The Borrowers Are Busy Here!

 

Have you ever had something disappear and searched for it everywhere only to have it magically reappear right where it was supposed to be?

Psychologists say that our brain is often the one that hides things. Our eyes are selective.  I know, as a person who is hard of hearing, that I had to retrain my brain not to hear all the sounds a hearing aid picks up, which our brain normally filters out. The same thing goes for eyes. Our brain decides what is important and ignores the rest.  If you search for something in a specific spot and it's even slightly out of place, your brain may not register it at all.  In effect, it becomes invisible. It may reappear later when you are in a different mental state and simply not looking so hard.

Right now, my little watercolour palette and my TV remote are both hiding from me.  We tend to say the Borrowers took things when they disappear like that.  The Borrowers are tiny wee folk who live in your walls or under your floorboards. This is much-loved folklore, and in 1952, Mary Norton even wrote a children's book about them. The Borrowers do not steal your belongings; they just borrow them and use them in their own homes. They tend to take little things that you shouldn't miss, but often do anyway. 

I do not know where my TV remote is.  It is always kept in the same area, and it's not there. It's not anywhere else in that room either. If it was just my selective eyes not seeing it, then my hubby should have been able to find it when he looked. We tore the furniture apart and vacuumed the crevices and dusted underneath. It's been a few days, and we have even looked in other rooms!  That TV remote is, indeed, missing. The paint palette is also not anywhere that I would expect, it to be, but maybe my studio is just in need of straightening out.

I had a little book I wanted to give someone. It disappeared months ago.  I looked through all the other items nearby.  I even asked my hubby to look through some of the stuff that he had put away.  It was simply gone. Then, this week, while dusting the exact spot where I had last seen it, that little book reappeared.  It is not like I have not dusted there a million times since it vanished. It had to be the Borrowers who took it, and finally decided to bring it back.  I do hope they return the TV remote a lot faster than that!

Testing the Waters

For several years, I have been promising myself that I would open an online store. Originally I thought it would be an Etsy shop, and that may still happen. At Christmas time I showed my Facebook friends a cushion I had created using my own art. I planned to order one but it was through Fine Art America and between the exchange rates and shipping it added up to more than I was willing to pay...and that would have been at my wholesale price. Apparently, nobody else wanted one either, not that I did any actual marketing. 

I have since located two Canadian companies that also print items on demand. I sent one of them a photo of a piece of art I created to see how it would look on their products. I am quite pleased but, as there are what some of you might consider flaws in my artwork, I wanted to see if they spoiled the effect once printed bigger than the actual art. I have ordered two products in vastly different materials so that I can see how these things look in person. That will also give me a clear idea if I should change the routine thread colour, and whether I want more than just my name on the labels. 

The company I'm testing first is highly attentive.  I have had an email each day explaining various aspects of their website, how things work, and how to get my patterns adjusted on the products more in line with what I had in mind. They also tell me what steps to take to create my shop online or in person.  I even got a quick reply when I sent an email asking a question.  So far,  I am quite impressed. 

 

As everything is printed, cut, and sewn only after either you or I order it, it will take a couple of weeks to arrive.  If all goes well, I will add designs and open the shop.  The other company I found prints completely different things in a more simplified way. I might test a few of their products out too.  And Etsy? Well, if I get perfectly good test products I decide I don't want to keep, maybe I will try selling them there.  At least I have finally started to test the waters on this long-awaited project.

Recognition, However Small

 As we go through life we often take on tasks for which we get no recognition. Some of them are done for fun and others are required of us. Some are even a combination of both.  

Take, for instance, the books I read for authors and publishers. I am given these publications for free in exchange for a review. Most of the time I consider that a privilege. I enjoy reading and it doesn't cost me anything to take advantage of this opportunity.  I am allowed to express an opinion,  and believe me, if I don’t enjoy the book, for whatever reason, I will definitely tell you.

Recently I had the chance to read a pre-publication copy of Across the Shining Sea by Hunter Chadwick. It was not the first book from this author that I have read, and I'm sure it won't be the last.  This book is the first in a series of three, but they will be complete stories, independent of the others. Across the Shining Sea is now available for pre-order on Amazon. 

But what I am here to tell you about today is that this author chose to quote my review in his latest newsletter and on his web page. That tickles me, as just yesterday, I was told that the painting I did for the contest I told you about last fall is now appearing on the information screen at the local health centres.  Even though I did not win the contest, or go into any great description of a good book, I am feeling recognized. It's a great way to start my year.

