Another week goes by

Another week has come and gone.  Life as we knew it has changed.  We don't find it too bad.  Chores that have been left undone for "years" are getting completed.  I emptied out our freezer in the basement and gave it a good cleaning.  I wanted to prepare it for the soups that we have been making.  We usually make large pans of soup and freeze what we don't eat.  I am continuing to do this and hope we can use this to supplement our meals and add some variety.  While cleaning out the freezer I found the chicken backs and necks that Christine had given to us last summer.  I'd forgotten about them and was quite excited with the find.  It's the perfect time to make some bone broth soup.  High in collagen it's extra healthy to enjoy.  Out came the baking sheet and into the oven went the bones.  We had the ingredients needed (carrots, celery, onion, garlic and parsley) so we were all set.    Once the chicken bones were roasted they went into "2" pans along with the vegetables, water, kosher salt and some apple cider vinegar.  The vinegar pulls the collagen out of the bones.  Since we didn't have any bay leaves, we added some "herbs de province" to enhance the flavour.  I must say that that house smelled so good while the broth was simmering.  While preparing dinner, we had some raw ends from the asparagus, so rather than composting them, we added that to the soup as well.  We're trying to be wiser in how we use our food.

15 hours of simmering was required which meant that one of us would have to get up at 3:00 in the morning to shut the stove off.  I was a little nervous about leaving the stove on, but it was on the lowest setting and we moved everything away from the stove.  Ralph was up at the allotted time and turned the stove off.  I don't think he slept too well that night.  At 7:00 I got up and removed the "still warm" veggies and chicken from the broth.  It was time to set the pots outside to chill and allow the "fat" to form on the top so I could skim it off.  It was the perfect day with the temperature sitting at -7c.  A quick taste of the broth assured me that it would make a nice foundation for any soups that we plan to make.

As it turned out, we were able to freeze 15 containers of broth.  We have plenty to go around so if food becomes a shortage, reach out and we're happy to share.

We also decided to make some sausage.  It has been a few years since we made them but surprisingly it was easy to do.  Ralph and I worked together. Its a lengthy process though.  It took us almost 6 hours from start to finish.  We made 20 nice size sausages. We had a little taste for dinner and really enjoyed them.  Our sausage was made with chicken (thighs and a breast) along with some aged cheddar cheese for added fat content as chicken tends to be dry and some spinach and spices.  Getting everything ready took about an hour and the rest of the time was spent grinding the meat and feeding it into the sausage casing.  We have to figure out a more efficient/quicker way.  It might not seem worth the effort but when you know exactly what is contained within the sausage, you know that we are eating a healthy meal with no nitrates or other chemicals in it. They tasted delicious and I suspect that we'll be making more in the near future.

I have to cut back on my walking for the next couple of days.  After my walk last Thursday, I felt some pain on the bottom on my foot.  I think maybe I bunched my sock or something as we discovered a large blood blister. Yikes, that wasn't good.  Being diabetic, that is the last thing that I need.  I called my doctor and we had a consultation where he prescribed a "corn pad" and polysporin and a little less walking for a while. He promised to be available if any complications came up,  I really do appreciate my doctor.

As the weather has been getting nice, I have been looking longingly out of my back windows just itching to get into the gardens to clean them up.  Finally on Wednesday the weather was perfect for being outside.  The sun was shining and it was a great temperature for raking.  I gathered up 8 bags of leaves and felt really good about the clean up.  I spread the work out through a couple of days.  I must say I have "never" been so far ahead in my garden.  I hope to dig up the garden beside the house as well and set up a new vegetable garden.  Maybe I can convince Ralph to help me with this.  It won't be large, but big enough for some lettuce, tomatoes and maybe a few peppers.  Enough to enjoy a fresh salad.  I hope to plant tomatoes in pots again this year as well and maybe even make some "sun dried" tomatoes.  I watched a really interesting video on how to do them without using electricity.  We'll see what happens.  It all depends on how long we'll be staying close to home with the virus around us.

