kittycafe

So let's call it a 'Hiatus' shall we?

To quote Little Jenny Wren 

" Things are just fine here only I haven't had the slightest desire to write on my little blog."

So I'm not the only one, I guess. Only I haven't been recharging my batteries or navel gazing, I have been incredibly busy, though.

It's funny because at the beginning of last month I thought participating in Every Day in May would get me in the groove again (stop laughing)

As you can see, that went well.

It is the big catering season at work, the weather is warm enough for seasonal pottery making (in the still unheated barn, if you recall) we have been giving this rather large property it's spring clean up and I have been obsessed with my now sizable writing assignment.

For some crazy reason I also thought it was a good time to expand the veggie garden. And then there was fencing to go all around. I caught one skunk, one raccoon and one large rabbit surveying my handwork (and no doubt menu planning) so fencing was essential.

I'm currently painting my kitchen cupboards and I better finish soon because we have to do a Cook's Tour (ha ha) to find where the toaster and cutlery tray went to every time we need them. 

What I haven't been doing is knitting. When I sit down at night to watch a movie etc, I have just been content to sit and watch the movie - how crazy is that?

I certainly haven't been making anything else either, except breakfast, lunch, dinner, laundry, beds and brownies and not necessarily in that order.

Okay, I did squeak in one little hat project as a gift for a shop owner next to ours who just had a baby. They are an untraditional couple so they got an untraditional baby hat. I do think it's never too early to introduce the wee ones to Totoro. (Pattern inspiration from here, actual hat from here) which I thought would be a better fit for an infant.

I've still taken my camera everywhere, still photographing barns on my way here and there.

 This one I found on the way to the dump. (That is a classic example of phases I'd never thought I'd use in this life time)

The trout in the pond. Not as easy as you'd think

The poppies at sunset. 

And spring babies.

Lately my interests have turned to linear patterns

which means a lot of fences as well

I did say a lot

and well...cough, that may just be crochet, but you didn't hear it from me.

So that's about it. 

Kinda anti-climatic, isn't it?

Blog Neglect, the Miniseries

I have photos, at least.

Spring is still fairly beige, although the grass is greening up slowly.

This big fellow has come to call several times, sometimes with his mates but mostly alone. I only knew he was around because of that glurp, glurp slow-drain-in-the-kitchen-sink sound.  In fact, that's what I thought it was at first. I took this shot through the screened porch so it's not very clear. Kinda makes you want to crack out the cranberry sauce, doesn't it?

 Do you see what I mean about the beige? Spring is a figment of other people's imagination, I swear.

I have spotted more wildlife, a muskrat and notably, a vulture. You are spared the photo of that one, he was having a not so gentle repast at the side of the road. This means I am now ahead of the family in the Who's Spotted The Most Wildlife Game.

Mr and Mrs Goose have come back to the pond. I did not have the telephoto lens at the time so I had to chase them around the pond before they told me in no uncertain terms to ****** off, and then they flew away. No worries, I'm partial to wild turkey anyway, yum. (Kidding, goose is equally delicious)

And horse show season is upon us, well, upon me anyway. Which means throwing copious amounts of money away to sit and eat dirt for hours around crazed, yet nervous teenagers and large skittish beasts. It's part of this glamorous life I lead.

And knitting continues apace, pffttt.

Fourth time's the charm for gauge on this one. It has remained at this length for oh, never mind.

There has never been a sadder winter for knitting around here. You will notice that it is MOSS STITCH, ahem.

In case your wondering, it should look like this by now.

And that is all I've got for now, having scoured the contents of the camera for this meagre offering.

I will take requests, though, if you're desperate.

Gratuitous and very late Easter shot for some colour, for goodness sake.

City Mouse Country Mouse

 

It's been just over one year  from our move to rural life from the city. I joke that we arrived with our personal belongings, furniture, a snow shovel and a push mower.

Of course, I am lying about the push mower. We knew it would be useless here and it was left behind for the wee lawn we left behind in the city. The snow shovel proved pretty useless as well for three hundred feet of driveway. We required much bigger toys for the job.

