tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83296229518397668262024-03-13T21:24:19.761-06:00Bag Lady's BlatherThe babble of a frustrated would-be writer, mostly in her own words.the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17434610508260994331noreply@blogger.comBlogger856125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-60584563130645090562013-12-23T09:38:00.001-07:002013-12-23T09:38:13.441-07:00Merpy HolimasWhether you say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, all the best of the season to all of you!<br />
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<br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-77361879209962637482013-12-03T08:00:00.002-07:002013-12-03T08:00:16.606-07:00Where Does the Time Go?The Bag Lady can't believe it is almost Christmas! This year seems to have flown by incredibly fast.<br />
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She has been keeping busy, doing a lot of sewing. She has branched out from making just her CartSmart Bags into scarves and casserole carriers and items for babies and her new favourite thing to make, Whimsical Wine Wraps. They are so much fun to make because the Bag Lady can use her imagination to embellish and decorate them.<br />
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She has a facebook page for her items (if you aren't already a facebook friend of the Bag Lady's, her facebook page is<a href="https://www.facebook.com/cartsmartbaglady" target="_blank"> here</a> - check it out!)<br />
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Enough shameless self-promotion, though.<br />
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How are things with everyone? The Bag Lady hasn't been very good at keeping up with her blog-buddies, but she does drop in occasionally, even if she doesn't leave a comment. Sometimes the word verifications are so difficult for her to read that she gives up after the third try!<br />
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Hope your winter is going well! <br />
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<br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-19881444502894550862013-10-11T22:27:00.001-06:002013-10-12T07:00:04.710-06:00Happy Thanksgiving, Canadian EditionHellllooooo? Is there an echo in here? Good grief, look at the dust!<br />
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The Bag Lady has been ignoring her blog to the point where she wouldn't be surprised if no-one ever reads it again. She would try to tell you that she's just been so darned busy she hasn't had time to blog, but she knows that most of her loyal readers are too smart to be fooled by that old saw! Granted, she has been busy, but she's also been lazy, and seduced by the ease of posting little snippets on facebook rather than having to think too darned much about actually composing something that might entertain, enlighten, encourage, educate or (okay, she's running out of words that start with 'e') elucidate her discerning readers.<br />
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She spent a good portion of the summer mowing the lawn. In between rain storms. It rained a lot in the Bag Lady's neck of the woods this summer, and she could probably still mow the lawn if she so desired, but the shine is off.... the honeymoon is over.... she's darned tired of mowing the damned lawn! Her garden produced like crazy, in spite of her efforts to cut back. She has filled her freezer and her pantry with all manner of home-grown goodies, and she's not done yet. Oh no, oh ho, she still has tomatoes ripening on her kitchen counter, and boxes full of carrots that she needs to do something with. (Although, in the carrot race, her cousin, Leah, of <a href="http://thegoatslunchpail.blogspot.ca/">the Goat's Lunch Pail</a> fame, has her beat hands down, apparently.)<br />
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She and the Rancher have spent the last few days gathering wood for their stove for the winter. In fact, they now have more wood in their woodshed than they have ever had in previous years, due to the Rancher's industrious, nay, busy-beaverish activity. This may in part be due to the fact that they purchased an electric wood-splitter last year and the novelty has yet to wear off. The Bag Lady may never lift another axe, barring any unforeseen possessions by the spirit of Lizzie Borden.<br />
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She hopes this brings y'all up to date on the excitement that is her life! Now on to the important stuff.... what's been going on with all of you?<br />
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Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! <br />
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<br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-43462197967889924342013-07-24T07:39:00.000-06:002013-07-24T07:42:06.412-06:00Pickly PostThe Bag Lady has a lot of lovely beets in her garden, so will be making beet pickles soon! She thought she would share her recipe, which she got from her mother-in-law many years ago.<br />
At the end of the recipe are some general instructions for using a hot water canner. And a bonus recipe for making dill pickles. Any kind of dill pickles. <br />
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Beet Pickles<br />
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Wash beets. Trim stems, leaving 2 inches of stalk (this is so the colour doesn't all bleed out). Boil the beets, skins on, for approximately 35 - 45 minutes. Dunk in cold water - the skins should slip right off. Slice or cut the beets into chunks.<br />
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In a large stainless steel or enamel pot, combine<br />
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2 Cups water<br />
2 Cups vinegar<br />
1 1/2 Cups sugar<br />
2 Tbsp pickling spice (in a cheesecloth bag or a tea ball)<br />
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Boil 5 minutes. Add sliced beets. Boil 5 - 10 minutes more.<br />
Put in jars and seal.<br />
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In times past, that would be all you did. Nowadays, it is recommended that you process everything in a water bath.<br />
