Just Another Ordinary Day

A Long Day
Another reminder to tidy my pantry.

My task today, before going out this afternoon, was grocery shopping, and by grocery shopping I mean ordering on Instacart. When I started, I thought I had plenty of time, but there were two things I hadn't considered. 1 - The last time I did a proper shop was the end of June, so I needed a lot of stuff. 2 - The beginning of the week is always a bad time because the stores tend to restock closer to the weekend. So putting together my order took longer than I expected and they were out of certain things I always buy, but overall I was happy. I submitted my order and waited for a shopper. The time ticked away. Finally, just as I had to leave, a shopper began collecting my items. I crossed my fingers and hoped that everything would be okay with the order. I don't have a cell phone and after I left my house and my computer, I had no way of communicating with them.

It was around 6:00 PM when I arrived back home to a mountain of bags to be unpacked and put away. It felt like it took forever because my pantry is an unorganized nightmare and I am constantly shuffling things around trying to make room. The worst is that it's my own fault because I keep saying I am going to tidy and organize my shelves and cupboards and I never do, so I can't even complain. LOL Then I made myself a very easy dinner of potato wedges and a vegan chick'n burger that I cooked in the oven, a nice low-effort treat meal. Now I am having a coffee. It is quite late for coffee, but I had dinner later than usual and I always like something to drink afterward. I am especially enjoying a hot drink tonight. It is a cold and rainy night and I am feeling rather cold as well. The weather forecast is promising sunshine for the rest of the week. I hope it's right!
 
Did you get eerything you wanted or did they give substitutions you did not want? I don't have a cell either. I have not used instacart yet. I am good when it comes to going to the local grocery stores. I have only had to use a delivery service after a hip replacement. I used walmart, they did a very good job. If what I wanted wasn't available they would send me a name brand or a larger size as a substitution. I like that! I will say they are changing things a lot right now so I don't know if they still do that. I am not happy that they will not ship things I used to order, like canned goods, sodas and water. I still order my dog food and they ship it no charge. I used to be able to order all those things for shipping without any shipping charges. They no longer do that and I am not happy about it.
 
Blessed said:
Did you get eerything you wanted or did they give substitutions you did not want?
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I got almost everything on my order. They were out of the vegan creamer I like, but it's not a necessity so I was okay with that. Normally, I am home when I do an order and I am able to message back and forth with my shopper if they have any questions. I've been very lucky with shoppers and using Instacart has been a positive experience. I don't drive and I don't live within walking distance of a decent supermarket, so I am happy that the service is finally available in my area. :)
 
Brrrr
And that's pretty much all she wrote.

Not much to say tonight because I've been out of the house for most of the day doing work-related things that I don't find particularly interesting and I can't imagine anyone else would either. It was cold when I left this morning, 7°C, and colder when I returned home, 2°C. I just checked my local forecast and there is a frost advisory overnight. I wonder if we'll be getting snow soon. Because I got home rather late, I just made myself some toast for dinner. At 10:00 PM I can't really be bothered to do more. I held my hands over the toaster while it was on to warm them up. It felt really nice. So would wrapping my hands around a nice hot mug filled with coffee, but it's too late for that now, unfortunately. I am going to go upstairs, walk my steps, and then dive under my gigantic fluffy duvet and not move until morning. Have a good night, everyone! :sleep:
 
