Christmas

Christmas crept up ever so quickly this year, in fact far too quickly for my liking, given that I had to work at the office right up to the end.   In previous years I have always been really organized and had the majority of presents bought and wrapped by December, and decorations all complete.  This year, however, given my work schedule and also the fact that Chris is still limited to the use of only one hand/arm, things seemed to be left to the last minute. I managed a few decorations up, though, keeping it simple.  

   

 Being behind was not such a good thing when we were expecting 5 house guests to share the festive season with us.  Chris’s sons Mike and David, and Mike’s family of 3 plus their pup Frodo gifted us with a Christmas visit this year.   Fortunately time stood still for a bit and we managed to get organized and were all ready when the Weyler clan arrived.

Here is Mike, Shae, Dylan and Halle

And David and Dylan

And of course the 3 generations of Weyler "men"

 Dinner was traditional turkey
 

 

   and even Jake and Frodo got into the Christmas spirit with their cracker hats around their necks, waiting patiently for some leftovers.

Lots to eat, and then lots of time to relax and digest. 

 

 Merry Christmas, 2015!

 

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer(Car)!

All dressed up in her Christmas costume, my little Yaris played the part of Rudolph quite willingly.  Donning antlers and a red nose, she wore her costume well!

I Don't Regret Growing Older!

Whenever I feel old, I count my lucky stars that I’m still here to continue growing up!  Granted, I sometimes forget this when I wake up or go to bed with aches and pains, or see weight gain in all the wrong spots, or feel a total lack of energy!  

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said:  Do not regret growing older. It's a privilege denied to many".   I never thought of it this way.  I kept wishing I wouldn't grow up and when I read that, I not only got a new perspective, I realized that we are constantly growing up.  There is never a point when we can say we are totally and completely all grown up!

This year’s birthday came and went on November 10^th. 

Spent with friends Bob and Susan, we shared a special Nanaimo Bar – or should I say “Bowen Bar”! 

 

But seriously now, I cannot believe I will turn 60 in roughly 22 months.  The countdown is on!!    It is just really weird because I feel no different than 30. Where did those last 30 years go?  I almost can't wait.  I never did celebrate my 50th - too many excuses like, I am not in a good head space to celebrate, or I need to loose weight first, or I will do it at 55.  Too many excuses. I have time now to create a vision and a plan for 60!  woo hoo!!!

 

30 Seconds to Retirement

Much can be said about looking forward to retirement, and for Chris, he had set the date and sold his work van, and was even getting ready to have a tool sale.  One last small handyman job for a long-time customer and he would hang up his tool belt on Tuesday. 

 That's when I received the phone call at work.  "Honey, could you meet me at Lions Gate Hospital emergency?  I've fallen and broken my wrist.  My customer is taking me on the ferry to the hospital.
What??   So I managed to make it to emergency by 4:15pm and there he was, sitting, waiting to be seen by the doctor since 3pm;  wrist distorted, and in a lot of pain. What happened?  Well, apparently he was standing on the kitchen counter hanging curtain rods on a kitchen window and he slipped, fell to the floor, and his wrist smashed against the kitchen island as he was falling!  Ouch!

Chris was finally seen by the Doctor at 5:15 and sent for an xray.  At 6:30 they confirmed 2 wrist bones on either side were broken.  Next he would have to have it set and casted.  A 6 inch needle was stuck right inside his wrist to freeze it so they could pull the hand to set it.  He said it hurt sooo bad having the needle put it.  I can only imagine.

They gave him some hydromorphone at 6:30 but it really didn't help with his pain.   Then they took another xray to make sure the cast was on proper, and we were done, and able to get the last ferry home at 9:30pm. 

The broken wrist just happens to be his left hand and Chris is very much left handed.  He is really at a disadvantage now, and so limited in what he can do effectively.  Things he struggles with include: cutting and buttering his bread; putting on socks; writing; opening jars; the list is long, plus having a stick shift in the car, means he is not driving as he needs 2 hands.  I seem to have become his left hand now.
Chris will have to see an orthopedic surgeon next week at some point to have it checked, but I suspect this will be a long haul.  He won't be chopping the kindling or using the broom and dustpan for a while either.  I'll do my best.

First Time Using a Crock Pot

I recall someone telling me that slow cooking on a crock pot was the way to go in the fall and winter.   Since we have a crock pot, I figured today might be the day to try it out.  Being culinarily challenged, a quick google search and I found an easy recipe for Short Ribs.  I first browned them and then threw them into the pot.

Next I gently sauted onions, garlic and tomato paste, adding 2 cups of dry wine.  It was only later when I reread the recipe that I realized it was supposed to be red wine, but I had used white.  oh well.

I threw in mushrooms and celery and pay and thyme.  Didn;t have any carrots. The slow cooker was on for 6 hours.

 Voila!  With mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts and thickened ribs gravy - I reckon it wasn't too bad. Not much flavour for me.  I'll try a different recipe next time.

October 15th is Bonfire Season

Bonfires are a quintessential part of fall.  Something we look forward to each year as summer ends. Sometimes we gather the neighbours around and sing, barbeque hotdogs, or just have a working fire to clear up the summer garden debris.  On October 17th we did just that - started the fall task of cleaning up all the summers clippings.