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When the Bag Lady makes pickles or does any type of canning, she uses
her canner. She fills it with water and has it boiling on the stove
while she makes whatever she is planning to preserve.She puts her jars in it and lets the canner bubble away until she needs the jars. The lids are in a separate little pot in hot but not boiling water. She uses tongs to remove a jar from the canner (pours the water back into the pot), fills the jar, being sure to leave some headspace and using a metal knife or spoon to remove air bubbles, wipes the rim to be sure it is clean. Using a little magnet on a wand, she removes a lid from the hot water, centers it on the jar and screws on the ring. Sets the jar carefully back into the canner, and repeats the steps until all the jars are full. Then she sets the wire rack down into the water, adds the lid and processes the jars for the time recommended.<br />
How long you process the jars depends on the size of your jars and the altitude of the area where you live, but for most recipes, pint jars should be processed approximately 10 - 15 minutes, quarts for 15 - 20. That is a rough guide - you should be able to find more information online for your own area.<br />
When the jars have been processed for the amount of time recommended, carefully remove them from the canner and set them on a towel. Leave them undisturbed for 24 hours. Check that all jars sealed. (you'll probably hear them snapping shortly after they come out of the canner). <br />
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Bonus Recipe for Dill Pickles....<br />
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Brine<br />
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Bring to a boil: <br />
3 Cups water<br />
1 Cup white vinegar<br />
1/4 Cup pickling salt<br />
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Thoroughly wash all vegetables that you plan on using, including the dill. This brine works for cucumbers, beans, carrots....<br />
Put a sprig of dill in the bottom of your hot, sterilized jar. You can add onion or garlic, too. Pack in the vegetable of choice, add another sprig of dill, add brine. Be sure to leave 1/2 inch or so of headspace. Seal and process according to the instructions above.<br />
These pickles need to sit for several weeks before they are ready.<br />
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<br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-12703394515567880962013-07-15T07:35:00.004-06:002013-07-15T07:35:39.748-06:00Mellow YellowThe Bag Lady and the Rancher took a trip yesterday to attend a birthday party for his sister. She lives about an hour north of the ranch, and the canola is in full bloom 'round these parts right now.<br />
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It is difficult to take good pictures from a moving vehicle, but these give an impression of how pretty it was on the drive home with the sun low in the sky. (These were taken around 10 pm)<br /><br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-12063085286443582102013-06-25T10:27:00.001-06:002013-06-25T10:27:47.809-06:00Camping Clean!The Bag Lady is all about re-purposing and re-using things, and loves coming up with unique and interesting ideas - it keeps her mind active. (Well, it keeps what's left of her mind active.... she has been decidedly distracted lately, and keeps marching purposefully into a room, then standing in the center of said room, gazing around, wondering why she went there. Sigh)<br />
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She is considering going camping sometime this summer, and was almost ready to discard an empty Downy container when she realized it just might come in handy. So she rinsed it out and set about thinking up an efficient "wash-station". (This part of the procedure definitely took a lot of time, considering her current state of mind<strike>lessness</strike>.)<br />
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First, she spray-painted it black. Her reasoning is that if it sits in the full sun, the black paint will heat the water (and it does!) making it much more pleasant than washing in cold water.<br />
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Then came the hardest part.... she gave a lot of thought (when she remembered it) to how best to set up her wash station, and finally came up with these items...<br />
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And set up her wash-station.<br />
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Now, if she could just remember where it was she wanted to go camping..... and remember to take it with her!<br /><br />
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<br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-45042338671264989672013-06-14T08:17:00.000-06:002013-06-14T08:17:03.843-06:00Thunder on the Right (and, quite frankly, the left, too)Not sure what keeps the Bag Lady so busy that she can only manage to post once a month, but there you have it.... she must be either living a lot in the real world, or doesn't have the imagination to come up with anything interesting to blog about. (and that is as far as we are going in that direction!)<br />
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She put a garden in this year, as always, but it is quite a bit smaller than it used to be. And, if it keeps raining like it has been for most of the month of June, it will drown! There have been a few sunny breaks between bouts of rain and thunderstorms, but not many!<br />
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And, finally, here's a picture for you. The Princess in her new "thundershirt" that the Bag Lady made for her. She didn't want her picture taken, for some reason, so hid under the coffee table. The angle makes her look a little disproportionate. Her head really isn't twice as large as her body.<br />
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<br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-89738498185825364312013-05-15T06:57:00.002-06:002013-05-15T06:57:50.201-06:00Hummingbird WarsThe hummingbirds are back in the Bag Lady's neighbourhood and it's not safe to go outside!<br />
