Snow Days

I've always loved snow. Probably not a surprise as a Canadian. According to my mom, the first big snowfall of the year happened the night I was born. When I was younger, I would always be out playing in it. I don't play so much anymore, but I love walking in it. The fresh air, the crunching underfoot, and the quiet [Edit: I forgot to add how fresh snow sparkles in the sun]. Not only are there fewer people around in general, but snow somehow muffles background noise. Yes, shovelling sucks, and the cold isn't much fun (still better than the summer heat!), but I'd hate to live anywhere without at least one good snowfall a year (preferably on my birthday).

Here are a few photos I took recently...

Off in the distance you can see a tiny figure. I tried to get a better shot but she's a fast walker. We've gotten to know her a bit on our walks, and she's apparently out every day picking up litter. She also gave us tips on watching out for coyotes-- never underestimate the toughness of tiny older women.

Speaking of tough women, download my books and read about some whose fangs would put a coyote's to shame...

 

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 

Are you a fan of snow? What's your favourite winter activity? Share in the comments...

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas

Happy 2026!

 

Wishing you all a wonderful new year!

Most of 2025 was, frankly, awful. Things started to improve toward the end, though, and I'm hoping that continues. Here's to a new year and better things...

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Start the new year with a new book!

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 

Happy Solstice!

 

Image found here.

At the darkest time of the year, the light returns. Whatever you may celebrate, I wish you light, warmth, and good company!

Cheers,

Aspasia  

PS: The holidays are a great time to do some reading. Give my books a try!

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

Best Way to Remove White Heat Marks from Wood (Even Old Ones)

Image from Better Homes & Gardens

Have you ever set something hot (or even just warm) down on a wood table, and then discovered that it left a white mark behind that wouldn't wipe off? Welcome to the club. These marks are caused by the heat causing moisture to be trapped in the wood, and they can ruin the look of a table. Luckily they can be fixed.

My sister inherited our parents' dining room table, and over the years it ended up covered in these stains (I'm kicking myself for not taking photos, but I didn't think about posting about it until it was too late). After I accidentally contributed a new mark, I decided to see if I could fix it.

Four solutions are consistently suggested:

1. A hair dryer

2. Toothpaste and baking soda

3. Petroleum jelly

4. An iron and a towel

It turns out my sister doesn't have an iron, so that option was out. For the toothpaste you need a plain white, non-gel kind, and we didn't have any on hand (which is fine because I don't trust this option anyway). We did try petroleum jelly, putting a generous coating on one of the spots and leaving it overnight, before wiping it off. It did nothing.

Photo by Andrea Donato on Unsplash

 But the hair dryer was a winner!

The instructions say to start on low heat, keep the dryer a few inches away, and gradually turn the heat up. This helped, but it took forever. So, my sister set the heat to high and moved it as close to the spot as possible without touching it. Within minutes, all the marks were gone, including ones that had been there for over a decade. The table looks amazing now.

If you're going to use high heat up close, please test it somewhere less noticeable first. We might've just been lucky that it didn't scorch the finish. The more cautious approach also works--you'll just need a lot of patience.

Have you had luck with any other methods? Share your experiences in the comments. And if you need a break from household chores, download my books (links follow)!

Bleeding Heart

Love Lies Bleeding

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

 

Recipe: Lentils with Tomatoes

 Easy, healthy, cheap, delicious: this recipe has it all! 

Lentils with Tomatoes 

1 quart (4 cups) water

1 cup dry green or brown lentils, picked through and rinsed

3 Tbs olive oil

1 large red, orange, or yellow sweet pepper, chopped

1 medium-large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped 

1 can 540 mL (approx 18 oz) canned diced tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

crushed chilies to taste (optional)

 

Bring water to boil and stir in lentils. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, peppers, and garlic; cook, stirring until softened. Mix in tomatoes, salt, pepper, and chilies, if using. Stir in lentils, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender. 

Serve with rice or bread, if desired. (Tip: Cook rice while mixture is simmering. When rice is ready, stir in about a teaspoon of butter. Mix well and serve.)

Serves 3 to 4 as a main dish 

 

Our local store had these small sweet peppers, so I used the equivalent of one large bell pepper.

Canned tomatoes are a good choice because they tend to be on the acidic side, and lentils love acid.

 

 

Feel free to share any questions in the comments. And if you make this, let me know how it turned out. And don't forget to get my books (links follow)!

Bleeding Heart

Love Lies Bleeding

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas

 

Autumn Beauty 2

Maple tree

I finally got this year's covid and flu shots, so now I can go out without worrying. I know a lot of people like to argue that these viruses are no big deal, but even if that were true, who wants to get sick? Even a mild cold is a miserable experience--I'll pass, thanks.

Apparently we're going to get snow tomorrow, which is a bit soon for my liking. It's still autumn, but as soon as we get snow it feels like winter. I'd like to hang on to my favourite season a little longer, so I'm sharing the last batch of photos I took on recent walks...

 

Milkweed with pods

 

Raindrops on a Silky Dogwood

 

The Etobicoke Creek, looking more like a pond here, thanks to the local beavers. You can't really see it in the photo, but there was some lovely mist hovering over the water in the distance.

 

The moon this morning

My sad attempt at getting a good moon photo

Are you ready for winter? Share your thoughts below...Don't forget to get my books (links follow)!

Bleeding Heart

Love Lies Bleeding

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas

Autumn Beauty

Maple, just starting to change colour

 Who doesn't love being outside this time of year? The weather is usually beautiful, and the colours even more so. I've been going on plenty of walks lately, and always find something to snap a picture of...

Silky Dogwood

Purple Loosestrife: Beautiful, but invasive here.

Great Blue Heron

Sunrise

 

 

Chrysanthemums for sale

Queen Anne's Lace

Switchgrass

Just a dead branch with unidentified fungus

Round-leaved Bittersweet

Maple leaves

Red Osier Dogwood

What are your favourite things about autumn? Have you seen any interesting plants or animals lately? Share in the comments. Don't forget to get my books (links follow)!

Bleeding Heart

Love Lies Bleeding

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com! 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas