Of Pizza and Pumpkins

We've been grazing the last few days because Alex has had insomnia again, so we're on completely different schedules. He can only seem to fall asleep when it gets light out and that's when I'm usually getting up! So we've been eating mostly from the freezer. But last night he got a second wind so we had dinner together, what better than comfort food? :) I made our version of a "Meat Lover's" pizza with ham and bacon; and that three-cheese pizza we loved so much from a few weeks ago (Feta, Mozz and Parm). We watched a few episodes of The Boonies. One of our Blogger friends commented about this show (sorry I can't remember who!) and I had to check it out. It's about people who live off the grid, in treehouses, nomadically off the land and even in a cave! It's quite interesting if you can find it. So far there are only 8 episodes in the one season, I hope they make more!

Check out my pumpkin seedlings! I have two pots like this...they will soon be too tall for the window...but this morning it actually snowed so it's nowhere near warm enough to try transplanting them...there is another 5 cm of snow in the forecast overnight, but it's "May snow" which means it'll all be gone the next sunny or rainy day, but still, I wish it would get slightly warmer. Growing my pumpkins reminded me of when I lived on Prince Edward Island. I went to a Giant Pumpkin Festival.

It was October of 2009. This was the first time I'd ever seen giant pumpkins and squash!

914 Pounds - Third Prize Winner

933 Pounds - Second Prize Winner

1036 Pounds - First Prize Winner

800 Pound Squash - First Prize of the Squash Contest

Weighing Station

What the pros referred to as the "Amateur Area" lol

I was so excited about pumpkins that when I got home that day, I knitted one lol...I remember being so proud of myself, finally figuring out what to do with that orange yarn! (sorry, I do not know where I found the pattern, it was 8 years ago and I don't have it bookmarked!) When I'm all settled into my property in a few years, I will have a nice big pumpkin patch. It's always been a dream of mine to grow giant pumpkins too. Just for the challenge! 

It's been a long stretch of overcast skies and I decided to use my time wisely! I'm a very big fan of self-improvement and self-healing. I did have a rough life, and for the most part, I went the traditional route of meds and therapy; but the most success I've had in turning things around has been to abandon traditional healing methods. I feel so much better when I do things on my own. I'm re-reading this book at the moment and it's so empowering. Does anyone else love these types of self-help books?

And in my quest to always help myself, I'm taking this workshop that I found online. Get Rid of Your Anxiety for Good! is a 4 lesson workshop from the website The Daily Om. I go to this website every morning for some motivation and inspiration and last summer I took a few of their workshops and they helped me tremendously. They're more on the New Age side, which is totally me, and I relate to them a lot. I did the first lesson this morning and I have to say I got some amazing insight. I have homework to do for the next week until Lesson 2 arrives in my inbox. It's a "pay what you want" type of cost, the minimum is $10 per workshop, so it's really affordable.

I also enrolled in their workshop Overcoming Self-Sabotage. This one is 14 lessons and I'm going to start lesson one today or tomorrow. I'm not above trying to see if I'm actually doing something without knowing it to sabotage my motivation or my goals! I could even be doing something subconsciously that is contributing to the anxiety. Who knows? I'd like to though! :)

Something can be learned from everything in life right? I'm not promoting these books or workshops, just sharing what I enjoy! And this is good food for thought during a very soggy and cold May while I wait for the warm weather!!

Hope everyone had a nice weekend! :) It's Monday right? ;)

Something In The Woods...

It's a very rainy Saturday today. You know what's funny? I thought yesterday was Wednesday...time just means very little to me these days! Anyway, I'm grateful for the rain because it keeps the loud weekender neighbours in the city! I was walking the dogs and wanted to stop to take a picture of them (as usual!) and they all suddenly stopped and looked in one direction. They heard something...

We were kind of at the end of the line for now because both trails turned into rivers overnight. I don't walk in this part of the woods too often because it gets kind of wild, though the snowmobile trails make nice walking trails in the summer. It was so quiet! I noticed even the birds stopped chirping...usually a sign of a predator near. The dogs kept staring and listening and I was staring and listening too! It was quite early, about 6:15am. I then heard some ruffling and what I thought was a growl. At that point all three started barking. That was my cue to take the reigns and hurry back to the road! I admit, I had that pit of fear in my stomach, and I don't get that often when I'm in the woods. I think that I'll stick to the trail that isn't so deep in the woods from now on!