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The Bag Lady hung one feeder last week, thinking it was probably too early, but the very next day there was a hummer. He guarded that feeder so fiercely that the Bag Lady dug around and found two more.<br />
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He guards them just as fiercely, but they are far enough apart that the other hummingbird(s) can at least sneak a drink periodically.<br />
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He also chases away any other birds that get too close......<br />
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....... including this blue jay! Immediately after the picture was taken, he went on the offensive. The Bag Lady also witnessed him chasing a purple finch around and around in that bush! (In case you are having difficulty finding the hummingbird in the picture, look just above the white roof of the garden shed in the lower left portion of the picture. He and the blue jay are sitting in the same bush.)<br />
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The Bag Lady knows that the hummingbirds will settle down, but for now, she is careful when she opens the door because they zip along her deck at warp speed!<br />
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the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-52599383580953348752013-02-01T06:56:00.002-07:002013-02-01T06:56:35.268-07:00Long Ago, Far AwayGood grief, how did it get to be February already?<br />
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The Bag Lady has been doing a lot of family tree research on the computer. Ancestry.ca is addictive. She has traced several lines of her family tree back to the 1600's.... in North America! This surprised her, in a way. Her grandfather on her father's side came to Canada as a teenager in the 1890's, which is probably where she got the notion that her family were recent immigrants.<br />
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Of course, she knew that her mother's family had been here a little longer, but had no idea that some lines on both sides had been here so long. Several ancestors on her mother's side left the United States for Canada around the time of the American Revolution. <br />
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Her parents met in Halifax during WWII. Her father was from Alberta and joined the navy during the war. Her mother lived in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, which is practically a continent away. They married after the war ended and settled in Alberta.<br />
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The oddest thing that she has discovered is that one line of her ancestry on both sides of her family tree can be traced back to Scituate, Massachusetts in the 1640's. Now, she really has no idea how large Scituate was in those days, but thinks it is a distinct possibility that those ancestors knew each other! She wonders if they were on friendly terms. She wonders what they would think of their respective descendents finally meeting and marrying after all those years. (She also wonders how the hell you pronounce "Scituate"...)<br />
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Some day, perhaps, she will be able to travel to Massachusetts and stand on ground that her ancestors stood on when they first came to North America. Wouldn't that be cool? <br />
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<br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-11319483621675241122013-01-18T08:21:00.000-07:002013-01-18T08:21:29.497-07:00Photo Finish Friday Heifer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been quite a long time since the Bag Lady posted a ranch picture.<br />
This is one of last year's calves. She was the last of the heifers to decide to try the oats the Bag Lady has been giving them daily. She is now one of the first at the gate when the Bag Lady brings the pails, and will actually eat out of the pail while the Bag Lady is trying to get to the troughs.<br />
<br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-58360771061814709962013-01-04T08:30:00.003-07:002013-01-04T08:30:43.977-07:00Photo Finish Friday - Frosty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(Photo Finish Friday is the brainchild of <a href="http://thegoatslunchpail.blogspot.ca/">Leah at the Goat's Lunch Pail</a>)the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-55388476759945553152013-01-02T08:46:00.003-07:002013-01-02T08:46:29.388-07:00A New YearA lonely neighbour has said many times that he's "looking for a new set of tits to hang over the kitchen sink"<br />
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The Bag Lady made some for him.....<br />
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(Bums, too!)<br />
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Hopefully, that will start his new year off right.<br />
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the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-77258420325431271782012-12-28T09:47:00.004-07:002012-12-28T09:47:52.740-07:00Happy Upcoming Winter/Spring/Summer/FallThe Bag Lady has been ignoring her blog a little - she has no real excuse except to say that she's been a little busy (or lazy, take your pick.)<br />
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She hopes everyone had a lovely holiday, whether you celebrate Christmas or something else. The controversy over whether to wish people Merry Christmas has been annoying her a little this season. A man in Saskatchewan created a tempest over the "Merry Christmas" greeting displayed on buses in Saskatoon. The Bag Lady thinks he just wanted to get his name in the news, but wonders how many people actually think it's a valid argument. He says that municipal taxes should not pay for the greeting. Says that he is an atheist and does not believe in Christmas, and also that other holidays belonging to other faiths should be given equal time.<br />
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The Bag Lady has given this much thought. Her response to this man goes something like this:<br />
