Tuesday Trivia

 

 

 

 The Swallows are back!!!   Every year I wait and watch for them. This one seems to be scolding the little one ( the picture is from the internet and I'd say the one is a juvenile.)

On our morning walk we noticed many mole hills and we started wondering where they stay all winter. Apparently they do not hibernate. They dig down below the frost line. Here's some more information that I gleaned.

 One mole can create up to 150 feet of tunnels in just one day. Discharged mounded soil and heaved runways are indicators of the mole's presence. A mole's diet consists of earthworms, grubs, and other insects. These insectivores can almost eat their entire body weight on a daily basis.

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If you have clear skies tonight watch for the full moon. March's moon has 2 names that I found___Worm Moon and also Sugar Moon. I prefer the second one. It's called sugar because this is the time when Sugar Maples are tapped and sap buckets begin to fill.  
It's been a while since I treated myself to some lovely Maple Syrup. Maybe it's  time to put it on my grocery list again. What do you like on your pancakes and waffles? 

That's it once again.  Thanks for visiting!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

March

 

 

 March came in like a lamb here for us. Beautiful sunshine meant I was outside doing as much as I dared. Youngest is coming by later today to move some heavy things for me,  heavy pots of wet dirt impossible for either of us oldies to budge.  The forecast for tomorrow is equally pleasant. 

 We had a lovely walk first thing this morning. Saw a muskrat which we know are present in the Creek but hard to spot. It was so nice walking in sunshine and listening to birds singing.

Although this picture is from the internet it looks exactly like what we saw. Not the most handsome of  rodents but really, are any of them good-looking?  Maybe beavers. 

 

In the kitchen I tried a new-to-me recipe that I found in Kirsten's lovely blog__  A Letter from Home. It's for a Welsh tea cake dense with dried fruit and soooo good.  It's called Bara Brith which apparently means mottled bread. I will definitely make this often. Both of us love it...(in fact along with a pot of tea it made my supper last night).
The one I made looked slightly different because the recipe called for currants ( which I dislike) so I used raisins and dried cranberries. I threw in some glaced fruit that had been soaking in rum since Christmas. As you know, I can never stick to a recipe. haha.

That's about it for today. I'm off to enjoy the sunshine.

Thanks for visiting

 

 

 

 

 

Flowers

 If you've been visiting my blog for any length of time you know I am very fond of flowers!! 
Currently I have these Hyacinths in the kitchen, the taller one has grown too tall and has to lean against the window or fall over. The white one, tinged with green, is so far holding itself up. Both fill the kitchen with wonderful scent.

 Knowing how I feel about flowers I'm often blessed with bouquets from one or another of my children.

 Outside the only thing blooming now besides a few sad looking Snowdrops ( they don't grow well in my soil) there are  lots of Crocuses which we planted many years ago and which have been spread but also are smaller than they used to be. But I still love them.

 It's a cloudy and chilly day. The forecast for the weekend is for better weather so that means I'll be out there puttering as much as I can. 

PS... Diane from Wis_____ I'm sorry you have trouble seeing some of the images clearly but if you just click on the image it will get bigger.  Or, as someone once posted, it will embiggen. LOL

 

Thanks for dropping by

 

 

 

Happy Wednesday

  The week is half gone already.  I have been busy doing some housework this morning and also making a list for tomorrow's grocery shopping.  While I was looking in the pantry and fridge  to see what we might need I noticed some ingredients that have been lurking in there for too long. After seeing this recipe ( below) just yesterday I decided I'd make something similar using what I had on hand. Into the blender I dropped the rest of an 8 oz block of cream cheese ( there was about half of it left), a can of condensed milk ( left from Christmas), and a can of frozen lemonade concentrate that has been in the freezer for a very long time (Why oh why did I buy that?) .I had to add some water to make it easier for the blender but in the end it got everything nicely mixed. Into 10 small dishes I put about a Tbsp of graham crumbs then topped them with the creamy mixture. The portions are small but so rich that they don't need to be bigger.  I'm quite pleased with the result.

 

Another item I was looking at last night was this list that someone posted about tips for keeping the house neat and tidy. If I had to choose only three tips that I consider most important in my house I think I'd choose the first three.  Which do you rank as best of these  tips?  Or maybe you'd add a different tip. I'd love to hear it.

 

 That's about all for today.   Thank you for coming by!!

 

Monday

 

Here we go into the last week of February. I think it went fast, in fact I feel the winter went by very quickly.  Time could slow down now that we're nearing the more pleasant weather.

