This and That

 

 The raccoons came visiting at night and decided to have a snack of grubs in the middle of the lawn.
They sure make a mess.  I will post a bit of information from the internet.

 Grubs are C-shaped beetle or moth larvae that feed on grass roots, causing lawns to become spongy and brown. Raccoons, skunks, and other animals dig up these lawns searching for the plump, juicy grubs, especially in late summer and fall. Common pest grubs include European Chafers.
The most effective way to get rid of them is to dig up all your soil and sift them out. 

 

 Flowers for the table.

 

We had heavy rain last night.  Then this morning we walked in fog but by noon the sun was shining and it was beautiful out.  Clouds are moving in again and it looks like we may get a shower.   

 Happy last day of September 🍂🍂🍂

 

 

 

Plants and a Puzzle

 

 We took a quick trip to the plant shop.  My African Violets were all looking very sad and wilted. I replaced them with fresh ones that will no doubt bloom for a while then also slowly fade away. For some reason I can't make them thrive and rebloom.  I resisted all the other gorgeous plants.

 

 I put the new violets in the sunroom where we're working on a puzzle. Yes, it's puzzle time again.

 The weather was fairly pleasant today but the forecast for the week is for showers.  I have lots that I want to accomplish so no trouble keeping busy. Enjoy the last days of September!

Thanks for coming by. 

 

 

A Rainy Day

 

 

 

 Our weather has changed and we are having a very damp and chilly day. The forecast is for more showers in the days to come.  It almost feels like a "turn up the heat" day. How quickly we went from fans and A/C to this. 
Yesterday we went to Willow Farm where we've gone for so many years to pick apples in their fields.  
We didn't feel up to a lot of walking ( on uneven ground) so we stayed close to the main buildings, walked around looking at animals and chickens, browsed in the little shop. All we bought was a gallon of their apple cider. It's very good 🍎🍎🍎

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Fields of pumpkins

 lots of goats

Grandson M taking pictures of chickens 

 

Grandson C, according to his itinerary , is on the train to Bristol today and will fly to Budapest on Tuesday the 30th.  This is the only picture I've gotten so far of him. Maybe now that his gf is also there she'll take more.  She has family in Poland and they will be spending time with them as well as visiting many different cities. I believe they will be in Poland about ten days.

Seeing as it is too wet to be outside I will do some much needed housework today.  Do let me know how you plan on spending this last Friday of September. 

 

 

THANKS FOR COMING BY

 

Recipes

 

 

 You know I'm a Pinterest fan. I find all kinds of different things that I like to look at. Recipes are a favourite even though I know I will most probably never make many of them. It's still fun to browse...and you never know what you'll find.

Here are a few that I saw this evening:The first two are similar but I would prefer the second one. I am not fond of the taste of rosemary nor do I like goat cheese.

 

 This one I think I will try closer to the holiday season.

I made the above recipe substituting cream cheese for butter  We had it on scones and we both liked it.

 

 Did any of these appeal to you?  

 

Thanks for visiting

 

Fall Equinox

 

 

 September 22  at 11:19 A.M.  we will move quietly into Autumn. I didn't know that the equinox is not a day but rather a precise moment on that day. I looked up ours; yours will probably be different. 
I consider Autumn to begin on the first of the September.  Our weather changed so quickly from heat to mild days. I enjoy these mild days so much.. Last night we had a lovely rain and by 8:30 the sun was shining.
I've added a couple of facts from the internet ( because that seems to be what I do).

 The autumnal equinox marks the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. It occurs when Earth's axis is not tilted toward or away from the sun, resulting in nearly equal day and night lengths

 Equinoxes are the only times when both the north and south poles are lit by sunshine at the same time.

Grandson C left this past weekend on a European adventure. He landed in Glasgow and sent Sheila (his Mom) these first of what will most probably be many pictures.  I love the buildings. Solid and meant to last. After the first week ( if I got that right) he'll be joined by his girlfriend and they'll continue on their way.

Have a good week. Thanks for coming by.

 

 

Kitchens

 

 While browsing on Pinterest I noticed a number of pretty kitchens that really appealed to me. I thought I'd share them here. I see that they all have painted cupboards. I wonder if that is what makes them look so cozy.?   Our cupboards are oak and DH would consider painting oak as a sacrilege. Not that I don't like my kitchen but it doesn't have old-fashioned charm such as these do:

 

 

 

 

That's it for today.  Thank you for visiting and leaving such nice comments. When I read them it's like I'm having a little visit with each of you.

Spiders

 It's a beautiful morning. Fortunately the forecast is for a slightly cooler day than yesterday when we reached 30C.  I was wandering around the back garden looking at what (if anything) was blooming that was new. Just a few Morning Glories was all I found.  I noticed again the webs that were built since yesterday.

 I did not see the Orb-weaver. We do have them around here though.

Orb-weaver spiders are called that because they build round, circular, or wheel-shaped webs, which are called "orbs". 

 Orb weavers can bite, but they are non-aggressive and will only bite if they feel threatened and cannot escape, such as if you walk into their web or grab them.

 

 Common house spiders are smaller and have a round abdomen. They hang out in dark corners where they make their rather messy webs. 
 

 The black widow spider is considered the most venomous spider in Canada, though it is rare and primarily found in southern border regions of provinces like BC, Manitoba, and Ontario. Its bite can cause severe pain, muscle cramps, and other neurological symptoms due to the neurotoxins in its venom.

Now that I've bored you with information about spiders  I'll wish you a great day.  Thanks for coming by.

 

Dog Park and Spider Webs

 

 

 14C this morning ( about 57F) so quite pleasant for walking.  We chose a different park to walk in. This one has a large off-leash dog area which is completely fenced in. One still does meet dog walkers along the path but we've never encountered any ill-mannered dog.  There is a stream that flows through the park and to one side of the path the ground rises up to a street of very large and fancy houses. Maybe one day we'll go take a look at the front of them. If the back is any indication they should be very nice.  Maybe even decorated for the season although we notice that fewer and fewer people bother.

It is the season for spiders and we've seen many webs including this unusual one which is almost always hung on the top of the grass ( as opposed to the ones up higher, the ones we don't like running into!). I found this picture and information which I thought was interesting.

The spider in the image appears to be a Funnel Weaver Spider, also commonly known as a Grass Spider.

These spiders are characterized by:

Appearance: They are typically brown or gray with stripes near their head and a pattern on their back. Their legs often have bands of different colors.

Webs: They construct a flat, horizontal web across grass or near buildings, which includes a funnel on one side where the spider hides.

Behavior: They are known for their speed and will retreat into their funnel when they sense a nearby presence.

Being Monday I'm doing the usual laundry. Seeing as it's cool I'll make an oven supper, maybe a quiche. I like making individual ones so I can make mine meatless.  I'll probably make some sort of sweet too. The pumpkin pie is all gone.

A note here to say that the bear was later encountered by a walker who had  quite a surprise when she came upon it. Luckily it was afraid of her and took off in the opposite direction. 

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

 

 

Another Day, Another Walk

 It was foggy when we drove to our favourite Saturday walking spot.  At 14C I wore a sweater but by the time we finished our walk I was warm.

Mostly pictures I took on our walk.

 

Fresh bear poop on the path. It looks like it had eaten Blackberries. 

 

We often see pigeons but usually they are shades of gray. This one is obviously black and quite unafraid of us. 

 Common Tansy (tanecetum vulgare)  which is very invasive This is what the internet has to say about it.

... introduced to North America for its historical medicinal and horticultural uses but now considered a noxious, invasive weed in many areas. It is identified by its fern-like leaves and clusters of yellow, button-like flowers. Due to its toxicity, especially for livestock and humans, and its ability to spread rapidly by seed and rhizomes, it should be controlled through repeated mowing, hand-pulling, or the use of systemic herbicides to prevent its establishment and spread.  

 The grass beside the path was as tall as I am.

 

Once we were back at home we had a cup of coffee then DH peeled some apples that needed dealing with ( it became applesauce) while I got a Pumpkin pie in the oven. Just the easy Impossible recipe.
Now I have only the vacuuming to do and then it will be lunch time.

Thanks for coming by today

 

 

 

Baking and Mugs

 

At just 15C this morning it really felt like Fall.  Thursdays usually mean grocery shopping and we did that first thing.  Can you tell what I'm planning to bake next? 

 Yesterday I took out all 26 of my mugs ( I have quite a collection).  I recently acquired 2 more so I forced myself to put 3 in the thrift store box that is my ongoing donation box.

 The one below was given to me on Sunday by GD Kate.

 Look what's written in the bottom inside the mug?  Isn't that the sweetest?

I picked this one up at the thrift store when I took the last box in.  It has white polka dots on the blue  interior and the mug itself is super large. Was it C S Lewis who said that in his opinion there couldn't be a cup too big  him?   He would have liked this one.

 

Thanks for visiting today