Monday, October 31 - Happy Halloween!

Conditions at 5:30 am: light rain and 3'
Expected later: 5' and a mix of sun and cloud

What a wild and windy weekend it was. Saturday was actually not too bad but Sunday was brutal. We woke up Sunday morning to heavy rain and very high winds. It was a most unpleasant day to have to go outside. Unfortunately I had to work at the store. I was quite disappointed when I went into the store to work on Friday night to discover that I was scheduled to work from 12 to 5:00 on Sunday. I did my shift on Friday night which ended up being until 11:00 due to a scheduling mix up. Then off to Toyota on Saturday morning. I worked again at the store from 3 - 8 on Saturday as well. I was pretty tired when I got home but Brenda was coming over after a dinner at the rec centre. So I used my time in the most efficient manner I could. I had gotten home around 9:00 and my back was killing me from standing in one place for 5 hours. I know I'll get used to it but for now it's difficult. But being as we were in for a heavy rain storm on Sunday I thought I'd better load up my wood rack inside. That's always been one of my weekend jobs during the winter months - bring in enough wood to last for the week. But it proved to be the best thing to stretch out the muscles in my aching back. All that bending and stretching and carrying was just what I needed to work it all out. Brenda was later than she thought she would be - almost 11:00 but I had the wine chilled and ready to share as well as a plate of fresh cooked shrimp waiting to be dipped in some sweet chili sauce. Because I had to work on Sunday she graciously offered to assist by baking 10 cakes for Tuesday night's class. It was something we had planned to do together. So in the end it was a great way for her to spend the cold wet day. When I left the store I picked up a frozen pizza and something for  dessert and stopped in on my way home. All I have to do now is make a huge bucket of icing and we'll be all set.

Meghan was in a skating competition on the weekend. She was a little disappointed to come in 4th in most of her races (there were 4 skaters) and only the top 3 get to move on to the next competition. But she persevered and in the end she managed to come in 3rd in one of her races so she does get to go to the next competition. I know she's working really hard to keep up to her big brother, (who she really does admire although she'd never admit it to just anyone.) She just needs to realize that with hockey and skating lessons, he has way more skating experience behind him than she does so she's really done very well. But she is a little bit competitive and likes to win or at least place. So I was glad to see her succeed at least once in placing. Well done Meg!

Of course she's really good at laying on a bit of a guilt trip - she was sending me email messages from her mom's cell phone and one was especially heart wrenching for the grandma:

Hi grandma its me meghan I got last in my last 2 races I am sOooooOooo sad I have one more race till I am done I wish you were here you would make everything better and it would be even better if both you and papa were here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
I am literly crying right now I love you SoooooooooooOooo mutch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.


I did get to see her skate once, on Saturday morning, as the Conestoga College media arts students set up a live feed so I was able to watch online at work. Unfortunately that was the only one I got to see. 

Friday, October 28th - Is it finally fall?

Conditions at 6:00 am: 4' and overcast
Expected later: 6'and a mix of sun and cloud - much better than was predicted earlier in the week

Yesterday morning, it was quite cool - both inside and out. I guess it's almost time to light the fire and keep it going. I can't believe it's almost November before we have to do that. I remember my first fall here. I found it so cold and damp that I had the wood fire going pretty much from the second week in September. It may well have been cooler that year but I think part of it was me. I wasn't used to this damp chilly weather and found it really cold. Now I think I'm maybe a little more acclimatized to it. (Of course, the occasional hot flash helps to keep one warm in chilly weather!)

It must have been Thursday night as I  had supper at the Van Gaals on my way home. Brenda was even brave enough to defy the elements and BBQ some pork chops and they were yummy.Along with some new potatoes from the field down the road and some locally grown cauliflower, it was a feast for me. Much better than I would have done had I come straight home.   The next couple of days will be longer ones so I truly appreciate the invitation.  It will also be a bit of a long stretch for Cooper but tonight he was on my lap till he realized the fire was blazing and then he ditched me for a spot on the floor.

I was doing  a little poking around online last night and came across this story about a guy who has his tatoos covered by make up. If I hadn't seen it for myself, I wouldn't have believed it. ( Having gotten a couple of tattoos over the years, I can't begin to imagine how much some of these tatoos had to have hurt being put on.) Check it out...an amazing cover up job

http://ca.shine.yahoo.com/the-most-insane-tattoo-video-ever--you-seriously-have-to-see-this-.html

Thursday October 27th - It was a pretty slow news day yesterday

Conditions at 6:30 am: 2 ' with clear skies and not quite as windy but still a bit blustery
Expected later: 8' and some sun and cloud

Wednesday was pretty much a work day from early morning till late at night. I was working at the store from 6:00 to 10:00 pm, so I was a little later getting home that I've been in the past couple of weeks. Fortunately Brenda is driving in Morrell this week and graciously offered to drop by and feed the dog. Cooper and I are pretty lucky to have such a good friend. The rest of the time, the next door neighbour comes over and feeds him. But it's not the same and I really appreciate it.

It was pretty steadily busy at the store. It wasn't crazy like on the weekend but it was non - stop. But at least the time goes by faster.

I was talking to Patti yesterday and she tells me the kids are working on their costumes for Halloween. This year Tristen is being something from Star Wars. James is being a medieval archer (after winning a genuine bow and arrow at a golf tournament in the summer) , and Meghan is being a cupcake. Her mom is working on her costume and so far it's coming along quite nicely. All it needs now are the sprinkles. It certainly helps to be a kid with a mom with a theatrical and costume designing background! Not only can she serve you coffee or tea at 5,000 feet in the air, or administer professional medical attention, she can also whip up killer Halloween costumes!

Wednesday, October 26th - Another great night

Conditions at 6:00 am: 8' and overcast
Expected later: l8' and rain

Well, our classes are going by pretty quickly. This week we decided to go Mexican. It was a pretty busy schedule but we managed to get everything done in time. We made some spice mixes for both Fajitas and Tacos, that everyone could take home. Then we made some fresh Salsa, as well as Guacamole.
We rolled out some Tortillas and cooked them and then made Quesadillas as well as Burritos. We even finished off the night with some authentic Margaritas.

The results were positive for the most part. The salsa was a bit lacking but I think it just needed some more time to sit to let the flavours blend together. But everything else seems to have been well received. Not to mention a great time was had by all while making everything. We have a really great group this year and each class is so much fun.

It was raining all day so Brenda came over at 6:00 and we loaded everything in the back of the Volvo and headed out. She also helped unload everything and put it away when we got back. I can't imagine how much work this would be without her help. But it's actually a lot of fun and this year - being finished work that half hour earlier makes all the difference in the world.

Here are the recipes from last night:

Homemade Flour Tortillas

4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons lard 1 1/2 cups water

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Mix in the lard with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together; place on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.

2.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly and golden; flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side. Place the cooked tortilla in a tortilla warmer; continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough.                                                                   Easy Guacamole Ingredients: 2 avocados 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 ripe tomato, chopped 1 lime, juiced salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. Peel and mash avocados in a medium serving bowl. Stir in onion, garlic, tomato, lime juice, salt and pepper. Season with remaining lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Chill for half an hour to blend flavors. Fresh Salsa Ingredients: ·                         3 tablespoons finely chopped onion ·                         2 small cloves garlic, minced ·                         3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed, chopped ·                         2 hot chile peppers, Serrano or Jalapeno, finely chopped ·                         2 to 3 tablespoons minced cilantro ·                         1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons lime juice ·                         salt and pepper Preparation: Put chopped onion and garlic in a strainer; pour 2 cups boiling water over them then let drain throughly. Discard water. Cool. Combine onions and garlic with chopped tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours to blend flavors. Makes about 2 cups of salsa.

Tuesday, October 25th - It must have been quite a sight!

Conditions at 6:00 am: 10' and overcast
Expected later: rain and 11' - guess right now is the best we're going to get

If anyone had been watching...

Last night Brenda came over to help with making the rest of the tortilla's. We finished our cooking and our glass of wine and it was time for her to leave. We said good bye and the door but a few seconds later she was back. She said that there was a light on in the bunky. Well first of all, there's no power to the bunky so that didn't make sense. I thought it must have just been a reflection from the outside light. But when I went outside there was definitely a low level light on in there. I remembered taking a battery powered light out there when James and I slept out there in August but I couldn't imagine that the battery would last this long. Brenda also pointed out that she would have seen it on previous visits if it had been on.

That started all kinds of speculation. Back in the summer there were people living in the remains of an old falling down house on the property just up the road. Maybe we have squatters! So I got out the flashlight, with very dim light, and she was armed with her lit cell phone and we headed out. Of course we took the trusty watch dog with us as well. We made our way across the yard in the dark and had trouble getting the door open. It seemed like it was locked but I know it really sticks. So Brenda knocked really loudly on the door. Don't know what we would have done if we'd heard any movement inside! Eventually I was able to get the door open and we were immediately bombarded with a swarm of flies. When we went in, it was as I suspected. The light was on the window sill and I don't know exactly how it got turned on, unless it was just the mass of flies. It's actually a very sensitive touch type of light. Or perhaps the quantity of flies on the window had jostled the cord on the blind and that hit the light. Regardless, the mystery was at least partially solved.

Monday October 24th - A not so busy weekend

 

Conditions at 6:30 am: clear starry skies and 6'
Expected later: mainly cloudy with some sun and a high of 12'

It was a busy weekend but not chaotic. I worked on Friday night and then again on Saturday - 2nd shift from 2:30 to 7:30. Only problem was they thought I was still training and so I wasn't on the regular shift schedule and no one relieved me for a 15 minute break.Believe me, when you stand in one spot and don't move for 5 hours you really feel it. They were very apologetic and I know it was just a mix up and likely won't happen again. But I was ever so glad to get outside and walk around when it was over. Not to worry. A glass of wine and some nacho's solved the problem quite nicely on my way home.

We're doing Mexican this week and so Sunday morning I tried out a recipe I found for flour tortilla's. I thought it might be nice to make our own instead of buying them. I was going to have them all made ahead of time. Brenda came over after church and helped me roll and cook them. She really enjoyed the experience and we decided we'll save some of them for rolling and cooking in class. The dough is very easy to make and we found that you need to let it rest for a bit before rolling and cooking. That produced a much lighter and  fluffier texture. In the end we were very impressed with ourselves. We need to make some more so she's coming over again tonight and we'll do another couple of batches. That will give us lots to work with and the girls will have some to take home.

I spent the afternoon emptying and washing down the fridge, which was badly overdue, then made my list for school (and home). Cooper and I went into town to get groceries. When I parked at Sobey's in Stratford, there was a little dog in the car next to mine. I put the windows part way down and I went into the Dollar Store. When I came out, Cooper was sitting in the drivers seat staring straight ahead, totally ignoring this little dog barking like mad at him. Once I was all done at all the stops, we headed home. I put everything away and made something for supper, then it was rest and relaxation for the rest of the evening.

Patti called to tell me that Meghan is in a skating meet next weekend and it will be available to watch online. Hopefully I'll get to see some of it. We have the spaghetti dinner at the rec centre next Sunday so we'll likely be starting fairly early on with that. Next weekend will be a busy one.

A wonderful recommendation

Conditions at 5:45 am: clear skies and 13'
Expected later: sunny and 15'

I see that a visitor was in via the delicious food show.com - I highly suspect it was Lloyd. I talked with him last night on my way home from work last night and he had found someone at work who was interested in going with him so he was just on his way to pick her up. So I'm waiting to hear all about it - I just can't figure out how he got here via the food show website but I'm sure I'll find out later. He's going to call me later this morning. I told him to ask Mark McEwan how he liked his first visit to the island.

