Take Three Thursday - Creativity

In an effort & sometimes what feels like a struggle, I wanted to be sure that I wasn't missing the little details in my life.  Many of these "little" things have actually made up the big parts of my life.  So with that in mind, I have decided to post three things I noticed in the week & post them here on my blog in Take Three Thursday.  The three things need only be connected by either colour, theme, shape, event, idea; well you get it, how ever they connect for you.  

Please join with me although there is no formal link in, I am happy to add you if you leave me a note in the comments.  What have you noticed in your life this week?

Let's see what others have noticed:

Maggie At Farmers Wife Day By Day

This week, I not only noticed & tried to stop the comparison thief from stealing more of my creative juices,  I created three cards.  

Card creation is a new adventure for me & while I will never be at the professional levels, I am enjoying. 

The cards are a combination of stamping, embossing, paper embellishments, Washi tape & wood bits. The foil doily & glitter paper were really fun to work with.

Memo, Mail & Me: It's Monday Oct 16th

Good Monday morning to all.  

In the mail this week a rather unusual postcard, it was two sided with a joke on the front & address details about the church & on the backside details of all their upcoming events.  It's a strange way for a church to promote itself ... not even a local church.

On the memo front  Mr Man received notification that he can have the eye injections done locally, which means we do not have to do that 2 hour drive in & out of Toronto!  Gratitude!

In the shopping cart this week was my most recent self indulgence purchase, a thank you to myself for all the extra work I've done at the clinic, because you know the boss will never say that!  I bought myself (with a 55% off coupon) a magnetic platform for holding the die cuts on my Big Kick machine - it's a scrapping/card making thing.

Currently I am:

Thinking: in spite of saying no, not again, about a Summer Photo Scavenger Hunt list, I have started to jot down a few ideas!

Reading:  Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng.  Liked & thought it very interesting how meddling & revenge are often entwined together.  It has me thinking about is it ever right to meddle & can revenge actually be a door opening of opportunity for some? 

I just started the author's first book; Everything I Didn't Tell You.  I am liking this one.  You can read out of order, one is not connected to the other.

Watching: lots of the short series, which I rather enjoy that style, all in & with an end in sight.  Those include; The Disappearance; Alias Grace; Poldark (oh yes, yes to Aidan Turner).

Poldark: Source, Internet

Missing: there are so many bloggers that I have read faithfully for years but they have left the blogging platform & it seems for good.   It makes me sad.   

I want to say thank you to all of you that continue posting, I find the sharing of the "little & big"  life details so interesting, especially in a time when there are some world activities trying to divide us.  We are more a like than different & I am glad you share those difference/sameness.  Let's think of blogging as our way of being peace keepers.   

I am missing & in no particular order; Sian; Helena; Susanne;  Miriam; Liz; Abi; Lisa; Brenda; Jen (Alberta) ... Who are you missing in the blogging world?

Source: Internet

Planning:  I'm really on the fence about creating 31 days or even 25 days of December.   I have enough stuff in my stash of Christmas scrapping supplies to probably create 5 separate albums (this hording needs to be addressed in a completely separate post one day).  I am wondering whether I just want to create a few layouts only of the December highlights or layouts about themes of Christmas.  What are you other scrappers doing?  

One of my favourite title pages from DD

"We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run over."   A. Bevan

Take Three Thursday - Nuts

In an effort to notice more of the ordinary in my life, I have decided to share what I have noticed this week in Take Three Thursday.   The idea is to take photos that are linked some how; by theme, by colour, by date, by moment,  by points of view. There is no formal link in but please feel free to join in. What have you noticed this week? 

Have a peek at what others have found this week:
Maggie at: FarmersWifeDayByDay  

This week, it's about nuts, walnuts to be specific.

Walnut Nuts On The Tree

I live in an area where there are thousands of walnut trees.  There are other types of nut trees in the area, but not as many as the walnut trees which is a favourite of the squirrels.  We do have chestnut, butternut & acorn nut trees.  Walnut trees can grow up to 60-70 feet (18.2 - 21.3 meters) in height & live for a long time.  The wood of walnut trees is quite valued as it is a hardwood.  From the nuts you can make dark ink. 

Walnut Tree (to the right of the evergreen)

The large green fruit of the walnut is quite hard, we "affectionately" refer to these as green grenades.  The squirrels bury them all over the yard & garden.  Usually when buried in the lawn they don't dig them down very far & you can very easily turn an ankle walking over one of these large nuts.   The green outer covering is quite thick & hard & it's in the burying of them that softens them enough for the squirrels to open & eat the nut inside.  The chipmunks don't eat the walnuts, or at least none that I have ever seen.  I think too big for them.  The roads are a mess of the green fruit dropping on the road & when cars run over them it makes a dark brown blot.  You would think the squirrels would like that but they don't seem to bother with the squished nuts.  The pest of the walnut tree are tent caterpillars which can give a nasty sting.  We don't have any walnut trees on our property.  In early spring when the nut that the squirrel buried & forgot, sprouts I pull them out, the neighbourhood has enough of these trees!

A Crushed Walnut on The Road

 

Memo, Mail & Me: It's Thanksgiving Monday

It's Thanksgiving Monday, which is a (paid) stat holiday for us.

Why Is Thanksgiving always the 2nd Monday of October in Canada?

Mums in my garden

Long before Europeans settled in North American, & Canada was primarily settled by the British & French, festivals of thanks & celebrations of harvest take place as a liturgical festival in October. Churches decorate with cornucopias, pumpkins, corn, wheat sheaves & other harvest bounty.  English & European harvest hymns are sung on the Sunday of Thanksgiving.  The very first Thanksgiving celebrations in North America took place when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England arrived in what is now know as Newfoundland (Canada) in 1578.

