework

 Busy doing some needed cleaning today, it's not dirty but bathrooms need to be done.  Big one got the full treatment, floor washed and finish put on.  I do it on my hands and knees, it's not clean enough for me with a mop.

Did some sewing on the guild challenge this afternoon  and wrote my overseas Christmas cards going in the on Monday.  I don't send many to the UK just friends and a few family members that are left.  Glad I do not send as many as I used too as it  is so expensive for the stamp.  

Ho hum weather day, cool and the air was damp one of this days where it creeps into your bones.  No wind, must have go all blown out yesterday.   Hubby was able to pick up some leaves today, so he is pleased about that.

Dinner tonight ws salmon, mushroom rice, broccoli and chocolate mousse for dessert.

Time for some mindless TV watching.

Better late than never

Busy, busy again!   A late post tonight.

Today we had a mixture of weather, this morning, sunshine and a balmy temp of 12*C, all of the beautiful snow we had .... gone.  After lunch it became cloudy and very windy, blowing over a neighbours birch tree.  Now, I  must admit it wasn't really a tree, just a trunk, surprised it has not come down before now.   Later in the afternoon, it became cold, the cold that bites through, certainly not feeling like the 6*C mark on the thermometer.  Now, after dinner it has started to rain.   I call this "R.N."  runny nose  weather.

I pruned, well I suppose you can't call cutting some small branches of a tree  that does not belong to you, pruning, can you!  The 25 foot high or more tree, was on the side of a field belonging to the University, I am sure they did not even know this tree existed  there, so I helped to keep it neat and tidy by taking a couple of low pieces  for an arrangement on my front porch urn.  While I was gone Hubby tried to pick up some more leaves and was able to get enough for us to take to the recycle depot.  We deposited our load alongside someone else unloading their leaves and the woman was picking through some of the pine boughs left there, for an arrangement of her own.  Then she found two Christmas trees, giving one to me and she took the other for herself.   The tree was small, just the tip of a tree really, it will be in my living room for the Christmas season.  This is the first real tree I have had in so many years I can't remember how long.

I feel happy today, getting a little bit into the Christmas spirit.

Two granddaughters with little ones responded to my emails regarding sizes for clothes etc. so will start my shopping next week.  

All the chores done for the day and just settling in for the evening.

  

She is working overtime.

The temp got above freezing yesterday so some of the snow melted but, was replaced by another 4 inches overnight.   Had to get our my camera again today, as it was even more beautiful than yesterday.

 Errands took up most of today, so a very short post.

See you tomorrow

Mother Nature did a wonderful job.

She worked hard all night long and left everything snowy white, virgin  and not a footprint in sight.   I have mentioned previously, I hate Winter, but I must admit outside my window this morning it was beautiful.  About four or five inches covered everything. 

The above two pics are from my living rooom window.

 The above two pics are from my front porch.

The temp did rise to 4*C and there was some sunshine, so some of it did melt.  By the end of the week I am sure it will all be gone.   Ready for the next storm.   If each dumping for snow melts before the next one comes it so so bad, but some Winters the snow has been so deep at the end of the driveway, you cannot see any cars or pedestrians coming towards you.  It is also difficult to pile on the side of the driveway when you have to lift it up and over the bank.  

Apart from looking at the snow, I did some housework, cleaned out my fridge, and did this and that.  Also spent some time sewing.

Dinner tonight was salmon, carrots, stuffed mushrooms and a very small baked potato.  

Winter Wonderland

 Winter Wonderland this morning consists of three inches of snow which fell last evening and during the night.  Thankful there is no wind to blow it all around, it does look like a picture you see of snow coating branches of trees and on the hanging boughs of the pine and fir trees.  Ok! enough romancing of the pretty sight.

Did not post yesterday, why?  I was in another miserable mood,  nothing in particular just so tired of not being able, that is not true, I am able, just very hesitant about going out and doing all the things that we used to do.   Restaurants and the movie theatres are open.....but............  

This Christmas I NEED to see my family, however, we have two different families to accommodate so trying to decide what is a good solution that will please everyone is a bit difficult.   I have been thinking and have come up with two solutions, so will have to decide what to do.   Also need to contact my grandson and a granddaughter to enquire about  GG Children's sizes, needs/wants, so I can start my shopping for them.   They are the only presents I buy, my children and grandchildren have everything they need, and honestly, the things they may want are way out of my price range or I have no idea what a "portal for the earpods with fur lining and stereo sound thingy that connects to the web IOS, API and the OOP" is .   lol

Laundry was done, then prepped the veg for dinner and made a vanilla mousse for dessert.   Then did some sewing and did some things on the computer.     Housework was all caught up, so did not feel guilty about doing not much of anything yesterday.