I have been surprised with the most amazing comments from rural and urban folk about how they perceive our experience. Still, I found myself hearing the same thing over and over again:

" What a BIG change for you", to answering the same thing over and over again:

" It's not as big as you think." Because really the structure of day to day life, getting up, eating, going to school/work, gathering for dinner, the basics stay the same.

The kids get on a school bus every morning and whereas before one of them took public transit and one walked or rather ran five doors down to the school. (She still runs for the bus)

 It is a little farther to get to a large grocery store but not by much. It is very nice to buy right from the farm.

The town is five minutes away by car, a one half hour walk and a easy bike ride away.

I can get fresh salmon, artisan chocolates, a spa treatment,and a hammer and nails there. (Obviously not at the same place!)

Sadly and it pains me to say it - no sushi.

Before we left I would lie in bed at night in the dark by myself (dh was in Asia) and try to picture myself lying in the dark in our new country home. From where I lay I could see the street light from the road but it was pretty quiet. I imagined it would somehow be darker and quieter in the country. (I was right)

I also imagined nothing around the house, unlike where I was with houses three feet on either side and a whole neighbourhood around me. I imagined that I would be nervous about this. (I was wrong)

For one thing I found that most people define "nothing" as no visible houses or retail shopping. One friend, who was the most perplexed about the move, angry even, would often comment,

"But you are in the middle of NOWHERE"  She is horrified by this to this day, her perception of nowhere.

Well, we live on a road. We have woods on either side so that we can't see my neighbours. (But you would be surprised how you can hear how well party noise travels through 1000 feet of trees!)

 We are a one hour drive to the big city in good traffic. (Is that an oxymoron - "good traffic"?) and twenty minutes to three decent sized cities/large towns in three different directions.

That I guess, is NOWHERE.

I read once that Canadians are the only people that refer to distance by the time it takes to get somewhere, as I've referred to here. Is this true? 

It would explain why measuring distance here was confounding at first. When I got in my car in the city or travelled on foot, I knew how far I could travel in ten minutes. I knew the landmarks and I knew where time would get me.

In the country I could travel those same ten minutes and think wow, this is taking a long time to get to my destination. It seemed like I was traveling a longer amount of time. Of course I was going faster and covering more ground. I needed to. But it didn't necessarily take any longer. This was the funniest thing to me at first.

 The same diversity of people surround me, although it is not the ethnic melting pot that Toronto is.

I have a bona fide red neck backyard (and sideyard, sadly visible as well) for a neighbour, as well as a very large weekend estate. These two properties actually face each other. This pleases me in a perverse way. 

There are many little things that do change. Although how little I guess, is subjective.

 

The first time I ran the tap for any length of time and heard the pump. The pump that draws the water from the well. I remember that very clearly. It was all part of a new realization of how connected we were to our surroundings. Our well, our heat, how we dispose of our waste water ( "don't pour that down the kitchen sink, it goes into the grey water system that feeds the garden") was all our responsibility. 

No service automatically picks up your garbage or recycling.  You compost yourself.

I don't need to use my inhaler for summer smog - because there isn't any!

I really like not having to pay for parking every time I stop the car. This saves a lot of money but as I mentioned at the beginning of this post you spend your money on other things, like large machinery and horrific gas powered tools.(Every male's dream come true)

My car will never be clean again. People around here have been known to purchase a new car by asking first, "Does that one come in Dirt Road Beige?"

The kids friends are just the same kind of kids as in the city.

  Littlest spend time last summer at a friend's cottage where there was a visitor from Beijing, soaking up the Canadian cottage experience. Upon seeing the teenage antics  she sighed, "Kids are the same everywhere"

But you bloggers knew that anyway. It just surprises me how many people don't. How we are perceived as different because we come from the city, although many locals have come from there themselves, and many commute to work there still.

I miss my gym the most. I have not found the equivalent here and yoga classes have been more sporadic than I like. (This is only because I am too picky)

I am sure there are other things but that's all I can think of for now.

I liked living in the city. I like living in the country. I am fortunate that I have had an opportunity to do both.

I have been mentally biting my tongue writing this post trying hard not to apologise for ignoring the blog lately. I know I don't have to apologise. I know you don't need to read it. (But there you have!)

It's funny to me considering how much I have been writing lately, just not this blog. (And no, I'm not sharing with the class.)