Grinch Mode Reving Up!

 I'm often in Grinch mode at Christmas but this year I just wore the t-shirt once. That was more of a fun thing than me actually being Ginchy. Christmas has simplified a lot over the years, and I do appreciate that. it's not all good as I do miss my family gathering, but I am getting to an age where it can be more than I can handle.

The buying of gifts seems to be a bigger chore every year.  Not only do I have mostly men to buy for (and what do they want anyway?) but I don’t drive and hardly got to any stores this year.  I had to resort to online shopping.  Oh, and the post office decided to go on strike, just to make matters worse. (Oops, sorry. I seem to be slipping into my Grinch mode for some reason). 

I accidently found what I considered to be the perfect gift for my eldest grandson. I ordered it at what I thought was a good price and paid even more for expedited shipping.  The delivery date then turned out to be about three weeks away. That is certainly not my idea of expedited!  The delivery date came and went. Nothing arrived. I contacted the seller to express my concern and complain about paying so much for expedited shipping for nothing.  They offered me 15% off but when I asked if the product would arrive before Christmas, they could not guarantee that.  I looked on Amazon and found what I wanted there so I cancelled the original order.  

The Amazon version was going to cost me three times more but I really wanted this for my grandson and it was getting too late to dream up something else.  I put it in an order with 4 other things, all of which arrived in a timely manner.....except for this one elusive thing for my grandson.

A bug has hit our house now so there will be no more shopping in even the local stores.  When my son drove 2 hours to drop off gifts and pick up what I had for them, he didn't dare come in. The gift for his oldest son had still not arrived, though it was scheduled to show up that very day.  News flash!  It's still not here though tracking shows it left Etobicoke a few days ago.  Oh, and now Amazon is asking for a review before it even gets here!  The latest  estimate is that it will arrive December 24.  I'm not holding my breath, but you might notice I am starting to turn green. I cannot even blame that on my current illness.

The Rest of the Story

 

It's been a while since my last blog post. I was telling you about the roadblocks I was putting in my own way. I had a project to do and I was procrastinating.

An acquaintance that I see occasionally told me about an art contest being put on by the Rideau Community Health Services. They wanted artwork that would help them celebrate and promote a welcoming, inclusive community. They mentioned such things as diversity, equality and advocacy . I immediately  had several ideas so I thought I might take a stab at it. This idea of entering contests is new to me this year, and while I never expected to win anything, it still gave me a target to aim for.

I would have told you all this sooner but I wanted to post the results. There were three prizes. I didn't win but I also have no idea who did. I even inquired about the results but got nothing but an automated response saying they received my message and would get back to me. They never did.  All I do know is that I am the only one who entered from this area. It would be really nice to see the winning entries but I will, at least, show you mine.  

I may not have won this contest but I feel like a winner anyway. I dared to do something I have never done before and am apparently the only person in a village full of accomplished artists who even submitted an entry.  I'm proud to have taken another step forward in my art journey, and I did have fun, once I got started.

Roadblocks

 Do you ever get excited about a new project idea and then never get it done because you have created roadblocks for yourself?

A couple of months ago I thought I had at least a fair chance of getting a piece of my art into a local show. There was a theme that I really identified with, and I had an idea that I figured would be different from everyone else's, so it might stand a chance. I set about creating a piece, thinking I might make as many as three. The first one was going very well, and then I hit a snag. I had to make a decision on how to finish it.  The piece was done in black and white. Was I going to leave the background the blank white paper? Quite possibly. I also had to add one more element in order to finish it. But I liked what I had accomplished so much I put up a roadblock. I couldn't finish because I was suddenly afraid to ruin what I had done so far.

Now I have been given the opportunity to get in on something I consider even more important than a local show. If I managed to create a successful piece it would be shown in a place that would be uplifting to people in need of some sort of encouragement.  I got a couple of ideas on how to handle this project. I settled on one that excited me the most and did the prep work. Suddenly, for some strange reason, I seem to be busy setting up all kinds of roadblocks. This feels like far more than simple procrastination. Instead of my usual, full steam ahead and thinking the journey is more important than the destination, I'm almost afraid to put that first mark on the paper.  Maybe it's because this time I actually have a destination for this thing in mind. I'm not sure I can climb over this hurdle, but I still have more than a month to give it a try.

