Family Trees May Contain Nuts

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 14:20:00 +0000

I suppose I should have posted this a long time ago.

My blog is taking a break from me for a while. Apparently a long while.

I am very busy with work and life in general and really haven't been doing much of interest to the blogging world.

I do hope to return one day but first I will have to completely fix my blog because due to computer issues most of my images are no longer where the were when I put them in my posts. So many posts have image errors on them and the job of fixing this is daunting. I can't just scroll through the photos in my computer because all the different folders have all been zip filed and I have to unzip them find where they should be and put them back.

Thanks for understanding.

SERIOUSLY? REALLY? SIGH.

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 03:10:00 +0000

I am going to rant here today. Why? Because it is my blog and I can. That’s why.

There have been several things for me to deal with recently that have just about put me over the edge. Small things. Mostly minor things. But things nonetheless. Irritating, time consuming, frustrating things.

Prescription refill needed:

needed a prescription renewed and called pharmacy. No refills.
Have a new Dr. finally since there were none in the area we live in now taking new patients.
This Dr. that I have only seen once.. to get said prescription refilled from him the first time since moving here… does not accept phone requests from the pharmacy for refills and I was advised I would have to come in to his office. This would mean I would have to take time off work for an appointment with a doctor when I am not sick. This is not a narcotic or addictive or crazy drug. Basic blood pressure.
Yes I could take time off of work but this is just crazy. What’s he going to do? Take my blood pressure except it will be fine since I take the medication. The one he gave me originally was for 3 months. So now am I going to have to take time off work every 3 months to get more?
Workaround suggested by his office... go to a walk-in clinic.
Walk-in clinic near me is open 7:00am to 7:00pm. I go there at 7am and it is lined up outside the doors. I leave because it will be hours of waiting, again causing missed work.
I go back to same clinic after work at 5:20 and they are closed.??? Uh open until 7? Not.
I go back next morning at 6:30 am and I am third in line.
They open at 7 and we go in and take numbers. 15 minutes later she says the doctor has not come in and she can't get him on the phone. I wait another 15 then I leave.
I go to the pharmacy and explain this and she gives me a months worth under her account and tries faxing the Dr. He rejects that request as well.
Pharmacist tells me that the day before none of the 3 doctors for that clinic showed up to work. WTH?

Next on my list:

I need to talk to my cell phone company to change my add-ons since they are not covering what I need when I travel. Need to be on hold for extended periods before anyone answers. I give up.
I need to talk to my internet provider because my test speed (using their own tester) is very slow and I am paying a lot for it. Something is not right. Need to be on hold for extended periods to get through. I give up.
I need to talk to the Visa Fraud department to see why they still haven’t removed the fraudulent charges done with my card. They have issued a new card and removed two of the offending charges but have left the other 6 or 7. This managed to also get me on a bazillion porn email lists because one of the items they purchased was an online sex class. I kid you not. Need to be on hold for extended periods of time. I give up.
Need to get some American cash for a work trip next week. Called my bank branch to make sure they would have some ………….24 times….. busy signal… finally got through and sat on hold for 20 minutes. Past the time that the actual branch closes. I give up.
Emailed the branch manager who has assisted me in the past with my business accounts. Got an email bounce back that her email is wrong????? I give up.

It is these little things that build up and up until you explode over the fact that you dropped a carrot on the floor. How many times in a day where I say to myself in a “tone” Really? This is “really” happening.

So I smile, I pick up the stinkin’ carrot and wash it off and chop it up, maybe with just a little too much enthusiasm. Carrot juice anyone?

So how have things been going with all of you?

GUARDIANS OF THE FIRE PIT

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 23:35:00 +0000

The fire pit up at our cabin is really, really big. The metal circle is 4 feet across. This is surrounded by a flagstone patio and some large log beam benches.

It is a gathering place for many no matter what time of year.

My BB Guy has made 3 huge benches and had a vision of what he wanted for one of them. He used full logs for the ends on one bench and then commissioned a chainsaw artist to carve the posts.

They turned out great!!!

This bench is 9 feet long. The carved posts are about 5 1/2 feet tall. We now have an eagle and a bear.

PATIO HERBS

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Mon, 09 May 2016 15:25:00 +0000

Who doesn’t love to step outside and snip some fresh herbs for cooking? I had a lot of them at our old home but they were out in the garden and that was down a flight of stairs and across the yard. Not really convenient. The back patio was all shade so the option of a pot closer to the kitchen wouldn’t work.

