Painting and Pooches

Have you noticed now that spring is (apparently) sprung...that time seems to be going by a little too quickly again? I have! I'm happy to say that it's mild (ha ha) enough that I can take all three furballs on a walk together again! It was touch and go for a while, the temperatures were still falling to -10C overnight and in the mornings. But the last few days they've been hovering around freezing, so as long as little Mr. Jack wears his hand-knitted :) sweater, we're good to go! :) No rabbit sightings this morning, but a wily pair of squirrels got their attention. One on each side of the road up the snow banks, chirping away!

We've been in a soup kind of mood lately. Last night I made Italian Orzo Soup, with some warmed up home-baked No-Knead Bread and a little green salad. I can't wait to grow my own lettuce again! My digestion has trouble with the store-bought stuff.

Cold Winter Night (acrylics)

Yesterday I pulled out my last canvas (boo hoo!) and decided to paint something, kind of à la Bob Ross. I haven't painted a thing since early February and I actually had a lot of difficulty with this one. I didn't feel like I had it in me at first and nearly gave up...but I pushed ahead and I'm happy with the result! Since Alex and I are on a spending freeze...I decided I'm not buying any more painting supplies until we're settled, so I'll make do with what I have for now!

On that note, my friends know that I've been participating in Michael's weekly (then bi-weekly) Scribble Picnic. He would come up with a prompt and those who participated would paint/draw/scribble their vision. Well, unfortunately due to lack of time, Michael has put the picnic on hold indefinitely. But I'm going to continue to paint an acrylic or watercolour; and draw my Looney Tunes every week for fun, just to keep my creative side going! I will definitely be sharing those as I create them!

Still on the house hunt! This is such a nice little cottage. Here is the link on Realtor. (I think you have to agree to something before you can see the listing). It just seems so perfect for us, $35k, about 1 1/2 acres, in the woods, a little fixer upper...but the bank will not finance any property that has no electricity and no water...even if they have electricity and water, if there is no septic, they will veto the financing. Sigh...I asked what they thought of composting toilets, they said it didn't meet the criteria. So this house is out sadly! April is just around the corner, so I'm sure our dream home is too!

Lemon Tree and a Snowshoe Trek

Lookie lookie!! :) My lemon tree is coming out of hibernation just like me. :) Little lemon blossoms are popping up all over my plant, oh, it smells divine! I wonder if I'll get any lemons this year!

Yesterday I took a very long snowshoe trek along a trail in the mountains. I spent two hours and snowshoe'd 6 kilometers. It was so wonderful being out in Nature!

The most southern parts of the river were running rapidly.

As I walked more north though, the river was still covered with ice and snow.

Close ups of the frozen waterfall show the nice blue hue of the river!

Then the snow started...Alex and I spent a nice evening playing board games and sipping a cocktail in front of the fire with all the furries around us. 

Looking out my front door this morning, we got another 2 feet of snow overnight.

I think if it were up to Charlie, we'd have permanent winter! She spotted a few rabbits on our walk this morning. I tell ya, if I didn't have a firm hold of that leash, she'd be GONE...she's a Houdini dog!

Happy Spring Equinox!

Happy Spring Equinox!!!

I'm so happy that this day has arrived, even though you wouldn't know it looking out my window that spring has sprung!! Just the fact that the days are longer brings me so much joy. Tonight for dinner I made Poutine with Homemade Baked Fries. Delish! :)

For dessert, and to symbolize the Sun, I made some yummy Lemon Squares! It's also the Full Super Worm Moon tonight! It should be quite glorious if you have a clear sky!

I've taken quite a break from this blog! I think that once you get out of the habit of something, it's really hard to get it back. I thought often about writing here but came up with nothing! I have however been writing on my "Thoughts" blog. If anyone is interested, I started a 30 day Self Love Challenge. We're on day 18 now and here is the schedule so far: 30 Days of Self Love.

Because of my cabin fever all winter, I wanted to do SOMETHING to help myself, so I created that challenge and it has brought my mood up and beyond what it has been since the beginning of the year.

We are still in the midst of property hunting. There were some good possibilities and we came very close to planning a visit to a property in Nova Scotia, but after our broker sent us more photos, we realized it was TOO much work to get it in a livable condition.  The owners had bought the house at a "tax sale" for 11k and did a quick (and very cheap) flip on it. At first they listed it at 99k but had no bites, so over the years they lowered it to 65k. Even if it were half that price, it wouldn't be worth all the repairs that need to be done!  

Planning to buy a home in another province is tricky, you really need a good honest broker to help you weed out the ones that aren't suitable. We found this nice little house with 4 acres of land in New Brunswick. It was a great possibility, but then we discovered a big problem (for us). It has no wood stove or even a chimney. For the price they were asking, it would have cost too much to have a chimney installed and to purchase a wood stove. So the search continues! 

But crunch time is fast approaching! Our goal is to finalize a purchase by end of April, early May LATEST! Wish us continued luck! 

I have to say I miss visiting your blogs my friends. Now that my emotional slump is waning, I'll be back to my usual self, thanks for hanging in there with me! xx

Back Soon!