Normally I'm the one encouraging people who wish they could draw or paint to just do it. Don't be afraid, just have fun, I say. I even encourage those who do art, not to hide it. Put it out there, I tell them. Goodness knows I post everything I do, no matter how badly I think it turns out. Strangely, the pieces I'm most ashamed of seem to get a better response than the ones I'm actually proud of. Go figure! So, I should just get busy and attack this project...have fun with it, and just see what happens. Maybe tomorrow I will find the strength to move that roadblock out of the way. Wish me luck.

The Occurrence

 Something occurred in my tiny village recently that many people have not discovered yet. I only found out about it because of a message I got from a long-time cyber buddy who lives in Bancroft. 

Those who live here are aware of a construction project on the north side of the river that has been underway for several years now. While a couple of units have occupants the rest of the building remained empty and even had a broken window. The west end of the building now contains a puzzle factory and shop.

When I found out about this, I went to explore the shop. The puzzles are bright and beautiful, and the owner is delightful.

Brigitte Gall and Michael J Bainsbridge got this idea to create puzzles in 2018 while living through a cold snap in Haliburton. Michael is an award-winning mineral photographer so they picked out some of his photos and had their new business up and running just before the pandemic hit.  I'd call that perfect timing. He now works at the Museum of Nature so they moved in this direction and settled in Kemptville. While looking for a suitable place to set up the factory and shop they found this spot in Merrickville  at 105 West Broadway Street. 

I was lucky enough to be shown how the puzzles were made and packaged up, as they do everything right there on the premises.  The pictures, glued to their backing, are placed on a sturdy foam rubber and run through a press that exerts 7000 pounds of pressure. This compresses the foam, allowing precision steel blades to cut the picture into puzzle pieces. It only takes seconds. The pieces are then manually scooped up, bagged, and boxed. Only high-quality materials are used and a total of 150 puzzles can be produced in a day. 

The company states its goal is to appeal to fellow science nerds and like-minded art geeks. They not only have puzzles made from photos taken by Michael, but they also have some fascinating ones representing various towns. Multimedia artist, Alice Hinther has produced pieces containing a conglomeration of recognizable buildings. There are puzzles representing Perth and Westport, for instance.  Rumour has it there will be one of Merrickville soon too.

And just in case you would like to make a puzzle out of art of your own, they do that too.

The new business is called The Occurrence and they are having their grand opening on July 27. Go check it out!

Not All Changes Are Good

 What's going on with the Fast Food industry?

First, Tim Hortons got sold and the first thing that happened was that nothing was the same but the name.  And just like that, many people started going elsewhere for their coffee and treats.  Why the new owners killed something so iconic is beyond me.

McDonald's suddenly had McCafe, which turned out to be cheaper than going to Tim Hortons. And since my Dutchies disappeared and tea in pots got replaced with swill called Steeped Tea, we moved ourselves to McDonald's. The muffins there were great.

Then our favourite lunch spot, Wendy's in Brockville, closed down and built themselves a new, much smaller venue. The food was still good, but suddenly the ambiance was gone and, if we were able to get a seat at all, there was no privacy to discuss things. 

Most of the newly built fast food places, no matter which franchise, have opted for one or two unisex toilets instead of the usual separate rooms with multi stalls. This creates lineups and gives women a better idea why men's rooms used to have urinals. Now we have to be more wary of splattered seats and floors. 

Recently our local McDonald's closed for renovations. When it reopened it was a shock to my system the first time I walked through the door. It was totally unrecognizable. Then we discovered another McDonald's in Stittsville that was a carbon copy. The order desks are not visible from the entrance. There is nobody at the cash and it takes time before we are even noticed. (Normally it's faster to tell someone what you want at the counter than to stand at the machine and poke numerous buttons).  The new furnishings can only be described as utilitarian and I have no faith in them holding up for very long. The tables are not spaced for privacy anymore so I figure maybe five could be used at a time without practically sitting with strangers. The TV's are gone but suddenly there is loud music being piped through speakers. That makes it difficult for people with hearing problems to carry on a conversation, and I'm sure people with sensitivities to sound would just not be able to stay at all.

Ah, maybe that's what all this is about in Wendy's and McDonald's. Maybe they just want drive through and pick up orders instead of people actually meeting up for lunch or snacks inside their establishments. They won't have to clean tables or sweep floors as often, so the staff can be busy making food.

I see Tim Hortons is, at least temporarily, bringing back the Dutchies, SourCream Blueberry Fritters, Walnut  Crunch and Cinnamon Twists again this summer. I have also discovered it is now possible to get my tea in a pot if I ask for it.  I guess it's time to switch back.