Today is a slow day, we are going to have leftovers from our dinner last night.   My Mother would be preparing our typical Sunday dinner,  a roast of beef with roasted potatoes, yorkshire puddings, brussel sprouts, carrots and lots of gravy. An apple pie with custard for dessert.  That meal would be prepared for a midday lunch, for tea we could possibly have dripping on bread or maybe winkles, we ate them dipped in vinegar with salt and pepper with a slice of bread and butter.  

Sorry Mum, leftovers today.   

I will be going into my sewing studio to get some things done in there, I have three projects that I am working on at the present and I want to make some bowl cosies for some gifts, so should get myself moving.

Have a great day. 

Dam! The forecast was right.

 Not very often the weather person on TV gets the forecast right, but last night he was right.  So what did he say...."Snow, blowing snow if our area gets  under one of of the streamers coming off Lake Huron, accumulations could be 5 cm - 10 cm"   " For the rest of the upcoming week. more of the same."   "Temps will hover around the zero and below mark, however the wind will make it feel even colder".   Thank you very much Mr. Weather Man.   I know he is only reporting what the models show, I don't like it just the same.  

I mentioned a "streamer".  A streamer is wind blowing from West to East over a large body of water, Lake Huron in our case.   Because the lake is still open water, the wind picks up moisture and due to the cold temp it becomes snow.  Which is then blown by said wind.   Because the winds come in gusty bands across the lake some areas get more snow than others and some no snow at all.   We are usually in the area that gets more snow than others.   How lucky can we be?   The long range forecast for the Winter is, we will have warmer temps and usual, warmer I say?  instead of - 32*C it might me -20*C. I am being facetious.  Due to the warmer temps the lake will not completely freeze over, so the winds will pick up a lot of moisture which will result in higher than normal amounts of snow.   It's a toss up, if it's  really cold, little snow, if warmer lots of snow.  Not sure what I would like, well yes I do, skip Winter and go right into Spring.    Hope this extended forecast is completely wrong.

When we got up this morning the ground was white with snow, and as I write this at 10:30 a.m. the snow is falling and being blown around.   Today is an inside day for me, no reason to go out.

We had a great meeting last night, even though we had to wear our masks, but that was OK.   We discussed a lot of issues facing our group and was able to get them all solved and everyone was happy.  Next year we are still going to make quilts for the chemo patients at a local hospital, which has been our focus for a number of years.   Unfortunately, the need is always there.

We are expecting a repairman to come today to fix the garage door, no time frame for his arrival, just sometime during Friday.   Hubby is at a loss as to what to start doing, as, as soon as he starts he would need to stop.   I am so glad he got himself a computer a couple of years ago it has been a Godsend as he can do a lot of research for some many things he is interested in.      

I am going to get some housework done this morning and after lunch going to hunker down in the sewing room for a couple of hours.  

Dinner tonight, we have two portions of the meat loaf I made yesterday, so all I need is a couple of veg.  I made two small individual apple crumbles last night and they are both gone, they were so good, even if I do say so.  So I will need to think about dessert, maybe only a piece of fruit would be sufficient. 

Have a great day everyone.

Bitchy Mood

Yesterday I didn't post anything, because I am sure you did not want to listen to be moan and groan about everything and nothing that would correct itself eventually.   Yep! I was a right  miserable person.  I guess everyone is entitled to those days, I don't get them very often, thank goodness as I hate the feelings I have when I am like that. To take my mind of things yesterday, I cleaned and cleaned and was able to get the entire downstairs cleaned, something that needed to be done for a long time.   A good sleep and a stern talking to myself  made me feel better this morning.  

 Yesterday, I spent a lot of money.   For the past seven years I have been wearing hearing aids and the ones I currently have are past their best before date, so to speak.  If my hearing loss increases or changes in any way they cannot be adjusted, and the company that made them do not support any repair on them as they are out of date.  The trial pair I  have been wearing for the past two weeks was returned to the audiologist.  We discussed the pros and cons and eventually I bought two new aids made by the company of the trial pair.   I do get a considerable financial assistance from the Government Health Care and also from my private health care, it's still pricey but less than the full amount quoted.   They are going to be a birthday gift to me and I am worth every penny.  lol.

Hubby picked up leaves yesterday, the last of them he hopes, and we took two loads to the recycle depot.  The pile of leaves and garden waste was the highest and biggest we have ever seen at the depot.  Obviously, they hadn't taken many truck loads away to the compost area yet.   

Today we have rain, temp around 7*C but, it does not appear to be a very warm upcoming week according to the newspaper this morning.  Some snow every day is forecast.

Newspaper!!!   one section this morning has 12 pages, eight of those pages are full page ads for "Black Friday" sales.   One also thinks the paper is not worth buying these days when there is so little news in them.  I suspect, NO!,  I know, as we get closer to the Christmas season there will be more and more ads.  As it is we do not get a paper on Sunday or Monday, Saturday usually has a few more sections, which I suppose makes it worthwhile.