Yesterday the radio said we were going to get massive amounts of rain and the weather network said 15mm. I think the radio was right this time. Boy did it rain. It poured all day long and when I was coming home the fields along the way had huge puddles of water sitting on them. It was raining quite hard when I got home and the house felt really chilly and damp so I lit the fire before I left to go to Brenda's for supper. Bernie was going to be later getting home so it was just the two of us. We had just finished eating when Bernie arrived back from his trip to the US to pick up a truck, so his supper was still warm.

Over supper Brenda and I discussed the upcoming fund raising spaghetti dinner at the rec centre. We did it last year and none of us had any idea what we were doing but obviously it was a success as they want to do it again.  We also talked about a couple of things the church wants to do in the winter as a social event. Kind of the winter version of the BBQ. We're thinking something like chili but we'll plan more on that later.

Last year Brenda and I did the food for a get together at my then- bosses house. Yesterday I received a note about the comment she left on my linked in page. I had to share it with Brenda as she was such an integral part of the whole thing. Here's what Tracey very kindly posted on my page:

Dear Sandy,
I've written this recommendation of your work to share with other LinkedIn users.

Details of the Recommendation: "Sandy was the 'Chef in my Kitchen' for a holiday social with my staff and their spouses, totaling 18 people. We set the budget for food and I had no other worry! Sandy was very punctual and I handed over my kitchen and did not need to provide anything. All the food was made from scratch - even the lovely mini-buns for the mini-burgers - which is a wonderful treat for busy professionals. There are too many delicious dishes to name just a few. I was willing to help clean up, but was sent back to my guests and by the time Sandy's car was packed up again my kitchen was cleaner than when she arrived.

I highly recommend Sandy's catering services. In addition to her wonderful and affordable catering service, she's a lot of fun to have around a party!"
Service Category: Caterer
Year first hired: 2010
Top Qualities: Great Results, Good Value, High Integrity

I was really pleased to get such positive feedback. Thanks so much Tracey - and Brenda for being such a huge help at that event. I couldn't have pulled it off without your help.

I'm working at the store today from 5:30 to 9:30 and again tomorrow from 2:30 to 7:30 so that will pretty much keep me busy for the next little while. No idea what's on yet for Sunday but we'll see what the weather brings. It's supposed to be not too bad a day.

A rainy but warm day

Conditions at 5:30 am: 9' and light rain
Expected later: 19' and more rain - 10-15mm

I had heard we were to get lots of rain today but it looks like that's not the case now. I was listening to the Guelph radio station at work yesterday and it sounds like they were really getting dumped on - high winds and 50 mm of rain (unless I just heard Dave and Neil wrong and it was 15mm). Regardless, it will be a day for an umbrella. But 19' in late October? That's amazing.

Last night was my second last training shift at the store. Friday will be my last. Although I don't know what will change on Saturday. Last night they just sent me to a lane and I was on my own for the entire night. It went well and I only had to call for help twice. I was tired when I got home so went straight to bed but I felt fine this morning when the alarm went off at 5:00 so I just might be able to do this. At least until spring. After that it will be tough, because keeping up with things like cutting the lawn will be a bit tricky. But for now on that's not a huge issue.

Not only is PEI small, so is the rest of the Maritimes apparently. Brenda and Bernie were touring around the Cabot Trail on Sunday. When they got home Monday they got a call from our mutual friend Richard commenting that he saw that the Van Gaals had made it to Meat Cove, a place on the north end of the trail. Turns out they passed each other on the way into town. Richard and Daralen were just leaving. Richard tried to call them on their cell phone but it was turned off.  What are the chances!
Brenda tells me they had a wonderful trip.The weather there was much better than here and the colours were beautiful. She even mentioned at school the other night that they had gone out to a bar and the beer was very reasonable, so they drank accordingly. Good thing they had quite a walk to get back to where they were staying for the night! Sounds like a good time was had by all. The only down side is the weather was so good, they could have taken the bikes - that would have been even better, but this time of year you just never know.

