Lobster Shorts gardening

The Yum Forest Gets A Herb Garden

Have I mentioned I love plants? That I want to grow food, gardens, and plants year long? How I want to plant once and all plants will grow year after year? I live in Canada. Garden Zone 5B. I had no idea perennial herbs were an option in my garden zone. It turns out there are quite a few. Alas, not the best herb in the world – basil. But there are A LOT. A quick Google search brought up a list that surprised me: Lavender, Chives, Oregano, Sage, Thyme, Rosemary, Tarragon, Mint, Chamomile, Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and more.

I don’t know how accurate this list is as I was told at the greenhouse I bought the dill from, that dill was an annual. Maybe there are different kinds of dill? Some more winter hardy? Plants are expensive and I don’t want to spend a lot of money every year on tons of plants. I get perennials. Plant once and you’re good to go – set it and forget it. I have tried planting indoor herbs, I am not an attentive enough gardener to keep indoor herbs alive. These plants do much better for me outdoors.

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It was time to build a herb garden! I went to Home Hardware and managed to get a great price on end cuts of cedar. The wood was tall enough that I would only need to make it one board high, but not very long, so I built two herb gardens side by side.

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It was hot as balls out and I had to level out the ground before I could fill it with dirt. I used newspaper and cardboard to help with future weeds. These gardens aren’t held in place with stakes and don’t have a bottom. I haven’t had them long enough to know if a storm, or heavy rain will make all the soil leak out the bottom, or if Winter will shift them out of place. For now they are doing fine.

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I have filled them with a combination of herbs and seeds:
-Oregano
-Sage
-Thyme
-Chives
-Tarragon
-Chamomile
-Fennel
-Dill
-Parsley
-Basil

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I didn’t have enough plants and seeds to completely fill the herb garden, so I added some other plants that I like to call grocery store gardening. My mango tree was doing really poorly in the flower garden and I replanted it here (right side garden on the front far right). I’m hoping it perks up. I’d be so sad if it died, it’s on its second season. I planted a ton of lemon seeds, a couple blueberries, and kumato tomatoes. There’s a bit more space to add more. I’m torn between rosemary and cilantro. I can get cilantro for $0.99 at the grocery store right now – that likely is the deciding factor!

Are these truly perennials? Time will tell. If you want to see the garden being made in a video, it will be posted below:

Lobster Shorts cooking, vegetarian

Rhubarb Pizza – Yea or Nay?

I have a decent patch of rhubarb growing in my garden. I LOVE rhubarb. I love rhubarb pie, jam, crisp, muffins… There are so many delightful options out there. My backyard is slowly turning into a happy little food forest. Maybe more of a food brush as I’ve currently only a single apple tree (but I’m getting there and enjoying the journey). This rhubarb is my favourite plant in the entire garden. Once Fall comes I will split off a small section of it to add a second plant. More rhubarb – more incredible recipes.

Generally, rhubarb is used to make sweet baked goods and jams. I tried making rhubarb wine last year but a patch of mold forced me to discard it. I’ll try again if I have enough left at this year’s end. I am definitely going to be making pie and jam sometime this season. I’ve already made rhubarb muffins and they were good. I wanted to branch out and try a savory recipe. I know they have meat recipes (pork?) and I know there had to be others. I found this recipe on facebook: Rhubarb pizza!!

I’ve never heard of rhubarb pizza! How have I gone this long without knowing rhubarb pizza was a thing?? Was it good? What else is on there? So I made it.

I am happy to report rhubarb pizza is in fact delicious! I used a raw store-bought crust and an electric pizza maker. The recipe is a blend of cheeses, nuts, honey, thyme(I used dried because that’s what I had), nuts, oil, arugula, and rhubarb. It was a wonderful combo. My spouse and I had it again the next day for lunch. As in we liked it so much we made an entire new pizza. Was it as good as a traditional pizza? Not quite, but traditional pizza is a hard one to beat. Would I make it again? For sure I would. Would I recommend the recipe? Definitely.

