did it ...

I actually managed to stitch something this summer - a little something - it was slow going since I could only stitch one letter and then had to let my hand rest for awhile - very frustrating but I did it!  It's a card for a cottage country friend who had surgery.  It's hard to see in the photo but the words are in a shade of pink with the outline and button in grey and mounted on grey-ish cardstock - it was sheer luck that I had a stray grey button at the cabin - it likely was waiting to be sewn back on something - need to make note to self to bring a wee stock of buttons to leave here - must locate them in town first. 

Making this tag was much easier - I suppose it must have used different hand motions than the x-stitch - I had fun with this one - it was for a blogging friend. 

The photos aren't very good because I'm using the editing program on my laptop rather than on the PC. 

 

if you change the way you look at things,

the things you look at change 

blowin' in the wind .....

A strong wind has been blowing steadily for 3 days now - it's getting annoying - it's a chilly wind coming right off the water.  The temperature has been in the low 20s C - in the sun it's quite pleasant.  At the cabin we rely on Mother Nature to dry the laundry - this wind dries it quickly and fluffy.  The clotheslines are strung wherever they can catch the sun and wind breeze - two of the lines are at the other end of the property - my fella dug out this wagon from the shed so I could put the laundry basket on it rather than make a few trips carrying the basket.  Believe it or not this wagon belonged to our kids so it's old just like me although it has had a new body  - don't I wish - it's proven indispensible and I am appreciative.  

 This is what else I got up to today - dill pickle relish.  I regularly make sweet relish but had never tried dill pickle - my fella loves it!  Good friend and cottage neighbour, Ed, gave us a few huge, ripe cucumbers that were begging to be made into relish so that's what I did.  I enjoy preserving at the cabin - the windows are all open - I can hear the wind in the trees - there's always a bird singing outside the kitchen window - I can see the water from every window - what's not to like.  I also made some passata this past week - a first for me - it used up quite a few tomatoes - it is delicious - no photo.

Just a few days ago Ed invited us for supper and served moose ribs that were so tender and tasty along with freshly picked new potatoes, beets, beet tops, and carrots - doesn't get any better than that!  For dessert there was an apple tarte - apples were fresh picked that morning by my fella - our contribution to the meal.

autumn is a second spring

where every leaf is a flower

Labour Day weekend .....

It wasn't supposed to rain on this the last long weekend of the summer ..... so I put the rainy day to good use and made some bread and tried out this recipe for tomato jam - it is delicious - even though I missed one step - obviously I don't multi-task as well as I used to! 

 

The geraniums are happy just now .....

you are free to choose

but you are not free from the consequence of your choice

delicious!!

For lunch today we had 'stale bread soup' made with fresh tomatoes and herbs - the tomatoes are plentiful this year and ripening quite nicely - this recipe reminds me why I plant basil every year - I garnished it with fresh parsley and grating of asiago cheese - it's delicious!!

 The recipe is from The Urban Peasant - he used to have his own show on CBC TV many years ago and I'm fortunate to have one of his cookbooks - I've always liked his style of cooking.

Stale Bread Soup - The Urban Peasant
2 T  olive oil
1 onion chopped fine
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 lbs/1kg fresh tomatoes or 1 large can tomatoes
1 t black pepper
salt
4-5 cups hot water
2 T fresh basil or 1 t dried basil or 1 t dried thyme
2 thick slices stale bread torn into pieces
1 bunch green onions or a handful of fresh basil leaves or parsley for garnish
- Fry onion in oil over medium heat until transparent.  Stir in the pepper and garlic, cook 1 minute, add tomatoes and cook for further 5 minutes.  Stir in the bread, salt and water, simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve hot with garnish. 

Nigel the squirrel has disappeared and now Chip (the Chipmunk) is entertaining us - actually, there are two of them and they speak to us - they live in harmony with the birds and us, unlike Nigel.  This morning one of them was on the deck at the kitchen door chattering to my fella while he was making breakfast - how special is that!

Regarding the robot/captcha nuisance for commenting, read Anthea's comment in my last post - it works - thanks Anthea. 

you only live once, but if you do it right,

once is enough  

 

apparently .....

Apparently I don't know what a car looks like nor a street sign but I seem to be able to recognize a road ..... yessiree, I'm talking about proving I'm not a robot  - what a pain in the arse it has become - I think it has run amok.  The good news is that you no longer have to prove you're not a robot if you'd like to leave a comment here.  Also, since we're dealing with the techie stuff - my blog is secure - you see the 's' after the http and the lock  - that tells you it's secure - just in case you didn't know.

I finished a couple of x-stitch pieces that I stitched over the winter.  The bigger one is "Little Dog" and the smaller one is "Old Dog" - they're both waiting for us on the Rainbow Bridge.  I did the finishing at the cabin with the bits 'n pieces that I could get my hands on.  The bigger one has cord made from braiding three strands of jute twine and the other used a small piece of cording that I had tucked away - rustic finishes but I like rustic.

We're all moved in to/into (?) our new place but if you were to ask if everything was in it's place and there was a place for everything the answer would be NO!   But the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom are set up so we can function - we're not spending much time there.  I finally found the box of kitchen dishes - we had been using the 'open me first kitchen box' - thank goodness for the 'open me first' boxes - they are a lifesaver.  We have all winter to settle in - summer is short so we want to enjoy it at the cabin - life is short at our age so we want to enjoy it at the cabin. 

don't stumble over something behind you

pressing time .....

I could try to convince you that this is the iron that I use at the cabin -  methinks you're not that gullable - believe it or not, it's an electric iron - Dulux brand - as heavy as all get out - would make an ideal tailor's clapper if one had a solid surface underneath it - at the cabin it's used for a door stop.

The x-stitch is a sampler I made several years ago and had framed  it - I decided to remove it from the frame and haven't come up with a better idea for it yet.  This photo was taken following a heavy rain that left the petunias looking quite bedraggled - they bounced back quickly and very nicely. 



Just look at how tall these daisies are - I'm most impressed with them! 

My fella added this weathered old window frame (sans glass) and  a window box he made  from odds 'n ends of wood to dress up the garden shed at the cabin - I love it.  I added some wooden tulips that my late dad made many years ago ...

some days you just have to create your own sunshine

Christmas in July .....

It was a squeaker but I did it!  You'll find these peppermint coasters here.

 There has been no stitching this summer but I've managed a bit of crocheting - this is why - don't know what I did - do know how I did it - proof that there's no fool like an old fool!

cupcakes are muffins that believed in miracles