We walked before the rain this morning, later it poured then it got quite mild and nice out. We drove to Fish Trap Creek and walked there. Not as many birds to see, nevertheless it's a nice place to walk. 
DH's knee seems to be getting better again. He thinks he'll try not wearing the brace tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.
 

 Finished another puzzle. 

 I made an Impossible peach pie which was enjoyed and is now gone.

 Laundry tomorrow. I also want to sow seeds in some of those peat pots I bought. I have books to return to the library and two more to pick up. That  will be my day.

Thanks for coming by! 

Walking at Willband

 Just 2 degrees above freezing this morning. We walked under cloudy skies but there was no wind so it was pleasant. Dear Husband wore a good knee brace and although we walked even slower than we usually do we made it.  There were patches of ice on the water.  A pair of Eagles was circling around, no doubt wondering how come they couldn't see any fish. I hope they didn't end up taking a duck or a goose :(

 

In the picture below the beavers are working on a dam where the creek narrows. Just before that there is a Heron on the right side. Very hard to spot it. It just looks like a spot of white.
 

That's all for today 

Thanks for visiting

Friday Chit Chat

 

 

 I finished my latest library book and it was quite an enjoyable read. I described it to someone as a fairy tale that takes place in the 1940's.  Here's what the internet says:

 

Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure

by Rhys Bowen  is a historical fiction novel set in 1938, featuring 50-year-old Ellie Endicott, who escapes her cheating husband by driving his Bentley to the South of France with her housekeeper and a friend. The book is a tale of resilience, friendship, and self-discovery.

 

I was at the Dollar Store yesterday looking for peat pots. Last year I waited too long and there were no more so I wanted to be sure to get them in time. I priced out just the pots then I saw this kit and it was actually a better deal plus I got the tray with its clear lid. Now I'm ready 💗

Its a mostly cloudy day. DH is hobbling around the house leaning heavily on his cane since one of his knees  is very painful ( both have been replaced surgically,  but continue to be a problem). Eldest is coming for lunch. So that is my day. Thanks for coming by.

 

 

Thoughts of Spring

 

 I know many are still dealing with winter weather and snow but  thoughts of Spring are surely in our minds.  We are currently having colder nights that any so far this season but the only snow we've seen was a skiff one morning this week.
I got my little seed chest out of the garden shed and brought it onto the porch so I could take stock of what I need to buy ....which is mainly flowers because we have too much shade for vegetables to do well.  I will grow beans again and choose the sunniest spot for them.

 

 Eldest Daughter came for lunch and brought me a bloom from one of her hellebores ( along with a sweet painting of the same).

 

It's clear and sunny this morning. 0C when I first looked but now the temperature has risen slightly. 

I have done a load of laundry that didn't get done on Monday.  The plan for my day is....bake bread and make a pot of Black Bean soup with any other vegetables I find in the fridge. Also today I have to make up a grocery list based on what our local stores have on sale.

PS .......Did you have pancakes yesterday in honour of Pancake Tuesday?  I made crepes and I paid attention to how I am able to swirl the batter around in spite of the weight of the cast iron pan. 
I hardly lift it up, I just tilt it around and that seems to work just fine. 

Thanks for coming by

 

 

Sweets

 

 Here it is Monday morning again although it's not quite a regular Monday morning. It's a day off for the employed and it is called Family Day. It doesn't make a lot of difference to those of us who are retired.

It was a lovely weekend filled with family and a lot of cake!  One of the cakes was a traditional German cake called Bienenstich. It consists of layers with a wonderful cream filling. A picture from the 'net.

 Bienenstich Kuchen, a German delight, also known as Bee Sting Cake. Carmelized honey almonds on top, cream filling with a yeast rise dough cake that is firm and not sweet, kind of like cream puff dough is a pastry but not sweet.   ( I find the filling very sweet!) ( This cake was bought at a German cafe).

 Some of the chocolate hearts that I made.

 

Recipe for Easy Fudge

2 1/2 to 3 cups of chocolate chips ( depending on how firm you want the fudge. I used 3 cups)
1 can of condensed milk 
 1 tsp vanilla ( I forgot to add it)

The directions are simple. Using parchment paper in your pan makes it easy to lift out once it has hardened.Add the chocolate chips, condensed milk, and vanilla extract to a microwave-safe bowl.

 Microwave for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until completely smooth.

