Good morning everyone...

Woke to the sound of rain gently falling and I hope it stays for most of the day.

Today is label and put away the tomatoes. So many little jobs to do when you do seasonal work.

Jenny, we can't get any PT fence boards here, plus there are others pieces that re just not coming in. Same with canning supplies due to Covid. People stayed home and put in garden or others  are canning because of the uncertainty of supplies  at the grocery store.  Lady at the Mennonite market said they can't keep up to the demand of vegetables to can or freeze. The dogs love veggies Babe prefers her carrots cooked but Jessie doesn't care. They also enjoy beans ,green or yellow, brussel sprouts, cabbage ,cauliflower, broccoli and peas.........guess you could say they enjoy it all.

Shirley, to see the antics of the birds ,likely like your fish is so much more entertaining than tv!

Tomereader, your stew sounds delicious. I sort of follow a recipe but then add what we like or don't add what we don't. Difficult to tell someone that wants the recipe just how it was made!

Jane, thank you for the heads up on the pumpkin. I will freeze some and give the rest away. The neighbour enjoys pumpkin and she hopes the vine that is over the fence will have fruit but there is lots in the garden to share.

My git and go,forgot to git up but I had better go...

Enjoy your day everyone....stay safe please..

Good morning everyone - goodness me, you are so busy with all this canning!

I have been down at the river reading my book, but autumn is definitely here and I took a flask of coffee, which was very worthwhile.

I went with my friend to Dunecht House policies again yesterday and we really noticed the differences after just 3 weeks' absence - now the hillsides are covered in purple heather, very Scottish!

Very few people actually cook pumpkin here - they buy them for Hallowe'en, hollow them out, throw away the flesh and then throw away the rest of if after the day. It is such a waste!  I love pumpkin. I feel more and more that very few people here actually cook from scratch any more, it is all ready meals and frozen stuff - while at the same time, we are bombarded with glossy cookbooks and celebrity food programmes. People seem to like watching it on TV but then they just order a pizza for dinner.

I heard yesterday that the price of pedigree dogs in the UK has rocketed since lockdown. So many people buying puppies because they want one as they are home all day - once this starts to ease up and they are back at work, or going out and about more, I dread to think what will happen to all those poor animals. In Edinburgh all I used to see was dog walkers' vans going round and collecting them up/bringing them back, so that they could then be alone in the house for hours till their owners came home.I'm also concerned that the high demand will lead to even more dog thefts - this is already a big problem, but people still leave their dogs tied up outside supermarkets, etc, even when there are notices up warning them not to.

I hope you all have a lovely day, and that no-one lives in the path of that hurricane.

Rosemary

good morning everyone.is just past 7:30 AM here, I had a good sleep. hope you all done the same and have a food day just as you like it.

Lloyd

Good morning everyone, a cool 57 now and no higher than the  60's today, nice BUT according to the weather guesser it will be raining from about 10 till 8 tonight. Will see how close that is. Yesterday while Yvette was doing the laundry I went outside, wonderful sunny and cool out and I sure enjoyed it but boy was I tired the rest of the day. Was sound asleep by 9 and woke around 6:30 this am.

JANE  sorry you didn't get to have time with Frankie the other day. Hope she was there to have supper with you last night.

AMY  I am just glad I had enough room in the freezer of the fridge to freeze the tomatoes from my son. Just enough to make a batch of sauce. Just need a green pepper to cut up and add to the sauce. Forgot that when Yvette went shopping on Tuesday. The year we had over 100 tomato plants in my in-laws back yard I canned over 100 jars of tomatoes. and some jars of sauce. I could not do that now. Glad to read that BUBBLE will be back with us. I did not even check my email before going to bed last night. Bubble sure sends some interesting emails.

JENNY  I did tell my daughter about your message yesterday. I know she is spending time there with different groups that interest her. The lady down stairs from me told me she knows when Yvette is here, she can hear us laughing. We do tease each other.

LLOYD  you sure "waste not want not" with all that wood and other things you have reused. With that old wood you know it is well seasoned and will not shrink.

