With Iron Paws wrapping up this week I was sad our pulling time was coming to end. Not any more. We learned about a new group called Wheel Dog League. Now we will continue to have all the motivation we need to hit the trails. We can earn titles and participate in challenges. We’ve logged our first few runs and earned our first badge
Filed under Brodie, Fitness, Spirit, Wheel Dog League
My seedlings are 7 days old today. I should probably wait until they have their first set of true leaves but to heck with it, I put them in the tower this evening. Looking forward to my first delicious salad.
Filed under Tower Garden
Aren’t they cute? Seeded just 4 days ago. My next batch of seedlings for the tower garden. Chard, endive, escarole, mustard greens, romaine and Bibb lettuce.
Filed under Tower Garden
I can’t believe that it was 6 years ago today that Spirit joined our family. She had such a fearful and stressful drive home with us that I thought we had broken her. She shivered, drooled and sat frozen with fear the whole way home. She even refused food (for those that know Spirit, food is the most important thing in the world to her). I took her straight into the backyard and once I put her on the ground she quickly recovered her composure and inhaled any and all food offered to her. I knew we had a fearful puppy but it was comforting to see that she also recovered quickly. She has grown into a big, shiny beautiful black girl.
Filed under Spirit
I joined the Under Armour You VS The Year challenge again. It gives me a goal to work towards and motivation to get out of bed and hit the trails each morning. I’m almost exactly at the same place I was last year at this time: 156km vs 141km last year.
Filed under Under Armour Challenge, You VS 2021, You VS The Year
For Xmas Sean and Catherine gifted us this beautiful Sassafras clay pot for baking bread. I used it for the first time this morning and my batard turned out beautifully. The crust is just amazing. Thank you both so much…I just love it!
Filed under Cooking adventures
Every New Year’s morning we participate in the Running Room’s 5k Resolution Run…that is until this year. We decided to try and keep the tradition alive and do our own virtual resolution. Today is also the start of the 10th Annual Iron Paws Stage Race
Brodie was just happy to get out with us.
Having wine and a steaming soak in the hot tub. Don’t know if we will make it to midnight so….Happy New Year everyone!
Filed under Uncategorized
We did it! When I initially signed up for the Under Armour You VS 2020 challenge I never thought we would actually cover the 1020km. I was just using it for a goal to motivate me to get out with the dogs and move. Then came COVID-19 and everything changed. Getting out with the dogs was the only thing I could do. All dog sports were cancelled and social gatherings were prohibited. We ended up completing 2392km, more than doubling the goal of the challenge. We finished in the top 2% of the 322,797 people who registered.
I just signed up for 2021.
Filed under Fitness, You VS 2020
Tried a new recipe for Christmas morning breakfast. Fermented sourdough pumpkin roll. So good! It is made with sourdough starter and then the batter itself is long fermented before baking.
What are the main reasons that people are turning to sourdough? Because it contains the same friendly cultures as homemade yoghurt and these work chemically on the whole grains during the fermentation process to make the most of flavours and nutrients, and make it much easier for the body to digest. Thus sourdough promotes gut and metabolic health, keeps you fuller for longer, and lasts longer in the bread bin too. A win-win-win situation.
Filed under Cooking adventures, sourdough
I am so pleased that my Blanket of Love is finished and dropped off. As much as I cursed the design I chose, I’m really pleased with the final look. I could see myself making one for curling up on the couch and reading a book or watching TV.
Here it is all lovely and crinkled after getting washed.
Filed under Blankets of Love, Charity Quilt
Brodie got his medal and $50 cheque today for coming in 2nd place at the Boneyard Challenge (scent detection) He thinks that the cheque should have been made out in his name so that he could decide what to spend it on.
I’ve started a 6 week online art quilt class. The idea is to use fabric, paint, fibre, beads, whatever tickles your fancy, to make a small art quilt. We were tasked with going through our photos to come up with an idea for our quilt. I found 50 images that I was drawn to and thought would make good subjects. Turns out everything I picked was too complicated for a beginner. I decided to just jump in and give it a try anyway. My thought was that I am here to learn techniques and get motivated by my fellow students. I picked 2 photos that called to me. I don’t expect any masterpieces but I do hope to learn things that I can put into practice as I hopefully grow and improve.
We have been blessed with the most wonderful, mild winter temperatures for the last week…..sadly that is about to end. We took advantage of the winter reprieve to get out as much as possible with the dogs.
Filed under Brodie, Spirit, Uncategorized
A week into my quilting project and I don’t have as many blocks made as I would like to. I am my own worse enemy. Why did I pick such a time consuming fiddly block when I have so many to make. Sixteen completed … so, so many more to go 😩😳
Filed under Blankets of Love, Charity Quilt, Quilting
Every time I walk into the kitchen my eyes are blessed with the beautiful colours of my rainbow chard. I love it when I accidentally brush up against the mint or basil and breathe in that wonderful aroma. All this gorgeous greenery is good for my soul when it is cold and dreary outside.
Filed under Tower Garden
I’ve been in the mood for cranberries lately. I may have gone a tad overboard. First there was sourdough cranberry orange muffins. They were so good that I made a second batch 3 days later.