I'll leave you with a photo of Toasty,(PDF) for Rebecca. She had made Toast at the same time, I think and mine are made with yarn, Debbie Bliss silk, that she sent to me. Thank you again, Rebecca.

Ironically, these photos were taken on a record-breaking warm day, when such accessories were not necessary. But it is March in Ontario after all, and I'm not fooled by a little meltdown.

Winter White

I almost feel I should rename this blog Death By Stockinette.

 I'm sure you are weary of it by now.  It's almost a back to the womb phenomenon, or at least back to beginner knitting. But honestly, I like it.

After several tries at impatient teenager photography (and three layers underneath to go outside) I threw the darned thing on the bed.

Ah, that's better.

This sweater took a lot longer to complete than strictly necessary. I blame January, the worst month of the year. Nothing got accomplished in January. I would almost finish something and then start another project to deliberately thwart the ending. Why I don't know.

It's a good thing I was feeling bookish at least. 

This sweater is Vanille by Blue Alvarez. A basic top down pattern that everyone should have at least one of.

I didn't settle for vanilla, as the name implies but went all the way to pure white.

A dangerous thing for a committed tea drinker and sometimes slob but I really like white. I have noticed that intentionally or not, I dress to blend in with my surroundings and the theme right now is clearly snow, snow, snow.

The yarn is wool with a pinch of angora , Pamir by Elann, very nice.

I originally envisioned this as a loose boyfriend-type sweater. Oops. It didn't turn out that way.

Of course I also envisioned finishing it early in January.

You will be happy to know that I am getting a little antsy for cables and colour work so maybe an aran or fair isle is in order - so there is hope for me yet!

Nothing else new to report other than the cat's tail caught on fire by way of candle last night. He should have be a little perturbed at least(!) but this one knows no fear.

And he shouldn't have been on the dining room table anyway.

No worries, it was put out immediately. Just a little singe.

Mandarins for Jam

Okay, these are clementines but the recipe calls for mandarins. The difference?

When I found this recipe last year in Apples For Jam, I knew for certain I wanted to try it. The problem was the crate(s) of clementines always got eaten before I could get my jam making mojo together. And then the season passed.

So this cold, cold week, yes another one, I was trying to come up with different culinary solutions to keeping the kitchen really toasty, like lots of baking and pots of hot soup! All very good. And then I came across the recipe again and got the big canning pot out.

I will say that you have to have a certain amount of perseverance, or maybe insanity

for this one because you have to peel each segment of each clementine. Yes you read that right.

Needless to say this takes a little bit of time and your track ball or mouse will get really sticky if you are downloading music on your computer to keep your self amused at the same time. Ahem.

(Could this be why this paragraph is now stuck on italic?)

And why there are no photos of this step?

Once you get past that bit of crazy it really is not a difficult jam.

And very tasty. Reminiscent of marmalade but not as tangy or strong, with a smoother softer consistency. It does not make a huge batch, I got just 3 jars and a bit but it is enough to bring a bit of sunshine into the house in the middle of this nasty January cold blintz. It's now -25'C wind chill outside, the kind of cold that catches your breath when you go outside and freezes the inside of your nose so that it hurts to breathe.

I'm so so not a winter person.

Thank goodness for a little sunshine and the illusion of warmth, even in a jar.

Is it cold in here or is it just me?

  Work has slowed down considerably and I have some time on my hands. This should be time spent productively but I'm afraid I have been sucked into a vortex of reading. And I am powerless to get out until I have finished the series. I started these books because Littlest  had read them and I usually read what my kid's are reading, to see where they're at, to see what they are reading, to be on the same page literally.

And I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I admit, I am completely engrossed in the story.

Also I have my sweater knitting mojo back, after my unsuccessful and ultimately aborted attempts at various small holiday projects.

So these two little distractions are competing against one another for my spare time. And besides. it's -16'C outside right now and it's very easy and necessary to stick close to the fire.

 I used to love reading to my kids so now it's fun to read books with them. When they were very small, we used to try some of the unfamiliar foods mentioned in the stories or learn more about where the tale took place or about the theme of the book.

Now we can have more in-depth discussions about the characters and story line but mostly it's nice to just read and relate together.  I must admit I'm having fun with this vampire series. When Littlest came home from school on her first day back, I had put this quote (which I paraphrased) on the chalk board in the kitchen, where  Today's Menu often goes. The Lad is obsessed with knowing what's for dinner in advance.

