Snow is on the ground

First snow of the year, October 24, 2011

My yard is done for the season, a very big sigh!

My Garzania's are a real winner on my deck!  They have taken the hot sun, the drying out of these planter boxes and were the very last flowers blooming in my yard.  Two days later, the frost finally killed them.  I give these plants a 10 for drought and heat tolerance!!

Last week, I cleaned up the raspberry patch and bagged up the fallen leaves to use in the springtime. Springtime. Only six months away. The first seeds I planted this year was the beets and the last thing I harvested was the beets. They were delicious, with butter, salt and pepper. I also spread some seeds around in the hope that they will start up by themselves. I have so much Calendula and some lovely little purple Asters that I know that they self seed wonderfully. I spread some tall snapdragon seeds in the wine barrel, and the tall marigold seeds from the seed heads I picked in Victoia two summers ago. In the bed that the beets were in, I threw down Parsley seeds that were sent to me as part of a HGG package from a Bookcrosser in the UK. there was a lovely Dill seed head in the garden, so that got sprinkled in too, with a few Asters. Could this work? My lazy gardening method, throw the seeds down and let Mother Earth do the rest.

Halloween is over and done with. The girls brought home so much candy that were have been enjoying. Not good to have all that junk in the house but we still eat it of course. We had two huge pumpkins that the girls wanted to carve themselves. I admit that that was very poor judgement on my part. While I was trying to cook supper, Celia cut her finger so bad that we has to go to Emergency for three hours. FOUR stitches!

The pumpkins, I cooked up and tried some new recipes. They were really good, and my family liked them so much that I will make them again!  Thanks to allrecipes.com!

Pumpkin and Sausage Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound andouille sausage, diced (I used Mild Italian sausage)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 1/2 pounds pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup praline liqueur
• 7 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/8 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Cook diced sausage in skillet with 2 tablespoons butter for 5 minutes.
2. Add onion and cook until soft. Add thyme and pumpkin OR sweet potatoes and cook 5 minutes.
3. Add liqueur, broth, and brown sugar. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, or until pumpkin OR potatoes are tender.
4. In blender puree soup in batches. Return to pan and stir in cream and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Warm but do not boil. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 311 | Total Fat: 19.5g | Cholesterol: 48mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Pumpkin Pudding

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 (29 ounce) can canned pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 (18.25 ounce) package spice cake mix ( I had a package of Carrot Cake mix and that worked well!)
• 1/4 cup margarine, melted
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Blend together the sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, salt, clove and pie spice. Pour into baking dish.
3. Spread dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon, margarine and chopped nuts.
4. Bake for 60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 229 | Total Fat: 8.6g | Cholesterol: 58mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Bring on the rain!

The weather forecast is saying that we are going to get slot of rain in the next couple of days. I am so ready for this!

On Tuesday I was in the area of Golden acres garden centre so I thought I would wild release a gardening Bookcrossing book and look around a bit. Not only did I get a few packs of spring bulbs some Squibb bulbs, muscari and 5 special tulip bulbs at .99 each. AND I didn't forget the box of Bone meal. They also had perennials, shrubs and trees on sale for 75% off so I had to go back in for a second trip I bought a white shrub rose, a gooseberry bush and five little perennials for under $19.
Today after I dropped the girls at school, I started planting. I did some cleanup in the west side of the house and planted the 5 tulip bulbs in that bed. In the front of the house I planted my two Ostrich fern, and I'm looking forward to some Fiddle heads in the spring. Yummy! I planted the Gooseberry in the diamond shaped bed in the front yard and the rose in the bed under the Elm. So there I was, out in the rain, planting all my bulbs, I am sure that my neighbors were looking out their windows and shaking their heads, but wait until spring when my tulips are blooming and my new bushes are growing... My first regular rose bush!! I chose this variety of rose because it had the largest rose hips. Did I tell you that I only paid $7.50 for a rosebush.
So now I'm done in the front!

I dug up all my geraniums too. I rinsed off the whole plants in warm soapy water and left them in the rain to rinse off. I have a Styrofoam box. That I will plant up with all my geraniums and have them  overwinter in the basement. I just leave these babies to die, I spent god money on my collection and I like the challenge.
Now I need to go for a shower, get warmed up, get some super ready for everyone, it's a busynight tonight. But just listen to the rain falling against the window. How satisfying is that?

