Obligatory post for March.....

Phew! I'm getting in my March blog post at the very last minute. I've been intending to post for awhile, but haven't really much to say. That's not to say that things haven't been busy, and I haven't done much in March - because nothing could be further from the truth. March was certainly jam-packed with fun of all kinds.

But rather than try to catch you up, I'm going to post what I was working on tonight:
Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt clues!
I'm hoping this will be a hit with the Little tomorrow night. I thought it might be a fun after-dinner activity that will also celebrate Easter (well, the chocolatey-side of Easter anyway).
Each clue leads to something that the Little is familiar with. I hope they're not to easy or not too hard.

Okay, I've posted in March. Now on to April....
I fear if I don't try to get at least one post up a month, I might give up blogging altogether until life quiets down. I shall try to prevent that from happening.

Finally! I figured out how to upload photos from my new digital camera. Apparently all I had to do was download the software. So now I can actually share some pictures from the last week. Here are a couple highlights:

We had a big snowstorm a week ago this past Wednesday, and Halifax got a lot of snow. The most I've seen in one storm since I moved here, I think.

So, what do you do when you get a lot of heavy, wet snow? You build a 4 ft snowman! That's what!
My "Little" and I built this awesome snowman the day after the storm. He was a sight to be seen. But you would've had a very short time to see him, because no sooner had we built him then the miscreants in my neighbourhood demolished him. (Within the hour he was built, actually. Jerks!). I was livid, but also thankful we got a few pictures and also thankful the "Little" didn't see him destroyed before she left for the night.

Another great thing to do when it's cold outside, is to eat hearty foods, like mashed potatoes while taking advantage of a good deal! That's what a few of us from work did on Friday - we took advantage of Seasons' (the restaurant in the Atlantica Hotel) potini Friday!. What is "potini Friday", you ask? Well, it's mashed potato served in a martini glass with about a dozen different toppings that you load onto your potini. Like this work of art:
I can't take credit for this masterpiece. It was not mine. I stuck to the fried onions and mushrooms (which were delicious!).

Well, that's pretty much it. I could post more, but I'm pooped. It's been a long week with lots going on, and I've got a busy weekend ahead. I'm actually considering going to bed early, maybe even now, at 9pm!

Soup is served!

I made the most delicious soup today and had to post about it. I found the recipe on another blog, Alice in Paris Loves Art & Tea, and was thrilled to see that I had all the ingredients already. No shopping required - I like that! I'd post a photo if I could figure out how to download photos from my new camera. For some reason the program launches, but won't download. Ah well, I'll figure it out.

Here's the recipe:

Jamie Oliver's Spicy Parsnip Ginger Soup (adapted)
2 T olive oil or coconut oil
knob of butter
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
2-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon garam masala ( Optional, an Indian spice)
6 parsnips, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 litre vegetable stock or chicken stock
500ml milk or coconut milk (2 cups)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
OPTIONAL:fresh red chili, deseeded and finely sliced
OPTIONAL: handful of fresh coriander leaves
crusty bread, to serve

Heat a splash of olive oil and the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, ginger and garam masala. Gently fry for around 3 minutes, until fragrant. It will stick to the bottom of the pot a bit but don't worry, when you add the broth you scrape it up.
Drop in the chopped parsnip and stir together so that everything gets coated in the oil and flavours.
Pour in the stock, season well and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes with a lid on.
Add the milk at the end and if you don't want to that's ok, it's fine without:) I didn't add it.

After half an hour, check that the parsnips are cooked by sticking a knife in. If you’re happy, remove them from the heat and carefully whiz up using a hand blender or liquidizer. Taste the soup to see if it needs a little more salt or pepper.

Serve with a sprinkling of sliced red chili, a few coriander leaves if you like, and a good chunk of crusty bread.

A treasured gift!

I'm in the midst of a very hectic week, slowed down at first by a head cold that has caused me to sneeze non-stop for the better part of three days. The cold is abating, and I have a moment to breathe (literally and figuratively) and post a quick note.

