The theme for the Scribble Picnic this week is "Goodbye Autumn". When I saw this prompt a few weeks ago, we already had a lot of snow on the ground! We said a fond farewell to Autumn a long time ago! Here is my watercolour to celebrate the change of season!!
And of course, for fun, I had to draw Bugs saying goodbye to Autumn too! :)
I'm still fooling around with that digital painting program, slowly but surely I'm learning all of the gazillion functions it has! Though I think I will stick to landscapes until I can acquire a digital pen! My finger on the touch pad of my laptop is way too wobbly for detail!!
Once you start to receive Christmas cards...Autumn is definitely long gone! This lovely card was sent to me by Christine, our fellow Scribble Picnicker and Blog friend. She made it herself too, I love that! Thanks so much Christine!! :))
Charlie would LIVE outside all winter if we let her!
Alex and I did the monthly shopping last week...so glad that's over. On shopping days we don't even bother to cook, we always make sure we have a nice cheese platter to snack on as we put groceries away. :)
We've had some unpleasant surprises lately...lots of power outages due to the heavy snow on the Hydro lines; next, our water pump busted and we had no water for almost a day; not to mention a partially flooded basement. :( We have a great landlord though, and he came over to fix it. Having no water is kind of depressing...but I'm glad it wasn't a big repair, I had some Homemade Salsa and Marinara Sauce to can!
Another crazy thing that happened was car-related. I would be braking then the car would jerk suddenly and scare the bleep out of me.
The ABS brake sensor was malfunctioning and last month we had it replaced. But the car dashboard still lit up like a Christmas tree! Oh, and just for fun, the "check engine" light came on too; so yesterday we had to go back and it was some kind of ridiculously expensive bearing on the wheel that had to be fixed. In times of stress, a nice walk in the woods helps. Alex and I came upon this frozen river on one of the trails near the garage.
Despite that surprise expense, I am proud to say we are nearly halfway towards our savings goal for a down payment! :) And...since I challenged myself in early November to only use the car less than 10 times until spring...it's been three trips out so far...once for monthly shopping and TWICE to the garage!!! I hope that's all settled now so I can keep that promise to myself! Our next car will have NO GADGETS...these modern cars claim convenience...but the cost to fix them is anything but!!! What do you guys drive?
Time for comfort food!!! This dish was SO GOOD. It's a Vegetarian-ish Shepherd's Pie. I say "ish" because I use Worcestershire sauce in it, which I believe has anchovies.
Green Onion and Potato Soup with Potato Pancakes. Oh Mr. Potato how I love thee! :)
Chocolate Coffee Cake. First time I made this! It was really good, especially the streusel topping!
Cozying up in bed with Jack, my precious hound dog. :)
Farewell little fella...until next year!! :)
i can't believe fall is over already. it always goes so fast. time to get ready for xmas. i made fruit cakes today and i am heading out to get my tree. at least we have snow! i agree, i hate car gadgets. i like driving the old fashioned way where you actually know how to drive a car! congrats on saving so much for your down payment rain!
ReplyDeleteLovely goodbye autumn pieces Rain, the digital work is good too. You are welcome about the card. Glad you survived the car trouble, your food always looks wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHi Joyce :) Oh fruit cakes! I'm not a fan but Alex loves them so I try to make one for him each Yule season! We are waiting a few more weeks for the tree, but I definitely am in the holiday spirit! And thanks...the dream of buying a home looks more and more hopeful yay! :) Oh the car...I said to Alex "we have a city car"...it tells me when I need to change my oil, fill my tires and when I'm slipping on ice lol...my last car was bare bones...next car will be the same.
ReplyDeleteThanks Christine :) I like that digital painting program a lot, but I need to be in the mood to learn new things to use it. So far so good though. :) Oh, it's comfort food season FOR SURE!!!
ReplyDeleteHi rain, I really like the very first scribble picnic picture!
ReplyDeleteI am with you on the car issue, so expensive to fix.
The food, as always, looks delish!!
Wow, looks like you guys have a TON of snow already! Well, that's Quebec for you!
ReplyDeleteI refuse to buy a car with major electronic systems because you're right -- just more things to malfunction (sometimes catastrophically) and fix at an enormous cost. It's a steep price to pay for bells and whistles. I drive a Toyota Yaris. Very, very basic. But it handles well and I never get stuck in the snow.
Rain,
ReplyDeleteOooo, that first sketch makes me shiver! It truly looks so cold. Excellent job! I love the Bugz drawing, too! He's ready for some ice skating. lol Digital artwork is very tricky without a pencil. I'm definitely not very good using my finger for drawing. lol Yours, however, looks pretty good. The contemporary snowy scene looks like you used glitter, very cool effect! :) Your dishes look good and the woods around you...oh, how pretty! Is that a pond frozen over? Keep warm and thanks for dropping by today!
You got it on high tech cars. I've decided that we should go for a 1993 car, fixed up by our obsessed b-in-law, Phil. He might take 2 years or so.
ReplyDeleteDisasters never come in singles or even triples. Watch your back.
Ooh, potato pancakes/latke? I'm so there! I haven't tried to make it myself. I remember one mom who was Jewish made some for our class besides Matzo ball soup; man they were good. Your Shepherd's Pie looks yummy.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the turkey dishes love. I've been trying to cook more these days but get lazy. I found that interesting how Canada does American Thanksgiving. Yeah, I personally like to shop ASAP; I had gone to Costco when it opened and it was much busier than usual b/c of the holiday. The next day I went to TJ's when it opened and was happy I was done after skipping over to Safeway to pick up graham crackers.
I drive a used, 2013 Honday CRV. My husband traded in the Prius b/c it was getting old (2008) and we needed a bigger car w/the girls growing and all their crap that they lug around. The day of the youngest's birthday party, my car battery died as they usually last four years. My neighbor was thankfully home and gave us a ride.
How beautiful!
ReplyDeleteNice to meet your blog.
janicce.
Had to laugh at your pumpkin photo. We gave most of ours to the chickens (ones I could not cut and had to break up with a shovel), and the rest were used for target practice. Now they are left out there for the squirrels.
ReplyDeleteI would love to go back to not having so many automatic and computerized functions in our car. I drive a 2003 Honda CRV (we bought it used in 2007). It's hardly worth anything on the market, but I count it as money in my pocket every year I drive it. I also really like it. I like its looks better than the more rounded CRVs. The only CRV I like better than the one I drive is the model that is older than mine. lol I dread when it dies because there's isn't going to be much available that isn't all computerized. Compared to my fairly simple vehicle, DH's Honda Civic's dash makes me feel like I'm an airplane cockpit when I drive it - just way too much going on for my sensibilities. I hope your car doesn't need more work for a while!
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty picture, of Charlie, in the snow.
ReplyDeleteYour food spread is always delicious, even when just doing pick ups, after being out.
Ahhhh, cars. Sigh... What a bump they can put, in a budget. But wonderful, that you have come so far, with your savings for a down payment. That's a Yuletide present, all in itself. Keep up the good work. :-))))
And that pumpkin photo is the cutest....
I would cozy up on bed with jack anytime lol your art is lovely! Good for learning digital art as well, achieving your savings goals makes any sacrifice worth it, Rain , your food always looks so good,
ReplyDeleteI have a 2000 Chrysler Concord and a 2002 Toyota Camry. They're old but still run well. There are no high tech gadgets though.
ReplyDeleteI love your tree(s). You certainly have said goodbye to fall with all the snow so far. I feel your pain with the car. We just had a major repair on our car and then found out the hinge to the hatchback window disintegrated and to replace it would be over $500. I'm trying to talk my husband into making the repair himself - the part is 1/5th of what they want and their are some videos on Youtube. But the dealer scared him about working with the glass window. I may have to glue the whole thing closed, I'm so afraid it's going to fall off going over a pothole or something. Anyway, I'm salivating over your food pics so I need to get a snack!
ReplyDeleteLike I said before...I'd love to back to driving the horse buggy to town ... lol. Keeping my fingers crossed for u that that was it for repairs.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on being half way there 😁
I panic when as dont have water. We can always manage somehow but I am always concerned avoyt all the critters. Especially in the wintertime they all need lots of fresh water.
Man those dishes look good...like always.
U make me want to make potatoe pancakes ... yummm
Your snow looks so beautiful but I am so glad we dont have that much yet.
I went out into the field with the kids the other day to say good bye to autumn. We took our carved pumpkings and put them in the hayfielt for the deer to eat. Now we are officially hibernating 🙄
I am hoping for a short winter. If not, I might join the birds and fly south.
ReplyDeleteThinking of making potato pancakes myself.
When I take my old Subaru in for inspection next month, I am going to cross all my fingers and toes. Repairs on cars are so expensive, but worse than that is not having a car to get around. I do have a deep love my Baby Blue.
