April Showers...

Seeing as the weatherman has forecast rain for most of the next two weeks, I have decided this would be a great time to get all my spring cleaning done!
I have carpets that need a good cleaning especially the one by the back door.
The front hall carpet is needing a bit of a pick me up and lord knows with all the salt and sand used this past winter I am sure to have to go over the carpets a few times.
Thank God the rest of the house is hardwood or tile!

I have a dear little squirrel that comes to get hand fed each morning, he seems to be one the others have picked on alot and they steal anything he finds so with a bit of coaxing he has decided he would rather take his chances on me than getting beat up for his food .

Each morning he is there stomping his little feet on the  back deck waiting for me to come feed him.
I know you aren't suppose to feed the wild animals but he is in need of someone to treat him nicely for sure.
I will get a photo of him so you can see how this poor little fellow tugged at my heart strings he is now looking better than he was but still a bit rough thanks to the others beating him up for his food.
We will get him looking better before the end of the spring!

On the way to the radio station the other morning a guy in front of me hit a squirrel and he was dragging himself across the road so I pulled over to see if I could assist the little fellow I walked over and assessed his condition and talked to him soothingly as I stroked him although he was crying I could tell he would be okay if I nursed him back to health . I assured him I was going to help him, so off to the car I went to grab a blanket and gloves and once I came back to the little guy I put my gloves on and bent down to pick him up and a hawk swooped in and grabbed him and flew away!
Not only was I shocked I felt awful for the poor little squirrel...such is nature!
I cried for the poor little guy but realize that the hawk wasn't going to allow me to take his meal.
He was so close to me that I felt the breeze his wings created as he swooped in and took off.

Anyone else ever have an experience like that?

Spring Has Finally Sprung!

It was such a great day today, the temperatures soared up to 21 C so nice to leave the house in moccasins and  a short sleeved shirt and capri pants.
I hope that you had a good day and enjoyed some sunshine and warmer temperatures like we did here in the Kawarthas.
I usually say it is spring when I see a red winged blackbird, but I saw one of those a few weeks ago and it sure didn't feel like spring untiil today!
Off to enjoy the back porch on this warm April evening.

April Showers Brings May Flowers!

Everyone complains about the rain but I would much rather have the rain than the snow...I am totally finished with winter!

I can't wait to see the flowers bloom outdoors.
My indoor ones are gorgeous

I was standing at the kitchen sink the other evening and could hear the chipmunk outside crying and when I looked out I didn't see the chippy but I did get quite an eyeful!

There was a hawk sitting on the deck of my next door neighbour's house watching the chipmunk on my deck, he climbed down between the fence and the deck and stayed under the deck making his displeasure well heard! 

Luckily the chipmunk stayed under the deck until the hawk gave up and flew off.

I am going to enjoy each nice day we are blessed with this year and spend as much time as possible outside in nature!

The last few years I haven't been well and now  starting to feel  better am looking forward to enjoying the nice weather.

Have a wonderful weekend !

Loving The Spring Like Weather

So happy to see the sunshine and the snow melting away.
I don't know about you but I think it seemed to be a very cold and dreary winter we put in.
 I can thank the Lord that we don't live out east , those poor people must be so sick of the snow by now and it is still falling!
A friend of mine from out east  posted on Facebook this morning that it had snowed another 4.5 inches of snow overnight last night.

As I sit here basking in the sunshine shining through my porch window I  am writing this post and planning for this summer when I have my little Earth Angel.
I love to plan our little outings ahead of time.

This summer I hope to take her to Toronto to the Science Centre as she has expressed an interest in going there.
I also am wanting to take her to Centre Island and of course to a few other places but now she is in school full time we have to have our outings on the summer holidays or the weekends or other school holidays and of course when she isn't already booked up with other people in her life that love to spend time with her.

Do you make your plans ahead of time or do you fly by the seat of your pants and go where the wind blows you?

Although I am a planner I am also flexible when it comes to our plans, nothing is written in stone.

What sort of things do you have planned to to this summer?