Lobster Shorts antiques, Pens and Ink

I Saw The Desk Of My Dreams And I Can’t Stop Thinking About It

This is the desk of my fountain pen-loving dreams. It’s a courthouse desk from Kingston, Ontario from 1870. I’ve always loved big clunky furniture. Calling this work of art clunky is just rude, but it is a beast of a desk. An incredible beast of a desk. A beautiful beautiful beast.

The little cubicles would be perfect for ink bottles and pens. Notecards.

The shelves for letters of friends and loved ones, letterhead, and any other stationery paraphernalia I can dream of.

I have no idea what they used this open shelf for in the 1800s, but it’s screaming laptop storage to me. Those little drawers have locks on them as do the doors. Locks! Wonderful! The secrets this desk has kept hidden. The treasures!

These big storage compartments would be perfect for cardstock and holding tools to make envelopes. The possibilities are endless.

It does however come with a steep price tag. I hope it comes home with me one day.

Lobster Shorts Pens and Ink

I’m Too Old For This Pen

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I realized something today… I’m too old for this pen. It’s a cheap looking novelty pen with a reservoir for water and sparkles. The reservoir opens so you can top up the evaporated water, or switch the sparkles. It’s actually a really ugly pen, but I liked watching the sparkles swish around. It writes poorly, scratchy and often skips.

I was looking through my fountain pens for one I could bring to the office that wouldn’t be upsetting if it was lost. This pen was the first one I thought of. I would feel ridiculous writing with this sad, elongated, sparkly pen, around my colleagues. Except for thr sparkly part, I don’t like this pen. I’m passing it along. I’ve opted for this silver one instead. It’s classic, elegant, and age appropriate. Did I just grow up?

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Lobster Shorts cooking

Vegetarian Charcuterie – The Quick and Easy Romantic Meal

Valentine’s Day landed in the middle of the week this year and I wanted to celebrate the day with something special. My spouse and I have a long commute and special generally takes time we don’t have. How does one make a romantic dinner that’s fast? Charcuterie!

This spread was fast and delicious, it was also expensive. It did last several more days and we had lots of leftovers. At the time of this post, grapes have been incredible. Super juicy with a crunchy snap…. superb. This charcuterie board took about 15 minutes to make and it was so good. The cutting/serving board was a handmade wedding gift from a friend and I love how long it is. Perfect for the task at hand, but any cutting board will work. The fruits, veggies, and pickles were put on plates and mason jars so they wouldn’t stain the board.

For My Board:

Grapes both red and green
Baby Carrots
Cherry Tomatoes
Baby Dill Garlic Pickles
Artichoke Carbonara Dip (Purchased from Vincenzo’s)
Walnut Fig Dip (Purchased from Vincenzo’s)
Boursin Cheese Herb and Garlic Spread
Mimolette Jeune Cheese
Havarti Habanero Cheese
Foil Wrapped Cheese (I don’t remember the brand)
Rice Crackers (plain salted, one with sesame seeds)
Milk Chocolate Covered Almonds
Salted Almonds

I loved everything but the foil-wrapped cheese. I can’t remember the brand, but it tasted plasticy and we didn’t like it. It was fun to try though. This was the first time I had the walnut fig dip and it’s my new favourite. It was mildly sweet, creamy and went well with the rice crackers (I think every dip goes well with rice crackers as long as they are unflavored). It was so so good! It was also my first time having Mimolette Jeune cheese. Also a YUM! Every charcuterie board I will ever make will also have chocolate-covered almonds. They are always the first thing to go and my favourite are milk chocolate.

We had the board for dinner again the next day and still had lots of leftovers. The ingredients cost $85 Canadian. That is because everything was bought at a specialty store. I’m sure it would be easy to make a cheaper one. It was a hard week for Mr. Lobster Shorts and I wanted to treat him. He loved it. There was enough artichoke carbonara dip leftover to go on four burgers and in omlettes. We still have lots of the fig dip left (only because we ran out of crackers, otherwise it would have been long gone just like the chocolate almonds). The hard cheeses made it onto the burgers as well and also disappeared from midday nibbles and doggy cheese tax. I’m going to keep an eye out for the Mimolette cheese again. It was mild and creamy. Delightful. I’ll never get tired of charcuterie.

