Dear Neighbor . . .

 

 

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ESTATE LANE, NS
once again, unseasonably mild for the time of year

with a partially sunny day in the forecast

It has now officially been four years since I arrived back in Canada. It hardly seems possible and yet, its true.  What a wonderful four years it has been. A time of great growth and joy in many, many ways.

 

I was experiencing one of the greatest challenges of my lifetime, but it was to be just the first step in what would be a wonderful journey.  I could not see it then, but I now have a life filled with peace, and joy, gratitude and thanksgiving.

 

I had not met these two yet.   Little did I know what fun awaited me. Ever curious, always there, great companions.  Last night not too long after I got into bed I heard a noise. I thought perhaps something had fallen over in the closet. I would check it out in the morning.  

Not my closet.  My sewing box had been knocked off the table and broken.  Sigh . . . nothing was missing, however. I was able to put it all back together.  I don't know what or how.  Never a dull moment.

And they are still fascinated with the shower in my bathroom. Both of them. I think something must be in the drain.  I dread to think of what it might be.  I will pour some drain cleaner down it.  That should take care of whatever it is. Hopefully. We shall see.

My father came over after his tea at Tim Hortons yesterday.  He was having supper with me.  He had a nice time at Tim Hortons.  Eileen and Tim were there, and they got his tea and donut for him.  Eileen always brags to everyone that he is her Grampy. I think that makes him feel pretty good. 

Apparently, the ex was there the other day. He always says hello and has a bit of a conversation.  He made sure to mention to my father that our youngest son had gotten a promotion with his job. He is now a Sargeant.   I would not have known otherwise. He must be good at his job. He will be 36 in December.  I find that hard to believe, but then again, my oldest son will be 50 in May, which is equally as hard to believe.

Anyways, Dad came here for his supper yesterday and he came a bit earlier so that he could watch Seinfeld and play with the cats. He loves Seinfeld. He just sits and watches one episode after another.

I had made him a Salmon pie for his supper. I can remember making him Salmon Pie when I was a young bride for the first time back in the 1970's.  He used to work throughout the Valley and sometimes he would stop by for his lunch.  It was hard to believe that it had been 50 years since I made him a Salmon Pie.

He really enjoyed it.  He ate a nice big piece. I had also made some coleslaw, and we had green beans and pickled beets with it. He ate it all up along with a bowl of sugar-free strawberry jelly with squirty cream for dessert. 

It was a nice treat for the both of us.  I told him he was welcome to come for supper every Wednesday night if he wanted to, but he did not commit.  I think he is a man who likes to keep his options open.

He met a new woman at Tim Hortons yesterday and has her phone number.  She is Swedish apparently. He has always been able to charm the ladies.

 

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You are probably thinking I am writing all of this to you a day early, and you would be right.  I have another funeral to go to on Saturday, very early and so I won't be able to write a post on that day.  To that end I have bumped things forward a bit. I knew you wouldn't mind.

My printer stopped working yesterday.  It was giving an error message on the ink.  So, I replaced both cartridges.  Brand new. It is not recognizing them.  It keeps telling me that I can only use verified HP cartridges in it.  Even though the new cartridges I put in are cartridges from HP that they sent me. And of course, the warrantee is up.  

This is the second HP printer I have had since I moved into my place. So not quite four years. And you cannot find anyone to talk to.  All they have is a robot who just sends you keyed in messages meant to cover any issue that might crop up.  Except for this one.  It figures.

I am going to go to Walmart today and pick up a cheap one. That's all I need.  I spent a fair bit on both of my HP printers, plus I had enrolled in their Instant Ink, which meant I would never run out of ink. They mailed it out automatically whenever I started to get near the end of the ink cartridges. That wasn't cheap either. 

So, I am calling it quits on HP. I wouldn't have another one if they gave one to me.  Well, maybe if they gave one to me I would, but I am not paying for one.   My sister has a cheap Canon and has never had any problems with it.

Now I will have two printers to dispose of. I am not sure where to take them, but I will find out.

Dad smelled just like Tim Hortons when he came in yesterday. It was really strong. Not unpleasant.  It's funny the smells you carry with you.  I wonder what smell I carry with me.  I will walk by people in the shops sometimes and smell cigarette smoke on them, or wood smoke. Occasionally a woman will walk by wafting a clean fresh shower smell in her wake.  The other day it was a pair of people who smelled just like wacky tobacco.  (Know what I mean.)

Do I smell like cat hair? lol  

Whenever I vacuum, I need to empty the cup right after and it is always loaded with cat hair. Nothing else.  Just wads and wads of cat hair. My hair too.  I don't mind the cat hair. It is a small price to pay. Cat hair always bothered mom. She was forever brushing down her sofa and carpet in between her vacuuming days.  

Thursdays was always the day she vacuumed. You always knew that if you called her before noon on Thursdays you would be disturbing her routine, so you just didn't. Call.  No stone was left unturned. She vacuumed over, under, and in between everything.

Likewise, you didn't call in the afternoons either.  She liked the soaps. General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful, in particular.  And Dr. Phil.

Do not disturb.  I always determined not to be that way, but I think I probably am to a degree.  I hate to have my mornings disturbed as I am usually working, and there is a very small window of time in which to take my photos using natural light.  If I know I am going to be away for a morning, or unable to work, then I will double up on everything the day before, or at least try to.

 

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People are super critical when it comes to photographs. We are all experts. Perhaps that is not quite right, it would be better to say, we all know what attracts us.  Poor photography is not an attraction, and when what you are selling is recipes and food, you need to have the item look delicious. Otherwise, it doesn't really matter how good a recipe is, people won't be interested. We eat first with our eyes. I forget who it is that said that, but it is true and a fact. Food and recipes need to appeal to the eyes.

I am not the best food photographer.  There are some things that will never look good no matter what you do to it.  Brown food for instance. It is very difficult to make brown food look good. In fact, it is almost impossible.

I do not like to tinker with my photos. No filters, etc. I try to keep them as natural as possible. I will crop them, disposing of things which people don't want to see in the background as best as I can. It has been a huge learning process. I have had people complain that they could see my laundry drying in the background, or the tablecloth is too busy, etc.

I like to think I have gotten better through the years, and there is no doubt. I really have improved.  The photos I take now are a bazillion times better than the ones I took way back when.  A lot of that has to do with the camera you use.  Back when I first started you needed to invest in a camera. I did not have a lot of money to invest, and I also didn't know how to use a digital camera properly. 

Like I said.  I have learned a lot since those days.  Now I basically use my phone. The camera on that is amazing, but even so, I do not know how to compensate for lack of light.  So, I reiterate. I only have a short window of time to take my photos in. It might be different had I more than two windows in my house, but it is what it is and I have learned to work with it.

 

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I find that the older I get, the less patience I have for technology.  I find it very difficult to cope with change and technology is one of those things which is always changing and evolving. I do find my way around it, but it is usually not by the easiest path.  I am a person who learns by doing and if I have nobody here to show me, it is a long hard battle. 

When I lived in Calgary, many moons ago, we had an old clangor of a car that had no windows on the passenger side.  It had plastic draped over it and held by gun tape.  I learned how to drive all over Calgary by not having to make any left-hand turns.  In life you learn to do what you have to do to get by.

We live in a highly competitive world.  You need to be able to keep up in order to survive.  Someone should start a "hire a teen" business.  Teenagers know how to do everything technologically. I would pay good money to have one show me the ropes on a regular basis. My aging brain just cannot cope.

Well, I suppose I have exhausted all of the topics that are running through my brain this morning. The cats have finally given up the ghost on the bathroom, so whatever it that was there is not there now.  Cinnamon is sleeping in her basket, and Nutmeg is stretched out on the carpet. It is time for me to be about my day.

For many people yesterday was not a good day. Here is hoping that today is much better.

PS - I hit the thousand subscribers mark on my YouTube channel.  That's amazing to me! Color me grateful.  Now I just have to concentrate on improving my videos.

A thought to carry with you . . . 

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

 *.˛.A hug is a smile with arms,

a laugh with a stronger grip.

~Terri Guillemets  ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ 

•° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

In The English Kitchen today, Easy 3-Ingredient Biscuits. Is there such a thing as having too many biscuit recipes?  I think not!  I am always up for trying something new. Three simple ingredients, easy to make and delicious. 

I do hope that you have a beautiful day. Stay safe and be happy.  Don't forget!

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And I do too!