We've set up a WhatsApp with the family to stay connected.  It's nice to hear how everyone is doing, who is still working and just to say hi.  We are getting updates from each other on Mom which is a blessing as well.  For family members who aren't connected yet, please reach out to me and I'll send you the link.  We'd love to hear from you.

We're thankful that we are able to join for church services via Live Streaming.  Asher and Tim have done a wonderful job in getting us set up.  Ralph still goes to church on Sunday as he is an Elder and I stay at home watching the service on line.  As a whole, it works really well.  They've also set up the ability to listen to the service via telephone if technical issues are experienced which also works well for those who don't have computers.

On Wednesday evening we joined the bible study group on line.  This worked very well as the Pastor is taking us through the book of Revelation.  I am very thankful that we can still keep this going.

On Thursday evening the ladies (Arja, Claudia, Teresa and I) enjoyed a glass of wine and a chat via zoom.  What a great idea.  It was so nice to catch up with each other.  I'm looking forward to doing this again next week.

We have been practicing some of our putting and holding a game to keep each other motivated.  It's been fun.  We'll have to build a bigger course to make it more challenging next week.

Today, I looked out of the window and saw that my Crocus's have started to bloom.  I was pretty excited about that and went out and photographed the pretty flowers.  It's amazing what a little warm weather and sun can do.  Even the chives are growing and soon we'll be able to snip and add them to our eggs.

We also enjoyed a quick visit with brother Ed.  He stood on the back deck while Ralph and I stayed inside.  We had a nice coffee together and were able to catch up.  I miss seeing everyone at Mom's.

Ralph has been enjoying cooking and baking.  He's made a nice batch of Oatmeal cookies and very yummy brownies. (Thanks to his sister Ingrid for the recipe) I pulled together some hummus one day as well so we could enjoy a nice and healthy snack. lt seems like we are doing a lot of dishes, but its a nice way to keep ourselves busy.

This morning, to celebrate the end of the week, we enjoyed some very yummy Ricotta pancakes.  These are Claudia's recipe and I enjoy making them as a special treat.  We sure have been enjoying some nice "comfort" food.  I'm amazed at how quickly the time is progressing. I am thankful that Ralph and I are together and sharing in this experience. We are also thankful for "technology" which keeps us connected with our families and our church.  Let us all remember that God is in control and he will keep watch over us. To Him be the glory! I hope you have all had a good week.  

The times, they are a changing

I've decided to blog about our experience with the COVID-19 virus.  So much has changed in the last couple of weeks.  I'm amazed at how quickly things have escalated since we came home 1.5 weeks ago from Myrtle Beach.

When we left Myrtle Beach, we really didn't understand the seriousness of the virus.  We followed some news about the virus spreading in China, but assumed that it  was"over there" and wouldn't affect us.  As we drove home, we didn't spend any time listening to the News Channels but rather enjoyed our audio books to pass the time.  Crossing the border we had a very pleasant Custom's Agent who welcomed us home after our extended time away.  Life was good.  We were looking forward to being in church on Sunday and seeing our church family again.  The following weekend we planned to celebrate with Laura, Jay and family.  Life was "normal", getting back into the groove of things to come.