Lobster Shorts lifestyle, Pens and Ink

The Perfect Storage Box For Ink

I have a pact with myself, if I work out 7 days in a row (including stretching, nature walks, and yoga before you come for me of not giving myself a rest day), I get a reward. The reward can be anything that isn’t something to eat. I was struggling to figure out what I wanted and I had just made my 7 days. I find it easier to stick with it when I know ahead of time what the prize will be. I don’t want to miss out, so I make sure I get that workout in. I did my 7 days and it was time to cash in.

Mr. Lobster shorts was due for a haircut and we headed to the city. I had him drop me off at the antique mall while I was waiting for him. Browsing the stalls I found a lamp that made me so happy.

I get that this is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s mine. I loved it. This was almost my reward. I loved it so much! It was $48 Canadian and my creepy mansion fantasy lamp. I noticed the metal base wasn’t all brass. There were two different types of metal (it’s hard to see in this photo) and they weren’t attached. The cherub and base spun around. That put me off. It was a shame. I would have loved this as a desk lamp in craftroom. I left it behind and I still think about it. I’m not going back for it, but I’ll think about it every now and then.

Then I found this jewelry box and it was perfect. It was $69.00 Canadian and it was missing one drawer pull (I unscrewed one more before I snapped this photo). It didn’t come with a key, but I’m quite sure I’ll be able to get a little skeleton key to lock it. It would be a nice thing to have and isn’t necessary because I don’t plan on locking it. I would like the completeness of it though and also, I love old keys.

A quick search on Amazon and I have a complete set of drawer pulls. They match the hardware perfectly. How wonderful! I knew exactly what I wanted this for and it wasn’t jewelry. It was for ink and all things pen-related. It’s perfect!

Almost perfect. Many of my ink bottles are too tall for the lid to close, and drawers to shut. I found if I put the tall ones in the middle everything can close properly and everything fits inside. Come, I’ll give you a tour.

The top has many compartments and I love that for organization. The storage part of the lid meant for necklaces is where I’m keeping my quill pens. I don’t plan on putting anything else in there. Regular pens would fall out and the tall ink bottles make it too bulky to close the lid. There are storage compartments on either side and although they both open, only one opens easily. So far I have nothing stored in them. The way they fold back in, anything in there would clunk around, so nothing fragile. I haven’t decided what I will use them for yet. The ring section is where I’m storing all my nibs and I like the way they display like that. All other spaces are filled with ink bottles. It was a game of Tetris and I managed to fit almost all the bottles in.

The second compartment is a drawer. This is where I put all my boxed pens and the last of the ink. There is a TWISBI Eco on the far left. The second box has two hand-turned pens that were gifted to me and my spouse as a wedding present. The velvet box is empty. It’s nice but dust and fur cling to it. The last box on the right is a to-go case for pens and ink to make it easier to travel with.

The last two drawers have my ink swatch journal, converters, and screw-in nibs. I’m not likely to keep the journal in here. I was meant to be out on display. The little sack contains all different sizes and styles of ink converters. A little glass container might help organize it a little better, but this works and gives the sack a purpose where it never had one before.

It’s perfect, I love it. I can’t believe what good condition it’s in. It’s twenty years old. I have so much more room in my desk drawers now. It was the best find.

Lobster Shorts Pens and Ink, weight loss

Forming a Workout Habit With Rewards and Small Changes

Sometimes I struggle with forming good habits. I will be great at doing something for a few weeks, a month, maybe even a few months, but if it’s not enjoyable, I stop. This is what happens when I workout.

I was watching Masterclass (I recommend it), something I like to have in the background if I’m working on crafts, or writing a letter. I played James Clear’s class about small changes. He discussed how we focus more on the end goal than the changes we need to make to get there. That is very true for me, especially with weight loss. I focus on a number, not what I actually need to do. He talked about rewarding accomplishments and so many other things. WHat he said resonated.