Originals

 I'm enjoying this spring as a lot of the old events are returning and I am finally feeling that I can go to them without worrying as much about Covid 19. This week we went to visit the Originals Craft Show in Ottawa. It was always a favourite place to see interesting creations, spark my imagination and pick up a few treats. 

I guess not all the vendors are feeling quite as safe yet as there were several booths used to showcase what you could find at other booths throughout the room. 

I went in intending to pick up a couple of treats we have not had over the past few years, and I got them, along with a couple more. Needless to say, we had charcuterie last night.

I specifically wanted Deb's Crispy Cracker Seasoning Mix and a visit to Little Shop of Lobster. I went with the Crab Mousse this time. I like taste-testing what's offered and was completely sold on Crosswind Farm's Cranberry Orange Artisan Cheese!  It's fabulous! Dear Hubby got to pick something out too. He really liked Carmichael's Bisson meat but brought home the Honey Garlic Pepperoni instead.  It did go well with the cheese and cracker platter and wine that evening.

One of the vendors was a lady who makes dresses out of t-shirts. My brother passed away recently and he had so many cartoon themed t-shirts that he likely could have gotten through a year without ever repeating which one he wore (if he wore each one for more than one day). I got her card as she will make a custom dress for me for the same price as the ones she has already made. I just have to give her the five shirts required to do so. Now I just have to decide what colour I want and start sorting. 

The other thing I wanted the moment I saw it was little shelves made out of logs. I wracked my brain trying to figure out where I could put one. I have a small house and it just won't hold any more furniture, but I thought his simple Burnt Log Designs were wonderful.

The only thing that would have made my day better would be if I had not forgotten to pick up some lemon squares from BC before we left!

Shrinkflation!

 Happy Easter.  

Have you noticed the Cadbury Easter Cream Eggs are almost 13 percent smaller than usual?  They might even cost more this year, due to a worldwide cocoa shortage.  I'm okay. I got a few tiny free ones at a local social gathering this week. That will do for me.

I went grocery shopping this week and found a lot of bare shelves in the salad dressing section. I was looking for coleslaw dressing but that wasn't the only one missing.  Kraft shelves had more empty spaces than product, at more than one store. I was starting to wonder if they were going to stop selling in Canada. At the third shop we finally found what I was looking for and immediately understood the problem. Kraft has redesigned their bottles. There is now 50 millimeters less product in them than before. Shrinkflation strikes again!  

I guess the stores want to get rid of all their old stock before putting out these new bottles. People might not notice they are smaller if they don't see them side by side. Ya. Right. 

Now, if I could only shrink by as much....

Bigger Isn't Better

 This past weekend we did something we have not done since before the pandemic. We went to a Home Show. Actually, we went to two of them.  The first one was held in the community centre in Prescott, Ontario. The second was a huge affair at the EY Centre in Ottawa.  Both had displays promoting businesses and products, but that's about where the similarity ended.

I had looked forward to the Ottawa show as it's a Home and Garden Show, which usually has great displays of gardens and landscaping and sometimes even tiny homes. It also has just about any product or service you might need if you are thinking of updating, repairing or renovating your home. This one had an over-abundance of fence and rail products. If I were in the market for such a thing, I would have found it hard to make a choice. The thing this big show definitely had, and I could have lived without, was a lot of high-pressure salespeople.  I did discover that if you looked even slightly interested, they would keep lowering the price and throwing in extras to reel you in. I wasn't biting, but it was amusing to see, and I now know that I would definitely hold off on buying until they reached their best deal.  Hey, one even offered to let me buy the product at a "dealer price" after I mentioned that I often write reviews. She figured I might be good for her business. That would only work if her product worked for me, and I wasn't convinced that it would.

The Prescott show was much more low-key, and the people presenting there were most interested in just letting the public know they existed. There were no high-pressure sales pitches, but there was a lot more swag.  The presenters were quite happy to talk to you, make recommendations, even if it was for something other than what they had available, and most of them had things for you to take home. Some even offered you swag even if you looked like you were about to walk by without giving them a second glance. 

There was an entry fee to attend both these events. The Prescott one was less than half as much, even though I got the Ottawa tickets at half price for buying early. I felt like I got my money's work in swag at Prescott, but all I really got out of the Ottawa one was a bit of exercise from walking up and down aisles in a big hall, and a bunch of pamphlets to take home. The Prescott show was more fun, and more worth my while. They didn't have any dealers with the one product we were looking into though. The Ottawa one had a couple. Still, I think we would rather deal with businesses closer to home. I'm not sure I'd bother going back to the Ottawa Home and Garden Show unless I had some major project in mind. 

