Good-Bye February

It's snowing again. We walked in a light snow but now it's much heavier. So beautiful to watch as it falls as you can barely see out the window, behind my Amaryllis. I'm pleased that so many of my Amaryllis that I didn't bother putting into dormancy, are growing flower scapes. "Nymph" is the first one to open and has 3 blooms and an unopened bud.
 

My lemon scented Geranium had grown lanky over the winter and I trimmed it back.
 

 It's a day to do small chores ( such as pruning plants) and I'm doing a load of laundry. Nothing important but pleasant as I keep looking out at the snow.  

Thanks for coming by, GM

Diane: I do remember how itchy some of those sweaters were!

Happyone: Yes, I remember wrap around skirts, in fact, I still have one. It's a pale blue denim.

Snow and a Skirt

 The snow began yesterday and after snowing all night we had over 9 inches accumulated.  As we sat having breakfast we watched heavy loads of snow falling off the big pines in the back. It was so pretty.
So it's a quiet world out there with hardly any traffic.  A good day to stay inside and do very little.

For some reason I've been remembering certain articles of clothing from my childhood. A certain skirt that I loved and now wish I would have kept was a wool skirt with permanent pleats. It was reversible with blue and gray checks on one side and gray and blue on the other. I hope this makes sense because the sides were definitely different.  I looked for an example on line and this is the closest I could find. The one I had was like the skirt on the right with the pleats starting at the waist. As you can see, the one on the left has the first pleats sewn down.
 

   A dress that I had when I was a few years older was passed down to me from a sister-in-law.
   It was blue and white and had tucks sewn over the bodice much like this one, again from the internet.
   I wish I'd have kept that one as well.

 Do you have any articles of clothing you loved as a child and wish you would have kept? 

Thanks for visiting, GM

Pretty Pictures

 Lacking ideas for a post today I've chosen some pictures from the internet that I thought were pretty.

 Did you notice that books were in each picture?  I have one more pic to show but that one is not from the internet. The books I ordered off Amazon finally arrived. I'm so pleased  to have them.

 No walk today. The North wind is blowing and the windchill is minus 15 so we thought we'd skip our walk.

Thanks for visiting,  GM

Shrove Tuesday

 I'm writing this today ( Monday) since I anticipate being busy tomorrow and I might not have time to post.  Are you planning on pancakes tomorrow?  We'll have crepes, which we both really enjoy. We roll them up with cottage cheese then cover them with blueberry sauce. The picture is one I took the last time we had them. I'm glad DH is as fond of them as I am so we can have them often.

I bought a kitchen scale on the weekend.  When I was getting the ingredients for bread into the breadmaker I measured the 4 1/2 cups of flour the way I've always done it. I scoop the flour out of the bag and shake it a bit to level it. I put that amount into a bowl then weighed it on my scale.  4 1/2 cups should, according to the chart on-line, weigh 562 grams....I had to take out about 1 Tbsp of flour, that's how close I was. 

I baked Biscotti today and totally forgot to weigh the flour. They turned out fine any way.

I hope your week is off to a good start. 

Thanks for visiting,

Granny M.

Sunday

 

 
Happy Sunday!  It's a chilly day with a sharp breeze. We walked by Fish Trap Creek where the tall trees gave us some shelter.

The flower on the cup that I posted last time could very well not be a Fritillaria  as I thought it was. Instead it is most probably a Lady Slipper Orchid. Thanks to Linda and Connie for identifying it.

Fritillaria

Lady Slipper

Kate's coming in a short while to cut hair and stay for Dominoes. We haven't seen her for 3 weeks, something that rarely happens. We're so fortunate to have family living in the same town.  

Thanks for coming by,  G.M.

Teacups

 

Good Morning!  It's a rather gray day with the possibility of showers or even some flurries. A good day to stay indoors and relax. But first I will do a bit of housework ( then I feel I 'deserve' to sit and read).

A recent thrifty find that I haven't posted about are these two: the first was very inexpensive because teacups with words don't sell. I have a large collection of teacups that lack saucers and I can always display a pretty cup while hiding the side with words.

The other cup has the unusual saucer which I imagine is meant for a small snack. I have 2 others like it but with different flowers, of course.   I believe the flower is a Frittilaria which is in the Lily family.
I planted some bulbs one year but they didn't grow so maybe it's too wet here in Spring.

Thanks for visiting, Have a lovely weekend.   GM

Happy Valentines Day

 I couldn't decide which of these cute valentines I liked best so you get all three!

49 years ago in the middle of the night Middle Son was born. It wasn't until the morning that I realized it was Valentines Day. So every year we get to have a special celebration.  It's an interesting coincidence that his own daughter was born on St Patricks Day. 

In the kitchen.... I baked a cherry Clafoutis and 2 Banana loaves one of which went along with DH to Gleaners.

Some Pansies that jumped into my basket while I was shopping.

We're seeing more sunshine this week and I think my Hellebores grew an inch today. I know we could still get frost and even more snow but I hope they'll be okay. They're quite hardy.

Thanks for coming by and thank you for the lovely comments . I'm still having problems commenting on some blogs but I keep trying.  GM

Friday Chit Chat

 

When I stand on my front stoop I can look down on my Hellebores. They're only an inch or so high but they are full of nice new growth.  Eventually they'll bloom and look at least somewhat like those glorious pictures  from the internet.
I'm baking bread this morning and in between other chores I'm reading. I'm rereading the Thrush Green books by Miss Read and enjoying them again. I love the descriptions of nature and weather. I have a friend who says she dislikes long descriptions and skips over them when she reads. To me they are a delight. Let me give you an example.  (Feel free to skip if you are not a fan).