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If you take into account the fact that the majority of the people who settled this country were Christians, and that their descendants are still living in this country, and that "Christmas" is the holiday that falls on December 25th, and that that is the reason you don't have to go to work on that day, shut the hell up and, if you don't like the idea of the Christmas season in this country, go elsewhere.<br />
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Hmmm, the Bag Lady needs to work on her diplomacy skills.<br />
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She also wonders how long it will be before someone complains about saying Happy New Year. <br />
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In other news, it has been extremely cold in the Bag Lady's neck of the woods, which may be contributing to her crankiness. But it is supposed to warm up today, so she is thinking seriously of venturing further than the barn and pasture (where her chores take her on a daily basis). She may even make it as far as the post office to see if there is anything exciting there!<br />
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She hopes your holiday season was filled with joy, and that the new year will bring you much happiness and prosperity.<br />
the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-16326905900416005472012-12-17T08:21:00.002-07:002012-12-18T05:44:09.578-07:00Newtown. My Rant.I have read many comments online stating that you have to be a parent to fully understand the horror of Sandy Hook.<br />
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No, you don't.<br />
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I resent the implication that simply because I have never given birth, that means I don't understand loss and heartache. <br />
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I have also read that now is not the time to talk about gun control in the United States.<br />
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Yes, it is.<br />
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When better? After the media coverage of this tragedy ends? When the picture of those children with their eyes shut and hands on each other's shoulders being led away from the scene of carnage fades from our memory? (Which, by the way, will take a very long time for me, personally. I cry every time I see it. I can almost hear the wail of terror from that little girl in the blue top.)<br />
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I have read many comments from both sides of the gun control issue, and one, especially, that sticks in my mind is, "if all the teachers in the school had been armed, this man would have been stopped before he killed so many."<br />
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No, he wouldn't.<br />
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The idea of a bunch of teachers rushing from the classrooms, guns ablazing, is patently ridiculous. How many innocents would have been caught in the crossfire? I am not advocating that all guns need to be wrenched from the hands of the citizens of the US, but can anyone explain to me why an ordinary law-abiding person needs a machine gun or semi-automatic?<br />
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I didn't think so.<br />
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The idea for this post started out as a simple memorial to the victims of the shooting, but I suddenly realized that I was pissed off. I'm pissed off at the shooter, I'm pissed off at the obstructionist NRA, I'm pissed off that the families of the victims have to go through such needless pain and suffering, I'm pissed off that those children's lives were snuffed out, and I'm pissed off that the world has lost those teachers who showed such heroism and devotion to their charges. I'm pissed off that this kind of thing keeps happening in schools, movie theatres, malls, and other public arenas. (I'm also pissed off at the idiots who blame President Obama for everything, but I'll save that for a different rant.) One other thing I'm pissed off about is the statement that "guns don't kill people".<br />
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Yes, they fucking well do.<br />
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<br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-66792666184473221712012-12-06T08:15:00.003-07:002012-12-06T08:15:36.047-07:00Oh, the Weather!The Bag Lady is feeling a little whine coming on, which she is trying mightily to suppress. It has snowed almost continuously in her area for over a month. The snow arrived early which, in itself is not unusual, but that is usually just a reminder, and it warms up and the snow goes away... but this year it has not really warmed up and it continues to snow.<br />
This was taken October 24th.....<br />
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12 1/2 inches in this photo....<br />
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The deer visited the Bag Lady's flowerbed one day, looking for an easy meal....<br />
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The snow piled up more....<br />
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And more (the Bag Lady stopped measuring - she usually takes these pictures by dashing outside in her slippers, and didn't want to wade through all that snow) This was yesterday....<br />
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And it continues to fall....<br />
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The Bag Lady goes out every day and sweeps roughly 3 inches out of the troughs in order to give her calves grain.<br />
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She has lived in this area most of her life and understands that it snows in winter, but this stretch has seemed long and cold, and she is hoping for a Chinook to blow through one of these days to give her a break. Actually, it doesn't even have to Chinook..... just a couple of days in a row without clouds dumping snow, and perhaps a peek at the sun, would make her happy!<br />
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Has winter arrived in your area yet?<br />
