Wet Dogs and Dip For Dinner! :)

Alex and I ended up going out yesterday. We discovered a park about a 15 minute drive away and it was deserted! We took a bunch of photos, I'm trying to look like a bird watcher here. :) Just a 15 minute drive south and it's so spring-like; yet we still have lots of snow on the trails where we live.

How quickly I derail from my menu plan lol...after the last few days, neither Alex nor I wanted to be in the kitchen cooking. The stress really gets to us and we both get exhausted fast. So we made a few dips, grabbed the bag of pita bread, the leftover baguette and Brie and watched some Jerry Lewis movies in bed! Talk about cozy on a cold overcast evening!!

This morning is even more overcast...and the rain is really coming down! But I thought...enough is enough. The dogs NEED to be in the woods, and so do I!!! So we ventured through snow and wet leaves for a fun little walk in the woods by our cottage.  The rain falling was all I heard while we were out, it was so nice! I'm hoping the drizzly weather will keep the weekenders away tomorrow! (Fingers crossed!!)

The snow was knee deep in some spots, they didn't care...I kind of had a hard time, but we muddled through! Charlie and Jack always lead the pack. Charlie's eyes are darting everywhere and Jack's nose is usually to the ground, he has to have some scent hound in him. He sounds like a little piglet when he's "tracking"!

The dogs got soaked, especially Marlene. Her coat really holds water! She looks like a bear here!

Just a happy shot of me and Alex! Sometimes life can throw you some challenges, but in the end, all that matters is how happy you are. We're not rich, we get by though. Our pets are all healthy. The car does run (though it's still making a funny noise!). We are surrounded by nature. Things always seem to work out so I'm trying not to worry about it! I hope everyone has a happy weekend! :) 

Back to "Normal" (me? normal?) :))

No matter what mood I'm in, the sun will rise. It doesn't care about my tax bill, my car troubles or my little stressors! :) I REALLY miss the sunrises and sunsets on Prince Edward Island. I lived on the Summerside Harbour and it was just lovely every day - that sky was SO big. We don't get to see this spectacular scene here because we're on the "wrong" side of the mountain, so to speak!

I added some summer to my shopping trip, I got these cute garden gloves :) Shopping went fine, we are now well stocked for another month of meals! And I stayed within my budget! When I got home yesterday Alex did all the work emptying the car. By the way, I think my foot hit the floor when I gunned it backwards into that rainy sloppy muddy mess of a driveway! I made it in though! After unloading, we had a Newcastle beer with some Brie and baguette, our usual shopping day treat, as we put groceries away and updated each other of the goings on of the day. Apparently Jack doesn't leave the couch by the window all day long until he sees the car backing in, awww...my little fella...

Here is my tentative 30-day Meal Plan for anyone who wants some ideas. I'm calling it tentative because we mix and match a lot! You'll notice lots of chicken dishes because chicken was on sale. I never plan breakfast or lunch, because we usually have some kind of leftover or we just have fruit shakes or pancakes. Today I will be organizing, labeling and wrapping. Alex is making dinner tonight, aaaaah...so I can relax!

The snow in the backyard continues to melt! Thanks so much to my Blog friends for all the support and positivity yesterday!! :) It worked! I had a great day yesterday. It was long though, I was up at 5am, at the mechanic at 7am and only left there at 9:30am...the shift cable needed greasing, it will need to be done yearly because the rust from winter and spring hardens it since we don't use the car much. He told me all Dodge Journeys have that issue. He showed me how to remove the air filter and where to grease it if I'm so inclined...I think I may be so inclined! He heard a weird rattle and discovered a part that was too rusty to save, the Pulley Tensioner for the alternator...basically if it breaks, I have no power. So for $25, that got replaced too. All in all, it cost far less than I expected! I love my mechanic and I now feel safe driving!

Reminds me of a Seinfeld joke. One of the characters says "I have no idea what mechanics are talking about...they could tell me 'Your 'johnson rod' needs replacing' and I'd pay for it, who really knows what they mean???" At least my mechanic lets me eavesdrop and he explains things as he goes!

Alex made our dinner last night. I was so tired. We had chicken souvlakis with the leftover chicken from the roast on Easter Sunday. Look! Alfalfa sprouts!!! :))  We just pile chicken, Feta, lettuce, Tzaziki and (now) sprouts onto a pita and roll her up. So yummy!

Grosse-out alert below (don't worry Mama Pea, nothing snake-like!!!):

Ready?

Are you sure?   

THIS is what passes for alfalfa sprouts at the market that I often rave about how fresh their stuff is. I couldn't believe my eyes yesterday and I had to take a picture. Isn't this food poisoning for thought??! I'm a home-sprouter now and forever!!!