I was thinking about it last night as this was the second trip to the trail that the Anderson's have made in a few weeks. Then it struck me just how incredibly lucky we are to live in a place where we can just go for the day or the weekend to places that the rest of Canada spends the year planning their annual vacations to visit. Once Lloyd gets here it will be nice to make those kinds of trips. Speaking of Lloyd, he sent me an email with an amazing upcoming food show. I'd love to go, but at least I got to see my favorites out of the guest list when they visited here in the summer. But it does look like fun. He says he'll have to check his trap line and see who he can come up with to take with him!

http://deliciousfoodshow.com/schedule/opening-night-party

Not a total success...

Conditions at 5:15 am: clear, starry skies and 10'
Expected later: a mix of sun and cloud and 15'

Well our class last night was only a partial success. We made the grape jelly first and it turned out great. Our experiment with the apple/pear juice - not so much. Let's just say it will make a great syrup to put on pancakes or ice cream!  Obviously there was something added to the processed juice that prevented it from jelling in spite of having added more than the recipe called for. Not to worry. I told everyone at the start that it was an experiment. Guess they all can't be winners.

It was a funny kind of night last night. We were responsible for bringing things for the lunch and some forgot until the last minute.  Not to worry, everyone was well fed but because we knew we were going to be going out for the lunch break, something we don't usually do, it changed the feel of the class. Because we were doing something really simple, there wasn't a lot of involvement and everyone was content to just sit around and chat. That's not a bad thing. If nothing else, the evening is a night out. I brought in my blog book so the girls from last year could see the photos from the previous classes. They thought it was pretty neat and enjoyed looking through it. Of course it prompted all kinds of discussions as well. One of the girls told us that she was from Virginia but spent time in Washington state and then met her husband in Vancouver. He was in the reserves and after moving around from city to city in Canada the eventually settled in PEI, where her husband was originally from. When she told her grandmother, who lived in the states that she was going to PEI for a visit, the older woman commented that PEI was something she hadn't heard of in years. It turns out that her grandfather was originally from the island and she never knew. So when she and her husband finally arrived here,  they looked up the old place and actually found some distant relatives  she never knew she had. It's such a small world.

So even though our night wasn't a total cooking success, it was a fun, relaxing evening. Next week we're doing Mexican so hopefully it will be more successful.

Tonight I'm working at the store so the neighbours will need to come over to let the dog out. That seems to be working well.   Other than that, I have no further news. One of the girls in the class has a husband who is working out west so it was suggested she could do something like this for him to keep up with what's going on but it is a big commitment to keep it up every day.  I can't imagine how difficult it would be if you had kids to keep you busy.

Conditions at 5:30 am: 11' and overcast
Expected later: 15' with isolated showers

It's a slow news day today. Not much going on yesterday except I stopped into the liquor store last night on my way home and picked up a case of wine, as I've been out for quite a while. You can imagine my surprise when I noticed that the Australian Shiraz was 'Out of Order'. There was a fellow there corking his wine and he told me they're taking out the Shiraz and replacing it with another Australian red. What??? That was my favorite. But he told me the lady from the store said the new one would be just as good. We'll see.
I was watching Dragon's Den on the weekend (I had several episodes taped) and there were some folks on there who have come up with an item called the 'Bottle Bin', designed to hold 18 wine bottles being stored to take back to the recycling depot. I thought it looked interesting and then Kevin asked if they'd had any sales. They went on to explain that several liquor commissions in the country are using them and he listed PEI as one of the places that carried them. So, sure enough, when I got to the store there they were prominently displayed in the front of the store. So I bought one to hold my 12 bottles for transporting back and forth. Now it sits in my front porch and provides a secure place for my empties and when it's full I know it's time for a refill. It's just a little handier than a cardboard box and is easy to carry. Great ideas people! Actually the Dragons thought so as well, as they also invested in the project.

We're all set for our jelly making class tonight. We're making grape jelly with some of the juice left over from Michelle's grapes. If you happen to have grapes in YOUR yard, here's the recipe I found online and it seems to work very well, although I like the results better if I don't process the jars in a water bath after. As long as the jars seal, I'm happy with that.

