By Merle Lee Ann Pratt – Merle Lee Ann’s Kitchen, author of “A Baker’s Dozen”

Senior's Scene

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Sep 29, 2022 | 9:53 AM

“The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Pattison Media and this site.”

It’s a wonderful Saturday evening and I am enjoying my deck and a glass of wine outside. My doors are still locked day and night, but I can sit outside without being scared.

My dogs sleep gently beside me. The sunset is amazing, as it often is in Saskatchewan which we call The Land of the Living Skies. It is so true. We have sunrises and sunsets that are constantly amazing. How fortunate we are to live where we do. I hope you have a place where you get to look at both sunrises and sunsets or at least one of them. I regularly see sunsets. Sunrises are a little trickier, depending on the time of year.

We all have had a chance to calm down and let our lives return to some normalcy. I no longer jump when my dogs bark and feel comfortable walking my dogs, going out to the garden and doing the outdoor activities I was so used to. I am not on edge and no longer afraid to be alone. And I have quit worrying about my family and friends – are they safe?

What about yourself? Has your life returned to normal? I hope it has for you and that your new normal is similar to the old one. For the people involved in the tragic events that long weekend in September a feeling of normalcy remains to be felt and seen. And for some life will never be the same as it was.

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I had to chuckle to myself yesterday as I drove home from work as I was looking for geese for my brother-in-law, as he is a guider for people to shoot these birds. We have an abundance of geese in our area as far as conservationists are concerned. For those of you who regularly read my blogs you’ll remember my blog about George the Goose and his wife Henrietta. I feel for these geese. It’s a tough life from afternoon to dark. That blog made a lot of us laugh.

The trees are starting to turn color and we are coming into one of the prettiest times of the year. And this warm weather makes it so enjoyable to take a drive or a walk and enjoy the great outdoors. Bugs are fewer, which makes it so nice to eat outside although, the flies and yellow jackets have been bad this fall.

Here is a simple homemade recipe to help keep the flies away from you. Mix together ½ cup each of apple cider vinegar, white sugar and water. Stir and add a couple of drops of dish soap into the container. (I use an old margarine container.) Set outside in the sunshine and watch the flies enjoy this concoction and not “bug” you. Change out every week or so. It works great.

I am working on my blog outdoors this evening and not a bug is bugging!!!!

If you have fruit flies in the house take a small jar and place ½ cup apple cider vinegar and 2 drops of dish soap in it, but don’t mix the dish soap into it apparently. I did and it still worked. But the instructions said not to. (I read the instructions all the way through after I had already mixed it.) Bad on me. Place this jar anywhere you see those little fruit flies and you will be rid of them as well. I try and live bug free if I can.

There have been lots of tomatoes and cucumbers to pick this fall. Pickles, relish, tomato sauce and salsa are being put away for the upcoming winter months. These are so darn good, compared to bought. The garden will be coming to an end, but with the exceptional warm weather we are having this week I just couldn’t pick all the tomatoes on Sunday. They just may ripen up this week I am hoping. The pumpkins and gourds can stay out there for awhile yet. Hoping the frost stays away for a few more weeks.

Before we know it, Thanksgiving will be here.

Households are back to normal, where you can have friends and family over.

It’s a whole new world being able to entertain and not worry about masks and mingling with people who aren’t always a part of your bubble. It also means remembering how to cook for larger groups of people. I have been spoiled not having to cook large meals for the past couple of years. Restrictions are being lifted for air and train travel. Now we just have to watch and see if this crazy Covid can stay away. I hope people continue to be thoughtful by staying away from people if you are sick, continue to hand wash and use good common sense. We know Covid is still around, but at least people are not dying as they were when Covid first came to be some 2 ½ years ago or more.

Harvest has gone well for most of the farmers this year. This is one of the nicest autumns I can remember. We had a long stretch of warm days with no moisture. Majority of farmers had a good start on the combining until the rain came. And amazingly the rain knew when to stop. The farmers are back at it again. Within the next week a lot of the farmers in our area will be done combining and can move onto fall work. A head start for spring seeding.

A person can switch their summer flowers out for fall mums and such. I always hate tossing the flowers out when they are still blooming. But then you wait too long, and next thing you know you’re putting those pots away during a snowstorm or a cold rainy day. And I dislike that more! I did some clean up last weekend, but I have lots more to do.

It is a darn good thing a person has reminders that pop up in their phone. I get so darn busy doing things and forgetting about things that I have to do. Such as, I sat down to enjoy the outdoors and my reminder popped up that I have a haircut this evening. I would have completely forgotten tonight as I had been to the garden and picked tomatoes. I was debating whether to start weighing them out or just relaxing (as I sell them). I no sooner sat down to think about it and my reminder came on. Okay, guess I’m not weighing out tomatoes tonight.

My garden has produced a lot of tomatoes, cucumbers and ornamental gourds this year. I planted Gremlin and Goonie gourds and they are just the craziest shapes and sizes which are great for outdoor decorating. However, I have decided this is going to be the last year of the bigger garden. As I age it is a lot of work to keep up with. I will keep a garden big enough to stock my own needs for winter though. The homemade tomato sauce for pizza and spaghetti is my absolute favorite. And relish on a hot dog when we are out snowmobiling just makes it that much better. Oh, the joys of winter!!!!

In closing, enjoy the beautiful days of autumn. Leaves are changing colors and we are moving into the next season, which we don’t really look forward to, but I’ll take my winters over hurricanes and tornadoes. I am so grateful for where I do live. It’s a crazy world!

The song I have chosen for this blog is September Morn by Neil Diamond. It was released in 1979. Written by Gilbert Becaud and Neil Diamond. Neil Diamond is another one of my favorite artists from the fabulous 70’s era of music. Still the best era of music in my books. Many people still listen to that era as there was so much good music and talented artists that were a part of the ‘70’s.

Cheers to a great October!

Merle Lee Ann Pratt – merleleeannskitchen.com – Email: merleleeann@gmail.com

This column is sponsored by MacKenzie Funeral Chapel and Crematorium – We will be there when you need us – Bev and Brian Stobbs

130 9th St. E, Prince Albert, SK

Phone: (306) 763-8488

https://mackenziechapel.ca/