I'm the proud mother of parsley! :) It practically sprouted overnight. I have two of them going. Alex is putting up another shelf for me today. He surprised me yesterday by sawing and sanding it. So this weekend I'll have some more herbs and maybe some other seedlings going! :)))

Vet news: I spoke to my vet of 9 years yesterday. She was nearly as rude as the receptionist. Makes me wonder if I somehow offended them lately. She made it clear that she has to follow rules, so do her clients. Of course she cares about the animal, but rules are rules. No further refills will be available without a re-assessment of the cat. I asked "how will you re-asses him if he's doing fine on the pills? Will you expect us to have him stop taking the pills so you can see the pink eyes and pink ears again?" She said she'll have to see during the visit. Wow...that was a shocker. I stopped by a vet in the next village and they were really nice. I briefly and non-emotionally explained our situation and they were super accommodating. They will need to see Oscar of course, but their motto is "don't mess with it if it works". It was quite a disappointing experience with the old vet. I am suspecting that she got too big too fast. They expanded from a small country vet operation to a huge vet hospital within 2 years. Anyway, there are plenty of vets in the sea right? :)

We're all in our happy place again. Because of the spring melt, it was sometimes dangerous to walk the dogs because of ice and too much mud and water out there. Because of the loose dog problem (which by the way, was completely ignored...) I never wanted to walk through the village. But now that I'm up at 6am these days, I can walk them safely through the village, to the deserted roads of the mountains. 

The river is raging. The girls can't wait to go for a swim though. Jack...he'd rather sunbathe on the shore! :)

I found Charlie's weakness....food on the floor! She's still not eating every day...but this morning I dropped a bit of her kibble on the floor and eureka, she ate it...so I put more on the floor...each time she ran out, she looked up at me. So Miss Charlie wants to be "hand fed"...oh my gosh, what will I NOT do for these dogs lol??? She ate the whole bowl...on the floor...though!

There's A Dark Cloud Over Me!

I took this picture from my car last August when I was rushing home to beat severe weather. Well, this is how I felt all day today. You know how things sometimes spin out of control and you fall into self-pity and the "WHY ME?" frame of mind???  (Kristina, this would be an instance where I just couldn't laugh it all off!!! So Kudos to you!) :))

1. I did my taxes this morning and I have a very expensive provincial tax bill to pay. Blah.

2. Then I was told I needed to bring our cat in for an exam if I want his allergy pills renewed. Funny, last spring the vet told me this would be something he took for life and the prescription would be renewable for life...rules have changed apparently. I had to fight to get one last refill so Oscar wouldn't suffer. My blood was boiling a little bit at that point, but then....

3. ...I was supposed to do my monthly grocery shopping this morning as well. When I got to the gas station to fill up, I couldn't put the car in Park, nor in Neutral...I was stuck with my foot on the brake, trying desperately to jiggle with the gear thingy, it wouldn't budge!! Then as my day would have it, some hoo-hah in a big ol' truck behind me started barking with his horn for me to move. I have to say that I panicked slightly...at least I remembered I had the parking brake!

When said hoo-hah had had enough (say it fast five times lol), he got out of his truck, flailing his arms aggressively. He got to my window, saying something derogatory in French, when he saw that I was crying. Poor me :(. He felt bad I suppose and helped me move the car safely to the road while I called my mechanic for help, I couldn't turn the engine off! Mechanic didn't answer, he doesn't have a receptionist early in the morning. So I looked up what the heck to do on my phone. 

See the pink button? I used a tool I had in the car (okay it was a butter knife lol) to jimmy off the cover of the shift box(?) I have no clue what these things are called...and this pink button is the brake or shift gear interlock button or some such thing...I pressed it and was able to at least get the car in Neutral so I could turn it off! I found this quick fix online, thankfully! Problem is, the car will shift everywhere but into Park. I was still sitting outside the gas station at that point, and I felt a wee bit embarrassed for crying (it's my way to relieve stress), so I drove back home and made it through the mud, back into Neutral, parking brake on, engine off. I have no idea what this is going to cost me.

Here's another photo I took last August after the same big storm. I'm TRYING to feel this way! Trying to shake off the dark clouds! I'm turning big negatives into positives...pity party: OVER. I just don't have time for it.

1. Yes, I have to pay the thieves Quebec government $650 for a non-optional yearly prescription plan whether I use it or not. At least they are the most patient of creditors and I can pay them $50 a month for a year with minimal interest and they won't send the file to a collection agency. 

2. The vet....it doesn't hurt to have a pet checked...but Oscar is FINE...but I have no choice. I have enough meds with this last refill for a few months, but after that, I will pay the $78 to renew his prescription, he's all that matters. But...it might be time to switch vets. I don't mind paying for a service, but the rudeness from the receptionist was not appreciated.