Pour the fudge into your prepared baking pan. Smooth out the top with a spatula. Let cool completely.  *****     *****  *****   *****   ****    About my cast iron frying pans...I have 2 that are 12" in diameter and I keep one for savoury and the other for sweet ( such as crepes and also Dutch Baby). In case anyone wants to know about Dutch Babies I'll post this from the All Recipes site.   A Dutch baby is a cross between a pancake and a popover. It’s similar to a large Yorkshire pudding. Unlike other types of pancakes, Dutch babies are baked in the oven instead of fried on the stove. They also don’t contain leaving ingredients, such as baking powder or baking soda.   The ingredients and directions are on that site. I wish I knew how to insert a link but I don't.
One change that I've made to the recipe is to sautee sliced apples in the pan before adding the egg/milk mixture.  As it bakes it puffs up but like a souffle it will fall once out of the oven.  We find it very tasty!!

again....the picture is from the internet That's it for this damp and grey day.  Thanks for visiting.    

   

   

 

Happy Friday💖

 

 Happy Friday!!  It is still raining like it wants to make up for the three days when it didn't rain.  We won't complain because it could be worse, it could be snow!

We did our usual Thursday grocery shopping. We always go early before the store gets crowded and we had a pleasant surprise when  we got there. We were not aware that the first hundred (?) customers received a free cast iron frying pan . This was to celebrate the end of the dreaded rearrangement of the store when no one knew where anything was.  So now I have 3 cast iron pans. One is only used for things like crepes and is never washed. I hope that doesn't dismay anyone but the best way to treat it is to wipe it well with a paper towel after using. Nothing ever sticks to it. Here's the new one.

A pretty miniature rose jumped into my cart while I was shopping💗
 

Likewise some miniature daffodils just starting to open as well as some Hyacinths. My cart seems like a magnet for plants :)
The little shrub is a Lemon Cypress which I'll keep on the porch.

 In the kitchen .......I made a batch of fudge. The recipe that calls for a can of condensed milk and 3 cups of chocolate chips. Absolutely foolproof fudge. I poured a thin layer on parchment and hope to be able to make little hearts with a cookie cutter. I hope it works but if it doesn't,  the fudge will still be tasty.

Thanks for visiting today

 One last Valentine..... 

 

 

Tuesday Trivia

 I dropped in at the Dollar Store yesterday and couldn't resist this cute tea towel. I warned my guys not to dry their hands on it. haha

Here's some information that I found on the 'net about birds that mate for life, in this case it was mostly about Eagles.  With Valentine's Day and Love in the air even birds are affected. We think. 

 Spring marks the beginning of mating season for many wildlife species with many seeking their mate – and for some bird species, it’s a lifelong choice. Birds like the bald eagle, barn owl, Canada goose and trumpeter swan all seek a partner for the long haul.   


Bald eagles, which live up to 20 years, grow old together – returning to the same nest site year after year – building impressive, massive nests deep and wide enough to fit the large adult birds and growing eaglets. The ever-growing nest is a symbol of their strong partnership. 


Watching an eagle courtship display is equal parts awe-inspiring and nerve-wracking. To impress each other, the male and female soar high into the air, then engage in a stunning display of locking talons and spiraling dramatically toward the ground. Sometimes, this can even result in injury. 
“This may have been the case for one bald eagle that was admitted to Wild ARC. We’re not sure if they were in a territory dispute with a rival, or a courtship display with a potential mate, but their injuries were consistent with a crash landing,” the agency said.

 

Thanks for coming by. Thanks also to those who leave a comment. IF you are kind enough to do so could you please somehow identify yourself? Even an initial or a nickname makes it more meaningful. 

Monday Chit Chat

 

 

 Good Morning on this damp February day.  Valentine's Day is coming up and although we hardly make any fuss about it it also happens to be #2 son's birthday. We will celebrate that.

A recent trip to the thrift store yielded a few small treasures.  A set of home made mug rugs which I soon found had lumpy filling that kept my cup from sitting solidly. I carefully opened one side and shook out whatever was in there. No doubt it used to be scented and the heat from any cup would activate it.  Now that they are flat I'll use them all year 'round since they are reversible ( Christmas/winter and plain check).

 

It was a sunny day on Saturday and Kitty found a lovely spot to absorb the warmth of the roof. This is one of her favourite spots....near the kitchen window where she can watch me as I putter about.

 By now the washer has finished the load of sheets so I'll see if I can manage to untangle them enough so I can take them out. The washer does do a good job of winding them together :(

I hope your week is off to a good start.    Thanks for coming by.