Birds and Yams

 Tuesday morning, the last Tuesday of the month. Only 4C but no wind made for a lovely walk. Hardly anyone out at 7 A.M.  After we came back DH went to Gleaners and I poured myself a second cup of coffee and went to sit and watch the birds at the feeders in our back yard. Yesterday we had a Downy Woodpecker at the suet that hangs close to the window in the sunroom. He seemed not to care that we were so close by. Did he realize that the glass kept him safe from us? 

from the internet

 

 

 

 

 Gretchen Joanna over at Gladsome Lights posted something about orange Yams and that sent me on a search to see what exactly an Orange Yam was and would I find it around here.  So I'm going to post a bit of what I discovered. Feel free to skip if you are not interested.

 Do you ever find yourself loitering in the produce aisle, internally debating the merits of yams versus sweet potatoes? At many grocery stores, they often look identical, but I’ve found that “yams” can be as low as 79 cents per pound, while “sweet potatoes” cost $2.49 per pound. So, what’s the difference between a sweet potato and a yam? At most markets: absolutely nothing. It’s all a facade! 

 The reason for the name mix-up is because Louisiana sweet potato growers in the 1930s marketed a new breed of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes as “yams” to distinguish their crop from other states’ produce—and it stuck.

 True yams are part of an entirely different genus (Dioscorea; sweet potatoes belong to Ipomoea in the morning glory family) and are more akin to yuca in texture and flavor. Yams are commonly used in Caribbean and West African cooking and can grow as long and thick as an adult arm. They have bumpy, tough gray-brown skin (that looks almost like the bark of a tree and must be peeled away with a knife as it’s far too tough for a vegetable peeler). 

 

I wonder what exactly we get at the grocery store. Whatever they are we really enjoy them and find them at the reasonable price around this time of the year.

That's it for today. Thanks for coming by.

 

 

Latest News

 Before I tell you the latest news I want to wish each one of you who celebrate Thanksgiving this week a Blessed one.

 Now this.......The latest member of Middle Son's family is this adorable kitten which he rescued from the underground parking where he is manager. Poor baby was obviously abandoned and frightened. Also very hungry which meant that he couldn't resist going right into a convenient cat carrier where
  J had put a handful of cat kibble. J made a rather halfhearted effort to find a home for the kitten but was quite happy to bring him home. So far he has not been introduced to his 2 big sisters.  Oh yes, his name is Glen.  All our animals have names like Meadow & Marsh. Our dog was called Bracken and Miss Kitty's real name is Teasel ( but no one calls her that).

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

 

 

 

Swans, Cinnamon Buns, and Flowers

We had a good walk at Willband again this morning. There were swans on the water and also flying overhead.  Do you know that a group of swans on the water are called a bevy?  In the air they are called a wedge ( probably because they fly in a V but really so do geese!)   We were surprised that so few people were out walking but maybe they were put off by the forecast which was for rain and wind. That didn't start until nearly noon by which time we were back home.

DH cut down a large  rug that was given to us (5X8'). We replaced the one inside the side door.  this new one needed cutting down to size and he removed the baseboards so he could tuck the carpet underneath. It looks so nice now.  While he was doing that I made cinnamon buns. They are not nearly as uniform in size as the ones below but they are good anyway.  I always have trouble rolling out my dough. I roll and it springs back again. Any tips?

 

 A new bouquet of flowers for the table.  I was planning on making strawberry/rhubarb jam and had taken out the jars that you can see in the background. ( Of course I was using fruit from the freezer.)

 That was my day.  Thanks for coming by.

 

 

 

Baking

 I have two sisters both much younger than I.  Both are talented women ( I'm tempted to call them girls because that's how I think of them).  My youngest sister has begun her Christmas baking and shared her pictures of some of the results.  With her permission I'll share those.  

The first picture is a pretty arrangement  she made from thrift store finds.  

 

 ...and her lovely cookies!!!

 

 

 This sister has 8 young grandchildren for whom she bakes several times a week.  Bread, buns and cookies are quickly eaten and much enjoyed.

 

Thanks for visiting

 

Tablecloths for Christmas

 It may be just a bit early to be thinking of Christmas and decorating our tables but I came upon these pretty tablecloths while browsing Pinterest once again.  They're all so pretty  but the first one is my favourite. Do you have a preference?

When we walked over at Willband on the weekend we saw all the usual waterfowl and also some swans. They come back every winter and our first sighting of them is special.

I've been having problems with my camera and for the time being I hope to find pictures that others have taken, as these were, by a fellow Willband walker who had the good fortune to see an Eagle grabbing a Canada Goose right out of the water and taking it over to a nearby tree to eat it. It actually looks like the Eagle just caught the goose with one of its talons.  I've enlarged the pictures to  make that more clear.

 

That's it for today. I hope your week is off to a good start.

 

Thanks for taking time to visit.

 

 

Craft Fair and Books

 First Christmas craft sale of 2025.  Sheila came by after work and picked us up to go to a nearby church where it was held.  It was fun to browse but all we bought was some food items ( they looked irresistible).  We came back home and called those our supper :)

I feel badly for all the vendors that don't seem to be selling many of their great items.  Are people more cautious with their spending?  Or do we have more than we need or want as it is and no desire for more stuff no matter how pretty? 

 I had library books to return today and while I was there I picked some more.

 

 

That's it for today. Have a lovely Sunday.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

 

 

This and That

 

 

My peach coloured Thanksgiving Cactus is blooming.

I found these pretty place mats on yesterday's visit to the thrift store. I had a big box to donate so I don't feel badly bringing home small treasures. These mats are not really quilted. The fabric is made to look like it though.

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 Here is a bit of trivia that I found interesting since I give myself 30 pages to decide if I'm going to continue reading a book. Unless I see that the language is offensive in which case I can tell right away that I don't want to continue reading. I wonder how many people would agree with this.

 Ever heard of the 50 page rule? A librarian has suggested that for books, if you're 50 or under, you read 50 pages and give yourself permission, at that point, to stop reading if you're not enjoying it. If you're older than 50, you subtract your age from 100 and read that many pages before putting it down for good.

Not much is happening here. It's raining and rather dismal outside. Fortunately I have an interesting book to read.  Thanks for visiting.