The quilting guild I belong to is going to have another "in person" meeting tonight, everyone is double vaxed and we do keep our distance, so I have no worries about going.    Last meeting, two of the members resigned, due to the fact one did not like driving at night and the other did not feel comfortable attending the meetings under the current status of the pandemic.  The number of people vaccinated is very high percentage in the area and now children are able to get the shot, so I feel OK going to the meetings.

Dinner tonight, meat loaf, cauliflower, salad and need to think of something for dessert.  Maybe a baked apple sounds like a good idea,

To all of my readers in the U.S. have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, to others from other countries have a great day no matter what your plans are. 

Crunchy Carpet.

 For some reason, not sure what, could be me I suppose but, my post from yesterday did not get posted so did it today.

Brrr, it is a cold one this morning, the frost overnight was a real killer, so when the sun was shining on the leaves which are still on the trees, they started to fall fast and furious.   The leaves of the Copper Beech at the front of the house are very crisp and there are so many on the ground now, we were walking on a crunchy carpet of brown when we went out.    As well as the leaves falling this a.m. there was very small snowballs, much like hail only white, of course.    We still have lovely sunshine but, it is quite cold, will need to bundle up when I go for my walk today.  The wind yesterday was bitter, so had on my Winter coat with the hood up, a wool hat underneath that and gloves.   Toasty warm after getting my blood moving.

We were up fairly early and got our groceries this morning before the student crowd arrived.   The prices of fresh veg. have gone up considerably, 'tis the season as there are very few fresh veg during the Winter here.  

At my great grandchildren's school they were selling, onions, white potatoes, yams, and apples to raise money for equipment.  There would have been too much for the two of us, so my DD1 and I split  the veg and apples, which is still more than we would use during a week, so most of them are now in the cold cellar until we need them.

 Hubby was able to purchase the part needed for the garage door opener, and is now putting it all together, keeping my fingers crossed that it will now work, as he has spend a lot of time trying to get it fixed.

I worked on the challenge for our quilting group yesterday afternoon, for some reason I just could not get myself motivated to do much of anything.   Better today, so should get myself off this computer and get moving.

Tuesday, chicken night, asparagus, salad and I made a low sugar dessert last night and there are two serving left so that is dinner taken care of.

Have a great day, keep warm and dry if you are in the Winter time of the year and cool  and hydrated if you are heading into your Summer.  

Lovely surprise

 Yesterday,  DD1 gave me a surprise for my birthday.   It was not what I had thought it was but a lovely enjoyable afternoon.

She drove me to an arty/crafty village south of where we live and we arrived at the tea room.  She had invited my sister B, my niece T,  granddaughter N to join us for high tas in the afternoon.   DD1 B, had made us all a fascinator, nothing like being the centre of attraction with everyone wishing me a happy birthday,  All in good fun, of course.   A huge array of finger sandwiches, mini quiche and mini wraps,  and a three tier  cake stand full of delightful little cakes, scones with clotted cream and jam, mini tarts, meringues and pots of hot tea.   The tea room was full of tea pots hundreds of them on shelves and in cupboards, I should have taken some photos  but  there was so much going on I forgot all about it.  After, we went to browse through the little shops, which were full of little things that were nice to look at but not what a person, certainly not me would buy.   There was a shop which sold fragrant candles and I did get one called Cranberry for the holiday season.    My youngest daughter, was working so she could not come with us, however, she did send me a lovely vase of flowers.  It was a lovely surprise and thoroughly enjoyed the day, even though it rained cats and dogs all day long.

Back down to earth today and doing the regular daily chores.  It is cold and blustery today, with a few snowflakes in the air.     A true sign that the Winter season is nearly upon us. 

Not much else going on today, except getting all bundled up for that walk I indicated I would be taking.

Granddaughter N, sister B, niece T, daughter B and myself in the grey sweater.

Have a great day.

Bitter Wind

 Needed to do a couple of errands today, had to make sure I was dressed for the bitter cold wind.  It makes the air feel so much colder than what the thermometer is showing.   My car didn't warm up very quickly, so it was a cool ride to the drug store and back.

The mall I went to is all decorated for the Christmas season and Santa and an elf were there meeting children.   As I passed, one little girl wanted a hug from Santa and her Mother had to remind her "no hugs" this year.  The look on that child's face showed a lot of disappointment.  Even the Santa had a sad look in his eyes.  Such a sad sight.   Hopefully, next year she will still believe and she will receive a hug from Santa then.  We can only hope.

In the cold weather, one of our garage doors will not go up and down as it should, so Hubby has been adjusting the necessary screws/buttons? on the motor section.  This one door has always given us a problem, hopefully it is now working OK.

Tomorrow I go to DD1 for the surprise for my birthday, I have been  trying to guess what it might be, came up with a couple of ideas, so I will have to see if one of those guesses was right.  Usually, I do not like surprises, so hope I am not disappointed or shocked.