TeaBiscuit said:
I've been to Manitoba a few times when I was younger and used to travel and do interesting things and had fun stories to tell. After my dad retired, he loved to drive across Canada and would take a trip up north every summer in his old van. Once out of Ontario, we'd take the Yellowhead Hwy to BC, get on the Alaska Hwy, and go up to the Yukon. That particular stretch from northern BC up to the Yukon border is gorgeous, but my very favourite road trip will always be the Dempster Hwy from the Yukon Territory up to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories. I've done it twice and would love to go again someday. I think there is now a road beyond Inuvik that goes all the way to Tuktoyaktuk and the Arctic Ocean. (I wonder if Inuvik took down their 'Road Ends Here' sign. LOL) I would absolutely LOVE to stand on the shore and dip my toes in the Arctic Ocean! Dare to dream, girl! :love:
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Gee I'm sort of Jealous. I have been to the Yukon in 2021 and again this year in 2022. In 2021 I drove about 14 km on the Dempster. It was raining, rather depressing and I turned back. This summer I drove into Alaska which was closed last year. I also drove up the Dempster but only made it as far as the Information Center for the Tombstone Mountains which is around 70 km up the highway.

I always wanted to make Inuvik and now you can drive right up to Tuktoyaktuk and yes, put your hand or toes in the Arctic Ocean. I failed to do this and have deep regrets. The only regret on a 42 day trip. To really do the Dempster takes 5 full days to my way of thinking. You drive to Eagle Plains for 1st night at the hotel that you should reserve. Then up to Inuvik on Day 2. Once you are in Inuvik take a day to drive up to and back from the Arctic Ocean at Tuktoyaktuk. Then it's day 4 and 5 back to Dawson City.

I stayed 3 nights at the Bunkhouse Hotel in Dawson. There were a lot of Germans that used motorcycles to travel The Yukon. I bet most of them made the Arctic Ocean. I love the north. It's a wonderful part of Canada that few Urbanites can even imagine (no services for 300 km). I would have loved to see those Pingos. The distance from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk is only 144 km one way.

By the way, thanks for writing. Your posting is pretty inspirational.
 
A New Course
A painful memory, a new course, and a dream.

Last spring, after waiting for over a year, a program I've been wanting to take finally opened up for registration. I applied straight away and I was so excited at the prospect of taking this course after waiting for so long. The thought that I wouldn't get in didn't even cross my mind. Well, guess what? I didn't get in, and to say that I was crushed would be an understatement. "We have another course opening in the fall," they said. "It's new and will be open to everyone." In that minute, I couldn't even entertain the idea. Bite me, I thought, and slunk away to lick my bruised ego and feel sorry for myself.

For some reason, that course came to mind tonight. I looked it up after dinner and it starts the beginning of October. The healing power of time must certainly be true because I am considering signing up. Part of me wonders if I would have a better chance of getting into the first program if I take this one, but the first program won't be available again until 2024 and I have no intention of getting my hopes up a second time. Also, unlike the Buddhist course I am currently taking, this is a paid course and it's expensive so it has to be something I am truly interested in and really want to study. I am a diligent student and if I sign up for a class, I give it my all, whether it's free or not. It is in the religious studies genre so I am very tempted.

I have long had a dream of getting a degree in religious studies. I find the different religions and their effect on society fascinating. But I would only do it if I could pay for it outright. At this stage of my life, I absolutely do not want to incur a large amount of debt, in the form of student loans or otherwise; especially for something that I would basically be doing just for fun. Yes, I just referred to writing papers, taking tests, and reading textbooks as fun. I told you I was a nerd. LOL :geek:
 
Yay For Friday
Tidying up loose ends.

I was home today and busy with finishing up odds and ends from the past few days. I am finally done with module 2 of the Buddhism course. I am guessing it is not something that is meant to take up so much time. I got a bit lost in a bunch of mediation materials and videos because that is what happens when I click links. LOL In the intro, it says that the course should take approximately two months to complete and it provides exposure to teachers from a variety of different Buddhist traditions. My own background is Zen, so I am looking forward to learning some different perspectives. There are 15 modules in total and I figure, given my propensity for clicking links and getting totally sidetracked, that I will finish sometime in December. That suits me fine. I am in no hurry.

