Blizzard Part Deux

Well what a day it turned out to be. After starting off with a blizzard it became the perfect of winter days. Nar a cloud in the blue blue sky.
The snow was the good shovelling kind. As Goldilocks would say not too hard and not too soft. And yes I don't mind the shovelling. Actually I kinda like it. Which is a good thing cause I do a lot of it. Even when Sam is home I am the shoveller of The Compound. He thinks I'm cracked because I have to shovel before feet or tires touch the snow to be shovelled. So I shovel the paths to the bird feeder, the chicken coop, from the house to the driveway, the driveway itself and a scratchy spot for the chickens to play outside.
Its a pretty good feeling when you see the neatly shovelled places and the untromped snow all around. Time for tea and banana bread.

Blizzard

Well they predicted a blizzard and we got one....not like the last time when it was a bust. Lots of snow and wind.
I am glad I moved a woodpile inside yesterday. Lots of shovelling to do but no rush. At least Sam is in Labrador so he didn't need to worry about getting to work today over the highway.
I love a good storm. When I looked out this morning the Old Shack had snow stuck all over. All the little junkos were having breakfast before the big bad blue jays showed up.
The wind is calming down and the sun looks like it might come out. Regardless its a good day to make a banana bread, shovel snow and watch curling.

Pickles and the like

It will come as no surprise to many that I like making stuff. Whether its making a fire or making you laugh or making wine or making a hat, I just like it a lot. One of the things I like to make is pickles (and jams and chutneys and jellies and marmalades). Whatever it is I usually group it all together as pickles. As in its a good day for pickling.
Sometimes I make what I have the ingredients for and other times I will make a list. Some of the things I put up in jars I don't eat and others I do. I like to say I like making stuff out of nothing.
Rhubarb is a prime example. It just grows. Whether you want it to or not. And if you run out people are always willing to hack out 35 lbs of it and give it to you. It is a versatile creation. Catsup, pickles or marmalade its all good.
I am lucky in that I have a very good Jar Network. Most of my jars come back to me to be filled and sent back out. And folks collect jars for me too. Actually my grandparents are so good at sending jars I think they must strong arm their buddies into giving up their own jars.
Now I have to admit I like chopping and stirring steamy concoctions that threaten to boil over or steam the stirrer to death during hot summer days.
This year I tried two new pickly things. I made jelly out of my homemade wine... the pineapple was deeeeelicious. And I also made Watermelon Rind Pickles which had intrigued me since reading Farmer Boy as a kid. Its the story of Almanzo who married Laura Ingalls. His sister makes the pickles and I always wondered what they would be like. Just so you know they are a pretty pickle and taste good to boot.
Then there is the green tomato pickle. Its very pretty with lots of colour and lots of fans. I usually don't make many because I never have the tomatoes but this year I was in luck because my "neighbour" gave me permission to loot his greenhouse and I made away with almost 16 lbs of the little green fellers.
With a blizzard on the way I need to fill up the wood box and batten down the chickens but after that it will be a good time to plan the garden and the pickling seeing as spring is around the corner (really it is!)

She's messy

Yesterday was a spring like day. A bunch of rain and lots of wind. Nice and warm especially when the sun came out. Lots of melty goodness.
The chickens were enjoying the expanding grassland. Sam was out cutting wood. Ryan Snoddon was sending out what seemed like a gazillion weather warnings.
Today is a state. Snow fell. Then freezing rain and regular rain. A bit of wind for good measure. Its a droopy sway-y tree day. The kind of day when your footprints are against you as the sloppy wetness either soaks your pants from the bottom up or splatters all over. To sum it up....she's messy. Then factor in the temperature drop that's coming to freeze it all its best not to go out.
Have a cup of tea. Stay warm and dry. And talk about the weather...its what we do.

Books

To say I have eclectic tastes when it comes to books is an understatement. And when I say books I mean the paper kind. I have no interest in the Kindle or its myriad cousins. I love paperbacks and hardcovers. The trade paperback and the handmade. I have preferences in font and layout. I just love books.
I don't remember the first book I read but I read the Bobbsey Twins (every chapter ended in a question), Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, The Famous Five and The Swallows and The Amazons to name a few series. I still have most of them. And its funny because I still remember going to Dicks to complete my Trixie Belden series and Granny Bates for The Swallows and Amazons series.
I remember a reading contest at the Gosling Library (when it was still in City Hall) and the librarian didn't believe that I read the books so fast. But I got my badge. Ah the good old days before video games.
Nowadays I still read everything. I have lots of favorite authors...mostly in the fantasy genre but not always. And I read my favorite books again and again. Some people don't get this behaviour. The people that do...well you know who you are.
I live with a non-reader who doesn't quite understand why I need to be surrounded by all those blankety-blank books. Or why I have to stay up all night to read a new one. Or why I come home with so many from the library. Or why I think its awesome that I have century old cookbooks or a eighty year old girl guide handbook. And don't get me started on how he feels about the boxes of sixty and seventy year old woman's magazines I have stashed around the house.
Now go pick up a book :)

Partners in Shenanigans

Growing up, we had cats not dogs but since I was a grown up (in a matter of speaking) I had dogs. So when Sam wanted to get a kitten I thought he was cracked. My house was set up for dogs...ie everything must be up. Up high enough not to be eaten or investigated. This was a learned behaviour after my first dog, Buddy (the bestest dog) hauled every shoe out of the closet and ate them and the time he chewed up the down duvet causing a feather storm inside the house. He was an Akita/ Lab mix who was ginormous.
But I digress...so we got a teeny kitten from a lady in Foxtrap. And the house needed to become cat and dog proof. This is a difficult combination because while you need everything out of reach of the ever inquisitive beagle brothers and their old brother Dakota this puts it directly in the path of Spider (short for Spiderman). His name is self explanatory.
Case in point, this morning I discovered that Spider had thrown Ms.Gingerbread Lady to her untimely death off the counter. After looking at the clues, I can only assume she landed in the waiting maw of Duke (he usually benefits from Spider's dastardly deeds).
Duke and Spider have a strange partnership. If Spider is not immediately released from the basement Duke will howl as if the end of days are eminent. Spider will wash Duke's ears and will hold him down if necessary. Spider is nine pounds and Duke is closer to 60 but no matter. And of courses Spider provides delicious baked goods from the counter.
But this doesn't mean that there can't be some chasing in between the whiles.
Ut-oh better go let Spider out of the basement.

Outstanding Fines

Over the past few years I've heard more and more about these meat head drivers out there with tens of thousands of dollars in outstanding fines.
Then we have the meat heads who can't seem to do anything about it.
I have a suggestion that would be productive and deterrent. The money is obviously never ever ever going to be collected and these idiots keep driving so when you catch them put them on a chain gang.
Give every single senior citizen work credits for the things they don't have money to hire people for...like shovelling and mowing. Its not taking away jobs and will help out people into the bargain. Not only that maybe these loser drivers will think about what they are doing if there's 1000 hours of back breaking effort involved.
If we run out of seniors that need the help put the meat heads out in the harbour over the bubble. Or maybe follow pigeons and gulls around. Or dogs. Or volunteers could trade their volunteer hours or blood donations for meat heads.
And publish pictures and names...maybe they would be embarrassed into stopping their ridiculous behaviour.
Just my two cents on a topic that makes my blood boil.