For the sake of husky happiness...I put on my fifteen layers of clothing and took the girls for a walk. Oh gosh, I almost wish I had a ski mask over my face, the windchill is a killer. There have been a few "hair-freezing" days in our mountains and today was another one. I think I have a collection of photos of my hair and eyelashes frosty and white! The sun helped a little bit with the cold though so I'm thankful for that!
But you know what? Charlie ate her whole breakfast when we got home; and she bounced around the whole 45-minute walk. While we were out, she was looking for deer, chasing little squirrels (well, trying to!) and sniffing out rabbit tracks! :) Or is that wabbit twacks? Elmer Fudd influence :) When the temperatures remain mild, I'm out with all three dogs every morning for an hour's walk, but lately...I can't handle it too well, I'm making a big effort for Charlie though! Only the huskies can handle this cold, Jack stays home eating bones to keep him quiet :)
I love how winter and wood burning mix into such a gorgeous fragrance! Seems like the entire village had a fire going. When I got home, the first thing I wanted to do was build a fire in our leaky fireplace! We try not to use it too much because our Hydro bill soars when we open it up. It's such a paradox...the fireplace is to make fire to keep us warm, which it doesn't because it's so badly insulated. It's really just for atmosphere. When we buy our place, there will be wood stoves, NO fireplaces!!
From the "not surprised at all" file:
Last November, I sent a complaint to Glad for faulty garbage bags. This is the EXACT SAME WORD FOR WORD response I got in November, that I got yesterday for my complaint about their cling wrap. They don't care!!! But I'm $7 richer I guess because the cling wrap was $3. What am I going to buy??? I don't buy their garbage bags anymore, and I'm done with cling wrap...I have to hunt out some other Glad product I guess. And check this out:
See the arrow? We bought new hoses for the washer and dryer at Canadian Tire. That's a store that usually has decent quality items. When we opened it, it was missing the steel hose end-thingy!!! Oh my gosh...it NEVER ENDS!!! I feel like I could start a "rip-off of the day" blog! At least it was just one of the two hoses that was faulty...We both went on a well-deserved rant about bad quality, out-sourcing and uncaring companies lol...we have decided we need to learn how to make our own washer dryer hoses...okay that was just part of the rant, but really...We're going back to the store on Tuesday anyway, so at least we can replace it, but my gosh...anyone else having such bad luck lately with quality?
Greens and Scenes From My Kitchen:
Here is some freshness to warm up a freezing winter day.
Here is some freshness to warm up a freezing winter day.
All these veggies are now blanched and in the freezer, except the Italian Parsley which is sitting in a Mason jar with water in the fridge. I was slow in doing this. My shopping day was March 6th and I only got to it 5 days later. I'll have to be quicker next time, I don't want any of the food to spoil! All these veggies are reserved for a meal during the next 5 weeks :) So basically that's what I did yesterday!
For lunch yesterday we had the last of my frozen pizzas. I have to make some more today I think! It's so nice to take one out of the freezer and not have to deal with dough-making. I got the idea from this website: How To Make Homemade Frozen Pizzas. I think that fresh is always best, but it's so convenient and I don't know why I never thought of getting some ready for the freezer before! I had just cheese pizzas made, but today I'll probably add some ham and olives too.
Last night for dinner, I made Chicken Aloha! with my homemade Rice Pilaf for Alex, that's my boyfriend's name :)
I have trouble with rice, so I just had some orzo pasta with mine and I don't like pineapples so I gave mine to him. We finished up the asparagus too, yummy dinner! It's weird, I love pineapple juice, but don't like the texture of a pineapple.
I always post photos of the dogs, but we also have 3 cats. This is Dana, the oldest of the three. He fell asleep on my hand last night when I was watching British comedies before bed. For a while he was a terror, attacking the dogs...but over the last year and a half, he's calmed down a lot and gained his confidence back. He would never come up on the bed if a dog was up there, but you can see Jack's butt in the front of the photo and Dana is very comfy! Harmony at last!!! :)
Stay warm my friends! :)
Last night for dinner, I made Chicken Aloha! with my homemade Rice Pilaf for Alex, that's my boyfriend's name :)
I have trouble with rice, so I just had some orzo pasta with mine and I don't like pineapples so I gave mine to him. We finished up the asparagus too, yummy dinner! It's weird, I love pineapple juice, but don't like the texture of a pineapple.
I always post photos of the dogs, but we also have 3 cats. This is Dana, the oldest of the three. He fell asleep on my hand last night when I was watching British comedies before bed. For a while he was a terror, attacking the dogs...but over the last year and a half, he's calmed down a lot and gained his confidence back. He would never come up on the bed if a dog was up there, but you can see Jack's butt in the front of the photo and Dana is very comfy! Harmony at last!!! :)
Stay warm my friends! :)
So far we have missed the hair freezing days down south this winter, it has been a wonderful mild one for a change. You would laugh at how they close schools when a dusting of snow sticks on the grass.
ReplyDeleteThe best smell is when I burn some wild cherry in the wood stove, reminds me of the pipe tobacco of an old man I remember from years ago.
Oh Gill, honestly, we kind of make fun of Toronto here in Canada because once the mayor called the army out to help because they also got what I consider a dusting of snow! They'll never live that one down lol...pipe tobacco smell can be very nice! I love smelling wood burning.
ReplyDeleteIt's absolutely freezing here today. That cat looks like one cozy cat.
ReplyDeletenot only are products bad...i don't even want to get into my work people! now one takes pride in their work anymore. that is a very cute kitty!
ReplyDeleteI hope our hair freezing days are over. I just came back from the barn on a very nice evening ... cold but somehow it feels like it is trying to warm up. We are suppose to be in the plusses by thursday. I am done with winter...had my share ;)
ReplyDeleteYour kitchen greens look beautiful and make me want spring even more. My heart and soul are craving the smell of green :)
I am glad Dana finally decided to become part of the bunch. We have the same situation with Robert right now. He wants to fit in but everyone is very careful and hissy ... I am sure they will figure it out eventually.
What a gorgeous area you live in! Love your blog :) Nancy
ReplyDeleteDana! LOL. Looks like our Riley. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat photos, and I have to say that husky dogs would be miserable in my part of the world. We've had a mild winter for the most part, which I fear means another too-hot summer!
Greetings from a wintry Manitoba! We had some nasty temperatures over the weekend - such bitter winds. But they say the end of this weather is in sight. I am grateful for this. Winter is hard on my soul. Not to mention the time change this weekend :(
ReplyDeleteI am with you on the poor quality/crappy products. And if you do complain (which I always do) its the standard we will mail you a coupon. My last one was Duncan Hines. I bought 2 boxes of angel food cake mix to make our Christmas trifle and one of the boxes' inner package was not sealed so when I pulled it out all of the mix came out with it, all over the counter and whatever was left was in the box. Good thing I bought 2 boxes...the other one was fine. But I did complain and I did receive coupons.
Your recipes/cooking and pictures are lovely!! :) I need to take the time and go through your posts and recipes. I like your organizational practice! :)
We had a husky up until his passing almost 2 years ago. He lived outside year round. He did not like it in the house and paced when we brought him in on the super cold days (which are plenty here on the prairies). We do have a fenced yard which helped us but I understand how it won't work for your setting. I think the best you can do is walk them. I took him on long walks as well. Huskies are nomads - they need to explore and wander to make their heart happy. Ours just loved his daily walks. I didn't walk him when we reached -30 or colder though. He would have been fine, I would have not been! :) I think as the days get warmer, it will be easier to take them out. Good luck! I miss my Husky. He was a beauty. Pure white with ice blue eyes. And he "sang" to me everyday.
Hi Kristina :) I hope things warm up for you. I don't have to deal with frozen water buckets (yet). Our cats are just as spoiled as the dogs are!
