The story of winter is told in the sky. Look up, there is the ever-present cloud cover but not the fluffy, white clouds from other seasons; this is flat, monochromatic, reaching as far as the eye can see. However, we are on the right side of the Winter Solstice now. Where during the lead up to Christmas we were daily subtracting minutes of light, now we are adding and a difference in the daylight can already be felt. Many people have been happily commenting on this so perhaps we all have a greater sensitivity to a lack of light than we realized.
This has been a week of Olympic flag-bearers and symbolism and glorious achievement. I have been watching the speed skaters. I just love the look of their bodies sleek in their various coloured suits. When they strike that special stride where they tuck their arm behind their back and swing the other, and skate with those long beautiful strokes, I can feel my heart lift with them. I want them all to win. I have a sentimental reason for liking the skaters. I watched the movie made from the book Hans Brinker and The Silver Skates on the Walt Disney television show in 1963, or thereabouts. I just loved the story of Hans and his sister, Gretel, their love for each other and their ill father and of course, Hans' sacrifice for others, even to the point of sacrificing those beautiful silver skates. I never forgot the images of the children skating on the canal. Years later I learned the book was written by an American woman.
Watching the skaters makes me feel out of shape and too sedentary for my own good. I can only imagine the stamina it takes to make it to the Olympics. And excellence takes so much time and includes a ten year rule... about three hours a day for ten years. Even if I began right this minute...
Sunday, 9 February 2014
Saturday, 8 February 2014
Good-Bye to Lacie, the Dalmatian
"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." Andy Rooney
On this property too lies a pet cemetery. This is a little corner of ground behind the garage just as you start to enter the woods. There are eight pets buried there, six dogs and two cats. I had a hand in the last dog's burial. The Dalmatian, Lacie, was seventeen years old and extremely feeble. She required help standing, swayed on her feet and had to be carried outside to do her business, but still hubby could not bring himself to take her to the vet. It got much worse with her body steadily degenerating, many mistakes made in the house, and finally she was unable to stand. I was even then afraid hubby would be unable to let her go, but he finally agreed with a reluctance that was heartbreaking to watch.
The vet was kind and solicitous. We were able to keep Lacie in the back of the car wrapped in her blanket. I held her head while hubby cried and as the vet administered the drug, I could tell our poor old girl did not need much of it before she was gone.
Back home, at the pet cemetery, hubby decided the hole we had dug earlier needed to be deeper. I did the digging as he was so tired from the sadness of the experience. It was all exhausting for him; he had loved her so.
Lacie is lying on the property where she lived all her life. She was elegant in form and movement; the arrangement of her spots was admired by all who knew her. She was sweet-natured and in older age, seemed for all the world like a dignified old lady. Lacie slept on a human bed till the last year of her life and her winter coat is still hanging in the front closet.
On this property too lies a pet cemetery. This is a little corner of ground behind the garage just as you start to enter the woods. There are eight pets buried there, six dogs and two cats. I had a hand in the last dog's burial. The Dalmatian, Lacie, was seventeen years old and extremely feeble. She required help standing, swayed on her feet and had to be carried outside to do her business, but still hubby could not bring himself to take her to the vet. It got much worse with her body steadily degenerating, many mistakes made in the house, and finally she was unable to stand. I was even then afraid hubby would be unable to let her go, but he finally agreed with a reluctance that was heartbreaking to watch.
The vet was kind and solicitous. We were able to keep Lacie in the back of the car wrapped in her blanket. I held her head while hubby cried and as the vet administered the drug, I could tell our poor old girl did not need much of it before she was gone.
Back home, at the pet cemetery, hubby decided the hole we had dug earlier needed to be deeper. I did the digging as he was so tired from the sadness of the experience. It was all exhausting for him; he had loved her so.
Lacie is lying on the property where she lived all her life. She was elegant in form and movement; the arrangement of her spots was admired by all who knew her. She was sweet-natured and in older age, seemed for all the world like a dignified old lady. Lacie slept on a human bed till the last year of her life and her winter coat is still hanging in the front closet.
Friday, 7 February 2014
Land Loss and Supper Salad
The sea, they say, is gaining on us. Around Ottawa, it is housing that is constantly advancing on us. Last month I drove by a spot where a small stand of trees had been left by a housing developer. Behind them sat a brand spanking new set of condo buildings where, just weeks before that, a forest had stood. The trees caught my eye because I could see two leafy, messy nests balanced high in the tree forks, unmistakably squirrel nests. These were very close together no doubt because of the sparseness of the trees left there. I understand squirrels prefer more space between nesting sites and I felt sorry for them trying to cling on to what would have been their familiar territory.
