Friday, November 13, 2020

Friday is Here!

Hello everyone,

The week has gone by so fast I forgot it was Friday!

I'm sharing some beautiful sky shots from November 7, 2020. We had such a beautiful, sunny few days and I was very grateful for them. At this time of year they are few and far between.





On Tuesday I mailed some parcels to my niece and nephew for Advent. I still have to prepare their Christmas presents. It has been raining all week and this past Wednesday we had a holiday when we pause in our day to day activities and remember those men and women who have served us in the various wars. In addition to remembrance, I used some time in the day to prepare snail mail to send to a friend.

Despite my desire to get the garden cleared up and patio furniture put away by the end of October,  I still haven't done it. Today is Thursday and it rained more heavily than usual. But tonight I went out and purchased a patio table cover to help in the task. My plan is to wash the patio chair covers and the patio table and cover them all up for the winter.

 

I've been busy this week dealing with a few small items I've been procrastinating about for one reason or another. I didn't do any decluttering.  But one floor fan went to the recycling center. Even though it works, it is on it's last legs. As always there was lots of paper and containers that needed to go to recycling too. Those ones I just take to the recycling room.

A few days ago, our top doctor in the province brought in new restrictions due to ever climbing Covid 19 numbers and the country's top doctor recommended wearing 3 ply masks. I went out and bought another box of masks in addition to what I already have on hand. I also bought toilet paper and hope to buy some more this weekend. I don't go crazy and stock pile but want to make sure I have a reasonable amount of paper on hand this time in case more measures are brought in in two weeks.

We have at least been eating well during this rainy, cold season and I've probably spent more energy thinking of a variety of meals each week and more time cooking them than I normally do. It keeps me occupied during these difficult times and also makes me think of ways to use a variety of fruits and vegetables and other foods that I find in the weekly sales.

This first dish is roast beef covered in bacon before the final roasting. In the pot are onions, cauliflower and red peppers. On the side I made brown rice and green peas.


Another day we had spaghettini topped with a stir fry of big prawns, broccoli, cauliflower, onions and red peppers in a garlic-soy sauce. Wednesday night I made ham and pea soup but didn't take a photo.

Did any of you watch the Country Music Association Awards (CMAs) on Wednesday night?  I did and I watched it again on Thursday night on my PVR to enjoy the performances a 2nd time. Especially wonderful was seeing the great Charley Pride who received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. I remember listening to Charley Pride as a young teenager while I babysat the neighbourhood children for my pocket money. He was really inspiring to me then and he continues to be with his fabulous career and his deeply humble nature. I always wondered how he handled being a "cowboy" as a black man since he would definitely be in the minority.  The CMAA show was great and I enjoyed all the performances by the various bands and performers some of whom I'd never heard of before. I also enjoyed the co-hosting and singing done by Reba McIntyre and Darius Rucker, two great talents. Those of you who are not country music fans may know of Darius Rucker from his days fronting the band, "Hootie and the Blowfish". The band still exists but they took a long hiatus of 10 years while Darius pursued a solo career in country music.

Thursday night I made roast pork with onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms. Side dishes were mashed potatoes and green peas along with some gravy. It was very chilly outside and I got a bit wet running to stores in the rain so the dish really hit the spot tonight.

Apples seem to be a big feature in the stores right now. I bought a bag of Pink Lady and I'm snacking on those. I also bought a bag of Gala apples which I will likely use to make apple pie or apple crisp, perhaps both. I always think of this beautiful scripture when I see a beautiful apple.

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."  Proverbs 25:11

This verse reminds me how important it is that we have the right words to say at the right time. I am often in the position of having to know just what to say as it seems people I know do like to talk to me whenever they are going through difficult times. This week a friend of mine is going through marital distress. I try to say the right things that would not only be scriptural but also comforting. I sure hope that things work out for the good of everyone in this situation.


 Last, but not least, I enjoyed a few pomegranates this week.

 “Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates
With choice fruits, henna with nard plants," Song of Songs 4:13
 


Pomegranates are so delicious. I love the juicy seeds and I'd like to get more.  But soon we'll be fully in the season of mandarin oranges and I buy a lot of oranges in the lead up to Christmas.

I remember a funny story from when I was very young, in Grade 4. A boy in my classroom used to come to school every day with his lunch which consisted of 1 package of deli meats, 1 entire loaf of white bread and 1 pomegranate. He ate it all every day. I remember being amazed by that and also being intrigued by the pomegranate which no one else I knew ate. In fact, I only knew the name of the fruit from the Bible but no one ate it that I knew of except for this one boy. It's funny the memories that remain with us through our lifetimes. I often think of that boy when I eat a pomegranate and wonder what happened to him. I don't recall his name.

With that I wish you all a wonderful weekend and a safe weekend ahead.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.


28 comments:

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

beautiful blue skies

Lady Fi said...

What lovely blue skies.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Penny,
Your blue skies are looking beautiful! I did watch the Country Music Awards, I always enjoy Reba as the host. The meals look delicious. It appears we will be wearing the face mask for some time, best to be stay safe. Take care, enjoy your weekend!

Revrunner said...

Pomegranate juice is my favorite.

Bill said...

The blue skies are beautiful.

Jo said...

Dear Penny, what beautiful skies. I'd like to do Skywatch Friday again. I haven't heard about 3ply masks. I have several individual masks. Our majority refuses to wear masks. I never run out of TP. I must be the only single person around who has 48 toilet rolls in her small cottage at any given time! I loved the story of the boy in your class eating pomegranates with all the bread and meat. My Group Assistant has trees and in season she brings me containers of the pips ! Kind. They make a lovely salad with feta cheese and salad greens too. Bless you dearest Penny. Jo

Spare Parts and Pics said...

Well, now I'm starving! Love your beautiful skies. I especially like the one with the church steeple background. Enjoy your weekend!

Lowcarb team member said...

Those blue skies are wonderful, a joy to see.
Food looks and sounds delicious.

Take Care

All the best Jan

Practical Parsimony said...

We have had some blue skies like that lately. A cover for the tables should solve your problem. I had a broccoli salad with arils in it. Then, I bought arils and they were hard and crunchy. What's with that?

Mari said...

I love the blue skies, especially that one with the steeple.
I can't imagine someone eating a whole loaf of bread at one sitting!

Tom said...

...your skies couldn't be any bluer! I hope that you will have a wonderful weekend.

Joanne Noragon said...

My granddaughter wanted to make a salad that featured pomegranate. I heard she had a real struggle with the seeds the first time. She was making it again when I was there and I'd looked at the various methods of handling pomegranates, and stepped in and showed her. She was impressed. I'd never had a pomegranate to that day. I didn't tell her.

Red said...

Friday may be here but you had a very active week.

Himawan Sant said...

Stunning blue sky view, very clear !. The shrimp stir-fry dish made me want to cook it too ... it looks so delicious.

Behind my house there is also a pomegranate tree that is tens of years old, sadly the fruit no longer bears big fruit and is red unlike before.

diane b said...

Beautiful blue skies and delicious food. You sure do eat well. Funny story about the boy and his lunch.

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

Hello! I shared my pictures with Skywatch this week, and love your sky pictures that you shared. I also enjoyed all the lovely meals that you fixed this week! It is always fun to see what others are cooking for their families! Many blessings to you :)

Nancy Chan said...

Beautiful blue skies and delicious home made food. I love pomegranate but our local ones are very small and imported ones are expensive.

Joyful said...

Hello, thank you for your lovely comment. I tried to leave a comment at your blog but could not figure out how to do that.

Pamela M. Steiner said...

I've never had a pomegranate, but I wonder if it helped to dissolve all that loaf of white bread and pack of deli meats that boy ate every day. I hope so. Otherwise I wonder if he is still alive or if he is very very large. That's a lot of bread and processed meat for one kid to eat at such a young age! I enjoyed your post and the pictures all the way through. Your meals always sound and look so good. I also cooked a pork roast and mashed potatoes, gravy, and butternut squash this week, and some green beans. It was very good. I may have a pork roast sandwich for lunch in a few minutes. Hope you have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy the pleasant weather while it lasts. We are having a lovely day, and it is supposed to cool down a little next week. Not cold, but cool, which is always welcome here in Florida. God bless and take care!

Jeanie said...

What a wonderful post and good catch-up with you. Those skies and color make me smile. Our Covid numbers are terrible here. I have one more appointment and then I'm locking in for a long while. I probably do need another package of toilet paper but am pretty well set for awhile. Please take care and stay well.

Joyful said...

It's a good point about the pomegranate. Perhaps it helped the boy because he really did eat a lot. At that age I didn't know it was so unhealthy but I did know it wasn't normal to eat an entire loaf of bread at one sitting. He was on the larger side even at that age.

Joyful said...

Hi Nancy, the pomegranates here are also imported and very expensive so they are a treat. I usually buy them in fall and winter because we have so many fruit options over the summer.

Joyful said...

Dear Jo, nice to see you. I sent you the information on the 3 ply masks so you see what they are like. I also have washable ones but I prefer the store bought ones that are disposable. I can breathe better using them. I've noticed that virtually everyone here now wears a mask. One needs to be cause many businesses now require it before you set foot in their stores. Some are demanding the government make masks mandatory in public places.

Joyful said...

The seeds inside are what is crunchy.I suppose you can just suck the juice out but I eat the whole thing.

Rhodesia said...

I am stunned that the 3 ply masks have only been thought about over there now. I have been making them here since March when we were told it was advisable. We also wash ours after every use. We are of course here in full lockdown and we are not sure when it will end! Love the sky photos. Take care and stay safe Diane

Joyful said...

Hi Jeanie, thank you for your kind words. I'm done with appointments until the end of month. Then I should be okay for awhile. I'm glad you have enough tp for awhile. I can always use more, lol. Stay well too.

Joyful said...

Hi Diane, 3 ply masks are not an afterthought. Many have been using them since the beginning however it has never been mandatory to wear a mask unless a public place brings in their own rules. I'm sure those that work with the sick and/or elderly must wear a mask. Many people here are making their own masks and you can buy them. However when these things are not regulated you can buy all manner of masks. Those that are in 'official use' are all properly vetted. The advise from our top doctors is obviously to ensure we have the best protection from our masks.

Terriekwong.blogspot.com said...

Beautiful skies especially the last image of your area.

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