Now I have a nice big pot of herbs on my very sunny deck where we live now. Very convenient. Lots of sun. I had chives, sage and rosemary available all winter long and now see even the French tarragon survived the cold temperatures and has made a comeback.

The sage is taking over and will need to be trimmed back. It is hiding a rosemary plant. I threw in some marigolds and a primrose while waiting for the weather to be warm enough to put out the cilantro and basil plants I bought. It is still getting a little chilly here at night so I will have to hold off for another week.

Sage flowers look rather like snapdragons I think.

I love blackish plants especially with a punch of lime green next to them. This planter should fill in beautifully.

I will plant up a few more pots out there. I have some petunias, miniature roses, purple fountain grass. I will also move my bougainvillea back outside from my dining room. I am hoping for more color from that this year. It was beautiful the first year but last year had very little color.

I bring in an Angel Wings begonia every year and drag it back out for the summer too. I blooms all winter long in my entryway and then when I cut it back and put it back outside it just fills back in and is beautiful.

We moved somewhere that I wasn’t going to garden in but it is in my bones and I keep adding more stuff. I have some bigger plans for the small but wide back yard area that includes a pergola to start. Once that gets done then I will plan some garden beds around that. You can take the girl out of the garden but……

BUTTS–OF THE LITTER VARIETY

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 14:39:00 +0000

Repost: The fires have started up aleady for this year. Six new fires and it is only April. Felt it was time to repost this message from last year.

******************************************************

Are you a smoker? Do you know a smoker? Share this with them. Here's the deal. Don't throw your cigarette butts out of your car. Don't throw them on the ground. Would you take a burning coal from a barbecue and toss it out where it can start a fire? Would you walk around dropping lit matches everywhere? You shouldn't do this any time of year but during the hot, dry weather it is critical that you don't do this. Forest fire season is in full, early swing and we are low on water. There is a large patch of burnt grass on our highway right between the lanes. Use some common sense people. Don't even get me started on the dirty mess part of this issue.

FRIDAY FUNNY

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 14:17:00 +0000

BLOGGER MEET-UP IN VANCOUVER

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 14:42:00 +0000

I was so excited when I heard that Jane from Blondie’s Journal was going to be in Vancouver for a few days. I have been reading her blog pretty much since I first started blogging and like many of you feel like I already know her.

The first thing I noticed about Blondie when I found her blog (or she found mine, I can’t remember) is how generous she is with her time. She always takes the time to actually read your posts and to comment on them. It didn’t matter where I went in the blog world I would see that she had left a lovely comment on them already. She is a busy lady and yet always has time to share with others and acknowledge the work they have done on their blogs and in their lives.

Her schedule here had some room in it on Sunday so the lunch date was on. As a lovely surprise she was also in touch with another local blogger whom I did not know. Nancy from Stonecrop Sister was able to come too.

Jane/Nancy/Lori

We had a lovely visit, although Nancy couldn’t stay for lunch. It was great to meet her. I am looking forward to digging through her blog and getting to know her better.

Jane and I had a delicious lunch at Mahony & Sons Restaurant in downtown Vancouver. She had the brie & chicken sandwich with a bowl of their yummy tomato soup. I had the Panang curry with chicken. Delicious.

There are so many places to dine in Vancouver with fabulous views and Mahony’s is no exception. Right downtown next to the Trade & Convention Center it is situated on the inlet with a great view to the North Shore. It was a little chilly so we sat inside but on a warmer day the patios would be the place to be for sure. Whether watching the sea planes land or the interesting mix of people out walking around you could spend a lot of time relaxing out there.

Photo used with permission of Vancouver’s Best Places

Our visit came to an end after a quick 4 hours and we had to be off though I think we could have talked for hours more. I have met bloggers in person before and it has so far been a wonderful experience. Our blog buddies are like pen pals of old when the letters were exchanged over a period of years and you get to know them better than the person who lives next door to you.

Have you met up with a blog buddy before? Was it wonderful? Would you do it again?

Share your experience with us.

FRIDAY FUNNY

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 14:53:00 +0000

DARNED CHANGES IN FREE SOCIAL MEDIA!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 14:31:00 +0000

Or how I lost the ability to see my news feed of the pages I follow with my Facebook page for my blog.

Imagine my surprise last night when I went on to my Facebook page for this blog and tried to get to the news feed portion to see what everyone else was up to.

The news feed shows the postings of the other pages I follow from the FamilyTreesMayContainNuts profile. Every time I tried I was redirected back to my personal Facebook page with the news feed from my friends and family.

Don’t get me wrong. They are nice people and I am interested in what they are doing too but I had already spent some time with them last night and was moving on.

The news feed for the blog page is mostly other blogs and some businesses. I am sure everyone will notice a drop in their visits due to this issue.

There is a solution I have found. Not one that I like but as always I will give it a go, as if I had any choice, and see what I can learn from it.

If this is happening to you here is what you need to do. Go to https://business.facebook.com/

Create an account in a few easy steps. Going forward you will access your business Facebook account via this Business Manager, like it or not.

You will still go on to your personal Facebook and log in. Then in the little drop down menu you will see your Business manager and link to the page you want. It is just a little lower down on the menu than it used to be.

Once you log in you are taken to your manager’s page. To go to your active page click on the name of it. This will open up to your Facebook page but only the page where you post!!!

If you want to see the news feed of the people/pages you have liked and followed you will need to choose that from the sidebar.

I understand the need for a better way to manage business pages in Facebook. This gives you the opportunity to add employees in with their own logins and to keep your business details private from them. You can limit what they can access. I am sure there are many other good features for business reporting and tracking.

What is not cool is once again a change has been made and as far as I know nobody told us. I see online that this has been going on for almost a year!!!! Switching people a little at a time. A very frustrating change. Just notify people of what changes you are making. They certainly must be able to put a message in everyone’s box.

Did this happen to any of you? How did you find out about it? Just by shock or did you read it somewhere beforehand? Have you followed my Facebook page yet? What? Get over to my sidebar and click that button!!

FRIDAY FUNNY

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 14:34:00 +0000

FAMILY MIGRATIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Sat, 19 Mar 2016 17:58:00 +0000

Throughout my life my family has lived mostly apart.

I started out in Ontario but have live in British Columbia for most of my life.

I have an older sister that stayed in Ontario when the rest of us moved West as she had a family of her own there.

Eventually she, and her family moved West too and it was wonderful. Then my other sister moved away for many years. We did not see her often. She was living up country and a good portion of the year the roads are not for the faint of heart.

As the years went by the eldest moved away to Vancouver Island as did her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughters. Not that far away but it was an expensive and trying ferry trek to get to the island. It was not a trip that was made often, in either direction.

Boy were we cute!!!!

My nephews and their families stayed in the Lower Mainland but the nieces did not…for a while.

During most of this time we stayed in the same house in a Vancouver suburb. Thirty two years to be exact.

Then, as it is with families, children grow up and move out. The children and grandchildren made their way back to the city and suburbs of Vancouver. Babies were born. We moved further out from the city to an area none of us would have ever even considered 10 years ago and then it happened.

Gradually my sisters both came back. By mid April this year they will both be within a half hour drive from us as will most of the other family members. At this time in our lives we are all living close to our families again, the kids, the grandkids.

This is giving me great insight to researching family trees. Those moments when people seem to disappear from the family and how to understand the thought process to see which family members they may have followed somewhere. Then to follow the path of their children to see, perhaps, where they ended up.

It has also brought me great joy to have my family close together again. To be able to meet up for a quick dinner. To pop by for a visit to see their new digs.

Do you live close to your siblings? Is that a good thing? Family ties can bind or they can bind… take it any way you like.

(There is a brother in this family as well who has chosen, some years ago to no longer be a part of our family no matter how hard we have tried. He is living not far away although he doesn’t even know that we know that. Hey… I am a researcher after all.)

I LOVE FRIDAYS

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 15:21:00 +0000

I used to do a Friday post every week on Facebook because I couldn't wait for Friday to get here.

Now it is just for fun because I love my job!!! Fridays come up so fast. Still my favorite day of the week.

THAR SHE BLOWS

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 18:05:00 +0000

I love a good storm. I love to feel the wind. I love the way the air smells. I love the wildness of it…. until it all goes bad. There are storms that are wild and fun and nobody gets hurt and then there are the kind we have been having in the area for the almost 2 years we have been living here. According to people who have lived in this area longer than we have this is something new.

The damage being dealt by these winds has been terrible. This last one resulted in the death of a woman when a tree fell through her roof. This was not close to where we live but it was the same storm. Just tragic.

Previous to this storm the last one tore off part of our roof and blew out some of the soffits. It carried a heavy wooden double tete-a-tete chair out from our lower patio right across the yard. Another foot and it would have tumbled down the embankment and on to the golf course. Good thing I saw it when I did. Our patio umbrella is tied up tightly in its cover and the base has 300 pounds of sand in it to keep it stable. I’m not sure I even trust that.

We sustained no damage this round. The winds were 96.4 kilometers per hour. For you non-metrics that is 60 miles per hour. The house shook. The trees in the distance swayed and the power went out. All our wires are underground but further down the line a tree fell and took out a pole that shut down the source.

Normally what would be just an inconvenience became a big problem for me because I work from home and completely on the computer. I could not work at all on Thursday.

As the day without power wore on I was texting my coworkers advising I would not be able to do my shifts. They had to cover for me. My phone was dying a slow death.

Lighting is not an issue for me in these situations. I have enough candles to light up a church. I also have some battery operated ones that I used at Christmas that I used this time and they were great. I have lots of batteries on hand. No fear of open flames either but of course would keep the regular candles on hand too.

I am going to search out some good emergency lighting though. I know there are some nice flat lights that you plug in that will come on when the power goes out. Great safety wise if you have to get around the dark house to even find your candles. I think they also have a motion sensor for night time house wandering.

We have a gas stove so I can cook during blackouts. I just don’t want to open the fridge at all during this time.

I did learn a few things during this storm that I will share with you.

I think now I should be charging my phone every single night with no exceptions. Why take the chance that it will be at half power when you are not going to be able to charge it up. I also need to buy a car charger.
I learned that the wall switch that turns on a gas fireplace still works when the power is out and you can at least get some warmth from that. The fan will not work but the fireplace will. Wish I had known that earlier in the day since I was wrapped up in a big blanket trying to stay warm until my BB Guy got home. He just flipped the switch and bingo! Cave Man makes fire.
I learned that the car battery charger in our garage is not just for cars and it has an outlet for charging your cell phones too. Again this little tidbit of information was given to me by my BB Guy after he got home.
I learned that when you make a desperation, we have no power, run for your morning coffee to Starbucks they will give you your coffees and bagels for free at 6:30am in their drive-through line if their debit machine isn’t working. I didn’t even have time to get out some cash. They just waved me off saying on the house. Don’t worry about it.
I learned that if I drag my laptop and a second monitor (I need 3 screens to work comfortably, two if I am roughing it) to my sister’s to work on the second day without power that the power at home will come back on within an hour of me being there. I also learned that my sister will send me home with a container of homemade Pea Soup for my lunch. Okay so this wasn’t all bad.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 15:16:00 +0000

HERE I AM…

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 03:11:00 +0000

Last time we spoke I had left my job and was not looking for anything new.

I was excited to have time for my blog again. Time to do fun, interesting things that I could then share with all of you.

That lasted 3 months. I was presented with a new job opportunity and it was too good not to pursue. I applied for and got the job.

I now do support for a software company. I work from home. It is wonderful to not have to drive anywhere to work. I get to travel a bit as well to company headquarters.

People don’t fully understand that even though I work from home I don’t just sit around all day watching TV or scanning Facebook. I actually work a full 8 hour day and sometimes longer. I can’t carry on long phone conversations or have people over to visit.

I do try to get dressed every morning though. I have only stayed in my pyjamas once.

But usually I can get laundry done. I can empty the dishwasher or get dinner started. I can water some plants. Little jobs that don’t take long. This goes a long way towards a stress free day. No coming home at the end of the day trying to squeeze in the daily chores.

This company is such a positive, upbeat company. I have never seen anything like it. They have a wonderful business model in place and have won awards for being one of the top companies to work for.

Another huge perk is no driving to work. No traffic. No traffic jams. No giant fuel bills every month. No wear and tear on my car.

Is there a down side? Not for me. I don’t mind the solitude. I like my own company (yes there is a little talking to myself going on), There is great camaraderie among the staff. We have phone contact and chat contact regularly.

So that is what I have been doing.

I will have time and more importantly, energy, to blog again. I have just had a lot on the go over the past 3 months. Training has filled my brain and left little space for anything else but I am now getting back to my old self and will be more active on here for sure.

I have missed you all. Many of you I am in contact with via Facebook and that is always fun. I miss visiting your blogs. I miss your beautiful images and your funny stories.

Are you still blogging? Leave me a note so I can catch up with you.

Want to join me on Facebook? Click here for the link.

CLOSE CALL IN THE KITCHEN

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 17:40:00 +0000

Have you ever accidentally picked up the wrong ingredient in your kitchen? Salt when you wanted sugar? Cayenne pepper when you wanted mellow paprika? Booze when you wanted olive oil? What? Yep……. talk about a close call for my bowl of Greek salad.
You tell me? Close enough to be understandable or should I get my head examined?