I did enter a lot of contests, and can now expect to field a lot of phone calls, I suppose. I have a much better chance of winning something from the Prescott show though, as there would be a lot less entries. I've won several things from past shows such as this. Wish me luck.

Art and Found Day

Have you ever found a rock with something painted on it? You know, the ones you are allowed to pick up and take home.  They could be anywhere and you just accidentally come across them. 

Years ago, a local lady who made glass beads, decided to leave little necklaces around town for others to find. I found two but, to be fair, I decided to relocate one in another town.

Now I have discovered we are about to celebrate Art and Found Day on March 12.  Artists all over the world will leave something they created somewhere for someone else to find and take home. I want to take part and have encouraged some of my friends to get in on the fun too. I have been working on a painting of a friend's horse that I will place where, hopefully, it will be found soon. With any luck, the finder will share it on social media. I may drop more than one.  They may be just bookmarks. We'll see....

If this is of interest to you, go to www.artandfoundday.com to learn more.

Painting Project

 Our local Ladies Club decided last fall to start creating a rock snake that will be installed near the library, here in our village. We gathered once a month to paint rocks with any design we chose. Three of us actually painted the head of the snake at the first meeting, so it will be interesting to see how those get used. As there were a few rocks left after our last meeting, we were invited to take them home and finish them up there.  Well, I have lots of paints so I made off with one.

I was one of the ones who had previously painted the snake's head. I had found a rock that just told me that was what it was. I put a penguin on another and finally, I painted a face on the last one. So what would I put on the one I brought home?  

I placed it on my desk and waited for it to suggest something. I turned it around and still, it didn't suggest anything in particular. Then I remembered one of the other ladies had stood a rock on its end and I wondered if this one would do that. As soon I placed it on end, I knew immediately, that this rock was a dog! 

I searched internet to see if I could locate a picture similar to what I was imagining on the rock.  I found a couple that were very different from one another but had features in the right place to fit on my rock. Even as I started painting I was not sure which way I would go. I decided to place the nose and eyes. The shape of the rock defined the snout and ears. After that, I just let go and let it become whatever dog it wanted to be.  The great thing about painting with acrylics is you don't have to worry. You can always paint over anything you don't like.

I could likely refine this a bit more but hubby says, "Don't touch it!"  What do you think?

Forced Phone Upgrade

 First, let me assure you, I am not a phone person.

I hardly ever use a telephone if I can get out of it, so my cell phone is just a tool. I only use it for emergencies or when I need to locate someone I get separated from in a mall or large store, or when I'm at an appointment or meeting and need to be picked up when it's time to go home. Even then, I tend to text, not call. I'm hard of hearing and until just recently my hearing aid wasn't capable of having a Bluetooth connection with a phone. My old phone probably couldn't do that anyway. It had no memory and got so I couldn't even update the software. Then my provider decided it was time to update their network. That means my phone is not going to work at all within the next couple of weeks.

My old phone was a simple thing. It cost under a hundred dollars when it was new. I have never had a data plan and pay just $10 a month to keep it operational. At one point I had over $600 worth of credit racked up. They let me use that up but I'm not allowed to accumulate it anymore.

I was shocked by what it would cost me to replace the darn thing. The prices on today's phones are outrageous!  Worse than that, my hubby needs to replace his too. He did some research and asked a lot of questions everywhere they sell phones before coming to the conclusion that we would go for the Moto G Stylus 5G. The 5G won't work on my pay as you go plan, but that doesn't mean anything to me anyway.

It has a lot more memory, a superior camera and even a stylus. I  can apparently Bluetooth it to my hearing aids so I might actually be able to hear if someone does call me. (We'll see about that). It also has a virtual assistant. I was about to set that up and got to the part where Google was telling me to say, "Set the timer for two minutes" but before I could speak a voice from the other room was speaking to the cat. He said, "Are you making a mess?" And instantly, Google popped this up as a response.

(click to enlarge)

That definitely gave me a much needed giggle.  But then I had to wonder if Google just learned to recognize the wrong voice.  It's okay.  I just tested it. 

I discovered I can make a grocery list right on my phone. Big deal, you may say, but this is all new to me! I also decided to test the stylus since the existing list has little boxes to check.  I don't usually draw digitally so excuse the mess while I figure this out. 

Oh, maybe Google was right.  I might have a bit of fun making messes.

Guess What Time of Year It Is

 It's that time of year again. 

