I visited this badly neglected blog, to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.  I am still plugging along and slowly getting used to retirement.  It hasn't been easy for sure, but with doctor's appointments and Christmas preparation, time passes rather quickly.

Best wishes for a merry Christmas, and for a heathy and Peaceful New Year!

From our family to yours!

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. George Eliot

"The fall colours are always so brilliant against a dark sky.

This afternoon, we had storm warnings, so I went outside to capture the glory of the moment!

I  wasn't disappointed!  

This may be my favorite...maybe...

Or this.... taken by my hubby....

Happy Thanksgiving

How I love fall!  Summer clothes are sorted and packed and winter clothes are brought from their hiding place.  Hello warm and cozy sweaters, and favorite jeans!

My garden is preparing for its long sleep, although, there are still tomatoes to harvest.

There are still beans to pick for winter soups and stews.

Our grape vines produced enough fruit for only 5 jars of jelly, but those five jars will be savoured.

We try to produce some food to fill our pantry.  I think it is important to do this.  So much of our food is denatured now, and the threat of the recent merger of Bayer and Monsanto inspires fear.  Will these companies one day control most of the food production in the world?  What can we expect then, I wonder.

Soon we will have to fire up our pellet stove, as the nights are gettetting cooler, but this weekend promises to be sunny and warm!

Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to all!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

He didn't want to celebrate his Birthday.  "I don't celebrate birthdays anymore" he said.  That did not stop the phone calls, visits, tokens of love, and birthday wishes from near and far!  

His family is so fortunate to still have him...after all, he is 95 today!  Lucky us!

Happy birthday, dad!  We love you!

Autumn approaches!

Summer has gone by so fast!  In less than two weeks the kids will be back in school, noses buried in their books.  

I always look forward to Autumn with its brilliant colours, and cooler nights.  Fall must be approaching, as I am losing patience with my garden, and wanting to spend more time indoors.  I am digging out projects started last winter, and picking up books half read.  

I will miss the warm days of summer, and my pool!  I will miss dips in the lake.  I'll miss visits from friends and family, and sleepovers!  I've seen more of my grandchildren then I have in the past and it has been WONDERFUL!

But I'm feeling as if I want to cozy in now.  I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving.  I'm looking forward to baking again.  I'm looking forward to the familiarity of routine...rug hooking meetings....knitting and crochet gathering...and paddles along our river adorned with fallen leaves of every colour.

What is your favorite season?

Warm summer days!

We had our two grand daughters stay with us for the week.  How lovely it was to have some young blood in this house.  Our week was filled with crafts and giggles, yoga, frog hunting and swimming!  Although our pool is out of commission right now, it became the reason to travel to the best swimming spot around, to finish our day.

The heat has been almost unbearable, but I cannot complain.  My heart goes out to those who work outside no matter the weather.  My son is a CN employee.  Can you imagine how hot a job that is?  We are surrounded by farmland, much of which is worked by our Mexican friends.  They are the hardest workers and are in the fields every day putting in long hours irregardless of the weather.  The list goes on of those who must really feel the heat right now.  I cannot complain myself as we have a small air conditioning unit which keeps us cool.  And...not 10 minutes away is this...

Stay cool!  Drink lots!

Summer Days!

I'm so astounded that retirement has been so busy...busier than when I was working!  WHY is that?

It's been a while and I doubt that I have any readers, but here are a few pics to show you what I have been busying myself with.

I hope that everyone has been having a great summer!

Good bye Sweet Mocha...

On Sunday, our beloved dog, Mocha, took her leave.  For 16 years she had enriched our lives, loving us unconditionally, and without reservation.  She was the Captain of our ship, accompanying us on every boat trip.  

Besides loving us, Mocha had another love...food, and in particular, ice cream!  It's so hard to imagine boat ride without her, never mind a dish of ice cream.

Thank you, Mocha, for choosing us 16 years ago, and for loving us every moment since.

Six weeks down

In January of this year, I began the countdown to my retirement date.  Since that day came and went, I find myself counting the days since retirement.  

I cannot lie...  This has not been easy.  For the most part, I have felt aimless.  There is so much to do around here, but I'm having difficulty getting organized.  The days pass quickly with little accomplished.

