Weekly Musings of the 28th

 

Well, the week and the month is nearly done.  I am feeling that February flew by but then again with all the political crap both in the province and back and forth at the borders it might have made the month go by faster.

Tigger is peeking to make sure it is nearly done - LOL.  Yes, we all went and voted yesterday because I firmly believe that you are not allowed to complain if you didn't go out and vote.  The Premier called an election for only a month and nothing really changed at all and only 43% went out to vote and that was money wasted all the way around.  Not sure what point Doug Ford was making but guess the people of Toronto were happy with him because the rest of the province voted NDP but whatever way Toronto votes that is who wins.  And Toronto wonders why no one likes them - LOL.  

Anyway, DD had her first appointment with our dentist yesterday and of course there is an infection that has to be cleared up before the tooth can come out.  They were really good as she is a very nervous patient but then I knew our dentist was pretty great.  Not a super fan of getting up super early and getting dressed, our mornings are pretty relaxed for the most part and jumping in the shower upon getting up is not my idea of a fun way to start my day anymore but it was an early morning appointment, next one is an hour later.  

As you can see it is a real difference outside since last week's pictures.  I have been able to walk 'the Loop' each day with no worries about any ice at all.  I still don't walk early morning nor do I walk out in the neighbourhood just because of hidden ice, potholes and huge puddles and in the dark - just not a good idea.  I will stick to the later in the day loop walk for a little while longer.  

Daylight Savings time is coming, not that I am a fan of it but no sense getting upset over things one cannot change - like the election results.  It does mean that soon I will be able to walk first thing in the morning rather than debate with myself for hours until I get out there.

First thing rolling out of bed and to dress in walking clothes and going out before one wakes up completely gets me out there before I have a chance to talk myself out of it.  As the day goes on the debate begins.  Lazy usually wins the longer I wait.  

One thing I started thinking on was my presence on social media.  I do have Discord, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, Pinterest and of course Blogger.  Of all of them I love Blogger and Messenger with Pinterest where I save favourite funnies and pictures.  The others, not so much which makes me wonder why I keep them.  I would keep Facebook just to post the blog for friends but we shall see what survives the Lent purge which is coming up.  I do plan on keeping blogging this year during Lent with weekly posts but other stuff I feel is just keeping info out there for nothing. 

Anyway, this week was a normal week with the except of super busy, super full Thursday and that was certainly enough of that - LOL.

    Have a great weekend!

Weekly Musings of the 21st

 

Yup, Canada won and I am thrilled.  I know I don't usually say much about these things but I am heartsick with the words of this president.  I don't find the 51st or governor comments by anyone over the border funny at all.  I won't be visiting my sister or her family as long at that person is in power.  When I was a child I wondered how the German people could elect Hitler but after this president got in by a landslide I don't wonder anymore.  I am afraid of the States, yes, I am afraid of what is coming and I don't think it will be good at all, I think it is just going to spread more hate and anger like a horrible black ooze over all the world.  It feels like everyone who is sane is just holding their breath.  I am sorry if this loses some of my American readers but I am just so sad about all of this but glad we won because who knows what awful comments would have happened if the other team won.  

Enough gloom.  Dwelling on stuff that I cannot control beyond making sure my shopping is Canadian and travels to the States is a no go is not going to do anything but depress me.  

We had our first big storm that had a mix of ice and snow. 

This is the beginning with the freezing rain before it switched up to snow.  I managed to clear off the ice from the car before the snow came so clearing off the next batch was not so bad.  Our neighbour lady whose car is always in the shade was not so lucky.  The ice was so thick and un-melting in the shade that it took days to get it off her windshield.  

DD helping another neighbour clearing the snow away from their car.  It was really cold while doing these jobs.  DD has moved up to 2 shifts in the week which is great although after two weeks of that, it dropped back to 1 and then back up to 2.  Hopefully it will get back to 3 a week and that would be perfect for her and she would no longer have to look for another job.  

  Hubby was well enough to be out in the snow and that is a place he really loves to be.  In fact most times if his back was bothering him, it no longer was after shoveling the snow.  His flu seems to be done with him and it is really nice to have him back to his old self.  

Had to get an appointment with the dentist for DD as her tooth has a crack that is digging into her gum.  It will be next week and probably a few weeks beyond as I would really like to help her get her dental work all up to date as it has been awhile for her.  That and her eye check up, although that we want to wait until warmer weather.  

And so that was the week, usual puttering, cleaning, shopping and shoveling and a really great hockey game too.

Books - Spookie Town Murder Mysteries

 

Normally I post collections that I have nearly read all of them or most of them.  This one is different as I have only read the first book and it was so good I had to share it right away.  I found it in my weekly list of book bargains from BookBub this past Friday and it was marked as free so who could turn that down especially when the summary sounded so intriguing and I couldn't put it down once I started.  The characters were great and the mystery very challenging, with a little spooky too. 

'Abigail Sutton's beloved husband walks out one night, doesn't return, and two years later is found dead, a victim of an earlier crime. It's made her sympathetic to the missing and their families.

Starting her new life, Abigail moves to a small town and buys a fixer-upper house left empty when old Edna Summers died. Once it was also home to Edna's younger sister, Emily, and her two children, Jenny and Christopher, who, people believe, drove away one night, thirty years ago, and just never came back.

But in renovating the house Abigail finds scraps of paper hidden behind baseboards and tucked beneath the porch that hint the three could have been victims of foul play.

Then she finds their graves hidden in the woods behind the house and with the help of the eccentric townspeople and ex-homicide detective, Frank Lester, she discovers the three were murdered. Then she and Frank try to uncover who killed them and why...but in the process awaken the ire of the murderer.'

This was a great read from start to finish and I am looking forward to reading more in the series, so far there are 10 books. 

'We’re back in Spookie again for the tenth adventure. Sheriff Frank Lester is trying to solve two heinous murders, and, as usual, old lady Myrtle, who used to see ghosts all the time, but not so much lately, just has to get involved. By sheer determination and her usual stubbornness she forces the sheriff to let her help solve the crimes. Old Myrtle has other troubles, though. A strange ethereal white entity is stalking her, and she fears it’s the angel of death. Abigail is busy painting a mural for Vicki’s new chocolate shop, and Kate at The Delicious Circle has hired a homeless woman to help her and her husband, Norman, out at the bakery. Harvey has a new friend, a cute baby squirrel he rescues off the side of the road, and names Little Buddy; a ghost of his own who is desperately trying to warn him of something terrible coming. And Glinda, the psychic, also can foresee something cataclysmal heading for them, too. But neither know what the disaster approaching is. So come and revisit them and many more in the foggy, mysterious little town called Spookie. They’re all waiting for you.'

Yup, a little fantasy and make belief and all woven into murder but so very well done that I am looking forward to reading more in this series.  

Enjoy a book today

Recipes - Chicken Cacciatore in Slow Cooker

 

Yup, another chicken one and this is because during the snowfall hubby was helping others clean off their cars.  Both ladies knew that he did and wanted to pay him.  Hubby does these things just as a kindness and does not ever want to be paid for it.  They keep insisting and one tries to give him baked goods, which was nice when she was younger but her baking now isn't as good as it was.  The other when he wouldn't take the money shoved a package of frozen chicken in my hands and ran away.  Now I have way more chicken that I could ever want or need.  From now on I am going to risk a lie and when they ask if he cleared their car I am going to say - nope wasn't him.  Hubby just can't understand why people can't seem to just accept a kindness anymore with just a thank you.  

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut in half
1 container of homemade spaghetti sauce (leave out if you don't have one)
1 jar of plain prepared spaghetti sauce
1 can tomato paste
6 white mushrooms cut into slices
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper

Place chicken in a slow cooker, stir in spaghetti sauces, tomato paste, mushrooms, onion, pepper, garlic and spices. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve with noodles.

And as we dig out...

Favourite Walker Sort of - Ambient Worlds

 

After such a dumping of snow I was sitting wondering about walking videos or fun ones or old ones and then I thought of Ambient Worlds  This person does some amazing work.  Some are just a beautiful picture and some are really fun walks.  

Here I am posting one of my favourites, walking around the rooms of Hufflepuff House.  

https://youtu.be/9dCriLr5LPA?si=HQb2hNWPvZQsoy7B

I always thought that Hufflepuff would be my house.  He did do all the others so you can pick your favourite and take a walk through your house.  

Have a great Monday.

Weekly Musings of the 14th - Happy Valentine's Day

 

Got this in my memory feed and thought how great for Valentine's Day.  After all the 2nd commandment is love your neighbour as yourself, which tells you that you gotta love you first so you know how to love your neighbour.  

Hubby is finally on the mend although I am still talking him out of going out yet or doing anything big like clearing the ice off our little car.  

Here you can see Little Sparky waiting to be cleared.  I went out and did it.  I tried to clear a friend's off but the ice was too solid to manage it for my hands.  They have been flaring up a bit this week but that is no big deal has it happens.  

