New Year's Eve

It's been a quiet day here and will be a quiet evening as we stay home and may not even stay up to see the new year in. We're having a cold and clear end of 2015 and that is the forecast for the next week. I had a lovely walk this morning. Not many people were in the park. Curiously I didn't meet up with any people with dogs. There are usually any number of them out around that time of the morning.

The lake has formed a thin layer of ice and there were so many Canada Geese standing around on the ice. I watched for a while and flock after flock took off  presumably to feed in some farmer's field but about a dozen geese stayed put. I wondered how geese make up their minds whether to go or stay.  Finally I had to move on because my feet were getting cold but as far as I could see those few didn't leave.

I wish each one of you a safe and happy New Year's Eve and a wonderful 2016.

                                              
                                     Granny Marigold

The above picture has absolutely nothing to do with my post today but I felt I needed a photo of some sort so there you are. I haven't been feeling much like posting lately because the headache I mentioned in a post Dec. 20th, and that I thought was on the way out, came back with a vengeance. So much so that I forced myself to go see a doctor ( O how I dislike going to the doctor!) who could only prescribe pain meds ( which don't do much) but on the recommendation of a pharmacist I am also taking a muscle relaxant which seems to be helping me. I'm not looking for sympathy here but only telling you what's happening in my life. I have never been prone to headaches and feel quite mortified to be plagued with this one.

Anyway, while waiting for my prescription in Walmart I filled my cart with good deals.  I think I now have enough laundry detergent, bleach, paper towels, toilet tissue and Kleenex to get me through most of 2016.  How's that for being prepared?

On the subject of being prepared, we are again being urged to be ready for "the big one"  after a 4.8 magnitude earthquake rocked us out of our sleep just before midnight.  Actually, I had not yet fallen asleep and felt the first, small shake, then a few seconds later the whole room shook and I scrambled to the foot of the bed because there is a very heavy antique mirror which hangs directly over my head and I am afraid that if it came down it would not be a good thing. Obviously I am not so afraid that I move it, besides DH says he fastened it well and who am I to argue with that? ( What I did do was move the bed about 10" away from the wall in the hope that IF the mirror came down it would slip straight down and miss my head).

So in an effort to not go crazy with boredom ( No way can I read) I have slowly begun tidying up Christmas things. This morning the grands helped pack away the various nativity sets. I have some empty boxes at the ready and as I go I'm deciding what I no longer want to keep ( in the way of Christmas stuff). One of the larger sets has gone into the box and also a very small set that I don't remember ever using. I'm quite sure a lot more will end up being donated.

So, dear friends, that's what has been happening here. I walked this morning ( it had been a while) and the cold, clear air was so refreshing. I hope to get back on track with walking now. 

If you've stayed to read this lengthy post you deserve  a cup of tea and one of the many leftover Christmas cookies that are stashed in my freezer. ( As usual I baked way too many!). 
Thank you for coming by. I do appreciate each one of you ( even those that I know read but don't comment. Not naming any names).

                                               Granny M

Christmas Wish for You

                Sending out sincere wishes for Joy and Peace to each   one of you. 

                                               Granny Marigold

Winter Solstice

The first day of winter ( officially, at least).  The shortest day and the longest night.  Soon the days will begin to lengthen and we will once more look forward to Spring.

Happy Winter.  Happy Christmas. I hope you are taking time to enjoy this precious time.

              Granny Marigold

Birds and Cookies

There was so much bird activity in my back yard today. Besides the usual Chickadees and Juncos there were Bush Tits, House Finches, a couple of Pine Siskins, a woodpecker ( probably a Downy but it could have been a Hairy), an unidentified Sparrow and a Flicker or two. The latter were cramming themselves with sunflower seeds. They ate them whole. Does anyone know if this is normal for Flickers?

This morning I made a half-recipe of these Orange log cookies which get dipped half way in chocolate ( after they're baked and cooled). Last year I made way too many cookies so this year I'm cutting down. In the cookie sheet on the right you can see what I did with the melted chocolate when the cookies were done. I dipped dried Apricots just like the cookies.... half way. They are delicious.  I tell myself that the Apricots are good for me.

On the weekend I made fudge that actually turned out very well. It's that easy condensed milk and chocolate chips recipe and I added chopped Oreo cookies to it. The 'tasters" have declared it a great success. 

I'm thankful to be feeling somewhat better today. I had a bad headache that would not go away ( I think it must have lasted 4 or 5 days. I've lost count.)and as often happens when one has a headache, I felt nauseated. Not much fun. I hate taking a lot of medication but I took extra strength Tylenol and that helped. So glad to be done before Christmas. I'm all ready, how about you?

Have a wonderful week getting the last minute things done and don't forget to take time to enjoy the process.          Granny M.

This old House

This afternoon I realized that today was the last day that Trethewey House was open for touring until the new year. This is the Craftsman style house built in 1920 by the man who had the mill on nearby Mill Lake which is where I walk almost every day. So in spite of feeling under the weather off I went with my DH. The only rooms decorated for the season were the living and dining rooms but I always love to walk through the whole place.

We have had a very wet week with a bit of a break on Wednesday. I didn't walk yesterday nor today.. didn't feel up to it and I thought I'd do best to stay home warm and dry so I'd shake this bug. I did see that the elves had added a few more ornaments on the tree in the park. It's looking quite pretty.

                                  Hope you have a lovely weekend.

