On this date, one hundred years ago, the bells rang out across many countries. The armistice had been signed and the fighting was officially ended but not before Private George Lawrence Price was killed.
In the setting of the sun we will remember them.
He was one of “them” Continue reading
10 wooden crates and 5 soldiers in uniform on the stage. It doesn’t seem like enough to transport you to the hearts and minds of those Continue reading
I try to spend some time during the first 11 days of November reading and thinking about commitment, sacrifice and freedom. There is always a story, or two, that speak to me.
I want to share a Continue reading
This moves me. The amount of work undertaken to document the stories of the Ogema men shows such dedication. Kudos to the people behind this.
Source: Cenotaph Men
I saw these names every year on Remembrance Day as we filed by the Cenotaph. I saw the four corner posts of name places. As an adult you put it all together and it makes a story that leaves a mark on your soul.
Bernie
Some things just speak to your heart, encapsulating what fills your soul up. Today’s post does that on many levels.
I knew when I was given this gift that it would eventually become a blog post. I just needed the right story to accompany the message. Today I saw and recorded living proof of the words below. Continue reading
There has finally been a bit of a break in the unseasonably cold snowy fall weather. The combines are going full force late into the evening and we completed a significant portion of our fall yard work on the weekend. Construction season ended too early but now we have time to focus on a few other items.
So armed with a chainsaw and a clipper we started gathering materials so I could decorate the planters that remain outside. It’s so nice to have some colours and textures in them during the non growing season.
I think my favourite view of it is the one below; partly because it’s through clean windows! It’s a long day to do the 128 window panes and 16 door panels but it’s so worth it. We are so blessed with our house space and our rural life that the work is just fair trade for that.
I love the flower pots and the cost was nil this year as the few hardscapes are from previous years. Even then the rule was that I won’t spend more than $25 for any item so it’s mostly salvage from various spots. I’m so pleased with the results of my something from nothing this year.
I have plans to add a cross and poppies in November and then dress it with lites and outside flowers for the Christmas season in December. I think it will look better than it does sometimes in the summer when I’m struggling to get the plants to grow.
Bernie
Every once in a while there are some particularly funny social media posts. A particular one about domestic goddesses, in which I was tagged, cracked me up. I truly forget that not everyone has the cooking, preserving, baking and gardening gene or even likes to do those things. I’m quite sure, whether you are a non kitchen person or an old hand at canning, this post below will crack you up!! These are Mar’s on words and hashtag.
A little advice to the NEWBIE CANNER…
1)when your friend offers you 10lbs of beets and 10lbs of carrots RUN!… not having a canner won’t wash as an excuse because I guarantee that one will show up at your doorstep … my best advice is to say you hate carrots and beets…… Brenda you a smart cookie !
2) when experienced canners say” it will only take an hour or two … bank on 10…. we don’t know the shortcuts yet!!
3) warn your hubby that you are cooking beets…. otherwise it will appear to him that you have had a meltdown in the kitchen and killed something or someone with your bare hands… from the fridge to the sink to the stove and even the ceiling( that one took some talent) ….beet DNA is everywhere!!
4) Peeling garlic sucks ass
5) Once you have successfully converted quarts to liters and concocted your brine TRIPLE IT!!…recipes lie!!!
6) don’t get oversized jars because you need 10 gallons of water to cover the bastards …. and if you do, I suggest you start boiling the water before you even remotely think of canning anything because it takes forever!!
7)make sure you stay awake for 24hrs just to hear the lids pop otherwise you will always wonder who you will be poisoning next year when you give them as Xmas presents😳😳😳
8)be thankful that you didn’t also accept 10 lbs of tomatoes and a great salsa recipe🤪🤪🤪
9)just because your mother was good at canning doesn’t mean you will be… genetics don’t count!!
10) appreciate the domestic goddesses you know who do this stuff and like it!! Beverly Pavelich, Jasmine Asselin,Marilyn Gerwing,Bernie Cruikshank I am definitely humbled by this experience and am not canning worthy!!!😔😔😔😔
#fuckthisshitgotothefarmersmarketandpay20abottletheydeserveit
Now I’ve never thought of myself as a domestic goddess but I do love food. I’m particularly fond of home made baking and of garden produce whether it be canned, frozen or enjoyed fresh. The weekend hit high on both those fronts but the garden produce came at a cost.
That of cold fingers and icy chills down the neck. I always wonder why we wait till such a cold day to go dig carrots, beets and any other goodies left in the ground. 
I can’t say that cleaning the harvest is my favourite thing to do but as I said, I love to eat it so it has to be clean.
There were no bumper crops except maybe the pumpkin and squash. Which are still sitting in the snow.
The carrots as you can see are tiny. We were shocked to see that the 3 foot tall corn had actually produced cobs. Not a lot but enough for a thanksgiving feed so it’s now frozen and ready to be turned into creamed corn.
I’ve already made 2 batches of borscht and there was still lots of beets left so they got cut up and roasted. I will pull them out in the winter and use them up. There was no beet juice anywhere but on the cutting board!
On the baking front it was time for a new recipe trial. I love pumpkin and had some smoked pumpkin in the freezer from last year that needed to be used before we harvest this year’s. So I saw this recipe for pumpkin spice cinnamon buns that looked delish! 
And now you can see why I’m not a food blogger. I just do a basic flat lay picture, usually on my butcher block cupboard, and maybe edit it a bit for brightness. I might go so far as to find a nice backdrop but not very often. So while mine don’t look this good they sure tasted good! 
Perhaps too good, for my own good.
Bernie
Hundreds of years ago the site of tartan may have induced terror in the English countryside. It had been striking terror in my head for over a month before I faced the “dragon”. Continue reading
I seemed to have been a bit absent in the blogging world during August. There was a variety of “stuff” that happened which all preempted blogging.
Then last night my Continue reading
It’s been a total whirlwind for the last 2 weeks. The picture below, minus the beach, is what I’m up to right now. 
I just need some time to catch my breath. Hopefully that will be what the weekend provides. It’s supposed to rain Sunday and that actually sounds nice. So see you in the flip side of a few days.
Bernie
