Fertilizer Friday - Jul 29.11

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The weather here this week has been overcast and grey. It must be because it's Exhibition week and the Bill Lynch rides are here! LOL! (That's always the running joke.)
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But the skies are not grey for me: my Mom and Dad arrived last Sunday; and I've taken a few vacation days to day trip around the province. At almost 83, I'm amazed by their energy and I'm loving their desire to see everything they can see.
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Yesterday, we went to the Annapolis Valley. Dad wanted to see apple trees (which he did in abundance, around every corner, in every size and variety) and the Minas Basin with it's HIGH tides and mud flats.
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It was especially wonderful for my Mom and I to drive around a corner in our "wanderings" and come across this:
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There in front of us was a huge field of day lilies -
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Every size and color:
The scent was intoxicating!!!!
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Now I've just got enough time to visit Tootsie at Tootsie Time and check out Fertilizer Friday/ Flaunt Your Flowers July 29/11. But I can't dawdle because today we head to "Piddily Island" (Prince Edward Island) where I'll eat Cow's ice cream and cheese before lying on their gorgeous red sandy beaches; perhaps I'll even get to visit my childhood friend and hero, "Anne of Green Gables".
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Happy Weekend everyone!
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Green Festival July 23.11

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Bridgewater hosted it's 2nd Green Festival this past Saturday. The local community wants to bring even more awareness to taking care of earth and body through clean eating, drinking, living, etc. I was there by 9 am, bought myself a chocolate-dipped "waffle on a stick" and a most excellent cup of French roast coffee and sat to enjoy some of the local talent before the Town Crier announced the Street Parade. .
The parade was darling; lots of kiddies out on trikes and in the cutest butterfly and wizard costumes, among others..

There were vendors talking on clean drinking water, a bus system for the area to link the local villages, endangered species, etc. This lady had a wonderful display of felted items, and although I fell in love with the green purse with the blue flower, I only purchased a couple of felted flowers. .
This yurt (without it's outer walls) interested me and I spent some time talking to the young couple inside. They are currently building a 12 x 12 yurt and will live there this winter with their 3 yr old boy. Beautiful design! But I don't think I'll be moving any time soon!.

After indulging myself that morning, I scooted up the hill to help man the tables for our community garden's "Hodge Podge" luncheon. For Hodge Podge, you cook up fresh, baby vegetables, lightly season them and pour on the cream. Yum yum! So delicious! This free luncheon was open to the public as an introduction to our community garden. We also offered fresh rolls, watermelon and strawberries, fresh pressed local cider, blueberry and cherry juice and cake.

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We had music; and for the young (or young at heart), we had a water slide down the side of the hill. Hmmmm! That was one of the things on my bucket list. So guess who took the plunge? AND I successfully encouraged 4 other ladies over 50 to join in.

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But as I can't slide and take pictures at the same time, the proof will hopefully follow. It was such fun!

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Thrifty Thursday Jun 21.11

It's Thrifty Thursday #123 with Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville . So, let me share with you what I found at the Summer Fling at West Side United Church. I went mainly for the strawberry shortcake. But I did score some good yard sale finds.
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1. I got this wall plaque for $1; I plan on rolling on a coat of contrasting color paint over it so the "laugh" will stand out a little more.


2. I bought this very pretty broach (excuse bad photography pls) for $1.


3. This cute little turtle with the grey pearl shell was 50 cents.


4. And these cowboy boot and Sherriff's badge earrings were 50 cents. (A girl never knows when she'll need proof that her abilities at being good "on the range" speak of more than her cooking!)


5. But my best buy at the yard sale table was this $1, very Kate-like clutch purse. Isn't it darling! (Now I need a cowboy to take me out to dinner.) See the pretty lining? Guess what I found inside: a dried out tissue, several pieces of lint and a Loonie (or a $1 coin for you non-Canadians). So, this purse was free! (Much the same as I am most evenings!)