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs for dinner tonight, veg, salad and made jelly with fruit for dessert.

I jumped on the scales this morning and did not like the numbers, the scale must be broken,  LOL  so being a bit more aware of my food intake and going to make a promise to you my friends to walk every day, no matter the wind, snow, rain whatever Mother Nature throws my way.   Usually, I do less physical activities at  this time of the year, so need to do something to get me moving.

Have a great day.

Bare branches

 As I look out my windows this morning there are a lot of bare branches, are the leaves finally down?  They are in the back garden and reveal a hornets nest hanging on one of the branches over the house next door.   These nests are made by the hornets after they have chewed wood to make a plup..  During the Summer we had a lot of hornets settle on an old wooden pole, and upon close inspection you could see them taking the soft outer grey layer of the wood off and exposing fresh clean brown wood.  If we could get up to see the inside of this nest it would reveal layers of a thin paper mache and further inside would show the combs similar to those found in bee hives.  Nature is so fascinating to watch, and when thinking about all the work that went into this nest those hornets worked for hours and hours to build it.    I tried to take a photo of it, but it didn't turn out well enough to show.

We have a mixture of nice bright sunshine and dark grey clouds, Mother Nature can't make up her mind today to give us either one for the whole day.   The dark ones are likely full of snow, so they can just blow right on by.  It is quite cold out there also.   

Not much happening today, only the regular routine things that need to be done.  

Dinner tonight fish, veg and salad, will make a jelly with fruit for dessert. 

I tried

 Weather yesterday was beautiful, temp up to 16*C no sun to speak of but that was OK.   There was a shower late evening and today it is cooler and is going to get even colder with more rain snow mix in the coming days.

Hubby is out picking up leaves again!  I tried to use the leaf blower on the garden under the trees but, they are just too thick  and a bit damp from the rain last night.  I tried.   We have decided to leave them and let them decompose over the Winter, once snow falls on them they won't be going anywhere but where they have fallen.  Fine by me.  I tried, but my shoulders and neck get so sore it is not worth trying to do something that will aggravate my osteo in my upper spine.   I get upset when I cannot do the things I enjoy doing outside in the garden. The heavy work of raking and picking up these heavy wet leaves, causes me to suffer for several days, so unfortunately that will be no more.   Will have to be content with lighter chores and restricting the time I spend doing those chores.   Over the past couple of years I have been planting the flower gardens with perennials,  to make it easier but still keep up the gardening, even though it is just my flower beds. 

I still correspond with a school friend I had in England, (67 years) she sent an e-mail a couple of days ago and in it she was talking about her husband who has been waiting for months for a hip replacement.   On the weekend he dislocated his hip.  An ambulance will called at 9:00 p.m.  another call at 3:00 a.m. and yet another call which resulted in the ambulance arriving at 8:00 a. m.   He was taken to one hospital and they were not able to help him, then to another hospital where they successfully treated him.   My friend indicated there are too many people in the area where she lives, more homes are being built to accommodate them, not enough hospitals to take care of all these people, and not enough staff in the hospitals they currently have, thus the long delay for help.

Had to leave, I am back.  Been sewing for a couple of hours, Hubby has been outside picking up leaves again,  he is hoping it will end soon.   Maybe later, as we could have some snow during the next couple days.

Pork chops, applesauce, broccoli, stuffed mushrooms and salad. 

Busy Day and a Waiting Game

 No time to sit down yesterday, it was a busy day.

My appointment for my Winter tires to be put on was at 10:00 a, m.  it is a 20 minute drive for me to get to the garage, as the traffic is so unpredictable I leave in plenty of time, so at 9:30 a.m. I walked out the door.  I sat in the garage waiting room, read the paper, did the Sudoku and the crossword puzzles, watch the news on TV, and sat some more.  Not leaving until 12:30.   Grant you, I also had an oil change too but, all they had to do is take my Summer wheels off and put on the Winter ones, not take the tires of the wheels and put the others on.   Not being a mechanic, I don't know time frames for these jobs but, I do know there is a time set aside for each job, whether it takes that allotted time or not. So maybe it would have cost me more it that was not the case.   Can't complain I suppose as these jobs need to be done by someone who knows what they are doing and I am not one of those.  Anyway that is all taken care of until Spring when the procedure is reversed.

Then groceries, we have decided never to go to the grocery stores on a Tuesday afternoon.  Most of the grocery stores in the area where we live cater to the university students and give them a discount on Tuesdays, so it is always a busy day.  So another waiting period to check out.

On to the drug store to pick up Rx's,  I had reordered two last week, so was expecting both of them to be ready as promised, however, only one had been filled.   The second one needed a renewal from my Dr., which the drug store does for its customers, by faxing the request and if it a Rx which has been used for a long period of time the Dr. gives his OK.   Waiting again as the staff tried to find the reason why it was not ready.   Finally, they indicated no reply had been received from the Dr.   Calling the Dr. office, when I got home,  I was put on "hold"  while they looked for the fax.   The Dr. office did not receive one.   Eventually, being advised a renewal will be sent back to the drug store and I will now need to wait a couple of days for it to be prepared.