Many of us are taking stock of our lives, making plans for the coming year and making promises to ourselves that likely won't be kept. It's a time when we traditionally start over and then fizzle out of our new ways long before we should. So is it worth it to even try?

My main goal for the coming year is to cut down on e-mail. I subscribe to a lot of newsletters but there is no way I have time to read them all, especially if I start watching the art videos that often come attached. I spend more time deleting e-mail than actually reading it each day, and still, it piles up. My current method is to do a search for whatever comes up first and delete all the old stuff. A lot of that may be unread, but it's old now so it can disappear along with the newer editions.  My new strategy is to unsubscribe from the ones I find that are mostly unread. I can make a list of who they are from and the subject matter in case I ever want those back. 

If I want to keep up with what certain artists are doing, I can probably just subscribe to their YouTube channel and look to see what's new when I'm in the mood.  

Making a list of authors and unsubscribing from their e-mails for the time being would also be a good idea. Sure they offer me free books to review, but I have several years worth of reading material stacked up waiting for me as it is. I don't really need to add to it, no matter how new it is. The one author whose books I could never pass up past away this year.  Rest in peace Matthew Mather. You will be missed.

Most of what's left would be from retailers, offers for free stuff and samples and of course, surveys. I might as well get rid of the retail e-mails as many of those require apps these days anyway. I'm keeping the surveys and e-mails that offer me free products.    I love getting new products in the mail when all I have to do is tell the rest of you what I think of them. I don't even have to pretend to like something. Fot instance, I recently got three products all at once. They are meant to work together but you could use any of them individually. I love one and have no use for another. The third one is okay for this time of year but not something I would ever buy. They are full sized products and I will happily tell the truth about what I think of them when I do my reviews. The surveys provide me with enough mad money to buy things online when I want something. 

This e-mail elimination is going to take longer than many of you imagine, but if I sunsubscribe a few each day I might win this battle eventually.

The second thing I want to do (the first, actually, but if I do it first, then I'll never get around to the job mentioned above) is to get back to making my own art.  I have slipped into learner mode. I have been painting and drawing along with instructors. I must be getting better as I have had several requests from people wanting to buy things. Because they were done as part of a course, I was not at liberty to sell them. Also, I have been working mainly in sketchbooks the past couple of years. I plan to buy a new block of watercolour paper in a size larger than what I have previously used. They are not cheap so I will spend some of my survey money on that. I have already built a file of pictures to inspire me.  Wish me luck.

I think these are worthwhile goals. While I may never totally eliminate the excess e-mail, I can at least put a dent in it so I will have time to paint.

Oh, and who knows, I might get back to blogging more often too, now that life is a little more normal and I'm back to doing things.

May you all have a very happy new year.

Tomato Tsunami

Usually, at this time of year, I have a lot of green tomatoes. I listen to the forecast every night and when there is even a hint of frost I go out and gather them into cardboard boxes. I put the boxes in the basement and check for ripe ones each week. I generally have fresh tomatoes right up until just before Christmas. I love that. This year, things are different.

I planted seeds I had saved from just two of the four kinds I had previously grown. My heritage Bulls Heart tomatoes are huge while my purple ones are just two or three times the size of cherry tomatoes. I planted three of each, originally, but my purple ones must have crossed with some other variety as each of those three plants grew something different. While one continued to grow purple tomatoes, one grew beautiful, perfectly normal-sized red tomatoes, and the other grew long Roma-shaped ones that were full of seeds.

 

I have a second raised garden bed this year but since the earth for it didn't arrive early enough for me to plan properly for the addèd space, I just popped a couple more Bulls Heart seedlings in there when it did come.

 The Bulls Heart ones are all ripened now and I am pulling out the plants. The others are extremely prolific and have recently been ripening faster than I can keep up with them. I am completely overwhelmed and feel like I am drowning in a tsunami wave of tomatoes.

Besides eating more tomatoes in the past couple of weeks than most people would eat in a year, I have been processing them in various ways. I have tomatoes frozen in containers and in freezer bags. I have made a couple of batches of slow-cooked spaghetti sauce, which also went into the freezer in mason jars. My freezer is now full but I still have three buckets of tomatoes in the house and more on the plants. I have given away a large number of tomatoes to at least 9 people, most of them, repeatedly.