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I also bought some homemade muffins. But if you know me at all, you'll know that they are no longer available to be photographed!!!

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Hope your thrifting this week was fun!

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Rednesday Jul 20.11

My red for todays edition of Rednesday .............

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No 1 =

Oops! No ... these are still green!

Now they're red (and soooo delicious).Surf 'n' turf dinner at home for the Schulers. (I could take a hint!).

No 2 =

This beautiful Naturalizer bag I bought at Value Village on June 30th; gorgeous lining too.

I love red, so I'm off to see what else is highlighted in todays REDNESDAY - RED HOT SUMMER! with SueLovesCherries at It's A Very Cherry World!

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Schulers and Shoes-day, Jul 19.11

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Saturday morning, I went to a "Summer Fling" at a local church and got some great thrifty finds. (Stay tuned Thursday!) I wore these magnificent sandals which were a gift from my friend Eva. She found them at Frenchies for $6 and showed them to me. When I tried them on, she declared that my feet were much prettier in them than hers and that I should keep them. I never look a gift Czech in the mouth!

Thank you Eva! I adore them.

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Sunday was pretty special. I met up with my darling German student from last year, Nadine and her parents. They're visiting NS for a few days. So we spent the day at Peggy's Cove where Nadine and I shot the new "Jump for Joy" summer edition photo. We stopped at Queensland beach and had a scrumptuous picnic: strawberries, chocolate brownies and do-it-yourself sandwiches with fabulous cheeses! They wouldn't believe me when I said that I don't swim in the ocean until August; they had to dip their own tootsies before they would admit "De-feet"! We drove from Peggy's Cove all the way back to Bridgewater via the old highway, and all the beaches were filled to capacity. Nadine's Mom was quite taken with the many Adrondak chairs she saw on decks and in gardens; and every time she saw a sign that mentioned lobster (and there are a lot of them on the South Shore), she would repeat it out loud. I think we have a seafood lover in the family!
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What lovely people they are and both have such a great sense of humor. We had a lot of fun together.
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But why, oh why, did they have to bring me ginger marzipan and a Lindt chocolate selection I've never seen before?

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And just where has it gone already?
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"Burp!"
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Thrifty Thursday. July 14.11

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I have a beautiful red Toile quilt and pillow shams for my bed that I love. But it's much too heavy for the warmer half of the year; so for the longest time, I've been looking for a lighter weight spread. I was hoping I could find a nice, cheap chennile. No luck to date.
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Last week, I dropped into my favorite local thrift shop. There was nothing in the linens section. Darn! But as I was passing the house goods section, I could see what I thought was a cream-colored spread. It was rolled up and taped together with masking tape; and written on the masking tape was "Dog Blanket - $2".
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Most blankets tagged for doggies are in pretty rough condition. But I was curious. So, I checked the tag - queen sized; and although it was difficult to get a really good look at it, it seemed okay. And for $2, I decided to take a chance. I brought it home and washed it in hot water with some Oxy for brightness ..........
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It's perfect! Not a stain, not a blemish, not a pick! Perfect! And the flower medallions are lovely. What a bargain!
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I just have to say "Arf arf!"

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Now I'm off to check out Thrifty Thursday with Leigh at Tales from Bloggeritaville. Perhaps there'll be biscuits!

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I'm a little pretty girl ... trapped inside this grown-ups body!

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Did you ever have one of those days (months, years) that made you want to just want to pack it all in? The house, the kids, the laundry?
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Well, next time you feel that way, get together a dozen or so of your closest friends and neighbours, borrow your younger sisters dress-up clothes and your Uncle Stan's video camera and sing about it!
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Yes, with just an upbeat tempo and a few simple lines, you too have the ability to go viral and become famous for more than just your tuna casserole and extra white linens. Check it out with Tonje.


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I would place this Norwegian export right up there next to trolls and pickled herring.
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(PS - I don't want to be a crappy housewife either; so I avoid that by weekly menu planning and by cleaning up spills and messes as they occur!)
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Now, where did I put my fishnets and 1970's Merry Widow corset?
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Strawberry Sweetness!