CARAMEL APPLE PIE

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 17:48:00 +0000

I came across this recipe on a Facebook group page (link at bottom) and it looked delicious.
At first glance I could tell the recipe had too much sugar in it so I cut the amount in half. It was the right choice. I upped the cinnamon amount as well. Also I am noting that you must put this on a baking sheet or you will have a huge mess in your oven. All that being said it turned out fabulous and is a super easy, fast recipe.

1/4 cup of butter
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of water
1/2 to 1teaspoon of cinnamon
pinch of salt
5 or 6 apples
double pie crust

Put the first 6 ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil on the stove stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside.

Peel and thinly slice the apples and put in the bottom of the pie shell. Cut the top crust into a strips and weave over the apples to make a lattice crust.

Pour the caramel mixture over top of the lattice crust allowing it to drip into the apples. You heard me right. You are pouring it over top of the crust. Don’t pour it right to the edge though. Leave about half an inch of the crust bare.

Place on a baking tray, lined with foil, and into a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350 and bake another 35 to 40 more minutes. Cool on a rack completely before slicing.

I found this to be the easiest pie I have ever made. It took about 5 minutes because I use premade crusts. My own crusts are not very good. Can’t beat that.

Click here on A Cooking and Crafting Journey’s Facebook page.
The recipe originally came from an allrecipes.com posting.

PROTECT YOUR ACCOUNT

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 15:11:00 +0000

Do you have a Facebook account?

If so I strongly suggest you run through these, especially #1 and #2, which I have included below, and update your security settings.

It is quick and easy.

I have also set up a "Legacy contact". If I should croak my sister can update my Facebook account as long as she likes. I have instructed her to post fabulous things about me on a regular basis. This step will be available to you when you go through the instructions below.

So many people copy & paste gibberish about protecting their content on Facebook (which is useless and a scam) when in fact they only have to set their security up properly.

Remember any time you do one of those little quizzes online then click to share your results on Facebook you are giving some website access to all your contacts etc. on Facebook. You can do the quizzes still. Just copy the results and paste them into a comment instead. This way you have not opened up the cookie jar to these websites.

The following is from this website.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/sethporges/2015/10/19/the-6-things-everybody-should-do-to-secure-their-facebook-account/

1) Do An Automated Privacy Checkup…
Many people don’t know it, but Facebook comes with a built-in “Privacy Checkup” feature, which is basically a quick-stop way of tweaking the most important privacy settings in about a minute. To get to it, click the icon that looks like a padlock on the top right of the Facebook homepage. From there, select “Privacy Checkup”.
Once inside Privacy Checkup, you can quickly tinker with three key settings: Who sees your posts, who sees content that comes from specific Facebook apps, and who sees personal information such as your phone number, email address, birthday, or hometown. If you’re anything like most Facebook users (hi Mom!), you probably set these things years ago and totally forgot why your Uncle Jerry or ex-boss doesn’t get to see your phone number. Here’s your chance to fix it.
2. …And An Automated Security Checkup

Using the same basic formula as the Privacy Checkup feature, Facebook’s new “Security Checkup” gives you an easy-access way of checking up on some basic security settings. To access it, head over to facebook.com/securitycheckup. From there, you’ll be presented with a three-stage checklist of action items. First: There’s the ability to easily log out of apps that you no longer use, but still could have access to your personal info. Second: The option to turn on alerts if your account is accessed from a new device (just in case it wasn’t you doing so). And, lastly, Security Checkup gives users some basic password tips, and the ability to immediately update theirs to something stronger than their mother’s maiden name.

Takes only a few minutes and can save you a lot of headaches.
To follow FamilyTreesMayContainNuts on Facebook. Click Here.

N'we Jinan Artists - "ECHO MY SOUL" - Official Music Video

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 16:15:00 +0000

Listen to this beautiful song. A positive message. A proud message. Please support their journey by sharing this video wherever you can.

ME EITHER– PIE FAIL

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 19:38:00 +0000

I’M IN A FOG

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Sun, 18 Oct 2015 21:09:00 +0000

No. Really. I am.

This is the view from my deck. I am glad I don’t have to go anywhere today. I live up a hillside with a spectacular view of the valley. Apparently the valley has disappeared and left a thick fog in its place.