Every day one of us has put a new quote up. The boys in the household get a chuckle from reading them and we have a lot of fun choosing quotes that sound totally hilarious and bizarre out of context.

 

I do have a little project  that I am hoping to finish by Friday and I hope to post it here after that.

It's a good thing I am a very fast reader.

Oh and what's for dinner? 

Kale and Three-Cheese Calzone if you are reading, my boy.

Heading into a new year

It always seems a little strange to me to start the new calendar year when nature all around me is sleeping.  It is not growing and flourishing but quiet. The animals are hibernating or foraging.

It doesn't seem like the time for resolutions and new beginnings but rather a time for re-gathering and planning. 

That what we will be doing today. With a good book and a warm fire will will be staying close to home and laying low, recharging our batteries for the months ahead.

 I want to thank you all for taking the time to stop by. Thank you for kind words of encouragement and inspiration.

I wish all of you a wonderful new year!

The Longest Night

It's beginning to look like Christmas here. 

I am writing this the day between two storms, so it's looking pretty Christmasy outside too.

(Is this a good enough reason to use a clothes dryer?:)

So maybe I was a little hasty in the last post when I mentioned that nothing had been done in my blog absence.

I made a slip cover for a slipper chair that didn't match anything else in the living room. It's mate is in another room uncovered.

I participated in a pottery show with a guild I joined this year. After I delivered my pieces to be set up for the show I realised I hadn't photographed them. This is what was left, mostly small pieces, which I thought would be the ones to sell in this iffy economic climate. You never know. The large cupcake jar sold. The smaller one is shown here down at the end. Sorry for the bad flash shot of these.

I made some candied orange peel with some oranges no one wanted to eat. (They were bitter) Remember the last time I made candied orange peel?

These came in handy for baking later.

For my Mom, the most difficult person on my list to buy for, I made a down blanket. 

She is always cold and when she visits she loves the lap blanket that we have from Eddie Bourgeois, I mean Eddie Bauer.

It is sleeping bag fabric on one side, fleece on the other and down filled. Last year they were sold out when I tried to buy her one so this year I bought some satin fabric and fleece and used part of an old duvet and made her one. I was saving the duvets to make pillows at some point but I'm glad I had them for this. The satin made it a little heavier and I'm sure the old duvet has more down in it than our blanket. It's a lap blanket to fall asleep under. 

The "Magic Beans"

This is what the family calls the wheat/grain/ rice bags , named after the Magic Bag brand. We have a few and I made a few more as gifts. One goes to Littlest's riding instructor, along with the horse mug( shown above), to keep her neck warm when she spends hours teaching in a cold horse barn.

So yes, the theme is leaning heavily towards warmth here. It is -20'C outside and inside well, my fingers are cold on the keyboard. The computer is not in the warmest part of the house.

Randomly inserted cat photo. I just found this on the camera and had to include it. Diggery ran way up the apple tree with a recovering broken leg and nearly gave me heart failure.

Don't you just love his lion-like winter frill?

I had another visiter, a stray ginger tabby came by these last two weeks. He was very sweet, very young I think and  he followed me into the woods to collect kindling like a puppy and wormed his way determinedly into the house a few times. But an un-neutered male cat and three males already in the household did not get along. In the end I took him to the animal shelter. I wasn't going to leave him outside with a raging storm looming and as the Husband stated, "We have to put a CAP on this cat collecting sometime." I felt bad about dropping him off to live in a cage so I hope he gets adopted soon.

So back to our regularly scheduled show and tell.

The theme for baking this holiday was spices.

It was not entirely successful, mind you. In addition to some of our old favourites ,(please click on the photo for the full picture. I love you Typepad for re-sizing these, really I do) I tried a Jamie Oliver gingerbread bar recipe that was nothing like I expected, and it looked nothing like the photograph. Sometime in the new year I will tinker with it until I get it the way I want it. For now it is a pan of glorified ginger shortbread with a dusty top.

