Needs to Warm Up! Time to Make Soup.

Park Place RV Park

On Saturday, Feb. 10^th I joined Bill downstairs around 7:30. The morning weather did not encourage me to get moving very quickly. Well, it wasn’t raining at least, but it was only 45F/6C and with the winds, it felt a few degrees colder than that. I lazed around with my tea and when Bill decided to go to the field, mostly to see who was there, Gibbs and I went out for our walk.

Bill looked out the window around
8:30 and saw a rainbow to the west
It didn't last long though.

For crying out loud, I was back to wearing my down-filled jacket! It needs to get back to the Arizona weather we used to have! It was around 9 when Gibbs and I stepped out and it was then that I remembered I was going to drop around to the yard sales. The sky was not very pleasant with heavy gray clouds and I soon changed my mind about the sales and also about walking up to Family Dollar for some butter. I’d go when Bill got back.

Ready for a walk, little bum?
this is where he sits while I put his harness on
some days.

If it wasn't for the wind, it would have been
a wonderful day

That is exactly what I did. 😊 He was home by 9:30 and I drove Black Beauty (I still do like driving her, especially now that the January rush is over) up the few blocks to park at Coyote Fresh Foods. It is right beside F.D. I checked the price of butter at F.D. and new I’d never find it anywhere in town for less than $4.55 so grabbed 2 pounds. I also thought the price of $4 for the quart bottle of half and half creamer was darn good. I bought 2 of those as well.

A very heavily clouded sky to the northwest

My purpose for stocking up on both was that I wanted to make a batch of Broccoli Cheddar soup. I guess, with the crazy weather, it isn’t so strange to be making soup now, is it? LOL Bill went upstairs and delved into a cleaning project. I did the shower yesterday so today, he did the counter, toilet, sink and vanity cupboard. That cupboard is something we tend to neglect so it was nice that he took it on. There is a couple more that I’ll tackle on another cool day. 😊

This soup will get me through a few lunches. 💕

Our afternoon walk was under mostly
sunny skies

We had ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch and read our books. Again, I had nothing to do at the clubhouse today so it was a good opportunity to check this ‘new’ book out. As it turns out, I couldn’t stop turning pages! Around 4, Gibbs and I went out for our afternoon walk and although it read 57F/12C, and we were seeing occasional sunshine, it was still a cold wind. I had my tea when we returned home.

For supper, we took a page out of Nancy’s book. She had pancakes with our hometown’s maple syrup for breakfast so we had them tonight. They are always easy and delicious. Oh and quite filling too! 😊 After loading the dishwasher, Bill went up to watch a movie and after my blog, I’ll find one too. Or, maybe the book will draw me back. This has been a somewhat slow but good day again and that is okay. Soon, we hope for warmer temps.

Pancakes for supper
good night!

Thank you for popping in.

Visitors! Soup Sunday and Sunshine

Park Place RV Park

Sunday, Jan. 8^th we woke up to the promise of another lovely day. The clouds were minimal when Gibbs and I went for our walk but we were both grateful for the extra layer we had on in the cool 41F/5C. I went for my walk around the big block, with no other destination in mind, and met both Bill, driving, and Carol Ann, walking on my way home. 😊

A pretty nice day coming our way

The day was already starting to warm up by then. I could have gone over to work on the puzzle but, instead, I decided to make my Cheddar Broccoli Soup early. Bill had turned the inverter on and shut off our park power before he left but I knew Madame IP would work just fine. The soup was ready and being kept warm when I walked over to the clubhouse at 1. I’d had cereal so didn’t want lunch today.

In the baseball diamond at the park,
owners who have made camping in vans their home,
meet here every year
Rubber Tramp Rendezvous

I had worked on the puzzle for an hour when Bill texted ‘we have company’. Hmm, I had no idea who it could be but returned home to a lovely surprise. We didn’t think we’d be seeing Lori, Roland and Schatzi again this winter! They had their bikes and were out for a ride while the sky was in ‘blue’ mode and the temperatures were bearable! Waiting for it to warm up could be a really long wait.