Burger Night and All Seedlings Healthy!

Last night was Burger Night! :) I wanted to make Alex a special meal since he'd been taking such good care of me after my tumble. He loves burgers and I always try to outdo myself with the toppings. I made his with ground top sirloin and mine with a breaded chicken breast. On his was lettuce, tomato, bacon, Swiss, Cheddar and two onion rings!! Mine was much more "simple" ;), I had the breaded chicken breast that I'd pounded down thin, with ham, Swiss, lettuce and tomato. I made strawberry milkshakes, fries and onion rings too...whoa...BIG meal! I think I'm still digesting!

The raging river. I took this photo from the covered bridge this morning.

Poor Marlene...when I stopped to take the picture, a big truck drove by and scared her. She's so sensitive to loud noises. You know, we had an acquaintance who tried to convince us to NEVER get shelter dogs because you adopt "all of their problems" along with them. The heck with that! These three are the best dogs and they make a wonderful pack! They listen, they obey, just look at them sitting and waiting for me!! They're loving, sweet and fun. Of course, they each have their own quirks and issues, but we love them to bits and will always adopt from shelters from now on.

My obsession update: I stopped by the mail box this morning and got the next installment of my addiction! :) I have no more room in the window so these will have to wait to be planted at the end of May outside. The whole reason for this order was the mint because I want to make mint juleps lol...And I ordered more seeds the other day since I'm now doing potatoes in the tires. Speaking of that...

I set up my little root garden yesterday. Yes...I very likely overdid it. I probably should have been resting...but I'm so dang restless! Plus we had SUN yesterday, with 4 more days of rain in the forecast, so I felt the need to take advantage!! I dug up my pumpkin patch! It looks tiny in the photo, but it's about 3 feet wide by 5 feet long, give or take. That's just the first one. I'm planning another one to the right of the photo where you can't really see. We want to make an opening in the lattice fence, so when that's done, I can figure out the sizing of the second patch. I still have to make a raised bed around this and buy more earth from the garden center, but stage one is done. My carrots and radishes will stay there and I have my tires in place for the potatoes. I still have some work to do on the tires, like cutting out the inside rims (thanks Kymber and Ruth for the advice) and making them look pretty. :)

It's funny what you find in boxes...I found these three solar lights that you plunk into the ground. I guess I bought them last fall at the Dollar Store? I just can't remember. Anyway, what a nice find, I hope they work! :)

Ever feel like you're being watched? This little fella kept an eye on me for a while as I was digging.

I tried to very subtly walk closer to get a better photo, but he got wise to me and took off!

Now I feel complete! My spring onions have popped up! Every pot in my sunny (not so sunny today) window has plants growing - happy! Good thing I got rid of those peat pots! I feel accomplished that I succeeded in growing seedlings. Now the challenge will be to see if I can keep them healthy and growing until and after they are transplanted into bigger pots and raised beds at the end of May!

Greek Chicken and A Wee Bit of Sunshine!

I made a very easy dinner last night, Greek Chicken on Orzo. The preparation took longer than the actual cooking time! I was feeling really restless mentally...I hate being in bed all day, even if it's recovering from an injury! I get so bored...but I was good - I let Alex do most of everything for me, I napped, cuddled with the pets, relaxed and watched British comedies. But by 6 pm, I wanted to be in the kitchen! This dinner didn't take much energy thankfully and it was delicious!

I let the dogs out in the yard this morning, debating on whether I could manage a walk in the woods. Charlie gave me such a guilt trip that I had no choice!

So into the woods we went! :) Actually I am feeling a lot better. I'm taking much better care of myself lately. The Arnica gel is working wonders for pain and bruising. I've been treating my swollen digits and joints with ice and taking Tylenol for pain. Normally I'd just grin and bear it but I'm just way too restless and anxious busy for that! :) It's still very chilly out though, we had frost on the ground this morning and there are still pockets of snow in the woods. The dogs really enjoyed their walk, though we went a little slower today! They were on the scent of something...the woman who owns the gas station in town told me she saw a lynx cub in her backyard. As soon as her dogs spotted it, it ran away, but I'm still keeping an eye around and up in the trees to be safe.

