Is it Winter in New York Yet?

I am sitting here looking out the window at a lovely yellow blossom swaying against a green leafy backdrop.  Yes, it is November 10th and the grass is green.  I am in Florida.  My sister and I purchased a mobile home together in the spring.  I am here trying on this snowbird thing for size.  Snowbirds are defined as people who come to Florida for the winter.  They usually stay until April and then they migrate back to the north once the threat of snow is past. 
Now, when I say that I am trying it on for size...I mean it.  I miss my little cottage, friends, and family more than I thought I would.  Although in all honesty I did tell my close friend, the zucchini lady, that if I made it through a whole month I would be surprised.  She had laughed at me predicting that when I heard about all the snow that they would be getting in western New York I would stay right here in Florida. 

Well, on October 29th, a freak snowstorm hit the northeast wreaking great havoc.  I cringed when I saw the news reports and made a beeline for the telephone.  What a relief to hear that western New York state had been spared!   I wondered if my furnace would come back on after a power outage...hmmm.  The papers announced that 2 million people were without power for days. 

My feelings of boredom seemed very childish when confronted with the shoveler above.   I made a mental note to get out a little more...  I haven't really given this place a chance, you know what I mean?  This whole snow storm before Hallowe'en was just so wrong!

Today is November 10th and the northeast has come out from under the effects of the storm.  The sun is shining here with a cold front moving in that will drop the temperature down in the 40s at night.  The winds will pick up causing waves on the bay from 3 to 5 feet...no odds to me since I don't have a boat and I won't be trying out my water wings. 

I have found a beach cruiser activity group that get together to go places.  Wonder if I could get one of those bikes soon?  Not in the budget...wonder if I could barter transcription or word processing for one? 

Plan B? I have googled a volksmarch group called http://suncoastsandpipers.org/  and I have been added to their mailing list.  Do you remember Pallidin?  Well this is "Have running shoes, will travel".  No beach cruiser needed.

I still miss my grandkids and wish they were coming down to visit me.  I have calculated just how much gas I would need to go up to see them at least six times since I got here.  They live in Huntsville, Ontario.  I have to remind myself that they just lit the woodstove for the first time the end of October.  So...if I were to get in the van and head up to see them I might be up to my neck in snow once I got north of Toronto.  So...I comfort myself by cruising the Christmas candy aisle at WalMart...checking out the items that I might be sending up in a parcel.  Just in case, you know.  I busy myself figuring just how long it would take Canada Post to get the parcel up to the little ones in the Great White North.

Sign me, trying this Snowbird thing on for size in Florida, M

P.S.  This little guy keeps following me around...hmmm.

Zucchini or Courgettes, 2011

Being from Cabot Street in St. John's I never had a vegetable garden or much of a back garden.  Today, I live in a dairy community with plenty of room to plant a few tomato plants and more if I want.  My grandmother would be in her glee, she was a farm girl from Torbay.  I can still smell her delicious homemade bread.  That is a wonderful memory...

This past week I visited with a friend of mine, A.*, who has a marvelous garden.  She and her husband spent a lot of time mulching between the rows, and watering...everything looks great.  In previous years they have been my tomato (tomatoe) connection.  We had a great chat and made plans to pick blueberries in a couple of days.  The weather was just a little too hot.

Just as I was going to reach for my purse...I heard those words, "Would you like a zucchini to take home with you?"  I had a flashback to my friend, L., who lives up by Lake Ontario.  She had the best looking zucchini and you could not get out of the house without taking one with you.  She did include a wonderful recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Cake that was very delicious. 

(Which, by the way, was very moist and fudgy and well worth the effort of shredding and heating up the kitchen in the midst of summer.)  But chances were I would spend the next day trying to re-home that lovely thing...with very little success.  Once the zucchinis are ripe everyone is trying to give them away.

Now, that might not seem like a problem to those of you who live in a city.  They are just another cucumber-looking green thing in the produce section.  My dears, a zucchini is a member of the squash family.  One plant can provide way too many for an average family...lol!  Never mind putting in more than one plant...all your friends will avoid your house until the harvest has passed.