I also did some work on a spiritual program for personal empowerment that I started last Sunday. Tomorrow I will finish up week 1. This program goes through the remainder of the year and ends December 31. I really love the timing! Don't laugh, but that was a big reason why I'm taking it. Well, that and learning about myself. LOL Each week has a particular focus with activities. To be honest, this isn't the sort of thing I usually like to do and I am very curious as to why I'm finding it so appealing. It is quite surprising to me. Apparently, the Universe thinks I'll get something out of it. 🤷

And last but not least, I bit the bullet and registered for the course I mentioned yesterday. I think I actually heard my bank account cry a little. Yikes. It starts tomorrow and is a year and a half in length. I am excited about this one! A lot of reading. A lot of writing. Lectures. Homework. All the good stuff.

You know, I often think that I don't really do much, but after writing this post I am wondering why I think that. I seem to have a full plate at the moment. So many new things to learn and study and enrich my mind ... I love it!
 
Packerjohn said:
I love the north. It's a wonderful part of Canada that few Urbanites can even imagine (no services for 300 km).
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I love northern Canada, too. The Yukon is one of my favourite places. I've lived in Whitehorse, Dawson City, and Faro; a lifetime ago, it seems now. I think sometimes about taking another trip up the Dempster. I remember my dad always complained about how dusty that road was, but every summer without fail he'd get in his van and head north. I once told him that when he passed away, I was going to go up to the Arctic Circle and scatter his ashes beside the Dempster and that would be his resting place for all eternity. He'd better not haunt me because I still have his ashes. 😂

Packerjohn said:
There were a lot of Germans that used motorcycles to travel The Yukon.
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When I canoed the Yukon River, there were three young German guys who were travelling the river on a homemade raft. They just had the best time on that thing, although I have no idea how they made it through Five Finger rapids in one piece. Axel, Dieter, and Bernd. I can't remember why I just went into the kitchen, but I can remember the names of three strangers from thirty years ago. LOL The Yukon River is another trip I wouldn't mind doing again. I might have to find myself a new travel companion.
 
A Busy Saturday
October is off to a productive start.

The day has completely gotten away from me. Almost from the moment I got up this morning, I have been busy with random things. I just noticed that the room is dark and I was rather shocked when I looked at the time and saw that it is after 7:00 PM. Good grief! I suppose I should be thinking about what to make for dinner, but I'm not feeling particularly motivated and will most likely end up having toast because it's the easiest thing I can think of. I am looking forward to putting my feet up and switching off my brain for the rest of the night. That seems like an excellent plan for Sunday as well! I hope everyone is enjoying a nice weekend. Do what makes you happy! :)
 
A Lazy Sunday, Hopefully
Trying a new bread recipe.

I woke up quite early this morning. I'm not sure why, but I couldn't go back to sleep once I was awake. Ugh. I took advantage of the extra time to finish up a few things I didn't get around to doing yesterday, and now the rest of the day is mine. I am free to do as I please and that will most likely consist of me sitting around watching movies (scary movies because it's October!), drinking coffee, and generally being as lazy as I can be.

The one productive activity on my agenda for today is bread. I am trying a recipe from a *new* secondhand cookbook I bought recently - Canadian Living's Best Breads & Pizzas. I am making the Nova Scotia Oatmeal Buns. I have already made their Good and Grainy Rolls and they went down a treat. I am sure I will enjoy these very much, too. Bread sounds like work and not something one would choose to do on a lazy day, but my stand mixer does the majority of the work, and the rest of it is just rising time. I am wondering, though, if maybe I should make soup as well. Soup is so tasty with bread. I think maybe I will watch a movie and see if I feel inspired later. How can I enjoy being lazy if I am busy doing things? LOL

Here is one of my dad's photos of the Dempster Hwy in the Yukon Territory. This is the road @Packerjohn and I have been talking about. This photo is from the 90s and if I had to guess at the location, I would say it was taken somewhere between the Arctic Circle and the Northwest Territories border.