On Monday, March 9, I attended my regular monthly COA meeting.  This is where the first discussions of the "Corona" virus took place.  In lieu of some comments made by members at the Sunday service, we agreed that we should look for some hand sanitizers for those concerned with shaking hands. I offered to take this on, thinking that this shouldn't be that difficult to find.  Was I ever surprised.  I went to 10 stores and only found 4 small "purse size" sanitizers and 1 3/4 filled bottle for the price of $27.00.  This came as a shock to me that the prices were already being increased.  Ralph and I talked about this and decided that "maybe" we should ensure that we have some provisions at home (we tend to eat mostly fresh food) in the event that this becomes a big issue.  We assessed our toilet paper supply (9 rolls) and thought maybe we should buy 1 package to get us through whatever might happen. We didn't go crazy with groceries.  A few packages of frozen veggies, some tuna in cans and rice.  For the rest, we'll use what we have in the freezer and cupboards.  Finding toilet paper was the biggest challenge but we only bought one package.  On Wednesday March 11, we went to bible study at the church.  We were blessed with a really good session (I'm glad we went) and then Ralph and I checked out the soap situation.  Hmm, maybe a few extra containers of hand soap should be made available for Sunday service.  Friday March 13 we headed to Costco to purchase a supply of soap.  We were shocked when we got there.  Not a parking spot to be found.  Ralph dropped me off at the door and went in search of a spot (and a cart since I couldn't find one).  Once I got inside, I texted Ralph and told him it was crazy in the store and not worth trying to buy "soap".  By that time he had found a spot and cart and encouraged me to be patient.  We'd wait in the line (which went all the way to the back).  Once we found each other, we went in search of soap.  There was not 1 container.  That was enough to convince us that we didn't need to shop at Costco.  Looking in the carts of the people standing in line, I'm convinced that they were all panic buying.  Loads of meat, paper towels, frozen foods, the buggies were overflowing.   It was really sad to see and experience.  We decided to drive to Fortino's and try our luck there.  Success - the store was busy, but not crazy although many of the shelves were bare.  I found soap and even 1 bottle of refill which I bought (just in case we needed it).  Once in line we saw the same thing, buggies loaded to overflowing.  Ralph and I were standing with a basket and our soap in it.  We did feel a little out of place.

While all of this was going on, Claudia and I were talking about our upcoming trip to Florida (which was scheduled for the following week) with the girls for a golf vacation together. This was on Wednesday and it seemed like the trip should be ok as long as we were careful.  I had an appointment with my Doctor in the afternoon and we discussed the trip.  He urged me to wear a mask, but thought because Florida wasn't that far away that the trip would be ok.  He was hesitant to take his trip which was at the end of the month when he had hoped to go to Arizona given the distance and time that he would be on a plane.  By Thursday, things were rapidly changing with many messages of caution being issued and things really started escalating with the COVID-19 virus.  Claudia and I talked again and we decided it would be best to postpone our trip until things settle down.  Chuck wasn't going to go home as planned and would stay with Claudia in Florida.  I talked with Arja and Teresa and we all agreed it was best to cancel.  Teresa looked after dealing with the airline (thank you Teresa) and we were able to reschedule our trip anytime up to March 12, 2021.

On Saturday morning, March 14, Ralph and I went to the church and placed all the soap in it's respective bathrooms and in the kitchen and then headed to St. Thomas to celebrate birthdays.  At this time, I don't think we really perceived how serious things were getting.  We understood the need to keep your distance, no handshaking, kissing, hugging etc but we still wanted to see our family.   Church was still planned for the next day.   When we arrived at Laura's, it felt odd not hugging or kissing our most loved family.  We hadn't seen them since Christmas (with the exception of FaceTime) and we really missed them.  I'm thankful we had the visit, although in retrospect, we probably shouldn't have gone.  We even went out for lunch together but were very careful with washing our hands etc.  I suspect it might be a long time before we are able to hug each other, so I keep with me the memory of our wonderful day together.  Both the girls (Hailey and Jordan) made me gifts for my upcoming birthday.  Hailey drew a beautiful picture which she framed and Jordan made a beautiful pine box in her class at school.  I was very touched by their expression of love.

On Saturday, our Council decided not to open the church doors for service.  Asher and Tim were busy getting things ready to host the service via Live Streaming.  I must say, they did an amazing job in such a short timeframe. God has certainly blessed our congregation with many talented individuals who work diligently to keep his church running smoothly and enabling us to hear the message.  On Sunday, March 15 Pastor Al preached his first "Live Sermon".  Sanya played the Piano and a few of the Elders were present (Ralph included).  Tim and Asher looked after the videoing and it went very well.  Our God made sure that the message was heard by all those who wanted to join.