Egads, it is Autumn!

... a work in progress, just like my garden right now

How lovely it is to see the leaves changing colours again, and the Manitoba Maple has dropped more than half of it's leaves in my back yard. We are starting to have frost on the trucks in the morning and I am making the girls put jackets on in the morning.
Yesterday, I finished repairing the raised bed beside my garage. That was some job, I tell you. I had to dig out all the soil so that I could replace the wall and reinforce it, but my little faithful cordless drill just didn't have the umph for the job. After the weekend of trying to find a solution and checking out the possibilities I am thrilled to say it is done.
I moved some of my beloved mint into the bed and I am just going to let them go. I am going for the wildness there. I really like Nasturtiums hanging over the wall there and since they are going to seed anyway they can just be. Yesterday in my search for a tool rental, I found a bag of 50 assorted tulips for just $13.99! But my biggest bargain was two planters -12" pots only $1.99 (you can't buy those pots alone for that price, nevermind filled with plants), each with a beautiful deep wine colored Hechura or Coral bells, a graceful grass, a trailing Heather that I doubt will overwinter but it is worth a try, and a Creeping Charlie. So now there are tulips, strawberries, pansies and Calendulars. Whatever grows there will just give me more plants for next year.

Last month, I revamped my big planters at the front door. There were some beautiful purple asters that had seeded from last year, so I moved some of these plants into the front planter with the hope that they will seed themselves there for the spring.

Tomorrow, I will have to bring in my collection of geraniums with the hope and prayer that they will survive my basement and my husband.

Last week I emptied one of my compost bins. As I was digging I was surprised to see a mouse running around. My faithful companion Maggie was quick to rescue me and chased down that mouse. After a few trys, she did manage to catch it and then started to play with it like a cat. I'm not sure if she ate it but I cam hardly wait to empty the second compost bin. I know that Maggie will be right there watching close as I dig!

How I spent my FIRST Summer holidays in four years!!

* please note - I had written this at the end of September but only publishing it today, just a wee bit of creative license.


At the end of June, I found myself temporarily without a job, after working two jobs 7 days a week since February.  The first few days were a bit unnerving, but I soon got over that.  My Parent’s 60^th Anniversary was on July 16^th, so I had lots to get ready for.  First my older sister was coming to visit on her way out to Manitoba, so I started cleaning up the house.  I started with the bathroom on the main level because that was the most public loo.  We have lived in this house for 6 years now and I always hated the sloppy paint job in that room, but since I was always working, I just didn’t have time to do anything about it, and my husband didn’t see the point of painting it.  I didn’t think that it would take too much time to paint, so three days before my dear elder sister was to arrive, I started dismantling. What should have taken just a few hours took me well into the next day, but the end results are great!  I have a lovely chocolate paint on the walls and a new back splash.  (ooh...chocolate)

This minor Reno got my husband Jean Louis’ imagination going.  We had a few leaks and usual neglect in our full bath upstairs, and he had been checking out different handy men for quotes on the renovation.  So just a few days before we were to leave for my parent’s anniversary, we had a great guy tearing the tiles off the bathroom walls, dragging our old tub and toilet into the back yard.  Then the next day, there were two guys in our bathroom putting new tiles up on the walls, installing a BEAUTIFUL soaker style bathtub (I can actually stretch out in it, and it is deep too), a new dual flush toilet and pretty slate tiles on the floor.

At this point, it was almost time to go on our road trip.  My parents live about a 12 hour drive away from us, and we needed to get our trailer loaded. Jean Louis is a teacher, so he had the entire summer off, something that I was always jealous of, but not this year!  I was expecting to go back to work at the garden centre at the end of July.

The day before we left Calgary, I had the honour of going with my 26 yr old daughter Mara to the Backstreet Boys/New Kids on the Block concert.  She had won the tickets through a radio station and decided that since I had to put up with the constant BSB music, posters and craziness of her teen years, I should go with her.  It was a fantastic concert!!  I am very grateful for the invention of those little foam ear plugs...how I would have suffered with out them.  I’m going to show my age for just a moment...”does the music REALLY have to be that loud?????”

