It turns out that the humble beaver is on another much more valuable coin than the 5-cent Canadian coin I mentioned in my last post.
Some time ago I posted about a historic Myrtlewood coin made in North Bend, Oregon in 1933 when money was hard to come by.
Well, I discovered today that this was not the first time that Oregon made its own money. Look at the picture above and then look below at the information about this coin.
I will not bemoan the rain. It brings life to the pond and thirsty ground.
Looking out my kitchen window at the rain, I can see a gentle mourning dove take a dip among the bent-over dried cattail stalks, using them as a flotation pad. The grey and white juncos are all about enjoying the rain. Winter is when they visit my garden.
The thawed out ice in the pond and fountain makes the water more accessible for all.
While doing chores inside I ran across a 1989 five cent Canadian coin among the knick- knacks in a drawer. On one side is engraved a master builder beaver. This made me wonder how our local beavers (at Beaverdam Reservoir in Ashburn, Virginia) are faring this winter?
While attempting to answer this question with an online search, I discovered that the world’s largest beaver dam in the world is located in Canada. “Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest national park in Canada… having one of the largest freshwater deltas in the world- the Peace Athabasca Delta.” This quote is from the website: parks.canada.ca They claim it can be seen by satellites in space.
Now I can understand why the beaver is engraved on their coin, though, my original question about our local beavers remains unanswered.
I have not made any resolutions per se, though, I would like to remember to buy flowers more often to brighten the table on the cold winter days ahead of us.
Yesterday I made https://www.quakeroats.com/cooking-and-recipes/quakers-chewy-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies. To the left of these flowers sits a jumbo size Mason jar full of cookies I made from this recipe. The nuts was an optional ingredient. I added chopped pecans. I found my favorite wrap around bib apron the other day, which means I don’t have to change my clothes to cook and bake, so I hope to do more baking through the winter.
Early this morning I woke to a light dusting of snow outside. I hope the winter brings some beautiful days of snow, and yet not too much to cause big problems for travelers.
Let us celebrate the season for it is part of nature’s cycle!
As New Year’s Eve approaches I am thinking about the year ahead of us. This is when I realized that my birthday will be on what seems like an auspicious date–02/26/2026. I will be turning 67. At first this scared me a little, though I know God will be watching over me as always.
Do numbers and dates hold power? I am inclined to think they do when I look around at the news and advertising media.
I decided to look up the date to see what I might find. An AI overview stated that it is known for celebrations like National Pistachio Day and Tell a Fairy Tale Day. This information made me laugh and put me at ease.
Then I looked up the day of February 26 in history and was pleased to see that in 1919 The Grand Canyon was officially designated, in 1929 Grand Teton National Park was established, and in 1933 the ground-breaking ceremony for the Golden Gate Bridge was held.
Now, I feel relieved that when the day is put into a bigger perspective, the day will pass like any other day. Perhaps I will eat a pistachio cake for my birthday, and maybe a fairy tale will be told.
All the pictures shown above came from the Wikipedia site.
I’ve been looking through my Treasury of Christmas cookbook and perusing online recipes. The holidays is definitely a time when I do more cooking than normal. I have a boneless leg of lamb in my freezer, so I have been researching lamb recipes. The lamb recipes in my Christmas cookbook all use mustard or horseradish in the cooking and serving. Neither of these spices appeal to me at this time.
I do remember horseradish from my childhood. The first time I tried it I ended up spitting it out. My father liked it and used it generously on some meats, specifically roast beef. I never ate it after trying it that first time.
I am interested in plants so my curiosity caused me to look up more information about it. Plus, I wondered how it got its name. It has nothing to do with horses, and it can be toxic for them. Linguists think that perhaps something got mixed up in translations. It is a root of the plant Armoracia rusticana. Thank goodness for scientific names. There is also a Horseradish tree which is a different plant altogether, and should not be confused with the horseradish condiment.
According to Wikipedia, “The root was used as a condiment on meats in Germany, Scandinavia, and Britain… and both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson mention horseradish in garden accounts.”
After researching horseradish I have turned my attention to other spices. A lamb leg will be cooked, using neither horseradish or mustard in the cooking or serving. I am still reading about different spices, and I have not decided definitively what spices I will use. I saw a Persian slow cooker recipe that used pumpkin pie spice (or a Persian spice blend.) I do have pumpkin pie spice I could use. This recipe also used saffron spice. My husband recently gifted me a bottle of saffron threads, so I am leaning toward using this. I might end up using a more traditional rosemary and sherry blend. We will see…
Right now, my house smells like corned beef. It has been cooked for a breakfast casserole I will cook this week.
Happy menu planning to anyone out there who might read this!