There is enough for at least 2 more working bonfires, and, hopefully if the weather holds, a party gathering bonfire for my birthday in November.  If so, it will be the 4th annual.

Fall Colours

There is a peaceful beauty about the garden in October that allows the gardener to simply relax and enjoy it, and relish in the cycles of the seasons.  Autumn Monkshood is one of my favourite flowering perennial that waits its turn in the garden until October rolls around.  These are the striking flowers I now enjoy from the front patio window.  Hard to believe they belong to the buttercup family!

 

To the left of our patio view of the Monkshood, and contrasting these striking blue flowers, are the red, pink and gold leaves of the Japanese maple.

Nature's colour at its best.

Thanksgiving - a Season, Not a Day

It's was a week ago that the Thanksgiving long weekend was upon us. Why there is just one day a year we are supposed to be thankful I will never know.  Being thankful, like gratitude, allows us to enjoy the good things in life more fully.  Thankfulness is like sitting down to a fabulous meal and savoring every bit, as opposed to racing through the meal like it is a competition.  While the latter is typically my style, the former is just exactly what we did.  This year, while there were no family plans or get-togethers, our extended island family helped reinforce how grateful we are for friendships.  Not one, but 2 turkey dinners on the weekend.

Our good friends Bob and Susan laid out a wonderful spread for us and their daughter Lauren on Saturday night.

Sunday night, the Hunter clan had us over to share in a much contributed dinner for 14!

Friends Sheila and Bonnie.

 

  Bonnie supplied the brussel sprouts, beans and mashed turnip. 

 One of the amazing dishes I had never had was roasted yams with marshmallows on top. 

 One of Sheila's traditions.  Go figure!

 The Hunter grandkids

 

 And of course George - the patriarch! and grandaughter Georgina!

 Chris was thankful that we were invited out both days so that I didn't have to cook. 

 I was thankful too! And FULL!

My Authentic Pie

One of the memories I have of both my mom and my grandma was their ability to bake an awesome apple pie.  I have much to learn about baking pies, but frankly, baking is not my cup of tea, and I am certainly lacking in the patience department when it comes to food prep. 

Given that we had an abundance of apples on our trees this summer, and the fact that I came upon a pie plate in the cupboard which likely has never been used for a pie before, I thought I would have a go.  Chris is not much of a sweets person, so baking deserts typically means I will eat most of it, but what the heck, I was up for the baking challenge.
 

I surfed the net to find a good pastry recipe, and also a filling recipe that seemed easy enough for me to attempt.  I found a simple one that didn’t require any chilling before rolling out:

 2 1/2 c. Flour
1 c. Lard
1 Tsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 egg in a measuring cup + cold water to bring to 1/2 c. 

Instructions for kneading the pastry was to put it in a pillow case, but I used a bag instead.  

 It was really simple and easy to roll out.  

 

Next came the filling.  I used about 8 apples - a mix of Braeburn, Pippin and Liberty and then squeezed the juice of a lemon all over them.   Next they were dusted with a little cornstarch, brown sugar and cinnamon.  I recalled as a child this was the best part of the apple pie making process - mom always took a bit of the dusted apples out for me to eat. Yummy!

Overall, I was happy with the ease of putting the pie together and getting it ready for the oven.

But even more happy with the end result, as the pastry was melt in your mouth and the apple filling was not sweet at all.   It may not have looked all professional like, with fluted edges and what-not, but that's not my style.  And don't forget-  I haven't the patience for finishing touches. It's what's inside and the flavour that counts.

Chris had one slice and cooked up a serving of custard for on top of his piece.  The rest of the pie was left for me to eat.  I did – but with ice-cream; and over a few days.   There was a bit of pastry left, so Chris picked me a couple more apples and I threw together this little mini pie.  It's in the freezer so not sure how it will taste.

That's it for this year's baking.  Next year I may try a pie again - perhaps a berry pie.

Fighting Like Cats & Dogs? NOT!

I’m not sure where the phrase came from, but in our family the dog and cats are the 3 amigos.  They share their living space quite amicably, as you can see below.  Interestingly enough, there is a pecking order which can be seen quite clearly here.  Gypsy thinks she is the queen and perches above the rest in her wanna-be "alpha" role.  Jake is next in command, thinking that he really is "alpha", and then there is Smoke, who is totally oblivious to the term "alpha". 

Copious Amounts of Blackberries!

We thought last year we had a good crop of blackberries, but this year, with the months of sunshine and weeks of scorching records temperatures, our backyard blackberries and bigger and better than ever, and there are copious quantities.  All these berries are also  providing much-needed food for hungry  birds and mice who are having a tough time with the hot dry summer. 

Truthfully, we have not been able to keep up with them.  We are getting at least one big mixing bowl each evening, but could be getting more if we weren't so lazy. 

Basically we are just freezing them on trays as they are picked. 

 So far we have 13 freezer bags in the deep freeze.  This means blackberry smoothies for breakfast all  winter!!