A Golden Nugget

A Golden Nugget

In the Holderville Forest

I have never been a hard-core pet person. Growing up down on the farm, we always had a dog, and the dog always had a job—getting the cows in for milking. The dogs were not allowed in the house, and they never had real dog food, just table scraps. We went through a few dogs in my youth, and every one of them was named Skipper. No matter how creative we children might get about naming the dog, it always ended up being Skipper, because my father would never adjust to a different name.

Cow-Dog

Of course, when I became a parent, I was going to give my children everything their little hearts desired, if I could manage it. We could manage a dog. Enter Tucker. 

Tucker Joins the Family

In spite of my granite exterior, I grew fond of Tucker, and when he passed away, I found I missed having a dog in my life. Enter Nugget.  

Nugget Joins the Family

This month, I had to say good-bye to Nugget after our six years of retirement together.

All the Elements of Retirement

Nugget came to us suitably named and with an interesting backstory. She was a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Cocker Spaniel. The ethics of uniting those two breeds is questionable, but they make cute little “forever puppies” which are currently desirable.  

Forever Puppy

Nugget was a puppy mill. She had spent her life giving birth to puppies before she was seized from an establishment up north and placed in the SPCA in Oromocto. After a couple of visits with Nugget, I took the plunge. The vets estimated that she was 7 years old.  As I was signing the adoption papers, I said, “I assume she is housebroken?”

“Oh no,” they answered. “She has lived her life on the cement floor of a garage. She’s never been in a house.”

Garage Living

Nugget was pretty antsy for the first few months. She was afraid of stairs, doorways, brooms and men. 

Nugget's Fears: 

Stairs.Doorways. Brooms. Men.

Nugget imprinted on me and became MY dog, snubbing Tom to an extent. Over the years her fears and anxieties subsided, and she lived a pretty good life. Our backyard neighbour always said that “she landed her ass in butter” when she came to live with

us. 

Butter Dog

Released from life as a puppy mill, Nugget spent the rest of her days pursuing diverse interests. She was...

A Fashionista

 

A Security Guard

A Gardener

A Rhubarb Farmer

 

A Contender

A Hockey Player

A Wrestler

A Marble Player

A Pumpkin Jumper

A Hiker

A Camper

A Boater

A Marathoner

A Knitter

A Cuddler

It is sad to say good-bye to such a loyal friend. I take comfort in the wise words of my Little Brother Noel who said, “Every dog dies someday, Barb. So do people. But not usually on the same day. Unless there is a virus.”

So long, Nugget...

Nugget

...Until Next Time...

A Cozy of Mittens

A Cozy of Mittens

In mid-December, I was the lucky recipient of seven skeins of Briggs and Little yarn. Jewel colours. Jade, Peacock, Royal Blue, Yellow, Magenta, Light Grey and Violet. They even sound beautiful. This donation was an inspiration to me in the dark, gloomy days of winter.

Briggs and Little Jewels

I sat down with my four needles and did not look up until I had created 18 pairs of mittens for cold little hands at the local women shelters. Women needing shelter often bring their children with them. My 7-skein donor is a non-knitter but wants to support the hand-warming cause. This is not the first time she has provided me with skeins of yarn for kids’ mittens. Thank you, Diane!

A Cozy of Mittens

I exaggerate a bit—I did not make the 18 pairs of mittens in one sitting, but I did sit a great deal. Considering that it takes me about 5 hours to make a pair of mitts, that is many cups of tea, and a lot of time on the couch...days of Netflix (Longmire, Rake, The Crown), Crave (Big Little Lies), CBC (Harry Forestell, Heartland, The Detectives). I kept a collection of Law and Order, Criminal Minds, Major Crimes, Father Brown and Jeopardy on the PVR just in case I ran out of new stuff!! What is this obsession with crime?

Knitting Environment

Part of my challenge in making mittens from various colours is to use every scrap of yarn. I strive to have as little waste as possible at the end of my manufacturing. I don’t follow a pattern, per se, so there is a lot of “guess-timating” regarding the amount of yarn needed. This is what I ended up with at the end of this run. I hate to sound boastful, but I’m quite proud of myself!

Leftovers

If you have followed my blog over the years, you know that I name my mittens. One of my sisters thinks that is ridiculous, but another sister believes that will prevent Mitten Loss---kids will take better care of mittens that have names. I mean, how would you feel if you lost your Candy Cane mitts? Or Snow Flurries at Night?