Now, I never had zucchini squash growing up in Newfoundland so I cannot say that I am a true connoisseur.  When I moved to the States in 1975 I had my first run in with squash.  (Then there was sauerkraut...another story for another day.)  Growing up with carrots, beets, turnip, cabbage, and potatos (potatoes) that were grown on the island limited my exposure to the exotic vegetables and fruits.  Now, mind you, I did  have lettuce and tomatos (tomatoes), and of course corn on the cob.  The tomatos were shipped to us before they were ripe and they were hard as rocks.  That made slicing them a breeze.  What a nice cold plate we would have on Sunday with our potato salad, cold cuts, cold green peas, and slices of tomato.  The corn on the cob came four ears to a can and they were some good!  For the nonbelievers...here is proof:

When I moved to the States there was some question as to whether I had any kind of upbringing (home training) because of my reaction to some things up away...such as they are.  I found that the lovely, fresh from the garden, tomatos were mushy.  Yes, bye, I found them mushy.  Heathen that I was...my ex-mother-in-law, E., God rest her soul, she was ready to ship me back from whence I came.  But, Thank God,  my saving grace was the way I lit up the first time I had fresh, from the garden, corn on the cob.  They saw this as my redemption...or she would have had me on the next plane back. 

So, where was I, anyway these zucchini squash are called courgettes in England.  I have an English friend, F.,  here who loves to teach everyone things.  This thing about the courgettes was a bit of a surprise though so I must give her credit.  I am  not an easy student though as I was raised in Eastern Canada where British things are to be found in our grocery stores.  She was some ticked off when I knew that Earl Grey tea was good stuff...when my daughter-in-law, An'joe, gave me four boxes of Twinings' teas, she thought I must have come into some money. 

"That tea is expensive", she said, and when I brought her back digestive biscuits she would not even share them with me and the girls.  Bugger off, she said!  (I knew she was pleased with the gift...lol!) 

She knew she might not get another package of these goodies for a while.  I love the milk chocolate with the cookie.  But did you know, I found a similar biscuit here in the States:

And if you don't believe me that they are as good...have a closer look:



The only thing that does make a difference is that that chocolate is dark...but with a cold glass of milk...you are all set.  Anyway, I have to pick up a pack of these for my English friend.  You know what though, they have something like this in Australia.  They are called Tim-Tams

I kind of think they remind me of the graham sandwich bars we used to get at home.  What do you think?

Now...back to the zucchini, my dear friend A. was looking at me with hopeful eyes.  I set my feet firmly on the floor and reached for my purse.  "No," I said, "that would mean I would have to cook."  I was eyeing the door planning my exit stage left when she mentioned that she had enough to make a nice batch of zucchini relish.  "Now," I said, "I would love to have some zucchini relish."  That is the best I have ever tasted...and she puts it in her ham salad.  Right friggin' excellent...

So I made it out the door with the promise of a lovely jar of sweet zucchini relish in the future.  I hove (heaved?) a sigh of relief as I walked away...without the zucchini...that was a close call.  Believe me.

Sign me, Living Simply in Small Town America, M

* The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Thoughts on Extreme Couponing

You know, I have been watching that "Extreme Couponing" program with An'joe, my daughter-in-law. I know some people who hit the local Rite-Aid with coupons every week when the flyers come out in the local shopper. Now, don't get me wrong, I love living frugally and saving money makes me very happy.  I was thinking to myself while I was watching these guys...but is this really saving money? I mean how much toothpaste, fabric softener sheets, and Advil can one family use?

To read more...

Muskoka Musings

My eldest son, R.T., and his wife, An'joe, bought their first home in Dwight, ON a few weeks ago.  They moved up there to Dorset, Ontario with there three children about a year ago from Brampton, ON and rented until they found this place.  They like living up there in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada.  Where's that you might say...especially if you are an American, now mind you my friends in NY State would not know where it was either.  Muskoka is really more of a region than a town or village.  This is better defined by referencing the tourism information:

"Muskoka, Ontario, Canada (located) 90 minutes north of Toronto (with) 1600 lakes, granite cliffs, pine trees, luxurious resorts, bed and breakfasts, inns, cottage resorts ..."

Sounds like quite the place to live, right? It is truly beautiful in Muskoka but it is much more than lakes, cliffs, pine trees, and tourism though.  My grandsons, Chris and Jayke, ride the school bus to a great school in a little town called Dwight.  At times my daughter-in-law has to carry my autistic grandson, Jayke, on the bus kicking and screaming while other days he goes without any problems.  They love their classes and teachers.  They eat pizza at school every Tuesday.  During the winter they ice skate on the rink behind the school.  If they don't have skates they can use the ones that the school keeps for just that purpose.  

Before they moved my granddaughter, D'princess, and An'joe used to walk up to Dorset to check their mail and visit Robinsons, the local grocery, hardware store, and gift shop.  If they don't have it...well you don't need it.  I love that place!  D'princess has been known to throw tantrums there only to be carried out without the focus of her tirade.  (An'joe has the patience of a saint but she does not let her have her way.)  D'princess is going to be four in the fall; I personally thank the Lord for Junior Kindergarten...lol!  An'joe deserves a break.  D'princess is truly a diva in training.  In fact, my son has expressed  his personal opinion that she will be sent home within three days with a note requesting a shift to homeschooling.  We all love her...lol!