Icicles and Yukon Photos 012.JPG
 
Hi TeaBiscuit, and welcome. No doubt that sooner or later you will receive greetings from Londoner, hollydolly. She welcomes new members with a big poster of London. The reason That I tell you that is because you mention the weather where you are. So, did you know that London (51°30′N,) is farther north than Calgary (51°03′N?) Why then don't we get Canadian weather?

What you need is the North Atlantic Current. the warm ocean current flowing northeast, under the influence of prevailing winds, from the Gulf of Mexico towards NW Europe and warming its climate. Also called: The Gulf Stream. We haven't seen serious snow in decades.
 
horseless carriage said:
Hi TeaBiscuit, and welcome. No doubt that sooner or later you will receive greetings from Londoner, hollydolly. She welcomes new members with a big poster of London. The reason That I tell you that is because you mention the weather where you are. So, did you know that London (51°30′N,) is farther north than Calgary (51°03′N?) Why then don't we get Canadian weather?

What you need is the North Atlantic Current. the warm ocean current flowing northeast, under the influence of prevailing winds, from the Gulf of Mexico towards NW Europe and warming its climate. Also called: The Gulf Stream. We haven't seen serious snow in decades.
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Oh I welcomed TeaBiscuit when she first joined.. a couple of weeks ago.. (y)
 
TeaBiscuit said:
A Lazy Sunday, Hopefully
Trying a new bread recipe.

I woke up quite early this morning. I'm not sure why, but I couldn't go back to sleep once I was awake. Ugh. I took advantage of the extra time to finish up a few things I didn't get around to doing yesterday, and now the rest of the day is mine. I am free to do as I please and that will most likely consist of me sitting around watching movies (scary movies because it's October!), drinking coffee, and generally being as lazy as I can be.

The one productive activity on my agenda for today is bread. I am trying a recipe from a *new* secondhand cookbook I bought recently - Canadian Living's Best Breads & Pizzas. I am making the Nova Scotia Oatmeal Buns. I have already made their Good and Grainy Rolls and they went down a treat. I am sure I will enjoy these very much, too. Bread sounds like work and not something one would choose to do on a lazy day, but my stand mixer does the majority of the work, and the rest of it is just rising time. I am wondering, though, if maybe I should make soup as well. Soup is so tasty with bread. I think maybe I will watch a movie and see if I feel inspired later. How can I enjoy being lazy if I am busy doing things? LOL

Here is one of my dad's photos of the Dempster Hwy in the Yukon Territory. This is the road @Packerjohn and I have been talking about. This photo is from the 90s and if I had to guess at the location, I would say it was taken somewhere between the Arctic Circle and the Northwest Territories border.

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Thanks for the photo. It does look pretty lonely. Here are my photos. Unfortunately, I did not make it beyond the Tombstone Mountains so there are plenty of trees in my photos. Trees or not, the distances are great. Plenty of German tourists drive the road each year. It definitely is a "trip to remember."

I think the Germans and other tourists really like this trip. In Europe one town or one village ends and another town and another village starts in many places. That definitely is not the situation on the Dempster Highway. You will see more Yogi Bears and lots of caribous but no problems with traffic jams and red lights.
 

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Soup For Dinner
Pasta e fagioli with fancy coloured pasta shapes.

I had originally planned to make soup yesterday, but when my rolls took longer than I had anticipated, I made vegan Cincinnati chili instead. Tonight, I did make soup, an Italian bean and pasta soup with vegetables. It was very good and I used up the last of some fancy pasta from Bulk Barn - Ciao Bella rainbow pasta. It's pricier than the regular pasta, but it was fun to try. When I treat myself, it is usually with a cookbook or a food product I haven't had before or a food product that is too expensive to enjoy on a regular basis. I also had two of my rolls and they were so soft and nice. I have some soup left over for tomorrow night when I get home. The next two days are going to be busy. I am happy to know that dinner for tomorrow is taken care of, but I might end up having toast on Wednesday. I should pull out my slow cooker and put it to use!
 
