So Far So Good

So far so good with the food budget. I made a big pot of turkey soup, didn't use a recipe just used up leftovers that needed to be used along with what started as 1 cup of soup mix (various dried beans, split peas, lentils, rice, quinoa etc) and turned into 4-5 cups after absorbing lots of water while being soaked. I threw in some oldish carrots and some limp celery, half of a leftover sweet onion, about half a can of tomatoes that had lingered in the fridge long enough and a bunch of soft and squishy grape tomatoes, cut in half. I added some chopped up turkey, of course and some basil, thyme, and a healthy serving of crushed chilli peppers to spice it up a bit (a whole lot!)

                                                          I have to say it is delicious!
*I didn't take any photos so am using google photos that look similar to what I made.

While rummaging around in the fridge I realized I had four green peppers and Kazi's favourite meal is stuffed peppers. It is one of my favourites too because once again it allows me to hide things in the mixture :) Kazi saw the peas ( about half a cup leftover from Thanksgiving dinner) but she didn't identify the leftover stuffing!! Kind of apropos don't you think? Stuffing in stuffed peppers? I mixed it up with some of the soup mix, the leftover peas, some marinara sauce and lots of grated cheddar. You can hide a lot of stuff under cheddar! Oh, I almost forgot...I had half of a medium-sized zucchini which I chopped up and sauteed in a little olive oil and added to the peppers. Yum!

Today I did take myself off to the grocery store as planned as I needed to reload up on fruits and veg, along with a few staples like bread, soy milk and a large package of chicken breasts 30% off. I spent about $60 and hope to NOT shop again for at least a week, preferably 10 days but we'll see. After today there is only about $60 left in the food budget. I'll be making mostly meals that stretch to two nights instead of the usual one.

Future meals will include:
Chicken fajitas (always lasts two nights :)
Cheese and spinach ravioli
Spinach and mozzarella omlettes with mashed potato & onion patties
Shrimp & veggie linguine
Greek lentil soup (get 2-3 meals out of this)
Veggie chilli ( several meals)
Salmon steaks and sweet potato fries
Cheese and potato pierogies
Tuna Melts

We have tons of fresh veg and fruit on hand to augment meals, plus a lot of frozen fruit for smoothies. There is always a pot of soup for lunches and we both eat oatmeal in the morning. This should work. I don't usually make a meal plan beyond...well...today...but I can definitely see the purpose.

Do you plan your meals by the day, week, or month?

October Budget a Bit of a Challenge

Are you squeezing your budget extra tight this month in order to stay in the black? Me too! Just about everyone whose blog I read is trying to make the most of their food budget in order to stay on track.  I just went through Thanksgiving Day long weekend and spent twice as much on food/drinks as I usually spend in an ordinary month.  I have a fridge full of leftovers but we're a little tired of eating turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. It looks like I need to freeze the remaining food and haul it out again in a couple of weeks when I won't be faced with moans and groans...and that's just ME!

But here's the problem: there are three weeks left in October but there is not three weeks of grocery money left! So how to get to the end of October, providing a variety of healthy meals, while staying within the remaining budget. The age old problem. Doesn't seem possible does it?

And this is where you think I'm going to present an imaginative and tasty solution but I'm afraid I'm going to let you down. Because I don't know. If there were only two weeks left in this month I think it would be a snap...but three? Without hauling out the frozen leftovers? This is when having another freezer would come in handy. But I don't have one and never have so I have to work with what I've got.

Yes...I should have increased the food budget for October but the money still has to come from somewhere! So...I've decided to transfer the $80 I set aside for gas for the as yet unnamed car into the food budget line. Fortunately when I purchased the car they filled it up with gas. It still has over 3/4 of a tank so I won't need to put anymore in til next month, and maybe not then either. There, with a little bit of budget magic, I have my three weeks of groceries covered. That being said, I'm still going to try to get to Friday, my usual grocery day, without going to the grocery store.

Fingers crossed.

Happier Thanksgiving

Recently I came across an article with a phrase that I keep at the forefront of my mind at all times now. It really has caused a paradigm shift in my way of thinking and so I thought that on this long weekend of feasting and giving thanks here in Canada I would share it with you.

The phrase is "self-compassion".  Think about it for a minute or two......what does it mean to you? Don't confuse it with "self-pity", that's a different kettle of fish altogether.

I don't think it was a coincidence that I encountered the phrase shortly after my aborted trip to Scotland. I was being pretty hard on myself for not pushing through the pain and the injuries which in retrospect don't seem that bad now.

Showing myself compassion has always been difficult for me to do. Family members and friends (which includes my wonderful readers) showed me a lot of compassion and understanding and NO judgement after I came home.

So why am I so hard on myself? Is that a female trait? Is it just me and my particular set of circumstances? Don't I love myself? Speaking recently with a sister I wondered why I'm not more compassionate to myself? Why do I set myself such big challenges? How can I show myself compassion instead of punishment?

My first action in being more compassionate with myself was buying my new car. Why was I making my life so difficult when it didn't have to be?

Then I ordered myself a full-size Yamaha keyboard and am anticipating it's arrival with great joy! I took lessons for years and years and was my piano teacher's top student. It was during a search in a used bookshop in Bracebridge that I came across some sheet music that I thought my brother would love and which I bought for his birthday. That compelled me to dig out my big box full of piano books that my siblings and I shared over the many years we took piano lessons. That was quite a teary trip down memory lane looking at those books so I decided to give myself the gift of music which always soothes my soul  :)
Self-compassion.

I am going to try to be more self-aware and treat myself with compassion accordingly. Last night the first of my toenails fell off; several more to go. I can't imagine how I would have survived hiking another 150kms with my feet in the shape they were so I will ease up on myself and accept that that journey was not meant to be but there are more trips and adventures in my future.

Being thankful for my life can't be celebrated in just one weekend. It has to be on-going the whole year through.  Everyday when I wake up I immediately lay down on my yoga mat and through my practise I feel such a sense of well-being. Instead of only directing those good feelings towards others I must remember to also direct them inwards. Finding ways to show myself compassion everyday won't be easy but it is a necessary and worthwhile cause.

All through the year I march and protest for others...now I will march for myself.  I hope you will join me.

Back to Walking

Words cannot express my happy feelings for being back in Kilally Meadows, my home away from home. I walked for a couple hours and my toes caused me no grief.

I received as a birthday gift this year the book called "The Hidden Life of Trees" and it is fabulous. If you are a lover of forests, as I am, you should read this book. It is an amazing read and the research will help you understand that trees live in very social communities and are much better at supporting each other and communicating with each other than we are. 

Anyhoo...there is still a lot going on in the forest at this time of year. We've had cold weather and hot weather and everything in between. Except for rain - we really need more of that! I went on a sunny day that was around 18c and it was perfect.

          So inviting isn't it?

I love fungi! Fungi play a huge role in the lives of trees in the forest.

I've always loved the way fallen branches create works of forest art.

Look at these sweet little seed fluffies. (definitely a scientific term!)

Still lots of colour to be found.

And lots of wildflowers still blooming brightly!

The last of the phlox. 

I chased this Clouded Sulpher butterfly around til it settled long enough for a photo. 

Beautiful!

This is the ugly part of things - invasive species.  Mostly we should leave forests alone.

But sometimes certain invasive species try to take over and kill the whole forest and then

man must step in to try and stem the flow.

In this case it is the European Buckthorn population that has been taking over.

For some reason these milkweed pods below remind me of 

Heckle and Jeckle :)

I'm dating myself! 

Whatever flowers these were is a mystery that will

have to wait until next spring.

Two very fat ducks - they better stay hidden until after Thanksgiving!

.....this weekend in Canada.

A clothesline of sumac leaves - such glorious colours.

And that's it for this week's walk. Hopefully I will get to Kilally Meadows again soon; possibly tomorrow. Today is volleyball - I played a couple hours on Tuesday and am happy to report that my fingers held up quite well :)  And yesterday we had the first rain in weeks so I took the opportunity to work on a couple of soapstone carvings.

I LOVE autumn!

Thankful

Woke up this morning feeling thankful. Hope you did too. It would be nice to wake up every morning feeling thankful - something to work on, I guess. Although our Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone I feel like sharing why I'm feeling thankful/grateful. 

Part of my gratefulness stems from an amazing event I attended Saturday night - a couple hundred people gathered at the downtown N'Amerind Centre to support the Chippewa First Nations folks who are fighting the legal battle against PipeLine #9 & Enbridge. The reversal in direction of this OLD OLD pipeline between Sarnia and Montreal will allow diluted bitumen from the Alberta tar sands to be transported to east coast ports at great risk to the environment. 

The highlight of the event was being "smudged" for the first time. 

Smudging is a traditional Native American method of burning sacred herbs to produce a smoke cloud which is used in various cleansing or prayer ceremonies and purification or healing rituals.

I've been at ceremonies where the room was smudged but this time every single person had the chance to remove negative energy and be cleansed. 

It was a wonderful experience.

I also had the opportunity on Friday to meet up with a person from my past who meant a great deal to me and still does. Not all relationships end amicably and ours didn't either but over the years we've connected a few times (the last being 24 years ago!) which I

think has helped us heal and think of each other kindly. 

I'm thankful we were able to meet, laugh and share our lives.

I'm thankful for a daughter who seems wise beyond her years. She has

provided much support over the past few days and I feel

more closely connected with her than I ever have.

I'm thankful for good friends. On Saturday night we went out dancing-

something we haven't done in ages. The music was great

and it was very therapeutic to let loose a little bit.

Can you see me?

I'm thankful for two warm and furry critters who are very

affectionate and funny. I woke up this morning feeling some

heavy duty purring going on behind my legs and my back. That

has to be a major healing force!! 

I'm thankful for having options: I can choose where to live, I can choose what I want to do each day, I can choose what to eat, what to wear, who to hang out with. There are no limits to what I can read or say or do. I can protest peacefully and rarely do I ever feel that I am "in danger" or unsafe, even when travelling far from home. 

Money shows up in my account every month, more than enough for my needs and wants. I may not be in the top 1% financially but the way I calculate my life

I am in the top 1% - I have freedom, family, friends, safety, food, a warm home, the ability to help others, peace, good health....

...how fortunate am I? 

How fortunate are you?

WIFI x Two

Apparently you have to get the internet technician in the house TWICE before things are truly fixed. Luckily he was still parked outside filling in paperwork when I tried connecting my laptop and got the message about there being NO INTERNET!! The second time he came in he discovered a "bad splitter" and also rerouted directly to the modem (which has wifi capability unbeknownst to me!) so we no longer have to use our old router which also speeded things up. He also gave us a 2nd 5G wifi connection so if the first one is slow it automatically connects to the 2nd one - this is handy at peak times of the day.

Don't know what he did the first time he came in!! Played with the cats?

Anyhoo... I'm enjoying actually having High-Speed internet once again. I've been zipping all over the place :)

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends! Kazi will be visiting her boyfriend in Detroit and enjoying a 2nd big Thanksgiving dinner (we had ours in October) and lots of football games no doubt. She is considering a new car purchase which is very exciting. I gave her my Cobalt when I bought Dougie the Dodge going on 5 years ago. Stella, the Cobalt, has done well over the years but has had her day.

The interesting part (to me) is her new car costs 10X what I paid for my first new car back in 1977! Wow. And here I am considering going without a vehicle altogether! Different generations.

This was my first new car - a 1977 Datsun F10 Hatchback in gold :) Absolutely loved it!!

*More about my car-free options in my next post.

Monday Monday

Funny that I still wakeup with a bit of Monday Monday anxiety after 2 years of retirement but on the bright side it only lasts as long as it takes me to remember I can roll over and go back to sleep if I want to. Not that I can sleep after an anxiety jolt runs through my veins but theoretically it's true.

These days Monday is about balancing the budget, making a grocery list, perhaps cleaning up a particularly messy spot in the house, walking to do my errands, going out for breakfast or lunch with a friend, reading and so on. Aren't I a lucky little old lady?

Today I closed out October's budget. I am a serious zero budgeter and I ended up the month with a surplus of $1.79! I think I've got the hang of this thing. There are a variety of budget lines that fluctuate from month to month (food, gas, misc, natural gas and electricity). Everything else usually stays exactly the same with my cell phone occasionally a bit extra due to using a bit more data. That happened last month when I had to pay an extra $8 on my cell phone bill. My electricity bill came in $11 over budget as we still needed to put the central air on a few times. That being said the natural gas bill was under budget by $6 and I only spent $62 on gas for my truck as I walked to do most errands. The surplus gas $ went to my food budget as I did a massive shop at the Bulk Barn to buy a ton of nuts and seeds, dried fruit, oatmeal, quinoa, rice and other dried goods for the winter pantry. I won't need to do that again for several months.

Misc purchases included new running shoes for volleyball. I googled "best shoes for runner's knee" and the best brand was Asics which just happened to be on sale at Sport Chek. I've been using them all month and I do believe they have helped. We have celebrated Thanksgiving so I've already shelled out for turkey and wine...and more wine :) I've been to the movies, out to lunch and breakfast, bought a book on Amazon, bought some new-to-me sports wear for volleyball at my neighbourhood thrift store, new socks, and so on. I bought a Christmas gift for my brother but have forgotten about my charitable donations. Need to get back on track. But overall a good money month.

I've been fighting a virus for almost 2 weeks so have had a few No Spend days this month - that has helped to keep costs down though not in a good way :(   I really like my nursemaid though!!

Happily I am on a ten month property tax schedule so I don't pay in November and December. I also have a GIC interest injection at the end of Nov. which just gets rolled over to increase my savings for the year. I can withdraw if I need more $$ for Christmas but don't think I'll need to.

Misc spending for November looks like this: new runners for hallways on main floor and basement, furnace filters, prescription and a doorbell. The old one only rings occasionally - and I thought nobody liked me! And I'll try to finish off Christmas shopping and update my charitable givings.

Kazi's sister came for a sleepover on Friday. Hannah is a very sweet, mature and well-behaved 12 year old considering what she's been through. Kazi bought snacks/drinks and we watched a funny movie together. Saturday morning we had breakfast together and then she and Kazi made S'mores cupcakes. I could hear them laughing and carrying on.

Hannah gave me a nice big hug when she arrived and when she left. She asked why her dad and I broke up and not knowing how much she knew I told her she should probably talk to her dad about that. Kazi showed her some pictures of their dad when he was a kid and then as a young man. She said she had no photos as her mom had thrown them all away so I gave her one of her dad, me and Kazi in a Christmas photo. I think I'll scan the others I have of her dad and grandparents and get them printed for her. Apparently her mom tosses out lots of things.

Kazi asked her what her favourite movie was and Hannah couldn't state a preference. Kazi says she can never say what her favourite "anything" is, not even a favourite colour. That got me wondering if she has learned not to have preferences so as not to be disappointed. I did find out that when she was 7 or 8 her mom was supposed to pick her up after a visit with her dad and she just disappeared for several months. That was when custody got changed in favour of her dad.

Anyhoo she is absolutely lovely and I hope we see lots of her.

That's my Monday, how is yours going?

Fighting the Slump

* Happy Thanksgiving to all of me American friends! I am thankful for each and every one of you!

Kazi and I are fighting the "slump" right now. Boo. Why does crap all seem to happen at once? Crap attracts more crap I guess.  You know all about my crap...I've been whining about it for almost a year. Yes, can you believe it? It's been almost a year since Voldemort left the scene of his crime. Has it gotten easier? Somewhat. But I feel a lot of the time like my feet are stuck in deep mud and it takes a lot of effort to take the next step. I feel LAZY but I know it's more of a depressed slump. It takes me a week to accomplish less than what I used to do in a day. But enough about me...

Last week Kazi got in a fender bender while she was leaving Chicago to drive back to London. I got a teary phone call and felt so helpless - I wanted to immediately rush to her aid but she was too far away. She wasn't hurt, thankfully, but she didn't know what to do! Eventually the friend who she had been visiting came to her aid and a police officer stopped, reports were made and the damage to her car was deemed minor enough that she  could continue her journey. Needless to say I was worried sick til she arrived home. The aftermath is still ongoing as we wait to for the car to get called in for repairs etc.

Walking the day after a major wind storm

As if that wasn't enough Kazi's boyfriend  ex-boyfriend has decided he doesn't want to work things out. She is looking at the breakup as an opportunity to do some things she has put off while in the relationship. Stuff like moving to Toronto or going back to Australia to work or travel.  She'll take some time to figure things out - I won't let her jump into something too quickly or she'll likely regret it. (EEK - I'm freaking out about Luna and Lily moving to Toronto!!!)

What's cuter than cuddly kittens?

 Awwww, lookit - Luna has her arm around Lily :)

Lily looks how I feel!

 I do lots of stuff to keep myself busy and the depression at bay but movement isn't always progress. The hiking is good though, I know that much is true:) But life seems like a mystery to me. I'm used to having a plan to follow - get up, go to work etc etc.  I'm not quite sure what my plan should be now and that's ok. Hopefully the answers will come. I'm doing a bit of yoga and meditation and the vibes from that are positive, like the hiking. (maybe the plan is to NOT have a plan - scary!)

The big news is that a date has been set for the installation of my new basement flooring. It's costing almost twice as much as I had hoped but I'm biting the bullet on that one. It's gotta get done. I've been working v e r y  s l o w l y  down there filling in nail holes in the walls and sanding. Today I'll wash the walls and I'll be ready to paint next week. Then when the floors are done I can start the process of UNPACKING the bins of stuff I was going to take to PEI and start making this place look like a home again. That will give me a more settled feeling I think. Getting my house in order will give me the peace of mind to pursue other things...at least that's the hope.

Yesterday there was a fresh dusting of snow on our hike through Gibbons Park and up through the university. Two friends came with me but I ended up walking and talking with someone I hadn't talked to before. Peggy must be in her late 70's - she and her husband Ian joined the hiking club 17 years ago! So they've been retired for awhile. She is a bloody marvel! They hike Tuesdays and Thursdays, swim Mondays and Wednesdays, skate on Fridays, go to language classes, travel, are deeply interested in history and art and are just full of passion for life. Very inspiring. Talking to Peggy made me see that a person can be vital, energetic and full of life no matter what age they are. It was a real eye-opener.

Lots of trees were down due to the major windstorm we had earlier in the week. We had to make a few detours.

 It's good to have friends. It's a balancing act for me though - after being with friends I always need time to myself. A lot of people don't understand that.

University College - where I used to go for my English Lit classes years ago! I have hikes planned for Saturday and Sunday - being outside brings me peace. Well I'd better get going - my laptop charging cord isn't working so I'm using Kazi's - good thing we have the same computers! I'm going to see if I can find a cheap one on e-Bay!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING SOUTH OF THE BORDER!!

I thought this picture was perfect - turkey AND football...what could say American Thanksgiving better than that?

We do have football here in Canada too, but do not revere it to the same extent I don't think. It just so happens though that the highschool I teach at IS a football school and takes great pride in its long football history. Just last Saturday, amid the snow squalls, our senior team blasted the other top city school's team 30-17 taking #1 spot in the city of London.  Today, amid more snow squalls, they played in another championship game but sadly lost....boo....Oh well, there's always next year!

Here's their photo from last Saturday's game - note the snow they're laying on - such tough guys!

That was the same night I was riding the "party bus" or else I would have been there in the stands, freezing to death and cheering them on...well, not likely no, but I would have been there "in spirit"... ...um..sure I would. Hey, I did check my phone once or twice for updates!!!

So, enough about football...(I really prefer hockey)...I hope all of my American friends have a really great holiday weekend with your loved ones and if that includes watching football, so be it. As long as there is also some pie thrown in for good measure. Put your feet up, pat your tummy and smile like a cheshire cat because YOU (most of you) DON'T HAVE TO GO TO WORK TOMORROW and I do :(

HAPPY CANADIAN THANKSGIVING!!

Greetings from Canada eh? Yes, here in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving looooooong before Christmas. We don't like the stress of having one major holiday (Christmas) follow another major holiday (Thanksgiving) so closely! We're funny that way. Yes, funny "strange" not funny "hahaha"!

Actually the real reason is that we can stand getting together with relatives only so  often - twice within 4 weeks is really too much.  At least at Christmas we're rewarded with presents whereas at Thanksgiving we only gain a few pounds. That's yet another problem with holidays so close together- weight gained over Thanksgiving in Canada has time to drop off by Christmas.

Theoretically, that is :)

My photo above was taken pre 1998. The reason I know this is that gorgeous maple tree fell on my parents' home during the Norwich tornado June 8, l998.  Now it no longer exists except in the form of a few carvings I made from a branch I saved. It was something my mother always worried about - the tree falling on the house - and us kids always scoffed at - ain't gonna happen! Well, as we know, mothers are always right!

But in this picture it is how I remember it being in the fall - full of glorious reds and orange, leaves carpeting the ground. My dad's Ontario flag flying bravely, the proverbial white picket fence still in place - HOME SWEET HOME.

Now someone else lives there, my parents have both passed away, the tree and flag are gone but the memories remain. For which I'll be forever thankful and blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving my Friends!

Wishing you and your family a blessed day filled with
the joy of the season. May today find you with
many reasons to be truly thankful.
From:
your Canadian friend,
Jane