It is a good thing I am a patient person.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

Today, cloudy with drizzle becoming rain this afternoon, so no leaf picking up today and if the forecast is correct, not for a few more days either as rain is in the forecast up until the weekend.   Hopefully, all the leaves will be down by then, so it will be the last of them to be gathered and taken to the recycle depot.

 Must think about dinner, I suppose, not sure what it will be tonight.

Have a great day.

A taste of Winter

 We had light snow for most of the day yesterday, ending up with 1/2 inch on the ground.  The sun is trying to shine this morning, but once in awhile a dark cloud passes and a few more flakes fall.   The leaves are falling too, you would never know Hubby picked them all up on Saturday.  

My youngest daughter and her family sent me a lovely vase of flowers, my son and DIL called and we talked for a long time.  My eldest daughter has surprise "something" for next weekend.

Our dinner which we were going to have last night did not turn out as planned.  Originally, we were going to have dinner on Monday, but the restaurant was closed, so decided we would go Sunday, yep it was closed Sunday too.   We did not feel like travelling around the city looking for a decent place to eat, as it was such a nasty night,  so we went to a drive through and bought chicken dinners and took them home.   We may go out for a lunch sometime this week.   Family and friends have left Happy B-day greetings on my FB.

We do not give each other gifts, we are no need or want for anything, and if we do we go and buy it.   When we first met, I gave Hubby a b-day card which said everything I wanted to say to him and on my b-day he did the same.  We keep them on our bedside tables, and each year we use the same card and add the year, a greeting and meaningful words.  

Tomorrow I get my Winter tires put on my car, just in time by the looks of it as old Man Winter should did arrive early this year.  I am hoping he re-thinks his arrival and comes back later, a lot later.

Have a great day.

Those little white things

 Hubby did not empty the trailer yesterday, so when the depot opened this morning we decided to do that job before we got the precipitation which was forecast.   The depot opened at 11:00 a.m., but we were ready to leave at 10:30 a.m. then those little white things started to fall from the sky.   SNOW,  it was a wet snow, I guess it was more like ice pellets mixed in with some rain.  However, by the time we were unloaded it was snowing quite hard.   The only consolation at this point in time is the ground is still quite warm, not frozen solid yet, so it won't accumulate.  There are still a lot of leaves on the trees, so hope they do not get laden down with wet snow as it becomes very heavy for the branches to hold and they break. By mid week it will all melt as temps are forecast to go up. 

While we were out a florist left a message, indicating they had a delivery for me.  Flowers, who is sending me flowers for my B-day?   It could be a number of people, just have to wait and see.

Hubby is taking me out to dinner tonight, it is the same restaurant we went to several years ago, when he gave me a diamond ring.  He wanted to go there again tomorrow, however, it is closed on Mondays, so today will be my birthday dinner.   It will be the first time we have both been into a restaurant for a couple of years.

 Will be in the sewing studio this afternoon, cannot do anything outside today.

Have a great day.

Music

Last Thursday while in my car I had the radio on a local station that guarantees no song will be played  twice between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., which is great for people listening while they work, either in an office or as background music in a store.   On that day the announcer/disk jockey indicated  on the following day Friday, November 12th the  station would be starting to play CHRISTMAS music during the work day hours.   It's the middle of November, for goodness sake,  Christmas music!!!   Don't get me wrong I like Christmas music, all kinds of Christmas music, but in my opinion, now is much too early to start playing it.   Maybe, it could be because our city is having a Santa Claus parade tonight.    Do you think November 12th is too early to start playing Christmas music? 

Laundry done, dryer working great after being repaired last week.   Did get to clean the kitchen and then made two small lasagna one for dinner tonight and another for the freeze to use later.

Hubby filled the trailer full of  leaves yesterday and we went to the depot to get rid of them.  Just as we were pulling into the facility, the clouds burst open with a cold mixture of rain and snow which was being blown around with gusting winds.   Needless to say we were happy to get back in the SUV with the heated seats on, after we left the depot.   All the clothes were put in the dryer when we got home.

He is outside at the moment picking up more leaves next door where he has been contracted to pick them up.  The forecast for the coming days indicate rain and or snow, so he wants to get it done today.  There are still a lot more to fall, so it is going to be an ongoing chore for a few more days.

Have a great weekend.

Jab

It's that time again for our yearly flu shot, so this morning we went to the drug store and received the seniors dose.  The regular does is not as strong as the 65 years and older shot, it has been designed to protect the older population who might have mild health issues.  There is another formula for seniors who have compromised health issues.