By Monday March 16, news of the Borders being closed was being discussed by many countries (Canada and US included).  I'm thankful that our friends and family - John and Grace, Chuck and Claudia were able to make it home safely.

On Wednesday we celebrated Teresa, Grace and Christine's birthday.  Sadly we couldn't see each other but look forward to celebrating with them individually at another time when we are able to.  Ralph and I were able to drop a gift off in between the door at Teresa's house so that at least she could enjoy it while staying at home.

The last couple of days have seen the Government creating budgets to offset wages, delaying tax payments, increasing GST payments to those in need etc.  Insurance companies have lifted restrictions on how much medication you can order and banks are allowing you to defer mortgage payments.  These are just a few of the measures being put in place.  The biggest and most strongly worded message out there is "stay at home" and "Self Isolate".  Sadly not everyone is listening and in some cases "balking" at being told to stay out of close contact with others.  You can still take walks (but keep distance from others), do grocery shopping (Seniors have a time set aside by many grocery stores between 7-8 am) but for the most part, stay home.  I truly believe that we all need to do our part.  Grocery stores are offering to deliver as are other companies and many businesses are shutting down store fronts but offering services online in an effort to protect their employees.  It's going to be a difficult time for everyone but if we do our part, maybe the virus will run it's course quicker than what they are predicting.

So now the challenge is what to do with all the time that we have.  Its a good time to be in devotions together and discuss what we are learning from God's word.  We need to encourage each other to continue to put our trust in our Lord, who we know is in control.  I personally don't feel anxious but as time goes on that may change.  I try to keep my trust in Him and follow his leading.  We need to use this time to look after each other and show our love to our neighbours as He loves us.

This week Ralph and I have passed the time, enjoying Netflix video's - primarily Planet Earth.  I highly recommend this if you have access to a Netflix account.  I too have used this time to work on my pictures.  When we returned from California and Hawaii a couple of years ago, we had lost many photos because my hard drive crashed.  Thankfully about 50% of them were recovered but at that point I was so discouraged that I never really took the time to work on them.  I have been using my time this week to go through them.  What a wonderful way to look back on our trip and recall the fun that we had.  Next I plan to work through the California photos.

With the extremely fast pace that this virus is spreading, I hope and pray that you will all stay healthy and heed the warnings but most of all trust that our God is in Control.  To Him be the Glory.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and meditation, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. Phil 4:6. It's a time to learn how to conserve food, use less (ie. toilet paper), reuse plastic and find creative ways to use food items that you already have in your house.

Time to say goodbye

Sadly the time has come for us to pack our bags and get ready to go home.  Hopefully we missed the worst of the winter storms.  I don't mind getting some snow but it's nice to have been away from the chilly days and slippery sidewalks.

We've had a wonderful time here.  I can't believe how quickly the time passed by.  It seems like just yesterday when we arrived and now its been almost 10 weeks since we left Rexdale.

Our plan is to leave early on Friday and we should be home by Saturday evening.  We don't plan to rush and if the weather turns bad as we head north, we'll slow down and take our time.

As I look back on our time away, I smile at the memories.  We had a fun time with Chuck and Claudia in Florida, enjoyed the birds at Huntington, the daily walks along the ocean and the great golf courses here.  It was really nice to have John and Grace, Lawrence and Teresa, Harry and Marian down here during the month of February. It gave us an opportunity to play cards, settlers and of course many rounds of golf.  We also shared a nice visit with Liz as well which was such a wonderful thing. It gave us all a time to catch up.

There were many seashells found, toes wiggling in the ocean and glorious sunset and sunrises experienced.  God blessed us so richly with this opportunity to get away and we give thanks for this every day.

I've gone back and looked through the pictures that Ralph and I have taken.  There are so many making it hard to select just a few.  So I opted to select one a day where possible.

Our first sunset was the promise of God's amazing grace.  It reminds us that he is in control and to trust him in everything.

