It's hard to believe we're approaching mid-October. Hard to believe we were in New Hampshire a month ago and the weather was mild, sunny and warm, perfect for us to set out daily on hikes through old familiar trails. We're now into a spate of cool, windy and rainy conditions more reflective of the time of year so familiar to us during this transition period, over the years.

 

For one thing, cold and rain, and shorter daylight hours call not only for warmer clothing, and getting the furnace fired up, but a complete change in menus. It's time for comfort food. And so those light meals, the barbecue, and the casual evening meals are now a thing of the past. We're in need of hot, fragrant, vegetable-packed soups, and stews to suit the season and our changed needs.

 

I prepared meatballs earlier today and let them mature in the refrigerator until later in the day when garlic cloves, chopped onion, mushrooms, were sauteed to prepare a thick beef-flavoured gravy well dusted with paprika to simmer the meatballs in. Green beans and fresh strawberries will fill out the meal. The meatball stew to be served over Asian-type steamed rice. 

 

Earlier in the day we headed out to the ravine for our afternoon ramble through the forest trails with Jackie and Jillie. The ravine is absolutely sodden, given the incessant all-day rain events of the previous days. More leaves are down on the forest floor, and some of the poplars and maples are beginning to take on a bare appearance.

 

After we returned from our walk and the puppies had enjoyed their usual vegetable salad that always follows their walk through the forest, we left them at home and drove over to a nearby pharmacy which had advertised 'walk-in flu shots' available. We had to bring with us not only our health cards but personal identification proofs, a reflection of the fact that pharmacies have been facing issues of false-identity and counterfeit health card presentations.

Once the requisite information forms were filled out, it took little time before we were ushered into the privacy compartment at the pharmacy and the shot administered. Vaccines for the elderly are now routinely upgraded to a more robust vaccine strain. 

 

Later, I spoke with my sister in Toronto. I almost shrink from those conversations since each time we speak I'm confronted with her reality of existence reflective of deteriorating health. Added to which both she and her oldest daughter now in her fifties, are the victims of Long Covid, accessed through the vaccines they were administered. She is invariably cheerful despite her health complications, a quality of character that makes our conversations bearable.