Vintage Bike

I am coveting this vintage inspired bike by from Opus.  

It was in my local bicycle shop, so I took it for a spin.  I soooo want this bicycle.

It was super comfortable

       I haven't sat upright on a bike for years

It feels better than hunched over a 10 speed or mountain bike

But at a price tag of almost $900 it is a bike to dream about.

Strawberries and Ice Cream

In our northern climate, strawberry season is finally here!  This is our fourth year with the strawberry plants and they finally producing more than just a few berries here and there.  

Last weekend I picked our first batch of red berries and filled half of the basket.  Subsequently, I have been picking berries every couple of days.

To best use the berries (other than eating them fresh of course!) we decided to make our own strawberry ice cream.    As a wedding gift years ago, we were given a Donvier Ice Cream maker.  We have used it in the past and it truly makes wonderful ice cream with ingredients that are normal and healthy (read: no artificial colourings, preservatives, etc)  It is easy to use as the interior cylinder is kept in the freezer and taken out and placed into the outer casing when it is required.  You assemble the turner, fill your ingredients and give a few turns every couple of minutes for about 20 minutes and at the end you have ice cream!

Donvier Ice Cream Maker

Homemade strawberry ice cream in my vintage polish dessert bowls

I also made homemade Strawberry Marguaritas with the Donvier. Sorry I forgot to take photos.  They turned out okay, but next time I will make sure the puree the berries more, add a bit more sugar or other sweetener and more rum (I'm sure one can never go wrong with more rum!)

I've decided with the hot weather we are experiencing that I'm going to use the Donvier more this summer for making frozen yogurt, ice cream, and drinks.  Guaranteed to be better than store bought.

Donviers can be purchased in two sizes I believe.  I have the larger gallon size which I know costs around $100 in my area, but I have seen them in thrift stores for only a few dollars.  If you're thinking of getting one, check to see if you can obtain one second hand as I would think most people only use the Donvier a few times and then get rid of it, like many other appliances that are not used every day.

Back to Work!

Today is an exciting day!  Husband has gone back to work - the first time in 5 months!  It has been hard on him with 3 surgeries and not being able to do much.  For most of the time he was not even able to sit, so crappy day time television was his main activity for the past months. He's been watching programs he would never normally watch; things like Judge Judy and Dr. Phil.  (Ugh!  but it has been a good thing to tease him about)  Though since recovering from the last surgery he has been doing better and has actually been out doing some gardening and working around the acreage.

Our son graduated from High School and is starting a new summer job today.  Hopefully he will be able to put some money away for University which he will begin in September.  He is pretty frugal, so I'm not worried, and he can still live at home for the next year.

Daughter just quit her job because she was not getting any hours, and she is hoping to apply for Son's old job at McDonalds.  Funny that they are both happy to work there, but refuse to eat at the establishment.

Me?  I'm still very busy with my job, but it has slowed down somewhat.  Now I have a bit of breathing room so that I can actually do a through cleaning of the house!

Bushes and Trees

Here is our cherry tree... It appears that we have somehow killed this one too. That means we have murdered two cherry trees in the span of three years. I have no idea how managed to do that as we have babied this tree and made sure it always plenty of water. We feel that perhaps it is our clay soil that is the problem - maybe the cherry needs a better draining soil.




The three apple trees are doing alright, but the one tree is about to blossom but has no leaves yet. If you closely at the photos you an see the red buds getting ready to open.








The four black current bushes are completely loaded with tiny blossoms. It looks like we will get another bumper crop again this year.




Stawberries have been spreading like crazy and are beginning to flower. Unfortunately our soil is also perfect for horsetail which grows vigorously amongst the plants. I weeded it out last weekend, but it doesn't take long before it is up again

Mother Goose

The goose has been laying eggs since January and she has produced about 50 eggs so far. She hasn't paid them any attention and I h ave been removing them from the nest.

About two weeks ago she became broody with the last egg. She will only get off the nest for a few minutes here and there to eat and drink. I suppose (if the egg is fertile) we will have a gosling running around in another couple of weeks.

We Bought Plants

With our normal activities being curtailed due to Husband's illness and my absolutely crazy busy work this year, we have not started any garden plants or flowers. The May long weekend is the usual time to plant the garden in our neck of the woods.

On Wednesday we stopped on at the local garden store and purchased starters and flowers. Luckily we put the in the garage overnight as we woke up to snow yesterday morning and it was a rather cold and dreary day. This morning we are being faced with the same.

The old laying hens were suppose to go to a family I know and we kept them over the winter until they could build a coop. It appears that they have changed their minds, and I really need the room in my henhouse. So we put an ad on Kijiji stating the hens and rooster would be free if someone could pick them up. I was surprised at the response I received, and on Tuesday they will be going to their new home. I'm looking forward to cleaning out the barn and rearranging the birds into different pens.

Husband is still home and he is waiting for his third surgery which has been postponed until the end of the month. So far he has been off work for almost 4 months and it will be awhile longer before he returns.

Ugh, I just looked out the window and the snow is falling.

Northern Lights

Husband woke me up last night shortly before midnight as the northern lights were out. It was exciting as we have not seen them in many years. I don't why they have been so elusive, as I remember often in the late 80's standing out on the driveway with my parents and sisters watching the dancing light show.

If you have never seen Aurora borealis, they can be quite spectacular. Last night's display was like a faint green dome of streaky lights above the house which pulsated. Towards the north there were a few heavy streaks of light which looked as though a bright spotlight was pointed up in to the sky.