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| the garden is growing at an astonishing speed but the thing that you should notice is that there is NO snow. That's right everything is green. But that is not to say that there will be no snow in the near future...this is Calgary afterall. We could have no garden by noon if a hail storm comes along. You see those golfers in the background? They are women and therefore find no need to show their strength to fellow players by taking a great testosterone whack at the ball on the tee and tear off some of my siding or lop off a tree. The men do that on the week end. The amateurs. |
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
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| Ginger wondering where her pantry went to....OMG where will she find her treats? Can't find anyone strong enough to hoist the 5000lb oven into place. Sure hope the oven fairies show up. |
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| The ceramic tile goes into the back hall and the laundry room. I made the guys move the tile layout so that a full tile was in the centre of the doorway. Not happy campers. |
Thursday, May 19, 2011
a picture of the garden
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The back yard is taking shape
I slipped over to Costco on the ruse of buying deodorant but I found myself in the garden centre hauling huge wigelia plants overhead and yet another clematis,this one is Polish Spirit. I bought two different kinds of strawberry plants and I will hopefully not lose the tags, so that when someone says 'My this is a delicious sweet red berry, what variety?" I can reply with the true name.
I bought a standard Japanese willow. Such a sweet delicate plant, I grew it to an enormous size in my other house and alas the next owners killed it dead. This one I bought today has to endure the howling winds down the fairway and the rabbits. I have given it quite an assignment.
A Morden rose, that I can stuff into the back of the bed to give shelter to the new little Parkland apple and a already flowering double plum.
Hmmm what else. Lots of annuals of course. I get the ones in baskets and try not to kill them before I put them into the ground. Yes, I put them in the ground, that way the underground sprinkler system will take over nanny duty.
it will soon be picture time.
I bought a standard Japanese willow. Such a sweet delicate plant, I grew it to an enormous size in my other house and alas the next owners killed it dead. This one I bought today has to endure the howling winds down the fairway and the rabbits. I have given it quite an assignment.
A Morden rose, that I can stuff into the back of the bed to give shelter to the new little Parkland apple and a already flowering double plum.
Hmmm what else. Lots of annuals of course. I get the ones in baskets and try not to kill them before I put them into the ground. Yes, I put them in the ground, that way the underground sprinkler system will take over nanny duty.
it will soon be picture time.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Now it begins
The invisible work has been done. Workers have been here almost everyday laying floors and preparing the walls, installing electrical and plumbing rough in.
Today the drywall arrived and the carpenter began storing the cabinet boxes in the garage in preparation for their installation. I am told that things will go quickly now.
Ha, pull the other one.
We have been in our little basement suite for 6 weeks now.
I am not going to take any pictures until the scenery changes. When the tile floor goes in or the ceiling goes up.
The last few days have been windy windy and chilly. Tonight is a full moon. Everybody including the dog is feeling rattled. Must be the energy shifts.
The daffodils are blooming, the apple tree is blooming, the flowering plum is flowering. My plant baskets have been doing lots of miles, in and out. I am never really sure of the weather here. There is a rule in this city, not to plant before May 29th. I have extended that to June 2nd.
If we survive a frost we will be just in time for hail season. Then we run around with sheets to cover up the plants.
If we manage to avoid getting pounded to green mush then its off to mosquito season.
Did you notice I didn't mention a rainy season? We live in the high desert...enough said.
So after all that it is winter again.
I gotta wonder why I live here.
Oh yeah, its the huge blue sky, the mountains, the beautiful green foothills, our family and friends, the oil industry which feeds our economy...yeah its all of that.
Today the drywall arrived and the carpenter began storing the cabinet boxes in the garage in preparation for their installation. I am told that things will go quickly now.
Ha, pull the other one.
We have been in our little basement suite for 6 weeks now.
I am not going to take any pictures until the scenery changes. When the tile floor goes in or the ceiling goes up.
The last few days have been windy windy and chilly. Tonight is a full moon. Everybody including the dog is feeling rattled. Must be the energy shifts.
The daffodils are blooming, the apple tree is blooming, the flowering plum is flowering. My plant baskets have been doing lots of miles, in and out. I am never really sure of the weather here. There is a rule in this city, not to plant before May 29th. I have extended that to June 2nd.
If we survive a frost we will be just in time for hail season. Then we run around with sheets to cover up the plants.
If we manage to avoid getting pounded to green mush then its off to mosquito season.
Did you notice I didn't mention a rainy season? We live in the high desert...enough said.
So after all that it is winter again.
I gotta wonder why I live here.
Oh yeah, its the huge blue sky, the mountains, the beautiful green foothills, our family and friends, the oil industry which feeds our economy...yeah its all of that.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
My new Acquisitiion
Did I mention that I went out searchng for an electric digital pressue cooker? No? I didn't even know I wanted one but here is what happened.
I fell asleep infront of the the TV last week and I must have rolled over on the clicker, when I woke up the shopping channel was on. they were hawking electric pressure cookers. Now, it has been a long time since Grannie gave me my old stove top model pressure cooker. After we tamed it down from exploding onto the ceiling time and again we got the knack and I used it hard for several decades. When it became impossible to find the rubber gasket for it, I retired it to become a popcorn pot.
I wanted that electric digital pressure cooker. I really wanted it. According to the SC it would completely take over my kitchen and we would want for no other appliance. Cooking would once again become a breeze, no less a pleasure.
They are hard to find. I looked in all the major department stores and most of the kitchen stores. I googled it and found that Williams Sonoma had one. In the states.
I happened to be at the mall one day so I stopped in to the store, I was prepared for a big laugh at the price. Usually the price of stuff in WS is so ridiculously inflated that it makes for great entertainment. What? $1200 for a toaster? Who buys this stuff?
But my luck was in and the pressure cooker that I wanted (6 quarts) was on sale for $149. Hmm I said, I saw it on the internet .ca for $99. They couldn't have been more accommodating and it wasn't 10 minutes later that I was struggling down the mall escalator with my new pot.
I initiated it the first night with some stewing beef that I picked up at the Better Butcher. Brown the meat, pour in some wine, season, add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste, chop up some mirepoix and toss it in. Pressure cook for 30 minutes. Let off the steam and toss in green beans and carrots and pressure for 6 minutes. Wow!!!!!
Dellicious.
I just made the best stew I have made in many years, in my wee little temporary kitchen with my new pot.
I was off and running.
Next night it was pot roast. My favorite easy meal. Again browning the meat and adding mirepoix, a cup of red wine, reduce for a few minutes and then add some beef broth to the pot.
Pressure cook for 45 minutes. Let the steam ease on its own, probably another 15 minutes or so. In that time you can prepare your potatos and carrots. Once the meat it done, remove it from the pot, add the carrots and steam for 3 minutes, let off the steam and add the potatos and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the vegetables and stir in on the browning cycle, a mixture of COLD water, maybe 2/3 cup and a couple of heaping table spoons of flour. This will thicken the broth in the pot and become a decious gravy.
Another wonderful 'no work' way to make a fabulous pot roast dinner is this; after you have browned the roast, sprinkle a package of dried onion soup mix over the roast then pour in a can of mushroom soup. Pour over 1 soup can of water and pressure cook for 45 minutes. You will probably never use another recipe again and your family will eat the whole roast in one go.
I made a BBQ'd chicken for easter Sunday dinner and after we picked it over I pressure cooked it for 10 minutes. The meat fell off the bones when it cooled down enough for me to open it. Oh did I mention another think I really like about this appliance? You can set it and go out. Yes, you can go out. No longer do you need to dial 911 when using a pressure cooker. When the food is done, it slowly reduces the steam and then sits on stay warm until you open it up.
Tonight we had just the best chicken vegetable soup.
So, when you don't have an oven or at least a cook top and you can't eat junk food at the fast food joints, this is by far the best choice.
More recipes coming.
I fell asleep infront of the the TV last week and I must have rolled over on the clicker, when I woke up the shopping channel was on. they were hawking electric pressure cookers. Now, it has been a long time since Grannie gave me my old stove top model pressure cooker. After we tamed it down from exploding onto the ceiling time and again we got the knack and I used it hard for several decades. When it became impossible to find the rubber gasket for it, I retired it to become a popcorn pot.
I wanted that electric digital pressure cooker. I really wanted it. According to the SC it would completely take over my kitchen and we would want for no other appliance. Cooking would once again become a breeze, no less a pleasure.
They are hard to find. I looked in all the major department stores and most of the kitchen stores. I googled it and found that Williams Sonoma had one. In the states.
I happened to be at the mall one day so I stopped in to the store, I was prepared for a big laugh at the price. Usually the price of stuff in WS is so ridiculously inflated that it makes for great entertainment. What? $1200 for a toaster? Who buys this stuff?
But my luck was in and the pressure cooker that I wanted (6 quarts) was on sale for $149. Hmm I said, I saw it on the internet .ca for $99. They couldn't have been more accommodating and it wasn't 10 minutes later that I was struggling down the mall escalator with my new pot.
I initiated it the first night with some stewing beef that I picked up at the Better Butcher. Brown the meat, pour in some wine, season, add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste, chop up some mirepoix and toss it in. Pressure cook for 30 minutes. Let off the steam and toss in green beans and carrots and pressure for 6 minutes. Wow!!!!!
Dellicious.
I just made the best stew I have made in many years, in my wee little temporary kitchen with my new pot.
I was off and running.
Next night it was pot roast. My favorite easy meal. Again browning the meat and adding mirepoix, a cup of red wine, reduce for a few minutes and then add some beef broth to the pot.
Pressure cook for 45 minutes. Let the steam ease on its own, probably another 15 minutes or so. In that time you can prepare your potatos and carrots. Once the meat it done, remove it from the pot, add the carrots and steam for 3 minutes, let off the steam and add the potatos and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the vegetables and stir in on the browning cycle, a mixture of COLD water, maybe 2/3 cup and a couple of heaping table spoons of flour. This will thicken the broth in the pot and become a decious gravy.
Another wonderful 'no work' way to make a fabulous pot roast dinner is this; after you have browned the roast, sprinkle a package of dried onion soup mix over the roast then pour in a can of mushroom soup. Pour over 1 soup can of water and pressure cook for 45 minutes. You will probably never use another recipe again and your family will eat the whole roast in one go.
I made a BBQ'd chicken for easter Sunday dinner and after we picked it over I pressure cooked it for 10 minutes. The meat fell off the bones when it cooled down enough for me to open it. Oh did I mention another think I really like about this appliance? You can set it and go out. Yes, you can go out. No longer do you need to dial 911 when using a pressure cooker. When the food is done, it slowly reduces the steam and then sits on stay warm until you open it up.
Tonight we had just the best chicken vegetable soup.
So, when you don't have an oven or at least a cook top and you can't eat junk food at the fast food joints, this is by far the best choice.
More recipes coming.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
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