Carpets of Pine Needles

Can you believe it? Last night we were at the Bavarian Bierstube AGAIN! This time for Vashek's birthday. We had a great time as usual with lots of laughter and interesting conversation. Five of us shared a platter that included schnitzel, chicken, sausage, onion rings, potatoes, sauerkraut, cabbage rolls. All with a side of German Potato Salad. And washed down with dark German beer. Can you say full? It was yummy, but hopefully the end of feasting for a while as you'll note that not one of those items is on our Eat to Live plan...

I'm reading a book called "The China Study" which is linking animal protein consumption with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and a number of other ailments. They are advocating that a plant based diet is the healthiest way. The interesting thing about this book is that they describe how the studies were done and what the results were at each step. There are page after page of scientific references. It isn't just some guy that did a study on 10 people, but is based on research done by dozens of researchers over twenty or more years.  We are on our way to eliminating animal protein from our diet (and have been for a few years), but we have far too many cheats of meats to be healthy.

The weather has been every which way - Tuesday was freezing and we needed the heater on all night. Yesterday I was in a sleeveless T-shirt and shorts. Last night we slept with the fan on instead of the heater. Today is cooler but cleared in the afternoon - t-shirt & shorts again. Tomorrow is supposed to be cold. And intermittently it has been cloudy with the threat of showers, only short periods of sun. A real mixed bag for sure. We have taken advantage of the weather to get out walking. The park is so beautiful this time of year, and I love the smells. Fallen leaves and carpets of pine needles. Ah the aroma. If only it could be captured for the dead of winter.

With all the inside reading time I've finished the second Kristen Lavransdatter book! There is still a paragraph from that book that I want to share. Now onto the third one - "The Cross". From the title I imagine it will be more weighty religious prose, but I will persevere as I believe some time is spent at Skjenna farm.

I’m generally a pretty tidy person and stuff lying around bugs me… except books. There is something about a pile of books on the coffee table, and a basket full on the ledge that makes me feel… hummm… I can’t think of the word, but I’ll bet other bookie people will know what I mean :–)

Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence. Hal Borland

A Muddle / Our Hearts are Divided

 

It is one of those perfect September days - coolish, but clear and crisp. There is a faint smell of fallen leaves in the air - just faint though as not many leaves have fallen yet. The next few days are going to be a return to summer with forecast highs in the high 20's but then we scheduled to drop down to cooler temps for the weekend. Let's hope the rain holds off...

I've been busy cooking and loading the camper as we are heading off for a 9 night trip. I've been making jugs of lemon water,  quinoa burgers, sun-dried tomato/pesto hummus, breakfast cookies, peanut butter cookies and other sundry delights.  I like to be prepared... you know, just in case there is no food to be found elsewhere for the whole 9 nights... maybe there are no grocery stores where we are going (ha ha - it's not like we are going to that Sandy Point campground in the middle of nowhere Alberta - we will be just down the road from a few grocery stores!).

For the first night Carm is going to get us set up at the campground and then leave me for the night as Ruth is coming for a girls night! Yeah hurrah. To that end I played around with cocktails this morning. I have bottles and bottles of ancient booze that I'd like to use up, so I started looking for a recipe for Pernod (I have 1 1/2 bottles!). GAGSPEWGASPYUCK straight, tried mixing it with some ice water BLECH, added a bit of lemon juice PUKE... back into the cupboard it went (for what I'm not sure, but maybe I'll find a great recipe for some dessert thing). After that I was a bit too queasy to try anything more, but I do have some Blue Curacao that I could make something with. I'll have to google that and do some more tests... after I've got something in my stomach. I'd love to make some mojitos, but I don't have the mint to muddle. Maybe I'll just stick with lemon water, but Ruth and I do have a bit of a history of downing a few too many!

I've started re-reading the Kristen Lavransdatter books, starting with "The Bridal Wreath". Oh my. I had forgotten how hard a read they are. It is a series of 3 books written by Sigrid Undset about life in Norwary in the 1300s. That alone is interesting, but what brings it even more to life for me is that some of the books are set in Skjenna! Yes, the very one that I wrote about just last week. I'll share details when I get there.

"There is no man nor woman, Kristen, who does not love and fear God, but 'tis because our hearts are divided twixt love of God and fear of the devil and fondness for the world and the flesh, that we are unhappy in life and death. For if a man had not any yearning after God and God's being, then should he thrive in hell, and 'twould be we alone who would not understand that there he had gotten what his heart desired. For there the fire would not burn him if he did not long for coolness, nor would he feel the torment of the serpents' bite, if he knew not the yearning after peace."