I've been intending to post this since Christmas, but as you can tell, I haven't spent much time on blogger these past few weeks. Here is one of the treasured gifts I received this Christmas, from my grandfather.
I expect you'll have to click on the image to make it bigger to read the text. It's a poem titled "A Plant That You Cannot Kill", written entirely by my grandfather. You must read it!

So here is a little context: Every year before Christmas I'm asked for my "Christmas List" and every year I try to comply. Usually I can produce such a list easily as I tend to write things down as I think of them throughout the year. This list is not specifically for Christmas; it's more to keep track of what I want and why. I tend to like to give things great consideration before buying and by keeping a list I can watch for things to go on sale, or consider alternatives. It's sort of a way of maintaining a little self-control when it comes to shopping. But I digress....

This year I've had a miserable time with houseplants. For some reason, they keep dying! Now, I've never really had a good track-record when it comes to plants, but this year was particularly bad. I killed a spider plant (who kills spider plants???), an umbrella tree, an aloe vera plant and my thai basil. Now, arguably, Thai basil is not a hardy plant, and it's time came and went. The aloe vera became too top-heavy and when I tried to transplant it into a bigger pot, it protested by dying. The umbrella tree was fine for well over a year, but then last August it started dropping it's branches (umbrellas?) one-by-one until there was nothing left. Observe Exhibit A. (right). If you look closely (or click on the image to make it bigger) you will see a few of the limbs that dropped at the tree's base, in the plant pot. You'll also see my rather scraggly aloe plant. So sad.

But I digress again....

So I kill plants. Or so it seems to me. I have one houseplant that's survived the carnage of 2009, and I'm hoping against hope it survives 2010. So, on my Christmas plant I was hoping to re-green my apt with something so hardy, it would survive my neglect or black-thumb. And apparently my grandfather knew of just the thing! As you can see in the picture at the very top his creativity knew no bounds. Not only did he find me a plant i could not kill, but he wrote a poem to go with it! My grandfather is not usually the poem-writing sort. He's a story-teller, yes, and a genealogist (the two sort of go hand in hand), but the poem was definitely a treat and a treasure! I will safely care for this plant so that in the years to come, at Christmastime, I can put it on display without having to worry about it dying over the holidays due to lack of watering, or worry about poisoning Millie (because we all know poinsettas are poisonous for cats).

Thanks Grampie!

*** PS. To my shock and horror I thought I almost killed this plant too when I lifted it out of the box I had it in and one of the branches pulled out of the foam. Fortunately it went right back in place, without any permanent damage. Phew!

2010's To Do List

2010 is here? What???? When did that happen?
How is it possible for time to pass so quickly?
Sigh.

Every year I try to set some goals. Not resolutions, but things I'd like to accomplish throughout the year. There is a difference, right? I think of resolutions as long-term, indefinite goals like eat better, exercise more, etc. These are more definite tasks with a tangible outcomes. Anyway, I like lists and I especially like to check things off my lists.

So here is my list for 2010:

1. Print digital pictures, label them, and put them in photo albums. Sort and back-up digital files. I've had my digital camera since 2006, or was it 2005? and I rarely print any of the photos. Not good! This must be rectified.
2. Knit a pair of socks. Emphasis on pair. One sock won't count, because I know if I stop at one, I'll never move on to the second. I think it's called "second sock syndrome". I have a lot of wool, particularly fingering weight wool that would be perfect for socks. I see this as the best possible way of depleting my stash. *This was on my 2009 list, but didn't get done.
3. Buy a GPS for geocaching. This is another goal for 2009 that didn't get done. I'm thinking about getting The Magellan Triton 200. But if any of you have any other suggestions, feel free to let me know.
4. Make a fabric & ribbon memo board, like this one.
5. Read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I've had this book on my shelf for a long time, but am somewhat intimidated by the commitment it will take to read it. Time to get over that!
6. Get involved in my church. Up until this point I've been adherent and little more. I'd like this to change, but probably not until September after the big event I'm planning in June.
   