SHIRLEY  When Yvette was out for almost 5 months with her back the company sent so may young ones here and they sure do not know how to do much of anything. I had a couple of older ones who could not do anything, they were worse than me working now.

TOMEREADER  my Mother never had a recipe but was a great cook and baker. I follow recipes but my both sons and daughter can check what they have in freezer or fridge and cook a great meal. They must have some of my Mom's genes in them. My MIL was a terrible cook.

ROSEMARY  I wish fall was in the air here, I look forwar d to that season on the first hot day in spring. Would love seeing your hills wi th the heather in bloom.

Have a good day everyone and stay safe.

Good Morning Everyfriend!  I've been up since a little before7 and my plan for today is "not much of anything".  Later, after Cooper comes, I might make a quick trip to the Mennonite store. 

I have to tell you... I had the cucumber Mint jam on my bagel for breakfast this morning and it was UMM-MMMM GOOD!  It wasn't quite set yet but I remembered the recipe said it might take as much as 3 days to really set so I'll wait and see.

I'm really running low on jars!  I've ordered some from Amazon but I'm afraid I underestimated my needs.  That's what I get for giving away so much stuff!

TOMEREADER, I think your stew sounds great, too.  I do that with recipes too.  If I don't have a certain item, I tell myself, "This will be just as good".  And it usually is!

GLORIA, Frankie and I didn't have supper because she was later than I originally thought but we did have a nice little visit!

Now I better see what's out there hollering for attention and get something done today.  I hope you all have a lovely day!  Make it your own in every way!  And don't forget to share!

Jane, I just checked at the hardware store for canning supplies and they were wiped out of most everything here. man said they can't keep up to the demand!!
I did pick up another basket of cucumbers so I had better make Kyle more dill pickles...

Here I am, back again.
Oh, How I have missed my S&F friends all these days!

And also I can let you know I do not have Corona I was tested twice: first in the ER and then again prior to be accepted in the Internal Department.  They make extra sure no one will infect others. But I knew there was no chance of that, it is more than a month I did not put my nose out of the house and Aviv had not visited for so long. Yesterday when I saw him, I had to say"wow, how tall you have become" - he just laughed.

Thank you for missing me, you all are so supportive and great.
Thanks.

Welcome back Buble.
I am so glad that you are feeling better now
and able to post.   

We sure missed you.   Take care and
continue to improve. 

love Sandy

Bubble, so very, very glad you are back here!  Hope the health problem is solved and that you can get back to posting here regularly, and back to your busy lifestyle.  I know you were glad to see Aviv.  Shalom!

Jane, my "plan for today" was "do something". Well, somebody woke up my Giddy-Up and Go.  I stripped the bed, fannied the ceiling fans, swept the kitchen, dining area and bathroom, mopped those, started the washing machine on the linens, whew.  Now I am taking a few minutes rest and cool-off period.  Turned that A/C to a blows-cold temp, and having a late coffee.  A friend and I were talking on the phone last night, both of us bemoaning staying in the house (mostly) and hating that we haven't found the wherewithal to actually get cleaning!  We look at a stack of papers, a messy floor and say "not today".  But then, as the song says: "Tomorrow Never Comes".  All that I've done today will probably put me on the couch or in the bed for a few days.  My back is already killing me from mopping. I'm going to call that friend and tell her I'm ahead of her in the cleaning process!  I bet there's no prizes for this.  I had asked, in my morning prayer yesterday, that He bless me with some "MOTIVATION" to get these chores done.  In His own time, He let me rest yesterday, and boosted me into the fray today. Do you all think I could stop now, for awhile?  Still have the bed linen to dry and fold, but that's on the plan for after lunch! Wish I had a creative cook on hand, as I've finished up all my home made stuff from last week.  Maybe I'll go to Whataburger!  Bye for now.  Good luck, good health and Motivation to all!

am so happy to see the message from Bubble and that she is feeling better. 

Bubble, You were truly missed and just so nice to see that you are back with us.

I am running on SLOW today.  Went back to sleep in the recliner and was woke up by a phone call at almost 10 a.m.  That sure did make for a slow moving morning.  Was lunch time before I knew it. 

