M.I.A.

I've been absent from blogging for a bit. I haven't really had the compunction to comment a whole lot either, but have been reading blogs. I think I'm ready to be back now, however.
Had a little health "scare" about which the scary stuff was eliminated, but am still dealing with not feeling quite right. After phoning to make an appointment with my dr. (who had been on vacation when I was dealing with the initial problem), I was once again disgusted by the amount of wait time until I can see him. A month. It takes me an entire month to see my regular family doctor. Therefore, if it is something quite urgent, I would have to go to the emergency ward at a hospital and deal with a doctor who knows nothing of my history. I know people whose doctors have retired and they are now doctor-less. They always have to go to emergency and deal with an assortment of physicians.


Anway, I am not dying, so my whining is going to cease now.


Daughter called last night with delightful news about a summer job lined up, created just for her! She had a job as a summer student (in her field of study- communications) last year and she loved it - driving about to various events, talking to people, helping to promote, working with social media, etc. The people she worked for saw her potential and her skills and created a position for her that she will have this coming summer. She's thrilled and so are we. Well done, daughter!


Yesterday, husband, son and I drove to a city to visit another college where he might attend this coming fall. We were all impressed. There are many newly built sections and he had a chance to speak to the advisor who would actually be one of his teachers if he chooses this college. This one is about 2 to 3 hours from home, versus the 6+ hours that the other one is. It is his decision, but I sure hope he chooses this one.


Prior to yesterday, we have been experiencing some milder weather and much of our snow was gone, apart from where it had been piled up after snow removal throughout the winter. This was a pretty early "spring" for us. We have certainly had snow that stayed well into April and have had storms in April as well. Yesterday there was a light dusting of snow that disappeared after some rain. However, this is what greeted me this morning:

Sigh.
It is disheartening.


I am currently without reading material. The local library does not open until 1:00 on a Sunday, so I shall postpone my grocery shopping until a bit later this morning and then go to the library and find some good mysteries. As I am sitting here in the den, typing away, I can hear the rooster crowing from the chicken coop. I have not opened up their little door, mostly because I don't want to get out of my pajamas (although I've certainly gone out there in them) and brave the snow. The two roosters had a huge fight a while ago. It was hard to tell who was the victor, as both of them looked pretty rough afterwards. One of them must go!!!!


Tonight is "Curse of Oak Island" on tv. Does anyone watch it? Every week we joke that  this will be the week where they find the "treasure"! Not yet. They had to have spent a treasure's worth of money trying to find it so far.


Have a good week all, and try to stay away from all those Easter treats flooding the stores right now! (That's probably more a message to myself!)

Snowy Owl!!

Today I saw the snowy owl that my son has been telling me that he sees on his drive to his highschool. This is only the second time I have ever seen a snowy owl, up close and personal and it thrills me beyond belief! I absolutely love birds of prey. I get pretty excited just seeing a hawk in a dead tree or on a hydro pole. But a snowy owl?? Bliss.


Getting a picture was a bit difficult. The sky was a whitish grey, it was snowing a bit, and the owl is white, so there wasn't much distinction. Add to that, I was using my phone to take the picture out my vehicle window. I was so happy that the owl did not fly away while I was stopped on the road trying to take its picture.

These pictures were enlarged on my phone. It is a male snowy owl because there are no bars in its colouration. Snowy owls are different from others in that they hunt during daylight hours. They are native to Canada.


I think this fellow had his eyes closed most of the time. It is difficult to see how big he is, but he was impressive. I got some good news today about a little health scare today, and I will take his appearance as a "good omen" (even though I'm not really into omens and things). Do you have owls where you live?

Just finished Kingdom of the Blind (spoiler alert for comments)

O.K., Jeanie, I just finished Louise Penny's latest book, Kingdom of the Blind. The best part of the book was the end, not the actual ending, but the "Acknowledgements" at the end. Is this now really the last Gamache novel?


There were a couple of events at the end of this book that disappointed me. I like characters to remain true and consistent. They are characters, not real people. Real people do sometimes take different directions and make unpredictable choices occasionally. The characters in Penny's novels, well I wanted them to stay who they were. Not my decision, however.


If anyone else has read this book, please feel free to join in on a little impromptu book club here. Bring your own wine.

Back again

My laptop died a bit of a death, so it's been a while since I've written my last post. I've had a look at other people's blogs and made the odd comment here and there. Seventy-five dollars later, my cursor no longer freezes and I no longer get spontaneously booted off wifi. I'm also no longer caught in a loop of windows recovery. I think it was money well spent.




I have nothing exciting to report. I'm just busy with regular ordinary life, daughter is home from university for reading week, son is currently off at a big time basketball tournament, and we ate a variety of leftovers for supper tonight.




I have no idea how people blog on a daily basis, but lord knows I've Pinned lists of blog post ideas you can write about to make your blog as exciting and captivating as possible.


I did my first pulled pork in my Instantpot and it was succulent. The roosters "attacked" husband - he thinks it was due to red pants (don't even ask), but I"m not sure chickens even see in colour.




Several nights ago, I was pleasantly fast asleep, but then wakened up by the sound of...  coyotes! They were so loud I actually looked out the bedroom window, expecting to find them in our front yard. It was such an eerie sound. I rushed downstairs and asked husband, who is more of a night owl than I, if the cats were inside. They were, so we closed the cat door and kept them in. I heard the coyotes two more times that night.


Now, I am going to go out in the dark with my flashlight to turn off the chickens' light and settle in for an episode of Coronation Street, and to keep reading my wonderful Louise Penny book - her latest called Kingdom of the Blind. I am intrigued and thoroughly loving it.

No more, please

Brace thineself:

Here we go again, people. This is getting old.

Old Houses

Our house is old. Probably not old by England standards, or France standards, or anything other than North American standards, but old here. We don't know exactly when it was built, but researching it is on my "what to do when I retire" list. It is definitely more than 118 years old.

Yes, old homes can be charming. However, I just got done trying to treat mold around the windows and crawling up the outside walls on the upstairs landing. My basement is unfinished and a spider's dream. Some spots in the house have been renovated (by husband) but there are other parts where more insulation is needed, and we really need new eavestroughs, and it's hard to heat because the hot air doesn't flow well into individual rooms, and I'm pretty sure there are wasp nests in the wall behind the upstairs bathroom where they come in between the bricks and the soffits. The list goes on and on.

Sometimes I dream of moving into a newly built, small house with enough closet space in each bedroom and doors that shut properly and a finished basement. Then I remind myself of how much work would need to be done in order to sell this place. Then I have a small cry.

Four Things About Me

I have borrowed this idea from a couple of other bloggers, so thank you Thickethouse and Granny Sue for the inspiration!

Four Names I Go By:
-Jenn
-Hon
-Mom (Momster)
-Mrs. Yale

Four Places I've Lived:
-close to Cassel, Ontario (population 39, Saaaalute!) (Hee Haw reference - we didn't have cable growing up)
-London, Ontario
-Antigonish, Nova Scotia
-Mount Forest, Ontario

Four Things I Love to Watch:
-animals - birds at the feeder, cats rolling on the floor, chickens pecking, bunny rabbit on the lawn, cows in the field...
-British murder mysteries
-"Modern Family"
-beautiful scenes in nature - sunsets, rainbows, waves...

Four Places I have Visited:
-Cotswolds, England
-Dominican Republic
-East Coast of Canada (Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick)
-Cuba

Four Things I Love to Eat:
(first of all, only four????)
-Greek chicken souvlaki meal with rice pilaf, Greek salad, tzatziki sauce
-Dairy Queen Smarties Blizzard
-sticky toffee pudding
-butter chicken, naan bread, other items from a really good Indian buffet

Four Favourite Drinks:
-coffee with milk first thing in the morning
-ice cold coke
-red wine
-ice cold beer, preferably Bud Light Lime, on a stinking hot summer afternoon by the pool

Four Favourite Smells:
-peonies
-lilacs
-freshly cut hay
-lumber (tied with something baking with cinnamon in it) (oh, and lime) (and autumn leaves)

Now you know.