The other night when I was in bed a screeching howl broke the silence. Chills ran down my spine but I knew it wasn't some other-worldly creature, but instead was a fisher. If you've never heard one just imagine the sound of vampires strangling little girls, there is no sound like it. I searched around on the internet to find the sound, but never found anything close. I did come across one site that claims some of the calls are really fox calls. There was one (a vixen fox call) that sounded a little bit like it, but it lacked the spine tingling, hair raising aspect. Whatever it is I can see how legends of horror get started.

I've been sickening Carm with all my latest song downloads, that is when I'm not just blaring them directly into my ears (in which case he "gets" to listen to the odd pathetic outburst of singing from me - sometimes the words just blurb out of my mouth - I can't help it). The good news though is the NY/LA ear worm never took hold. Instead I've got a mixture of Crash Test Dummies "Superman", Ella Fitzgerald's "I've Got A Crush on You", and some one else's "I Will Remember You" swirling around in my head. Add in a bit of Twisted Sister ("I'm not Gonna Take It")  for a perfect medley or perhaps muddling madness!

Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.
Plato

Lunch with Meryle

Today I had lunch with my Mom and Meryle. We spent a few hours gabbing about families and other such matters – it was really great :-)

The trailer went in today for it’s bi-annual leak test. We learned to do this the hard way… The spring after we purchased the current trailer we noticed a bulge on the curb side… further investigation revealed delamination. A leak test showed that a window seal had come undone. Luckily we have a top-notch repair place nearby but $ouch! After that we vowed to have this test done on a regular basis. We’ll find out the results tomorrow.

I finished reading “The Edible Woman” this afternoon. I’m so glad that I read it again, it was so worth it. It was one of those books that I feel like reading again just as I finish the last page. I haven’t read any other books by Margaret Atwood but I’m sure the library must have others. I’m not a mystery or adventure reader, I like to read books about people and their experiences. The last two books, both by Canadian authoresses have been right up my alley.

More work on my scrapbook – gosh I can get so caught up with this. I like that I can add text into the pages. There are places that you can get your albums printed into books for quite reasonable prices – that’s my goal. I used to spend huge amounts of money printing before digital cameras, but since then I rarely print anything. I still go back to my old photo albums every now and again and would like to do the same with the photos from the last few years…

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir

Officially Fall but Still Summer

We’ve had another lovely day here – warm enough for reading on the swing. I finished “The Fire Dwellers” by Margaret Laurence which was a most excellent read. I felt like reading it again right away! But instead I downloaded a somewhat trashy novel from the library – a bit of fluff for a warm day. The next novel after that is “The Edible Woman” which I read years ago – time for a re-read.

Yesterday was gloomy and grey but still warm. We headed into town to visit with Carm’s mom and run a few errands.

What have the pleasures been? I have been forgetting to track them! However there are a few things that stick out.

• eating delicious sandwich from a little hole in the wall Italian food store – yum. And the bread is just so gosh darn good, chewy and crusty – the best. We were so hungry and the sandwiches were just so tempting that we ate them in the car.
• sipping (guzzling?) bubbles – we picked up a new one by Wolfe Blass at Vintages yesterday – it was really very good.
• laying on the swing reading – could it really have been nice enough in late September for some swing time?
• tomato salads – our menu items have been pretty limited these days as we just can’t get enough of the tomato salads and we know the frost will soon be here.
• drinking an icy cold beer with Carm and Peter when they got back from a day of golf.
• having the day all to myself.
• here’s what’s not a pleasure though – constant hot flashes!!!! What is up with that and when will they be over? I hardly know what to wear. Nothing or warm sweaters?

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
Albert Camus

Lazy Days

Tuesday

We are soaking up the last warm rays of summer sunshine as the forecast for the next few days calls for cooling temperatures. We have enjoyed several beautiful days in a row, although today the winds were gusty and blustery with some cloud cover. Luckily for Grace she has been able to be outside pretty much the entire day every day we’ve been here.

The park is deserted with only a few campers. Instead of making the dogs quieter though, they bark at any passers-by. Spike had to wear his “special” collar (aka bark collar) for a bit yesterday, but he knows what he’s wearing it for so the tends to be better after having had it on for a few minutes.