ReplyDeleteHi Joyce :) I know what you mean about lack of work pride. It's sad! Even when you call customer service, it's always pass the buck or it must have been something YOU'VE done...no wonder people are getting back into the "old ways" of living.
ReplyDeleteHey Nik :) I'm done with -30 hair-freezing days that's for sure!! I'm glad the kitchen greens brought you some joy! They did for me too...I need green in winter! Well, it took Dana a year and a half...and even now if one itty bitty thing changes, like if we don't have his blanket in the right place, he gets all antsy again. I hope Robert can fit in soon!
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy! :) Thank you! Our area is really nice, I can't live without the woods nearby. I tried to live on Prince Edward Island off the Atlantic ocean, but I missed the mountains and the big woods!
ReplyDeleteHi Leigh :) I just went to your blog to search for Riley. He's very cute! Looks like Dana. It took Dana a while to lie on his back like that, knowing there was a dog on the bed...Charlie and Marlene do well in the summer but only if we let them swim in the river or a lake each day. They LOVE the winter...
ReplyDeleteHi Dianna! :) I know what you mean, that time change snuck up on me. I really don't pay attention to dates and stuff like that anymore...unless it's a holiday where I can decorate or make fun food lol...I couldn't figure out yesterday morning why there were so many cars at the church at 7:30am....well, it was actually 8:30am and this dawned on me later in the day hee hee. You know, I think I would have lost it if my cake mix flew out of the box! Horrible! But you're right...complain, get a coupon, shut the customer up, end of story, next. I HATE it!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry that you lost your husky. You know, they are the gentlest dogs I've ever had and I grew up with many, had my own pugs for a long time too. Charlie likes it in the house, but gets bored SO quickly. She stares out the window a lot. I feel so bad that we can't let her out all the time, but, yeah, I mentioned our situation. In 2019 if all goes as planned, we'll be moving. We have 2 years on this lease and we don't want to resign in 2019 so we'll have the first half of that year to find a property, seal the deal and move. A priority is a big area for the dogs to hang out, year-round. Marlene with the blue eyes is a mix and she doesn't howl or sing, but Charlie does some "roo roo roo" singing when it's time to eat! :) Thanks so much for your comment, I LOVE the long ones!!! :)
I trained my dogs to stay in my yard which is big so I don't have to go out with them. I just open and close the door. I used to walk with them but the asphalt was hard on our limbs. I used to walk gravel when I had my farm and that's not a problem. I can't walk in the woods because there are too many poisonous snakes and ticks. But it's a big house and a big yard so I figure we exercise ourselves. The girl's both have arthritis so I am just grateful they can still go up and down the outside steps.
ReplyDeleteYour meals always look so great. I am going to do the frozen pizza dough, thank you! I make the girl's treats usually and I have a bone shaped cutter but it's huge so I just use a little circle I have. Too cute that Jack knows what's in the oven...good smeller! My youngest grandson is allergic to peanuts....badly!
I can't look back at your blog so I have to try and remember everything while commenting. It's like a memory test and I'm failing!LOL! My Mother used to split hotdogs down the middle and fry in butter and also fry bologna slices....LOVE! Those sandwiches and the pizza and everything look very good! enjoy!
Hi Sam :)) Oh that's kind of scary about the snakes in the woods...we're lucky here in Quebec, at least in this area, we don't have ticks, at least they are not a problem around here. We do check the dogs every evening though in the warmer weather and so far we've had no problems. They do take a preventative medication though once a month for fleas and ticks, just in case. Oh you know, that's what Alex did, he parboiled the sausages, then split them and fried them in butter too! I'm glad you're going to try the frozen pizza, it's SO MUCH better than any boxed type that basically tastes like the box it comes in lol...if it were my choice, I'd have pizza almost every day. We make lots of different kinds, I have 2 pizza cookbooks! You can't look back on my blog, is it because of the way the comments are set up? I'll change that, maybe it'll be a better option!
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