Strawberries, Scotch and Scrumptiousness!

Hi Everyone :)

For those in this hemisphere, are you enjoying the spring weather? It almost feels like summer during the days here in the Laurentians, though it still hovers around freezing at night! Strawberry is the theme for Michael's Scribble Picnic today! This is my watercolour Splash of Strawberry. :)

Some folks dream of sheep, others of sugar plums...Tweety dreams of strawberries! :)

Just in time for the picnic, I received my strawberry roots this morning, along with my seed potatoes. I watched a few videos on prepping and planting the strawberry roots, I think I know what I'm doing!! Though a quick question for the strawberry savvy set...since we still have quite cold nights (though we are past the last frost)...am I better off planting these roots in my starter pots, then transplanting them when the nights aren't so cold? We're talking from 2-5 Celcius (35-40 F).

Are these pussy willows?

This plant just popped up out of nowhere along the side of the house!

ALWAYS write to companies if you have a complaint!! We have a bottle of 10-year old Glengoyne Single Malt Scotch. The last time we opened it, the cork broke so I took a chance, wrote to the company and look what I received yesterday in the mail! Not only a replacement cork, but two little bottles of Scotch!! Isn't that really cool? I wasn't expecting this! I can't wait to try the 15-year old!

Oh, by the way, it's been a year now since "Cracker-Gate"...does anyone remember that? Burnt Cheese Nips...wrote to the company...shabby response...wrote to Food Inspection Agency...they did an investigation...never heard from them again, lol...I did get coupons for more crackers...which were also burnt!

Alex recently treated himself to some nice pipe tobacco. We've both been learning a lot about the different types of tobacco. The Peterson "Gold Blend" has some Burley tobacco in it, which is mainly used in cigarettes. It wasn't too nice a smell and according to Alex, not a very good taste. "Ashtray" was the consensus. So he bought himself some Burley-free tobaccos and honestly they smell like candies and cakes...now that's how I remember my Grandfather's pipe!

The garlic I planted last fall is popping up! I have seven containers with about 3-4 bulbs in each one, I'm so happy about this! First time! :)

I think I invented the word scrumptiousness....but that's all I could use to describe this chicken burger dinner! I tried some homemade baked onion rings...they need more experimentation, the breading kept falling off but I'll keep trying! Yes...the cheese...that is quite the pile isn't it lol?

Oh the joy of homegrown lettuce! I made us our first Chicken Cesar salads the other day. I used four pots of my little lettuce leaves and it was worth it!!

A Cautionary Tale...

On The Porch With Jack

Beware who you let in your home and around your pets is the message my little tale will tell today.

I mentioned in my last post that Alex and I invited a friend over for a fondue dinner last week. This friend brought his girlfriend who we'd never met before. She got herself drunk and was very sloppy, unbearable and kept dropping things and knocking over glasses, spilling things...it was a scene. And our friend was oblivious to his girlfriend's behaviour.

They had brought a box of chocolates for dessert. Alex, myself and our friend were at the table the whole evening. This woman would stumble back to the kitchen to text people. She had her phone on the entire time on SOUND. By the way? This woman is 60 years old. Age doesn't dictate manners.

Anyway...she was in the kitchen playing with one of the cats, rolling the balls of chocolate back and forth on the counter. 

ANY pet owner knows that chocolate is toxic for cats and dogs. This woman was supposedly a cat owner.

When Alex noticed this, he went over and took the chocolates away from her. She came back to the table and then went back a few minutes later. At one point, I told her we were out of wine as I secretly thanked myself for hiding my last 2 bottles! She wouldn't accept water, coffee or tea...she just wanted more booze. We were glad when they left. I realized after they left that she'd been secretly drinking another bottle of white wine that I'd had in the fridge because it was left in the garbage can empty. Stealing from your hosts...

The next morning, Jack threw up the wrapper of one of the chocolates. (Sorry for the tmi)...we found another wrapper in his poop with whole hazelnuts - the chocolates were Ferrero Rochers. He was really sick all day, and we were infuriated - at one point we got scared and nearly ran to the vet but after calling the vet tech, she told us he's likely past the danger zone but keep a close eye on him.

Though we weren't there to witness it, what likely happened was that she started using the chocolates as a toy for the cats, one dropped, or two, and Jack ate them. I would be livid to think that she may have been stupid enough to FEED him chocolate so I don't even want to go there.

To us, this was very serious and very dangerous for Jack. 