It was a bit cool in the afternoon when the clouds rolled in. Kabira was happy to wear her sweatshirt for a while.

Pleasures – everything about camping ; the beautiful sun ; butter tarts! ; getting a great lined windbreaker jacket, with a hood, for $7.00 at the local consignment shop. It’s got a patch on it from Yellowstone, so now I look like a traveller.

Wednesday

It’s another beautiful day, almost too warm to sit in the sun and thankfully it’s not as windy as yesterday. We have been so lucky so far with the weather – fingers are crossed that it keeps up.

Pleasures – another nice morning for our long walk and the dogs walked so nicely on their leashes ; bacon and tomato sandwiches (they would have been much better with mayo though) ;

Time to figure out which of the several books on my e-reader that I’m going to read next. I just finished “A Prairie Home Companion” which was a cute little read (and clarified a few things from the movie that I didn’t really get. Now it’s time to delve into my collection of old books.

Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.
William Wordsworth

We’ve Found a Fridge

Cough cough… $$$$ installed! Yikes, yikes and YIKES. These things are mega pricey – just think of the things that you could do with that money that would be much more fun than a fridge. Good news though, the shop thinks they will be able to get it delivered and installed in time for our next trip – keeping fingers crossed.

I’ve been reading a lot this summer and have enjoyed most of the books. I just finished reading “Alice, Let’s Eat” by Calvin Trillin. It was a humorous little book about food and eating. A nice read but not good for the diet! Right now though I’m reading two others that I got from the library – “Last Call at the 7-Eleven” by Kevin Cowherd and “A Day at the Beach” by Helen Schulman. I’m just not getting into either of them. The 7-Eleven one was from the humour section, but honestly I’m just not finding it that funny – maybe because it makes so many digs at people. The other I will continue to give a try since I’m only on page 22 (surely it will capture my attention soon). What do you do when you get a book you just aren’t enjoying? Do you read it anyway (kind of like doing homework)? How many pages do you give it before giving up?

It was raining this morning so I took the opportunity to start working on my digital photo album of Presqu’ile. It is fun to putz around in the software, laying out the pages and adding “embellishments” to them. I’m still pretty much a newbie so do-overs are the norm. This is one of the pages that I’ve done so far. It will probably get re-worked as I layout the rest of the pages.

 

The pleasures of the last few days – I’m sorry if it’s getting repetitive but so many pleasures are things that we do/experience on a daily basis – remember to keep enjoying them!

• seeing all the lovely dogs at the dog show. There are so many attractive breeds (and so many that have been wrecked by the show scene as well). I even like seeing the poodles in all their finery. They really prance and carry themselves proudly with their fancy haircuts ;
• meeting up with old acquaintances and friends – sometimes in unexpected places ;
• Here’s a repeat – waking up at home and just letting the dogs out rather than having to get dressed and walk them myself. Although getting moving early in the day is probably a good thing ;
• tomato salads – we’ve been having them at least once a day – paired with a crusty loaf they make a fine meal and are a wonderful taste of summer ;
• going through the pictures from Presqu’ile and re-living some of our vacation ;
• seeing the sun peek out of the clouds after a rainy morning. Everything looks so sharp and green. A bad thing about the rain though, our hayfield got cut the other day and it’s had 2 days of rain on it so far. I wonder if the farmer will bother to bale it?

 

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.
William James

Kneading the Bread

I made a Moroccan style stew today in the crockpot - butternut squash, eggplant, zucchini, onions, red peppers, mushrooms, etc. I served it over couscous with a Moroccan bread that I made on the side. The bread has some aniseed in it which gives it a lovely flavor. The smell as its baking is intoxicating. A nice, warm comforting meal for a cold, grey, snowy winter day.

My not-so-idle pleasure today was kneading the bread. It made my arms ache with effort but there's something so real about making bread. Taking a bunch of flour and yeast and turning it into warm crusty bread just can't be beat on the fulfillment scale. Its so "mother earth" feeling - I should have been wearing tie-die.