I gave away my canning kettle earlier this year as I never grow enough in my small garden to can anyway.  This year, of course, turned out to be the exception. This week I saw a YouTube video that showed me how to process tomatoes without a canning kettle. It involved putting the jars in the oven and the lids in hot water and getting the tomatoes just to the boiling point without actually cooking them. If all three elements are hot when you put the tomatoes in the jars and the lids on, the jars are supposed to seal.  I started out thinking I would fill about 8 jars but then wisely decided to do just two the first time, just to see if it worked. Basically that took long enough to wear me out. And the jars had not sealed even by the next morning. I'm disappointed. I managed to put one of the jars in the freezer. The other is in the fridge. I will use it tomorrow or have to dispose of the contents since there are no preservatives.  

I guess I will have to treat most of the remaining tomatoes the way people have always done with their zucchini and sneak around and leave them on people's porches. I'm really tired of dealing with the darn things! 

But really, I must admit I will really miss having fresh ones up until Christmas this year. There are not likely to be any green ones in my basement this fall. I have never had so many tomatoes ripen so soon. The overabundance is only partially my own fault. The rest I will blame on climate change and all the heat we had this year. I will not plant more than my usual six plants next year but I am already wondering if I will save seeds of the beautiful normal-sized red ones, and hope they don't grow something else.

Found But Not Lost

 I'm sorry but I just need to rant for a few minutes.

I keep seeing people on my social media posting pictures of cats they found wandering around. They have picked them up and taken them home, or even to a shelter. I really need to know what makes these people think these cats are lost.  If it was a dog, I would understand. Dogs are not supposed to be running loose.  They are like small children and need supervision. Cats are more like teenagers and need the freedom to explore their world. They go where they go, and will go home again to be fed if nobody locks them in someplace they can't get out of.

Now, I will admit that my previous cat became part of our household exactly that way.  She was just a tiny kitten who took shelter during a big snowstorm under a pile of Christmas trees that were for sale where my hubby worked. She was brought into the building to warm up for a while but when she was still around the next day someone decided to feed her. Of course, then she was quite happy to stay there.  She was brought home to our place and presented to me. I was told she was lost. Well, since we live 12 miles from where she was found, my answer to that was, "Well, she is now!"  

My dog adopted her right away. He washed her ears and followed her around the house. He taught her the rules. No pets on the furniture and no claws in the rug.  He would pounce at her if she tried. I refused to name her for several weeks. She wasn't mine and I fully expected someone to claim her. I was afraid to get attached. I felt sorry for whoever had lost her. But she did become my cat and I had her for nine years.

My current cat is very snoopy.  Curiosity is generally a sign of intelligence.  It's how we learn.  It may be true that it can also get you, or your cat, into trouble sometimes. We have alerted our neighbours to please check their garage or shed before closing the door, especially if they are planning to be away for an extended period of time. If my cat goes missing, it will not be because she is lost. She would either be locked in someplace, killed by a preditor, or taken in by some misguided helpful person who thinks she's lost.  That has actually happened twice this past year when other people on my block thought she was lost and were determined to rescue her.  So please, unless you find a cat that is in obvious distress, do not assume it is lost, it is just exploring its world and knows the way home.

Use It Or Lose It

 I'm sure you have all heard the old adage "use it or lose it" but maybe you didn't realize that it pertains to a lot more things than just muscles. 

I have told people who say they are having trouble doing something that used to be easy that they need to practice it more.  I started that when I saw an elderly relative who had always been spry and active struggle to get up off the couch. Apparently, she had been sitting too much that winter, and then she thought she was just slowing down because she was getting older. In reality, it was because she had not been using those muscles as much in the past few months and needed to retrain them.  We can strengthen our muscles at any age, no matter how old we get, but if we don’t use them they get weak.

I have glasses for reading. They are prescription glasses with a prism in them, not drugstore reading glasses. I don't always use them. I'm typing on my tablet at the moment and my glasses are not even in the room with me. My hubby cannot read anything without his, and they are not as strong as mine. He has progressive glasses so he wears his all the time. His eyes, or his brain, have gotten used to having assistance.  My eyes just see what they see and my brain must fill in the rest.

Just recently I got new hearing aids. I have worn one for close to twenty years but it was once again time to get a new one. I was losing my word  recognition so I needed to upgrade to a stronger model and I finally accepted the fact that maybe I needed two. It did not take a week for my ears and brain to adjust to all this help and suddenly I could no longer  hear without the aides in place. I am hearing much better now, while wearing my new hearing aids but without them I am suddenly a lot deafer than I have ever been. Just more proof that if you don’t use it, you lose it.  As it was, I wasn't using the part of my brain that could recognize words and I think that's worse. I'm better off needing help to hear properly than I would be if I could not understand what was being said. Even so, I have now turned the volume down three clicks and can still hear just fine with the aids. Maybe that will help me be less deaf without them. One can only hope.....