We confronted them by phone and the denial started. First we were told that this woman wasn't drunk...then maybe she was a little. Then we were told that she didn't use the chocolate as toys to play with the cats...then well, maybe she did (when Alex said he saw her doing it). Then it was OUR fault that we "allowed" chocolate in the house. Then it was Jack's fault because he must have climbed the counter to eat them...blame the victim...

At one point, he said: "Well, yes, this could have ended tragically, but we need to focus on forgiveness and moving on, not on the problem."

"this" meaning OUR DOG Jack..."could have ended tragically" meaning HE COULD HAVE DIED.

Careless drunk. Yes, everyone makes mistakes, but my gosh, OWN UP TO THEM. They clearly didn't take this situation seriously.

Thankfully Jack recovered. If it were another one of our pets, it could have been worse because Jack is the one with the iron stomach. What if one of the cats had eaten a whole chocolate???

With all that Jack has been through lately, we told our friend that his girlfriend was no longer welcome in our home and around our pets. I made sure to tell him that we hold no ill will towards her, but that we have to set a boundary. When it comes to our pets, it's zero tolerance for any new person in our lives. Their reaction dictated our decision. And then the insults began. We were ungrateful for their friendship, we were too hard on the woman, we were passive aggressive, we didn't know how to forgive...omg...This guy is an armchair analyst and we just told him that we had to hang up the phone. He continued the barrage of insults and analyzing our entire lives over text until Alex finally blocked him.

Now we have to get over all of this stress to add to everything else.

We've had bad luck with so-called friends lately haven't we? We decided that we are just happier being hermits. Next week, after Stella and Pavlov are gone, we are going to make the exact same fondue dinner, light a fire, share a bottle of wine and enjoy the evening we missed out on!

Has this kind of thing ever happened to you? How did you handle it?

Hound Dog Jack

Thank you so much to all of my Blogging friends for your wonderful support, love and words during the last few months. With my Jack Rabbit being so ill and injured...life was very tough. I should also thank you all for the same support, love and words during the last eight months while we babysat Stella and Pavlov...in ten days they will be leaving us. I'm so torn, it's crazy how attached you get to these critters isn't it?

My little hound dog has fully recovered from ???...whatever happened to him. Now we are trying to make life easier for him as he ages. Alex built a removable ramp that attaches to the couch. Oscar the Cat seems to enjoy it as well! Jack is very smart, we just say "take the ramp Jack" and he runs up and down it...same thing with the ramp outside to the yard! :)

Though it's pouring rain today, I was able to get outside and fix up my porch a few days back! :) It was so warm and sunny a few days ago, sitting on the love seat with Mr. Jack was such a treat! :) You'll note the snow in the background...it's still hanging on, but nearly gone now!

Alex and I had some guests over for a fondue dinner last night. It didn't quite go as planned, one of the guests was a little heavy on the bottle...too bad though, it could have turned out well. But it gave me a chance to justify making a fondue lol...I made my Smoked Cheddar and Apple Fondue...ooh boy...with homemade bread, homegrown lettuce and a great Italian Primitivo red wine...despite the one disappointing dinner guest, the meal was fabulous! 

Scribble Picnic: Picket Fence

Hi Everyone :)

Today's theme for the Scribble Picnic is "Picket Fence". (Follow the link to see more lovely artwork!)

Thufferin Thuccotash! Sylvester the Cat will never learn...Tweety will always outsmart him somehow! :)

Here is my watercolour version of Picket Fence. 

I missed my blog post last week for the Scribble Picnic too, I was only able to post this one on Instagram, but I wanted to share it. Better late than never! The theme was Quilts. Bugs is a Jack of All Trades! :)

My watercolour Quilt. Which movie do you think she's watching? :) I remember watching Jaws for the first time as a kid and it scared the bleep out of me!! I believe I watched most of it from under the coffee table in the living room lol...

I've been really busy lately planting my seeds for the summer garden. Alex had to put up three more shelves as we squeezed all of these pots into the "window garden".

Alex put up more shelves in the kitchen window and we officially christened it the "Kitchen Window Garden". :) Big plans for the garden this summer! The weather is nice and mild, there are thunderstorms in the forecast for the rest of the week...sigh...poor husky Marlene will be having a hard time! How is life treating you these days? :)

Dogs And A New Hat!

Jack's incarceration is over! He's been released from the cage thankfully. He's completely back to normal and enjoyed a day on the porch yesterday in the sunshine! He's careful not to mingle too much with the four big dogs which makes us think he really did get stepped on a month ago.

Stella and Pavlov will be leaving us either May 13th or the morning of May 14th - confirmed. Yay and sigh... :)

Finally the snow is melting and we were able to put the big dogs out on their ropes while we started some garden clean up. This weekend it is pouring rain, so hopefully more snow will be gone by Monday! Although we are going from snow season to mud season now.