I had such a nice day yesterday.  There is a nice little park about 5 min. from where I live.  My niece brought her mother and another of my sister-in-laws up to my place, and my DIL picked me up and we took a picnic lunch over to the park.  It was a beautiful day ............  low humidity and a nice little breeze.  We had a delicious lunch which my niece provided and I had surprised them all by making a lemon meringue pie. I didn't tell them ahead of time, as I wasn't sure I would be up to making it, but I did.   They all enjoyed it along with some Pepperidge Farm cookies.  We stayed about 2 1/2 hours and my niece and DIL took good care of us "old aunts".  I had called the town office to make sure there was a port-a-pot available and turned out to be just a short distance from where the pavilion was with the picnic tables.  That was the first time I had been to the park and it was just so nice and clean and so close.  They all want to go again in a couple weeks. It sure was a nice change from sitting and looking at the 4 walls.  We had not seen each other since last Christmas.

It is a sunny day, but supposed to rain over the week end.  We really need the rain in my area. There has been scattered storms almost every day, but none have gotten to us yet.

Sounds like some of you have been busy canning so many good things.  I never canned anything, but did used to freeze summer corn and used to make homemade spaghetti sauce and freeze that.  That was the extent of my having fresh veggies in the winter.  I am not a big soup eater, so hardly ever make soup, but when I do, I just buy a few fresh veggies or frozen mixed veggies from the store.  Works ok for me.  I remember my aunt used to can corn and tomatoes together just to use in soup. And she used to make tomato ketchup.  I never liked it because I thought it was too watery.  I like good thick ketchup.   My husband worked for H.J. Heinz, so that was our choice of ketchup and still use it.

I need to clean up the kitchen a little bit, and I want to make some macaroni salad for dinner.

Have a good day.

WELCOME BACK !  BUBBLE !!!

Joy

Joy, so glad you had the "outing".... my family that goes to church with me has been having breakfast in the park after church. I pick up McDonald's & away we go. Gives the 3 great grands a chance to run & play after they eat, and the rest of us sit at the picnic table & visit. Sure a nice break after the days being alone.

Bubble, happy to have you back and glad you got to see Aviv. I noticed a big difference in my great grands after a few weeks of not seeing them. Glad you didn't have the virus and possibly after effects, wishing you speedy healing and that your strength returns fast. Hugs.

I did my deed for the day, have floor to ceiling double glass front storm doors. Yesterday I took the hose & washed off the front of the house with jet spray, the white wood shutters & spider nests that take over. Then I hosed off the porch so was necessary to clean the glass. UGG... Job done & I am done in~~

Tome, my towels are still in the washer so must go dump into the dryer (maybe a nap while the dryer does its thing.) Had not thought to pray for motivation but will see if it works for me. My messes have messes.    

And away we go..............

Hello Everyfriend! Well, my not doing much of anything backfired.  All these little things poked up their little heads and shouted "me, me, me, here I am!  I've been waiting forever!" 

I'm really glad to see Bubble back!  And I'm glad to hear that Everyfriend seems to be doing well.

My big chore for the day was shredding office type paper.  The recycling center is open Saturday 8-12 so I want to take as much as I can but I have to shred most of it first.  I have two trash bags ready and a box of newspapers. 

I also had to get the trash ready to go tomorrow morning and make sure it was out tonight.  However, I was spared having to drag the hose around the house and water the plants because about 5 minutes before I would have done that, it started to rain and it rained for a good half hour....the first 4 minutes of it on Cooper and me on the way home from our walk!  I guess they didn't know I already had one shower today.  I sure didn't need another one!

TOME, it sounds like you got a lot done today.  You deserve to rest on your laurels...or your clean sheets, whichever is more comfortable!

JOY, what a nice midday and afternoon you had.  Family is such a nice group to gather with and your family sounds like one of the best!  I keep them, if I were you!

SHIRLEY, isn't it always the way?  We clean something and sure enough, what's right next to it yells for it's turn!  Why can the next item just try to look clean for a couple of days!

Gotta go!  My eyes seem to be having a problem!  They don't want o stay open!  That always happens about this time of night.  I wonder why?  I used to be able to keep them open a lot longer!