BALSAMIC CHICKEN

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 07:56:00 +0000

I was asked today what was for dinner and all I really knew was that I had thawed some chicken breasts.

FOR A PRINTABLE RECIPE CLICK HERE
I then made things up as I went along using ingredients that I had on hand.

Dinner was wonderful. Full of flavour with a great aroma and visually very appetizing.

This was dinner for 2 but could easily be increased for more.
Here we go:

2 boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil
juice from half a lemon
1 tablespoon of tarragon
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper

Heat butter and olive oil in a heavy pan and brown on both sides until golden in colour.
Lower heat, squeeze in juice from half a lemon and cover pan. Let chicken cook through. Remove lid.
Sprinkle with tarragon and add balsamic vinegar.
Keep a close eye on the pan now and increase heat slightly to get pan bubbling. Spoon the sauce over the chicken repeatedly until the balsamic vinegar has reduced down to a thick syrup.
Don’t take it too far or you will burn it. You can always add more vinegar stirring up the mixture to mix it back in and then bubble it down again to the right consistency.
The chicken should have a wonderful, thick brown glaze on it. Remove to plates and pour any remaining sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with feta cheese.
Serves 2

How do you cook? Do you follow the recipe to the letter or do you fly by the seat of your pants and hope for the best? I believe cooking should be more method and less recipe unless we are talking about baking.

BAREFOOT IN THE WIND

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 16:51:00 +0000

It may be Fall but we have been having such beautiful weather here in BC. This is typical through September for us but now we are into October and the days are still warm and sunny. It is cooling right down at night though.

When I have been up in the nights (I won’t bore you with my insomnia issues again) lately I have opened the patio doors and gone outside into the dark night and felt the glorious wind blowing across my mountainside.
Surprisingly the deck did not feel very cold under my bare feet.

I stood there in the dark amongst my planters with my face to the wind inhaling deeply, filling my lungs with the cool, crisp air. Eyes closed. Inhale. Exhale. Sheer joy at that feeling of the very strong wind.

Looking up to the sky at the stars which I can see so clearly from our dark area. Overwhelming in their vastness. How can there be so many?

(Photo:Wikimedia)
I start to feel the cold creeping across my bare feet and I want to grab a big quilt and curl up in a patio chair for the rest of the night but I know it will become too cold within minutes.

I want to stay out there and clear my head of everything.

I want to stay out there and breathe the wind.

I want to stay out there and count the stars.

ME EITHER

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 16:12:00 +0000

You can see more "Me Either" posts by clicking the tab at the top of the page that says I Say Hmmm or click on this link here

FALLING INTO FALL–MY FAVORITE SEASON

noreply@blogger.com (Lori E) — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 21:02:00 +0000

I love Autumn. It is my favourite season. For the most part in Beautiful British Columbia we have sunny days with cool, clear nights right into October.
It is a time for yummy stews and fragrant breads. Baking, reading, strolling. A wonderful time of year.

I am a little slow to get out the Fall decorations this year but wanted to share my mantle with you. I will probably add a bit more to it as it only has the wreath right now.

The mantle is 5 feet off the ground though hard to tell from the photo, it is a really big fireplace. I cannot even see onto the top of it without a stool. Don’t look at the dust. I couldn’t see it because I held the camera up above my head to take the shot. Honest. Shame on me. Who cares. Never mind.

This clock was my mother’s. It is fairly old and was made in Germany by a company called Shantz. I need to take it to a watchmaker / jeweller to have it set properly. It won’t stay running right now. It is a 300 day windup clock with a big key.

We moved into our home just over a year ago after living in the same home for 32 years. We love this new place and I said to my BB Guy when we first moved here that we are so lucky. He said it isn’t luck it is our hard work that got us here. I have to agree with him on that one although there is still a little luck that goes along with it. I spotted this little sign at the dollar store last week and had to get it for him.

The entire back of our home is windows and the plants absolutely love it here with all the light and the really high ceilings. When we moved here a year ago in June this Asparagus Fern was 3 tiny little sticks about 6 inches tall. It now trails down with 4 foot long fronds and gets bushier every day. They plant that is on the left side of the mantle is blooming after a few years finally. I have other plants that were in bloom when I got them and also never bloomed again until we moved here. Plant heaven. Now if only I could get my orchid to send out some flower stems. Patience, patience.

I will get my BB Guy to get the rest of my Fall Fever stuff down for me from the cupboards and will post some more photos.
What sorts of Fall things do you put out? Is your house “pumpkin spice everything” this time of year?