Recently I saw an online news headline which used the phrase "shoebox size" to describe the size of a home. It was being used in a denigrating way to mock the size of a home. This got me to thinking about all the uses of shoeboxes. Then I remembered seeing students make habitat dioramas using shoeboxes. I started to research the use of cardboard boxes in different types of crafts. I was amazed at all the numerous websites that show examples of cardboard box crafts. I decided to ask the AI image generator on my WordPress resource to generate an image of a "shoebox nativity scene", next a "cardboard shoebox dollhouse", and lastly I asked for a "shoebox habitat diorama." Above you can see the images it produced based on these prompts. I especially like the use of an old worn out shoe in the outdoor habitat diorama. This made me laugh.
Many school holidays will be beginning soon, if they have not already started. I think making shoebox nativity scenes to teach about the birth of Jesus, or dollhouses to give as gifts, or habitat dioramas to teach a little science, are all great ideas of ways to spend quality time with your children, friends, nephews, nieces, or neighbors. This might make a greater childhood memory, and have a greater impact on their creativity, than simply buying something.
Anyone who uses the phrase "shoebox size" to describe a home is a snob. Maybe they need to do a little research on all the creative ways to use and enjoy a shoebox, and be grateful for what they do have. (This a just an older lady's advice. Take it or leave it, but don't knock the size of a shoebox size home, at least not in a public forum.)
It is 2025. This garden picture was taken by me in my garden in 2010. It looks nothing like this today. Now I have family priorities that take most of my time.
I look back and I am thankful that at one time I had the luxury of playing in my garden for hours upon hours. I am thankful that I took enough pictures to look back at and be grateful for that time. I am grateful that my family allowed me this time.
This coming Tuesday 12/02/2025 is Giving Tuesday. Some of you, including myself, have already given to organizations or missions that speak to the heart. Though it is nice to have a day set aside to make sure in this season of giving that you remember others, especially those organizations that serve people who need help.
Count your blessings, and be grateful by giving to others that need your help.
Miss Piggy and her friends give thanks for all their blessings. They will pray at the dinner table. (This is an IA generated image.)
My family and I are having a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I cooked a turkey breast and all the traditional fixings about two weeks ago. I did not want to repeat it so soon. Today we are having Beef Bourguignon with Sopa Paraguaya (which is a hearty cornbread), and a few other dishes. The other day when I was shopping for a red wine to use for cooking the beef I was surprised to run across a cabernet with the name “Katherine”. I stopped with a strange feeling of serendipity. I was currently reading Dan Brown’s latest book, The Secret of Secrets. One of the main characters in this book is named Katherine. Also, the picture featured on the front of the wine bottle reminded me of a black cutout profile picture of me when I was very young that had been artistically framed. My black profile picture has a ponytail much like the one on the wine bottle. The resemblance ends there, though my name is Katherine also. I bought the wine on a whim. I bought another bottle of a different wine to use in my cooking.
This is the picture from the bottle I purchased.
You might be asking why I used a picture of Miss Piggy at the top of this post. I thought it was funny since “piggy” , possibly a relative of Miss Piggy, has been in the news recently. Of course, I was instantly reminded of Miss Piggy whom my daughter grew up with and whom we all love. She had a Miss Piggy doll that was so loved and played with so frequently that eventually I had to throw it out. I was able to find one book, which we still miraculously possess, featuring Miss Piggy.
Here is the book we own. The dirt in the bottom right must be from a pulled off price sticker.
Another interesting side note about Miss Piggy is that she has been featured several times at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I read that in 2016 she saved Tony Bennett from falling off the float they were standing on.
I hope anyone that might happen to read this has a fun and happy day. I am thankful for many things. Too many things to elaborate here.
This novel begins in Washington D.C. in 1950. I picked it up about a week ago at my local library. After a few days, I realized it had to be returned earlier than I expected since it was in high demand. I started reading it on Friday and got hooked immediately. I had to force myself to set it down this weekend when my family needed attention. I was able to finish it before bedtime on Sunday evening. Before I finished my first Kate Quinn book I ordered her book, TheRose Code. I bought it because I did not want to be rushed reading it.
I loved reading The Briar Club novel. After I finished reading it, I read a few reviews of this book, and heard some complain that it was too slow-paced with deep dives into characters. The in-depth attention to portraying all the characters is one of the things I really liked about this book. I, like Grace, enjoy watching people, and studying their behavior and trying to understand their motives. The book has several surprises which I did not expect. I am normally very good at predicting what is going to happen in movies and books before they happen.
The setting is a boarding house in Washington D.C. during the 1950's. If you are a student of history, you will know this was when Senator Joe McCarthy was terrorizing everyone with his investigations into complaints about Communist sympathies. I guess bullies will always exist, and flourish when people are too afraid to stop them.
I would highly recommend this book.
It is Veteran's Day today. I would like to thank all those men and women who have served our country in the military, and in some case had to put their lives on the line.
movingforwardslowly 