Life, cabin fever and writer's block are in play right now. Must be February! 😱 I'll be back soon!

Yummy Dinners and Snow

Hello Friends!! ❣❣

I hope everyone is happy and healthy! Yesterday I had a nice surprise, Alex offered to make our Valentine's dinner - I was banned from the kitchen! :) I'd found a recipe for Giant Tacos and wanted to try them out, so that's what he made. One with beef for him and one with chicken for me. We have lots of leftovers...I love that!

This is the chicken taco, he also made a Homemade Enchilada Sauce to go with it! And he made my Nacho Dip to use as a nacho sauce. He did everything from scratch, including grinding the beef and chicken. I was very impressed and it was delicious!! :) He even took the dogs out and fed all the pets AND did the dishes...I was Queen for the day! :)

This is the video recipe for the tacos that I found on the Food Network if anyone wants to check it out.

Earlier in the morning, I made my Sugar Pie. We had that after dinner with some cocktails and chocolate while we watched old episodes of Cheers. :)

We haven't eaten meat in a very long time, but we were both craving it lately...we've had lots of meat dinners in the past few weeks. Last week I pulled out the dusty old meat grinder and made burgers. Alex had his with beef and bacon; I breaded a piece of Tilapia for mine - I love fish burgers!  I was one of those people who ordered the Filet-O-Fish at McDonalds!! :)

The backyard....the fence is completely buried.  We are having record breaking snow falls here in the Laurentian mountains. It's very beautiful, but the shoveling...

Friend and Foe!!! I have a love/hate relationship with this thing...my arm is all better. I have a little kink in my left wrist so I can't use it 100% yet, but the snow continues to fall and life goes on right? Next year there will be a snowblower in my tool chest!!! (I say that EVERY year lol!)

The ever shrinking path to the door (Susan I'm sure you can relate to this!). Every winter we start off shoveling a lot to make sure the paths are wide, but at this point (earlier than usual), it's just about 2 feet across! We are running out of place to throw the snow!

Weather permitting, I'm still keeping up with my daily Charlie walks!

Jack in the sun. :) My little fella knows how to keep comfy. Despite the snow, February brings a lot of sunshine with it and I'm so grateful for that!

Cute little farmhouse on Prince Edward Island

The house hunting continues. I've found some possibilities, but there won't be any visits until the spring. We really were looking for an off-grid property...but found out that the bank won't finance it with a mortgage...sigh. We have lots to think about; we may have to settle for a residential property with power - which means a little too close to other people than we want, but again...we are still pondering our options!

Scribble Picnic: Market

Hello Friends :)

The theme for today's Scribble Picnic is "Market". I figured I'd draw a day in the life of Wile E. Coyote as he's shopping at the Acme Market. He always has enough money for gadgets but never enough to feed himself right? :) Here is a Road Runner cartoon for anyone who wants to watch:

I'm such a Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies fan...I can't get enough of these shorts! I hope there aren't too many ads on this video, I have Ad Blocker so I don't see them!

Watercolour: I am DREAMING of a day trip next summer to my favourite market for fresh produce!!! During the winter months, I really miss the fresh stuff...

...speaking of that, the sixty pounds of potatoes that I harvested last September have served us well! We went through about 45 pounds already, holy potato! The last 15 pounds or so were starting to grow "eyes" so I took Mama Pea's advice and canned them. I kept 5 pounds of the best looking ones so that we still have some potatoes for french fries or baked potatoes. I realize that the next time I set up my old tires to plant my potatoes, otherwise known as my "tater tires", I will have to double them up!! Also, I need a proper root cellar! I checked the temperature in that unheated basement room and it was at about 10 Celcius (that's 50F)...not cold enough?

Gotta use those potatoes!!! Leek and Potato Soup was on the menu last night! Alex actually took the time to strain my soup because I don't like those stringy parts that always come with leeks, ain't that nice? :) I served this with a nice side dish of comforting garlic/Parmesan bread! (I flash froze a bunch of chives before Christmas and they are PERFECT for using in my cooking! Great way to extend the harvest!!)

What's Rain's kitchen without a pizza? :) This is a vegetarian version of my BBQ Chicken Pizza.

Most of the river around the village is covered with snow, only a few spots near the little waterfall are still showing the raging current.

I'll tell ya though, I wouldn't want to be in that water.

I'm still trying to take my daily walks with Charlie despite the deep freeze. She does pretty well with the boots on her! 

My arm injury is healing well (I strained it shoveling snow), I can function very well again despite still being one-armed most of the time; but I'm thankful that I have one good arm! This week we have rain and snow in the forecast, then back to winter by the weekend. Crazy weather!

Do You Believe The Varmint?

"Sunburst"

Hello Friends! :)

I've been fooling around with the digital art program again. It's fun, but kind of bores me to be honest! I think if I had a proper digital pen it would make things more fun. It's on my wish list for next winter!

Do you believe the Groundhogs today? They didn't see their shadow from what I've read, so that means an early spring. (Except stubborn Shubenacadie Sam, Nova Scotia's Groundhog...HE saw his shadow...and I am planning on moving there eek!)

I often mention that I follow the belief system of my Celtic ancestors. February 2nd is called Imbolc (also called Candlemas). Today is the day halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, traditionally marking the beginning of Spring. Imbolc is the Fire Festival commemorating the successful passing of winter and the beginning of the agricultural year. Though you wouldn't know it in my neck of the woods!

This is what my world looks like today. So if I believe the following weather lore, I have some hope!!

If Candlemas day be sunny and bright, Winter again will show its might.

If Candlemas day be cloudy and grey, Winter soon will pass away.

Some Celtic Lore:

One of the more malevolent creatures in Celtic folklore, the Cailleach, would spend the day of Imbolc collecting firewood for herself if winter was to last a while longer. To do this, she would need a bright and dry day to collect her wood, so if Imbolc was wet and windy, that meant the Cailleach had gone to sleep and winter would soon be over.

Whatever lore you may or may not believe, let's all hope for an early spring! A Blessed Imbolc to those who celebrate! 🌻

Home Tweet Home

Tweety Bird At Home (Sharpies)

Hello Friends!

The theme for Michael's Scribble Picnic today is My Place/Town/County/Borough/Province/State. Tweety Bird's whole world revolves around his cage, so I'd say that was his home!

Canadian Hug (watercolour)

I think for me, the most obvious place I call home is Canada. I love this country. The politics in my province have worn me down to the point where I plan on leaving for good by the summer - despite that though, I consider myself a proud, happy Canadian. 

Home In The Woods (watercolour)

If I really think about "my place"...where I feel the most at home, where I feel safe and protected...it's the woods. No matter what official name I put to the land, the woods are MY place! If I don't get out into the woods each day, with the dogs or just on my own, I don't feel right. It's my place of tranquility and spirituality. That's why we are being so scrupulous with regards to finding our new place. It has to be surrounded by trees and ideally in the woods!

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Kissing Frogs: A Spring Peeper we found last spring on our front porch

Speaking of that...thanks again to everyone who responded to my last post and shared your story with me. I contacted two realtors who were very nice in their responses, one in New Brunswick and one in Nova Scotia. They told me the market booms in April and May mostly, then tapers off again during the the rest of the summer. So I'll sit tight, still keep my eyes peeled in the mean time, but plan to focus on the home search full-time during those two months. And I'm taking the advice I was given to look for properties sold by owner as well. Some of you were so sweet to email me with some links and advice. I really feel grateful! And I do want to enjoy the process! I love how Susan put it..."you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince!" :) 

Some of my friends know that I had my eye on a 15 acre property in the woods by a river and lake. It was only 39k and off grid, though equipped with solar panels, had a septic system and a dug well - and the best? FAR away from any other neighbour!! It seemed perfect! Well, that real estate agent was one of the many who avoided my questions by email so I called her. I found out that #1 there is no bath or shower...okay, that could be worked around...but worse, #2 there is a parcel of land about 30 feet from the front of the house that belongs to another home owner. This means the person(s) would be trampling by our windows, just 30 feet away, any time they please. Now I understand why she avoided the question. This property is now on the veto list! Boo hoo!! 😭

But...comfort food always helps any woes! :) I had leftover filling from New Year's so I made another Tourtière (meat pie).

We're shopping from the pantry lately too! I love that! I canned many jars of spaghetti sauce last fall and I'm so thankful we have lots of it on hand!

And of course, pizza. :) This is a four cheese pizza with Mozzarella, Cheddar, Parm and Goat cheese! Yum! :)

Bogged Down and Slightly Discouraged!

Hi Friends :)

This is my current list of properties I've looked at through realtor.ca. ALL vetoed. The big problem I'm having is that in my price range, they are all too close to other houses. And if I'm lucky enough to find a nice little cottage with some acreage, it's usually missing water or a sewage system. I go to Google Satellite to look at the location of the places, so it's a long process. And the handful of properties I've considered possibles - well the agent either avoids questions or doesn't bother replying!

It's getting frustrating. Do you have home buying stories to share? Good or bad? Alex and I didn't think it would be this discouraging!!! Any tips?

Sweet Treats

Hi Friends! I hope you're all doing well! I'm barely hanging on these days...I had such a bad few weeks. First the stomach flu; then we did the dreaded monthly shopping in -25C weather...then somehow I got a pet hair in my eye and it was two days before I could flush it out. I still have some irritation...Onwards and upwards right?

Yesterday we celebrated Alex's birthday and I made him this Fruit Tart with Custard. It was a great hit! I used the nectarines I'd canned in September. The rest of the fruit was frozen...I can only imagine how good this tart will be when I make it with fresh fruits!

Since we decided on no gifts until we manage to buy our property, I wanted to make him something as a gift! I found a recipe online for Kahlua Pecan Fudge. I'm not a fan of anything white chocolate but he said they are delicious. VERY sweet though!

I made him a Strawberry Gin Fizz as an apéro before dinner. It's a nice refreshing cocktail made with muddled strawberries and gin. It was such a great foodie day! :)