When we got back from the walk, I felt it. I was and am quite sore. Despite the pain, my mood skyrocketed when the sun came out! :) It's been too long, sadly, it won't last though, there is rain in the forecast for another 5 days. I'm always hoping the forecast changes! My plants are loving this sunshine! Yesterday I reported that the only holdouts in my window garden were the spring onions and Roma tomatoes...well, the Romas are coming up! These are the seeds that I found in the basement, so clearly they are still good! The onions though, they are still playing hide and seek.

I hate to use clichés, but I really am like a kid in a candy shop when it comes to my plants! I've never planted pumpkins before, well, I've never planted many things! But the pumpkins are what fascinate me the most! Look at them growing! I've read mixed opinions about the transplanting process. Some people say that pumpkins HATE being transplanted and you must plant them directly into the ground; others say it's fine to start them indoors, to transplant the container contents, without separating the plants, into the ground once it gets above 20 C. So...I planted half the seeds indoors and I'll plant the rest right into the ground at the beginning of June. Hedging my bets!! :)

Silly Me!

I got my Arnica gel in the mail yesterday and it couldn't have come at a better time. Last night I did the silliest thing. I was heading to bed with a glass of water, but wanted to give Jack a little hug before bed. He sleeps in the living room. It was dark and I tripped over something, couldn't stop my fall and landed hard. Glass everywhere and somehow the water shorted out a circuit and we now have no power in the living room. I was in a fog when Alex told me but he said he'll take care of it today. 

Anyway, I have bruises on my bruises, my pinky finger, left wrist and big toe feel broken...though they are likely just sprained. If they still ache in a few days I'll drag myself to the emergency room...but the idea leaves me unmotivated. I don't know how it is in your neck of the woods, but here in Quebec, an emergency room visit is MINIMUM 12-14 hours wait (if you're lucky). I feel more like a fool than anything! How can someone with so much walking experience trip over something and fall so hard? 😕

But I'm happy to say the Arnica gel WORKS FAST. Wow. I wish I'd had this lovely gel a long time ago! Thanks again to everyone who recommended it, it's FABULOUS!

Since I can barely hobble, the dogs didn't get their walk this morning, but the huskies are happy outside in the rain...I don't know how they can be so comfy! 

Jack is taking a day off too...hiding under the covers on the couch, waiting for me to call him up to bed. So today will be a "feeling sorry for myself" day while I'm in bed and letting Alex take care of me! ;)

Good news though! The peas are coming up.

As are the pumpkins! The only seeds still hiding are the spring onions, which may take another 6-15 days; and the Roma tomatoes, again could take 14 more days (those are the seeds I found in the basement). I'm looking out the window and I guess I'm grateful right now that the weather is still cool and rainy because I'm in no shape to dig or plant. If anything, it's good timing...how's that for a positive spin? :)

Good and bad news...our winter tires are shot. Our mechanic warned us to get some new ones in the fall. They came used with the car and we knew this day was coming. So we're budgeting for studded winter tires for October. After our experience in March with the car slipping backwards down that icy mountain, we knew it was time, but I guess we were in denial because it's so darn expensive! Minimum a thousand including taxes, if we want rims too, sigh. Oh well, that's life right? But...this leaves me with 4 empty tires that haven't been sitting in a dirty, ash-tray-smelling garage forever! I think I'm going to plant potatoes after all! :) I found these cute ideas on Pinterest for painting them:

I have to get to the Veseys Seed website to place my order soon! I'll likely only get my planter potatoes in June though, but that's fine by me, it'll give me time to paint the tires and figure out where to put them. :) So, I guess the lesson here is that from bad always comes good, if you look for it. :)

Chicken Saltimbocca, Sweet Tea and My Happy Window Garden!

Last night's dinner was Chicken Saltimbocca. I had the last of the prosciutto to use up and finally was able to find some fresh sage. I love this dish, it's sautéed chicken pieces topped with chopped sage, prosciutto and Mozzarella. There's a little white wine sauce too. I usually make it with chives because I can never find sage...and to be honest, we like it better with the chives! I made green beans for Alex and I had mine with a big green salad.

I also made some sweet tea. Using the loose tea makes this so much tastier. Adding the dehydrated orange peels gives it a nice kick too. This will be a great sipper on my porch this summer!

It was so cold yesterday, but I wanted to do something for May Day! I would usually try to find some wildflowers to cheer up the house, but none of them have bloomed yet. Even the dandelions closed up yesterday because of the rain and cold. But I did make these Apple Cream Cheese Rose Tarts. I wanted something that resembled a flower! :) They were yummy but mine did NOT turn out like the photo in the recipe! They never do lol...

My anti-peat-pot-campaign continues. These are tomatoes that I planted in the peat pots that never showed themselves. I re-planted them on Saturday. Four days later and lookie-here. 

The Buttercrunch lettuce is also starting to grow. I'm so happy I followed my gut on this! I'd still be lamenting over dry peat pots and dying sprouts if I didn't! My seedlings are finally happy! :)

I got these photos yesterday of a Red-Winged Blackbird. They are grainy because I was lazy and took them through my rainy, dirty office window!! It's hard to get a photo of these fellas because they are so skiddish. The tiniest move and they're gone. We hear them all spring but I rarely see them in the feeder, they mostly stick to the swamps. It was a nice little discovery while I was ogling my tomato pots!!!

Today I'm off to the mechanic again. This time just to change the tires to all-seasons instead of the winter tires. I must learn to do this myself, but I figure, it gives my trusted mechanic a chance to check the tires and under the car at the same time. If he ever notices something off kilter, he always tells me. He's saved me so much time and money over the last few years by pointing things out that needed a quick fix. But I do hope he finds nothing else today!

Happy May Day! We're Eating Red!

Last May 1st (2016). We still had snow. And we had that little pergola structure that the previous tenants put up for their bbq...which fell over in a wind storm!

Just three weeks ago...

What do I have to complain about? It's May 1st and even though it's raining, the snow is GONE. This gives me lots of happy! :) I should be dancing around the May Pole today lol...but it's cold out, so today is an indoor comfort/cozy/hygge day!

I managed to get out to the garden center yesterday and got my supplies for the porch. Those 8 foot pieces of wood will have to be sanded and weather-proofed, which I will start once the rain dies down at the end of the week. I also got some chicken wire - I want to make some kind of screening for my container garden to keep the birds away. My neighbour told me last year the birds picked at all of her pumpkin seeds and they never stood a chance!

(not my photo!)

Has anyone ever made lilac lemonade? Kristina mentioned it in her post today. It got me curious and I found a recipe online. I've been reading good things about its benefits: it has a calming effect when used as aromatherapy, so it might be good for my anxiety problem. I also read it was used to treat malaria...so if you come down with a case of it, eat a lilac flower! 

This is out my office window. Our lilac tree is just starting to bud. I think I will harvest some of the flowers this year. I would like to try to make the lilac simple syrup for the lemonade, but also use the flowers for aromatherapy. I'm always trying to find new, natural ways to help with anxiety and depression...not to mention any other ailments that come my way! Oh, there's a Blue Jay on the ground by the bird feeder! I didn't see him when I clicked the photo!

Eating Red!!! We had some tomatoes to use up and the bread I made the other morning was so fresh, we decided on tomato sandwiches for dinner last night. Once in a while for a treat, I buy some Imperial aged Cheddar. It comes spreadable...but like I said, it's a treat because now it's up to nearly $8.00 for that little 1 cup container. It was a nice light dinner.

I fell for it again...strawberries were on sale last week, and I bought some. They come all the way from California and who really knows how old they are by the time they get here? All I can think of is "oooh strawberries!!!"...but, they never taste very good. They aren't sweet at all. Sigh. We added some sugar to the strawberry shortcake to help it along. I must try to wait until there are fresh local strawberries available! It's hard though!