We seem to have picked a really good time to visit with the recent heat wave that has the country in its grip.  There are lots of things to do, mowing, weed eating, watching the little ones in their inflatable pool, reading stories, picking up after my dog, watching Chris pick up after their BIGGER dogs, taking garbage and recyclables to the dump (no trash trucks here), and grilling out.  There are errands to do in Huntsville.  We do a little work until it gets too hot then we hang out in the shade drinking lots of water waiting for it to cool off.  We are right back at it by mid-afternoon.  Yesterday, I pulled up quite a bit of comfrey leaving the raspberries near the lilac trees.  Papa loaded up the plants and took them over in the woods where we want the comfrey to come up next year.  They have seven acres so the open land needs mowed and trimmed back.  The deer flies and mosquitoes are our usual companions although I have been testing the hidden qualities of the Bounce fabric softener sheets.  Who knew that Bounce could be such a great insect deterrent???  If I think that all the way through it makes me wonder...  Before I forget...when a person is swatting deer flies and mosquitoes as they are being chased by them...the locals call that the Muskoka Wave!


By the time my son gets home we throw it all together to wrap up what is left to do so we can visit for the rest of the evening.  The bugs chase us inside some times but we do love the hamburgers that An'joe provides from the wonderful gas grill that she won on the radio.  

We retire to the house (downstairs) where we unwind (or is it unravel?) while the grandchildren and their parents do the same (upstairs).  We listen as they gradually get ready for bed.  Papa and I relax wishing we were younger so we could have the energy to keep up with them...until sleep comes.   Lights out for another day.


BTW, the names have all been changed to protect the innocent.

Taking time to smell the Roses

Living simply is really important to me.  Being blessed with the love of simplicity, I have a life that permits me to stop and smell the roses. 

I have been to visit a friend this morning.  She took sick several years ago when a tooth that she was ignoring caused a brain infection.  She had a stroke during her hospitalization; she is in a wheelchair these days.  She is my age.  We used to do such hilarious things together.  We still laugh together about those antics!

This morning I popped over to give her a shirt that I picked up while I was shopping on Anna Maria Island. 

One of the shops of AMI

She was still looking good.  Funny how things don't slow some people down.  We were chuckling about silly things...like convincing my DH to upgrade our cable.  We both knew that by Friday of this week he will come around.  Digital cable is the best for that flat-screen television.  But he likes to be stubborn...we both know that he loves watching his drag racing.  It is in the bag...lol

When I look at my friend I don't see the changes in her face that accompanied the stroke.  I see the sparkle in her eyes; she loves to hear about things outside the walls of the nursing home.  She does not carry on and question how this could have happened to her.  She is making lemonade with the lemons that were given to her in this life.  That spirit outshines the physical changes; she is a woman of courage.

We rolled on up the hall to the computer that the home has in place for the residents to use.  She did it herself using her legs to propel her with gusto.  Together we sat there perusing the photos of the mobile home that we just bought in Florida.  She liked the pictures and we chatted about what we could do with that family room.  That was a nice washer and dryer...you know.  Just girlfriends catching up.  Smelling the roses, like you would.

I showed her the beautiful sandy beaches of Anna Maria Island.  What a gift!  To have a place that is 10 mins from the beaches.  That sugar-white sand is so striking against that beautiful blue ocean...it looks like a little bit of paradise.  

Aerial View of AMI

We both thought that being 1.5 hours from Disney World was a good thing!  I hope that we can see it together sometime.  I told her that all the grandkids are lining up already...they want to go to DW!  I told them to start saving their money, I said.  She cracked up.  We both know that I won't be content until every one of them has made the trip.  My own sons had been there three times when their Dad was in the US Navy.  It is time for the little ones to see Mickey Mouse...lol!  She knew that her little ones were going to be lining up as well.  Isn't it funny how you don't have to say some things?  You just know.

After we checked out the map of Florida so I could give her an idea of how close we will be to the beach we signed off.  We meandered back to her room.  I wondered if she was happy being there.  Her kids come to see her throughout the week.  The photos of them and the grandkids are all in place where she can see them.   Although she says that she does not like it there she acknowledges that she is comfortable.  I know she is being strong. 

As I hugged her before I headed home I was glad that we had this visit.  The laughter brought back such memories.  I do hope that she will get to come down to Florida this year.  We would have such fun...laughing in the shade of some palm tree on a sugar-white beach.  We will have to dip our toes in the Gulf of Mexico.  That is what one does...

May God keep her safe and well. 

We go back a long ways.