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day, temp up to 18*C with lovely sunshine which made picking up those leaves an enjoyable task as we were not loaded down with clothing to keep us warm.  Upon waking this morning and looking out the window you would think we did not pick up any leaves yesterday.  The lawns are not green, covered with leaves again.  Today, is cooler, as we had rain overnight which brought in some cooler and unstable weather.

Today is my eldest grandchild's birthday, child??? she is 34 years old,  My goodness how did she get to be that age.   That sure makes me feel ancient.   Our family has three birthdays between Nov 12 and 16, granddaughter, me and SIL then another on the 26th a DIL.   

Cleaned two bathrooms top to bottom yesterday, a Autumn cleaning I suppose you could call it.   I plan on doing a room each day, doing a through cleaning.  During the Summer I just skimmed over the rooms, it was too nice to stay in and do housework.  Who was coming to look at my dust anyway, no one.  

Dinner tonight fish, veg and a salad.  I know Hubby would love a big plate of chips to go with it but that is a no no.  Don't even buy potatoes so we are not tempted to make chips.

Have a great day.

 

Falling fast and Furious Today

During the past week we have had a couple of frosts, lovely sunny days and some rain, this mixture of weather I believe has prompted the leaves to start falling, and falling they are. The brisk wind we have today is also helping them to come down.   The back lawn was not green this morning, it was yellow and brown from the layer of leaves that had fallen.   Hubby was out there quite early starting the pick them up and this afternoon we took a trailer load and seven garden waste bags to the recycle depot.   The pile of leaves and garden waste at the depot was huge..  It is all loaded into large tractor trailers and taken to a facility where it is composted and sold.   I understand that companies need to make money, they pay staff to man the depot and truck the stuff away, however, I believe it would be nice if any homeowner who deposits waste and wanted compost in return should be able to get some in the Spring.   Just an idea.

I have been wearing the second trial hearing aid for 24 hours now and I really like it, so when I go back in a couple of weeks this will be the one I will purchase and watch the bank balance get lower.  I don't mind really, I look as it as being my birthday gift to me.

It was been a lovely day, temp went up to 17*C so nice I did not want to stay in the house.  After the morning household chores were done, I was outside for the afternoon, helping Hubby with the leaves, and went for a walk.  We took advantage of the nice day, as the forecast is not looking good for the next few days.  T'is November folks.

Not much else going on here today, except we plan on getting out senior flue shot after dinner. 

View from my living room window

 This morning we have beautiful sunshine which is melting the frost on the roof tops.   The trees are  finally starting to change colour and this is the view this morning from my living room window.   

I am in the process of purchasing new hearing aids.  The set I have at the present time are seven years old, way past their due date, so to speak.  During the past three weeks I have been having a pair on trial and had to take them back today.  To my surprise there was another pair waiting for me to try, so were fitted with them, oh! so much better than the trial ones I took back today.   The set I am currently wearing is on trial for two weeks and if they are still as comfortable and doing the job as they are today, these will be my new ones.  So much better,  they should be for the price of them.  Pricey little devils.

The blue sky you can see in the photo above as now disappeared, it's 3:30 p.m.   and more clouds are in forecast to arrive overnight.  Typical November weather.

Dinner tonight taco's and a big salad.  Have not had these for awhile, should be nice for a change.

Not much else happening today.

Catching up

Met up with my two friends yesterday and we had a lovely lunch in a bistro.   There were only two other tables with patrons at them so we felt very comfortable.   I had a quiche and salad, it was so good and we chatted over a drink, mine a gin and tonic.   So nice to see these two girls again as both of them have had big health issues.  J has had a kidney transplant after several years of dialysis and countless other health issues.   V has been having a bad time since August with heart related issues.   Both are doing OK at the moment.  Listening to their ill health, I thought, I am three and four years older than these two and the only health related problem that I could add to this conversation was the fall that I had a little while back.  Feeling very fortunate for my good health.  

Going to put this message on hold, need to go out for a little while be back soon.

Well, that took longer than I had anticipated, so I am just going to close and call it a day.

See you tomorrow.

Out to Lunch

Looking forward to having lunch with two friends today.  Have not seen one of them for a couple of years, so it is going to be great to catch up, I can see a long lunch break coming up today.

Yesterday was a glorious day, temp went up to 16*C beautiful blue skies and sunshine all day.   I went for a 3/4 hour walk, increasing the time a little each day, and intend to walk everyday even if it is just that length of time.  Overdoing it is not a wise thing to do at this point in time.   I did get some exercise from the bending and stretching  during the gardening season but that is all over now for a while, so hopefully the Winter will be kind and the streets won't be to icey for walking.  I will be taking my hiking poles with me, I find they help considerably.   A lot of people that walk by the house are using them, a good investment in my opinion.

Hubby picked up leaves at our neighbours property yesterday, ours are still green on the trees, so none on the estate to be picked up, except some blown from other gardens, not enough yet to worry about. 

Not much else happening today, except the repairman is coming "sometime today" to fix the drier. 

Dinner last night was OK,  some days I just don't feel like preparing a meal, and yesterday was one of those days.  Must think about today's dinner soon.

So with that, I am going to wish you all a good day.

Did something we haven't done in years.

 Are you excited to find out what Hubby and I did?   No..not what your thinking I am sure.  Another guess, nope got it wrong again.  Third and final guess, wrong again.

This something was not because we wanted to, it was a necessity that we really did not plan on doing.   Saturday at this house is laundry day, first load done. second one washed and put in the dryer.    The bell rang as it normally does when the timer has expired and the clothes are dry.   Well, not this time.   The drum did not rotate and the load was still wet.   The repairman was called but did not call back.   So, the something I haven't done in years..............we went to the laundromat to dry the clothes.   We had to look up where the closet one was as we had no idea where any of them are.  Found it with no problem, it was a really nice one, very clean and not many people, so a plus for us.   It even had a cafe and you could purchase a beer while you waited for your clothes to wash and dry.  As we had not been in one for ages, we had to read the instructions.  LOL.  All done is 20 minutes and we were on our way home.  Now all we need is the repairman to tell us when he can fix our dryer.

 Yesterday, we woke up to a white frost, but then it became a lovely sunny day.   I went for a 1/2 hour walk, the sun was warm, little breeze so enjoyed being out even though the temp was only 12*C.   More of the same for today.   Still waiting for those leaves to fall.

We did not put our clocks back before we went to bed, so when we woke it was 7:00 a.m. DST which meant it was really 6:00 a.m. got up anyway to start our day.   Put the clocks back after breakfast, it is going to be a long time before lunch.

Dinner tonight will be a ham, brussels, broccoli and fruit for dessert.

Have wonderful Sunday not matter what your plans are.

 

Extra Hour

Our clocks go back an hour tonight, so an extra hour of sleep.  Do not like the evenings drawing in so early tomorrow will be dark around 5:30 p.m.   Makes for a long evening.   It takes me a couple of days to get back into the new time, it is a form of jet lag I suppose.

Woke to a white frost this morning, however, the sun it rising above the tree tops and melting it and promising another lovely sunny day.  The long range forecast is for more sun for the balance of the upcoming week, with temps up to 15*C for a couple of days. I will take it, you will hear no complaints from me.

Laundry on the go, not sure what else is going to happen today, as I have nothing planned.  Must think about what is for dinner.  I do not make a weekly menu, just go with what I fancy on the day.  Do you make a weekly menu for your dinners?

Not much else to tell you about today, so will wish you a wonderful day.

The Guy

November 5th is Guy Fawkes Day, when I was living in the UK, we would get old shirts, pants, coat anything that was available, stuff it all with straw and then make a face with a hat on it.   We would place Guy in a wheelbarrow and go door to door in the village, asking for "a penny for the Guy".  Then we spend the money on fireworks.   The house we lived in at the time had a large grassy area at the back and everyone in the village would bring all of their hedge clippings and branches to make a huge bonfire.   All of the Guy's that were made were put on top of this huge pile of branches.  You must remember there are a lot of hedges in the UK so this fire was huge.  When it was dark everyone would gather around and the fire was set alight.  Fireworks were set off, not very many from what I can remember, times were tough back then.   

We would also travel to  the the village where my Grandfather lived as they would have a big parade and fireworks.  After all the festivities quieted most everyone would go to the pub to "wet their whistle"    as we were not allowed in the pub area, my sister and I would go into the dining area, sit by the fire and have crisps and an orange squash.  Funny how those little things stick in your mind but you cannot remember what you had for dinner last night.

We have a lovely sunny but cool day.  Writing to you, my friends, as I wait for my lunch to settle and then will be going for a walk.   Dusting and odds and ends done in the house this morning, so not much else left to do today, except prepare dinner.

Had my hair cut yesterday, I feel so much better.   

Received a call from a friend yesterday, she had been talking with another person who we both worked with and now all three of us have arranged a lunch date for Monday next week.   All of use to go to the theatre once a month during the Winter months, but you know what put a stop to that, so it is going to be so nice to see these "girls" again.

The snow we had a couple of days ago reminded me to make an appointment to get my Winter tires put on my car, so an appointment made for a couple of weeks from now.

The owner of the house next door had contracted Hubby to do the garden work, so that kept him busy this morning.  The estate is looking great at the present time, not a leaf in sight, on the ground, that is, but that I am sure will change in the coming days.

Well I should get my clothes changed into something warmer and head out for at least half an hour.

Happy as a pig in s**t

 We have an answering machine connected to our telephone, as we get so many cranky calls and organizations requesting donations, this way we can choose to answer the calls or just let them go.  Yesterday the phone rang and I listened to the message.   Hubby was as happy as that pig because his parts for the lawn tractor have finally arrived.  We jumped,  that is not a very good description of how we got in the car, we don't and can't jump.  Off to get the parts, tractor repaired and he is on his merry way picking up leaves.  Nothing can beat a happy man on a piece of machinery.

Cool last night, and the sun is trying to shine this morning, no wind today which makes it feel a bit warmer.  Forecast for the next week indicates a warming trend, warming? up to 12 or 14* C  during the day.

As of the first of November I promised myself to walk every day, started off with a couple of short treks, yesterday was a half hour walk, and hope to do more today.  I made excuses during the hot weather months, so now need to get back to doing it more.

Talking to DD1 last night and she told me to keep an upcoming Sunday free and be at her house at noon.  I think she is cooking up something for my milestone birthday.  Time will tell.

I have a bag of things that need to go to the charity shop today, and making a beef stew in my slow cooker other than that not much else is pressing on the agenda.

So should  cut up the veg and get that pot going.

Have a great day.

White, white, white

 That was the colour clinging to the maple leaves when I opened my eyes and looked out of the bedroom window this morning.  Snow, just a dusting but snow just the same.   The sun still has some heat in it so where the rays are landing it is melting.   I believe I mentioned in an earlier post we would be picking up leaves in the snow.  That is likely what we will be doing, they are still clinging to the branches reluctant to let go.   Hubby is still waiting for the parts to arrive, so the tractor is idle again today.

I ran some errands yesterday, and going to make a hair appointment today to get a shampoo and cut.  My hair does not have a lot of body so when it starts to gets a bit longer than I like, it will not do anything I want it to, so now is the time to get it done.

We have hot water radiator heating, so we need a humidifier to keep the air moist.  We turned it on today, as our skin is feeling a bit dry.   The humidifier needs a filter, we do have one in the machine and a spare, but as we are experiencing issues with delivery of the tractor parts Hubby has gone to purchase some extra ones, just in case.  We do change them every two weeks, and soak the used on in a vinegar and water solution to rid the fins of the lime scale.

Well I should get myself moving, think about our dinner.

Have a great day.

Autumn is getting dressed in all her glory

While we were out getting our groceries this morning we noticed how much the leaves have changed during the past few days.   I love the colours, reds. oranges, yellows and the browns just to throw in another warm glow when the sun shines on them.   They will not be doing much glowing now, the sun has been covered with gray, ominous clouds.   Hope they don't hold that white stuff that was noted in the forecast this morning.   

As I mentioned, we got our weekly groceries this morning, I could not believe the prices of two things we put in our grocery cart. Namely, stewing beef, now as far as I am concerned this is scrap meat that cannot be used for anything else.  A small package, I would guess the meat would fill a cup and a half, cost we just a little of $10.00.  Glad you can add a lot of veggies to make at least two decent size meals.   Then there was the orange juice, a two liter carton, only a short time ago it cost $2.49, today, $3.47.   We appreciate the fact that we do not have a budget for food and do not need to count our pennies, however, I wonder how families that do have to watch what they spend, how do they cope.   A lot of them don't as the food banks are helping more and more families these days,.  I fear it will get worse during these Winter months, when Canada has to import a lot of the fruit and veg. we would normally grow here.

Yesterday, I worked on the challenge for our guilds project for 2022,  I don't make drawings, most of the time ideas come into my head just as I am going to fall asleep.   Sometimes adjustments need to be made throughout the process but normally I stick to the first idea.   

Going to do a few errands after we have had lunch, Hubby is still waiting for his part, getting very impatient so he is going to try and make the part he needs.

Dinner tonight our usual chicken and veg.  there are two portions of fruit in jelly left so that is already taken care of.

Have a great day.

Eleventh Month of 2021

Pinch punch the first of the month, did you say that when you were kids, I did.  

NOVEMBER   

Who first comes to this world below,

With drear November's fog and snow,

Should prize the topaz's amber hue,

Emblem of friends and lovers true.

Scorpio is a water sign.  These signs are artistic, emotional and perceptive.

November is the month of my birth, I do have a topaz ring, artistic? I would describe myself somewhat artistic, emotional definitely a yes.   Perceptive, again a yes.

We have some sunshine today, beautiful blue skies but it is cool.

The leaves are finally starting to change, and they appear to have done it almost overnight and with the breeze we have today, some are starting to fall.

I keep a diary every day, just jotting down what happened, what we did or didn't do etc.  A year ago we had snow and a tree fell down across the street from us, took out our power for a few hours.   Nothing like that today, however, the temps for the nights later this week, indicate they will be in the minus.

Nothing on the agenda today, leftovers for dinner, so no need to think about that.   Hubby still waiting for tractor part, he is getting very upset that it is taking so long to receive it.

We had no trick or treaters last night, not that we were expecting any as our street is very dark and no children live on the surrounding streets.

The university students must be on reading week, as the students next door appear to have gone home for the week, and very few are walking past the house to the university.  

Well, thats me for today, have a great one.