Blank Page Syndrome

Sometimes when I sit down to write here I think, "what have I got to say that other people will want to read about". That's when blank page syndrome hits me in earnest. I sit here with my hands poised over the keyboard and suddenly I'm without a thing to say... at least of any value. One day of Blank Page syndrome doesn't bother me but when you run into three or four days of it... well, it makes you wonder what you are doing, or not doing to be so boring.

So, for the last few days I have had a serious Blank Page syndrome and thought I would fill the void with some of the photos that Hubby and I have taken over the years. Then a recipe thrown in was ok too. But this seems to be an ongoing problem, so when you see reams of pictures you know that my brain has gone south for a holiday.

So on that note and feeling like I really don't have much else to say that's humorous, or interesting, or of any known value in the universe, I will post a few more pictures today.

The Annual Chili Cook-off

We didn't get as many as we hoped for but we did have our annual chili cook-off. St. Peter's Church hosted a Chili cook-off which we hope to have every year. The idea is to have people make pots of Chili and bring to the event to be judged by those who buy tickets to our event. The tickets were $10 with kids eating free. You receive a bowl and two pennies at the door. The bowl is yours to take home and the pennies are your vote. We had a hoot and the pots of Chili were great. I didn't think it would happen because I was up against some pretty stiff competition, but I won.... hands down. Here's my Chili recipe... which really isn't a recipe at all.... Mom made chili when she was young and put frozen corn into it by accident and I've been doing that ever since.... I throw a whole lot of whatever in my chili.... as you will see.

Frankie's Chili
Two small packs of Ground beef and two sirloin steaks cubed into 1/2 inch squares (this is best done when still a little frozen)
The sirloin helps to add to the flavour
2 beef oxo cubes or packets
two onions (best when garden fresh)
brown meat and onions at same time
salt to taste and pepper to taste.
chop red and green peppers 2 of each (substitute a yellow one for a red one if you want more colour)
two cans of mushrooms or the equivalent in fresh (fresh are better)
two cans of tomato paste
two sm cans of tomato sauce
two cans of red kidney beans
1/4 bottle salsa
1/4 bag of frozen corn niblets
Now this is where I have fun!
chili powder to taste (I used a lot but mine was old and had lost the flavour... about a 1/4 c. You may want to tone it down if you are using fresh chili powder)
honey 2 tbsp (use more if you are using lots of chili powder it helps take the edge off the bitterness)
cinnamon very small amount..... 1/2 tsp-ish
a little garlic crushed 1/2 tsp-ish
a smidge of lemon juice
cayenne pepper (don't want too much of this as it will burn your lips) 1 tsp-ish
1 1/2 tsp tobasco
sometimes I'll throw in a few chopped tomatoes (better when skinned)

Let this all simmer for a few hours and voila.... yummy!

More Inspirational Photos

Here are a few more pictures that Hubby and I have taken over the years.

Inspirational

Over the years Hubby and I have played amateur photographer. These are some of my favorite photos taken in the last five years. I hope you find them as inspirational as I do....

Dust Bunnies

I have dust bunnies. I'm sure this is really not all that astounding as I'm also sure that most of the people who read this blog have dust bunnies too. I have always lived with dust bunnies and no doubt will continue to live with them all the rest of my life. However, every so once in a while, my dust bunnies grow teeth and start biting at my ankles. That's when I have to liberate my house of some of the dust bunnies that tend to indeed enjoy living under my table, my stove, my china cabinet, and any other dark corner they can find their way into.

I think I have a pretty good relationship with my dust bunnies and am quite content for them to be there if only they will hide away when company comes to call. But recent events are leading me to believe that my dust bunnies are rebelling and mocking me behind my back.

Now it came to pass that a friend, who doesn't come to call very often and is the epitome of a neat freak, came to my house in an effort to be friendly. While visiting, I had the horror of all horrors as the furnace cut in and one of my dust bunnies, who was in a rebellious mood, decided to creep out from under its hidey hole and make its way across the floor with my forced air furnace helping it drift along. Luckily, my neat freak friend was back on to this episode of dust bunny frivolity. That's when Daughter #1's kitten decided to make its entry into the living room via the steps leading to the upper regions of our domain. It spotted the rebellious dust bunny and decided that this was something good to play with. The dust bunny would drift along slowly with Kitty pouncing on it every so often. (The cat does not have a good relationship with dust bunnies and tries to eat them regularly). That's when Toots, the wonder chicken herder decided to investigate. Meanwhile I was quite content to keep my friend engaged in conversation so that she wouldn't notice the drama unfolding behind her. Toots as you know loves to play with his chicken and even more loves to play with felted woolen balls that I make for him. I knew what was about to happen. Toots took it into his head that the dust bunny that Kitty was playing with was his old ball. Meanwhile Kitty thought that the drifting dust bunny was his. This led to a fight as Kitty and Toots tried to lay claim to what should have stayed under the cabinet where it had been. With a screech and a yowl, all attention focused on Toots, who by this time had had his nose ripped, and Kitty, who was licking his claws, and a somewhat wet and mangled dust bunny lying directly in the middle of the floor. I quickly grabbed a napkin from the table and acted like I couldn't believe where a ball of fluffy dirt would have come from. How on earth could this have happened!


Leave it to dust bunnies to inform others of what a poor housekeeper you are. Toots is most upset that the dust bunny that he thought was his ball is now in the garbage and Kitty well he doesn't give a damn....

I wonder if there are any other dust bunnies feeling rebellious.

The Long And Winding Road

I love paths. I always have. I remember as a child I would spend hours in my backyard making paths in newly fallen snow, then, when it snowed again, which it did quite frequently in Newfoundland, I would spend hours following the indentations in the snow where I had made the path in the first place. Yesterday, while I was making my bed I happened to glance out the window and saw a path winding away into the bush. This path is not an unfamiliar path to me, I have walked it many times. But yesterday it looked so inviting that I thought I would take a picture of it. (The ongoing dizziness prevented me from following it). I love the look of winding paths and I love the way it feels to walk down one. There's always a sense of the unexpected around the next turn.

When Hubby and I moved here we were delighted to find that the original wagon trail that the pioneers used to get to HH wound it's way through our property. To the east, the trail is covered with other people's property and is hard to find in among the fields and streets that cover it, but it is there. To the west though the trail is very distinctive. The old wagon trail has become a new quad trail and I walk it frequently. However the trail that you see in the picture is nothing more than a deer trail that my kids follow when they are going to their fort. It is a happy little trail that winds its way through our property and ends up at the fence of our neighbour's property. From there you can follow the fence line and somewhere in the bush down there we have a little spot with a firepit and a nice place to stop.

I can't help thinking that trails are rather like life. There is the main one that you follow every day of your life but then branching off are all the little trails that have the potential to become the main trail. If you look behind you can see all the little trails that you didn't take and kept right on going past. They are all winding and sometimes they connect with other people's trails. Sometimes several people follow the same trail. It's cool (did I just date myself using that word?) to see the trail ahead of you and know that there are others following the same trail, but sometimes it is nice to get off the beaten path and follow the road less traveled.
I think that is why I like paths because there is so much opportunity to see what lies ahead, to share the path with a friend, and ultimately to walk down the path without hesitation, whether it be the path of life or just a path in the woods.

My path, the one that I took the picture of, was never so clear as yesterday with the newly fallen snow making it more apparent. And though I've walked that trail a hundred times I never really saw it before. It took looking out the window and seeing it from a different vantage point to realize how wonderful it actually is.

And so you see, when I see the opportunity to take a picture of a winding path, I take it. It is because they are so inviting to me and a little bit of a curiosity that I love them so. Next time you see a trail or path, maybe you will think, "Ah here's a trail like the one Frankie was taking about", and with any luck, if you follow that trail you will be led to something interesting, something that ultimately makes your life a little nicer. Because sometimes its the little paths that you don't see so well that lead you to the great things in life.

Happy trails to you.....

Happy Birthday YOB

Good morning all and once again I'm sitting behind my computer screen. This has become a common trend in the last year as this is the one year mark since the creation of this blog. Blogging has become a way of life for me it seems. My goal when I set out on this momentous undertaking was to have fun with a journal of sorts and try to practice my writing skills somewhat. I didn't know if I would enjoy blogging and I was a little scared about what I wrote being appropriate and interesting enough to entertain folks who happen to read it. My thought was to write about the things that I do with wool. But I very quickly realized that it would become so much more than that. I have had people tell me all the time that they read my blog, which is good, but it kind of leaves a hole in your conversation because you really don't want to keep repeating yourself. It also has been marvelous for those down East who keep up with our lives through the blog. I am a terrible letter writer (and Hubby doesn't write at all) and so for all the family back home it is a great way to keep up with our lives. I hope I have done that in an entertaining and light hearted way. I also wanted to provide information to those in the same boat as me. I wanted to let them know how to start up a small hobby farm and small business. I'm not sure I have done this but if you keep following along I'm hoping that it will come as I continue to learn. A huge part of the last year was taken up with renovations on our house and all that goes with it, and while we are not yet finished with that we are still working on it. (I'll keep posting pictures from time to time).

Recently Hubby was able to help me add a counter on my blog. It is really cool (though freaky, I'm told by one of my blog followers) and with it I am able to see how many people follow my blog and where they are from. It doesn't tell me (so don't worry) what their name is or any personal information just how they accessed my blog and what part of the world they are accessing from, (so ISP and the previous page from which they joined YOB). It tells me what pages were accessed on my blog and how long they stayed on my blog. The statistical information that I get from that is really helpful. Yesterday someone joined my blog from Italy.... but their visit was very short lived. I would say they were just surfing. Still it is cool for me to know whose reading here. Speaking of statistical information regarding YOB, I have written 182 times in the last year which works out to be once every two days on average. I think that is pretty good.

Blogging has become a part of my life like washing my face or brushing my teeth. I wake, I get the family breakfast and out the door to school, and then I sit and blog. Sometimes it is really easy to write but sometimes I just don't have anything to say because the reality is that my life is not all that interesting at times. Daughter #1 says I have a talent for turning the mundane into something interesting but I'm not so sure. Still though I like blogging and most of the time I sit here and it all rolls out easily once I get started.

I want to especially thank all my followers, for staying with me this year and I want to welcome any who actually hit here and think well maybe I'll follow what this gal has to say. I also want to thank the blogging gods (yes there are some) for this outlet for public journaling. What an interesting world we live in.