As you can see, I am quite ready to grow things. I really shouldn't start any plants until mid-March though so this week I just bought some seeds. These come out of the food budget as produce food. Flowers come out of the house fund. This year I want to grow more cucumbers since I had such good luck last year with only one plant and we go through cucumbers like crazy here, both of us love them. The last few years we have gone to Europe in the Spring so I didn't grow from seed, waited and bought plants from the nursery. I will buy tomato plants as they always seem to do better than when I grow from seed but I will try to grow some cucumber plants.
We got yet another snowstorm on Thursday delaying garbage pickup until Friday. This was taken Friday morning after we shoveled. The pile of snow either side of the driveway is way over the top of the garbage can. Fortunately yesterday it warmed up to plus 3 and even rained a little so the melt has begun. Rain sure takes the snow away faster - It looks like half of what it did on Friday now.
There is another big melt happening today - the upright freezer is being defrosted. We used our cooler and filled it full of fish and chicken and the rest fit in the fridge freezer so it was time. I just set this up - it will likely take a couple of hours to thaw then I can wash it out and start over. I love this upright freezer even though it isn't frost free. We bought it used exactly two years ago according to this blog post for $200. It got left open a couple of times by accident for a half an hour or so and it quickly builds frost when that happens. It is so easy to organize things in there - one shelf for fish and shrimp, one for poultry, one for fruit and berries and one for everything else. If we didn't have this freezer there would be no turkeys or frozen pizza eaten here. The fridge freezer is so skinny it barely holds anything except small packages, I wish they wouldn't design new fridges that way.
This is a long weekend here, Monday is family day. Instead of taking the day off we will be working to catch up as hubby delivers a big round of training in a week and a half and we both have a lot of work to do before then. I did manage to finish my corporate year end and it is now in the hands of the accountant, another project off my plate.
Hubby is making ribs today. After yet another disappointing restaurant meal yesterday (we tried a new place out and the food wasn't good so we won't be back) we bought a couple of racks of ribs which will be cooked in the slow cooker all day then finished on the bbq. When we entertain we prefer to do so at home as are almost never disappointed. I will pick up Mom for supper. She stubbed her toe so bad she can't get her shoes on so she might be in slippers but that works too. We don't think it's broken so it just needs to heal, I took her some of my topical anti-inflammatory that I used on my tendonitis to help it along. I have been trying to keep her off the snow as the last thing we need is for her to slip and fall on the ice. It turns out she stubbed her toe on a blanket in her living room - oh well. She will hopefully heal up and as soon as the snow goes away she can wear sandals if necessary while it is healing.
After one of my favorite thrift stores in town burned down when we were on holidays I have been collecting items around the house for a big donation when they reopen. It turns out the location they were in is badly damaged and will take a year to fix. They have a temporary location effective March 1 and they actually started collecting donations for the new store so yesterday I hauled two big boxes from my house and one from Moms to their donation location. It appears the community is being generous as after only a few days of collecting they have a huge mound of donations to go through. My goal was to purge a total of 50 items this month. I threw out 4, sold 10 books and donated 36 items so that goal is done and all for a good cause, women and children in transition.
It is a beautiful sunny day here, hopefully we can get out and take Buddy for a walk as he is a little cabin-feverish. I take him every few days but during the snowstorms the drifts were just too much to try and take him a walk over. Now it has melted and everyone has properly shoveled their walks so we can take him out for a walk in the neighborhood again.
Have a great rest of your weekend everyone!
That snow! You've certainly had more than your fair share already this year.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame bout the charity shop, a good incentive to have a good clear-out and help others at the same time.
Funnily enough I went through my seeds to see if there was anything I could plant this month - I'll be planting baby spinach and mustard cress tomorrow (weather permitting!) xxx
PS Enjoy the long weekend!
You sure sound much more productive than I am. I still feel like the crud has not fully escaped me and over doing will push me back to ground 0. that said, I'll puts on laundry. I want to get pup outside again-ho loves the fluffy snow.
ReplyDeleteUgh, the dreaded upright freezer defrosting. When I get ours emptied a little more I need to do the same!
ReplyDeleteThat is some serious snow. We panic and close the city with just over an inch of snow!
We've been complaining about partly (only) sunny days and temps around 16! I used to love planting seeds, but Jerry doesn't have the patience, so we tend to buy big plants to start with.
ReplyDeleteI've been collecting toilet roll and paper towel innards to start my seeds off but I always tend to start them too soon. I can easily put them in my warm, sunny living room to start (I use the upstairs TV room to relax in) but then I start trying to put them outside too soon and they say here not before mid-May and the last frost. I'm hoping this year, since I have more time (and hopefully more patience) that I can do better as last year was a disaster. And my you have a lot of snow! We got dumped on last week but I was in Wales so that didn't affect me. In the meantime the skiers are arriving for spring break with beautiful snow and sunny temperatures of 14°C so what's not to love. I don't even want to start thinking about defrosting my freezers though although I should - I'll have to add that to my ever-growing to do list.
ReplyDeleteI just love how organized you are! Veggie seeds from the produce budget! You must have a mathematical mind. I really admire that!
ReplyDeleteHope your mom heals fast! Not much you can do for a toe but use the cream you gave her.
That snow! Wow....
another disappointing restaurant meal yesterday
ReplyDeleteWe avoid restaurants in Canada and the U.S.. By the time you add on taxes and a tip, a restaurant meal in Canada is very poor value for usually mediocre food.
We worked outside all day yesterday on our yard as it was 80 degrees. It felt good to have my hands in dirt again. Not sure yet if we will attempt growing veggies this year again or not. We were itching to do some yard saling, but sadly there were no sales around. Our local thrift store closed for a couple of days after having a big bag sale. When they re-open, they will have spring merchandise. Can't wait to check it out.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've been busy, and planning to be busier still. Hope your mom's toe heals soon.
ReplyDeleteNice that the snow is disappearing quickly as well. We had another cold morning, but at least no more snow. I can't even think of spring yet, we've still got a good couple of months of winter left.
Have a great week!
I don't think we will be able to do a garden this year as we are away from May 14th to June 23rd, prime panting and growing times. However I will try and get some tomatoes going.
ReplyDeleteI hate it when there is so much snow that you have either no place to shovel it too, or the drifts are higher than you can reach. Then after all that work, a warm spell gets rid of it in two days anyway! I hope you don't get dumped on again.
ReplyDeleteWe used to have an upright freezer but it was too big for the new small house. I hated de-frosting that thing! I did order a small chest freezer on Thursday because it's just impossible to get along without extra freezer space.
ReplyDeleteI hope your snow thaws and mom becomes more mobile soon. It's scary to have an older parent even slightly less mobile when there is ice on the ground.