Blogtober 15: A Lighthearted Morning

 

I sat myself down at my desk intending to do a little writing this morning when my youngest daughter texted me asking what I was up to. I replied, "not too much, and you? Want to play?" 

So we decided to visit Sabayons, a market in the downtown area full of wonderful displays, unique food and decor items, dishes, candles, etc. The display above is at the entrance to the store. So come with me on a very abbreviated tour. 

Mushroom-topped dried mushroom jars. So cute and fun!

If you look closely at the cylindrical items in the honeycomb cells, you'll see that they are dried corn - blue, red, yellow, and orange. Popcorn on the cob! 

I thought these dishes were so pretty. And just look at that fanciful painted pumpkin!

There were so many wonderful things. It is the kind of shop with multiple rooms to draw you in deeper and make you wander around here and there. 

I bought three Popcorns on a Cob. Will this actually result in a bowl of popcorn? The instructions said to put the cob in a paper bag and place it in the microwave on high until the popping stopped. 

Ta-da! A bowl of popped corn needing just melted butter and salt. The kernels were smaller than usual popcorn, and since I popped the darkest cob, the insides looked dark. It tasted delicious, just like regular popcorn. 

What a fun time with my daughter. She's the one who just finished her Masters in Counseling and is awaiting her certification papers before beginning to practice. They should be done in a couple of weeks. So it was fun to spend some time with her before she gets involved in regular work. 

This evening I went for a quick walk before darkness fell and saw the waxing crescent moon glowing in the pale sky. 

Wishing you a lovely evening, or morning, as the case may be. 

Blogtober 14: Cozy Days

 

These are the cozy days. In the morning I wear a long-sleeved shirt topped with a sweater. If the sun decides to shine, I can remove the sweater, but by early evening it's back on again. At night the cold air from the open window drifts across my face and I pull up the covers a bit more tightly. Copious cups of tea are made and sipped as I read or write. 

We've not enjoyed very much rain or stormy weather yet, but I'm sure it's coming. Today I pulled all of the tomato and zucchini plants from the garden. There's still one potted tomato plant in the greenhouse (unheated) and those tomatoes may ripen. 

I cut what will likely be the last of the zinnias, dahlias, and cosmos and made a small bouquet for the kitchen window sill. Darkness falls earlier and earlier. I wonder what will happen this winter, for our province has decided to remain on Daylight Saving Time and not revert back to Standard Time. Health scientists recommend Standard Time as better for us. 

I made a Butternut Squash and Beet Gratin to go with our beef stew and rice for dinner. As I sliced I thought about how well my knife worked. Good knives make cooking so much easier, and I am thankful that my husband regularly sharpens my knives. I could get a mandolin, but I tried that once and found that I preferred a knife. The slices may not be as even or as thin, but it works for me. 

Here's the end result, quite delicious. I love vegetables more than fruit - always have. And there are so many things one can do with fresh produce. Sometimes it's hard to think of new ideas. I will occasionally leaf through a cookbook from the shelf, or one of my Fine Cooking magazines for ideas. 

The Cozy Commonplace Book by Miranda Mills is pretty inside and out, with lovely illustrations and designs on many pages. I found this quote

I think, after all, I like a clean kitchen better than any other room.

George Eliot to Miss Sara Hennell 16 October 1863

I agree with Eliot - if the kitchen is tidy, the whole house feels calmer. And it doesn't take long to clean up if I wipe counters and put things away as I work. 

Today marks 100 years since the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926 by A. A. Milne. I did not grow up with Winnie-the-Pooh stories, but read a few of them to my children. That silly old bear became quite dear despite his forgetfulness and love of honey. And he said some wise and funny things:

"When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure than an Adventure is going to happen." 

"It makes such a difference to have someone who believes in you." 

Now to close my computer and read a little. 

Blogtober 13: A Pumpkin Tree and Pumpkin Cake

 

The weather changed overnight. Clouds moved in and the temperature rose 10 degrees Celsius - a big change from our clear cold nights. We're due for a bit of rain in the next few days, but not too much. 