Hello Rain... Just love that Jack! When we bought our little farm on the ridge two years ago, we decided that we only wanted one type of fuel to worry about, so with having the diesel tractor and my diesel truck, we decided our second car should be diesel also, which is when we got a diesel Jeep Liberty. The Liberty has some bells, but not really very many whistles … lol... We have found that the diesel engines hold up to work and weather very well, as long as the oil is changed when it needs it. That's the one thing that is a must. Your comfort food looks awesome and you are right to praise the potato... You can never go wrong with taters in my book... Lol!
ReplyDeleteYou are wonderful artist dear Rain!
ReplyDeletei absolutely loved the first one specially ,such fascinating tree representing fall :)
i always envy the way you draw bugs :)))
i cannot do it as perfectly ,so cute!
I am sorry for water problem ,here we store water in tank in case it doesn't come as specially canal cleaning is one of the reason for that .
Glad your landlord is so helpful
you amaze me not only with your art ,thoughts and activeness in all fields you choose but also the food you make ,just mouthwatering!
i m happy for you that you are closer to your goal of saving and keeping eye on your expenses which is most important way to the destination!
best wishes for your beautiful dreams my friend ,i am very much sure with your devotion and dedication you will be able to make them come true for you by the grace of God!
You have had some wild adventures but so glad everything is now fixed and you are hopefully set for your long winter.
ReplyDeleteGive Jack an ear scratch from me. Tell those Huskies a snooze by the fire is much nicer than a belly in the snow.
Love the photo of Charlie, he does look right at home laying there in the snow :) Sorry to hear about all of your car problems and the expensive repairs. I know exactly what you mean. Those modern gadgets on cars are great for people who lease or trade in their cars every few years, but if you want a paid off car to keep for a long time, they are a nuisance. My car is a 2005 Ford 500 and I still am below 60,000 miles. It looks and runs like a new car and my wish is that it will keep going for another 10 or 15 years :)
ReplyDeleteSorry about the electric and water problems too, We have a well, so when the power goes off we are without water as well. That's the bad part about being on a well.
As always I love your food . . . if you lived closer I would be talking you into us eating together now and then . . . one night a week at your house and one night at ours :) We could each have a night off from cooking that way too and no dishes to do :)
Here's to warm fires and cozy cabins. Winter is a good time to read and have time for creative fun.
Stay warm.
Connie :)
Hey Rain! This is a great post and that pup. Oh my gosh and then the sad pumpkin at the end. LOVE IT!
ReplyDeleteLove your photos. And the food. And the art. The whole post, actually...LOL
ReplyDeleteYou've certainly got enough snow. Most of ours has melted and I'm okay with that. I think it's a tad too early for mountains and mountain of it, and I'm not a big fan of it to begin with. Actually, I'm not a fan of winter, at all.
Jack...oh my gosh...those big eyes. He is SO cute!
Jack is so beautiful. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, of course Autumn is a long time gone where you are but the winter solstice doesn't;t officially come for some time yet. :) Thank you for your contributions. I love your first one especially and that card from Christine is so great. I love she does that. In fact, I have one I had on my fridge for ages that she had done which I got sent to me.
Keep up the digital work. Once you have a pen that will help tremendously but be prepared--with the ability to "undo," you can easily end up spending way more time that one would normally with pencil or paint etc. :)
I really should not read your stuff at night as inevitably I end up feeling so hungry from all your goodies.
Love your cartoon one too. Perfect for this time of year as well. :)
Super great on getting half way to your deposit goals too, Rain. That's so impressive and even with those nasty car issues! Hate having to deal with cars because of such, actually.
ReplyDeleteI think your digital art is great but I can see that it restricts you from doing exactly what you want to do. Love the 'farewell to Fall' pictures. Great idea to have snacks on shopping day...I should do that as I am way too tired to cook usually.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the homemade salsa and marinara and also on your savings goals! Your sheperd's pie and potato dishes look yummy! Glad you able to get everything fixed! I have a Chevy Tahoe that is 16 years old but has less than 100,000 miles on it. I'm like you...I try not to drive or if I do I combine errands. It's been a great vehicle with towing and 4-wheel drive if needed. Very comfortable to drive too. Very little has gone wrong except this year the blower went out for the heater/AC.
Take care and stay warm!
Thanks Jenn :) I think a good home repair course for cars is in order. It's crazy how much we put into that thing in the last few years...
ReplyDeleteHi Debra :) Lots of snow! I don't mind it...YET. ;) Basic when it comes to cars is a lesson we learned the hard way. I always bought small basic cars with no gadgets. Then we got the SUV in 2013 when we knew we were going to load up with pets...but it's been such a money pit. We can't even get the back windows open anymore sigh.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cathy :) If you say I used the glitter effect, I believe you lol...I honestly have no clue what I do half the time! I don't know all the brush tips by heart and if it looks good, I just use it! That little pond LOOKS frozen over, but it's one side of a dammed river, so there is a current under it. I wouldn't want to walk on it that's for sure!!
ReplyDeleteHi Susan :) I was brought up to believe that bad things come in "threes" but I've found that once I'm having some bad luck...there is no limit to Murphy's Law! So far so good though, nothing more catastrophic has happened luckily! I think a car from the 1990's is a great idea. My last car was a Hyundai Accent 1999. The only reason I got rid of it was to trade in for the SUV. It was so tiny and I knew that lots of dogs and cats wouldn't fit in there. Lesson learned, they can squish into the next little car we buy after we get sick of this SUV!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Stefanie :) Yes!! Latkes!! Aren't they yummy? At first I was serving them mostly with sour cream, but we found that ketchup tasted good with them too, kind of reminded me of a Greasy Spoon breakfast potato hash, delicious! We changed our battery a few years ago, you're right they do have a "shelf life" we have to keep that in mind. With a big family, you need a bigger car for sure. I guess that was our thinking because of all the fur kids!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Janicce :) Thanks for visiting! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Kristina :) Yeah, my poor lonely little pumpkin...that was the only sugar pumpkin that grew this season and it was so small I decided not to cut it up! Our pumpkins were tossed into the woods, some lucky critter will enjoy them!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Becki :) I like that you compared the dashboard to an airplane cockpit lol...that's how I feel at times! Ha ha! When I had my old Hyundai Accent, it was worth maybe a few hundred, but like you, I felt like it was money in my pocket. AND with that car, my monthly insurance charge was under $15...more savings with an older car! We are trying not to drive it more than once a month from now on, so hopefully it won't conk out anymore!! So far no lights have popped back on thankfully!! (knock on wood!)
ReplyDeleteHi Wisps of Words :) Actually Alex and I joked that we got each other a front wheel bearing for Christmas this year lol...we have a little emergency fund but that took us off guard. Despite it all, thank you, I'm super happy about our savings. It's only going to grow more and more and our dream is SO CLOSE!!! (giddy!!) :) Charlie would definitely stay outside all day and night if she had a good dog house, but we really don't trust her not to take off after some distraction!
ReplyDeleteHi Laurie :) Jack is very cuddly at night when he's allowed up on the bed!! :) Thanks, I'm enjoying all of the art mediums these days! :)
ReplyDeleteHi John :) I think high tech gadgets are such a gimmick. You know we can't even open our rear windows anymore and the mechanic said there is no way to manually open them. The whole circuit board needs replacing and that's about 1k - NO WAY. He said worst case if we need to open one, he can "jump start" it to open it. Isn't that crazy? Electronic windows seem like a convenience too, but gosh, 1k to fix them is not reasonable!!
ReplyDeleteHi Lorraine :) Oh my gosh, that's crazy about the hatchback window! I think I'd probably glue it in place too. We have window issues as well that we are IGNORING for now. After being told it was a thousand dollar repair we put a solid lock on our wallets. We can live without open windows for now lol...We had an issue with the gear control. Alex looked up a video on YouTube and we found out how to open it, use a butter knife to move a switch so we can manually change gears. Crazy easy but saves us $600 when the gears stick!
ReplyDeleteHi Sis :) Yes...horse and buggy. Unless it's downright urgent, we are not doing any more repairs before we move. We'll have to get the car checked then but gosh, there better not be too much to do or we are thinking of trading it in. Half way there!!! :) We were worried that it was a well problem, thankfully it was just a piece that cracked on the water pump so the landlord was able to easily replace it. We figured we could melt snow if we had to lol...but you know we always have big jugs of water in case this happens. Working toilets are necessary!!! :) Nice to feed the deer with the pumpkins!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Starting Over :) Yes, we definitely need the car to get around unfortunately. We choose to live remotely so it's a necessary expense, but I find the bigger the car, the more expensive, so we will really downsize on the next one.