I wish you all a peaceful night's sleep and a happy, healthy tomorrow.  And may God bless us, every one!

well it is past my bedtime,and I never fell asleep watching T V. before noon meal i went and Picked a 5 galleon bucket heaped up with elderberries,and spent six hours stemming and washing them getting them ready to make juice out of them to Make Jelly out of it. and I am wore slick, so good night and sweet dreams i will check in the morning. glad to see you back Bubble and feeling in reasonable Health.

Lloyd

Good morning everyone...

Sitting here listening  to the loon's call with a crow hollering about something in the background.

Need to label and put away the dills and then we are off to see our friend. Today is her 80th birthday and while in the area will pick up our kindling for the winter.

Lloyd, my goodness that is a lot of work picking and cleaning those tiny berries!!

Joy, a picnic in the park is a perfect way/time to spend with family. Hope you can do it again before cold weather. Lemon pie is everyone's favourite here.

Hope we hear from Phyllis and Callie today..

Enjoy your day everyone....stay safe..

Good morning everyone,here I am enjoying my first  cup of coffee with my friends here in the SS. It rained here yesterday afternoon. Don't know how much but it w as steady all afternoon. 

JANE  glad your new jam was good, that is quite a combination.  Sorry you had supper by yourself. Nice to have someone to share a meal with.

AMY  Kyle must  love dill pickles. I have not had any of the bread and butter pickles since I tried them to see if they came out right.I keep forgetting to have some with a meal.

BUBBLE YOU ARE ALWAYS MISSED. Glad you did not have the virus. Like you I seldom go out and I can count on one hand the times I have been out on a couple of fingers. Glad you got to see Aviv. They sure grow and change fast. Every time I see my great grandson it amazed me how smart he is.

TOMEREADER1  now you have me longing for a nice juicy burger. I would even settle for a MacDonalds one along with fries.

JOY  what a nice day you had with some family members in that park. I have been wanting to make a lemon meringue pie but need the energy to make the filling.   

SHIRLEY  you still have much more energy than me. I cannot even wash the inside of my bottom windows.  try but my shoulders start telling me I am not y oung anymore. CNA's are not supposer to wash windows but I know if I asked Yvetter to wash them she would. She already does more than the job calls for.  The new extra 3 hours sure made a difference this week.

JANE  like you my eyes want to close for a few hours about 7:30 every night. I try holding off till at least 9 but some night I am in dreamland  by 9.

LLOYD  that was a long time picking berries and then cleaning them. Hope you slept good.

AMY  we don't hear crows as often as we used to here.With all those beautiful tall pine trees in the back of the building cut down te birds seem to have gone with them.

Have a good day and stay safe.

good Morning everyone. well I had a good sleep but the tell tail on my breathing Machine showed leakage so that says restless tossing and turning.
and i turned 83 yesterday, was just another day.hope you all have a good day.

Lloyd

  Happy birthday Lloyd, may you be blessed with many more..  

I am moving slow this morning and so are the cats. Tom & Tiger lounging in the pool area and Callie still in her garage. Don't know why she loves that oven, but that is the door she goes to when bedtime. Woke up to 80° with "feels like 85°... NOT my kind of start to the day. We are supposed to have a cool front (drop to upper 80s) this week end. With all the fires & floods in the US right now, I'm almost afraid to complain ... but I do.

Tom is cleaning his face, maybe he is ready for breakfast. Tiger is sitting by the water bowl next to the pool. They really do not mind like a dog, at all. Not a leaf moving on the trees, peaceful looking but I have the slider open & can hear traffic on the bypass as well as the morning train as it rolls through town. Tracks are about a mile away but sound travels as well as the weight of the train, along the river and sandy soil. The water in the pool dances when trains go through. Such long trains.

Hay fever season is here, got a bumper crop of ragweed and all other weeds along the river this year. Don't ever think the weeds have been this hardy before, but river is always changing. What used to be under water has become my "beach" now, full of tall willows & weeds. I haven't been around to the other side to see what this looks like over here so may take the camera & do that today. Maybe a before & after photo if Bubble is up to posting photos again. Better close the door, getting steamy and I'm getting hungry.