I was going to pick strawberries this weekend, but it rained and the fields were closed. So I purchased a few boxes from the Farmer's Market. I ventured out early Saturday morning in flip-flops, raincoat and umbrella and felt like a kid in the rain. I paid $2.50 a quart -- not bad.
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That afternoon, I assembled the necessities for putting down a batch of Brandied Fruit. It can be an expensive little venture, and it's certainly not something I do often. (The last time was perhaps 12 years ago.) But I like to have something special for my Xmas gift baskets.
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My covered antique crock is perfect for holding the fruit. Use only the best of the berries, sugar, and some good brandy. I started with 2 qt of strawberries and 1/6 cup sugar for every cup of fruit. (Don't try to cut back on the sugar). Put this in the crock and cover the fruit with brandy. (I used about 2/3 of the bottle; so Yes, this will be an expensive little venture.) I placed a plate on top of the fruit to weight it down and keep the berries under the Brandy. We don't want the fruit to ferment; we want it to soak up the lovely flavor of the Brandy and infuse it with it's fruitiness!

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I carried the crock downstairs to the cool, dark cellar and put it in my preserves cupboard. As fruit comes in season, I'll add to the crock -- raspberries, cherries, peaches, pears -- remembering to add 1/6 cup of sugar for every cup of fruit AND make sure that it's always covered by Brandy. Then in the early fall, I'll process it in sterilized pint jars, label it all pretty, and store it until Christmas.
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The fruit will have a marvelous flavor, just the slightest bit of sweet bite to it and the juices will be syrupy. This is fantastic over good vanilla ice cream or a plain sponge with real whipped cream.

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Now, we all know that every strawberry in the box wasn't perfect. So, the remaining perfectly lovely berries were sliced, added to the rhubarb that was leftover from making Rhubarb syrup, a little sugar, a little grated lemon rind and Voila!

3 lovely pies for the freezer.

(I'll bake more pies this week when I do go to pick strawberries.)

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Don't you love the tastes of summer!
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If the Shoe Fits .....

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I love shoes! And boots! I have black and brown; blue and pink; green, purple, teal, beige, wine, red, gold and and even an orangy-mustard pair. But I do not have yellow! I've casually looked for a pair for about 2 years. You see, I remember a little pair of yellow pumps that I had pre-baby days in the 1980's. (And they were a size smaller! Having babies, huh!) When I wore those yellow pumps, it was like wearing sunshine on my feet! I felt better!
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The search for the elusive yellow shoe became more intensive when I met online my blog friend ❀❀❀Ðαωᾔ❀❀❀ at Creative Cain Cabin. This woman has the most beautiful collection of shoes and sandals. Every time she does her "What I wore" post, I fluctuate between love and envy. Oh the shoes! Why, this little shoe piggy even has TWO pairs of yellow shoes! To give her credit though, she has vowed to hunt down a pair of yellow shoes for me. What a sweetie! She is a kindred spirit and a true shoe-sister!


Meanwhile, whenever I'm in the city (with it's myriad shoe stores and malls), I'm on yellow alert! I can see yellow from 50 yards; and I hone in like a heat-seeking missle.




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So ............ I'm in the city at Winners on June 30th doing my usual yellow shoe scan when my eyes lock on something.

• They're on sale!


• They fit me!


• They're comfy!


• They're sold!

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. Okay! So, they're not yellow. But they're so darned cute;

like wearing a flower garden on your feet!