Where everyone else got dumped on by snow, we seem to be in a pocket and hardly had any to clear away.  I usually say that to people who start telling me about all the snow coming our way, my reply is 'We shall see.'  

DD got two shifts this week and two next week so that is hopeful now.  She will be okay if she gets the promised three shifts a week and it seems like she is heading that way now. 

Well, got to get out for a couple of errands because this weekend is a long weekend called Family Day and I know that the stores will be zoos as everyone panics when the stores are shut for one single day now.  Kinda wish we didn't open up the stores Sunday then people might know it isn't a big deal if the store is closed.  

And here is my Valentine card for my blogger readers, wishing you a lovely one.

 

Books - A Lexy Baker Mystery

 

The Lexy Baker series is a fun read especially sitting in a lawn chair sipping lemonade under an umbrella for shade on a lovely summer afternoon.  Looking at the freezing rain out there I started thinking about summer days reading on the balcony.  Can you tell I can't wait for those days again?

'Things are going great for Lexy Baker. She's finally opened her dream bakery, gotten rid of her cheating boyfriend and settled into her grandmothers house with her perky dog Sprinkles at her side. But her blissful life doesn't last long. When her ex-boyfriend is found poisoned with cupcakes from her bakery,

Lexy finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation headed up by her hunky neighbor detective Jack Perillo. With the help of a gang of iPad toting, would-be detective grandmothers, Lexy decides to take it upon herself to find the real murderer in order to clear her name and get her bakery back in business.

As things heat up on the murder trail, in the kitchen and between Lexy and the hunky detective, it's a race against time to put the real murderer behind bars and get back to baking.'

Yes, a few twists and turns in this series but also a light summer read (or winter if you want to pretend it's summer)

There are 16 books in the series to date and I haven't seen any note about another coming out yet but if it is the end of the series - still a pretty fun read.

'It’s the annual Brooke Ridge Falls dog show and Lexy is excited to cater the event. She’s not going to let the murder at the Doggy Diva pet salon put a damper on things for her. She’s also not going to get sidetracked by the robbery at Farradays Jewelers down the street. Okay, maybe the dog napping in the retirement village will distract her. And what about the person stealing K-cups from the senior center?

Lexy’s grandmother and her gang of senior-citizen amateur sleuths, on the other hand, are excited to investigate all the above even if it means shifting through a variety of suspects including shady salon owners, jaded jewelrs and suspicious senior citizens.'

I would say if you can get these at the library or a used book store, go for it.  If Bookbub has an kindle kind of sale on them, yes, enjoy.  Don't spend full price on them although they always seem to be on a good sale price when I have peeked.  Light read with fun characters.  

They usually don't do it more than once - LOL

Have a great day and enjoy a good book.

Memories - I Miss Family Doctors

 

I was thinking of memories to write about and what was then. I realized that lately I have have been thinking how much I miss real doctors.  I am not saying I do not appreciate the advances in medicine.  Not at all, there have been lots of really wonderful things that have happened, just in the heart alone.  

I miss Dr. Gerhart, Dr. Knipf and Dr. Hudon.  They were my real doctors.  These were the family doctors (now called GPs) that knew you, knew your family and knew your history with barely a glance at your file.  They came to your home, when you were too sick to stop throwing up or get out of bed.  He would see his patients at the office until about 2 or 3 and then head out to see those who could not come into the office.  They checked you out, felt your throat, tapped on your chest, listened to your lungs and heart.  I always heard the story of when I was 2 I slipped on a pew in church and had

a deep cut on my cheek.  Mom and Dad rushed me to Dr. Gerhart's office and knocked on the door on a Sunday.  He stitched me up in his office.  The family doctors delivered babies, did minor surgeries either in his office or if it needed more, at the hospital.  You only saw a surgeon if the surgery was a bit more complicated.  

Your doctor would ask you how things were going, what was new in your life.  If you hadn't been in for your booster shot, his nurse would call you and make your appointment to be in for it as soon as possible, especially when the polio vaccine came out.  Pictures of kids having to be in iron lungs because of polio was enough to get you there pretty quick and everyone was thrilled that this could be prevented. 

You could trust your family doctor, he knew you.  He never listened only long enough to push you onto the next doctor/specialist.  He was your doctor from birth to grave and every moment in between.  He didn't give you a prescription as a guess but only if he knew it was going to make a difference or cure.  

