The Simple Woman's Daybook . . .

 

 

FOR TODAY,  August 31st, 2021

Outside my window ...

The sun is rising. Its getting light outside. Not sure what the day will bring weatherwise. We will have to wait and see, but already there is an autumnal feel in the air. Change is afoot! 

I am thinking ...

Darn fruit flies! I just get a handle on them and bang! They are back again! I have a fruit fly trap set, a small bowl of vinegar with some plastic cling film on top, etc. and I catch oodles. It calms down for a day or so and Bingo! They are back again! Its very annoying! 

I am looking forward to ...

Seeing how my day unfolds. Every day is a new opportunity, an adventure waiting to be had. Yes, my life is rather boring compared to many, but each day is mine to do with as I please. 

I am thankful for ...

Family, faith, health, home . . . the ability to support myself.

In the kitchen ... 

Tahitian Coconut Breakfast Rolls. Delicious! 

 

On my "to Cook" list ... 

Love and Olive Oil.  Roasted Garlic Jelly.

 

One of my favorite things ...

Blogging.  It has to be or I wouldn't be doing it. I love the sharing and I love the support.  I love the blogging community and I love each of you, my faithful friends!  You mean so much to me! 

I am wanting to create ... 

Remember these?  That old phentex yarn.  my sister made an orange, white and lime green poncho out of it. Apparently you can use any kind of yarn for these slippers, so long as it is worsted weight.

Church Mouse Yarns.  Family Slippers. Love this pattern also. 

 

Joann.  Also very similar. Easy to print the pattern.

Drops Design. Party Slippers.

I love Crochet.  Folded Slippers Tutorial. 

I am in a slipper making mood.

I am reading ... 

Gap Creek, by Robert Morgan 

There is a most unusual woman living in Gap Creek. Julie Harmon works hard, "hard as a man" they say, so hard that at times she's not sure she can stop. People depend on her. They need her to slaughter the hogs and nurse the dying. People are weak, and there is so much to do. 

She is just a teenager when her little brother dies in her arms. That same year she marries Hank and moves down into the valley where fire and visions visit themselves on her and where con men and drunks come calling. 

 Julie and Hank discover that the modern world is complex, grinding ever on without pause or concern for their hard work. To survive, they must find out whether love can keep chaos and madness at bay. With Julie, Robert Morgan has brought to life one of the most memorable women in modern American literature with the same skill that led the Boston Book Review to say that he writes "with an authority usually associated with the great novelists of the last century." 

 In this novel, Morgan returns to the vivid world of the Appalachian high country to follow Julie and Hank in their new life on Gap Creek and their efforts to make sense of the world in the last years of the nineteenth century. Scratching out a life for themselves, always at risk of losing it all, Julie and Hank don't know what to fear most--the floods or the flesh-and-blood grifters who insinuate themselves into their new lives. 

 Their struggles with nature, with work, with the changing century, and with the disappointments and triumphs of marriage make this a powerful follow-up to Morgan's acclaimed novel, The Truest Pleasure. 

Its really good! I am enjoying.  

Dreaming About ...

Images from here.

 

Wooden spools  . . . 

 

  

Hand knit mittens  . . . 

 

Silver buttons  . . . 

 

Vintage quilts  . . . 

Antique doll houses  . . . 

Something to watch ... 

Re-watching Gentleman Jack, the story of Anne Lister. Suranne Jones is brilliant in it.

Makes me smile ... 

This old picture of myself with my brother and sister. I was probably about 6 years old here, my sister would be 3 and my brother 1.  Oh how I love them both. 

Corners of my kingdom ...

 

(source)

Nova Scotia Sunset on the 25th of August  . . . 

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

*If you get tired learn to rest.

Not to quit. ~Banksy•。★★ 。*  

And that's my daybook for this week  . . .  
  

⋱ ⋮ ⋰
⋯ ◯ ⋯ Take time to enjoy the small *´¯`.¸¸.☆
  ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆    
  



✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.• ╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥
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 Have a beautiful day and don't forget!  


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And I do too!        

Small and Wonderful Things . . .

 

  

"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny?...It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. what you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard

A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life. It's the small things in life which truly mean the most. Simple abundance . . . it's the best.    

 

Classic Pot Roast for Two

Having dinner with my family. My sister was cooking roast beef for dinner yesterday and invited me to come over and share with them. I was more than happy to. I love to have dinner with my family, and my sister cooks a nice dinner, always. Family dinners are the best.  I missed having them all of these last twenty odd years and am making up for it now! 

 

Living close enough to my family that they can just pop onto their bicycles and drop by.  Cindy and Dan dropped by yesterday and it was a lovely surprise.  Cinnamon and Nutmeg enjoyed their visit also! 

 After we do the dishes and before I come home, I always enjoy walking around my sister's garden with her. She has the tallest cosmos I have ever seen! Some of them are literally six feet tall!  Amazing.  Dan and she have built a little Shangri La for themselves there.  With resident wood pigeons that wander around cooing and purring, chipmunks, plenty of flora, birds, and a really peaceful atmosphere. 