Then it was Sourdough Cranberry Walnut Bread. OMG was that amazing. I made a boule and a batard. After I inhaled my 4th giant slice from the boule I felt compelled to contact a friend and ask her to do a porch pickup of the batard to save me from myself.
And last but not least it was cranberry apple crisp. We polished that off in two days and I never even had a chance to take a picture of it before we tucked in. Yikes!
Filed under Cooking adventures
COVID-19 has taken it’s toll emotionally on so many people. I’ve decided to make and donate a quilt to the Foundation of Mental Health’s Blankets of Love Program. I have challenged myself to only use fabrics from my current overflowing stash. It is going to be a combination of neutrals in the background with punches of colour. Hopefully it will provide warmth and comfort to someone in need.
First block is done….only 79 more to go 😉😂
Filed under Blankets of Love, Charity Quilt
I haven’t been posting my updates regularly……blame it on COVID fatigue. My mileage has dropped this past month due to the cold, snow and icy sidewalks. I still walk most days, just not as far. It is hard to believe that my mileage is in the top 2% considering there are almost 315,000 people in the challenge.
Filed under Fitness, You VS 2020
This morning I made my second attempt at Sourdough bread. I used a different recipe that takes 3 days instead of 2.
I couldn’t find my large cast iron pot so I cooked them in my Tagine instead. I also tried my hand at some artwork on the top. I was like a big kid waiting with excitement to see how the loaves would look when I took the lid off. My artwork could be better but I’m still thrilled with the end result.
Filed under Cooking adventures
I’ve been in a bit of a Covid funk for the last few weeks. This morning I gave myself a kick in the butt and put my big girl panties back on.
Years ago we used to enjoy delicious Morning Glory Muffins that were made fresh every morning in our office Canteen. I was searching for ideas to use up my sourdough discard and I found one for these muffins. I’m really enjoying finding new and delicious ways to use my discard..
Filed under Cooking adventures, sourdough
Tonight I used my discard to make a beautiful thin crust pizza dough. I slathered it with homemade pesto (made from basil grown in my tower garden) and grilled chicken. It was wonderful. The recipe made enough dough for 2 crusts so I have one frozen for another day.
Filed under Cooking adventures, sourdough
I think this is my favourite sourdough discard recipe so far. Sourdough pretzel bun bowls filled with steaming Irish Beer Cheese Soup. Delicious 😋
Filed under Cooking adventures, sourdough
This morning I used our discard to make this delicious sourdough Dutch baby with mixed berries. I think next time I will try a savoury one and have it for supper.
Filed under Cooking adventures
Did some more experimenting with my sourdough discard. How about sourdough everything bagels? OMG they taste amazing with the garlic forward “everything” spice mix on top. They lost their hole in the last rise so aesthetically they aren’t great but they have the sourdough flavour I really love.
Filed under sourdough, Uncategorized
We went out to a local man made lake for what could possibly be our last swim before it gets too cold. Brodie just loves the water.
Filed under Brodie
I did it!!! I finally used my sourdough starter for its intended purpose. The dough rested in the fridge overnight and I popped it into the oven at 6am this morning. Isn’t he cute? How can something so silly give me such pleasure. The recipe says it has to cool for 6-7 hours before cutting it. That was never going to happen. As soon as I finished walking the dog’s I grabbed my trusty bread knife, some unsalted butter, my jug of Maldon and tucked in. It was amazing. Lovely crunchy crust and that soft, airy and sour inside. Thank you Cathie Allan for sharing your starter with me.
Filed under Cooking adventures
We sure had a great harvest of peppers this year. Last year I got lazy and never transplanted all of peppers so a few of them hung out in the greenhouse for the summer. Sometimes it pays to procrastinate…..leaving them in the greenhouse gave me the most peppers I’ve ever had. This year I didn’t even bother putting any in the garden. Not only did I get tons of peppers but this is the first time I have had them ripen enough to turn any colour other than green.
I can’t believe that it is September 30th and we haven’t even had a light frost yet never mind a killing frost. Came close this morning, it was 1 degree when I walked the dogs. This is the first time since I moved to Alberta that I can remember not having a frost in September.
Filed under Garden
This morning Spirit and I participated in a CKC Tracking Dog test put on by Wild Rose Tracking Club. I am over the moon proud of my big, black hairy girl. Out of all of her titles and ribbons, this one means the most to me. She is just shy of her 6th birthday so that makes it even more special for a breed with a average lifespan of 8 years. We were very lucky and had first draw but I pulled track #6….the last one. The weather forecast was for a cool, very dry and windy day with gusts up to 50km….the later the track the stronger the winds.
Only two of the 5 teams before us were successful so I was pretty nervous at the start. Spirit started well but about 80 metres into our track her head came up with her muzzle up high obviously air scenting, her body went stiff and she started racing back and forth in front of me. It clearly wasn’t a loss of track/turn indication, she was anxious about something that she smelled in the air. It took a while but I got her focused and back on track. From then on it was a blur. She was head down and pulling like crazy. I had to run most of the way just to try and keep up with her. She did a beautiful down on her leather and just like that….it was all over.
Big thanks to Wild Rose Tracking Club, their track layers, volunteers and Judge Greg Martin.
This is how Spirit likes to celebrate her titles:
