A Neighbourhood Stop

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you're well.

Over the past week, I've found it quite cold on several days but we are creeping toward warmer temperatures in general.

That usually means looking for cold treats to have while out and about.

I happen to love ice cream and so the local Dairy Queen (DQ) is one of my favourite places in the neighbourhood on a particularly warm or hot day.

My favourite DQ treat is a Banana Split but I don't have these too often since they've become quite expensive. I usually have a small sundae or a dipped chocolate cone. I know these treats aren't too healthy but when you grow up having these kinds of things with friends or on a family outing, it evokes happy memories and it's often hard to give them up completely.

In fact, the other day when I was there a man sat at the table next to me. While he was eating his sundae, he turned to me and asked  how I was enjoying my ice cream.  Then he began telling me about his memories of visiting this same DQ location all through the years. He told me he is 53 years old and had been coming to the location for as long as he could remember. 

His wife offered that he is a good dad and because he made sure to bring the children for an ice cream treat knowing that their daughter is a huge ice cream fan like myself.  It was nice to chat with them over a simple thing like an ice cream treat. Clearly,  the dad was nostalgic.  When his kids grow up they too will have memories of going out for ice cream together with their dad.  The mother is Japanese.  She told me she couldn't figure out her son can eat so much and why her daughter likes ice cream so much.  I told her her teenage son is a growing boy and needs lots of calories.  As for her daughter, well I understand being a fan of ice cream, lol.  I guess the mom didn't grow up eating ice cream so her outlook and desires are different.

Well friends, that's my little story for the day. I hope you have a great day with some fond memories either recollected or newly made.  I'd love to read in the comments what fond childhood food treat memory you have. Thank you for stopping by!

October is Already Gone!

 Hi friends, 

I hope you are all doing fine and enjoying the change of seasons. Since I last posted a few days ago the weather has warmed up considerably and I can now turn down my thermostat. Usually when it warms up at this time of year it means rain so I expect that over the coming days.

When it's raining it's a good time to cosy up with a good book and hot drink.  Here are the next few books in my reading pile.

Book number 59, reading goals 2020.

Book number 59, reading goals 2020.

Book #60, reading goals 2020

 

The red blob in the bowl is home made ice cream which I made Tuesday night in my Vitamix blender. This is a photo taken as an afterthought after the ice cream had been sitting for about 20 minutes. It is made of a frozen wild berry mix, chia seeds and cream. Yum! It's one of my favourite snacks. A variation on this is making a smoothie with a vegan protein powder, berries and water (no milk, cream or yogurt).

I went late night shopping on Wednesday night for a carpet/rug cleaner I have been eyeing. It was on sale at a local store. It is also available on Amazon for the same price but I prefer to get it in the brick and mortar store when I can.  I also bought stain remover and soap cleanser for the machine.  Now I am all set to clean the carpets. My goal is to do a thorough cleaning of all the traffic areas before I start decorating for Christmas.  I don't plan on moving the furniture unless it's chairs or plants or something small.

On the way home from shopping there was a beautiful sunset over the Fraser River. Unfortunately I could not stop to take a photograph for you.  By the time I got home and started dinner it was quite late.  By the time dinner was ready I was feeling a bit light headed and I ate too much as my blood sugar was probably a little too low.

The stuffed pork chops were just right.  Normally the pork chops on offer at the store are very lean.  But these ones were quite fat and had a lot of marbling.  This turned out well because I like roasting my meat for a long time but sometimes they get too dry if they don't have adequate fat.  We had sides of caramelized onions, mashed potatoes and a simple salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes and avocado in a dressing of Balsamic vinegar and grapeseed oil.  Everything was delicious. It sounds funny for me to say that but I can appreciate my own cooking and I'm happy when whatever I've made hits the spot otherwise it would be a waste of food and cooking effort.

 

Since I haven't had time to take some good photos I am sharing some that I took in early October of 2019.

Here is another photo from my archives.

This one was taken at the Stanley Park downtown along the beginning of the seawall (south side)

This dog had so much fun running into the ocean to fetch the stick. It always amazes me how dogs never seem to tire of playing fetch with their owners. As you can see I shot this photo into the sun. I always read you shouldn't do that but personally I like to do it from time to time.

 

These little bird photos are also from my archives. I'm afraid I don't capture birds very well because they move too fast for me.  I am not one hundred percent certain but I think the first bird (first 3 photos) are of a sparrow. It looks somewhat bedraggled because I believe it was a super hot summer. I think the last two photos are of little chickadees. These are the two main types of birds that come to my patio besides the hummingbird. Update:  Thank you to Eileen over at Saturday's Critters for identifying the first bird which is a finch not a sparrow.

Given Saturday is Halloween I am posting a few photos of spider webs.  I do not celebrate on October 31st but I know many people do. I'm finding people are getting quite creative about the way to celebrate since the health officials are strongly urging people not to go out door to door.

I cannot believe how fast this month has gone. I know I say that quite often, lol but it is so true that time passes far too quickly. I don't want to waste a minute of the time I have. I don't count relaxation like reading or watching television as wasted time for the most part because we all do need to build relaxation in our daily lives so we can stay happy and enjoy life more.

Speaking of happiness, I found a graphic some months back and meant to share (I don't believe I ever did). The suggestions for being happy apply at any time but maybe this year they are more important than ever.

 Tell me dear reader, do you agree with these suggestions for happiness and do you have any additional suggestions?

 

Thank you for stopping by. Please stay safe until we meet again in this space or yours.

I will be linking up with 

Skywatch Friday

and

Saturday's Critters.