7. Frame my gerbera print.
8. Buy a headboard for my bed. I've been looking for one for a little while, but keep putting it off because I can't make up my mind what I want. Ultimately though, I'd like to sit up in bed and read, without having my bed rolling away from the wall when I lean up against it. Hmm...maybe there are brakes on the wheels. I should check that first.
   
9. Attempt pie crust again. I did this a couple of years ago and it didn't work, but haven't really tried since. Well, that's no good. I can't just give up. I'm up for the challenge again!
   
10. Volunteer for the YMCA's Immigrant Host program. This is where you are partnered with a new immigrant and help them get orientated to Canadian culture and the city and also just be a friend. Plain and simple. I had planned to do this back in 2008, but then I began my commitment to my Little and felt I wanted to concentrate on that before committing to something else.
    

I think that's a pretty good list for now. I reserve the right to change it, of course :D. We'll see how well I do next time I check in on my progress.

EDO Monday: A day of productivity

I have much to do today and figured the best way to get it all done is to make a list, and tick things off as I get them done.

1. Sweep patio + put up lights & wreath (again!) + move all my balcony furniture back out onto balcony. (Last week my building super replaced my balcony, which meant I had to move my BBQ + planters + bistro set inside, where it's been taking up all the space in my dining room for the better part of a week.) Done! 8:30a.m.
   
2. Chase cathair (ie. clean the floors).
3. Finish Christmas shopping. I have 3 people left to shop for now. And I think I can get at least one done today.
4. Take recycling to depot.
5. Make a quick trip to work to pick up something I left in my office on Friday. Sigh.
   
6. Make a trip into Big Brothers Big Sisters to drop off the child car seat I borrowed and no longer need; drop off a form; and pick up a 2 For 1 Coupon for the Putting Edge for Saturday
7. Set up sewing machine again and finish project#1, pin and cut fabric for project#2.
8. Work on project #3
9. Pack up parcel for friends in TO and mail.
10. Finish remaining Christmas cards and mail.
11. Start Christmas baking.
12. Plan crafts to make for Big/Little Christmas party on Friday. (ie. How to entertain 9 year olds for 3 hours +).

Okay, so that's all the list-making I'm going to do for now. I hope to update as I go along and get things done.

A few thoughts on studying the Bible.

I had an occasion, recently, to enter into a theological discussion about a "hot topic" in some of the more conservative churches. I have no intention in getting into the meat of the matter here, but I did come to some interesting conclusions.

First of all, we make a lot of assumptions. We assume the translations are accurate. We assume that what we are taught is right. And we assume we understand everything. We tend to let things we're taught go without challenging them, or without finding out for ourselves. We get confortable with what we understand and resist being unsettled.

So this discussion I mentioned before, it unsettled me. It challenged a my understanding of the Bible in a way I'd never been challenged before. My reaction? Find out the truth for myself by going back to the source, in it's original form in as much as I can. The problem is, the original form of the New Testament is Ancient Greek, which I've never studied. HOWEVER, I just discovered a fantastic resource available online, that does just that - it takes each and every word from the Bible back to it's original Greek or Hebrew origins. Not only that but each word is linked to its reference in Strong's Concordance; AND it also shows the passage in comparison with the various English translations. In case you're wondering, the website I'm referring to is: bible.cc. If you're the Bible-studying type, you'll want to check it out!

While I realise it's incredibly geeky to confess that I've spent hours doing this kind of study lately, I'm not ashamed to admit that it's been incredibly rewarding. If there's ambiguity in the translation, the original text can provide some clarity. This kind of study is really much richer and deepr than I had ever expected. I've learned so much! For example, in many cases, the gender-neutral pronoun used in the original text is replaced by masculine pronouns by Bible translators. Or, when a pronoun could have more than one meaning (gender-neutral or masculine), masculine becomes the default for translators. Interesting, eh? Ha. Or maybe it's not interesting at all. But it certainly has been enlightening for me.