Everyone's gardens are starting to look a bit tired now. Its that time of year. I remember when I lived down in Kent, walking through the Orchards this time of year and how strangely quiet they would be except for the crunching of the acorns underneath the feet. No bird song, just the odd rustle. And all the wild flowers going to seed, the smell of apples and pears . . .  seems a lifetime ago. 

 

The bountiful harvest we are enjoying at the moment of fresh local fruits and vegetables. The apples will be starting soon. I should make some of my fruit pickle. I have not made it in years.  I used to make it every autumn.  Only problem is I would never get it all used up.  I could give it away as gifts though.  Food for thought there.  It was a type  of chili sauce and had peaches, tomatoes, pears, onions, peppers, etc. in it. It was really nice. 

 

 

The lack of clutter in my home.  I have wanted this for years now. Tidy and clutter free. Now all I have to do is to keep from cluttering it up. It can be done! 

 

My faith which helps to keep me grounded.  I have always been a very spiritual person.  I have always believed in God and Jesus Christ.  I trust in them and they have never let me down. Life is hard. Its hard for everyone, albeit in different ways. We all have challenges to face and to meet.  Some of us more than others. My faith in them has helped me always to be able to overcome my challenges or to at least cope with them. 

That's how I am getting through life. Relying on the strong arm of the Lord.  He hasn't let me down yet. Perhaps I am just a lucky one.  I know I am a blessed one.

 

Crusts of bread. Manna from Heaven.  He showers me every day. My life is a bountiful life. It has always been a bountiful life. I have always been blessed to have enough. I know that many do not.  I am one of the wealthy few. 

 

 

These two little monkeys. My delightful companions. They sure have livened things up around here. My life is full.

I have much to be grateful for and I thank my Heavenly Father for it all, multiple times every day.  I am one very blessed person.

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

*.˛.As I took the time to put God's word

before the world, my day was 

shaped by Him instead of by me.

•。★★ 。* 。•。★★ 。* 。

In The English Kitchen today, creamy Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala for Two. If you like a good curry, it doesn't get much better than this one! Quick, easy and delicious! 

I hope your week ahead is filled with a multitude of small and wonderful things. Whatever you get up to don't forget! 

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And I do too!  

Sunday this and that . . .

  

Just a brief explanation. I know its late in the day and I was concerned that you might worry if I posted nothing! I was super tired this morning and ended up going back to bed.  I actually slept for an extra hour,  which is so not like me. Then when I got up it was time to get ready for church.  And then my dad called, and it ended up being too late for me to properly get ready for church so I ended up watching it online for this week. But I thought that would be okay for just this week, although to be sure I missed taking the sacrament.

And then church finished and my friend Jacquie called me because she hadn't seen me at church, and I hadn't been to see her this week.  (Pressure.) I really need to make myself do that this next week one day. I am not exactly sure about which house is hers, and its on a busy highway and people are driving 80 miles an hour, but I will figure it out and get there. I promised.

And then I just had enough time to grab something quick to eat and it was Sunday School, so I did that. Then Sunday School finished and I had a bit of work that needed doing/finishing for this other project that I am involved in but can't tell you about just yet, but lets just say we are down to the nitty gritty on that one.

Then surprise! My sister and Dan showed up.  They had ridden their bikes into town and stopped by for a quick visit.  Always NICE NICE NICE! I was pleased about that, and they were just leaving and I said to my sister, I never got a blog written this morning so here I am!

Just to let you know I am A.O.K. and will be back tomorrow morning with something worth reading!  Today just got away from me, and now I am going to my sister's for a Roast Beef Dinner.

I am so pleased that I have family around now to spend time with. Its just the best!  

Some sleepy kittens to oggle and I am off to write a quick letter before I need to go to my sisters. I am also way behind on my comment/responses/blog reading.  Those kittens take up a lot of my time, but in a very good way.  I lose myself in them and playing with them.   So I will leave you with a pleasant thought to carry with you  . . . 

A picture one because I thought it was so true and so sweet. 

 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Vanilla Glazed Ginger Scones.  Seriously tasty!

Hope the rest of your Sunday is blessed.  Don't forget! 

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And I do too! 

Saturday this and that . . .

 

(source)

A silver thimble full of tiny holes

A Chinese coin . . .  a little rusty key,

Part of a buckle - dad's old signet ring

A tarnished cross from someone's rosary.

Old fashioned buttons on a piece of string

My brother had them on a velvet coat,

A pen nib bright as gold, a bit of lace

A fish hook and a little scarlet float.

A piece of beeswax filled with criss-cross lines

She used to grease the thread to make it strong,

For sewing buttons on - a crochet hook,

A little clapper from a dinner gong.

Worthless . . . I know, yet here I see her best

Rocking and sewing, singing to herself,

Her clean print apron gaudy as a flag

Her crinkled Irish eyes as blue as delph,

God gave us mothers with old fashioned rules

And scented baskets made to hold their tools. 

Edna Jacques, Mother's Work Basket

I used to love going through my mother's sewing box. It was like a little Aladdin's cave of treasures.  She had round tarnished tins filled with buttons and bobs.  Pins, threads, needles. A darning egg. My grandmother's old darning needle.  To a budding needle worker it was a little treasure trove of delights. 