The window garden is thriving, I have two rows of fresh lettuce now, and I'm planting more today! I'm going to plant fewer seeds in a bigger pot to see if I can actually manage to grow an entire head of lettuce rather than these "baby" lettuce leaves. :)

Before Christmas, Alex bought himself a nice Fedora. The person was selling it as part of a six hat bundle for $30 CAD. We kind of looked through the box a bit and put it aside until this week. Check out this leather hat! Alex cleaned it all up, conditioned it, re-shaped it and it fits me very well! I'll model it for y'all one of these days! :)

All's Well That Ends Well :)

Hello my friends! :)

It's "nap time" here at the cottage. I have to say, I LOVE when all eight pets are snoozing away! Here are Stella and Pavlov...our furry-guests since mid-September 2017. It's been a long gig, babysitting these two above our own 6 pets! We finally have an end to this situation. Their owner is flying here between May 8th and the 15th to pick them up and fly them back to Morocco. They will not have to be quarantined because they meet all of the requirements for entry - PHEWF...We have these two for just under three more weeks. It's a relief because it's been too much work and stress...but it's sad too because we will really miss them. You can bet we won't be dog-sitting anymore. 

Alex and I decided to spend some alone time together yesterday. We went for a nice long walk around the village. It seems like spring has sprung overnight! Just a few days ago, it was still -10C and snowing...now it's "balmy" weather at around 15C each day!

This is the town's quaint little covered bridge. It was really sunny yesterday. I took my Canon camera with me, which is something I'll be doing from now on!

There is a little dam on the other side of the bridge that continues down to the river. This water looks so cold, I wouldn't want to fall in!

The Canada Geese didn't mind the frigid river though. They were squawking so loudly at us any time we got within 50 feet of them!

Nest? Part of the tree? What do you think?

We caught the Waxing Gibbous Moon rising too. I love my zoom :) Now that Old Man Winter has finally made himself cozy for a long summer's nap, Alex and I have vowed to spend most of our time together and with our dogs outside. Just wanted to let my Blogging friends know that my posts will likely slow down during the warmer months!

This morning I've been doing some food preparation. I started a Battuto for my Homemade Pasta Sauce. Some people call the carrot-celery-onion mix a "Holy Trinity" or a "Mirepoix"...I like the Italian "Battuto" way of saying it! :) I also have some chicken stock going in the pot, that'll simmer for a good few days.

And to use up some carrots, I made Carrot Muffins, they basically taste like the Carrot Cake I make, but without the frosting!

Once our "little" family of me, Alex and the 6 fur-kids gets back to normal in a few weeks, we have lots of plans for the garden! Time to plan for the gardening season! Happy happy happy!!! :)

Old Man Winter

Hi Everyone :)

There was no Scribble Picnic this past Wednesday, but I thought I'd do my own solo-picnic anyway. I decided to choose the very timely theme of "Old Man Winter". The above is a watercolour.

Here is a very tired Old Man Winter done with Prismacolor pencils. I think he needs a long nap!

And just for fun, my Snowman Scream in pastels. :) I was looking through my old photos, I used to take lots of photos of trees, I thought this one kind of looked like Edvard Munch's The Scream:

Can you see it? Kind of cool huh? For many years, I walked the woods, looking for trees that were expressive, taking photos and writing little stories about them. I'd love to start doing that again!

This is one of the many snowmobile trails nearby. I started to walk through, but I couldn't get very far. Despite the frosty look, it's "sinky" snow and it was quite a struggle pulling out of knee deep snow every step!

The lake is still covered with ice. I saw that temperatures will be above zero from now on during the days, hooray! I just hope we don't have a May snowstorm like last year!!

Mr. Jack. :) Like new. One week to go before he can run around freely again. We should be finding out on Sunday when Stella and Pavlov's owner is coming to pick them up. I got another vague email last night, Alex wrote back that we are not interested in any more delays and that Sunday he must give us a precise plan. We have no leverage over this guy, we can only hope he does the right thing. 

By the way...I looked it up, as long as the dogs have their bill of health, updated vaccinations and complete paperwork, there is no quarantine in Morocco for cats and dogs. That is a wee bit of good news...Anyway, wish us luck!

New Recipes, Dog Stuff and Knitting! :)

Hound Dog Jack burrowing. Eleven days until Jack's "incarceration" is over! We've been a wee bit lenient though. He's been allowed to roam my office with the gates on the doorways. No stairs yet...but guess what I did?

