Do You Remember?

 

 

 

I haven't got much to blog about today so I'll post some do-you-remember pictures.
 

 

Thanks for visiting

 

Friday Chit Chat

 

 

After seemingly endless days of drought we're having a day of light rain which is forecast to last all day. That should soak gently into the thirsty soil. It may be too late for some plants but hopefully many will be given a boost.

Earlier in the week I baked a dark fruit cake using an old recipe which I modified to make only one loaf.  It turned out very moist and it reminds me a lot of  Bara Brith , the Welsh Tea Loaf that I made some months ago. The main difference is I substituted molasses for the tea that the Welsh recipe called for.

 Another quick trip to the thrift store to drop off a few boxes. Of course I went in and browsed. I saw these pretty place mats that are only 8 by 11 inches, perfect for snack time.  They were pinned together and it was only after I came home that I realized that there were 6, not just 4 as I had thought. Bonus.

 

 

Pretty flowers for the table 

 

 An Afterthought.... I saw this cute meme (?) on Pinterest and I thought I'd post it for someone who is in the process of renovating their home.  

 

Fall, Spider Webs, and Mooncakes

 

So here we are on the first official day of Fall. As if by magic we abruptly went to foggy mornings. 
When we walked at Willband on Saturday the fog was so thick we saw about 6' on either side of the path.  Then on Sunday we walked at Fish Trap Creek and the fog was much less obvious.  Spider webs seem to be everywhere. I took a few pictures.  The second one has one of those dense webs that looks very different from the usual. Last year I think it was someone told me those are made by Grass Spiders. 

  

 We watched and waited to see if this osprey would dive from his high perch but he must not have been hungry.

 

 The Mid-Autumn Festival (also called the Moon Festival) is an ancient harvest celebration with a history of over 3,000 years. It happens on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, when the moon is brightest. Families gather to give thanks for the harvest, light lanterns, and eat mooncakes.  This year this celebration will be on Friday, the 25th. Beautifully decorated boxes containing mooncakes are given as gifts.  Middle Son was gifted one of these boxes   ( as manager of the complex he has had many occasions to call this roofer to come and repair a leaking roof).

 Each of the 4 mooncakes had a different filling ( the box was solely in Chinese so we had no idea what the filling was. This one seemed to have a nut and date filling or maybe sweet red bean paste.

 

A quick update on my hip problem. The X-rays came back and no problem there. However the discomfort is not pleasant and once I finally get to see my doctor ( in October!), hopefully she'll have some answers. Meanwhile my walks have had to be shortened and any hills avoided. 

 

Thanks for coming by

 

 

Decorating for Autumn

 I thought it was time for me to decorate for Autumn. Below is the sideboard before....

 

 ...and here it is after I was finished. It's all things I've used over and over every year.

 

 Next to the sideboard is my Mom's old Singer sewing machine.

 And in the Sun Room the drop leaf table always gets a touch of the season. This will all stay like it is until it's time for Christmas decorating. Again, this is all decor from previous years.

 

Eldest Daughter brought me an urn with an arrangement of leaves and grass which I put on the bench near the side door along with a bowl of nuts and an Amaryllis that has gone dormant.  I'm waiting patiently for the other 6 Amaryllises to dry up. I quit watering them in the beginning of August.  Once they all have a long rest it will be time for them to start all over with leaves and, hopefully, gorgeous blooms. 

 That's it for today.  Thank you for coming by.

 

 

Buying Plants

 

 

 

What are your plans for this day?  I'm about to go out and walk around to see what needs doing and whether it's something I can do or maybe put it on the on-going list of  To be done by the next Willing Helper!

Yesterday we went to the Out-of-Town plant Shop that I like to go to because I saw in their weekly
 e mail that they had apple basket arrangements on sale.  There were so many ( I wish I'd thought to bring my camera) I was almost overwhelmed by having to choose.  Each one was  unique so that made it difficult to choose. I loved them all. Well, maybe not the ones that had a large corn plant in the middle.
  I chose 2 for myself and some others for all "my girls".  Here's three of them..
 

 

I chose some bulbs that will hopefully brighten the garden next Spring. I'll wait for another month before planting those. I think I'll put them in pots. Less danger of mice and squirrels getting at them.
( The pretty Autumn napkins happened to jump into my cart.) 

This pretty Begonia also managed to come home with me💗

Thanks for visiting

 

 

Chit Chat

 Lovely weekend weather, cool and a mix of sun and cloud.  Perfect weather for cleaning the gutters before the rainy weather arrives. Surrounded as we are on two sides with tall evergreens  the gutters quickly get filled with pine needles.  Nice to have sons willing to help out.

 Dropping in at the Dollar Store  gave me a chance to check out 2027 calendars.  I chose 2 and both full sized calendars came with smaller versions. I'm certainly ready for the new year.  Soon I'll transfer all the birthdays and anniversaries to the one that will hang in the kitchen where I can keep up-to-date with the important dates. 

 As we usually do on Sunday afternoons we played Dominoes. Normally we would choose the Mexican train version  but Youngest found rules on the internet for Chickenfoot so we learned that one. It was a fun variation and I think we'll play that one at least for the foreseeable future.  

 I've had some questions about the dried flowers/leaves from my flower press and I don't really know yet exactly what I'll make.  GD Kate is interested in doing some arrangements and I might just pass mine along to her.  

Today is GS Callum's 28th birthday.  He's DD Sheila's one and only.  He lives in Vancouver and we don't see him all that often but when he does come out he makes time to visit us. 

That's about all for today.   I know many of you are having trouble with Blogger these days. 
My blog list is not up-dating so hopefully I won't miss anyone's latest posts.  Hopefully all will get sorted out. I notice that many are reading blogs on Feedly. I must investigate that option.

 

 

This and That

 

 

 

 Beautifully cool morning. Grocery shopping is done and my day lies ahead of me. What will I choose to do?  Because of the ongoing problem with my back/hip I won't be able to do a lot of bending but I'm sure there are other outside activities I can manage.  Yesterday I baked and we're set for the next few days. So far the Impossible Pumpkin pie and the cream cheese filled chocolate muffins have been declared delicious by family.  Earlier in the week I made corn bread and forgot the baking soda. It happens. 

 

One of my birthday gifts was this flower press which I have filled with various greenery and flowers

That's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.

 

 

 

 

The Weekend and a Book

 

 

 It's Labour Day and a holiday for many.  Yesterday we had fun playing Dominoes as usual. Even more than usual because DD Sheila doesn't manage to join us very often and when she does there seems to be even  more laughing and joking. GD Kate had us in stitches as she described how a bee had managed to get in behind her top at work and she frantically tried to  get it out much to the embarrassment of a nearby male coworker. 

On Saturday Youngest Son came to finish the job of cleaning up the rose bushes.  Tomorrow DH will take that last load away and on the way back pick up a load of bark mulch to put down around the "stumps" of the roses.  Hopefully come Spring they will regrow.

 

What I'm reading these days....I found this book at the thrift store and so far I'm enjoying it. 

  After World War II, real estate tycoon Cyril Conroy buys a lavish Philadelphia estate known as the Dutch House. He intends it as a surprise for his wife, but the display of wealth drives her to abandon the family. 
Cyril marries a new woman named Andrea. When Cyril dies, Andrea banishes his children—Danny and his older sister Maeve—from the estate, cutting them off from their fortune.
The Journey: Narrated by Danny, the story spans five decades. Left with only each other, the siblings rely on their deep bond to navigate life, education, and careers while repeatedly returning to the memory of what they lost

.

I think an afternoon nap would be a great idea. I'll just check to see if the washer and dryer are done.
I hope your week is off to a good beginning.

Thanks for coming by.

 

 

Date Squares and Hangers

 

 

It's Thursday and that means it's my day to do the grocery shopping.  We went to do that first thing before the stores got crowded. It's a cool Fallish sort of day, perfect for getting things done.  I'm not very full of zip after yet another night of not sleeping well. I'll see how it goes.

The gingerbread cake is gone. I thought it was very good but DH was less enthusiastic so I won't make it again.  I bought a large bag of dates while shopping and I think that a Date Square will be in order.   I'll make it in 2  pans and add dried cranberries and apricots to "mine".  I recently bought some dried apricots that are rather dry and hard so that will be a way to use them up. When the cakes are done and cooled I'll cut them up and freeze them being careful to mark which are which because once they're done it's hard to tell.

 

from the internet

 
Have you seen any yarn-covered wire hangers at your local thrift store?  Or maybe you already have some.  I had a friend who was making them for a while and I ended up with some. I soon found that they were perfect for hanging up slippery tops. Now I actually look for pretty ones when I go thrifting. Even light weight cardigans stay on the hanger better when I use one of these.

That's it for today.  Thanks for coming by.

 

 

 

September

 

 

 We celebrated the first day of September by going to the plant shop where I restrained myself and bought just a few plants. I chose some pretty purple/rust  Mums...2 for me and 2 to share. I also chose a Bunny Ears Cactus which I couldn't resist. It joins my other cacti on the sunny South window.

We had not been to that shop for a while and noticed  that they have expanded to include quite a large area with fruit & vegetables.  We were able to buy Honey Crisp apples for .99 a lb and lovely pears at the same price. DH is already hinting at Apple Crisp .

I did bake a mini Gingerbread cake just right for two!   If you're interested look up the site called One Dish Kitchen, a site that has recipes for one or two.  Sometimes an 8X8 or 9X13 is too much. 
I just took it out of the oven!! It smells wonderful!

 It's a lovely day and I must go out and do a little puttering. Thanks for taking the time to visit.

 

 

not me this time