Just now I drove by and saw that the stand of trees is also gone. What became of the squirrels, I wonder.
There has been a steady and startling advance of houses here. People have been lobbying hard to slow it down, but it doesn't seem to help. One small community saw 5500 new homes built between 2011 and 2013 and are now grappling with the subsequent increase in traffic. People purchased homes backing onto farmland and now find themselves sitting in the middle of a huge housing tract. Some have concerned themselves with the loss of farmland but to be fair to the developers, a lot of the land lost was not good farmland anyway or at least that is what was written in the paper.
I guess it is progress; a means to provide the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Everyone deserves a home.
For me, it is just worrisome to think of the animals...deer, coyotes, raccoons, etc., not to mention the birds too, that are now having their territories invaded and seized.
Other things...Supper last night...
This is my vegetable and shrimp salad. I sometimes use leftover rice to make a supper salad. This one includes chopped onion, chopped cabbage and one green pepper fried in olive oil till soft. I mixed this with the rice, some chopped dates and apricots.
I mixed together 1 cup of broth (chicken or beef), 1/4 cup orange juice, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and a little soya sauce (I try not to use much of this because I find it salty). This got poured over the rice mixture and heated through. I added the shrimp last so they wouldn't overcook. I use whatever vegetables I have on hand...peas, corn, carrots, whatever for this recipe and sometimes I add a can of chick peas.
Just now I drove by and saw that the stand of trees is also gone. What became of the squirrels, I wonder.
There has been a steady and startling advance of houses here. People have been lobbying hard to slow it down, but it doesn't seem to help. One small community saw 5500 new homes built between 2011 and 2013 and are now grappling with the subsequent increase in traffic. People purchased homes backing onto farmland and now find themselves sitting in the middle of a huge housing tract. Some have concerned themselves with the loss of farmland but to be fair to the developers, a lot of the land lost was not good farmland anyway or at least that is what was written in the paper.
I guess it is progress; a means to provide the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Everyone deserves a home.
For me, it is just worrisome to think of the animals...deer, coyotes, raccoons, etc., not to mention the birds too, that are now having their territories invaded and seized.
Other things...Supper last night...
This is my vegetable and shrimp salad. I sometimes use leftover rice to make a supper salad. This one includes chopped onion, chopped cabbage and one green pepper fried in olive oil till soft. I mixed this with the rice, some chopped dates and apricots.
I mixed together 1 cup of broth (chicken or beef), 1/4 cup orange juice, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and a little soya sauce (I try not to use much of this because I find it salty). This got poured over the rice mixture and heated through. I added the shrimp last so they wouldn't overcook. I use whatever vegetables I have on hand...peas, corn, carrots, whatever for this recipe and sometimes I add a can of chick peas.
Thursday, 6 February 2014
No Siree, Not Me
They say you should never say never. Maybe is the new never. But there are at least three things that at this stage of life I can say I will never do.
#1 Go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Why on earth not, you might ask? Anyway, the first person to survive a trip over the falls was a woman, Annie Edson Taylor, in 1901. Good for her.
#2 Go bungee jumping. Besides my fear of heights, I have this thing about how the jump must affect your joints particularly the ankles, as in, not good for them. I also will never do the walk around the outside of the CN Tower tethered onto it somehow; it's called Edgewalk and I understand they have several months waiting list for people lined up to do it. Not me. You will never find me hiring a helicopter to take me up a mountain so I can ski the sheerest of cliffs down. I guess I could have shortened this one just to say any extreme sport or anything involving heights.
#3 Driving with the window down and my arm stuck out. Do you realize how many people have sheered off an elbow that way? Apparently quite a few. It just gives me the shivers to think about it. I bet those people were not driving a Corrolla or a Honda Civic, though. Strikes me it would have to be something cooler.
This book, The Widow's Tale by Mick Jackson, is a very enjoyable read. The writing style is chatty and funny (it reminded me of Bridget Jone's Diary) even while dealing with a sad topic. The heroine is just widowed and she literally runs away from home while she comes to grips with her new status. I loved her honesty and witty take on aging, men, relationships, etc. I was surprised to realize the author, a man, could so aptly identify the emotional baggage women carry.
