Herd of Deer

Here you can see the herd of deer running for the bush when they realized we were up at the top of the hill. You can only see 2 of the 7 that ran off.


If you click on the picture you will actually see 3 out of 7 deer.

Pound Some Powder

Saturday my husband and me along with our friends Danny & Sandra rode sleds from Brancepeth to Crystal Springs and back. We couldn't have asked for a better day for riding. This was our last ride of the year.

Sandra and I at on of our rest stops... Down at the bottom of the hill behind was a small herd of deer. There were tracks all over the area.

Following in last years tradition, the last ride of the year isn't the last ride unless I can manage to get the sled stuck. I had to pick the softest spot to cross the road and ended up sinking in soft snow. I tried walking the sled out only to move it a couple of feet and then sink it deeper into the soft snow. Took 3 of us to lift the back end up and move it around as well as the front end to line it up strait to the road.

It was almost too warm of a day for riding hard as by the time we returned back to the farm I was freezing from getting so warm then cooling off too fast....took me a long time after to warm up..... A good time was had by all. We put on about 50 miles that day.

Peach Cobbler

6 tablespoons butter or margarine
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 cups sliced fresh or frozen peaches
cream, whipped cream, or ice cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in a deep one-and-one-half quart casserole. Combine flour, one cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and milk; mix well. Pour batter evenly into melted butter without stirring. Combine peaches with one cup sugar; pour into middle of batter without stirring. Bake about 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve warm with cream, whipped cream, or ice cream.

As a variation, substitute apples, blueberries, or blackberries for peaches.

SERVES: 4 - 6

Pecan Bars

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, separated
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup flour
1 cup finely chopped nuts

Cream butter and sugar. Beat egg yolk and add. Mix in cinnamon and flour. Spread on lightly-buttered 10- by 15-inch baking pan with 1/2 inch sides. Batter should cover pan. Brush slightly-beaten egg white over top of batter. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and pat lightly. Bake in 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. While still warm, cut into bars, about 1 inch by 2-1/2 inches, but do not remove from pan until cool.

Makes about 4 dozen bars

Nissan Altima

On Tuesday my husband and daughter went out car shopping. On Wednesday Brittany bought her very first car on her own. Our kids have always had a vehicle to drive through high school. With living nearly 20 minutes out of town it was easier to make sure they had a vehicle to drive instead of us chauffeuring them around all the time. She bought a 2002 Nissan Altima Black 4-door. Very nice car, excellent shape...actually mint condition. The interior looks like brand new, the stereo is good. The previous owners was an older couple from Regina, the car had just come in on trade so Brittany's timing was just right. It was love at first site for her. Her dad helped her make the deal...he was telling her don't look too excited, stay calm and relax. It is so nice to not have to try and juggle 2 vehicles around 3 of us any more. There were times that it was difficult to do but we got through it.

Where does time go?

In a few days we will be saying goodbye to March and hello April. Where does the time go? I remember when I was a little girl how I couldn't wait until I was 13 then I would be a teenager, this it was I couldn't wait until I was 16 then I could get my driver's licence and at 18 I would be legal voting age and 19 I would be old enough to get into the bars. I remember it seemed so long to reach those milestones in my life....from year to year as a child time seemed to go by slow it felt like it took forever for the next year to come. Now I am afraid to blink as I might miss something. Yesterday marked 3 months to the day after Christmas even though spring is here it doesn't feel like it just yet. Seemed like only yesterday we heading into winter and here we are heading into spring.

It is true what they say the older you get the fast time flies by!

Ho Humm!

Ever have one of those days where you just feel ho humm......so so.......like you just don't give a crap about anything. Today is my day for the feeling.....might have something to do with the argument I had with my daughter last night...the fact that I didn't sleep properly...think they are all a part of the process leading up to ho humm feeling today.

On the up side of things yesterday at lunch time I started looking for an outfit for Meagan's grad. Well to my surprise I was able to get into a Size 14...I was so thrilled. I haven't worn a Size 14 in over 10 years probably closer to 12 years..... Yes that was a great feeling when I realized that I was able to try that outfit out with out feeling uncomfortable. It was a bit tight for me to wear out in public but definitely well on my way to being able to wear Size 14 all the time....a few more pounds to go and Size 14 will be my new size. My ultimate goal is to get back to Size 7 or 8 but hey I would settle for Size 10 even....