So, I printed out a habit tracker sheet and set a goal for myself: Every seven days in a row I workout, I get a reward (no food rewards). During the class, he asked what was something you could do, even on your worst day. For me, that was 5 squats. Even if I’m tired, or sick, I can do 5 squats. I’m keeping my goals small and if all I can manage is 5 squats, then that’s all I have to do. I don’t think working out every single day is something you’re supposed to do, so nature walks (it has to be a decent length) and stretching count If I stop for a rest day this early on, I’m likely to stretch out that “rest day” into months.

I am happy to say I made my first seven days. My reward was fountain pen ink! There were two days I would have skipped, but I couldn’t get my ink unless I made seven days in a row. One night it was late and I was tired and I really didn’t want to work out. 5 squats, that’s all I had to do. I could do that (I did 25). I have yet to do the bare minimum of five squats and I think that really works for me because no matter what, I can do 5 squats. Even if I’m exhausted, I can do 5 squats. I don’t want to lose my prize, and five squats is easy.

In a couple months, I’m going to revisit my this goal, or add more, but until then…. 5 squats.

BEHOLD my prize!

It was only supposed to be one bottle (Wearingeul Alice, the bottle on the far left. It’s a pretty blue with gold shimmer), but if I added a couple more the shipping was free. I had to. I bought the ink online from Blesket. I love going to the physical store (they have an ink sample book that I love flipping through).

I haven’t decided what my next reward is yet and I need to because this really worked for me. Small goals and rewards.

Lobster Shorts weight loss

Weight Loss And The Philips Soup Maker

Today I pulled out an appliance I rarely use: The Philips Soup Maker. I bought one a long time ago at Canadian Tire assuming I would use it constantly being a set-it-and-forget-it appliance. It makes two decent portions of soup, which is perfect and it’s effortless to use. I have no idea why I haven’t used it more. I didn’t like the recipes in the cookbook that came with the device, but I’ve made a lot of soup in my time, and I’m reasonably confident in how to make soup. I’ll link the soup maker here.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/philips-viva-collection-soupmaker-6-pre-defined-programs-hr220470-grey/PRD3UZOK3ZLXQ1C?skuId=3UZOK3ZLXQ1C&offerId=F22057108AAE3DCBB14F14BBA98E383E&cmpid=SEM_CA_31975_EOGFYOWH30&utm_id=SEM_CA_31975_EOGFYOWH30&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=always_on&gclid=CjwKCAjwp8OpBhAFEiwAG7NaEpdWMaJwL-cNqyFGrtj8iJBVfLqo_7T71FgZ55H1wHdSWgEbnr95HBoCJgMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Oh hey, I completely forgot this thing also makes smoothies, I have never made a smoothie in it… But it makes decent soup.

I usually buy shallots instead of onions, not because of taste preference, but because they are small and last a long time. The soup maker only makes small sized pots of soup, which makes shallots perfect for it. I used two small ones and the leftover roasted squash I had sitting in the fridge. I would have used more squash, but I only had this much, so I added a raw (older than it should be) sweet potato. Two vegetable soup stock cubes were added and a honey crisp apple (from right off the tree).

I added a dash of nutmeg and water (It has a minimum and maximum fill line) and then chose the blended soup option. That’s all I did, dump in the ingredients, add water, then press the button. I didn’t even have to cook the potato. It took about 18 minutes to cook and puree. The nice thing about set it and forget it appliances, is that you can do the clean up while the machine is cooking your food (or whatever else you would rather be doing than cleaning), so I did the dishes while waiting.

This is how everything looked after the machine cooked the soup. It was blended perfectly smooth. Normally, I prefer chunky soup, but sometimes ya gotta mix it up. Ya know?

I like blue cheese, but only when mixed into things, or in very small chunks. I threw blue cheese and walnuts into the soup for a garnish. There is definitely more of both, but they sunk to the bottom of the bowl instantly before I could take a photo. I didn’t want to add more, so I snapped the photo as is. I mixed the blue cheese in so it melted and blended into the soup. It turned out good! Is it mind blowing – nah. It was a decent soup though. I have no idea how many calories it was, but I feel like it fits into my lifestyle plan (1800 calories a day or lower). I haven’t been counting calories much these days, but if I start to gain weight, or the weight loss stops for a significant amount of time, I’ll start again.