3. The car...well, at least the mud is being useful. Since I can't put it in park, and even with the parking brake on, I was worried about it rolling off the driveway. But...that car is IN the mud and that acts like Nature's brake system lol...it'll be fun trying to get out tomorrow in the rain.

I have a good mechanic though, who I finally was able to speak to in person. He told me about the pink button, then said it is likely just a little rust; and he'll fix it for me quick. He is so busy with tires at this time of year, but offered to be at the garage an hour early at 7am tomorrow to help me. Who's that nice??? People like him are rare. I know it's a paid service, but he wanted to help me. I feel like his generosity with his time erased everything bad that happened this morning!

I feel grateful that this whole experience happened before I spent a month's worth of grocery money. I really don't know how much it'll cost tomorrow, but I have to go shopping right after that or I'll miss all the specials this week (flyers change on Thursdays here). I've spent a few hours tonight redoing some of the menu to make more affordable dinners just in case I'm short on money. 

Anxiety is not going away though...sigh...I know everyone has money troubles, but:

Why must they happen all at once? <===== Rhetorical question!!! 

As per usual, I'm trying to make the best of things! It's just after midnight and I'm stressed about the mechanic bill in 7 short hours...I don't think I'll get much sleep tonight. But then I need to go shopping. It's going to be a long night and a long day tomorrow! Send me good energy please!!!

Chicken Dinner and Sprout Success

On Easter Sunday I made an Oven Roasted Chicken Dinner. This is usually my go-to holiday meal for Thanksgiving and Easter. We love it!

It cooks for a total of 2 hours, this is after the first half hour. As long as you brine the chicken and baste it during cooking, it's so darn tender. I put it on a bed of root veggies during cooking and the veggies turn out just as tender and flavourful!

After two hours, the skin is nice and crisp and the veggies melt in your mouth. We had some leftovers for dinner last night. Our favourite rotisserie chicken restaurant is called St-Hubert, I think it's just in Quebec and maybe some parts of New Brunswick. They have the best chicken we've ever tasted. I've been trying to perfect the rub on this chicken for years now and I think I've got it! 

I'm very impressed by the amount of alfalfa sprouts that I got from 1 tbsp of seeds! They are so crunchy and delicious!

I didn't get as much from the same amount of seed with the Spring Salad mix though. I tasted that one, and I think it will be an acquired taste for me, it's very...hmmm...sprouty? Very earthy...I don't know, I know I'll get used to it though! 

Today is my big shopping day and I'm just waiting another half hour to call the vet to renew Oscar the cat's allergy pills, then I'm off!

*** Lemon Update ***

I got a response from the company mycitrustree.com:

"Your lemon will ripen some more off the branch but not as much as you would think.  Know that that lemon is probably good to go and you will definitely enjoy the flavor. Completely sweeter and better than the store bought.  In my opinion.

Hope this helps!"

So I think we'll be tasting it sooner than later!

Fallen

Hmmm...what happens now?

A Day Outdoors and Happy Easter!

It was such a nice Saturday, the sun was out and it hit 20C! I mentioned in yesterday's post that I brought my easel outside and painted Charlie. Now I have Marlene and the three cats to do next. I love having paintings of the pets! :) It's helping me with my detail work too because just last year I wouldn't go near any type of portrait, just out of feelings of insecurity and all that silliness!

I took advantage of the ground being less frozen and decided to try to dig a ditch to help the driveway a little bit. We don't have to go out for another few days so I hope my little diy drainage system works. I'll have to fill part of this again when it's time to drive out. There is a lot of rock under this driveway and I need to help the water along a little bit in some places because I couldn't get the ditch deep enough. I had my broom out, "sweeping" the water to get it going again. I must have given the neighbours a good chuckle.

The dogs had a great time out in the yard, sniffing and digging and playing fetch. Jack decided at one point, he wanted a nap on the comfy couch...so the non-verbal communications began again. "Jack, what do you want?"

When I asked him again, I got the "are you serious?" look!

I knew the weather was going to change, so I spent a good portion of my day outside, 11 hours!

Still lots of snow on the ground though.

And this morning, it's rain, mild temperatures and fog. I hope most of this snow is gone by tomorrow!

Last night we had leftovers, but on Friday I made my Papas Fritas. We have potatoes that need to be eaten so there will be lots of potatoes with dinner for the next few days!

For dessert, I made my version of English Trifle. I'm a romantic at heart! Friday Alex and I celebrated 4 years and 1 month. :) I know...it sounds a little silly, but I like to make the 14th of each month special. I guess it's because my first forty years or so were so painful and difficult, I'm not taking a moment for granted now!