Heading home, I met Bill

Then I met Carol Ann on her way to the flying field
Demon, the Malamute was showing off
Such a beautiful friendly dog

I had to turn my soup back on to heat it up and our company left around 2:45 so they could be home before dark an we could make it to our lunch/dinner. Our friend, Shirley, aptly calls it ‘linner’. 😊 

Gibbs was torn between me leaving
and Bill cutting his favourite thing
Cheese

Arriving home to company
Guess who?

Schatzi  all decked out for the ride
in her Indian t-shirt

Be safe, dear friends!

There were 5 soups, a salad, rolls, crackers and dessert. There were only 13 of us to sit down for the meal but it was really quite perfect. Many more soups to sample and it would have been too much, in my opinion.

I tried 4 of the soups, one being mine
Rick and Patti's Zuppa Toscana and Barb's Taco Soups
Patti's chocolate cake was better than the
store bought cheesecake by a mile!

Everything was delicious but I declined the turkey noodle soup, too many noodles. We chatted with Rick, Patti and Barb until 4 when we carried out pot home. Yay! I have some leftover for lunches. ♥ No supper was required tonight and I should definitely take Gibbs out for a walk. 

Gibbs found a meat wrapper on our walk
It smells so good Mom!

The setting sun
Beginning to end

How can soup be so filling? 😊 Patti and Rick were trying to decide what to do for the Valentine’s Day dinner. We’ll wait and see.

The day wouldn't be complete without wishing
our youngest granddaughter
Happy 2nd Birthday Hadley Rose! 💖

This has been a wonderful day! Thank you for stopping by!

Mixed Bag of Weather, Soup Fairies, Visitors from a Distance

The Ridge - Home

On Sunday, Mar. 29^th we were both up around 7. The winds had been howling most of the night, pretty strong. Bill was still up at 11:30 when they blew our satellite dish over. How dare they upset his evening programming! He stood it up again and got better reception after doing so. Maybe it straightened something that had been bent all winter!

About half way through the day,
while sitting inside, I saw blue sky appear
out the window behind me

I didn’t know any of this was going on but did notice lights on downstairs after midnight. It was a warm night, not getting colder than 5C/40F so that was a bonus. We are expecting (and getting) a warm day today, with highs in the mid-teens Celsius. That means almost 60F and that is wonderful here in Ontario for March.

We had our coffee and tea together and after reading some blogs, I sat and worked on my sweater. The rain and winds kept the morning interesting as far as weather is concerned, even a thunder dunder breaking the otherwise silence up here. My crocheting is coming along, front and back are now stitched together and I’m working on sleeves. I’ve not done sleeves for a very long time and never with crochet. It’s quite easy, actually. Even for me!

This bulkiness is my sweater, coming together

We had some visitors drop in, we want to call them Soup Fairies because they left us a nice container of cabbage soup that they both made. How nice of them to share. Virtual hugs were shared from a distance and we all look forward to the time we can make them real ones. The prayer on everyone’s lips is ‘let this not last too long’.

Homemade cabbage soup
compliments of the Soup Fairies

The last of a Red Lobster biscuit mix

 After bacon and eggs for lunch and dishes were done, just as I noticed the sun popping out, another vehicle came up the drive. It was a surprise and nice to see my sister, Donna, and Gerry drive up. Again, from a 10’ ladder length apart, we shared that same kind of hug. They brought the last two pieces of our mail that got caught in the transfer. We chatted about a few things and before they left it was agreed that a new water filter be ordered for their pump.

Because I only took one walk with my sweetie
and didn't have my camera, today's pictures mostly
feature food

As soon as they get that, we will be able to get water from their well again for our fresh water supply. This one is 2 years old and the price is right for it lasting that long. After they left, we debated staying out and about for a bit but after walking down the lane and back, the cool air returned and more rain spatters. We weren’t done with it yet so returned inside. At 3, I made a cup of tea and sat with my project.

 Bill was thirsty so I poured him a Zero Coke and we shared a few crackers with cheese.

Thanks buddies
I wish I could hug you for providing us with a nourishing supper tonight
Good night y'all!