I wasn't aware how having a job actually fed my self esteem.  Graduating from nursing school and securing a job, pleased my parents and allowed me the ability to join the consumer culture.  Later when my husband wasn't able to keep his job, I worked for both of us.  When the marriage failed...and no child support was paid...I was well suited for the job of caring for my children alone.  

Nursing satisfied my need to be helpful, and of service to others.

After 43 years of service, they say I have earned the luxury of an armchair.  

How I loathe the feeling of "entitlement."

I guess the upside of this is that I no longer have the kind of stress I was under at my last place of employment, and I sleep when the rest of the world sleeps.  I have been able to visit with grandchildren more often, and I'm dabbling at painting again.

What I yearn for, however, is waking up to that feeling of celebration that I no longer work.  Perhaps that will come with time.  I sincerely hope so.

Retired!

I'm officially retired and looking forward to this new chapter in my life!

I was given a great send-off at work.  Could it be that they were glad to see me go??

Wasn't I treated well?  I received so many gifts.  It was humbling.

There have been many moments when I have been glad that I haven't had to put on my duds and head out the door to work.  This weekend was a challenge for everyone who had to drive anywhere.  I think of my co-workers who braved the road conditions to go in...and I think of the struggle that many had, choosing to stay home.

Hubby gave me this as a retirement/birthday present.  I haven't a clue how to use it but I guess that I have lots of time to learn!

I have to admit that I feel a little confused.  There are so many jobs to be done, and so many interests I want to persue.  I am not sure where to start!

Have you any secrets you can share on how to be a retiree?!

An Early Retirement Party!

My husband is so good at making every day fun!  To countdown the number of shifts I had left to work, he hung bags of snacks, and he ceremoniously handed me one as I readied for work.  We never spoke of the number of shifts left, but we did speak of the number of sacks left!

Count the snacks....  

Two sacks left!  But that did not deter my family from celebrating my retirement this weekend...  Look at this GORGEOUS cake!!

And these beautiful flowers and balloons!

My granddaughter made me a dream catcher, and there were gifts of diaries, and sticky notes!  And this lovely cup...

The best gift of all was the presence of family.  How fortunate am I to have a loving and supportive dad, husband, children and grandchildren!

Thanks to all!  Your love, encouragement and support sustains me.

Dandelion Lotion Bars

From this....

To this!

Last spring, I gathered dandelion heads from our yard.  I infused them in Sunflower oil for a month.  During this time, the oil turned to a lovely shade of yellow.  I removed the dandelion heads by straining the oil through cheese cloth.  Then, it sat...and it sat (for several months) in my refrigerator..

I m not sure if there was any harm done in leaving for this long, but I doubt it.  It was just one of those many things that had to wait....

So....today I read the article from "The nerdy farm wife "and made these Dandelion Lotion bars!  Aren't they pretty?

The recipe is simple.

Melt one part Dandelion oil, one part beeswax, one part Shea butter in a double broiler.  I used a can which was set in an inch or so of hot water on the stove.  Cleaning up beeswax can be messy so it was easier just to recycle the tin afterward.  I added the contents of a vitamin E capsule, and a few drops of lavender.

That's it.  Easy Peary, and so good for your skin.

My only regret?  I used all of my oil and now have to wait until spring to gather more!

Morning chores!

Feed chickens- check!

Water chickens- check!

Clean their nesting box and gather eggs!- check!

Check this out!  They just keep on laying!!

Feed birds- check!

All ready for onslaught!

Are you like me?  I just can't sit down to a meal unless everyone else has eaten....especially those who cannot prepare their own meal.

Feed dogs- check!

Now for a cup of coffee!  Check!!

Are you looking for happiness?

Get chickens!

Our four little gals are laying!  One is not...although, I haven't discovered which one isn't.  I guess I really don't want to know, as I suspect it is the older girl who was an escapee from a truck that rolled through Newmarket on its way to the slaughterhouse.  I had been in Newmarket the day before I received a frantic call from my niece saying that she had tackled a chicken that was running in the Tim Horton's parking lot!  I had seen that huge truck packed full of these pitiful creatures,and I like to think that one escaped that fateful day.

They said that she was an old bird, but a month after she came to stay, she laid an egg...and continued to do so for many months.  Her eggs were huge, but eventually the shell became very thin, and her laying stopped.  I think she has earned her stay on this plane.  

The other gals are laying three eggs a day.  This is our bounty this week.

Nana has an Easter egg hunt every day!

I'm happy!