 

My harvest of Beef Steak & Cherry Tomatoes

 

What is a traditional Canadian Thanksgiving dinner?

Neighbours's Thanksgiving Decoration

The featured item is a turkey, along with sage & onion stuffing/dressing , mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce & several root vegetables such as turnip, parsnips & carrots.  Dessert is pumpkin pie.  And remember turkey is the only food you can gobble.

My Thanksgiving table

 

In Canada, while we do have several (North American style) football teams, there isn't a big game played on this weekend, nor do we have specific shopping sales.  There is probably a hockey game Monday night some where. Also on this weekend in Kitchener, Ontario (a city with German roots), Octoberfest begins & there is a huge celebration with parade & the tapping of the beer keg.  Most of the Thanksgiving weekend activities would be Harvest Fairs, going for walks in the woods to admire the turning leaves or for some, families gathering for dinner or working together at the "soup" kitchens.  For some it's scrapping the start of their 31 days of gratitude.

Cut Leaf Staghorn Fern (neighbour's)

Thanksgiving is a word of action ...we need not only say words of gratitude, but live by them ...  Mary-Lou

 

5 in 5 On The 5th - October PLUS TTT

Joining in with Sandie's Five in Five On The Fifth at: Sandie At Itchifingers

My five this month are all from one of my final walk abouts at the farm that I rode at.  I have been surprised at my own tears & the saddest that I feel in the farm being sold - especially to an unknown in our circle of the horse world.  I have SO many wonderful memories from my time at the farm.  Even though my horse, Joshua, has been gone many years, I continued to ride at the farm through part boarding or leasing a horse there.  It is time to say goodbye.  I give you five of the farm, although I could have easily posted 500 photos.

The front stone wall that was part of a cross country jump.

The pond which I never swam in but several boarders did - the people not the horses.  Snapping turtles lived in this pond!

The indoor arena - thankful on so many rainy or snowy days.

The outdoor sand riding ring, shared by jumpers & dressage riders alike until two years ago, when we got a grass dressage ring - the jumpers were glad not to have to share.

Turn Out paddock, one of 10.

And now my Take Three Thursday - more of the farm:

In the beautiful Autumn light even the manure pile looks good (we bedded the horses on peat moss):

The flower boxes outside each stall

The beautiful, but empty stalls

Memo, Mail & Me, It's Monday October 2nd

Good morning to everyone - I hope that you are all having a wonderful start to the day.  I really enjoy when a new month, October, starts at the beginning of the week, Sunday.  It ticked several aspects of being "that type" of person.  All good.

It's good to be back after a blog break, not that I intended it to be so long, but boy did life get right up in my face.

The welcome memo to the new front desk receptionist was sent & she starts today at 2pm.  I think she will be a good fit, she's local only wants part time & not that this had anything to do with swinging things her in favour, but she scrapbooks!  Finally I have someone to talk scrapping with although she did not know about December Daily.  Tea breaks will look after introducing her to that!
We have not as yet secured a new physio therapist, but in this circus that is not a monkey I have to worry about!

In our province our health care is taken seriously & they send reminders to you about check ups for certain types of cancers.  Since all the tests are free, it is just a simple job of making the appointment.  In the mail last week, I received two notices for certain tests, appointments booked & I give thanks for health care.

I attended another card making (mostly stamping) workshop - oh the fun that I (me) had. 

In the shopping basket this week, my latest discovery; Cauliflower & Broccoli tots - oh my goodness they were delicious!  Mr Man did not know he was eating vegetables, he thought they were "tater tots".  These item are back on the grocery list.

Our church is having a new type of fund raiser; "Time, Talent & Treasures".  They are asking people to either donate an item (treasure) or a talent (teaching someone to do something you are good at) or time (doing something for someone).   I am sorting through things I haven't used but thought at the time they were much needed items ... I'll say no more about that folly of shopping!

Reading:  My Last Lament.  It was a random choice, just saw it displayed at the library & the jacket review made it sound a good read.  I'm half way through.  Very interesting in that it's the story of a last lamenter in Greece & her tale of how she began during World War II.  Never read anything on that perspective - interesting with a few historical facts worn into the story.

I am also reading the latest issue of the Creative Scrapbooker (formerly known as Canadian Scrapbooker).

Last week in the midst of work chaos was the sale closing of the farm that I ride at (now I have to change that to rode at) so I had to take a really quick tour of the farm to take lots of photos.  I must admit it was not only tears that were shed but I had several sobbing moments.  All the horses have been moved to other stables, a couple of the horses are moving just up the road from me (yeah) & the lady that did mucking, feeding & turn out, is also moving to work at the stable up the road (yeah).  The man that has bought the property decided in the end he didn't want boarders, won't live there immediately & he is gutting the barn, the arena, the house & the stable help apartment!  He paid 2.6 million (Canadian dollars) for this beautiful property & he wants to gut it!  More money than .... I'll say no more.

So that's my long winded catch up.
 

SPSH - Some of The Final Finds

Here are a few of my final finds.  I think this year I am particularly happy with my dial & dome finds, although getting everything on the list was a challenge, Mr Man & I had fun with the list.

#22 Dial - this was photo I captured while we were sitting at a set of traffic lights & a very large fire truck pulled up beside us - I couldn't believe all the dials they, the fire persons, have to operate.

#13 Dome - this find was at the university - it is called (or so the sign said) a geodesic dome.  We don't have a lot if any domed buildings ...

 

#4 Zig Zag

#10 Yellow

#12 Wedding (dresses) (a better entry & my biggest challenge)

#16 Baby

#17 Cross Or Circle(I got both)

#21 A Plaque

Thanks to everyone for participating.