Around 5:30, I mixed up a batch of biscuits for supper as the convection oven preheated. On the stove, I warmed up the soup that our friends left for us. We were eating by 6:30 and it was a delicious meal! I had to text Pat to let her know how much we enjoyed it. After dishes, I sat to work on my blog. We were watching a movie before, during and after supper it finished. There were a few programs that we like to watch on Sunday so our evening was planned.

Have a great evening! Thank you for checking in on us.

Coping on our Own, Grass Gets Cut, Tomato Soup, Hummers Happy Too

On Tuesday, Aug. 14^th Bill got up with the sound of the alarm at 5:30. It didn’t fit into my dream so woke me too but once I realized what it was, I drifted off again. After his shower, I woke again and knew he was eating breakfast. Clemson was curled up near me, on top of the sheet but under the lightweight bedspread. I think I must have done that after Bill got up.

Walking with my buddy today

The one thing we had to do together before he left for London was give Clemson his liquid medicine. Short of the straight-jacket, we managed to get it down but feel like real bullies doing it. In bed was a good spot because Clem was still in prone position with his eyes barely open. Bill squirted it into his mouth while I held him still. The vet said it wouldn’t taste too bad but to see our pooch afterwards, shake his head back and forth, I beg to differ!

But this buddy is goofy

Bill was out the door by 6:30 and within minutes, Clemson was patrolling the edge of the bed so I lifted him downstairs and watched him jump up on the couch. I closed the door and tried to go back to sleep. I guess I did because it was 7:30 when I got up and slipped out the door for my walk. Clemson was sound asleep. It was 59F when I left with my windbreaker and at least 65F when I returned with it wrapped around my waist.

It was going to be another hot, humid day so I’m glad I left the a/c on. It didn’t come on after 8 pm last night but by 10:30 it kicked in to keep the Suite to a comfortable 75F. That is 23C for our Canadian readers on the metric system. There was still some morning dew on the grass so I came inside after my walk and made my tea. I sat at the laptop and read to see what our blogger friends are up to.

So, this part of the lawn got cut today

I make no commitments to my friends that I can and will read every day. I try to but sometimes I just don’t get to it. I will promise to pop in every few days to catch up though because I do enjoy your daily writings. Bill contacted me at 8:35 that he had arrived safely. That must have been a good drive as it only took him 2 hours. Hmmm. When I finished my tea, I put my shorts on and my hat and cleared the lawn area of chairs, etc.

Bill had plugged in my lawn mower battery last night so there should be a good charge on it. Starting at 9, you’d think you were well ahead of the heat but no, by the time I finished around the flower garden, bunky and front area, it was 10 and I was done in. The heat was heavy and my back and hair under my hat was wet with it. 

That’s enough for today. Tomorrow morning, I’ll try and start earlier to finish down the corral hill at least. I doubt the trimming will get done until Thursday or Friday.

I was sitting in the shade trying to cool down, admiring the look
of no tall weeds

I had the pertinent blinds pulled down to keep the direct sun out but also put both awnings out for a while. There is a breeze but it is coming from the southwest. I’ll keep an eye on them in case they start flapping. 

My next project was to make tomato soup from my stock pile of fresh tomatoes. Some are getting soft and we can’t eat them fast enough. This was my plan anyway, since last year the soup turned out so good.

fresh tomatoes

The soup will stay good in the freezer for 3 months so I can at least take some of my garden offerings across the border that way. Same with the carrots. I’m hoping that they turn out so I can blanch and freeze them. I washed 2 lbs. or so (about 10 or 12) of tomatoes and quartered them, cutting out the stems and harder core pieces. In oil, I added some green onions and a couple of small carrots, cut up. Once cooked, I added the tomatoes and 5 cups of soup stock.

onions and carrots tenderizing

The only thing I goofed at (again!) was with the 2 bay leaves. It says to break them and add to the pot. I neglected to count the pieces and when it came time to fish them out, I didn’t know when I had them all. With my green onions, the green floating pieces weren’t always bay leaf. Darn! I like jigsaw puzzles, right? So, I pieced what I could find together. Hmm, still missing some so I’m bound to get some bitter taste down the road. Now, I’ve made an addendum to the recipe; “count the pieces of bay leaf”.