All those doctors have passed on and due to government involvement family doctors have more patients that they could ever know, can only see you for 10 minutes and only for one or two items and then they push you on to the next one.  I can honestly say that my GP has no clue who I am, ever felt my throat, listened to my lungs or heart or actually looked into my eyes as she is too busy entering stuff on her computer.  The even saddest thing is that now that I am over 60 I am no longer listened to at all and treated like my mind is gone already.  

Yes, we have a shortage of doctors but who would want to take years of study, huge student debts just to barely listen to whatever patient is in your room just to send them off to someone else.  It was a caring vocation but now it is just a job on an assembly line, so yes, I miss those doctors and I miss the trust that I had in the medical profession because that really died completely this past year.

  

Recipes - Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

 

Another new recipe in our home but definitely a keeper.  My question to family when I make a new recipe is - Do you want me to make it again?  Some recipes are a no all the way around, my no comes if it is just too much trouble or work which tops all other answers but this one was a yes all the way around.  The instructions look long but honestly it is an easy dish to make.

1 onion, chopped

1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp dried oregano

Kosher salt (if desired)

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can refrigerated biscuits

Scatter onion in the bottom of a large slow cooker then top with chicken. Season with oregano, salt, and pepper.

Pour soup and broth over chicken, then add thyme and bay leaf. Cover and cook on High until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 hours.

Discard thyme and bay leaf, then shred chicken with two forks. Stir in celery, carrots, peas, and garlic. Cut or tear biscuits into small bite-sized pieces then stir into chicken mixture. Spoon liquid over any biscuits at the top.

Cook on High until vegetables are tender and biscuits are cooked through, stirring every 30 minutes, about 2 hours more.

Have a fun day!

Just a fun video that came up today

 

This one came up from a friend on my Facebook feed and I just had to share it here.  Just a fun video.

Up Here, In Canada

Weekly Musings of the 7th

 

So, the week started with my favourite thing to do.  The girl that handles it and me was super nice and that always helps.  Nothing worse than getting your boobies handled by a b*tich.  I do love the 'put your hand here, your arm turned up, hips forward, chin up' and then the last words before the press down - relax.  I replied - oh sure, this is my position when I sleep.  It did get a laugh from her.  Once the four pictures were done I was finished for another 2 years.  They always tell us that the lab that reads them is super fussy so that if I get called to come back, to not panic.  I am pretty fine with the whole thing as it really doesn't take all that long and the discomfort, if the operator is good, is very short.  After that well, whatever hubby had been fighting for a couple of weeks landed with full force - he has the flu.  Ironic since he is the one who always gets his flu and booster covid shot.  

Managed to get him into bed and just to rest and take care of himself.  Between the bed remote and tv remote he is all set.  

Okay, one thing this week that just kinda blew me away was that we had been watching M*A*S*H* over again and Colonel Potter arrives and somewhere along the way it is mentioned that he is 62.  Okay, now I am older than Colonel Potter and that is just weird.  

I mean, I remember being so impressed with 'old' Colonel Potter and how he managed to keep working at his age. Okay, so now I am still impressed with the amount he got done but still a bit wigged out that I am now older than he was.  

Weather this week has been really weird, one day beautiful for a walk around the loop and then next day, too icy for the same walk. 

Oh well, in a month or so I will be able to get out every day for my walk and that will last until next December once more.  The few missed in January and February mean nothing at all.  

And so trying to be Mrs. Positive this week has been a bit trying but such is life.  

Have a lovely weekend. 

Books - The Piper Harris Mysteries - PASS

 

This series is only worth it if you get if free from BookBub or the library and can give it back.  Cute sure, the premise for the series is a good one but that doesn't move through all six books.  Nothing on that front and I waited until I had read all 6 books (free) to do this review just to make sure.

The characters are good and the setting too, mysteries are not bad either although same thing of the least likely character introduced is the one most of the time.  What I found dull is that the back story does not move, they don't even replace the couch or pull out the lousy germ-filled carpet in their home (you will see if you read it)

'COMING IN HOT

Starting a new life in Florida means year-round sunshine, beautiful beaches, and balmy breezes. For most people, anyway. But not for thirtysomething Piper and her grandmother, former members of a motorcycle gang in Oregon.
For them, it means entering the witness protection program and moving to Bitter End in the Sunshine State. Yes, to Bitter End. It doesn’t get much more ironic than this.
But hey, it’s better than rotting in jail for getting busted with tax evasion and money laundering, and infinitely better than getting killed by said gang for testifying against them.

