Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Grandma's "Cooking Class"!

Today it's back to school for kids in Ontario...

But a few days ago, my grandkids and I had a different kind of learning experience: grandma cooking HER GRANDMA's recipe!











My mother and grandmother often made "potato pancakes" for supper. It's a simple dish that I would never need a recipe for - I had watched them make it so often.

Shredded raw potato, rinsed and patted dry... Add several raw eggs and several heaping  tablespoons of flour to hold the shredded potatoes together as pancakes when frying.











As I recall, my mother used a generous amount of oil - or was it bacon drippings? - to fry it in.

My grandkids helped with grating - and Ivy watched over the frying pan.

I haven't made them in a long time - and wondered if I should add a small grated onion for extra flavour. 

Unfortunately I didn't, and they were quite bland. Next time I'll add onion and salt - if not using salty bacon drippings to fry them in!

As we were making them, I also wondered if they would taste just as good with other vegetables added - like shredded carrot and some chopped green vegetable, like broccoli. That's not what my grandmother did - but recipes do change over time! Why not start a new tradition?!

Sunday, August 30, 2026

Delicious Meal Out

Terry and I recently joined our son and grandson for a lovely meal...

It was totally last minute!

We started out heading to a food truck that had a hamburger special - only to discover that they had run out of hamburger!

(Did we want anything else?!)











Another option was a nearby brew pub we had been to once before - years ago - in Ashton...











The food was delicious! 











The view from the screened porch looked down the hill (cliff?) to the river.

(But the beams looked SOLID!)

Glad we were impulsive!

Saturday, August 29, 2026

Oasis











One of my friends has a patio oasis I love to sit in.



There's a pond nearby...



Lots of potted flowers - plus the sound of running water makes it a peaceful place to relax or chat..

Friday, August 28, 2026

Where's "Waldo"?!

My kids used to enjoy "Where's Waldo?" type books. 

I remember a Richard Scarry book where an ant or a "lowly worm" appeared on every page - and we used to hunt for them.

Also - trying to get them comfortable in French - I bought a book called "Ou Est Pere Noel?" ("Where is Father Christmas?") with lots of Santas on every page... and we hunted for them, too.











Hunting for bees (or wasps?) on this photo of Japanese anemones reminds me of this game. I pointed the camera in the direction of bees buzzing around flowers. I MUST HAVE captured a few... But where are they?! 

Thursday, August 27, 2026

Grandma Camp

Last week Jericho had a few days of "Grandma Camp."











Out came the toys!











Actually, it was Grandma AND Grandpa camp. Here they are coming back from checking out a giant blow-up gorilla... 











Grandpa led the field trip to Arnprior...











We all enjoyed the visit with the chickens at the Needham Farm.












There was also Lego fun.

Jericho showed us that he was also skilled at washing dishes by hand! All in all, a fun and busy few days!


Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Remembering...

Today is my parents' wedding anniversary.

The wedding ceremony took place in 1944 at a church in south Edmonton, Alberta.











The reception was at my grandparents' rural home - just south of the city.

The top picture is mom and her bridesmaids at her parents' farmhouse...











This picture shows my mother's wedding cake - which she baked and decorated. She kept the top layer on display in the china cabinet for years - until we moved to Kelowna, in fact. That would have been about 15 years later. I remember her sadness at saying goodbye to the cake, a special souvenir of her wedding day.

I really have no idea how long top layers of wedding cakes were kept - but it was a tradition to keep them on display. I don't think they were intended to be eaten. The icing never attracted mice or ants, to my recollection!











Here is part of the group who attended the wedding. My father is standing to my mother's right.

I wonder if my mother and her family prepared all the food - or if friends contributed gifts of food... 

I never thought to ask.

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Wild Flowers of the Season


Driving along country roads or along the highway, I'm often struck by the beauty of wild flowers growing in nature.




Month by month the flowers change - just like my carefully planned perennials do. 



Planted by nature - wind, birds and squirrels -  they're always beautiful!

I should post regular photos of roadside (or wayside) flowers... just as I do photos of my own flowers - and the sky.