Dear Neighbor . . .

 

(source)

 AUG 14th, 2026

Estate Lane,

Nova Scotia

14*C/58*F

Mostly Sunny

Dear Neighbor,

Hello on a beautifully sunny morning. Its a bit more chill this morning than it was yesterday, but I welcome that as I am not so much a fan of the extreme heat that comes with the dog days of August as they are called. 

It is hard to believe that already we are entering the latter part of August and thoughts are turning towards preparing for the new school year. Having gone to school a good part of my life and having raised five children the academic calendar is deeply ingrained in my inner clock. I don't need new shoes and a brand new box of pencils to embody the feeling. Fresh beginnings seem right around the corner. It's a time of anticipation and perhaps a bit of anxiety as I think about the impending darkness as the days start to become noticeably shorter.  When I leave my sister's to come home now after dinner . . .  the sun is much lower in the sky and I need to pull down the visor in my car so that I can still see to drive without the sun blinding me to my course as it appears to be shining full in my face.

Things are beginning to look tired as the corn is ripening in the fields.

 

(source)

Speaking of corn.  I had a lovely birthday yesterday. It was a fairly quiet day. I finished my work very early on and had plenty of time to relax before I picked up Eileen to go to Cindy's. My oldest son facetimed me briefly which was nice. Eileen had the most beautiful homemade card for me. (She paid for my dinner on Wednesday night as well.)  Cindy had made homemade pizza which we enjoyed with corn on the cob and potato salad.  With chocolate cake for dessert.  

Of course the best part was being with family. That was my favorite part.  I got a gift certificate for my next venture to the hair dressers for a trim, etc. a couple of vintage sundae dishes and

 

This lovely vintage Tomato Juice jug that I have long since admired. You know how much I love vintage dishes and glassware, so I was thrilled to receive it. Thank you, Cindy and Dan. This year I received so many cards, each one a sweet reminder of the giver, and there were just so many "Happy Birthday" wishes on Facebook that I will not be able to respond to each one, but I have read them all. It is nice to be cared for and remembered. Nice too that our father is still here to help me celebrate it. 

I was missing mom when I got into bed last night. It's been over 7 years since I have been able to speak to her on my Birthday. I do confess I shed a few tears. I miss her so very much. The feeling of loss has never lessened with the passing years.

The creeping thyme in my sister's yard is in bloom and so pretty . . . and I think it is Queen Anne's lace, but I am not sure as it is low to the ground, some of that looks pink at the moment. I love the creeping thyme, it smells all herby when you walk through it. I am reminded of the long walks we took in France when we were here with Audrey and Peter Lee . . .  as we hiked through the countryside the earth smelled like wild garlic. It was quite intoxicating. (That was such a fun trip.)

Things will start to change now.  It won't be long before we start noticing the leaves at the tops of the trees beginning to turn, and of course many of the wild flowers and plants will be going to seed and looking dry. The thing about country living is there is always something going on.

 

(source)

You can almost predict how hot the day will be when you get up in the morning. Hot, hot days begin with an almost peculiar pure color in the sky . . . the air being very still and sweetly smelling of the dew which lays on the grass. I love the practice I have taken up of checking my post box early in the morning before anyone else is awake. I get to enjoy the silence and the comfort of the coolness that still remains before the cement beneath my feet starts to heat up under the bearing down of the sun. It is nice and cool in my house as well. It won't heat up until the sun moves from the back over to the front of my place, which won't happen until much later in the day. It is North Facing. I get sunlight at the back early in the day, but the large maple tree that lives there provides plenty of shade.

Hot days make me grateful in a way that my canning days are long since over. Those long hours spent standing over the stove as I preserved the bounty that August was gifting me with are spent now. It is no longer practical, but there are plenty of cooks that sell their preserves, conserves and pickles in the local farm markets so I can pick up a jar or two of them there and still enjoy them.  So far I have bread and butter pickles and dill chips.  Pickled beetroot will be next. I love the ginger beets that a local place makes. And of course there is the sunshine relish. Spiced peaches would be nice  . . . 

 

(source)

I bought Eileen a new Santoku knife because I thought she needed one.  When she comes to spend the weekend tomorrow I am planning a knife skills activity for her. I want to teach her how to use it safely so that she doesn't cut herself.

It will be fun. We usually go to the grocery store right after I pick her up so she can buy some drinks, etc. to bring over so I will pick up some things to chop. Maybe we can have fajitas for supper so that will give us the opportunity to use what we practice on. We can also make a salsa. Who doesn't like Mexican food!  We love it!

I do enjoy our weekends together. So does she.

She has an appointment already for next Friday to see another gyno Doctor in Kentville, so that has been quick. I expect things will move along now as they should. 

 

(source)

This afternoon we will be taking dad out with his friend Maryanne to the mall. I am just about out of cat food so I will need to get some. It is the cheapest at Walmart. I will get double the amount this week as we won't be going next week due to my brother and sister in law being down visiting. I am so looking forward to seeing them! One of their girls has messaged that she is coming to Nova Scotia at the end of the month as well and wants to spend a few hours with us. That is something to look forward to as well. 

We probably won't be going out for our Wednesday night dinner next week. We will have to see how it goes. Eileen will be disappointed, but maybe I can take her out another time to make up for it.

 

(source)

There is no month in the whole year in which nature wears a more beautiful appearance than in the month of August. Spring has many beauties, and may is a fresh and blooming month, but the charms of this time of year are enhanced by their contrast with the winter season. August has no such advantage. it comes when we remember nothing but clear skies, green fields, and sweet-smelling flowers -- when the recollection of snow, and ice, and bleak winds, has faded from our minds as completely as they have disappeared from the earth -- and yet what a pleasant time it is! Orchards and cornfields ring with the hum of labour; trees bend beneath the thick clusters of rich fruit which bow their branches to the ground; and the corn, piled in graceful sheaves, or waving in every light breath that sweeps above it, s if wooed the sickle, tinges the landscape with a golden hue. A mellow softness appears to hang over the whole earth.

~ Charles Dickens, from the Pickwick Papers

It is important to note here that the corn mentioned is really what we would call wheat here in North America. It is funny how subtle the differences are in the two languages which are both English, and how things can be called by quite different names. You think that English is English and that's all that it is, but it really isn't. You can very easily put your foot in it without even trying or at the very least be completely misunderstood.

Underwear for instance . . .  they call it pants over there in the U.K.  People will wonder why you are talking about your underwear when you are talking about your trousers and think it quite rude. Whereas we refer to our behinds as our fanny, they take that in a completely different direction as it is meant over there to describe female parts of the anatomy.  and yet there are women over there called Fanny, or at least there used to be. 

And that is just a few examples.

 

(source)

And with that I will bring this missive to a gentle close. I have exhausted all of my trains of thought now and it is time to get moving on my morning. I have things that I need to get done before I go out and time flies. The morning will be spent before I know it!

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

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

*The heart, like the mind

has a memory, and in it 

are kept the most precious

keepsakes.

~William Wadsworth Longfellow

 

In The English Kitchen today, Enfrijoladas Bake. A Tex-Mex wonder of soft tortillas coated in a lush and creamy bean sauce and plenty of cheese, folded and baked, covered in more cheese.  Bubbly, cheesy and oh so tasty served with your favorite Tex Mex Toppings. Quick and easy to make, economical and quite delicious!

I hope you have a lovely Friday.  May it be filled with a bit of sunlight, plenty of joy and time spent with those that you love most in this life.  Don't forget!

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

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And I do too!