We had a great trip out to Manitoba, my parents are in their 80’s, and both doing great.  It was a good visit for everyone, my parents got to know their grandchildren en mass, my eldest brother, my two sisters and I had time to get to relax and enjoy each other’s company and our children - the cousins all got a chance to get to know each other, something that may not happen again for a long time.  Well, most of it was good except for my Prima-Dona-psycho little sister who was no help at all for the party and caused everyone around her stress.  But I choose to dwell on the good times! LOL

During our time in Manitoba, we all camped at the lake near town, and it was wonderful to come back from town and jump into that cooling lake.  It has been years since I’ve jumped off a dock, but it felt SO good!!

When we got back to Calgary, we finished the renovation on the bathroom, this time, Jean Louis painted the bathroom and I put up the new tile back splash and grouted.  Now when I go into both rooms, it just feels so wonderful to have these pretty rooms in our home.  Next we need to paint our daughter’s bedrooms.

Then we went north for another short camping trip.  We went to the Drumheller area and the Hoodoo campground.  I really am amazed by the Hoodoos.  They are rock formations caused by the erosion by wind and weather.  What amazes me about getting out of the city of Calgary is that at night time, it is so quiet.  There are no traffic noises and NO airplanes flying right over the house.  (We live right on the flight path, so it can get loud.)

Soon I found out that there was no job for me at the Garden Centre.  I was disappointed, but I soon got over that nonsense.  Now I had time to stay up late with my hubby and my daughters, sleep in the morning and really be on holiday with my family. My garden was slowly getting weeded, watered and harvested.  Carrots just didn’t produce at all for me, but my Romano beans and Sugar peas were fabulous!

Last week we went on our last camping trip of the summer, and this time we headed south to “Writing-on-Stone” Provincial Park.  We were only 35 km from the Canada/US border and the landscape was truly amazing.  Writing-on-Stone is a sacred area to the Blackfoot peoples.  They have been coming here for thousands of years and telling their stories by way of carving pictures in the stone walls.  AND...There were more impressive Hoodoos!  We stayed in that lovely valley for only two nights, and then we started home again.  On the way home we stopped in a small town called Nanton because there is a candy store that is filled with jars and shelves of candies!  Talk about having a moment with your inner child!  LOL

Now we are at home, getting Stephanie (11 next month) and Celia (9) ready to go back to school.  There is some shopping for clothes yet to do, but other than that they are good to go.  I have been putting my resume out again and I am hoping that something really interesting will come my way.

It has been such a hot day – 28C but now a breeze is starting up and I can almost smell rain.  Isn’t that a wonderful smell?  It is almost as good as clothes that were dried outside on the clothesline.  But time to check supper for the family; they need to get back into a routine before school starts up again. 

AH, 'tis summertime!

Happy Canada Day all my dear friends and family!

I was almost shocked to see that I haven't posted anything since the beginning of April, well working seven days a week means that there just isn't any time for all the fun things in life.  As of today, I am officially on holidays and that means that I am taking some time for my family and ME!!  It has been so long since I have had time off in the summer, hopefully I can get my house and garden organized again.

So where to start...?  Should I start with the different areas of my yard?  What about pictures of my lovely flowers?  What the heck happened to all my lovely mints over the winter? Wait...what is that I hear??  It's a tiny voice getting louder and louder. It reminds me of the story of the little old woman who finds the bone and the voice gets louder and louder, "Give me back my bone".  Well the voice I hear is "When are you going to finish the laundry?"  I choose to ignore the voices inside my head for now, thank you very much!

...to be continued with pictures

...and then it snowed

All day today and all night long!  We have at least 15 to 20 CM of snow on the ground...again.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAArrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:o(

March came in like a Lion and is going out like a Lamb

Ahhh...in less than two hours, it will be the First of April!!

It has been a time since I have had time to check in here, and I am so happy to welcome my dear Bookcrossing friend in Australia...Hi Loey!!