I felt very dull today with the lack of sun and the clouds, and it took me longer to get going. I chatted on the phone with my sister for a very long time. Isn't modern communication wonderful? I remember when making a long distance call was pricey and used for conveying important information, not mere chats. 

Pumpkins in a tree? How can it be? I went to the plant nursery and saw this charming sight - miniature pumpkins dangling on thin lines. It made me smile. I bought some garlic bulbs to plant in the next couple of weeks. Garlic is such an easy thing to grow. I could use some of the bulbs that I grew last year, but it's recommended not to because of possible disease. 

While at the nursery, I also picked up some spring bulbs which I'll plant soon. If I plant a few more each year, hopefully the garden will gradually fill. Tulip bulbs are frequently stolen by hungry squirrels and need replacing often. I plant them and then stake some mesh over top to prevent digging. 

I made a Pumpkin Cranberry Cake this afternoon. All the leftover pie from Sunday went home with the children, but there was some whipped cream left. Nothing to do but make something to go along with it. There are lovely spices in the cake, and fresh cranberries. I breathed in the fragrance as I grated the nutmeg - I love it! 

Note that the recipe says to use a Bundt pan, but I believe I loaned mine to a daughter and it's not been returned, so I just used a 9 x 13 pan. Either works. 

One last photo from our sunshine-filled walk yesterday. Old cement pilings from a long ago wharf where the Butchart family produced and shipped Portland Cement. Now the pilings are home to Purple Martin nesting boxes. 

Blogtober 12: A Quiet Day

 

This morning's joke was "it's a day off!" Well, when retired, most days are free. I always thought a Monday holiday after the weekend was the best of all. 

After our lovely Thanksgiving yesterday (and the preparations beforehand during the week), I did very little today. No cooking because there were plenty of leftovers. I do love to cook, but a day off is very relaxing. I read, I sewed, and we walked at Tod Inlet.

The forest is as dry as I have ever seen it. Normally, the fallen leaves would be sodden on the ground. Now they are dry and blowing up with the slightest movement. There is some chance of rain in the forecast and I hope we get a good amount. 

Lots of people had the same idea as we did. Families with young children, teenaged couples, groups of friends - it was a busier than normal little hike. Going down the trail we met a large group of people returning, many of them carrying similar bags and coolers. I assume they were down at the water for a Thanksgiving picnic. 

It was certainly a beautiful day for a picnic, if one brought along a jacket and didn't mind a bit of wind. Lots of blue sky and sunshine. 

A frequently seen quotation at this time of year is from L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. I'm sure you'll recognize the one sentence I'm talking about, and I thought to include the larger setting of Anne's words. 

October was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry-trees along the land put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields sunned themselves in aftermaths. 

Anne revelled in the world of colour about her.

"Oh, Marilla," she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it? Look at these maple branches. Don't they give you a thrill - several thrills? I'm going to decorate my room with them."

"Messy things," said Marilla, whose aesthetic sense was not noticeably developed.

I have to laugh. Marilla has such a matter-of-fact way that contrasts beautifully with Anne's flowery language. 

Much of the colour is fading in the woods, but I thoroughly enjoyed the walk and the reflections in the water. 

Clear skies mean colder nights and this morning I noticed frost on the roofs in our neighbourhood. The outdoor thermometer registered barely over 0 Celsius. I brought in what is very likely the last harvest from the summer garden - the remaining basil which I'll dry, a few ripe tomatoes and plenty of green ones, a few radishes, and one slender zucchini. I also popped a few ripe raspberries in my mouth. 

Other things will grow over the winter - kale, Swiss Chard, and a few carrots. I threw my leftover seeds in the ground in early September when it was still very warm, and a mixed bed of carrots, radishes, and lettuce is springing up nicely. 