I went all "Hollywood Starlet" on myself and bought Jack a carrier bag! Now he's a pocket dog lol...well, not quite, he can't really fit in the biggest of bags they make...as long as his head sticks out he can sit comfortably and I can carry him up to the bedroom. :)

Now he can sleep quietly while Alex and I watch movies in bed again! Life seems to be returning to normal. :)

PS: The Stella and Pavlov saga might be coming to an end in as little as three weeks. We had to send an "enough is enough" email to their owner and he is coming to bring them back to Morocco where he is staying with his mother. FINALLY...seven months of babysitting these dogs with what was supposed to have been only one week...so much drama...so much stalling and lip service...we will miss them - they are sweeties, but I felt so close to burning out lately with all the dog stress. I just want my routine and my life back! Why do people burn bridges? <-- Rhetorical question I guess.  I have to say, I really lament my life before 5 dogs. Three is enough. I can't wait to walk my three again...I feel slightly guilty because S&P are such sweet little furballs...I hope this guy provides them with a PERMANENTLY stable home from now on. One can only hope. We did our best though. :)

We are currently in the middle of an ice storm, if we lose power, it's Blueberry Muffins and ice cream for dinner!

I usually do a post on Sundays with a new recipe I tried the week before. Life has been too stressful lately and I haven't found the energy to blog too much. But I think my energy is coming back! :) I tried three new recipes last week. The first was for Pulled Pork and it was REALLY good! Just my kind of meal, into the slow cooker for the day and dinner is ready! :)

The second new recipe was for Chocolate Pudding...I can't tell you how heavenly this is...and SO easy and quick to make!

The third new recipe I tried was kind of my own concoction...it was based on a Quizno's sub that Alex kind of remembered having ages ago. We had some submarine rolls left and I wanted to use them while they were still kind of fresh. I put together a grilled chicken, bacon and Alfredo Sauce sub. It was pretty darn good! A little side salad of my own homegrown lettuce with some tomatoes made it really nice!

Between the snow, rain and ice...I've not ventured outside despite the need to do the monthly shopping! We are existing on freezer food for the next week until the weather cooperates.  But...I did manage to make my first ever pair of knitted slippers!! How exciting. I've wanted to try this for ages, and I did it. Knock that one off the list! They are a simple Garter Stitch Slipper (free pattern on Ravelry) and were very easy to make...They are warm too! I'm pretty pleased! Next time I may venture into something more complicated, but I learned an SSK stitch and a three needle bind-off. The pattern called for a crochet seam binding...but I didn't have the right sized crochet needle, so I improvised! I'm so happy to have learned a few new things though.

So...how's by you? ;) 

Scribble Picnic, The Apple Orchard

Good morning everyone! :)

Are you up and at 'em? Bugs can barely keep his eyes open before his morning carrot juice. Today's theme for the Scribble Picnic is Pajamas. I could have just posted a photo of myself for this theme because I basically spend my days in my pj's. Alex and I call our lifestyle the "pajama life" :) 

For my watercolour today I thought I'd share one of my creepy experiences, that became one of my nightmares. At least ten years ago, I visited an apple orchard to pick apples. I went a little late, got a little lost and ended up in a slight panic at dusk, trying to find my way out of the deadly silent and creepy orchard. I kept hearing things and seeing glimpses of things that were likely not there. I scared myself silly though! It could only happen to me right? Lol...

Of course, that night I dreamt that I was in my nightgown, barefoot and shivering, in that same orchard, running for my life from the apple trees. I wrote a poem about it and I'd like to share that with you today! :) 

The Apple Orchard

(A Rain Frances Nightmare)

In the orchard, dark as night, 

I wander blind, despite my fright.

The wind is still but whispers stir,

A monster lurks, of that I’m sure.

I scan the rows of apple trees,

One by one, then twos and threes,

My footsteps snap the frozen grass,

I’ve reached the edge, the dark impasse.

Shivering from cold and fright,

My breath is taken by the night,

A lonely apple hangs up high,

A creak, a hush, a laboured sigh.

I peer into the hollow blue,

“My dear it’s time to bid adieu”.

Eyes ablaze, the demon grins,

Its prickly skin as sharp as pins.

Its evil voice revives my fear,

Its nasty smile grins ear to ear,

Its fiery eyes seem to ignite,

I cower at its ghastly sight.

“In this orchard you will stay,

And join the rest who came this way.”

It points to rows of lifeless trees,

Imploring branches, silent pleas.

I run, I run, I cannot flee,

The demon catches up to me,

A crash, a screech, its cry of glee.

The last I see, the apple tree.