My father made us knitting spools from empty wooden spools of thread.  He hammered nails into the tops of them and got them started for us and then we would use a large safety pin to work out way around the tops, looping bits of yarn that my mother had left over from  making mittens and such.  We would create long ropes of yarn. It kept us busy for hours and hours. It was called corking.  You can buy fancy spools these days for children to do the same thing.  It is very rare that you find a wooden thread spoon. 

 

The nights are really drawing in now.  It is getting dark earlier and earlier.  I am having to put the lights on in here in the evenings and I saw at the grocery store the other day that they are selling Halloween boxes of goodies, chips and things. Small packages to hand out on the night. I will have to ask the neighbors how many children they get in here so that I am prepared.  Or maybe with Covid children are not trick or treating?  I don't know.

It has been a very long time since I have experienced a real Halloween. 

The shops are filled with back to school things and yesterday my sister and I drove past a derelict apple tree by the side of the road, all of its apples falling to the ground to rot. I think I will make some apple butter this year.  I like apple butter. 

 

(source)

Signs of the changing seasons are showing up all over the place. Not just fallen apples.  Leaves are beginning to turn color, wild flowers going to seed, gardens looking tired . . .  it seemingly happens overnight, even though we know it really doesn't. These little changes creep up on us by stealth, little by little until we can't ignore them any longer and they slap us in the face.

The summer is a waning  . . . 

 

Nutmeg and Cinnamon

These two continue to delight me.  Nutmeg on the left, Cinnamon on the right.  At the moment they are sleeping by my feet in a rare moment of quiet. My legs are all scratched up. I knew that would happen, but it does hurt. I'm not going to lie.  Its quite normal. I have a little spray bottle and as soon as they try, I squirt them and say no, really loud. They especially like to try when I am sitting at the computer and I can't have that. I will not get any work done otherwise.

But they are some cute. I think they are going to be beautiful cats and such good company for me. 

 

Nutmeg is very cuddly and quite affectionate.  He seems to want to be with me more than the other.  He likes to get up near my face when I am watching tv and stretch out. His little purring machine driving in overtime.  He stretches out and nuzzles me, giving me kisses. 

Cinnamon is more laid back and a bit stand offish. She wants to be near, but on her own terms. She is not really a cuddler. But she does like to sit nearby and purrs.  Likes me to scratch her ears, but only to a point and then she will move away.  

My sister says that Cinnamon is a Marmalade cat and Nutmeg is a true Ginger.  I am not sure what the difference is between the two, it is in the colors and markings I believe. 

They are both beautiful to me.  Cinnamon's eyes are changing now from blue to gold I think.  Nutmeg's are not quite changing yet.

My sister gifted them with a fishing pole toy yesterday. It is a toy her cats have loved. It is a pole that has some feathers attached to the end and you can swirl them temptingly in front of the cats.  It also has a little fish option you can fill with catnip if you want.  I haven't gotten any catnip yet.  They are wild enough as they are! 

 

My sister and I met my father for breakfast early yesterday morning before we went to Walmart.  Cindy and I each had pancakes and my dad had his bacon and eggs with toast. Cindy and I also had bacon with our pancakes. Why not? It was a real treat!  Best part of it was being there together. I am not sure how much longer we will have our father around to enjoy like this, but I hope it is a good while longer. 

He says he is getting tired of having fish and chips on Wednesday nights when he meets his lady friends. I told him he should shake it up a bit and have something else next time. Maybe a Hamburger Steak dinner or something like that.  But he will probably just have the fish and chips. Its in our DNA.  Must have fish and chips when we eat out!  

 

I watched the second episode of Time with Sean Bean and Stephen Graham last night. It is an excellent series.  But very eye opening as well. I am not sure what I thought prison was like. I think I saw it as being more open and with plenty of outdoors time, etc.  kind of like a hotel that you are not allowed to leave. Not as fancy as a hotel, but quite tolerable.  I must be pretty naïve.  Its not a nice place at all. I hope I never have to be in one. No wonder criminals come out of there as better criminals. Nasty places. 

I admit it distresses me a bit to think of my husband being in such a place.  I know what he did was horrible and he is horrible for doing it.  Its a really difficult place to be, where I am mentally.  To be able to separate the who I thought he was from the who he really was. I am not sure I can explain it adequately.  I am still grieving I think. Perhaps I always will. It will take a long time to properly get over it, if ever. In all truth, it would have been better easier if he had died. 

There. I said it. Ignorance is bliss.

I will leave you now with a thought for today . . . 

.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.° As time goes on you'll understand,

What lasts, lasts, what doesn't, doesn't.

Time solves most things.

And what time can't solve,

you solve yourself.

~Haruki Murakami•。★★ 。* 。 

I have been slow at responding to comments this week.  I hope to get them all sorted today and to do some blog reading as well! 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Mary Berry's Three Ingredient Fork Cookies.  Just like a shortbread, but very quick and easy to make.  Yummy!

Have a great Saturday whatever you get up to!  Don't forget! 

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And I do too!