Monday Chit Chat

 I picked up this pretty primrose at the grocery store. Once it's milder out I'll transplant it but for now it brightens up my sunroom.

 My Thanksgiving Cactus is blooming again. Not as abundantly as in November but still doing its best!

 A bouquet for the table.

 The latest puzzle that we finished on the weekend.

 Eldest brought an early Easter gift!

 That's it for me on this lovely Monday morning. All our snow is gone. The temperature this morning when I got up was 8C.  We had a pleasant walk around the lake. Blackbirds are beginning to sing their Oka-lee song. A Northern Flicker was drumming on a lamp post.  Here's what the internet has to say about that:

 The males search for a hollow tree, an old telephone pole, or even a chimney with metal flashing or a metal top, to drum out their mating call, telling all the other male flickers nearby that this is their territory, and saying “have a look at me baby” to all the females.

 

I hope your week is off to a good start.  Thanks for visiting.   GM

 

 

Getting Ready for Spring

 The weather cooperated and we had a work day yesterday. I say "we" but actually all I did was tell my faithful helpers what to do.  A job Youngest enjoys is power washing and he washed the front path and driveway.

 Eldest cut all the old leaves off the hellebores in front then did some much needed raking.,

 Then she helped me affix this Dollar Store branch onto my Gather sign on the front door....

 

...and hung this decoration from last year on the inside of the door.

In my last post I wrote that I was planning on making a Lemon Pudding Cake.  The recipe called for 3 eggs separated and when I broke the second egg I managed to get some yolk in the bowl containing the whites. As I'm sure you know, there's no use trying to get whites to whip properly with even a speck of yolk. I had to make a different recipe, one that called for 2 eggs....hence the lemon pie below.  DH and Youngest thought it was okay. Eldest and I did not :(

Today is a much less busy day. I picked up the books I requested at the library and I plan on doing a lot of reading on the weekend. Who knows? I might even be able to sit on the swing in the enclosed porch if the sun is shining.

 

Thank you for coming by

 

 

My Day

   It was raining so hard this morning that we decided not to go walking.  Now, in the afternoon, it is cloudy and dreary but plus 7 so not all that cold.
I decided to bake bread and the breadmaker is making the dough for me.  Once the bread is baked  I'll make a quiche for our supper. I want to try making a Lemon Pudding cake, a recipe new to me. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

I put away most of the Valentine decorations. Left a few and added a couple of other pink items.

We started this 300 piece puzzle yesterday and finished it earlier. It's a fun one, easy to do, with nice big pieces. We've done it before. We will often redo a puzzle that we liked. We're always on the look-out at the thrift store for puzzles 500 pieces or less with pictures with lots of detail. Most puzzles are 1000 pieces and that's just too many for us.

I finished this library book and can recommend it as worth reading. NO bad language which seems to be hard to find these days. ( Don't I sound like the old granny that I am).

 A Million Little Choices deals with marriage, infidelity, and restoration in a Southern location.

 

That's it for today.   Thanks for visiting.

 

 

Coots

 3C with no wind this morning. The ice on the lake is beginning to thaw.  We saw lots of coots by the water, more than usual but fewer Canada Geese and ducks.

 

 Coots are such strange looking birds.They look and behave much like a duck but their feet are not webbed. Instead they have  long flat lobed toes. This picture from the internet makes the toes look  gray but they are more greenish. When M was little he said their feet were the colour of celery.  LOL.

It's a day off work for a lot of people on this Family Day Monday. For retired people it doesn't make a lot of difference.  I, of course, am doing laundry.  We have a quiet week ahead. I foresee lots of reading time. When the library opens tomorrow I'll go pick up the book I had requested ( another Ann Cleeves mystery).

Thanks for coming by.

 

 

 

Valentines Day

 Things are looking up. The temperature this morning was 0C  and according to the forecast no more minus temperatures in the week to come.  We'll get rain, no doubt, and it will wash away our snow.

I put out some Valentine things and took pictures.  As I know I've already mentioned Valentines Day is also our middle son's birthday so we'll be celebrating with  him mainly 💗

 

 

 

 I made a Pineapple Upside Down cake which was really good ( and lasted one day!  We do all love our sweets).  I didn't have pineapple rings so I used the tidbits.

 Lovely tulips from the children.

 Some pretty Valentines from Pinterest.

 Happy Valentines Day

 I'm glad the memes ( I'm not even sure exactly what a meme is!!) that I find amuse some of you. I know I find them amusing.  Other times a serious one will touch me and I post that. 

 

Thanks for visiting!!

 

 

 

Tuesday Trivia

 

It was a chilly minus 6C when we walked this morning. The lake is frozen and lots of  footprints show that not only birds and raccoons have been on the ice but humans too.  Hopefully the ice is thick enough to prevent any accidents.

Tomorrow (the 12th) will be our second full moon of 2025 and is known as the snow moon. The snow moon certainly lives up to its name right across Canada this year.. According to our forecast clouds  move in on the weekend bringing rain which should wash away our snow.

 photo from the internet.

 We went to the thrift store this afternoon; I didn't find anything I wanted probably because I didn't need anything.  When we came back I made a few jars of jam....strawberry this time ( still have berries that we froze last summer ). Worked on the puzzle. We're almost finished it.  Didn't get any housework done but I'll get to that tomorrow. 

Thanks for visiting

 

 

 

 

Chit Chat

 0C this morning with no wind; a lovely morning to walk at Fish Trap Creek.

 The ducks had managed to keep an area free of ice.

 Here's the puzzle we're currently working on. We work each on our own side of the board ( mine is the side with the most done :)

 A fellow came and took the furnace fan out and brought it back the next day. Seems like old furnaces are able to be fixed. I doubt the newer ones are. In any case we're thankful to have heat again.

I'm going to do some ironing later also baking those Onion/Cheese muffins again.  This time I have fresh garlic to use instead of garlic salt. Hopefully I won't forget any ingredient ( it has been known to happen).

Thanks for visiting.