Hmm, I'm missing some of the puzzle pieces

I blended the soup after it simmered for 25 minutes, ooh, it smells good! I have about 8 cups of delicious homemade tomato soup to put into freezer containers and plenty more tomatoes on the vine and in the bowl on my counter. 

Nice and creamy tomato soup

Maybe spaghetti sauce is another recipe I can make. I’ll google that too! We don’t eat enough salsa to make that but we do like lasagna and spaghetti. I needed to make some more feed for the hummers. They have been thirsty and plentiful this summer so have to keep them happy. It's in the fridge cooling right now.

Clemson is much better today; the head tilt seems to have diminished to almost non-existent. Even though he isn’t interested in his food, his treats or cheese today again, I managed to slip the ½ pill into a teensy piece that did go into his mouth and didn’t come back out. When he is outside, I let him wander and it is like he’s experiencing a brand-new place. There is still some circling as if something pulls him to the right but he is doing really well.

Clemson follows me to the Ridge Restroom

Once I’ve seen him jump up onto the recliner a few more times, maybe we can open the bedroom door. He loves sleeping up there on the bed shams and pillows but I won’t try that today. It is challenging me, being with him alone. Before I slip outside I need to make sure he is comfortable somewhere. When he jumps on and off the couch and stands at the door,I have to determine if he is just curious about where Bill is or if it is just his disorientation. He doesn’t always want out to piddle.

I like it when he sleeps, I have a bit of freedom

Today his tummy seems upset so he wants me to sit with him. Now that I’ve made what I wanted to make and swept the floors, I’ll give him some of my time while I catch up on my post. Don’t we all want that special attention when we’re feeling out of sorts? Someone to rub our tummy, whisper sweet nothings in our ear? 😊 You get the picture and Clemson wanted it all this afternoon. Before long, we both dozed. That got in the way of me reading my book.

Still a bit confused and walking slowly

Clemson and I went outside and with him on his leash, we walked down the lane. The leash is necessary right now because he tends to want to walk the very edge of the lane. The problem is that the very edge of the lane is also the edge that drops down to the pond. I really had no intention of slipping down to get him if he fell in. He walked pretty good but it is obvious that his tummy is still not settled. Back inside, we sat in my recliner and he finally laid down and slept again.

I turned Bull and NCIS on at 4:30 and sat once more with my book. I chatted back and forth with Rob and Pat about some of our winter plans and with Donna about what they were up to. The good news today is that our 3 girlfriends from London have confirmed definitely to coming on Sept. 8 for the clothing exchange AND staying overnight here at the Ridge. An offer of a lovely fifth wheel will be here on the property for them to sleep in. That will be a fun weekend!

At 5:15 I wondered if Clemson would eat anything so removed the hard food in his dish and cut up a Cesar pack. He seemed interested and yet only ate about 4 small pieces, if that. That was better than nothing but still not going to sustain him for too long. At 5:30, it was time to get my own supper. It isn’t exactly a day for soup but since I’d made it, I was interested in seeing how it tasted. I mixed up a Caesar salad, toasted a small piece of rye bread and warmed up a bowl.

It was actually very good. Success! After cleaning up dishes, I poured some of the hummingbird food into the feeder and tried once more to sit and finish this post. Up and down, in and out, I’m worn out with the little bum. I had a brain wave and put him on a long rope so I could leave him out there for as long as he wanted and I could come back inside.  That worked like a charm and I knew when he was ready to come in. The air outside felt cooler and the breeze was coming in the right direction even though it had calmed down. I pushed the a/c up to 78F and opened the windows until bedtime.

Clemson asking another question
Will you come sit with me?

The rest of the evening went quietly, well, with the same repetitiveness. Bill called around 6 and later, before bed. He has had a busy day, which is always good. Sure beats standing around. I hope you’ve had a pleasant day with whatever you got into.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by. It is always nice to hear from you.