I have been working part time at Cobblestone Garden Centre since the beginning of February and I can not believe the changes I have seen.  The three bays in the greenhouse side has come back from the dead of winter and the sad abandoned look to being full of the shrubs that we have planted.  That was so much fun having my hands in that!  All the shrubs, junipers and small trees were brought in from outside to the warmth of the greenhouse and are coming back to life. Last week we planted Blueberries, Strawberries, Gooseberries, Currants and Virginia Creeper.  This week we planted up the start of the seed Geraniums...there are over 2000 of them, and there are some really pretty leaf ones...my favourite!!  I have already decided which plants and shrubs I will be buying...moderation, Ellen...moderation!   Definately some of the pretty geraniums, a Cotoneaster, possibly an Amur Maple, and a Romeo Cherry when it comes in.
The inside of the Garden Centre is ready and stocked to the rafters.  I am having a great time talking to the folks coming in to start the season.  It is so hard to curb my spending and save some of my paycheque for other things.  Last year I was like a kid in a candy store...this year I am a lady in a Chocolate shop - drooling over everything but knowing that I can't have everything I want...yeah right!
As my kids and my hubby are off from school this week, so today I had a day off!!!  Sleeping in until 9 Am was pretty nice...but then getting up and relaxing with a coffee and NOT have to rush around getting everyone ready and out the door was amazing!  I even had a second cup of coffee, sat down on the couch with my toast and watched...ready for this...Lon Chaney in "The Wolfman".  Ten O'Clock in the morning and I'm watching an old Black and White Horror movie...from start to finish!!   How decadent!  Then I watched the last hour of "God's Little Acre".  After my third cuppa coffee I got motivated!

Today it was so beautiful out, the sun was shining, the snow was melting and I could go out on my south facing deck in BARE feet!  I even saw that I have TULIPS coming up beside the house on the south side of my house.  I wanted to do the Snoopy Dance! There were three dead plants in the house so outside they went. Very good Feng Shui getting those dead plants out of the house.  I opened my windows and let the good air into my home.  AAhhhhh!

Then I started planting my seeds downstairs in the basement, and I used my old styro trays and square pots as well as empting the pail of left over soil from last year.  Now I have the top of my tv stand filled with seed trays and I have planted:  Parsley, Lemon Boy Tomatoes, Sweet 100's Cherry Tomatoes, Rampion, Dolly Basil, Herb Robert, Mignonette, Welsh Onion, Vervain, Crookneck Squash, Black Beauty Squash, Moonflowers, Lavendar Lady, and I planted 4 different varieties of Sweet Peas in the planter boxes on my deck.  I know that it is early BUT it is the heat on the deck that should bring them through and I just couldn't help myself.  So a majority of my first order from Richters has been planted, as well as some of my leftover seeds from last year and some of the pile of seeds from my daughter Mara.  Over a week ago I put in my second order from Richters that will include the remainder of my seeds, my Wild Dagga, and more plants including some herbs and flowers.  I can not wait to see what my yard will look like this season!!  I ordered more plants for my teas as well!

Bookcrossing.com
This month I have had a great time Bookcrossing!  Not only did I reach 500 books registered with Bookcrossing but I was the winner of the Canada Smiles Sweepstakes.  I have had such a great experience recieving so many great books from dear friends all over Canada.  There are so many really great books on my TBR pile and so many of them are books that I would have never read if it wasn't for my Bookcrossing addiction and friends.  LOL.

Cooking
I guess with Spring comes that extra energy so I have a huge roaster pan in the oven right now full of lovely homemade Marinara sauce (onions, garlic, celery, red and green peppers, carrots and lots of fresh Paste tomatoes) that I will cool off tonight in the garage and package it for my freezer in the morning. 

My famous Veggie Pasta Sauce, it cooks in the oven, doesn't burn (usually) and makes a huge batch.

In one evening I made enough sauce for 9 meals - each at least 3 cups/750 ml.

 Then I saw that I had a surplus of oranges and grapefruits so I also made marmalade that is simmering in my slow cooker.  I can not believe how much sugar I had to use!!!  Tomorrow morning I will be bottling that up, also.  

Looks like I will have enough Marmalade to last until next year.  I love toasted bagels with cream cheese and Marmalade!

I still have lots of berries in my freezer that I need to make jam out of: Blackberries that we picked on Vancouver Island, Blueberries, and Saskatoons.  But for now, it is time to say goodnight!

Thanks for stopping by!