Friday, October 20, 2017

Friday Ramble

We have had a couple of lovely warm fall days and today looks like more of the same.  I have a couple of windows open and the fresh air is welcome.  Some years ago the city planted some small trees downtown.  I noticed that some in my block have already dropped their leaves, but the one outside my window is a brilliant yellow.  I expect that tree will be bare before long.  Winter isn't all that far off.

I have been busy clearing off one of the shelving units in my living room, getting it emptied so Duane can drag it home.  He helped yesterday by moving  cases of bottled water and 25 lb. sacks of sugar and flour.  To make space on the other unit for the water, sugar and flour, I moved a tub and a couple of laundry baskets full of fabric, yarn and quilting supplies.  I am about halfway finished sorting through, organizing as I go so I can actually find what I need when I need it.  So far I haven't tossed anything.  I am a quilter.  We keep even the smallest of scraps of fabric because they might come in handy for another quilt.  That's just the way it is.  Sigh.

When I planted my windowsill garden some time back, all the plants died off.  Except for the green bell peppers.  They are still flourishing in my kitchen windowsill.  They have been blooming like crazy and I actually have one pepper that is about as big around as a quarter.  There may be more, but so far they are too small to be sure.  Anyway, the pot of pepper plants is pretty, so even if I don't get more peppers, it is alright.

My granddaughter, Boston, emailed me this.  Boston is on the left and I believe her dance instructor is on the right.



Then she called me to tell me about it.  It is an honor for her to participate in this show.  Years past in dance competitions she nearly always had a tap solo.  She loves what she does and is really good at it.  I hear that she did a good job dancing in the show.  She also told me it had been a busy week.  She found out she was to be inducted into the National Honor Society.  I am so proud of this girl.  But the best part for me was that she made the effort to call her Grandma to let me know what was going on in her life.  I just love that kid to pieces.

That's pretty much all of the excitement here in my little 'Home Sweet
Apartment.'  The days go by, stuff gets done and now and then one of my grands makes me smile.  It really doesn't get much better than that.

21 comments:

  1. It's nice that your kids and grandkids don't get so caught up in themselves that they forget you. A lot of folks aren't so blessed. Has your "cleaning lady" visited you yet?

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    1. Gorges...I am blessed to have family who stay in touch. It is so sad when kids and grands forget. The 'cleaning lady' is maybe 3 weeks away. They tell me it takes that long to get everything set up. I don't mind as long as I know it will happen.

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  2. Sounds like things are plugging along pretty well. Pretty much the same down here, just taking it one day at a time.

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    1. Harry...The days come and go and I find myself about as content as I can be. I can't fix the insanity around us, so I just concentrate on that living one day at a time thing. Glad things are 'plugging along pretty well' for the two of you.

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  3. Warm fall days are my favourite. All our leaves are off now though which makes everything look more depressing. Congrats to your grand daughter! That reminds me, I better call and say hi to my nana.

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    1. Jenn...Fall is my favorite time of year, too. About half the leaves are off the trees here, but a little wind and rain would finish the job. Thanks for the congrats for my granddaughter. The girl works hard to accomplish what she does. I am more proud of that fact than anything else. And yes. Call your Nana. Regularly. I can think of nothing that makes me happier than a call from a kid or a grand.

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  4. What a blessing indeed to have such wonderful grandkids. And you should be proud.
    Sounds like you've been busy..way to go.
    I've had a few appointments this week to keep me busy. And I bought a 3-Qt size Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.It's the smallest one they make. Will go to the store tomorrow and buy a small roast or chicken to try it out. I jumped on it when it finally went on sale here.
    Take good care. SJ

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    1. SJ...It just tickles me when one of the grands calls - especially when they are so excited about whatever it is that is going on in their life. I am one lucky granny.

      I have been busy. Some days I get quite a bit done and other days - not so much. But little by little I seem to be making some headway.

      Good for you in finding that pressure cooker on sale. Let me know how you like it. My youngest son has one and he loves it. He likes the part where he can cook a roast in a fraction of the time it would take to bake it in the oven. He uses it for lots of different meals. I have been checking them out online but haven't decided to get one yet.

