19 November 2021

Weekend Reading and returning to "normal"

Hello everyone, I hope you've had a good week.  

I got the all clear from my doctor on Monday and my arm is slowly healing. It still looks terrible and it's swollen and peeling but the areas of redness are clearing.


I bought this Finnish Arabia porcelain vase for my mother during the 1960s. When mum died it went to my sister and she returned it to me on her last visit. It was very modern when I bought it and I'm not entirely sure it was to mum's taste, but she kept it and used it. I remember her roses sitting in it.

Today's lunch will be spinach and feta ravioli, frozen - I'm not quite back to full scratch cooking yet, with homemade tomato sauce. I'll make a cinnamon tea cake this afternoon for our morning and afternoon teas. We're running low on fruit at the moment but I don't want to go grocery shopping till Monday so we'll eat our one fresh mango and have some tinned fruit after that.  I'm happy that I had enough food here to keep us going while I was sick.  What are you eating today?


Making zucchini fritters for lunch during the week. 


Cleaning the kitchen and sink, below.


I'll be talking to Grandma Donna later today which I'm looking forward to very much. We both have a similar view on life and simple homes but we express our views in different ways. It's always interesting talking to her and seeing her in her home.


Folding wash cloths and tea towels in front of the fan at my desk.  ðŸ™‚

Of course, cleaning my home is never-ending with laundry taking up a fair amount of time. I'm lucky to have a good washer and dryer as well as an outdoor washing line, an under cover washing line and a bamboo clothes airer. No matter what the weather, if I wash it, I can dry it too.


The garden is very overgrown and during the past couple of weeks, the only time I went out there was to take these photos yesterday. The rain has pushed the Queen Anne's Lace flat, you can see some on top of the snapdragons at the front. When I start gardening again, that's the first thing I'll pull out.  There are plenty of seeds in the ground now, it's been dropping them for a couple of months. I have no doubt it will regrow as soon as there is space, water and sunshine.


I hope you've had a good week and that things are going well at your place.  Soon it will be either hot or cold, depending on where you live, but for us it will be HOT. It's not my favourite time of year, I prefer cold weather. Still, I enjoy the flowers the hot weather brings. What are you doing at home now? If you celebrate Christmas, have you started preparing yet? I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.  xx


WEEKEND READING

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31 comments

  1. Good to hear that you are continuing to improve. I often use peppermint lotion for sore skin and it really helps me. We are working hard to get ready for Thanksgiving here in the USA. We are especially excited to have family coming to visit next week.

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  2. Glad to hear you had good news from your Doctor. I adore the vase, adore your kitchen. If only I could cook lol... Glad you are on the mend...Cheers Jill

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  3. It's wonderful to hear that you're on the road to recovery, Rhonda. That photo of your garden looks like an enchanted fairy garden!

    It's persimmon season here so that's on the menu for supper today. In the evening I'll be mending two very old cotton aprons. I bought them years ago when I first began taking care of my home, and they hold so many wonderful memories for me... many of which were inspired by your writing.

    With love from,
    Kelly (Mrs. Kiwi)

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    1. Hello Kelly. I love the thought of you mending your old aprons. I've never had persimmons, how do you cook them?

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    2. Persimmons taste a bit like yellow peaches and can be used in similar recipes—they can be used to make desserts like fruit crumble or fruit tarts, cooked into jam, blended in smoothies, or added to salads.

      However, my favourite way to enjoy persimmons is to have them fresh. I like to peel them (this is optional) and slice them into wedges. This is how I served them yesterday!

      With love from,
      Kelly (Mrs. Kiwi)

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    3. Thanks for the info. If I see persimmons around, I'll grab a couple and try them. xx

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  4. Rhonda, so good to hear you are on the way back to "normal".

    How dreadful the wasting disease is spreading among these birds. I read it has an incubation term between 18 and 24 months. Makes me thinking......
    Stay well.
    Sending love and blessings for further recovery, Jeanneke.

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  5. So very glad that you are on the mend, as always I value every one of your posts.

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  6. We are expecting temperatures in the 20's (F) this weekend. BRRR...not complaining though, as I am enjoying living seasonally again after many years of living in Florida, where it is green all the time.

    Glad you are feeling better. No doubt seeing all of the beautiful flowers in the garden will aid in your healing.

    Lunch is usually a salad and a sandwich or cheese and crackers. A friend gifted me with lettuce from her garden, so I will be enjoying that for days!

    Thanksgiving is next week, so we look forward to a traditional meal and a holiday movie.

    Continued blessings...daisy

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  7. That garden of yours is fabulous right now. The snapdragons and Queen Anne's Lace are charming; and two of my favourites. Glad you are feeling better now. I am just starting to turn my attention to Christmas. It seems to have crept upon us fast this year!

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  8. I'm sooooo glad you're feeling better, Rhonda. What a scary ordeal! Have a wonderful weekend of continuing recuperation. ~Andrea xoxoxo

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  9. Hi Rhonda new reader here, I have been enjoying reading your blog and catching up to the present day. Glad you are feeling a bit better. It's the mild start of winter here in the UK, temperatures are starting to drop though. We are working towards Christmas, I have been hoping to clean and de-clutter much more but unfortunately the whole household had the virus so that took two weeks from all of our plans. We are all better now. I wish I could wave my magic wand and have a simple and organised home. I never seem to get the time to really sort it out. I guess I need to make some moves towards improving things and work out why I never seem to have the time! Enjoy your weekend.

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    1. Hello Hayley, welcome. It sounds like the wish to have a simple and organised home is overwhelming you. If I may give you some advice ... do small pieces and time yourself. Don't think of the work you need to do as one huge task. Break it up so that you can work on a room - like the kitchen, and in 30 minutes, work on cleaning and organising the fridge. That would take me 20 minutes, so in the remaining 10 minutes, clean and tidy the top cutlery drawer. That's it, it's over for the day or if you wished, you could add another similar task later in the day. In 30 minutes you could clean the fronts of your fridge, microwave, dish washer and all your kitchen cupboards. Another 30 minutes would give you time to clean and organise your glasses cupboard and make sure you had all the glasses you wish to use over the holidays. Slowly but surely, you can work your way through all the rooms you wish to organise before Christmas. If you don't get to some parts of it, make plans to finish it off after Christmas using the same tactics. Never feel guilty about not doing some of it, just do it in small portions and feel happy with the work you do. xx

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    2. Hi Rhonda thank you for taking the time to write that, very sage advice. I will definitely begin the 30 minutes timed "sort outs". Will let you know how it goes xx

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  10. Good morning Rhonda,Hanno and Gracie. So glad you have got on top of that nasty infection. My tiny garden is looking untidy and wild also but with all the flowers blooming it doesn't matter. We've had a lot of storms, causing fence damage, breaking my favourite pots etc. We're minding our elderly,frail 'grand dog' as her family are in hospital with the arrival of their first child, so it's been a wonderful week with another granddaughter to cherish. We have visitors calling in for a 'cuppa' as they will be in the area this afternoon, I also haven't shopped but you've reminded me a fresh tea cake will be welcoming. We have not had visitors 'in house' that are not immediate family since the beginning of 2020, I'm out of practice. Have a lovely week.

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  11. Hurray for being on the mend! I'm glad you're continuing to take it easy. Big illnesses are often hard to bounce back from and it takes time.

    We're an interfaith family (or, technically, religion/no religion!), so we've got holiday madness coming up! I *just* found Hanukkah candles today (it only took me FIVE DIFFERENT STORES) and I hung out my felt Hanukkah banner. I need some sour cream, which I'll pick up tomorrow, but I'm ready to fry up some latkes after a weekend of Thanksgiving food! :) And then the craziness of Christmas. It's a wild time of year, but it's fun. :)

    At home, I've recognized that I clean better and more efficiently when I tackle projects 20 minutes at a time. It's easier on my bad back and hips (and on my mood!) if I space it out, and it's incredible how much you can get done in such a short period of time. I've completely cleaned up and organized my daughter's room, and the basement, which my husband and daughter trashed, looks tidy now and the floor is no longer a fall hazard. Those were my biggest chores to tackle; I'm hoping to work on some more personal projects now that those are done.

    I hope you have a lovely, restful weekend! :)

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  12. The article on the farm worker shortage was very interesting as we have several similar issues in the U.S. Thank you again for brightening my weekend, and I am so glad you are feeling a bit better!

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  13. Hi Rhonda, I’m so sorry to hear you were unwell, but very glad you are on the mend. I think your garden look beautiful at the moment, but understand that when it’s our own sometimes we can only see the work to be done. I think the tip about breaking up house work into small, timed chunks, is invaluable advice and I do this often to stop from becoming overwhelmed. We moved home a few months ago, and, as I’m ill, unpacking is taking its time. Each box feels like a single grain of sand, but each day I empty a box and throw it out that’s one grain of sand less! Slowly slowly catch the monkey as a dear friend of mine used to say. Take care & continue healing. Xx
    - Emerald.

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  14. So wonderful you are healing well Rhonda...we so have to be kind to ourselves.
    Your vase is truly lovely...laden with flowers and memories.
    The article on cats was interesting. When I think our 8 yo cat isn't at all fussed with me at times...she comes looking for me to cuddle and 'chat'. I am still trying to work her out.
    We have been seeing quite a few friends and family now lockdown has finished. I love them all...but am feeling depleted! An introvert by nature I will have to cut back this week and replenish. More time in the garden I think and pantry and Christmas planning.
    Have a great week all!

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  15. Hi Rhonda, Your garden looks so healthy. Today I reheated hamburger with homemade gravy on some leftover fettucini. I made a large spinach salad with avocado, red peppers, carrots, cheddar cheese, cucumbers, and homemade balsamic dressing. For dinner I had turkey sausages and applesauce. I usually don't eat meat or poultry twice in one day, but I did today. I had a small glass of Italian moscato with my meal. I use a very small five ounce vintage crystal glass. Had some peppermint white truffles for dessert. Yum!

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  16. I am so glad that you are recovering after your unexpected cellulitis due to a barely there dog bite. Infections can become dangerous very quickly. I had a tiny bite on one toe from a greenhead fly while on vacation at a beach in Maine. It became so itchy that I could not sleep... I became convinced it was an allergic reaction to the bug bite. I finally went to the Emergency Room in the hospital in the middle of the night. They pointed out the very faint red line making it's way up my shin heading to my heart. I had the beginnings of sepsis! If I had gone to sleep instead of to the hospital that night I would probably have died. I needed intravenous antibiotics for 3 days to get it all under control.... from a bug bite! You never know. I am so glad that you are on the mend. Be safe and well. I so enjoy your lovely blog and what it stands for. Peace

    Cynthia Maryland USA

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    1. Thanks Cynthia. I'm glad you're safe and well. xx

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  17. Hello Rhonda!

    I am glad to read that you are doing well. Your garden looks lovely...full of life. I love Queen Anne's lace and am going to look to see if i can find seeds for it. It used to be everywhere here along roadsides, but in recent years it is becoming hard to find as old farmland disappears and new housing developments go in.

    We are heading into winter here. This past week the temperature has been all over the place. Winter coats one day; no coat the next! We had frost the past two days.

    I have been enjoying your links. The article on farm workers was interesting, as was the link about Dr. Bronner's. I ended up reading everything on that link, as i was not familiar with the story behind the product. I just wanted to mention that the link for the Helen Garner story actually goes to the cat story (which i haven't read yet.

    I hope that you and Hanno and Gracie have a good week!

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    1. Thanks for the heads up, Debbie. I've fixed that link now. I'm glad you're enjoying the links. xx

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  18. I am really happy that you are better.
    You made me wanna make spinach and ricotta lasagna : it's noted for next week.
    This afternoon, I'm going to collect the dead leaves to spread them to my vegetable garden : in France, we are in autumn.
    My daughter-in-law gave me yesterday a crate full of persimmons. I prefer them fresh, but I also have a cake recipe.I'll give it to you if you want (if I can translate it correctly into English)
    Have a good week

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    1. Don't worry about the cake recipe, Pat. I've lived here for 24 years and I've never seen a persimmon in any of the shops.

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  19. After reading the Dr. Bronner's link I went out and got myself a bottle of the Lavender scent; which was of all things on sale. I used to use it and got asway from it for awhile. Nice to have it around again, and so handy with all the uses one can get out of it. Thanks for the reminder, Rhonda!

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  20. I am beyond happy today. I lost your information years ago and have always wondered how you are and missed your blog. I happen to stumble upon it today. Glad you are still blogging and am excited to catch up.

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  21. Glad you are on the mend - may it continue! I thought the article on Covid data and how we perceive it was excellent. I felt much better after looking at all those colored dots, which is not how I usually feel when thinking about Covid ;). Also was encouraged by the article about the bees and sobered by the article on cracks in the food system. Wondering if we will ever get it right with agriculture. I just finished a very interesting book on the evolution of farming and land management, mainly in England, but with global references. The author is farmer James Rebank, it's called English Pastoral. Might be of interest to you and other readers here, if you haven't already read it. It's Thanksgiving this week - and I'm thankful for you and your blog Rhonda! Beth in MN

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    1. And I am thankful for your always interesting comments, Beth. Have a happy Thanksgiving. xx

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