The first morning we awoke to an amazing sunrise.  The sky was painted a beautiful red colour. To simply stand by and watch as the sun comes up reminds us that God has blessed us with another beautiful day.

During our first round of golf we were greeted by our furry friend.  While cute to look at, you have to make sure that your food is well hidden or it will be gone buy the time you are back at your cart.

Not everyday is sunny and bright, but there is beauty to be seen in the storm clouds as well.  We just have to take the time to stop and look.

The ocean never fails to surprise me.  One afternoon the waves were making these beautiful designs up and down the coast.

We were always on the lookout for alligators.  This was a smaller one floating in the pond by Huntington Beach, but we saw some huge ones as well.  They were out sunning themselves on the golf courses.  Better to leave your ball where it lay, if it was too close to one.  We heard a story about one gator snatching a ladies small dog while she was walking it. The PGA Superstore carries lots of balls, so no need to be brave.

I love watching the waves and on those really windy high wave days it was nice to go out and photograph them.  It takes patience and timing,

One of my favourite past times is to go and watch the birds.  We've spent many hours at Huntington Beach enjoying their antics.  From fishing to doing their mating dances, its never dull at the park.

This year the beach had a lot of gulls and in so many varieties.  Some days they stretched from one end of the beach to the other.  It was amazing to see and fun to walk through.  Very noisy though!!

The majestic eagle is seen a lot here in Myrtle Beach.  They make their homes on the golf courses as well as at Huntington.  We've seen both young and old.  What a sight to see.

We took the 12 hour drive to visit with our friends Chuck and Claudia in Florida and enjoyed a wonderful weekend filled with memories.  I'm looking forward to returning there in a couple of weeks.

Myrtle Beach has the most amazing skies.  I never get tired of the beautiful colours. The sun is reflected in the water along the beach, warms up the sand and casts a beautiful glow on everything it touches.

Another bird that we love to photograph is the Osprey.  These are great hunters and are often seen flying by with fish in their claws.  They will stop and rest in a nearby tree and enjoy its meal before flying off.  

Herons are also very good at fishing.  They move quickly and spear the fish with their beaks.  Very amazing to see.

The drive into the Caledonia Golf course is one of the prettiest that I have seen.  I love the majestic oak tree's with the moss hanging down.  It's a bit challenging to get a picture as you have to constantly move for vehicles and wait for them to turn and be out of sight but well worth the challenge.

We really have enjoyed our time together.  Whether out on the golf course, photographing the birds, down by the Pier and getting in our footsteps, I can't think of anyone else I would rather be with.  Ralph is a real blessing to me and I love him with all my heart!!

A little sunshine, lots of clouds and big waves make for an interesting sunset.  It was beautiful standing on the beach enjoying the mixed weather.

Reflections in the water add a lot of interest.  Some mornings the sky just exploded into colour, but you have to be quick as it doesn't always last long.  5 minutes later it can be all gone.

Beautiful blue skies with wispy clouds are always a distraction for me when golfing.  I guess that's why my head always pop's up (lol) and I duff my shot.  Oh well, it's just a game which I will forget as soon as I leave the course, but I'll sure remember what the sky looked like.

It's always fun golfing with the ladies.  We laugh a lot and get plenty of enjoyment being together.

It was really nice to see Liz while we were here.  We enjoyed a wonderful potluck dinner at the Simonse's and shared plenty of laughter.  We don't often get this opportunity to be together when Liz comes to Canada as it's over a short period as her family is pretty spread out now.  We hope we can do this again next year.

Not pretty, I know.  Early one morning I was out taking some shots of the sunrise (at least that was what I had hoped to do) when I slipped off the stair and twisted my ankle.  Yikes, the pain was excruciating when it happened.  Thankfully, I didn't go down as I had my tripod and camera in hand and could have damaged them.  I did however hurt my ankle quite bad.  I wasn't initially sure that I would make it back to the room unassisted.  Icing it every couple of hours for the next few days most certainly helped.  I only missed 2 days of walking which I am thankful of.  The pain is minimal and I am only reminded of it when I step on something that isn't flat ie. a pinecone or shell.  Sometimes it hurts when walking on the beach because of the angle of the sand but I am so thankful to God that it was nothing worse.