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  5. That is quite an honor for Boston. My daughter only did solos. She was great at tap. I am glad she keeps you informed. You are lucky to have someone to haul and drag stuff for you!

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    1. Linda...Boston was all excited about dancing in the show. She will call to tell me about things like that and sometimes she, her sister and brother will take turn talking to Grandma. I love those calls.

      Having Duane living next door is a huge help to me. He never complains and I try not to ask him for help unless it is something I absolutely can not do for myself.

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  6. Life is good. The farmers are out harvesting like crazy. Several times I have had to stop on a road because of equipment moving about. I don't mind thy have a job to do. Still waiting for but, not wanting the big cold flour dusting to hit town.

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    1. Rob...This is my favorite season. I am glad the rain let up so the farmers could get into their fields. I know winter is nearly here, but I won't mind if it holds off for a while longer.

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  7. Read my post tomorrow about planting a potato. I have it in the title today, but tomorrow is the interesting part. I was thinking you could plant a potato in a large pot under the window, maybe put it on a stool or box to grow. They make beautiful green plants, as I am sure you well know.

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    1. Linda...Good idea. I may give it a try and see what happens.

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  8. Good morning. Just wanted to give you an update on the Instant Pot--- complete winner!! oh, my gosh..I am a fan.
    I cooked a small pork roast for my first dish. It took 30minutes of pressure cooking once the pot came to temperature. Then I let it naturally come down in pressure. There's a way to do a 'quick' release but I didn't use it this time.
    The pork was amazing. Fork tender and juicy. The instructions say to use at least 1 cup of liquid in my model. So I used beef bouillon (weird I know but it worked) and some salt. I'll use the leftover broth to make a barley and veggie soup so that's why I wanted to use the beef broth.
    My model is the smallest at 3 QT. Good for one. If I was cooking for two, it would be too small, imo. My friend who told me about it started with a 6 QT, the middle size. She gave that to her DIL because she's already upgrading to the largest model, 8 qt.
    It can also be used as a steamer with the insert provided, yogurt maker, crockpot and can also saute.
    I bought it this week because of a great sale. I may retire my crockpot for this which says a lot about how much I already like this thing. Or at the very least relocate the crockpot out of my kitchen.
    Hope all is well. It's a glorious and sunny Fall day here. Cheers,
    SJ

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    1. Thanks so much for the update, SJ. I like the fact that it has more than one function. With my limited space I could likely get rid of my crock pot (broke the handle off the lid) and just use the pressure cooker. And the way your roast turned out sounds just perfect. Methinks I will be pricing small electric pressure cookers very soon.

      All is well here - just busy. We have a lovely day going on here as well. A bit cool but sunny. Hope you and the dog are enjoying the fall weather. :)

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    2. Back again. I usually check for any of your replies as the last thing I do online...
      Another thing it will do is bake if you have the right insert. The InstantPot web site has some great information and also recipes. My friend in CA has been raving about it since she got hers. I totally understand now.
      Dog is snoring at my feet as I'm typing. Our walk this morning was amazing. Can't get any better then that. Smile.
      SJ

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    3. SJ...Well, now I have my homework for this evening. After supper I usually settle in with a movie or audio book and some sort of needlework. But tonite I will check out the website. My gosh, but it sounds like that cooker will do nearly everything except wash the dishes!!

      I really do miss having a snoring dog about the place. They are such good company.

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  9. Mom, we have an electric pressure cooker and use it 3 to 4 times per month to cook meals. Pretty much anything you put in a crockpot can be done in a fraction of the time as the crockpot and yes, it almost cleans itself. No more scrubbing the sides of the crockpot! The electric pressure cooker has a non-stick coated insert where the food goes in, so it is really easy to clean. I use it for all sorts of foods, including pot roasts, pork chops, chicken and even hard boiled eggs. The eggs turn out perfect in 5 minutes, easy to peel and fully cooked!
    Hmmm, Christmas is just right around the corner...

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    1. David...I remember you telling me about yours and how much you like it. I think it might be something I would use fairly often. Christmas, you say......hint, hint. :)

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    2. The 3Qt Instant Pot has a stainless steel inner pot. The larger models have a pot that is non-stick but they don't offer that for the 3qt model. Mine cleaned up well after a good soak.
      SJ

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