ReplyDeleteHi Dino :) Taters are the best!!! :) Smart idea bout the diesel vehicles. I knew a lady who swore by her diesel-fueled car. I'd love to live WITHOUT any type of motorized vehicle, but it's just not possible in this day and age I guess. Too bad. We would like to make our next car an old one, a small one. But if we need a bigger 4-wheel drive, then a Jeep is a brand we are considering for the next one. That or a Ram from the 90's.
ReplyDeleteHi Baili :) Thank you! :) Smart idea about storing water in the tank. We have jugs of water for emergencies. Every time I empty out a soda bottle or a large juice bottle, I fill it with water and it goes into the basement for "just in case". It came in handy the other day though I have to say no running water was a little sad. It makes you realize how dependent you are on these things! And grateful to have them too. And thank you, we are definitely dedicated to buying our place next year...gosh I hope we find it! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Marsha :) I'll give Jack a scratch for you :) The adventures have been wild but I really hope they're over for now!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Connie :) Nuisance is right. Our "low tire" light has been on for 3 years now, there is no way I'm replacing a sensor for $350 that tells me I need to check the air pressure in my tires lol...I hope your Ford lasts you another TWENTY years! That's the kind of car/truck we will be looking for! Yeah, we have a shallow well here. When we have our place, we'll be investing in a generator for emergencies because not having running water is not fun. Oh the idea of a night without dishes is wonderful!! :) It's nice to think that we could share meals! :))
ReplyDeleteHi Ivy :) Ha, the sad pumpkin, poor little guy! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Martha :) I see "snow bird" in your future! :) If it would just stay around zero, I'd be just fine with winter...but that's not how it is! I guess that's why we try to only go out once a month. Even taking the dogs into the yard is a chore some days when it's minus 20. Jack is adorable, I just love him! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Michael :) I know that cars are expensive, but sometimes you get a little money pit going on...makes me want to ride a horse instead. The financial situation is looking up. I talked to a mortgage specialist yesterday and I'm super hopeful! We're trying so hard to save and pay down debt!! Thanks! I'm enjoying all of the mediums lately for my art! I can see what you mean about the "undo" feature! I don't know that a digital pen is in my near future, but one day I'll get one and really enjoy all of the features of the program!
ReplyDeleteHi Sam :) Yes, that digital painting program is difficult without the proper tool - the pen. But it's fun to try something different! Having ready to eat food is a must on shopping day. Otherwise we fall into the trap of wanting to drive back out to a restaurant for crappy food! lol! Your car sounds pretty solid. I'm seeing a theme here...the cars made in the 90's or early 2000's seem to be the best ones. New isn't always better. We bought our 2010 Dodge Journey in 2013. It was great for the first few years, then bang...everything needed repairs. We just paid it off a month ago too.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain, having just had another $800+ 'oil change'. At least you had a nice woods to walk in - my mechanic is on a busy street. However, he is located within staggering distance of a liquor store. I might keep that in mind next time. Oh, that Jack. Those eyes. I'd be putty in his paws. Isn't there something so satisfying about potato anything? Your food always looks so delicious! Congratulations on reaching the halfway point to your goal!!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I bought Kisses b/c I think my aunt favored them and because I figured I'd eat less chocolate that way, LOL. Mmm, you have me craving homemade Rice Krispies. They are the best. My mum used to buy molds and then spray them with nonstic spray and then stuff the molds w/the RK mixture.
ReplyDeleteYour pumpkin made me laugh! LOL! I can't believe how much snow you have! Gorgeous! And, thank you for sharing all your food and recipes! I drive a 2008 Toyota Rav 4 and I love her. No gadgets! Love your art pieces! Glad you have water now! Big Hugs!
ReplyDeleteHi Susan :) I read about your million dollar oil change, that's insane. Oh a liquor store would come in handy after that $800 surprise, though you may not have enough for more than just some cheap hootch lol! It'll help dull the pain though lol! And thanks! I'm excited that this home ownership dream is really going to happen!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Stefanie :) That's funny, I would eat MORE chocolate if I had a house full of Kisses! :) The Rice Krispie squares are great, except we're noticing that the marshmallow is giving us stomach problems...grrr...I've been searching for a non-marshmallow way to make them. I found a recipe, I'll share it when I make it - IF it's a success!!
ReplyDeleteHi Stacy :) I'm glad you liked my sad little pun'kin! :) No gadgets on the car is the way to go. I loved my little Hyundai...lesson learned! :)
ReplyDelete