Needless to say, they both have difficulties adjusting to life in Florida. Moving into a retirement community and dealing with all those quirky characters? Wearing flip-flops instead of biker boots? Where do you even hide your gun if you’re wearing those godawful muumuu dresses? Not to mention, they’re supposed to keep everything on the right side of the law now? Ugh!

Oh, and there’s that dead body in their neighbor’s front yard. Instead of laying low, Piper and her Gran can't help but get sucked into the murder mystery. After all, seeking out excitement and adrenaline is in their DNA.
When they realize they’re in too deep and their cover is almost blown, they have no other choice but to find the killer before it’s too late.

FOOL ME ONCE

Thirtysomething Piper Harris and her grandmother, former members of a motorcycle gang, are struggling to adjust to their new life in Bitter End, Florida, after being relocated there at a retirement complex as part of the witness protection program.
Let’s just say Gran laundered money so well, she washed away their freedom.
It’s crucial for Piper and Gran to lay low, but how can they do that when they get involved in another murder investigation?

Lloyd and Tammy Feldman are financial managers, offering investments to the seniors of the Bitter End retirement community.
But when Tammy turns up dead and Lloyd becomes a fugitive, their business is exposed as a fraud. Now, the seniors are searching for answers, for Lloyd, and for their money.
And Piper searches as well. Nobody messes with her tribe. Yes, okay, it takes some convincing from her mischief-loving next-door neighbor, Edie, but what else is new?

Will Piper blow the lid off the swindle, or will she blow her own cover?

BAR NONE

It’s been two months since Piper and her Gran relocated to Bitter End, Florida, as part of the witness protection program, and things are only slightly looking up.
That is, if you don’t count another murder.
Piper has taken a bartending job at a dive bar that’s shadier than a palm tree at night. Dealing with questionable characters comes with the territory, but she’s used to that. After she threatens one of the patrons with a knife, she stumbles upon his dead body in the alley later that night. She is not used to that.

She is content to let the police deal with it, but then, on the corpse, she finds a note with her name on it—her witness protection name—which will now need further protection! Piper is then propelled into a high-stakes pursuit of uncovering her mysterious connection to a total stranger-turned-murder-victim.
Between launching her own investigation, meeting new shady characters along the way, and dealing with foot powder and garden gnomes at the retirement complex where she lives with Gran, Piper has her hands full.
Not to mention Ryker, the hottest PI around town and then some, who seems to have made the phrase “bad time to show up” a mantra he lives by.

One thing’s for sure: Piper has to untangle the web of clues and deceit before her real identity gets caught in it!'

I an not even going to put the summary for the last three.  You get the drift from the first three.  

No part of the back story is touched upon beyond them not doing anything about it at all.  Not through 6 books, I see there is a 7th coming out and maybe that will change but I am not going to bother finding out, 6 books was enough.  

If you get this series free, sure, it is cute but don't pay anything for it.  

Well I will go for my daily walk but...

Recipe - Chicken and Wild Rice Bake

 

Yesterday I totally fell off the grid when it came to being on-line.  I didn't blog or reply to messenger at all.  Too many things to do including a mammogram.  Today I thought I would share a new recipe I made last week that turned out pretty good.  

4 Chicken Thighs, bone-in and skin on
1 1/2 cup of Wild Rice
1 cup fresh green beans
1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 to 2 cups chicken broth
2 cups of sliced Mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, diced
A pinch or two of Herbs de Provence
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a skillet over medium heat with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. Add chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Set aside. Brown mushrooms.

Spray an oven-safe dish with cooking spray. Add rice and sliced mushrooms to the dish. In a mixing bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup with a small amount of chicken broth to thin it slightly.

Pour the soup mixture over the rice and mushrooms, stirring to combine. Place the green beans on top of the rice. Place the cooked chicken thighs on top of the green beans. Add more chicken stock if needed to ensure the rice is moist.

Cover the dish with a lid or foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through and the chicken is heated. Check the rice after 30 minutes and stir to ensure even cooking.

Remove the dish from the oven. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

FEW NOTES - Now I always make a new recipe exactly as given but now I will make some changes for the next time.  I couldn't find the Herbs de Provence so I changed it to a pinch of summer savory and that really added a nice touch.  I think just wild rice is too much wild rice and plan on using a mix of wild and perhaps regular rice.  Hubby liked the wild rice, DD not so much, so perhaps a mix will do better.  Anyway, although the instructions look long, it really isn't and is a very nice dish to serve in winter months. 

Have a lovely day!