2015 so far in a nutshell

Hello there friends, I am so sorry for not keeping up with my blog it has just been a busy past couple of years for me and have really been finding it difficult to find the time to sit and write anything positive as there has been alot of negative things in my life lately.

My only bright spot has been my beautiful little earth angel.
She has been growing in leaps and bounds.

I have also been doing some respite care for a lovely family that lives outside of town and have been volunteering at our local radio station.  

I have had my own radio show since August of last year and have been enjoying it immensely .   

I lost my wonderful Grandfather last year and have been trying to be a support for my Grandmother during this time. 

My Mother spends alot of time in the city with her as she is lonely and of course doesn't want to leave her home to move out of the city to live closer to us, but hopefully she will change her mind this spring and let us move her closer so we can spend more time together.

I think I have caught you up on all the happenings in my life since I have been away.

I hope to keep you updated each time I have a chance.

Losing A Loved One

Well I have had a very busy summer's end.
What have you been up to ?
I have recently taken on a part time job as well as a volunteer position at the local radio station.
I have also been coping with losing loved ones.
The past 2 years seems that every time I turn around someone is sick and dying!
Last night again I received the news that my Aunt passed away.
I also received news that my son's mother in law is going into the hospital on Monday to have a small tumour removed from her lung.
It seems everywhere you turn these days that is all you hear about is death and dying.
I am saddened to hear this news yet again...

I pray to God to bless and keep us all healthy.
I can't believe that there was ice on the windshield this morning!
I know out west the snow started falling last week and as much as I pleaded for our nice weather to stay, we had to give in last night and fire up the furnace!
Luckily my landlord leaves it up to me as to when the heat / air conditioning comes on.
I somehow don't think that the usual October 15th for the furnace to be fired up is going to apply these days.
I keep chanting "Come on indian summer! We don't want snow for the fall fair on Thanksgiving weekend!"
For those of you reading this that live in another country Canada's Thanksgiving is celebrated usually around the 10th of October, this year it is on the 13th.
Well lets hope that indian summer appears and the snow stays away, for a little while atleast.
Do you have snow where you live this early in the year?

Laurie's Borscht

I love borscht I make a pot each season I get fresh beets and beet tops and vegetables from the farmer's market and make a beautiful canning pot full of  borscht.
Every family has it's own recipe and my recipe I have adapted over the years to what it is now...one of my favourite soups!
I make a canning pot and deliver some to a few friends and the rest I freeze for the fall when I want some nice borscht to warm me up.

12-15 large beets boil half of them with 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in the water and remove skins the other half rub with olive oil and spices and roast until almost cooked and skin will pop off  (water from beets to be used for broth)
6 cups beef broth (add to beet water)
Keep beet tops aside and chop finely along with  1 purple cabbage and 1 large bunch of swiss chard,  1 large red onion, 1 large white onion  3-4 parsnips, 3-4 carrots, 6 cloves of garlic 1 small retabaga or turnip
4 potatoes all chopped.
1/2 of the veggies are to be sautee'd in  bacon grease  add to broth and the other half will be added in 1.5 hours after the veggies simmer in the pot  and are mashed up.
Add  a can of diced tomatoes with herbs a large can of tomato paste and 1/2 pound chopped pastrami, some thyme, garlic, cardamon, dill weed and dill paste, 1 cup of dill pickle brine, and a table spoon of butter, a pinch or two of crushed caraway seeds.
After the 1.5 hours of boiling and mashing of the veggies in pot add the other 1/2 of the veggies and cook down until veggies are near done and turn offf pot, adjust seasoning to taste and serve with sour cream on top and a bit of dill and caraway seeds.

This is a large canning pot worth of borscht so adjust to amount you would like to have.
It freezes well but wouldn't keep it in the freezer more than 6 months, most cook books say 3-4 months but have kept and used it for 6 months and it tasted fine and was not frost bitten as I put a layer of waxed paper between the lid and the soup that stops the frost from biting the food.


I hope you and yours  enjoy my borscht recipe