A Sunny Autumn Day
A walk in the sunshine.

I woke up quite late this morning. I'm not sure why because I went to bed at a decent hour, but you will never hear me complain about a good long sleep. It is not always a guaranteed thing nowadays. I ambled downstairs, put the kettle on to boil for coffee, and then I made the mistake of checking my messages. A minor domestic problem awaited me; not mine, but that of a family member. A brief chat and an email followed, and then I had to run out for a few minutes while my coffee was set aside to grow cold. On the bright side, it was a beautiful day. When I left the house, it was sunny and 14°C. The forecasted high was supposed to be 21°C (for today and tomorrow!), but I don't if it actually got that warm. My walk was lovely, though, and despite not having my coffee yet, I really enjoyed it. The birds were chattering cheerfully and the trees are changing colour. When I returned home, I was scolded by the chickadee as I came up my front steps. I am waiting until the temperature really drops before I start feeding the birds and the squirrel, but the chickadee seems to think the time has come. I am almost positive he was saying, "Hey! Cold and starving here! Cold and starving!" He looked fat and healthy and I am pretty sure he will be okay if he has to wait a while longer. LOL
 
Full House
Not the tv show.

So, do you remember the familial domestic problem from yesterday? Well, it has landed houseguests in my bedroom, which has resulted in me sleeping on a narrow and extremely uncomfortable couch in the room that was previously my bedroom before a leaky ceiling caused me to change rooms until I could get a new roof on my house.

I certainly don't mind helping my family, of course, but I wish it could be outside of my home. I realize that sounds kind of awful and I don't mean it to. I mentioned in another thread here at SF that I am a happy reclusive introvert and it is a most accurate description of who I am. I like to be alone. I don't need people around and I rarely seek out the company of others. My house is my safe space, the only place where I ever truly feel relaxed and free to be me. I don't invite people to my house.

And now I have two family members here. Temporarily. They are disrupting my routine and creating clutter and making noise and kicking my low-key anxiety up a couple of notches. And I can't escape to get myself back into a good headspace because this is where I escape to. Ugh.

I am being pleasant. Soon I will have my quiet empty house back. From my lips to the Universe's ear!
 
I am like you!! My home is my safe place and I don't like company just popping up with no warning. I am lucky that I have plenty of rooms and beds. No one is getting my bed LOL.

The kids have a bedroom here, with their own bath. Grandson has a bedroom and a play room. Everyone has a TV, the grandson has a video game set up. The kitchen is a free for all!!

Sometimes it is better to have the grandson spend the night when the kids go out for a night on the town. Sometimes they just come back here for the night rather than drive all the way home.
 
Cookbooks In The Mail
New books, pies, and thinking about Thanksgiving.

Today was a great day for mail. Three 'new' secondhand cookbooks landed in my mailbox: The National Trust Book of Christmas & Festive Day Recipes (1981) by Sara Paston-Williams, The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book (2008) by Elizabeth Baird, and The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook (2001) by Elizabeth Baird. I love getting books in the mail, so this was a very happy day for me. I guess the Universe thought I could use a pick-me-up. I most definitely could, Universe! Thank you so much!

Today also found me flipping through a cookbook that my son gave me last year for my birthday: Me, Myself, and Pie (2014) by Sherry Gore, a beautiful book of Amish pie recipes. We are heading into the Thanksgiving long weekend here in Canada and it is one of the few times of the year when I will bake a pie. I struggle with pastry. It is just one of those things that I could never master, so while I love pie and I love the idea of homemade pies emerging all golden and lovely from my oven, it is not an activity that I really enjoy. But Thanksgiving requires a pie, and maybe I will get better if I practice more. Practice makes perfect! Right?