#1 Go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Why on earth not, you might ask? Anyway, the first person to survive a trip over the falls was a woman, Annie Edson Taylor, in 1901. Good for her.
#2 Go bungee jumping. Besides my fear of heights, I have this thing about how the jump must affect your joints particularly the ankles, as in, not good for them. I also will never do the walk around the outside of the CN Tower tethered onto it somehow; it's called Edgewalk and I understand they have several months waiting list for people lined up to do it. Not me. You will never find me hiring a helicopter to take me up a mountain so I can ski the sheerest of cliffs down. I guess I could have shortened this one just to say any extreme sport or anything involving heights.
#3 Driving with the window down and my arm stuck out. Do you realize how many people have sheered off an elbow that way? Apparently quite a few. It just gives me the shivers to think about it. I bet those people were not driving a Corrolla or a Honda Civic, though. Strikes me it would have to be something cooler.
What's on my night table
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
Vireos, Vinegar and Nish Skin
I am sitting at my table, the one pushed up next to the big bow window in the living room. I have a view of the feeder in the birch tree and the ground beneath and here is what I am watching.
It is a flock of white-eyed vireos that make an early morning visit to my feeder. I've counted about thirty of them at any one time. A pretty little bird, they have noticeable white bars among the black wing feathers and their overall colour varies from mustard yellow to sage green.
My skin is nish; that is an old word common in Newfoundland and used to describe skin that is sensitive and easily bruised. I am reminded of it often because I have to do so much hand-washing here living with two dogs, digging in a garden, handling wood, etc. I have mostly resorted to baby soaps and use the baby wash for my kitchen sink hand soap. I don't know why but I hate wearing rubber gloves to work around water and sometimes thought they made my skin feel worse. Last year I was pleased to find a formula for cleaning that was easy on my hands. It was baking soda, vinegar, and dish detergent and I use this now for cleaning my fridge and cupboards.
I do believe many beneficial uses of common products get dismissed because they are unpatentable (sorry, unsure if that is a word!). This means no big drug company can make money from them because, sadly, it is like the old saying "whatever subject we are talking about, we are talking about money." Just last month, I was reading about wonderful results for certain skin conditions obtained from using common household bleach. Yes, bleach. The list of healthy uses for apple cider vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda are endless. There are a number of books available and any of the Old Farmers' Almanacks have lots of ideas for using these common items. By the way, did you know you can buy an Old Farmers' Almanack that is for kids only?
My skin is nish; that is an old word common in Newfoundland and used to describe skin that is sensitive and easily bruised. I am reminded of it often because I have to do so much hand-washing here living with two dogs, digging in a garden, handling wood, etc. I have mostly resorted to baby soaps and use the baby wash for my kitchen sink hand soap. I don't know why but I hate wearing rubber gloves to work around water and sometimes thought they made my skin feel worse. Last year I was pleased to find a formula for cleaning that was easy on my hands. It was baking soda, vinegar, and dish detergent and I use this now for cleaning my fridge and cupboards.
I do believe many beneficial uses of common products get dismissed because they are unpatentable (sorry, unsure if that is a word!). This means no big drug company can make money from them because, sadly, it is like the old saying "whatever subject we are talking about, we are talking about money." Just last month, I was reading about wonderful results for certain skin conditions obtained from using common household bleach. Yes, bleach. The list of healthy uses for apple cider vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda are endless. There are a number of books available and any of the Old Farmers' Almanacks have lots of ideas for using these common items. By the way, did you know you can buy an Old Farmers' Almanack that is for kids only?
Sunday, 2 February 2014
Restaurant Manners
It is still early morning here. Coffee is still being drunk. Dogs have been fed and paper fetched from the box at the end of the laneway.
I'm thinking about last night out for dinner. We were just settled in our seats when another couple was ushered in. Youngish, probably mid thirties. She was nicely dressed and had her hair and makeup done. It was obvious she had made an effort because of the restaurant, a nice Italian place and it being a night out and all. They were suitably matched; she attractive and from what I could see of him, also nice looking. I couldn't get a good look because he was wearing a baseball cap, which he kept on throughout the meal. For some reason this really bothered me. I wished someone in authority would go to him and ask him to take it off. I must have been raised with some kind of cap/hat code which included no caps at the dinner table. I don't know why he was wearing it even outside; with the extreme cold we've been having he actually needed the warmest of woolen toques.
Meanwhile at our table, three of the six of us were on cell phones at any given time. Two of them, the youngest, were taking photos, no doubt to send directly to their face book pages.
The drive home included a familiar rant...how manners are not what they used to be, how it's all going to hell in a hand cart; you know the usual tirade you'd expect from a pair of old fuddy duddies especially ones that don't own a cell phone capable of transmitting a photo.
Anyway, I should update you about my projects. The knitted shawl is coming along; almost finished the second ball. The wool, Lions Brand, Homespun, is soft and very easy on the hands. So far, I'm pleased with it.
Still working on Grandson's quilt in the daylight hours. Till now, I've sewn a rabbit, bird, squirrel, elephant, cat, pig, owl, and giraffe. Photos will follow.
I'm thinking about last night out for dinner. We were just settled in our seats when another couple was ushered in. Youngish, probably mid thirties. She was nicely dressed and had her hair and makeup done. It was obvious she had made an effort because of the restaurant, a nice Italian place and it being a night out and all. They were suitably matched; she attractive and from what I could see of him, also nice looking. I couldn't get a good look because he was wearing a baseball cap, which he kept on throughout the meal. For some reason this really bothered me. I wished someone in authority would go to him and ask him to take it off. I must have been raised with some kind of cap/hat code which included no caps at the dinner table. I don't know why he was wearing it even outside; with the extreme cold we've been having he actually needed the warmest of woolen toques.
Meanwhile at our table, three of the six of us were on cell phones at any given time. Two of them, the youngest, were taking photos, no doubt to send directly to their face book pages.
The drive home included a familiar rant...how manners are not what they used to be, how it's all going to hell in a hand cart; you know the usual tirade you'd expect from a pair of old fuddy duddies especially ones that don't own a cell phone capable of transmitting a photo.
Anyway, I should update you about my projects. The knitted shawl is coming along; almost finished the second ball. The wool, Lions Brand, Homespun, is soft and very easy on the hands. So far, I'm pleased with it.
Still working on Grandson's quilt in the daylight hours. Till now, I've sewn a rabbit, bird, squirrel, elephant, cat, pig, owl, and giraffe. Photos will follow.
Saturday, 1 February 2014
Food, Weight and Wellness Juggling Act
I had this quote on my fridge for many years. I'd always believed it but just now I am rethinking it. After eating salted caramel ice cream (which I mentioned before), I have found something that possibly tastes as good as thin feels. Maybe.
I don't own a set of scales and have never judged my weight by poundage. I generally go with how I feel in my clothes and since the size hasn't changed in a couple of decades, I'm okay with it. I love to eat so I have to play a bit of a juggling act (I used to joke that I had a fat person inside wanting to get out); I'm lucky that I love all kinds of food so can happily make a meal on salads and fresh vegetables and other healthier food. I also choose to exercise most days of the week; I use an elliptical trainer and light running. In recent years I've added a routine with 5 pound weights for my arms which I think are hopelessly weak.
The exercising doesn't have much to do with weight though; I just feel so much better, stretched and more energetic when I've done my little workout. Lets be clear, I don't overdo with any of this and any time I feel like eating a piece of cake, I do.
I get weighed by the nurse when I go for my annual checkup. Last time I realized I weigh 3 pounds more than I did when I entered hospital to give birth to daughter #2 almost forty years ago and she weighed 8 lb 6 oz. Good grief; I don't feel that gigantic! Where is all that girth?? They say women my age must choose between our hips or our faces. If we want our faces to not look haggard we need a little padding on the hips. I personally don't feel we should be too thin as that can bring its own set of issues.
Think I'll go and put the kettle on...and show you what I made yesterday speaking of food...
This is my version of a Cranberry and Apple Crisp. I love cranberries and believe in their goodness. I include them in many dishes. For this one, I used three cups of cranberries mixed with two apples cut into cubes. I sweetened them with a little agave syrup. For the topping I mixed one cup of almond flour and one half cup of flour with three cups of rolled oats ( I always use more oats than any recipe calls for because I love them). I used one half cup of brown sugar and half a cup of butter all rubbed together. I always give it a little taste to adjust if it needs a bit more sugar. I baked it in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. This time I served it with a scoop of mango frozen Greek yoghurt.
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