I finished a very enjoyable little book - Love and Saffron by Kim Fay - a short epistolary novel taking place in the 1960s. I found it charming. Have you read it?

This evening I'm going to settle in with Miranda Mills' Cozy Commonplace Book. 

Blogtober 11: Thanksgiving Sunday

 

 "I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; 

and that happiness is gratitude doubled by wonder." 

G. K. Chesterton

It's quiet now, back to the two of us. And what a lovely Thanksgiving dinner we had with 13 of us gathered around the table. I set it the night before and lit the candles for a quick photo. A few flowers from our garden filled six tiny vases to set among a few small Red Kuri squash, dried leaves, and a few candles. 

Here's Tim in his tuxedo apron getting ready to slice the turkey. I cooked a boneless turkey roast purchased from a local farmer and it was tender and juicy. There was plenty for all of us, and no carcass to deal with. 

There was pumpkin pie, apple crumble pie, and pecan chocolate pie - all three delicious! Above is the pecan chocolate pie, also known as Kentucky Derbe pie - a recipe given to me by a friend from the USA. Most people had a thin slice of each kind of pie, but I just ate the one kind above. 

We usually eat the main course, then tidy things away and enjoy dessert later with coffee and tea. Most people ate their pie outside on the patio, enjoying the afternoon sunshine. We won't be able to do that for very much longer. 

There was much laughter around the table. I had prepared some jokes for people to read, and that was fun for everyone. Here's a sample:

Why did the cranberry sauce blush?       Because he saw the turkey dressing. 

What did the turkey say to the computer?      Google, Google.

Everyone lingered into the late afternoon, chatting and playing games. Our eldest grandchild brought a sewing project that she wanted some help with. I stood on a chair to get the above photo with the wide angle on my phone so the proportions look a little off. 

There be three gentle and goodlie things

To be here

 To be together

And to think well of one another

L.M. Montgomery (from Pat of Silver Bush)

I am thankful for many things - family, health, the beauty of nature, creativity, and for this blogging community that you are a part of. Thank you for reading my posts, and for commenting. It's wonderful how relationships can be forged through sharing common interests and daily occurrences. May beauty and grace be yours each day. 

 

Blogtober 10: Women in the Kitchen

 

The Maid in the Kitchen by Anna Ancher

A lot of my day was spent in the kitchen, preparing for tomorrow's dinner. I've done everything I can do ahead and tomorrow will go smoothly. My family will help and will do much of the cleanup. 

I thought I'd share some paintings of women in the kitchen, since throughout history that's often been where women have worked. I am glad that in many homes the work is shared between the people who live there. My husband and I have a traditional relationship as I love to cook and he doesn't really know how, nor have much interest in learning anything beyond the basics. But all of our children and their spouses share household duties, and I love to see it.  

In Anna Ancher's painting above I was struck by the simplicity of the room - a small workspace with light from the window, and a table holding the vegetables the maid is likely preparing for a meal. How streamlined and efficient our modern day kitchens are, with storage space galore for all the gadgets and equipment we think we need. 

Canadian Kitchen by Frederick James 

The first time I saw Canadian Kitchen, I thought it must be French Canadian because of the clothes, particularly the red scarf around the woman's neck. The artist, Frederick James spent a good deal of time in Quebec, and had a home there. 

Ida Reading a Letter by Vilhelm Hammershoi

Fellow Blogtober blogger Barbara mentioned her admiration of Vilhelm Hammershoi, a Danish painter, in my earlier post about domestic interior art. His work is very clean and minimalist, with wonderful lighting. In the above painting, his wife reads a letter while on the table a coffee pot and cup await. Was it good news or bad she reads? 

The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer

I was so pleased to see Vermeer's painting when we visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam two summers ago. Once again I was reminded of how vibrant and alive original art is, and it makes me long to see more art. 

There is a lot of interpretation of this painting and of others in the "maid" genre, which is interesting to read, if a bit disturbing for its connotations. However, it seems that the maid here is preparing bread pudding! Yum! I have always loved bread pudding although I don't eat it very often these days. 

The Kitchen by Carl Larsson

Another of Carl Larsson's paintings of his family. I don't know if the older girl/woman is his wife or a daughter. She looks very young. I believe she is churning butter. There are so many wonderful details in the painting - the copper pots on the stove, the stacked dishes on a tray on the table by the window, and the little white cat beside the stove. And the curtain blowing inwards from the open window. I'd love to know what the green barrel in the corner holds. Any ideas? 

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians, and a lovely Sunday to my other readers. 

Blogtober 9: Random Thoughts

 

Bright drifts of colour lighten the wooded spaces around the library where I went to return a few books and pick up others I'd ordered. One I returned was The Cromarty Library Circle by Shona MacLean. The story revolves around a group of people in Scotland in the 1820s who form a library for purchasing and sharing books. It's a very exclusive group of which only the "right people" can be a part.

I couldn't help but think of my own public library with branches throughout the region where anyone can freely borrow books, use the computers, and spend time reading newspapers or playing chess. How wonderful it is to live in an age where books are so widely available. I am thankful. 

Rain overnight and dark clouds this morning. The ominous clouds hung around for most of the day, but only in half of the sky. And that half changed throughout the day. First the clouds were in the south, then the west, then the east, then the north. It looked like rain, but none fell. The wind blew those clouds round and round throughout the day. 

The wild cyclamen are so lovely right now. The ones above grow in a naturalized lawn I pass on one of my walking routes. But others line the path in the woods.

Also growing alongside the path are autumn crocuses, (colchicum autumnale) that are not true crocus. But I don't mind at all what they are called - I just like seeing them them. 

Tim and I had a bit of an education today. Since we purchased our new vehicle, the old one must be sold. Tim wrote an ad and put it online. We had at least a dozen potential buyers contact us, some saying they wouldn't quibble on the price and would buy it sight unseen, if only we would get a report verifying there were no liens or the vehicle hadn't been in an accident. However, they all wanted reports from different companies. We began to smell something fishy and did a little research. 

These scammers send a link for you to order a report from a certain company, and once you do, you've given them your credit card number for fraud. Fortunately, we did none of that and are much more cautious now about anyone who says they will be here at 4:30 with a certified cheque if we just get that report. Nonsense. I just don't understand people who live by scamming others. 

But back to happier things. In the evenings now we need lights everywhere. I prefer lamps to overhead lights for reading and ambiance and found a cordless touch lamp for the entry hall that I like very much. 

Today's been a day for laundry, grocery shopping, and getting a few more things ready for dinner on Sunday. This evening we will be watching another episode or two of the Durrells. Have you watched it? I read a book by Gerry Durrell several years ago and enjoyed it. Then just this week I ran across a quote by Lawrence Durrell in one of my commonplace books - "a taste as old as cold water" - speaking of the culture of the Mediterranean. 

This has been quite the ramble today. I'll sign off and wish you all a beautiful day/evening. 

Blogtober 8: Home Comforts

 

Yesterday morning I opened the door at 7 am to go for a walk, and almost tripped over a parcel lying on the mat. What a delight to receive Miranda Mills' latest book - The Cozy Commonplace Book. I have barely cracked the cover and am looking forward to sitting down with a cup of tea and reading the book. 

Do you keep a Commonplace Book? I have one, and it's very disorganized. I also collect quotations in my journals. That works to a certain degree, but I find that I have to flip many pages sometimes to find the quote I want. Perhaps collecting them by seasons would be better. I'd love to know your system, if you have one. 

Thanksgiving is this weekend, a relaxed, casual holiday. Monday is the official day, but many people eat their turkey dinner on Sunday and then go for needed walks or take naps on Monday. I made cranberry sauce, enough for sending home with the children and for using with roast chicken throughout the year. Fresh cranberries only appear between now and Christmas. 

I also baked dinner rolls today, with oats and sunflower seeds. These are pre-baked and are in the freezer until Sunday morning when I'll take them out and bake them another 10 minutes or so. That way they taste fresh, but I'm not fussing at the last minute. I'm a great believer in doing things ahead. 

Edited to add: Recipe found here. 

A corner of the living room - the cream-coloured chair is where I sit to read. We've rearranged the furniture a bit, and I bought new cushions and lamps. The yellow cushions (there are two) are covered with new tea towels that I stitched into envelope style covers. The old lamps have been knocked over by grandchildren over the years and one was very crooked. 

On Thursday afternoons I meet the school bus and bring Iris and Cora to our house. Today I had a little project for them - adding stickers and names for place cards for Thanksgiving dinner. They worked together very happily and all the names were spelled correctly. They copied them from a list I'd made. Afterwards, we played a couple of games of Go Fish. 

How beautiful the afternoons are, bathed in golden sunshine. I noticed the sun shining on the patio mid-afternoon and thought that I would make a cup of tea and sit and enjoy it for a bit. Well, I never got there, but if tomorrow is equally as sunny, I'm going to make a point to soak in the light and warmth - I might need a light jacket, but it will still be pleasant. 

Tim's at a Beekeeper's meeting this evening, so the house is quiet. I've made a cup of herbal tea (Bengal Spice) and will be continuing with the novel I'm reading. 

Blogtober 7: Scenes Along the Road

 

On our recent trip through the Rockies, we stopped for a picnic lunch beside Abraham Lake, a long lake along the highway. It was such a beautiful colour, shifting from deep blue to teal to turquoise depending on the light. We walked a short distance and found a small herd of grazing Mountain Sheep. They are so agile, picking their way over rocks on the steep shore without hesitation. 

The animals ignored us until we got a bit closer, and when the male guardian raised his head from eating, we stopped. He was very aware of us, but soon returned to grazing. 

In Jasper we found this lovely cow moose chewing on grass beside the road and stopped to admire her and take a photo. You might remember the devastating fires that burned much of the forest around Jasper, and parts of the town itself in 2024. Small bushes and tall grasses grow between the charred skeletons of trees, and they are perfect food for much of the wildlife. A guide told us that about 77 moose make their home in the area. 

We spent just a morning playing tourist before getting on the road again to return home, and took a boat cruise on Maligne Lake. I was surprised at how many tourists were still around. The attractions close after Thanksgiving Monday - the 12th of October. The skies were mostly clouded, but I really wanted to see Spirit Island, one of the iconic views of the Rockies that you might recognize. It's very well photographed and used for promotion. 

The island is about half way down the 22 kilometre lake, and I had to giggle when I saw it for it was a bit of a disappointment. It's not actually an island as it's connected to the mainland by a very narrow peninsula. It's the location that's really stunning. Explorer Mary Schaffer called it the "Hall of the Gods." Dramatic mountain peaks line each side of the lake marching one by one into the distance. On a sunny day it would be astounding. 

A pretty Ptarmigan walked alongside the short trail beside the lake. 

Another view of the Hall of the Gods, without Spirit Island. This end of the lake is closed to any motorized boats, but kayaks and canoes can venture down into the area preserved for migratory nesting birds. 

Leaving Maligne Lake we came across a herd of Elk feeding beside the road. The bull elk was again very alert to our vehicle. We stayed inside and managed to get a few good photos. Isn't he magnificent? 

Tamer roadside scenes here at home - the fields are filling with fat round pumpkins for making pies and later, Jack-o-lanterns. Muted autumn colours and lots of fog. 

My driver's licence renewal went without a hitch and other than that I spent a quiet day at home, doing some writing, some sewing, and some cooking. 

Darkness has fallen and I'm contentedly writing this post. Will soon stop and continue my book - The Cromarty Library Circle - mentioned by Barbara from Coastal Ripples. I'm enjoying it so far, once I got the characters straight in my head. 

Until tomorrow,