I thought it might be fun to try a new pie; mix things up a little. I have been looking at a recipe for a funny cake. This recipe appears in the Amish pie book, but when I googled it, the recipe seems to be credited mostly to the Mennonites. We have a local Mennonite community - I actually have a bag of their organic whole wheat flour in my fridge that I will be using for the pastry - so this seems like the perfect choice. Funny cake is a vanilla cake with a chocolate sauce baked in a pie crust. I have never had one, but I think it's a novel idea, and it would definitely be a surprise! Last Thanksgiving I made my first departure from the requisite pumpkin pie with a still-traditional pecan pie. It was my first time making a pecan pie. I cut back the sugar so that it wouldn't be too sweet and it was amazing. I was very pleased. Everyone enjoyed it.

Here is a photo of my vegan pecan pie.

Pecan Pie 2 002.JPG
 
Minor Annoyances
They say things come in threes.

1. I still have that darned little box on my Fire homepage. I have googled and gone through my settings and I cannot figure out how to get rid of it. At this point, I am not sure if I am more annoyed by this box that won't go away, or if I am annoyed at myself for being so annoyed over such a silly little thing. LOL

2. I still have houseguests. I am pretty sure I will have houseguests through the long weekend. On the bright side, I guess I can't moan about not having anyone to spend Thanksgiving with. Maybe I can talk them into washing the dishes after our big dinner. That would be nice. (y)

3. I went to Instagram this morning and discovered that my account had been suspended for absolutely no reason. I post photos of vegan dishes that I cook (my own photos). I post photos of cookbooks that I buy and those are simply cover shots of the book exteriors, no copyrighted material (again, my own photos). I don't spam. I don't bother anyone. Honestly, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram are just becoming more ridiculous by the day.

Update regarding IG: Apparently, the issue, whatever it was, has been rectified. I am happy that I was able to avoid an unnecessary hassle.
 
The Best-Laid Plans
Sometimes the alternative is so much better.

I had my Saturday planned. I was going to be productive and organized and get my Thanksgiving prep done. Specifically, I wanted to make a loaf of herb bread to be used in the stuffing, pastry for the pie, and cranberry sauce. It was a completely feasible plan. I know this because I do it every single year at this time. But if you're thinking to yourself that this is what I spent my Saturday doing, well, you'd be wrong. LOL

My houseguests have been absent all day. I have been alone in my house all day. I think this is the first time since they arrived that I have totally relaxed in both mind and body. I spent my entire Saturday with my feet up, watching scary movies (because scary movies are mandatory October entertainment!), drinking hot minty mochas, and enjoying the solitude of my empty house. It has been absolutely blissful.

So, yeah. I have accomplished nothing today and I don't even care. I got just what I needed. The Universe always knows best.
 
Busy In The Kitchen
Catching up on my Thanksgiving prep.

I have spent most of the day in the kitchen doing things I probably should have taken care of yesterday. I made herb bread for stuffing and two pies. The bread and one of the pies are in the oven now. The second pie is setting in the freezer. I ended up making a completely different pie than the one I had previously planned. And then I made another pie! Again, different from my original idea. The first pie was a salted date caramel and chocolate pie. It was a no-bake pie and I've actually had my eye on the recipe for a long time. I don't know what made me think of it, but I had all the ingredients and I'm happy that I am finally trying it. I tasted the filling while I was making it and it was really good. Rich and not too sweet with a bit of saltiness. Yum. The second pie was a simple apple berry pie with a streusel topping so that we can pretend we have a slightly healthier dessert option. LOL

I might make the cranberry sauce later, but chances are good that I will just leave it until tomorrow. My leg is sore from standing all afternoon and the only thing I want to do for the rest of the evening is take it easy. I am not looking forward to walking my steps tonight, but I will. It has become such a habit that I do it with barely a thought. Curiously enough, walking, even on the days when my walking session can more accurately be called a limping session, really does make my leg feel better. I don't think I will ever not think that is just so weird! Also, the more calories I burn walking tonight means the more pie I can eat after my Thanksgiving dinner. There is always a bright side!
 
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