Organizing My Priorities

 I recently won another book from LibraryThing. This one is called The Beginner's Guide to Organize Your Life. Well, at this stage of life, I'm hardly a beginner, and up until not long ago, I was pretty good at organizing things.

This book seemed to arrive at the most opportune moment. My office/studio has just had a facelift. We had to move everything out of that room in order to repaint the walls and put down a new floor.  Let me make this clear. I live in a 900-square-foot home and this was the room with the most stuff in it. The hallway and every other room in the house soon had extra furniture, boxes and other piles of stuff anywhere we could find a place to set it down. Organization went completely out the window. While I will admit that the desks in that room were often cluttered, suddenly my whole house was a complete mess. I felt like I was living in a hoarder's house. Maybe I was, but usually, my hoarding was confined to just one room. And then, to make matters worse, we had a major storm that created a flood in the basement.  Where were we supposed to put the things that needed rescuing from down there?

As I began to read this book I found all the normal helpful hints about goal setting, building a routine and being consistent. We are told to plan ahead. I already had a list of things I wanted to get done today.  I was ahead of the book on that one. It did mention leaving time for things that might come up unexpectedly. One of my planned tasks did not get done because my hubby had his own agenda as he was reorganizing the contents in the basement now that it had dried out. He presented me with a couple more boxes to go through. That snowballed into making a few more messes than I expected today.

I am supposed to review the book so I need to read it first. I was trying to fit that in, in between other tasks. I sent an e-mail requesting a Kindle version as this book arrived as a pdf file. Every time I closed it or shut down my tablet the darn thing disappeared.  I would hunt it down and find I had to flip through the pages one by one to try to find where I left off. This is not how any previous books I have received in pdf format have behaved and I know the Kindle version is available. I found it on Amazon.  I was able to both forward it to my Kindle and open it in my Kindle app on my tablet, but it was basically useless.  I am now flipping through more than 40 pages.

I had received no response to my message and I cannot see myself flipping through the 109 pages to finish reading this book. I could likely have finished reading it by now if I had a proper Kindle version or a pdf file that was not apparently meant to be an audiobook. The audio part is only available in the UK and the US, not here in Canada. I am assuming that's why I'm having problems with the file.

Then I reached the chapter on time management and prioritizing your tasks.   I decided to take my cue from the book and prioritize my time. I have stopped fighting with the file and written a blog instead of a review.  I feel like I have accomplished something more worthwhile.

New Fangled Gadgets

 Recently I had a discussion with a group of ladies in my own age group about air fryers.  While the younger generation seems to love them, most of my group had a different opinion.  This kitchen gadget is all hype and not worth the counterspace. In fact mine is so big it took up entirely too much countespace so I found another place to keep it. Now it's even less handy and I maintain that if you can cook something in a frying pan then I don't see the point of using the air fryer. Not only would I have to move it into place but washing that big basket is rather awkward.  If I had a split sink, as seems popular these days, it would not even fit in there. Mind you, I do see it as an energy saver if the food would normally go in the oven.

I won a gift certificate for Home Hardware last year and finally decided to spend it on an air fryer. It wasn't something I would have bought for myself but they seem all the rage these days. When I got it I went through a lot of recipies I found online. I love using it to make  French toast and apple fritters. Cooking frozen French fries in there somehow stripped the product of any flavour they may have had so I roasted potatoes and made homemade fries. That worked.  I am the only one here that eats asparagus and this is a quick and easy way to cook that too but it certainly doesn't work for cauliflower. 

Everyone said the air fryer is great for meat but I was timid when it came to that. I didn't want to ruin something that costs so much these days. I don’t even hesitate to use my Instant Pot. I love that thing! The air fryer was beginning to go the way of my crock pot. That's something else I seldom use but will drag out for only certain things. I always cook beans in there, for instance. 

I finally decided to try it. My large basket has a divider that you can put in when you want to cook two things at the same time. I cooked chicken and potatoes and they turned out well. Then this week I put some honey garlic sausages in there. The air fryer now definitely has a use! I will never cook sausages any other way. You don’t have to watch them, or turn them and they come out beautiful and evenly cooked.  I might actually try some other meat now. Perhaps this gadget will grow on me yet.

What is your favorite thing to use your air fryer for?