Concord Grape Jelly

Rated: Submitted By: SWIZZLESTICKS Photo By: laidback Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 1 Day 1 Hour Servings: 64

"At one time my mother in law would make many different flavors of jams and jellies. This is one of her old recipes that she has given to me."

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 pounds Concord grapes 1/2 cup water

7 cups white sugar 1/2 (6 fluid ounce) container liquid pectin

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Sort and wash grapes, and remove stems. Place them into a large kettle and crush them. Add water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and extract juice. Allow the juice to stand in a cool place overnight to prevent the formation of crystals in the jelly.
2.	Strain the juice through a double thickness of damp cheesecloth. Measure 4 cups of the juice into a large pot. Stir in the sugar. Quickly bring to a full rolling boil. Stir in pectin, and allow to boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat, and skim off foam. Pour into hot sterile jars, and process for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2011 Allrecipes.com

Printed from Allrecipes.com 10/18/2011

I made a batch with some bottled juice  and it turned out good but it's a little softer texture than I would like but I did a little browsing around yesterday and found an article by someone who makes jam from bottled pure juice and she also had the same results but a little extra pectin seems to take care of that problem. We'll give it a try tonight and see what happens.


(once again the blog came to the rescue - Brenda got home last night and was reading the blog when she realized she had forgotten our group had to bring something for lunch tonight. Hopefully everyone else remembers.

A busy weekend for the Dennisons

Conditions at 5:00 am: 10' and clear skies
Expected later: 14' and rain

Well, it was a busy weekend for Patti and Greg and the kids. I received an email on Saturday with a photo of Tristen at a speed-skating meet. Seems he and his mom and his sister were in London for the weekend. James and Greg were in Guelph as James had hockey on Saturday. ( I never thought, Tristen could have called up his good friend, Caitlin, to say hello!).
Apparently in Tristen's age group they don't compete for medals or anything. It's just for fun and they all get a goodie bag when they are done. He finished last in his group of six, but he got something for his efforts so it was okay. Reminds me of Meghan last year, when she finished last and her very philosophical attitude was that there was no where for her to go but up. Well, it seems she took that advise to heart as she won a gold medal when the weekend was over. She called me on Sunday around lunch time to tell me how many races she had won and that she had the most points in her group and was in line for a gold medal if she did well later in the day. Sure enough, I received an email later in the afternoon with her picture proudly holding her gold medal. Well done kids! Now there are two prize winning skaters in the family.  Needless to say it may not have been the ideal way for Patti and Greg to spend their wedding anniversary, which was Sunday. I talked to her last evening and she was just on her way to work - flying to Edmonton. But a belated Happy Anniversary to you both anyway.

Winning medals is tiring work

It was a pretty quiet day around here yesterday. I worked till noon on Saturday at the dealership then went to the store for an 8 hour training shift. It went well, but I was tired when I got home a little after 10:00.  I watched a little TV when I got home then went to bed. I was very surprised to see that it was 9:30  when I woke up on Sunday morning. Highly unusual for me but I guess I needed it. I spent what was left of the morning putting away my summer clothes and doing laundry, then spent the afternoon totally vegging. It was quite windy all day and around 3:00 it started to rain and it was damp in the house. It wasn't that cold but it wasn't comfortable so I lit a fire in the woodstove and also turned on the fireplace in the living room. Then Cooper and I curled up on the couch to catch up on some TV programs I had taped. It was a totally relaxing afternoon. Just what I needed. At one point I thought about baking something to take to class on Tuesday as we have to bring lunch, but then I sat down until the urge passed. I knew I still had tonight so nothing  to worry about.

Brenda and Bernie should be back sometime this afternoon. Hopefully they had nice weather for their tour of the Cabot Trail. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it.

I had a chat with Lloyd last night and he was telling me about a lady he met on Saturday. She was in Guelph for a conference and come out for dinner with Jim and Patty. She was originally from Charlottetown but moved from there when she was young and grew up in Fort Frances. Ironically Lloyd knew her family when he lived there. It truly is a small world, that seems to be getting smaller all the time.