The resources we have at our disposal in these post-modern times is unfathomable. And it's all at our finger-tips! We should consider ouselves privleged not only to have access to these reources, but also to have the freedom to use them.
...And that will be the final conclusion I leave you with tonight.

It's music monday!

So much for my plans to have a handmade Christmas this year. I have been so busy that I've not spent any time at all on my knitting, and so have nothing to present to family and friends for Christmas. I do have a plan to make something for my Little, but that will be the best I can do this year.

And what has been keeping me so busy? Conference planning. That's what. Phew! It's a big job but I have a great team helping me and it'll all be worth it when it's all said and done.

What else? Well, I had a little fun too.

Last week a friend from work had 2 tickets to the Rose Cousins CD Release in Halifax, and I happened to be the lucky recipient of the the 2nd ticket! We had 2nd row seats and were treated to a fabulous concert. I've listened to Rose Cousins on CBC Radio 3 (and she gets played frequently on CBC Radio 1, too), so I knew I'd enjoy her music. I will say this, the entertainment isn't just in the music; Rose Cousins has a great stage presence and knows how to get the crowd in stitches. She's quite the entertainer. Oh, and of course her new CD is fantastic! Buy it as soon as it becomes available! Afterall singer/songwriters need nice shoes too.


The opening act was also a pleasant surprise for me. I wasn't as familiar with Royal Wood as I was with Rose Cousins, though I know now that I've heard his music on CBC Radio 3 fairly often (I just couldn't put a name to the music). But I came out of the concert with both in my head, and CDs from both artists in hand. You should buy his CD/s too. Now my biggest problem is deciding which to listen to!

In the meantime, while you're waiting to get the CD, go to CBC Radio 3 and add their music to your playlist. They're so delightful!

And since I'm on the topic of music, I thought I'd share this with you:
Yes, yes, I was one of the many who waited in line for a looong time to get Anne Murray to autograph her new book for my grandmother. Now, I'm not much of a fan, though I do appreciate her music and find her quite easy to listen to. Afterall, she is a Canadian music icon who helped to put Canada on the music map. So, all in all, this was an errand I did not mind doing for my grandmother. And, though I was completely unprepared for the signing (no knitting to keep myself occupied during the long wait, and no camera document the occasion), the woman next in line kindly offered to take a photo and email me a copy (turns out she knows folks at my workplace). So here it is, evidence that I'll do just about anything for my grandparents...and came within 2 feet of a Canadian icon. ;)

I've spent far too much money on music lately. Between concerts and CDs (I also picked up another kids CD to mix it up a little in the car with the Little; and in Toronto I found a Taize CD that's alright, but not quite what I was hoping for). I will stop music shopping for now, and instead start compiling a list of CDs for my Christmas wishlist.



Hmmm... In the time that it took for me to write this, I've eaten about 7 clementines. Is that too many? Sigh. I'm fighting something, so perhaps I can hope it's not too late to up my Vitamin C and kick the bug! By the way, Clementines are on sale at Sobeys - $3.97 for a 4lb crate! Go buy some!

Ho hum, I'm in a slump.

I'm in a knitting slump at the moment and don't quite know how to get myself out of it. I've spent the better part of a good 2 hours surfing Ravelry and find all sorts of patterns that are lovely, but none that really jump out at me. Also, I'm determined to use up some of the yarn in my absurdly large stash before buying anymore yarn. Sadly, most of the patterns that catch my eye require more skeins of yarn than what I have already in my stash. What to do, what to do.....

Suggestions?

Cafe Aroma Latino

A couple weeks ago I had dinner at Cafe Aroma Latino for the first time. I had heard it was good, but was pleased to have an opportunity to find out for myself. First of all, I was impressed and more than a little thrilled to find pupusas on the menu. One of my favourite stops in Kensington Market was always the Central American grocery where you can get pupusas freshly made. And now I know where to find the same Salvadoran 'street' treats here in Halifax!