So Long, Sweetie, Tea for One, Health Talk, Tomato Soup Recipe

I woke up on Thursday, Sept. 7^th at what I believed was 5:15 am from looking at the clock over there on the dresser. I noticed Bill was up, assumed he was in the shower and rolled over. Within 2 minutes, Bill was crawling across the bed to give me a goodbye kiss. It was 6:15 so obviously my eyes were blurred on my first glance.

Tea for One

I stay curled up in bed and watched the car pull away from my window. Bye, Dear, travel safe! Clem decided he wanted to go down to the couch and I dropped off, kind of, until I got up at 10 after 7. Opening the blinds, I see the sun draping the landscape in a dewey splendor. It would be easy to make my tea and sit down, as a matter of fact I do it often. Today with my positive angel on my right shoulder, I was convinced to put my running shoes on, a hoody and a wind breaker instead. I took my camera and ventured out for my walk.

Clemson barely noticed that I was leaving and with it being only 8C I knew I would be walking quickly. He can go with me later for his exercise. The wind was hardly noticeable and I once again had a great walk down B.C.Road to the turbine. I was a little earlier today and the school buses didn’t pass me on the road at all. Not until I was up the lane to my flower garden, did I notice them go by.

Another 'iffy' type day

Checking the weather network while my tea was brewing I see that we should expect 80% rain so I won’t plan on taking my bedding into town today. I’d like to wash the 3 sets of sheets for our beds and hang them out on my line. Also the duvet cover needs to be laundered. There is more gardening to do in my flower bed, weeds that need to be obliterated but not sure if I’ll get to that.

My turnarount point

Today is tomato day. Definitely! I had my first tea and read blog posts. I played my Scrabble and Words with Friends games and checked what people are doing on Facebook. This is a special day. My middle grandson, Jake, turns 20 today! He is a very smart, talented, handsome young man and we are all very proud of his accomplishments in his young years. Happy Birthday Jacob!

My handsome grandson, Jake

Bill called at 8:45 to announce his safe arrival in London so that is off my mind now. Donna and Gerry are also venturing to London today so the many staples in Gerry’s incision can be removed. He will be happy to then move on and get back into a routine, getting used to normal movement again. Every day now he improves.

One of the areas of bush I walk by

I donned my apron and began following the recipe for Homemade Tomato Soup. I’ve never made this before so it is an experiment for sure. Tomato is Bill’s favourite soup but we are talking about the canned variety which we all know is usually loaded in salt. So, my fingers are crossed that he likes this one! I never worry about what I will like, my tastes are far different than his and I know I will enjoy it.

Field corn is looking good

Today, I am going to take you through step by step as I follow the recipe because after all, I do have your rapt attention. Feel free to skip the next four or five paragraphs. I peeled and diced a small carrot and a medium onion. In the pan I heated a couple tablespoons of olive oil and added the veggies to a low heat. It took about 12 minutes for them to soften enough. I cut up the 4 medium sized tomatoes and quartered them, cutting out the hard core.

 
Once softened, I added 2 teaspoons of tomato paste to colour the carrots and onions. 

Then I added the large tomato quarters to the pot of veggies and oil and kept the heat on low for another 10 minutes. 

I ground fresh pepper and added a sprinkle of sugar and a couple of quartered bay leaves. The tomatoes also softened and I could see the juices oozing throughout.

In the meantime, I boiled 4 cups of water and mixed it with 4 bouillon packets before adding it to the pot. 

I cooked this on High with the lid off until it came to a boil then stirred, added the lid and returned the dial to Low. 

The instructions say to leave this for 25 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Now, a break so I sat and finished my second tea while reading a bit.

 The timer I set on my convection/microwave oven went off and I turned the burner off. Yay! Almost done! 


I ladled through the soup with a slotted spoon and removed the pieces of bay leaf. I recommend that you count the pieces you put it at the beginning, since you aren’t placing a whole leaf in with this recipe. I had counted 7 pieces and was sure to find them all.

Into the blender in two lots, blend for 30 seconds, remove lid and check and then continue blending for about 1 minute. Pour into a large serving bowl when finished. 