Speaking of making special memories, I was finally able to dig out the Easter chocolates that I bought at the beginning of March on my last shopping day! I made these little baskets from construction paper. I found a video on How to Make a Woven Easter Basket on You Tube. Oscar the cat already disassembled one of them while I was happily doting over my window garden. I got it looking good again though! Alex and I are on different sleep schedules, he's more of a night owl, so when he wakes up, he'll have a nice surprise! I have a chicken brining and we're going to have a nice chicken dinner with roasted veggies and stuffing. Happy Easter to those who celebrate! :))

Watercolour: Charlie

I feel the painting bug hitting me again. It happens every April when the weather gets nice enough for me to be outside all day! So today I painted our little girl Charlie. I was going to go for a black and white painting, but the heck with that, I LOVE blues and colour!

I set my easel up on the little porch this morning while all of the dogs kept me company. I love being outside. Tomorrow it's supposed to rain all day so I'll post some foodie stuff then. Oh, I just can't wait to see how muddy the driveway will be after a day of mild weather and rain, eek! I wonder if the driveway will eat my car?

Baked Enchiladas and a Muddy Situation!

I'm feeling quite blessed lately. The winter that just passed made me grateful for mornings like this one. I don't know what's going on...maybe my age and lady phases of my life (how's that for being "PC"??)...either my nights are filled with nightmares (one recurring since I was 8 years old) or painful muscle tensing or night sweats - all of which are symptoms of this "great" change I'm going through at 49 years old, sigh. This is another big annoyance in my life that I have no control over so I'm just allowing it to happen without getting too stressed about it! Going through these hard times makes me very grateful for a day where I wake up after eight or nine hours of sleep! Anyway, I was blessed with the latter all last night - the cold night sweats. As I shivered my way to another extra blanket at 6am, I just gave up and started my day! I'm glad I got up though, I saw the sun rise. And since it's Good Friday, the village is as quiet as a mouse, all I heard were the birds chirping and the river flowing.

And I saw the moon set as well!!! :)  These were taken with my Canon camera. The android phone camera likely wouldn't have cut the mustard for these shots. I adore everything about the earth and today I have so much gratitude for what I have in my life, where I'm living and everyone and every critter in my life. Despite the struggles I live with on a daily basis, life is pretty darn good. :)

It was such a nice sunny day yesterday that I spent most of it outside on the porch reading my cookbooks. I have 23 of 29 meals planned already! Today I'm going to plan the rest of the meals, plus sides and desserts. The next step will be to make the shopping list according to the flyers and what's on sale. I usually plan an additional 5 'bonus' meals...that's just in case what I need isn't on sale, so I can easily switch dinners in my plan. The dogs were out with me all day too. Jack is going to get crow's feet from squinting in the sun! My little fella is 11 years old this year, we got him when he was 9...I hope he sticks around another 9 years! :) He's brought so much to my life, he's taught me a lot about shelter dogs. :)

The girls are so happy to be outside too. Charlie and Marlene will stay out on the snow all day long until it's time to eat now!

I've mentioned that we are currently renting...our landlord is, how can I put this...cheap and lazy, there I said it! Our driveway is dirt and this is our third spring here and every year there is a window of time where you just can't use the driveway or this happens. Guess whose car this is? The CHEESE NIP lady's!!! Okay, she's not the Cheese Nip lady but she's the one from the government who came to pick up those burned crackers and drop off some forms for me! OMG...I felt so bad, but I told her to park on the street!!!

This was the scene after the tow truck got her out...we're kind of stuck in the driveway for a few more days. We're going to try to dig a trench so that the mud will drain...but the ground is still really cold. Usually I back up on to the remaining snow and gun it out of the driveway so I don't get stuck! when I have to park back in, I take a running reverse from my neighbours lovely concrete driveway across the road. Of course though, there were the usual promises of a new drainage system this summer from the landlord...I'm not holding my breath, anyway, at least we don't have to go out before Wednesday! Any tips for a bandaid during the thaw? 

The alfalfa and spring salad mix are coming along! I can taste these in a few more days! :)

More spinach sprouts are popping up.

And more beet sprouts too. I've never grown these two crops before. I hope they're successful! The parsley hasn't shown any signs of life yet.

Last night's dinner was Baked Enchiladas. We're still on our Mexican-themed food kick. This couldn't be easier to make. Just layers of tortillas, salsa, cooked chicken, cooked beans, olives, chives, tomatoes and topped with cheese and cilantro.

With a blob of sour cream, that's another delicious comfort meal. I didn't have fresh cilantro so I used the ones I dried last fall from the garden. There are leftovers for tomorrow's dinner! By the way...

Do you know how to de-pimiento-fy an olive the easy way? I DIDN'T. Alex has a food intolerance to peppers, and those little pimientos in the olives are just as bad for him so I always take them out. I used to slice them in half then jiggle them out the slippery frustrating way. I don't know what made me think of this, but if anyone can use this tip, go for it! Life is now much easier lol!