There are all sorts of delicious things on Cafe Aroma's menu from all over Central America. And it's relatively cheap (most menu items are $2-4 ea.). You pick and choose what you'd like to order and end up with a plate of tasty treats. I ordered a bean pupusa (bottom left), a tamale wrapped in a banana leaf (top) and a beef taco (bottom right). The tamale was new to me - I'd never had one. It was okay, but more mild than I was expecting. It would've been nice with something especially spicy. The pupusa was a little different from those I'm used to from Toronto. I don't remember bean pupusas being made of beans like these were (I remember them being filled with refried beans instead), but they tasted the same and were just as delicious. The taco was also delicious and maybe even my favourite of the three; the beef+sauce was especially tasty.

And if you're looking for any Mexican-type groceries, you should check out the little grocery next door that sells all sorts of things from that region of the world. You can find all sorts of things to make your next Mexican theme night more authentic.

So there's my little review of this place. Check it out for yourself. We want to keep this restaurant in business for a long time!

Checking in

It's been awhile and I thought I might just post a note about my progress with my short To Do List. I am pleased to report that there has been progress, so that's a good start.

• 1. Compost more consistently. Check! I've been composting since January. There's not a whole lot of enthusiasm for composting in my building, and up until this Spring, I hadn't ever seen the compost bin emptied. Evidence of this: the lobster shell I put in the bin in Feb. was still there in June. Sigh. I think I single-handedly managed to fill an entire bin with my own food waste. I guess my next "to do" item should be waste less food. Anyway, I managed to convince property management to arrange for regular pickups, and they're starting to encourage other tenants to also compost.
  

• 2. Get new glasses. Check! Not sure what I think of them, but I've got them and that's the most important thing. Here are the glasses - mine are brown and gun-metal grey. I have some lovely photos with my eyes open, however they're almost all photos with my Little and I'm not comfortable posting her picture online without permission. So no photo to show off the new specs.
  

• 3. Invest in a used GPS & go geocaching. Fail. Sadly, GPSs are expensive and this was a low priority for this year. I still love the concept and I think it would be A LOT of fun with the Little. If I didn't have other things to save for, I'd for sure get one. Alas, there ARE other things to save for.
  

• 4. Knit a pair of socks. Fail, for now. I've kind of set aside my knitting over the summer. I've got a scarf on the go, but that's it. My shawl didn't progress very far. I made far too many mistakes and the black was too hard to work with a complicated pattern. BUT I have a lot of sock wool and everyone loves handknit socks, so I still hope to learn before the end of the year. Maybe over Thanksgiving?

• 5. Read at least a book a month. Check! Well, so far anyway....I still have 4 months to go. Most of the reading this year has been non-fiction, but still all good. Of course the highlight of all the books I've read this year (and perhaps ever!) has been Uncle Tom's Cabin. If you haven't read it, I strongly encourage you to pick it up at your library or bookstore and give it a try.
  

• 6. Shop smarter and better: fair trade, handmade, local, and natural. Fail. I'm actually not doing much shopping these days (in an effort to save $$), and when I do, I have to confess that I usually shop for the sales and these are not usually the best option quality-wise. For produce lately I've been doing all my shopping in my mother's garden and I'm committed to buying local produce whenever it's available. I will always choose local over imported, when local is available.
  

• 7. Sitesee more. Visit more museums and galleries in the HRM. Check! I'm getting out more around the city. I finally got to Pier 21 and was blown away by the exhibits. If you haven't been, you should go! And then there was my trip to York Redoubt and several other parks and sites around the city. Oh, and I got a MacPass, so I'm gradually venturing more and more over to the Darkside (ie. Dartmouth).
  

• 8. Stargaze more & learn a handful of constellations. Check! Sort of. I'm gradually learning the constellations, but seem to forget them almost as quickly as I learn them. Being the International Year of Astromomy, I had hoped to attend the Astronomy Nova Scotia events. There's an event on Oct. 1st that I plan to attend with the Little.
  