I was so excited to taste it, it looked amazing! Well, let me tell you, I do think that Bill will like this. Without the salt, everything in this soup is nutritious, not too heavy on carbs and if you wanted to make it creamier you could add cream through the blending process.

I have 6 cups of soup that can now be put into freezer containers and frozen for up to 3 months. This was an easy recipe to follow with the only use of power being for the 2 – 3 minutes of blending. Now I know what to do with all of those little tomatoes in my garden IF we don’t eat them all up before we leave. Tomatoes are a fruit that cannot be taken across the border unless they are cooked. No problem!

Cleanup was also fairly easy as I tend to wash dishes along the way, during the whole process. It was 11:30 and the rain started soon after. I had plugged us in just in time because I’m thinking that was the last of the sun I’ll see today. After putting dishes away, I made a note on the hard copy of the recipes that they were excellent for future reference.

Clemson sleeps through the soup ordeal
Which inspires me to ask.......are YOU still awake and with me?

Both the Apple Sauce and Tomato Soup get an A+. Clemson was undisturbed for the most part while I was cooking. If I made a loud noise or when I was reading aloud or talking to myself he would lift his head to see if I was okay. Mentally and physically.

This is the sky off and on all day

When at the doctors on the 28^th I left with all of the regular pieces of paper for tests. The urinalysis and blood work are done right down the hall at the clinic so they were taken care of immediately. There is always the dreaded Fecal Occult Test and this time I promised to take care of the Mammogram. Usually, he sends it home with me and I put it off for months and then toss the paperwork out.

My good doctor knows I don’t necessarily want to do them, part of me believing they do more harm than good. It has been about 5 years since my last one so I told him I would get one done before heading to the southwest this winter. I have called and made an appointment in Hanover at the hospital so feel I’m doing the right thing.

The blanket on the line got a good natural wash
but it didn't dry

We talked Colonscopy too but he isn’t pushing that for a couple or three more years. It has been 5 years since I’ve had that done with perfect results. With the Fecal test, if fine, it will prove that we can wait for a few more years. Good.

Again, how much do I believe they’ll find the ‘bad stuff’? I know my brother, Bruce, will forever be an example in my mind. He had a positive result (meaning a good one) nothing showed up in November/10. In January of 2011 with his appendectomy, they found the ‘bad stuff’ on the outside of his bowel. Nothing is for sure, you know?

This geranium is what I am dividing and moving down front
I've been saying Lady's Mantle incorrectly

Tomorrow I will drive to Hanover and drop off the Occult test at their hospital on 7^th Street and I want to drop in at Mark’s and see what is going on there. The windows are boarded up and there is a dumpster on site. Bill and I love that store and are hoping there are just major renovations taking place, not closure. I’ll check it out.

Just me and my shadow again this morning

So, with the weather being what it was, rain then sun then rain then sun, I stayed inside for the rest of it. I found it quite satisfying to sit in my chair and read my book. It was so hard to put down so it worked out perfectly. Clemson seemed out of sorts well before his supper time and then even after I fed him at 5 he couldn’t settle down. From his actions, I’m sure he was waiting for his Daddy to come home.

I ate my supper at the same time as Clemson had his. I was hungry so heated up a bowl of my homemade hamburger soup from the freezer with crackers and some cherry tomatoes. It was enough and it was delicious. I forgot to mention that Bill called me around 4 to report that he had completed 2 orientations and had a third one about to start soon. It was going to be a later night but he was fine with that. Sometimes it works out that way.

Then again at 7 he called saying he was done for the day. We chatted briefly and he spoke to Clemson on speaker phone. Of course, that probably just added to Clem’s confusion as he looked towards the door of the Suite. Our little guy finally settled down around 7:30, nestled to my side and I was finally able to finish my book. His fidgeting made it difficult to concentrate on the pages.

The latest sky picture I got today
It seemed to get dark really fast tonight

This was a different kind of day, but it was fine. I do hope that tomorrow turns out a bit nicer so I can hang some laundry on the line. I hope you have had a great day wherever you are.

Thank you for taking the time to read today. I enjoy your comments.