Cherry-Berry Crisp

Unplanned deliciousness!

I love "coming up" with tasty treats. Not a lot of planning - but delicious in the end...

A while back, I made a quantity of apple crisp topping - and had a bit leftover...

What to do with the rest? I wanted to use it up...

Discovered a cup of frozen sweet cherries in the freezer. Poured it into an oven-safe bowl.

Not quite enough... What else do we have?! A bag of frozen mixed berries... blueberries, raspberries, strawberries. 

Added a cup of that. Heated it all up in the microwave. Sprinkled on the topping. (No additional sugar.)

Baked it for half an hour... 

It was delicious! 

Terry may still prefer apple crisp - but cherry-berry crisp is now officially my favourite - an unplanned surprise!

Close to the End!

I'm really excited to be nearing the end of my virtual walk along Route 66!

I started in June 2024, wondering if I could even do it - walk 3,670 km in under two years!

Now I'm hoping to finish the challenge in a year and a half.

For the past few months, I've been surrounded by  desert...

I'm ready for greenery again! 

I'm not sure where I'll walk next - maybe in the UK... Maybe in Australia... Or maybe on a road with ocean views along the coast of Vietnam...

For my next (8th!) virtual hike, I'm looking for a challenge of 500 to 1000 km. 

Wherever I end up going, I know it will be very interesting. They always are!

New Hydro Poles

For several weeks now, our neighbourhood has been the site of construction activity - as crews dig holes for new power line poles...

I wonder how often they're replaced...

Then a few days ago, the whole block across the street from us was without electricity - a planned outage for 6 or 7 hours.

With more poles lying on the ground, ready to be installed, I suspect there will be more planned outages in the weeks to come!

For those of us who depend on electricity to heat our homes, this isn't the best time of the year to be without power!

We take electricity for granted - until it's gone... whether for a few hours or a whole day!

Squirrel Neighbour

In our neighbourhood, squirrels abound!

It's not unusual to see them at neighbourhood bird feeders.

I wonder if this little guy plans to eat the food now - or store it away!

So much energy - even on a cold November day!

Story of a Piece of Knitting

I started knitting a triangular scarf last November - probably around the time I took this picture on November 26, 2024.

The scarf became a major winter project and grew exponentially.

This is the pattern. (Looking at the name of the pattern - Nightshift - I wonder if it was designed and knit by someone who was working overnight shifts at a hospital! One of my relatives used to work overnights at a nursing home and she'd often knit and crochet during her breaks - there weren't many people to talk to.)

Back to the scarf!...I then added some colours I didn't really like - at least, not together.

When I realized that, I stopped knitting. What to do now? 

I put it aside for a while, planning to revisit it later... which I did.

I then decided to undo the colours I didn't like. But by then, spring had arrived and I put all my knitting and crocheting away.

Now - November is here again (November  2025!)  I think it's time to take it out and resume, hopefully to finally finish it! It's supposed to be about a third larger.

But first, I have to revisit my stash of yarn scraps. My plan was to make it only using yarn leftover from other projects... Hopefully I'll succeed.

The Same Sunday Afternoon

Last Sunday afternoon, my daughter went for a run near the water in Toronto... She sent me these pictures...

The weather looked beautiful - though she said it was windy.

She crossed a pedestrian bridge we often admire driving by.

Heading back to her apartment, she encountered floats returning from the Santa Claus Parade. The one below looks like a giant Canada goose.

When she got back to her apartment, the sun was setting. 

For a few minutes, the reflection of the setting sun lit up downtown high rises. 

Stunning!

After admiring her view, I sent her this picture of OUR view - here in Ottawa! 

Only 450 km (280 miles) away - but worlds apart!

Remembering...

Last week, he turned 6 - and somewhere, my photo app found this picture to remind me...

... to bring back the memory of the warmth and beauty of holding a newborn...

Come to think of it, he's probably the last newborn I've held!

Five days old - and so absolutely perfect.

Interesting Sweater Design

My son recently sent me a photo of this sweater that he saw on Reddit, his favourite online news source.

When I did an online search of skeleton sweaters, there were quite a few out there.

Was it a popular item for Halloween?!

There's even a pattern for a more subtle crocheted version - of just the ribs.

Speaking as s former high school teacher... it could be an interesting item for teachers to have in their wardrobe. It would definitely generate discussion!

Interesting - and educational - to be reminded of what's under the skin!

Wooly Cow Kit

Occasionally I see a cute craft kit that inspires me...

Like this wooly highland cow.

I started it a few months ago - finished the body... but then took a break. 

An upcoming birthday (and Christmas) encouraged me to keep at it... I completed the head!

I did find the instructions challenging to follow. Lots of abbreviations... At times I had to write down the instructions in longhand to not get confused.

Here it is, nearing the end - only the long flowing hair remains.

My stuffy isn't as cute as the picture! Such unruly hair! I think it's because I crocheted from the outside of the ball of yarn. By the time I got to the hair, I was using yarn nfrom the inside, which had been wound more

This salad bowl has been a helpful place to store the project... Now the little guy sits in there and greets the world!

(Does he need more hair above his eyes?! I'll add a bit more...)

Final pose!

Now it's done!

Freezing Fog?!

Yesterday there was a freezing fog advisory on my weather app. Freezing fog doesn't appear  there very often.

What does it look like? I wondered...

As soon as it was light (around 7 am), I took a few pictures.

Not too bad here, though I haven't seen people out walking.

The back hedge had a light coating of frost or ice. No action yet in the two squirrel nests in the branches.

Perhaps a good morning to stay inside!

But a few minutes later, I noticed a black squirrel outdoors... Does she have a leaf in her mouth?!

Maybe she needs to reinforce her nest!

Later, when we drove to the mall, the scenery around is was a real "crystal wonderland"!

I'm Confused!

Among the potted plants I brought indoors in recent weeks is the plant I picked up on someone's front sidewalk because it was marked "FREE."

It has thick rubbery leaves and I assumed it was a rubber plant...

I trimmed off several limper leaves and took this picture of it. 

A few days later, I was surprised to discover that an app on my phone had identified it as a "Blushing Philodendron." I typed "Rubber Plant?" in the comment space - but nothing further has happened... so I'm still confused!  

I looked up "Blushing Philodendron" and found a picture of this plant - which doesn't really look like the one I have. For one thing, the leaves aren't as thick and rubbery.

Another test will be if the plant survives the winter in my drafty porch - a philodendron apparently doesn't like drafts!

Birthday Boy!

This little guy turned 6 years old today!

This second picture was taken shortly after moving to Ottawa at age 2 and a half.

And now, here - in first grade...

It's so much fun watching you grow!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Noticing Squirrel Nests

As leaves fall off trees - I notice squirrel nests high up on the branches all around us.

(Those big blobs in the branches...)

Some large trees have more than one! I think the tree below has two or three.

Squirrels don't hibernate - so they're still running around, checking things out - hunting for food, I guess.

I always wonder what squirrels are looking for under cars...

Warmth from an engine? A place to store nuts and seeds?!