Candy Cane

Snow Flurries at Night

I have had Mitten-Naming Parties to share the fun and broaden the scope of creativity. My top Mitten-Namer is currently out of town, at a Mitten Naming Conference in Toronto, I believe. In Penny's absence, this “Cozy of Mittens” remains nameless. Perhaps you have some ideas?

Nameless Mittens

...Until Next Time...

BookEnds

BookEnds

Here it is, New Year's Eve, 2017. I’m not celebrating, not making resolutions. I am committed to publishing this blog before midnight in compliance with my self-imposed deadline. My non-resolution for the last few years has been to read a book a week, thus 52 books a year. Well, I made it. Just. If I have counted correctly. 

Calendar, 2017

I was keeping up to one book a week until about mid-November. In fact, there was a point in July that I might have been ahead of schedule. I felt quite smug about that, to be honest. 

July. On Schedule.

But in November, I started to lag. So, as in other years, I was searching the house and the library for skinny books in late December. Sort of cheating, you might say. However, I did manage to hit 52 without sneaking in the occasional picture book.

A Skinny Book

Early in 2017, a friend forwarded me this checklist which challenges you to read one book every two weeks. Although I attempted to tick off every box on the list, I did not quite do it. For example, I did not read a book I had read in school, nor did I read one by someone who is not a writer. (Is that even possible?) You might want to try this!

I cannot settle on The Best Book I Read in 2017, but I’ll tell you my top 5 favourites, in no particular order:

There are some books on my list that were not good. For some inexplicable reason, I feel obligated to finish every book I start, so I push myself through to the bitter end. I probably should get over that.

The Bitter End

I am most proud of having read Middlemarch by George Eliot…one of those classics you are supposed to read. 736 pages long. Actually, I listened to that book, in solitude. I love listening and I love solitude!

Classic

I was most disturbed by The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King, a book all Canadians should read. Be prepared to feel uncomfortable. 

Recommended

Speaking of disturbing, We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver is an excellent book. The writing is wonderful, the story is alarming. Proof that books don't have to be happy to be good.

Disturbing

  

The complete list of the 52 books I read in 2017 is on my blog. My pile of books for 2018 includes the following:

2018 Pile

What are your top book picks of 2017? Or of all time? 

...Until Next Time...

The Christmas Curmudger

The  Christmas Curmudger

It’s December tomorrow which means we’re all gearing up for Christmas. I am not a big fan of the season. My room-mate, inspired word- inventor, might refer to me as a curmudger. That’s something like a curmudgeon—“a bad-tempered or surly person”. He might be right.

Curmudger with Cane

But I’m not a total curmudger. There are some things I do like about Christmas.  Christmas Lights, for example. As the days shorten in December, I appreciate lights brightening the darkness. My roommate sees to our outdoor display. Orange and blue lights, up and down the verandah posts in straight lines—no draping, no twinkling, no subtlety. They are just  there, making their own garish statement. Some refer to our house as the Herdman’s. You remember the rough and tumble family from Barbara Robinson’s book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever? That’s us.

The Herdmans

           WTN Christmas Movies have become a tradition in our family over the years. I've been collecting them on the PVR since October in anticipation of my daughters’ Christmas visit. We are partial to movies with actors whose names we do not recognize--and the more formulaic, the better. The girls and I cuddle up on the couches under Herdman-like afghans and lose ourselves in the tinsel and the romance. Tom marches through periodically, sighing and swearing under his breath. (Who is the curmudger in this family???) Looking forward to...
          

       

Then there are the Christmas traditions that are consumable. I cannot argue against them! Top of the list-- Mr. Holt’s Fruitcake. A charming man with a flair for baking, Mr Holt delivers the goods in November with instructions attached: "Do Not Open Until Mid-December."  I can be a rule-breaker at times. The fruitcake did not see December this year.

Mr. Holt's Fruitcake

Year after year, I’m increasingly fond of Rum and Eggnog. A lovely complement to  fruitcake.

Rum and Eggnog

 Love Gingerbread Cookies. Look how cute they are.

Gingerbread Couple

Could not get through the season without Ganong’s Red Wrap.

Red Wrap

And what's better than a turkey dinner?

Turkey Dinner

Best of the season to you and yours, from The Christmas Curmudger.

...Until Next Time...