August 14th 2010

We are still in Oliver and the last 3+ years have been busy ones. Living with our son and family has come to an end as they now have their own place and we are staying at the old place until it sells. At that time we will likely move to Vancouver Island but until that "time" arrives we will live here are caretakers in this wonderful house, until God sends us to the next stop on our journey of life.
I still have knitting projects on the go and an even increasing stash of yarn and patterns. I am completing my 3rd pair of socks for my adult daughter and have been pleased with this knitting adventure....so much easier than mitts...no thumbs.
Hot, hot hot is the weather today but I try to let it soak deep into my bones so the cold of winter won't be so bad. My good intention is to ENJOY the gift of each day.....
Picked up fresh corn on the cob for supper at the store. Brings back memories of growing up in Prince Edward County where we got our corn from fields rather than a store, and there would be at least a dozen or more steaming ears on the table....tonight we will share 3 ears.

I just checked out my basement window and yes winter is still hanging around as is my cold. Yesterday we walked downtown in the snow, a little slippery but we made it there and back without incident. The reason for our venturing out was for haircuts and we were both pleased with the results so that is a positive thing. Made a Kraft stuffed shells recipe also yesterday, had made it before (Christmas Eve) still working on it to get the exact taste I like, used sweet Italian sausage yesterday,tasted too much like sausage which is one of the tastes I usually like, think I would like the spicier (hotter) sausage better or perhaps add some spinach, anyway its a good winter project and I really like the recipe idea, can be made ahead and the amounts adjusted to suit the diners. My knitting is progressing well so that project is also doing well.So while the weather refuses to return to what is rumored to be normal for this area, everything else is good. One shouldn't ask for more.................

Chicken soup for the cold??

Well it looks that I have survived my head cold with only a slight hangover from the cold medication.........but will we survive the cold temperatures plus the wind chill of this January in the Okanagan desert remains to be seen. Had spicy tea and fruitcake for tea break...good for the soul, later will have some red wine. Have the ingredients to make a Mennonite chicken noodle soup, a Manitoba recipe, but think I'll do that tomorrow to have before we brave the elements to go out to church. Plunk the whole chick(skinned?) in a pot of broth 2qt with anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves for 2-3 hrs skim occasionally. Remove chick from pot, remove meat from bones add a spot of butter to the broth. You have already cooked some skinny pasta...I got vermicelli. Now you get a large bowl for each of the eaters put some of the cooked drained noodles in your bowl, then some of the meat, then a ladle of broth and enjoy. Might need a fork as well as a soup spoon.

January 7th.So I now have my first downturn of the year. I have a head cold, sore throat, drippy nose,and foggy head. Went to the drug store but it was closed, if I still need drugs tomorrow will venture out again. For now lemon tea and aspirn will have to do.

January 4th....sunny day. Listened to part of my program then was pleasantly interrupted by a visit from J,S, and the wee one. Didn't get out to enjoy the nice day. Made biscuits for supper, they didn't turn out too bad, were nice to have with the seafood chowder. Did some more knitting, the pattern is going ok so far. The weather forecast is for more winter weather on the weekend. We have no plans as yet. J made us an appointment to get acquainted with his doctor on tues the 9th, another step on the path to getting established in our new home.

January 3rd. A very productive day..........we finally got our plates and insurance for the car, it was very time consuming and more expensive than we had thought....anyway I guess it is just another cost of moving. We picked up some drapes I had ordered and had them put up before 4pm..........they were much nicer than I had expected.........soooo you win some you lose some!!! Tried a new recipe for supper...got it from the Chatelaine recipe file.....Taco Salad....it was well received and a good way to use up left over nachos. Also made seafood chowder for supper tomorrow night.......I like to let it rest overnight to improve the flavor. Have some BC smoked salmon with pepper to add to it when I heat it up....used it for the first time before Xmas...and it was a hit. One more thing that I accomplished today I got the Orange yarn...might have to adjust the pattern but am eager to get started now.

January 2nd........all signs of Xmas were packed away today and now we can start to feel at home in our new surroundings. Shall re-arrange the furniture a bit then hang the pictures that have been leaning against the wall for a month. Finally got out for a walk today, still slippery underfoot but seemed to get milder as we walked and it started to rain as we neared home. Discovered a neat store called Fields, lots of cheap stuff like a nice dollar store, got a hard cover book for $6.00....nice place to poke around in, even had some yarn but nothing orange and striped.........Lucee is 15 today, hope she liked the shirt I got her, perhaps I could knit something orange for her too.....