                                                   Granny Marigold

A December Monday

Not much happening here on this December Monday. It happens to be my DH's birthday so the children will be dropping in later. I got my laundry done and not much else. I started reading a Beverly Lewis book ( she writes fiction about the Amish people). Not sure where I picked up the book  but decided to try reading it and if I didn't feel like finishing it I'd pass it on to some friends that I know enjoy her style. Well, it has gotten me into the story and because it's an easy read I may just finish it tonight.
We had more wind and rain on the weekend. Apparently there is a chance of snow flurries around the 25th so I'm hoping for some. Not enough to keep people from coming over, just some lovely flakes coming down. Like in the picture below.

                                    I hope you have a wonderful week. 


               Thanks for coming by!     Granny Marigold


 

Random Stuff

As I walk to the park every morning I pass this yard. The people who live there decorate for each special time of the year and Christmas tops all of them.

This tree in the park is being decorated slowly. Things are added day by day.... no one ever sees those responsible. Elves, do you think?

             The wild wind we had earlier this week blew down this clump of trees.

In the kitchen I've been busy making chocolate muffins with cream cheese and a dab of cherries.
Here they are ready to go into the oven....

                         and here they are all done. My but my muffin pans look well used! *smile*

I also made these cupcakes ( from a mix) then used a melon baller  (scoop) to hollow out a spot to fill with lemon. I looked at lemon curd in the grocery store but the ingredients were sugar, water, corn syrup, THEN lemon. I was expecting something better so I just made lemon pie filling instead.

Did you guess we were having people over this evening?    We'll eat the muffins. Now I just have to put on something with no chocolate or lemon stains and light a few candles.

I hope you had a good day. I love to read your comments so don't be shy. My blog tally tells me that a lot more people are reading than commenting. I'm happy about that but I would love to get to know you.
Meanwhile, thanks for reading about my rather uneventful life!
                 Granny Marigold

Christmas Cards

Do you receive a lot of Christmas cards?  I'm curious, what do you do with them after the holidays are over?  A lot of them are so pretty that I'm determined to find a craft to use them but not being very crafty it's a problem.

The nuns that taught me at school made lovely things using cards and wool with which they sort of sewed them into "boxes". There is a layer of clear plastic on both sides of the cards so they are quite sturdy.  Another thing they made with them were "chairs" with the seat that could be lifted and things stored inside. Those chairs were about ten inches tall. If ever I find one I'll be sure to buy it for a souvenir.  I'm glad I found this box although I haven't any idea what to keep in it.

 Last year ( or maybe it was 2 years ago) I made some banners using the fronts only of cards I had kept. I still like them but need more ideas that are easy enough for a craft-challenged me.

I hope you're having a good day.  Thanks for visiting!

        Granny Marigold

Shopping

Every year my second oldest daughter takes a week of holidays in December and it has become a lovely tradition that we visit certain shops at some point during that week.   We had a break from all the rain we've been having and walked around browsing ( she bought some gifts, I mostly contented myself with looking).
I love the mis-matched dishes at the tables.I can't remember if this was one of the shops that also served tea or if this display was just showing the dishes.

                              Yes, that's me reflected in two mirrors!

                    My daughter....

      So much to look at!  I'm sure I saw a fraction of what there was.                        

All the rain we've been having has raised the water level in the lake considerably. The water comes right up to the benches now.  We had a wind storm as well as rain last night with a short power outage.  I expected to see downed trees this morning but only saw the occasional branch that had fallen. Now the rain, which held off for a good part of the day, has resumed and it's not at all pleasant. A good evening to stay inside where it's warm and dry!

Thanks for coming by. I hope you are having a lovely day!  ( There's my favourite word again. Can't get away from it.)
                                 Granny Marigold

Rainy Saturday

The rain is pelting down outside and I'm so glad I got my walk in first thing after breakfast. As I was   walking toward the lake the sky was filled with literally hundreds of Canada Geese flying South after spending the night on the lake. I would have liked to see them all crowded on the lake and then taking off in large groups. They seem to have great goose conversations as they get ready to fly. Then off they go honking away.

 ( I didn't take these pics. They are off the internet because as usual I didn't take my camera along).

 I did take this picture of the peach jam I made. Actually it's peach and nectarine which I only noticed after they thawed. I like the combination because the nectarines seem to have more sweetness so I can cut down on the sugar needed.

My jam may have been a success but this fudge definitely was not. It's supposed to be French-Canadian Sucre a Creme. I watched it being made on a TV show and followed the directions exactly
 ( and it looked so easy) but it won't firm up.  I suppose it will be lovely as an ice cream topping or even on cake but that's not what I was aiming for.

I added another book to my collection. It's a retelling of the 12 days of Christmas but with animals. 
A young bear courts his lady bear with gifts, beginning with the partridge in the pear tree he's holding as he skates along to her house.  Sorry the pics are not terribly clear but you get the idea.

 By day 8 he's giving her 8 Raccoons  with milk pails full of stars. On the left you see him meeting her family.

The bear's story continues and the lady bear is now a bride. The squirrels are the eleven pipers piping.  I love the illustrations so much I had a hard time choosing just a few here.

                On the last page the wedding couple and their guests skate along merrily. 

The sound of the rain makes me want a nice cup of hot tea so that's what I'm off to get.
Thanks for coming by.

        Granny Marigold

Welcome December

Just some pretty pictures to enjoy today. We don't get snow very often so snowy pics, especially if they twinkle, are my favourites. Hope you like them too.

Thanks for visiting.    Granny Marigold