I also made the aztec cookies found in the Toronto Star newspaper . They have an advent cookie calendar here until Christmas. Every day they are posting a new cookie recipe and I had high hopes for this one.: chocolatey biscuits spiced with cinnamon, ancho chili pepper and cayenne. They are nice, but not spicy. I expected a little more kick.

Here is a recipe that does give a nice kick and is tried and true.

AND I got to use some of the candied orange peel I made earlier. It's a good thing I hid it far back in the cupboard early on. You can use store-bought instead, of course. 

Peppered Spelt Biscotti

3 1/4 C  Spelt Flour

1 tsp     baking Soda

1 tsp     Baking Powder

pinch salt

2 tsps   Black pepper

2/3 C   Butter

1 1/2 C Sugar

3         Eggs

2 TBsps Candied Orange Peel

2 tsps   Vanilla

2 1/4C Pecans

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl.

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar.

Add eggs.

Mix in pepper, orange peel and vanilla.

Sift in the flour mixture and stir to incorporate.

Add the pecans.

Chill if the dough is too sticky to handle.

Divide dough into 4 logs on two parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake at 350'F for 20 - 30 minutes until firm to the the touch.

Slice when still warm and bake again 15 minutes.

I have a little confession to make. I rarely double bake my biscotti.

I don't enjoy a tooth-breakingly hard crunch when a medium crunch will do fine, thank you.

And so there you have it.

Now my fingers are truly numb and I'd better go warm them up around a mug of tea.

Would you like to join me?

 

I'm Here. Hello, Is there anybody out there?

Dear Blog,

I have not forsaken thee.

Just another unscheduled break.

But trust me, you missed nothing. Nothing has been completed, much has not been started...

Oops,  I did finish the birthday socks, two months late! 

Ha.

 From the stash of Alice Starmore. They match his fingerless gloves. Here they are complete with slipper fluff, cat hair and more than a glimpse of white socks underneath. Just keeping it real.

I'mnot so much in the holiday mood. In fact, I think I am at the dangerous point of needing to get my *** into gear and stop pretending it isn't happening and get to the stores. With a list.

(Cross that off, I did that this morning. Don't you love useless rough drafts?)

I did have a list of little knitty things: a bainbridge scarf or two, some fingerless gloves, a pair of socks. But I have no motivation to start/finish any of these things because I will not be seeing the intended recipients after all. In fact no one in the extended family is available for Christmas eve/birthday or Christmas day celebrations, except my Mom. This is the first time ever this has happened, and just when we have this big long table for everyone to sit down together at. The one I waited for years for. So yes, maybe I'm a little humbug-inclined this year. 

I have started Fetching for myself and I'm edging towards this hat, because I think it goes with the Bainbridge scarf, the one with the button, although I am awfully fond of the Inga hat. But I find that when I finally get to sit down at the end of the day and pick up my knitting, a cat will jump up and snuggle in, demand a belly rub and the needles are put down and the cat is so soft and warm and...yep, I start to (yawn) lose the will to pick up the needles again. The kids think this is sad and really, who can blame them?

I'll be back soon when I have actual finished things, other than but including Christmas cookies which are being eaten at an alarming rate. There is sewing as well.

This could mean recipes from the former and cursing with the latter.

But I know Dear Blog, not to make hasty promises, I'm just hinting at maybe the end of the week.

I'll leave you with a Diggery photo. As you can see, the boy needs to relax and become part of the family.

Signed,

E

November Transforming

After that riot of wonderful fall colour, a gentle muting begins. The yellows are all that remain from the palette, and they can glow like gold in the sun.

These were for the most part taken on roads to the grocery store, how romantic is that?

I had to take some of these home for a big floor vase, as they are nearly 5 feet tall.

But November is rarely sunny for long. It is rainy and cold and dark. Storms brew.

And then the rain comes.

(Please excuse my fixation with barns)

And then one morning (this Sunday) you wake up to this:

And the route is transformed yet again.

This is my favourite farm in any season, a little ramshackle cluster of buildings, nestled down in a valley.

I tried to keep these photos small so they would not get automatically cropped width-wise, as that seems to happen. You can click for bigger. They are completely un-retouched, partly because I am always in a hurry posting, partly because of laziness, hence the water droplets and smudges from the car windshield. Truly drive-by photography.

I sometimes leave my shopping list at home but I rarely forget the camera.