This appliance is so easy and convenient. I’m planning to use it more often, especially now that the colder weather has arrived. I’m already wearing my heavy winter jacket. My workouts have gotten longer and more intense this week. I’ve started using the treadmill more often and have been enjoying it. I’ve always preferred cardio, but this time around I’m making sure to work on strength as well. I’m still working out three times a week. I took a couple weeks off during the vacation. I was planning on going back the second week, but it never happened. I might not see much weight loss this month, but it will happen for me and I’m not finding myself struggling that hard. I can live with this.

Lobster Shorts lifestyle

Trip To The East Coast and Weight Loss Update

My spouse and I had an anniversary coming up which also coincided with our vacation time. We decided on the east coast. Neither of us had been and we’ve always wanted to go.

We arrived in the late afternoon. Our first evening there we went to the harbourfront. It’s such a romantic spot! We had a romantic dinner on the patio at The Bicycle Thief. The pasta, cheesecake, and atmosphere were incredible. After dinner, we went for a walk along the boardwalk.

Before we left for our hotel a massive cruise ship left the harbour and blasted a song with the horn. It was super loud and really cool. It all felt magical and romantic. It was a great way to start the vacation.

The second day we went to Lunenburg and Peggy’s Cove. Lunenburg was cute and touristy. I loved seeing all the colourful houses and shops. We walked along the harbour and browsed through the stores.

Peggy’s Cove lighthouse was where we stopped on the way back. We were warned extensively by the locals “Do NOT go out on the rocks! People die here”. There were signs EVERYWHERE warning people not to do this, letting people know death has occurred and there is no help close by. I was blown away by how many people ignored these signs. I did not. Getting washed out to sea was not part of my vacation itinerary!

On the way there and back we drove through Mahoney Bay. I really wish we had stopped there. I loved the town as did Jay. We could both see ourselves living there. We also drove by the turnoff for Oak Island. That place fascinates me. I hope there is a treasure and I hope they find it. I don’t think you’re allowed to go on the island, but it would be fun to take a boat trip around it!

That evening we had dinner with a friend I have known for a decade, but have never met. I was really looking forward to this. We have been writing for years and this was the first time meeting in person. We had a wonderful dinner at Ela (a Greek restaurant) with our spouses. They were lovely people and it was like having dinner with an old friend.. because it was, you know what I mean. The martinis were delightful and the salad too. I can’t believe we forgot to take a photo, but that just means the company was great.

The next day we drove up to Cape Breton. It was a beautiful scenic drive. Gas up and get some snacks! Gas stations and places to get something to eat are few and far between.

We stayed at the Northstar Inn. The rooms were really pretty and the Inn’s restaurant was delicious. We ordered macaroni and a blue cheese salad and split them between us. Both were so delicious.

We watched Jaws before bed and cracked the door so we could listen to the sound of the ocean while we fell asleep. The humor here is that this very day a great white was seen swimming around the shore by the locals, not too far away! Unfortunately, the shark died. If I had of known there was a shark around I would have skipped the hikes and went straight to see the shark!

But hike we did and got some much-needed exercise. We went to visit this lighthouse near the hotel. This is the site of the first lighthouse built in Canada! The lighthouse there now is not the original, but pretty cool all the same. Walking up the hill we smelled cinnamon! I NEED to know what this plant is and plant it everywhere. It smelled so good. It made the site even more special. I will remember that smell whenever I think of our visit here.

After the lighthouse we headed down to the Gull Cove trailhead. It was… on the marshy side in some spots, but gave beautiful views of the ocean. The hike goes out 10km one way for a total of around 20km. We only went halfway.

There were spots you could get down to the ocean. There were lots of shells and claws along the water. We saw a lot of birds and one gargantuan-sized spider that I almost walked into.

And look at this cool mushroom! It looks like the mushroom from Super Mario! I didn’t touch it. I have no idea what mushrooms are safe, but it was fun to look at.