• 9. Stop using plastic grocery bags. Check! In fact, I've gone through my stash of plastic grocery bags for garbage and now have to consider what to use for garbage. Do I buy or do I just use the pail itself? Afterall, most of my garbage isn't terribly messy after composting and recycling. I'm also saving all the small plastic bags that dry goods come in (pasta bags, bags from frozen peas, rice, etc. I used to throw these bags out because they were too small for garbage, but now I use them for kitty litter bags and they work perfectly.

So I'm considering what to add to my To Do List. I've got a few ideas. I'd like to learn how to kayak and become a member of my church, and organize my photos (which have been piling up for years) in albums and on my harddrive. These are just a few that come to mind.

I don't want my 2010 list to be too long though. I'm committed to a big project for 2009/10 and it's going to take a lot of my time. I don't want to set myself up for failure.

Be still and know that I am God.

You know how there times when you crave to hear certain kinds of music? It could be the season or the mood, the need for energy or relaxation, but whatever the reason there's just the right kind of music for that particular moment in time.

Lately, for me, it's been the songs of Taize.

Taize is actually a very modern ecumenical monastic order in Taize, France (founded in the 1960s). But what is distinctive about this Christian community is its meditative style of worship that combines silence with sacred choral music and short readings that are intended to calm the soul so that you can experience a moment with God. It is prayer without words. And yet it is also not prayer in solitude or isolation. The Taize experience is actually built around the community, a shared experience, even in silence.

My church in Toronto practiced Taize once and awhile, as the part of the worship during our Sunday services. It was incredibly refreshing, albeit often much too short. We'd sing a Taize song, read a prayer, and sit in silence for a while. But then the service would continue on and the busy-ness of life would pick up again.

I guess right now I crave silence and meditation because life has gotten pretty hectic for me and I've had a lot on my mind. While I like being busy and having things to do, checklists to cross off and tasks to accomplish, I also enjoy quiet times. Unfortunately, when life gets busy like this, my quiet times often turn into wasted down time, either in front of the TV or puttering about while listening to the radio or to music. I don't actually take time to be silent. I guess this is why Taize has been on my mind lately. Silence is a very hard discipline to practice. You have to be intentional about it, and set aside time and energy (because sleeping doesn't count) to practice silence. And you have to stop talking.

I really like what the Taize website says about the value of silence:

Sometimes we are apparently silent, and yet we have great discussions within, struggling with imaginary partners or with ourselves. Calming our souls requires a kind of simplicity: "I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvellous for me." Silence means recognising that my worries can’t do much. Silence means leaving to God what is beyond my reach and capacity. A moment of silence, even very short, is like a holy stop, a sabbatical rest, a truce of worries.

Read the whole article here.

I know that a lot of my friends who may follow my blog aren't the churchy type, and that's fine. I still think there is a lot of value in taking time to be silent and for meditation in whatever form you may see fit (introspective, retrospective, or maybe even extrospective).

I close with this last thought, again from the Taize website:
When words and thoughts come to an end, God is praised in silent wonder and admiration.

A weekend in pictures

I went to the Valley this weekend, and enjoyed a 24 hour vacation in the countryside. So much got done in that short period of time: I did a few loads of laundry and hung out on the clothesline, G. replaced my brake pads and rotors, I went to the Wolfville Market with Mom for lunch and got my hair cut (3.5 inches and still most people don't notice it's been cut *sigh*).

I dipped my toes in the brook, which most years has dried up by this point in the summer. As you can see, there's lots of water in it this summer.

I did my produce shopping for the week in Mom's garden: beets, carrots, green beans, waxed beans, kale, Thai basil....did I miss anything?

And then I went up the road and picked 5 pints of raspberries at the U-Pick, and mashed them into this delicious sauce, perfect for my yogurt in the morning!

When I got back to the city, I decided I needed to find my way to Lawrencetown Beach. I've promised a certain 9 year old (The Little) to take her to a beach and I haven't quite decided which one we should go to. Suggestions are welcome. I'm leaning towards Lawrencetown because they waves are just plain fun, but there beach is actually pretty rocky and not conducive to playing in the sand. Queensland or Cleveland Beach might be better for that.

I had fun in the waves while I was there and managed to get soaked. But what would you expect when you stand in the water waiting for waves daring the waves to crash into you! :) I have to say, the water was really cold! It took a little while to get aclimatised (read: numb).

Afterwards I found a spot in the sand and watched the surfers while the feeling came back to my legs.

It was a beautiful weekend. Perfect in almost every way - a good mix of fun and productivity, of exploring new places and visiting the familiar.

Oh, and I'm over my obsession with the "dream house" in Berwick. Having a realtor stand-you-up for a viewing will do that to you. In the end it's probably better this way. The likelihood of loving this house even more after seeing it in person was pretty high, and yet it's still too far away. The message was clear: the house is not for me. I can move on now.

Home is where the heart is. Right?

As many people close to me know, I've been spending far too much time lately obsessing about a particular house on the market. It's a beautiful house, with character and charm, and a spacious but private yard, and it's certainly within my price-range should I want to buy it. In fact, this house is pretty much my dream house. The problem? It's 1.5 hours away from my job, and my job is not really one that would allow me to work from home. And I'm nowhere near being prepared to walk away from my job for something else closer to this house. I won't give up one dream for another.

Still, this makes me a little sad. I'm not uncomfortable where I am right now and quite like my current living space (for the most part). But I'm really looking forward to the day when I will feel finally settled into a home of my own. I realise that renting right now is actually pretty dumb, considering how low the interest rates are for mortgages and I had to be throwing good money away on an investment that's not my own. I also know for a fact that my mother is tired of storing the remaining bits (bits may be an understatement) of my stuff and would happily repatriate it with the rest of my things the first chance she'd get.

But here's the other problem: it's difficult to buy in the HRM on a single-person's salary. Interest rates are low, but housing prices are not. Even most condos are above my price-range. Now this is where I could bemoan my single-ness and wish I were in different circumstances - because there is no doubt that buying would be much easier with two incomes - but this I refuse to do! All told, I'm okay with being single. Sure, it's not quite where I thought I'd be at this stage in my life, but I'm determined to not let it stop me from doing the things in life I'd like to do - the things in life I'm supposed to do. Like own a home, rather than rent for the rest of my life. Afterall, I need to be sure I have a place to live in my retirement, right?

So now comes the fun part. Preparing. I'm still a long ways off from buying. I've got a bit of work to do. I have to carefully evaluate what it is in a home that I'm looking for: location, features, amenities, etc.; and I have to squirrel away more money for a downpayment and for "the inevitable emergency" fund.

In the meantime, I'll try and tear myself away from the idea of living in this picture-perfect house and of the quality of life it inspires. Sigh. Here's hoping for something equally as lovely here in the HRM when it comes time for me to buy.

Answer: 10

You were dying to know, weren't you?? :D
Actually, truth be told, we collected far more than 10 frogs in this container, but by the time I took the picture I think several had already escaped. Wise little frogs!

Feasting in style

Delighting in a good read

This is the view I enjoyed for a long afternoon at the cottage. And these were the sounds - a light breeze and the rippling lake against the wharf:

One of the delights of the cottage is the luxury to sit down with a good book and not have to get up for anything. It's a perfect place to shut out the world and immerse yourself in the world of your book. In my case, the book I was reading took me back to pre-American Civil War times in Kentucky. I finally finished reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, and I have to say this book shot way up to the top of my favourites. First of all I was completely caught off guard by the underlying themes. Yes, I knew the book was an indictment against the injustices of slavery and was very forward-thinking of its female author. In fact, Harriet Beecher Stowe has become a sort of hero to me now. The text, the language, is very pointed to particular social groups and at the time it was written in 1851 it had to have been very shocking to its readers. HBS was very counter-cultural and I dig that! But what I didn't expect was the message of hope and forgiveness in the midst of some of the worst kinds of treatment a human could endure by the hands of another. Uncle Tom's heartfelt desire was not really for his own earthy freedom, because he knew he would receive freedom in Heaven one day. No, his heartfelt desire was for his Master's freedom - freedom from that which has separated him from God, and freedom that comes from being released in forgiveness.

This is a long post, but I have to share these passages from the book with you. I hope they give you as much food for thought as they did for me. AND, if you haven't read Uncle Tom's Cabin - do!

On the abuses of slavery, the author writes to the reader:

"Patience! Patience! ye whose hearts swell indignant at wrongs like these. Not one throb of anguish, not one tear of the oppressed is forgotten by the Man of Sorrows, the Lord of Glory. In his patient, generous bosom he bears the anguish of a world. Bear thou, like him, in patience, and labour in love; for sure is he is God, "the year of his redeemed shall come." (Ch.12)

And when George, a slave who doubts the presence of God, finds refuge in a Quaker home:

"This, indeed, was a home, -- home, -- a word that George had never yet known the meaning for; and a belief in God and trust in His providence, began to encircle his heart, as with a golden cloud of protection and confidence, dark, misanthropic, pining, atheistic doubts and fierce despair melted away before the light of a living Gospel, breathed in living faces, preached by a thousand unconscious acts of love and good-will, which, like a cup of cold water given in the name of a disciple shall never lose their reward. (Ch.13)

And from St. Clare, on the hypocrisy of the church's support and justification of slavery:

"Religion! Is that what you hear at church religion? Is that which can bend and turn, and descend and ascend, to fit every crooked phase of selfish, worldly society, religion? Is that religion that is less scrupulous, less generous,less just, less considerate for man, than even my own ungodly, worldly, blinded nature? No! When I look for a religion, I must look for something above me, not for something beneath."

A glorious week at the cottage!

Well, I'm back from another glorious week at the cottage. There was sun, there was rain, there was plenty of reading (I finished Uncle Tom's Cabin, but more about that later...) and relaxing, there quiet times and there were games played and fun times with family.

My week started with a family gathering - all 15 of us - to celebrate the July birthdays (mine included!) and the recent marriage of one of "the granddaughters". Happy times, all of them.

It was a beautiful day, perfect for entertaining a certain 6 year old with a cottage past-time that kept us "granddaughters" busy when we were little girls -- catching the little frogs (or are they toads?) that are so easily found this time of year on the cottage road. We spent hours collecting those little critters, along with all sorts of other critters - caterpillers, ants, etc. -- and building homes for them, terrariums of a sort. We weren't afraid or squeamish by any means.

"How do you find them?" someone asked. "Just stare at the ground long enough!" The ground is hopping with them. You'll have trouble walking along the road afterwards for fear of stepping on the little guys.

There was a whole lot of glee from the 6 year old over her cookie-tin full of frogs - so much, in fact that the tin got passed around to all the adults for inspection and admiration.

Here's the tin in all it's glory (click on the image on the left for a larger image). Any guesses as to how many are in the tin?
(I kind of like the image on the right - mostly because the focus is on the pointed finger. Also I haven't asked permission to use this photo but as it is blurred and the faces aren't shown I hope it's okay. Let me know if it's not.)

You'll be seeing one or two more posts about my week at the cottage. There' s just too much to put in one post.

Going Offline

I need a vacation. So, I'm going to spend a week at the cottage in Digby County. It's been a rough week, so I'm really looking forward to some down time.

So, what do you do with 9 quarts of strawberries?

You make strawberry rhubarb jam!

Here's the recipe:
About 10-12 large stalks of rhubarb (2½ cups when cooked)
Ripe strawberries (1 cup when crushed)
5½ cups of sugar
Juice of ½ lemon (optional)

OR....

...You make cake.

Two layers of white cake with strawberry-rhubarb jam in the middle, cream cheese icing and topped with sliced strawberries. I still have lots of strawberries left, which might mean more experimenting with jam. Fun!
And definitely some strawberry shortcake (made with biscuits, of course) is in order very soon.