Spring is Arriving

It seems that Spring is arriving. It is nice to be able to drive to and from work in daylight. I usually leave home just after 7am and it is so nice to be able to drive in the daylight. I find that it is uplifting to have the daylight hours. Soon the snow will change in puddles of water, tree will bud and crocus will be in bloom. It is such a joy to watch Mother Nature awake from her winter slumber here. I look forward to the days when the ducks and geese return, little ones hatch, spring flowers bloom, pussy willows bloom and the song birds return.

I am hoping to get out this spring with camera in hand to get some pictures of Mother Nature's Awakening....the way I look at I will be killing two birds with one stone...getting some nature pictures but also getting some exercise in with walking. Last year I got some nice photos of Crocus' in bloom this year I hope to capture more sights of spring.

Saturday in Saskatoon!

Saturday morning my husband took off for Saskatoon to look for a car for our daughter Brittany. We found one car at Saskatoon Hyundai - 1999 Nissan Altima nice little car, drove nice, no rust etc......well on the test drive my husband was getting very frustrated that he couldn't find anything wrong with the car other than it was a 1999. Al was hesitant as he doesn't want to be back to doing the weekend repair jobs on an older vehicle. The other factor is Brittany might not be able to get a car that old with her loan either...something that she will have to check as we know someone that took a loan for a used vehicle and he couldn't look at anything older than 2004 or he wouldn't get the loan. Well we didn't find a car for Brittany yet but we are still looking, we still have time to shop around. We are staying away from a private sale, so we may be making a few trips to different dealers the area.

After looking at at a few other lots we headed over the Home Styles 2009 Show at Prairie Land Exhibition Park. We spent the better part of 2 hours there looking at all the different displays. We were mainly interested in Windows, Doors, Insulation and Siding as that is our project for this year. We did look at some of the kitchen cabinet displays as well. I don't know why people insist on taking their babies to these events....yes I got very frustrated when some of these parents would gather at the ends of the isle 3 or for strollers blocking entry or exit for everyone else....I know I shouldn't complain right....well if it were me I would get a babysitter and use this opportunity to be away from the kids......oh well I guess that is a sign of getting older getting annoyed at things that didn't used to bother me. We seen lots of good displays, Shell Busie was there, he did 2 shows we caught the second one....now I can put a face to the voice we listen to on the radio on Saturday mornings. Al bought a ticket on the ultimate Man Shed --- OMG if he wins that I will never see him....comes with 4 LCD TV's, Fridge, Dishwasher, Bunk Bar, 2 Decks, Awning, Patio furniture and much much more...the prize is worth something like $56,000 oh it even has a Urinal in it.....like I said I would never see my husband except for when he was hungry and maybe not even then.

After the home show we headed to over to our son's place for a visit. We haven't seen Michael since January...no he was in PA for a day back in February so I took him out for supper. He is doing really well, lost some weight looks really good. We had supper with Mike and then he and Al had a few beers together before we left for home. I must say I was very impressed at how nice and clean Mike's apartment was as well....very impressed...not the same kid that once lived in my house. I guess we did a good job with him.

Salmon in Parchment

8 oz. thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon quality extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh dill or parsley, chopped
1 cup carrots julienned
1 cup zucchini, julienned
1 cup asparagus tips
1 cup red bell pepper, julienned
24 oz salmon fillet, cut into four 6-ounce pieces
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 large sheets of parchment paper

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cook thin spaghetti in rapidly boiling water until al dente, drain, toss with a bit of olive oil, salt and chopped fresh dill or parsley.
3. Rinse salmon fillets and pat dry. Spread Dijon mustard evenly over the top of each one.
4. Prepare the parchment: fold each piece of parchment in half. With scissors, cut the shape of half a heart from the folded side. (Remember Valentine's you made in grade school?) Open the heart shape and place 1/4 of the pasta on the center of the paper, top with a salmon fillet, and add the vegetables. Bring the sides of the heart over the fish and fold the edges together starting at the top of the heart, overlapping the folded edge as you go. Fold the tip several times to secure it.
5. Place the pouches in the middle of the hot oven and bake for 10 minutes. Serve immediately in the sealed pouches, opening them just before eating.

4 servings

Nutritional Information:
Per serving:
533 calories
14.9 g total fat (2.8 g sat)
76 mg cholesterol
52 g carbohydrate
46 g protein
5 g fiber
696 mg sodium