Housewife, 54

 Well, we had a lovely day, but I did not get my camera out much.... I did a lot of the prep work and made up things that I could do ahead.  On Tuesday I made bread (for dressing) and dinner rolls, then put together a birthday dinner for hubby.  Did not get a photo....  He was 65 and got his favorite beef and noodles with German Chocolate cake for his birthday meal. On Wednesday Grandson did not have school so he helped me to make the cranberry relish. Using MY Grandma's food grinder to crush the cranberries and orange. Then we added sugar and tasted... sugar needs time to dissolve and mix in! Then I came up with the idea to make place cards.  We did stamping and also a bit of coloring in... Later that evening I made the pies, Pumpkin from my own garden, but store-bought apples. Photo taken after one piece was taken..... And then The Big Day.  I made my last contribution, the dressing, at home. Then we went over to my son's where he and d-i-l like to entert...

Well, we have finally had a 'killing frost" so the garden is done for the year. At the last moment I got a few more onions, a handfull of broccoli, very few small carrots, and we picked quite a few dried bean pods from the pole beans, so I can save them for using the beans in my no-meat meals. So not too bad for a gardening year. It seems you never get a year that is perfect for every plant - last year we had great carrots and no squash, and this year was the opposite! Me, picking bean pods Hubby, helping with the clean-up Empty beds and trellis - except for perennial flowers   Last week we have even had our first snow!  WHAT a horrible day!  The wind blew like crazy, it started with rain, getting colder by the minute, and finally the hard, icy snow.  Thankfully not much snow and it all melted off in a couple of days.  Now it has warmed up again and a couple of days have been lovely.  We even got out to to some transplanting.  DH dug up the currant b...

Today is what the Scots would call a driech day.... cloudy, rainy, cool... just that unpleasant sort that does not constitute a storm. It was in the forecast so I knew to expect it and was ready. So far we have had a very pleasant late summer - so few days like this that we can't really say it is fall yet! But now we will have several cool days - as far as the forecast goes - and have had a very tiny hint of frost, so I guess it is time. I have gotten in a few last things from the garden including this big bowl of onions! They were spares from my grown-from-seed bunch and were planted very late. I had no expectation of them getting so big! Another thing that it is time for is applying for the Benefits of getting old in the US...Medicare and Social Security! Oh Joy! Mixed blessing this... Since DH quit working we have not had health insurance, and opted for a Health Group Share program that has cost us less than any independent insurance but has not paid anything towards...

 To which season am I referring?  Meteorlogical or tennis? Well, we have finished the season of summer and tennis season will be over soon, so in another couple of weeks everything will change for us again.  We are having cool nights but are again in a run of hot summer temperature days... I'm running the A/C at least in the late afternoons/evenings or it is too hot when we go to bed. Hubby is in a major grouse.  Things are not going well for his team and this past weekend they went to a Meet that was an over-night event which did not go well. Transportation was insufficient, the hotel was not good, food was hit-and-miss (and that is never a good thing), his team didn't win anything, and the bus broke down on the way home. He has been in a foul mood ever since. Visiting Coach Grandpa at a Meet My recent concern has been with the dogs.  El has had an increasingly serious cloudy eye and it is affecting his vision to the point that his behaviour is changing... He i...

 It's half-past September by now and the long stretches of hot weather are behind us.  We still have the occasional hot day (and even need the A/C) but the next day is almost always cooler if not drastically so.  AS usual, roller-coaster weather brings on my headaches, so on my "good" days I try to get a lot done in anticipation of a less-than-good day cropping up in my calendar.    Annoying. The garden is winding down and so is my interest in it.  I have NOT been able to keep up with the green beans, even though I planted considerably less than last year.  They have gotten overly mature in just a day or two!  So after I had frozen about 12 bags, I have given up picking and processing every day and just let them go.  IF I want beans for a meal, I go out and pick what I want, but a lot are going to waste!  Tomatoes are tapering off and that is good, too.  I have a good amount of juice, sauce, chopped bits, and salsa.  Because I ...