 

The magnificent eagle.  I sure wish we had more of these around Toronto.  They sure are beautiful!!

Every sunrise brings different colours and you always have to remember to look both ways or you will miss part of it. I especially love it when there are clouds in the sky.  Thats when you see the drama.

While out golfing at The Witch we saw this grouping of trees.  I just loved the colour variation and had to take this shot.

This course also had plenty of turkeys on it.  They don't look like the ones we have at home and their feathers are quite pretty.

We got to see the beautiful moon a few times.  I am always amazed at how quickly it rises into the sky.  Some evenings it was huge as it came up over the horizon.

Changing temperatures bring fog to the beach.  Over the last two months we have had several foggy days.  Its a good opportunity to practice new skills as fog can be a challenge.  Ralph would drive me to the Pier and while I was out shooting he would take his walk.

I sure will miss this when I am back in Toronto.  Waking up and drinking coffee from our balcony enjoying the beauty all around us is such a blessing.  Looking out our back window at home, I'll see tree's and birds.  While not the same, I love the birds as well.

Having family who enjoys golfing is a real treat.  We sure got a lot of games in while they were here which was great.

One morning, just before leaving for church, there were many seagulls flying by the balcony and looking in.  I wonder if someone was feeding them. It was really fun to watch them fly towards us.

Storms come over the beach very quickly sometimes and they can leave just as fast.  I love to watch them from our balcony.

From the smile on this guys face, I'm sure he was dreaming about dinner.  This gator was lying on the side of the green.  Our guys up ahead had spotted him and pointed it out to us.  Thankfully our chip shots landed topside and didn't roll down to the water.  

Not a cloud to be seen except on the horizon.  Many days were like this with the sun shining brightly. We certainly were blessed with beautiful weather.

With mating season upon us, the birds were really frisky.  It sure was fun to watch them chase each other.

We always talked about staying at the park to photograph the sunset.  One Sunday evening we went later in the day and brought along our tripods in the event that we would have a nice one.  The sky had some nice clouds and it looked like we might get some nice colour.  Forgetting that the park closes at 6:00 pm Ralph and I were happily taking our photos until the sun had set.  By this time it was 6:15.  When we drove up to the gate it was "padlocked" closed.  Now what??  How do we get out?  This wasn't something that we expected.  It sure helps to have a 4Runner during times like this.  Ralph found a way to navigate the gates by going through the tree's.  Phew, it was close but we made it.  Another exciting memory that we made together hah hah.

Yesterday morning, the sun started to show colour at 6:15 already.  The sky was changing incredibly fast.  I think we enjoyed the beautiful red for only about 20 minutes before it completely went away.  I am glad that I had my tripod and camera all set up and ready to go as it's so easy to miss sometimes.  As I was downloading my pictures I looked out at the sky and it was still amazingly beautiful with the darks and greys.  You never know what you will see.  A storm was rolling in yesterday, however we got lucky and only had a very small amount of rain.  Thats the way it usually goes, a little rain, but most of it happens during the night time.

Later yesterday afternoon, we had John and Grace, Mark and Katrina and Elis over for "Happy Hour".  While celebrating the end of our holiday Mark spotted some dolphins swimming by.  How exciting for everyone to see.  The ocean was pretty calm so it was easy to see them as they swam up the coast.

And finally a few of the treasures that we see from the ocean.  Over the course of the 2 months we have found plenty of sharks teeth.  These are just a few.  We've seen so many jelly fish this year as well.  Thankfully these don't sting but they are all over the beach.  I learned how to "despine" sea urchins which have resulted in some beautiful shells.  

I'm sad to leave but looking forward to seeing our family.   It's time to say goodbye and thanks for the memories.