Another "Happy Birthday", Lloyd. Always sort of a let down when we don't do anything on the special day, but nice when it lands on a week end and everyone shows up.

I have a ?. and a statement. I know apple peals have Pectin In them, but I have no ideal of how much peals it would take to use to Make jelly.

Lloyd

Happy Birthday, Lloyd.  Sure hope you have a nice, safe day to celebrate. You need to have a day where you just do something that won't get you in trouble.  LOL   ENJOY !!!

Gloria, I didn't put a whole lot of effort into making the pie.  Used a Pillsbury pie crust from the dairy case, and MY-T-FINE lemon pudding mix.  I guess having to beat the egg whites was just a little more time consuming, but easy with my electric mixer.  My mother always used the pudding mix, and everybody always said she made a good lemon pie.  I don't mind using any kind of a short-cut that I can these days. 

And, yes, our day at the park was really nice.  I am hoping that my grandson will come up one day and we can go over there with the kids.  There is a really nice playground right by where the picnic tables are.  I would have a nice shady place to sit and watch them.  I can even see the building I live in. 

I have been up and had breakfast, but my get-up-and-go hasn't kicked in yet.  I want to read for a while, and then see what happens after that.

Hope everyone will have a nice, safe day.

Joy

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, LLOYD!  AND MAY YOU HAVE MANY MORE TO CELEBRATE WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

[/I've been up and attem this morning.  I already made a trip to Davy's (The Mennonite Store).  I got the last of the corn I need for the freezer and it's shucked and ready to cut off the cobs and freeze.  Cooper arrived just as I finished and I handed his mother her snack for break time (some green grapes from Davy's) and took the leash from her and she took off for work.  Now the doggies are napping and I'm visiting with my friends.  The angel food cake pan is out and ready for the cutting.  That's next on the agenda.

And would you believe?  Those carrots did jump into my cart so I'll be making more carrot soup one of these days.  I have everything else but my jars are getting scarce. 

I also bought some red potatoes to try canning.  I think that might be my weekend project!  Also need jars for that. 

I better get back to work or I won't get done what needs to be done today!  I hope you all have a lovely day!  Make it your own in every way!  And don't forget to share it with your friends in the Soda Shoppe!b]

this is the chair i was talking about the other day,made with some of the same lumber the hutch was made of.

well I did not do something right it never put the text under the picture.
but I said this chair was made from same lumber the hutch was made from. the little children love to get one of those dalls and rock it in the chair.

Lloyd

Lloyd

That is a beautiful chair Lloyd, and I wish you a very happy belated birthday from Aberdeenshire.

Today is cool and cloudy. I met up with a friend I had not seen for years, and we went for a walk in the woodlands at Drum Castle (very near here) with her Labradoodle, Ruby, who is very energetic but also well behaved for being only 18 months old.

My friend's daughter is expecting twins - but she is living in Kuala Lumpur for her husband's job, so my friend will not even be able to visit to see the babies, as the country is currently closed to non-residents. I think a lot of grandparents are feeling the loss of their grandchildren at the moment, and let's hope it is only temporary.

I am reading a Nancy Mitford novel written in the 1940s - Highland Fling. It's a very light story about a group of very wealthy Bright Young Things who are part of a shooting party who have come up from London to someone's uncle's castle for the so-called Glorious Twelfth. Unlike the dyed-in-the-wood regulars, who all wear tweed and communicate in grunts, the young people loathe getting wet and bitten by midges, so they spend their time lounging around in silk pyjamas, listening to jazz, having breakfast in bed and calling each other Darling, much to the annoyance of the older members of the party. It's a good laugh if you don't dwell too much on their obscene wealth and privilege - and of course Nancy Mitford knew all about this sort of thing first hand, so she does make it all very funny.

I hope everyone has a good day - it is almost dinner time here already.

Rosemary

A Good Friday afternoon HELLO to EVERYFRIEND 💐

WELOME BACK BUBBLE❣️  Do hope you are feeling stronger each day.  You certainly were missed and I am sure glad you do not have the Covid Virus! 