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But just so you know ........... I'm still on yellow alert!
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Music is love in search of a word. ~Sidney Lanier

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You know how sometimes you hear a bit of music on the radio and think "Hey! That's a nice song". And then quite a while later, you hear a different song; and you wonder if you've heard that voice before and you think "Hey! That's kinda nice". And then one day when you've wandered down a few rabbit trails on U-Tube you suddenly find the voice! So, you watch a whole bunch of videos; and you discover that besides the voice, there's this amazing musical talent ... and this cute little chipmunk face and a head full of dark curls to go with the voice.
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And so you listen some more until it hits you: "I'm in love!!!"
And he doesn't even know I exist!
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But that's okay! Cause after all: he's just a young pup; while I'm a round, wrinkling, mature female who just wants a platonic relationship with him anyway. So, I think I'll just use the boy for his music.

Jeremy Fisher (born Jeremy Binns, December 15, 1976, Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in Montreal, Quebec. Fisher's work is heavily influenced by folk and blues music, and his songs feature accompaniment by acoustic guitar, slide guitar and harmonica.

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And then I find out that his mother is from Newfoundland; so it all makes sense! Of course he's great and I'm in love!
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Fertilizer Friday - July 8.11

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Ahhh! Gardening. Hard work but so rewarding. I dropped by the Community Garden today on my way home from work and did a little weeding and watering. It was quite hot outside and my arms began to get a wee bit pink by the time I was finished. Just in time! Everything is growing beautifully. I can't wait until I can have my first (and perhaps only) meal of Swiss chard. .
My beautiful flowers are thriving despite the fact that there's been little weeding done. But I was diligent in picking off and squishing those dreaded Asian Lily Beetles and have managed to stay ahead of them. My lilies are gorgeous right now. The whole garden is gorgeous; I think it's at its prime!
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And, of course, it's Friday .... so I'm going to visit Tootsie at Tootsie Time and see what's growing in her garden and the other linkies. (As soon as Tootsie gets her linky up and running, that is).

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Happy Friday my friends.

Ruby Red Rhubarb Syrup

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I had accumulated quite a collection of frozen rhubarb. So, I decided to try my hand at Rhubarb Syrup.
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For every 4 cups of diced rhubarb, I added 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water (plus a little grated lemon rind. Simmer for 15-20 min until the rhubarb has completely broken down. Then strain through a fine sieve.
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(The strawberry fields will soon be open for picking; so I'm saving the solids for Strawberry Rhubarb pies!)
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Pour the syrup into clean containers; you can refrigerate the syrup for 1-2 weeks or freeze for later use. I'm going to give some of mine as gifts at Christmas.

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You can drizzle the syrup over vanilla ice cream or poke holes in a plain vanilla or lemon cake with a skewer and pour the syrup over until it soaks in. But my favorite way to use it is to mix it with club soda -- about one part syrup to 3 parts club soda -- over ice with a lime wedge. It's sooooo delicious and refreshing. .

And it's a nice addition to REDNESDAY! with SueLovesCherries at It's A Very Cherry World!

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Yummmm! Elixir of the Gods!

July 4th follows Canada Day!

HAPPY 4TH to my American friends! I hope you have as nice a day today as I did on Canada Day.
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I began the day with a leisurely walk through beautiful Mahone Bay. I visited their Farmer's Market and bought fresh bread, Swiss chocolate rolls and spirited apple cider from a local vineyard. I rested near the water with a really delicious cup of coffee and a rhubarb muffin. Red and white were out in full force.
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Then it was back home to get ready for my potluck Sangria party with my single lady friends. I prepared the Sangria the night before so it had time to soak up all those lovely fruit flavors. Then as people were beginning to arrive, I put it in punch bowls with frozen pineapple juice rings and added 7-UP. It was so refreshing.

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There were 8 of us on my back deck listening to the birds (and the occasional truck as it travelled up the road behind us). We feasted on 2 different salads, sausage rolls, chicken canapes, brie, salsa & chips and deviled eggs; and dessert was Raspberry Orange upside down cake with huge dollops of real whipped cream.
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Despite our best intentions, no one made it down to watch the fireworks at 10:30. The party broke up between 9:30 and 10 pm, and we all happily wandered home to our beds and our good books.

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Oops! Our age is showing!

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Happy July 4th!

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