Today's word of the day is dander (noun - dandruff; specifically : minute scales from hair, feathers, or skin that may be allergenic ; anger, temper). This is an easy one for me since I have a pet that produces copious amounts of dander. Grace has a powder gland that produces a substance that she rubs over her feathers. This makes her almost waterproof - just try to get her wet in a bath - the water beads off her back. Unfortunately the powder (or dander?) also gets everywhere else near her cage. She's worth the extra dusting though. Especially as she asks "whatcha doing?" when I pick up the dust cloth. One cannot help but smile :-)

I'm reading Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert (on my e-reader of course!). Its not bad so far - I'm just on chapter 4 - but so far its not really what I was expecting. Its more of a history of marriage and its meaning as opposed to her own personal experiences. Did you know that the Catholic Church was once against marriage, actually against men and women being together all, in other words no sex allowed? They felt that they could get all the new Christians that they needed by converting the heathens. Quite an enlightened bunch wouldn't you say!

Kabira sat tending the crock pot all day. I don't know what she was expecting, but the pot was in the same counter location that I use for preparing their supper. Maybe she thought it was ready already!

A Primer for Phase 2

White - nice clean, fresh white. That's what the livingroom and kitchen are now, primed and ready for phase 2. The transition colour between the pink that is and the green to come. Sort of like me - I'm in transition from the working life to the free life - I've mentally left the job, just waiting for the physical leaving! The change to our house has become a reflection of the new beginning in my own life. From pink to white. And then to green.

storm before the calm!

I've been thinking about starting the sewing. I'm not sure how I will match up the fabrics for the cushions yet but they do need to be mixed. Rectangles with 3 stripes of fabric, maybe some with 2 triangles.  Mom, Tammy, and Carole helped me pick out the first bunch of fabric. Then I remembered another one I had purchased few years ago - it was a perfect match and really blends them all. Then I found out I didn't have enough fabric to do the kitchen windows - back to the fabric store and found another perfect fabric. Its blue checks with a green/gold thread running through - I love it and it looks great with it all. I bought enough to do some chair cushions and use it in bits and pieces. Then I dragged out an old slipcover that I hoped to use on the loveseat. Wouldn't you know it, another perfect match! It seems the universe wants us to be green ;-)

Its been good having the house decoration as a distraction from the sadness of RV season over (oh how I miss heading out for a few days) as well as the excitement of upcoming retirement. There's only 27 working days left! I can hardly bear to think about it - it seems so long (as in how will I drag myself through another stupid day) but is so SOON! Its really best not to think about it.

We've already put our names in for a spot at the Titanium Rally at the end of May and are thinking about the one in Sault St. Marie in August, September I'd like to camp at Rouge River campground in Toronto so we can take in the zoo. Sometime in there we have to fit a few weeks at Presquille (aka heaven) and of course there's Jennifer's wedding. Carms got plans for us to rebuild the back deck, and there's some landscaping to do. Its already shaping up to be a "busy" (ha!) summer.  Next year I'd really like to plan a trip in the RV out to BC with a couple of weeks spent camping in southern Alberta or Saskatchewan.

What I'm cooking:

I plan on going through my recipe books this winter and compiling a bunch of recipes to use camping. I'll try them out and see if they are good and if so, enter them into my BigOven software (purchased from the internet). Then I'll have a good "recipe book" to take along on camping trips. I also plan to cook at least one other new recipe every week or better still more often. I'll aim for mostly low fat, vegetable rich recipes that will help us to shed our extra pounds.

I saw a recipe on the food channel that sounded interesting "Anna Olson's Flatbread with fresh coriander". It was okay (Carm liked it) but somewhat heavy, turns out my baking powder was no good so I'll have to try the recipe again - it should be better. And I'll try it with Anise seed for a different flavour. I think garlic and calamata olives would be good too. This is a recipe that I can do while camping as the bread can be cooked over the grill.

What I'm reading:

 "The Perfection of the Morning" by Sharon Butala.

I read it in 1995 and really enjoyed it then. I'm enjoying it this time as well but there are parts that don't sit as comfortably - that seem strange and somewhat alien. She talks a lot about being a woman which is something I've never really thought about. Is my essense so much different from a man's? I don't have a lot of close woman friends so perhaps I'd experience this more if I were around woman more?  I'll have to give this some thought. I do love how she talks about the prairie and live in Nature. I too feel a connection to Nature when I'm in the prairie. I live in Eastern Ontario and rarely get out to southern Alberta or Saskatchewan. I miss it sometimes like I'm missing a piece of myself. When I leave from there its like a part of me is being ripped out. I feel such a connection to the land there. I get glimmers of it here but never the same gut wrenching, soul encompassing connection.

Beautiful sunset and rainbow - a perfect Idle Pleasure!