Our last night we headed back to Halifax for another night at The Halifax Tower Hotel. We had breakfast there (also good) and headed out to the harbourfront again to spend our last few hours. We wanted to go to Annapolis Valley, but we didn’t have enough time.

This time we got to see some sea creatures! Little schools of mackerel were swimming by. They were so neat looking! There were TONS of star fish! I was so happy! I thought star fish were tropical. There were tons of them stuck to the pier and along the bottom. I wish I had got a photo. They made me so happy. I would love to visit again, we had a great time.

We ate out every meal. A million times at Subway (I love the mozzarella bella!). I was nervous to see if I gained any weight back. I was only up a pound. Sometimes it takes a couple days to show up, but today was good news. I had saved up for the vacation, so I didn’t put myself into further debt either. Now that we’re home it’s back to the gym and healthy meals.

Current Weight: 171lbs
Weight lost: 7lbs
Current debt: -$20785
Starting debt: – $21000

Lobster Shorts crafting, Pens and Ink

A Weekend Of Wood Turning

I have a new hobby that makes my soul sing. Woodturning, more specifically pen turning. I love fountain pens, the ink, the paper… I love it. I can’t remember what I was searching for on Youtube, but I found a video of another Canadian talking about how they made their own fountain pen. Ohh the rabbit hole this sent me down. Have I already chatted about this?? Since watching this video I have bought my own lathe (it busted and I’m currently borrowing a friend’s until I can get a replacement), and have turned some of my own projects.

I used to be really frightened of power tools. I’m still freaked out by them, but since building a shed, I’m much more comfortable. I used to manually hand saw everything and it took FOREVER! Now I use a mitre saw and it takes seconds. The above photo I’m squaring a pen blank using a drill press and pen vice. The vice makes a huge difference. Without one my blanks came out super crooked.

I had a bunch of projects on the go this month, all from William Wood Write. There were different styles of pens and one lighter. There are so many cool kits I want to try and so many blanks. My love will always be fountain pens, but there are times when a more typical pen works better for me.

As usual, I had multiple blow outs. I’m still learning the equipment and the best way to do thing. The upprt photo, the wood was really hard (I believe it was stabilized) and I didn’t want to have to sand it for hours, so I tried to cut it down really far to the bushings, but it snapped off the tube. I’ve done this before and should have known better. The second photo, something was off balance. I should have readjusted the pen mandrel, but I didn’t and again had another blow out. I will order extra tubes for future kits and to replace the others I’ve messed up. I keep the intact tubes. One day I’ll make a mixed wood pen and I think that would look pretty cool. So I save them.

The rest of the projects turned really well. This is a snap cap pen I was making for the first time. I snapped the photo sometime during the middle of turning the pen. I believe at this stage I stopped chiseling it down and switched over to sanding. The wood I was using was either roasted or toasted oak and it filed down fast. I loved it.

After sanding it flush with the bushings it was time to polish and wax. I love getting it to a glossy finish. The wax always changes the colour. I love seeing how they turn out.

Here’s the finished pen blank ready for assembly. The instruction sheets really come in handy for assembling the pen. I’d be so confused what went where without them.

I use a pen press for assembly. It’s made things much easier then using a C clamp. I wouldn’t call it necessary, but it’s nice to have. It makes things so much easier.

The pen turned out really nice! I love the feel of the wood tube.

The lighter (pictured above) is a redo from a previous blowout. I got extra tubes, another blank, and this time it turned out great! This is one of two of the fountain pens I made (my first time making a fountain pen and my first time turning acrylic). The process for making fountain pens was pretty much the same as any other pen.

I definitely prefer using wood over acrylic. They look beautiful, but turning acrylic was a toxic shit storm of horrible smelling fumes. I had to wear a respirator. I also learned some wood can be toxic, so I’ll be wearing that respirator every time, even turning wood

I did paint the brass tubes white before glueing them into the pen blanks. The paint came off in spots and I can see brass through one of the pens It still looks looks really cool though. I was told to try enamel paint next time.

I love this new hobby. I can’t wait to make more!