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<br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-33104783603525239052012-11-20T07:38:00.001-07:002012-11-20T07:55:13.514-07:00A New Lease on LifeThe Bag Lady hosted Thanksgiving dinner last month for some of the Rancher's family, and during the course of the day, her sister-in-law mentioned an old dresser that she wanted to re-finish, if only she had the time. Naturally, the Bag Lady volunteered to do it because she loves that sort of thing. It took her a couple of weeks, partly due to the fact that she had a few other things on her plate, but it is now completed.<br />
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She forgot to take an actual "before" picture, so the first pictures were
taken when she had already started to take the old finish off.<br />
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She had not started on the top of the dresser when this picture was taken - someone else did that - but she had started on the spindle on the left...<br />
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The dresser had an odd paint-like finish on it. It had originally come from an old hotel in the small town near where the Bag Lady lives. Her in-laws acquired it in 1949, and her mother-in-law told her it had not been changed since (except for some stickers put on by the teenaged sister-in-law!)<br />
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The partially-stripped side of the dresser....<br />
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The Bag Lady was delighted to find this beautiful wood beneath the finish....<br />
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Here she has started the staining process..... </div>
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She had quite a time getting all the old finish off the carving at the top of the mirror (thank heavens for old dental picks!) but thinks it turned out quite nicely.<br />
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And here is the end product. The Bag Lady is quite pleased with the way it looks now, and only hopes her sister-in-law likes it, too!<br />
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Do you think she will?the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-11261338872996429842012-11-19T07:25:00.001-07:002012-11-20T07:38:54.590-07:00My Uncle DiedMy uncle died.<br />
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Three simple little words that signify the end of a generation in our family.<br />
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A large family of seven brothers and one sister. Considering the age span, they were quite close. The eldest, the girl, was married and raising a family of her own soon after the youngest (my father) was born. They homesteaded in what was then a remote area in the wilds of Alberta during the Dirty Thirties. Fortunately for them, their homestead, although remote, was not afflicted by the troubles experienced in other areas of the country at that time. They had little money, but they had plenty of wild game to hunt in the winter, wild berries to pick in the summer, and lots of hard work and fresh air to keep them healthy.<br />
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A musical family. All of them were taught to play a musical instrument, but the youngest boys formed an orchestra and played at dances in the small community where they grew up. They kept up the musical tradition as adults, playing together at the yearly family reunions they held. The three youngest siblings especially. If they knew they were going to see each other for any reason whatsoever, they always took along their musical instruments - violin, guitar, banjo. (I suppose it's fortunate none of them played the double bass....)<br />
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Their little orchestra was slowly diminished over the years as they passed away one by one until finally, Uncle Marvin was the last. He and I held many conversations, mostly over the phone because of physical distance, and he would reminisce about their early years. I heard some stories I had never heard before, along with some I knew by heart.<br />
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His youngest son contacted me a week or so ago to tell me the sad news. His father had slipped and fallen and broken a hip. At the age of 91 years and 8 months, he hadn't the strength to battle back. <br />
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My cousins did me the great honour of asking me to eulogize my uncle, and, although it was difficult, I hope I brought him back to life for a few minutes during the celebration of life they held for him.<br />
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Although we are saddened by his passing, I know that somewhere in the afterlife, there's another family reunion going on. In fact, I can faintly hear the strains of "Maple Sugar", "Wheels" and "Squaws Along the Yukon" right this minute. I can almost hear 'Doc' and 'Chief' ribbing 'the Kid' about being late to the party yet again. <br />
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(Marvin is second from the right in this picture, my dad is on the right, and Gene, <a href="http://thegoatslunchpail.blogspot.ca/">Leah's</a> dad, is to the left of Marvin)<br />
<br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-15759658524552166632012-11-09T09:14:00.000-07:002012-11-09T09:14:29.342-07:00A Wee Bit CrankySince the election in the United States has been beaten to death online, I am not going to share my thoughts, except to say that I truly hope, now that it's over, the citizens of our neighbour to the South can overcome their differences and work together to find reasonable solutions to the problems their nation is facing. (Just one tiny suggestion, though, before I move on - would someone please get Donald Trump the psychiatric care he so desperately needs! Isn't the first sign of a psychopathic serial killer cruelty to animals? He obviously needs help - murdering all those ferrets, dying them orange and gluing them to his head!)<br />
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Moving on.<br />
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No, wait, I can't move on yet. Please, I implore you, stop the cruelty! As his hairline recedes, he is certain to move on to larger animals! The beaver could be next and, as a Canadian, I will have to stand up and say "Enough! Leave our national symbol alone! Canada is a peaceful nation, but beware of waking the sleeping polar bear."<br />
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While I'm on the subject, I must also say I take umbrage at being referred to as the People's Republic of Canada, as<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendell-potter/before-you-vote-fact-vs-f_b_2076701.html"> Wendell Potter</a> so charmingly put it. Our national medical system may not be perfect, but it's a darned sight better than the financial ruin many sick Americans face.<br />
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Hmm, guess I didn't do such a good job of not sharing my thoughts.<br />
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Winter has come early to the ranch and it's making me a little cranky. <br />
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<br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-82013590247973775632012-11-02T07:10:00.000-06:002012-11-02T07:10:46.132-06:00Photo Finish Friday - Snowed Under<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It snowed early in the Bag Lady's world.<br />
Not only was it early, but it meant business. The leaves weren't even all gone off the rose bush by her front steps. Yes, there are steps under all this snow....<br />
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The sky finally cleared, making for some pretty pictures. <br />
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The Bag Lady really doesn't like winter all that much, but as she watched the destruction wrought on the east coast by Hurricane Sandy, she was reminded yet again that the area where she lives is pretty darned good. Although it gets cold in the winter, her chances of having to contend with a natural disaster of the magnitude of Sandy are slim. And for that, she is grateful.<br />
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Photo Finish Friday is the brain child of Leah at <a href="http://thegoatslunchpail.blogspot.ca/">the Goat's Lunch Pail. </a>the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-64325722777631059462012-10-22T08:43:00.002-06:002012-10-22T08:43:46.763-06:00Still Preserving!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Bag Lady is still busy with summer's bounty! She went to town on the weekend to a "pie-making" party. Friends of hers have a single apple tree in their backyard. It produced 4 bags of apples. Two of those bags made 48 (yes, forty eight!) pies! The Bag Lady brought the remaining two bags of apples home and is in the process of making even more jelly and applesauce (Applesauce Cake... yum!)<br />
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Nothing from these apples is going to waste. The Bag Lady gave the peels and cores to a few visitors who were camping out in their trailer in her yard....<br />
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The visitors only stopped overnight on their way to (*cough* the abattoir *cough*) their final destination.the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-37768680276936751452012-10-19T09:18:00.002-06:002012-10-19T09:18:36.197-06:00Photo Finish Friday - Blue Jay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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During the preparations for Thanksgiving dinner, someone noticed this blue jay flying around in the Bag Lady's sun porch. The Bag Lady had inadvertently left the door propped open and the poor bird was trying to fly out through the windows. He stunned himself to the point where the Bag Lady was able to pick him up and hold him until he regained his senses. (His beak remained open like that for quite awhile - think of getting punched in the solar plexus - probably the same thing.)<br />
Isn't he pretty?the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-57067012973630680512012-09-17T21:54:00.000-06:002012-09-17T21:54:03.207-06:00Find the Chicken!!<br />
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Prairie Chicken!the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-62477667999561083382012-09-07T08:16:00.002-06:002012-09-07T08:16:27.973-06:00ExcusesYes, the Bag Lady has been absent from blogging for a very long time, but she has an excuse. Several excuses. Pick one. <br />
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She has been busy with her garden, and canning the produce from said garden, and with the ranch, building fences and helping with the harvesting. A friend brought her a huge box of apples, so she's made pies and jelly.... on top of all that, she recently started a new job.<br />
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Harvesting the oat crop...<br />
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Close-up of the grain coming out of the auger...<br />
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The Bag Lady misses her blogging friends, and hopes they understand that, contrary to popular belief, she is not superwoman and with how busy this time of year has been, something had to give, and it happened to be blogging! She'll be back when she can, really.<br />
<br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-71660510496248120502012-08-10T07:20:00.002-06:002012-08-10T07:20:28.065-06:00Beans!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Bag Lady has been pickling! She has a bumper crop of beans this year, and has been working at preserving the bounty. Mustard beans, dilled beans (both green and yellow) and dilled carrots.... so far. She still has some beans to put up, then more carrots.<br />
The zucchini is growing, too. Mustard pickles using zucchini sound good, don't they?<br />
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<br />the Bag Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11157365223433690437noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329622951839766826.post-59265008445940547302012-07-27T08:46:00.002-06:002012-07-27T08:46:48.858-06:00Photo Finish Friday - Haying It's that time of year again...........<br />
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