From Winter in Thrush Green: "Rain continued to sweep the Cotswolds throughout November and the wooded hills were shrouded in undulating grey veils. The fields of stubble,which had lain, bleached and glinting, under the kind October sun, were being slowly and patiently plowed by panting tractors which traversed their length and and turned over rib after rib of earth glistening like wet chocolate."

Eldest daughter and Youngest Son are coming at lunch so I'll keep on with my housework and baking while sneaking in a few more pages of Miss Read.
Have a lovely weekend.   GM

A Mouse and a Recipe

Good Morning!  It's another wet day here but I'm hoping to see the sun this afternoon.
Thank you for your interesting ideas on what my blue flannel piece could be. I have no idea what I'll do with it. Maybe enjoy it for a few months then donate it back to the thrift store.

Another small treasure I found at the thrift store was this crocheted  mouse. I think she looks so sweet and the fact that someone spent however long making her makes her special. She has what feels like a Styrofoam  form inside and appears to be carrying a bunch of something under her arm. Her tiny apron is tied in a bow in the back. I haven't decided just where she'll stand.

 

I tried a new recipe this week. It was a hit with DH and I liked it too. I only had one lemon but it didn't seem to matter.

 When I make it again I'll make it in ramekins because it didn't hold together very well for serving.

 Whatever your day holds I hope it goes well. Thanks for visiting today,   GM

Thrift Store Treasures

 I found some small treasures at the thrift store. This doily set (properly called antimacassars) was marked down to a dollar. I have another one somewhere but this one needed a home.

What is the history of antimacassars? (from the internet)

The fashion for oiled hair became so widespread in the Victorian and Edwardian period that housewives began to cover the arms and backs of chairs with a washable cloth to prevent the fabric from being soiled. Around 1850 these started to be known as antimacassars.
Macassar  is a kind of oil formerly used, mainly by men, to give shine to their hair.

 Another object I bought for pennies was this mystery piece. It measures 9" by 15" and has ribbons attached on all 4 corners. The fabric is a soft flannelette and there is padding between the front and back.The decorations are made of felt which suggests it wasn't made for much washing. Anyone have a guess what in the world this was meant for?

 I did some housework this morning then after lunch went to the thrift store. Now It's time to sit down and read until it's time to think of supper.
I hope you're having a nice day.  Thanks for taking time to visit ,  GM

Full Moon and a Ring-necked Duck

 

 

Tonight is The Full Snow Moon so called because the last snows and frosts of winter will begin to appear around this time.

Good Morning on this lovely Sunday morning. It's a mild day but cloudy so there's little chance we'll get to see the full moon tonight.  We had a pleasant walk and even managed to see a couple of ducks that we don't see often. I kept looking for a white ring on the Ring-necked duck but I read on line just now that the ring refers to its hard-to-see chestnut collar on its black neck. Isn't his beak (bill?) pretty?

(These pictures or from the internet)

Here's  more facts about this duck that I found interesting.

• During fall migration, Ring-necked Ducks can form immense flocks. Several hundred thousand congregate each fall on certain lakes in Minnesota to feed on wild rice.
  
  
• Ring-necked Ducks on their breeding grounds occasionally get attacked by the much larger Common Loon, the Red-necked Grebe, and even the much smaller Pied-billed Grebe.
  
  
• The oldest known Ring-necked Duck was a male and at least 20 years, 5 months old. He was banded in Louisiana in 1964 and shot in Minnesota in 1983.

I hope I haven't bored you. I don't have much to blog about today but I wanted to pop in to say Hello.

Thanks for coming by, GM

( About the problems I've been having with not being able to comment on some blogs...It is only on those blogs that have the dark rectangle with the words  Sign in with Google). And yes, I do have a google account.)

Part one Kitchen Project done

 Good Morning. It's quite a nice day out, 0C with no wind and no rain. Lovely for walking and we even saw the eastern sky begin to brighten as we walked. It's the only time of the year when we can because in a few weeks we would have to leave the house at 6 or even earlier to capture that beautiful sight.

DH with the help of Youngest Son finished the first part of our little kitchen reno.  As you might remember the kitchen had a wallpaper border and  small crown mold which was painted brown.

We thought we'd see what happened if we left the border and painted right over it. Here it has had one coat of paint.

Once the second coat of paint was on DH made a small ledge and attached it to the wall. Now I can display some of  my saucer collection.

The ledge ends at the end of the cupboards. The ledge in the dining room is a wider one so I can have cups as well as matching saucers along that area.   That part was done a number of years ago.

That's it for today. I hope your week has been, and continues to be, a pleasant one.  

Thanks for visiting,   GM

Wednesday Chit Chat

 

 Happy February!  I received these pretty Valentines from 2 dear friends. I must get mine sent away this week. I'm afraid no one has much faith in the Canadian Postal Service. Mailed items can go across the country in 3 or 4 days or it can take 2 weeks. So we learn to mail things in plenty of time.

I don't think I've shown the magazines that I got at the thrift store on my last visit. At .25 each they're a bargain.

We walked in the snow this morning. The trees and shrubs were so lovely with their snowy branches. The forecast for the rest of the week is for cloudy with chance of rain every day. Oh well. I have plenty to keep me busy indoors.  

Thanks for visiting,  GM