Another day, another dollar saved in our case.....still nary a word to tell about our supposed real estate deal!  Everyday the selling agent says all is well and he will be sending over the signed contract and yet we wait!  We have no idea what this unprofessional agent is trying to pull, but clearly there is something.  We are going to sit tight and see what comes of this, but rest assured we will not be going through with this purchase.  I just want to wait him out to see what is going on. 

LLOYD, in my mind I feel like I already wished you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY, but just in case, I did want to make sure I did it again, just in case.  I do hope you had, or are having an extra special day and I want to wish you many more healthy and happy ones to come.

JANE, there was nary a doubt in my mind that you would be buying and then making more 🥕🥕 soup🤣🤪🤪🤪. I will be anxious to hear about the red potato canning. 

I have to say that I am not surprised that canning supplies are in demand as it seems everyone near and far is talking about canning.  On our local Nextdoor App. it seems that is about all people are talking about. 

JOY, your picnic at the park with family sounded just perfect, and I know it was a wonderful time for all. 

GLORIA, I hope the neighbor had a smile in her heart when she told you she could hear you and Yvette laughing😘  SWEET❣️

ROSEMARY, I had to smile as I read about your sinopsis of the Mitford novel you are reading.  What fun to be walking with the young Labradoodle, Ruby.  I do feel sad for your friend not being able to be with her daughter in Kuala Lampar to welcome in the twins.  I hope it will not be too long after they are born that she can see them💞

Our oldest grandson and his dad had to drive to Craig Colorado today for a appointment with the DMV for him to get his learners permit to drive.  This is over 200 miles away and a good 4 and a half hour drive!  Due to Covid, there has not been a appointment time available for him to get in.  How crazy is this🤪🤣

We are going to dinner tonight to be with our son and his family for the last time before they head off to their new life in Southern California.  We can not wait to play with Jonah, and just hope it will not be too long before we can go visit them and see him again. 

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day. 

Jenny

Good Night Everyfriend!  Frankie didn't feel well when she came home from work so Cooper is spending the night.  I'm tired and I don't usually sleep well when Cooper joins us in bed but I'm giving it a try again.

I wish you all a peaceful night's sleep and a happy, healthy tomorrow.  And may God bless us, every one!

well I am checking in to bid you all a good night ans sweet dreams. Good Night

Lloyd

Good morning everyone. Looks like we are in for rain and thunder storms most of the day. Glad yesterday I did get outside when Yvette left. Was so nice and cool with low humidity. Just me and my book. Getting so people here even stopped saying hello to each other. Sad.

LLOYD  Happy Belated Birthday.

SHIRLEY  I am at  the stage when I wish every one would forget my birthday. To met is just another day.

JOY  I still make my own lemon filling for a pie. Old habits will mot let me take the easy way. With Yvette here she does all the stirring on the stove.

JANE  one t hing I never canned was potatoes. Let us know how that turns out.

LLOYD  beautiful chair. I can picture the little kids enjoying sitting and rocking in it. 

ROSEMARY  that  book sound like it has some laughs in it.

JENNY  the lady who said she could hear Yvette and me laughing Is a very nice and friendly person. She was not complaining. Wow. Driving 200 miles to get a driving permit makes me glad  live here in our smallest state. 50 miles from one end to the other and we could be into a neighboring state or out in the Atlantic.

Have a good day and stay safe.

Good morning everyone...

Rainy Saturday here..much needed relief for the ground!

My friend had a wonderful birthday, calls from all her kids and grandkids  made her day. Today is the neighbours birthday.

Laundry to finish up and may do more canning. Jars are in short supply in the stores now. I did find some an hours drive from here but will see if our stores are getting more in first.

Jane, hope the doggies shared the bed and let you sleep.

Gloria, everything is different now. Going into a store you have to follow the arrows and not all do. I have gone down the aisle the wrong way but no one has been coming up.

Lloyd, you do beautiful work. That chair took a lot of thought to put it together .


Jenny, hope you hear today on what is going on. Not very professional of the agent for sure.

Rosemary, that would be a lovely walk .Not only enjoying the scenery but the antic  of Ruby also.

Better get a move on here...

Enjoy your day everyone..