On my morning commute, I walk from the commuter train and have several routes that I can take, but my favorite one passes the Montrea Fine Arts Museum, and, if the lights cooperate, or I have enough time, I walk by a Fafard statue that has found its most recent, hopefully permanent, home, in my line of sight. I say hello, and now that I hear of Joe Fafard's passing, I will say hello to him too, when I greet the statue that always says Saskatchewan to me when I see it.
Thursday, April 25, 2019
RIP JOE FAFARD
It doesn't matter that I have lived away from Saskatchewan more years than I have lived there. I am a prairie girl at heart and always will be. I will always miss those years, and although returning stirs up more of those feelings, it is a place but also a time that I miss.
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
HOT CROSS BUNS RECIPE
I love these things, and bought at the right time, they are not expensive, but having them warm and using real icing is really special.
This is a recipe from Company's Coming Holiday Entertainment, p. 55. Makes 24 small buns.
From a Great British Baking Show episode, I think turning the fruit inside so that only the smooth dough shows would keep them from burning, but I did like the sweetness the exposed ones had and didn't seem to burn them.
1/2 cup warm water (body temperature will do)
1 tsp sugar
1 T yeast
Stir water and sugar to dissolve. Sprinkle yeast and stir. Let stand 10 minutes.
1/4 c margarine
1/4 c sugar
1 egg
3/4 salt
1/2 t cinnamon
3/4 warm milk
1 c flour
Cream margarine and sugar. Beat in egg until fluffy. Add salt, cinnamon, and milk. Beat in 1 cup flour. Mix in yeast mixture.
1/2 cup currants (important)
2 T finely chopped candy peel (I used candied fruit. Candied cherries would work fine too. Not optional, even if Jean Paré says they are!!)
2 1/4 c flour
Mix in currants and candied fruit. Add remaining flour. Mix well, adding a bit more if necessary to make a soft dough. Let dough rest 10 minutes, then knead until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl, and turn in grease before covering. Let rise for about an hour, to allow dough to double in size.
Punch dough down. Shape into small balls. Place on slip baking sheet. Cut a wide cross into each bun with greased scissors. Cover and let rise again until double in size.
Bake at 400F for 20 minutes. Brush with margarine and cool on a rack.
GLAZE
1/2 c icing sugar
1 1/2 t water
1/4 t vanilla
Mix all glaze ingredients together until barely pourable. Add a drop of water at a time as needed. Pipe or drizzle into crosses.
This is a recipe from Company's Coming Holiday Entertainment, p. 55. Makes 24 small buns.
From a Great British Baking Show episode, I think turning the fruit inside so that only the smooth dough shows would keep them from burning, but I did like the sweetness the exposed ones had and didn't seem to burn them.
1/2 cup warm water (body temperature will do)
1 tsp sugar
1 T yeast
Stir water and sugar to dissolve. Sprinkle yeast and stir. Let stand 10 minutes.
1/4 c margarine
1/4 c sugar
1 egg
3/4 salt
1/2 t cinnamon
3/4 warm milk
1 c flour
Cream margarine and sugar. Beat in egg until fluffy. Add salt, cinnamon, and milk. Beat in 1 cup flour. Mix in yeast mixture.
1/2 cup currants (important)
2 T finely chopped candy peel (I used candied fruit. Candied cherries would work fine too. Not optional, even if Jean Paré says they are!!)
2 1/4 c flour
Mix in currants and candied fruit. Add remaining flour. Mix well, adding a bit more if necessary to make a soft dough. Let dough rest 10 minutes, then knead until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl, and turn in grease before covering. Let rise for about an hour, to allow dough to double in size.
Punch dough down. Shape into small balls. Place on slip baking sheet. Cut a wide cross into each bun with greased scissors. Cover and let rise again until double in size.
Bake at 400F for 20 minutes. Brush with margarine and cool on a rack.
GLAZE
1/2 c icing sugar
1 1/2 t water
1/4 t vanilla
Mix all glaze ingredients together until barely pourable. Add a drop of water at a time as needed. Pipe or drizzle into crosses.
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| Add caption |
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
FIRE IN THE NOTRE-DAME CATHEDRAL
Once upon a time, the Princess Pirate went to Paris, and walked into the great cathedral named after Mary, Mother of Jesus, "our lady". It was an impressive nave to walk in, with gothic arches and rose windows. The exterior walls were made with the technology of the time, with flying buttresses and gargoyles the highlight of the exterior tour.
We were saddened to learn of the fire that destroyed this famous spire, and friends of PP wanted to know what it looked like when she had visited. These are the pictures we shared.
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| On walking in under the arches of saints with ribbed arch |
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| One of the massive rose windows (this one's North) that needed those buttressed supports |
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| Joan of Arc, the patron saint of girls and executed by fire. Many art pieces had a fire escape plan. I recall she was near a door. I hope she was able to escape! |
Saturday, April 13, 2019
MARATHONS AND OTHER RACES
I am supposed to be in bed, and it's 7 oclock in the evening. I am on shift at midnight and hungover from a bad sleep on a normal night. I am supposed to have written 60 minutes for the NaNoWriMo marathon I was to have begun 5 days ago. It all seemed so doable, but I find myself always behind the boulder that I am supposed to be pushing up to the crest of the hill, never to actually get there.
The writing marathon is in preparation of November's feat of writing a 50,000 page novel, and it seems like a great way to get in some practice with exercises all year long. 10 minutes was easy. 20 minute went pretty fast. 30 minutes didn't happen and 60 minutes won't either. There is no way tomorrow is going to have 2 hours of time to write, and I find the suggested "training schedule" a little intense. So I am taking 7 minutes, which will likely turn into 10. Anything is so much better than zero.
What inspired me to sit down and write, even if it has nothing to do with a novel? It was the moment I came inside from gardening, and saw that the sky was, at the same time, darkening and lightening into the colours of sunset on a sunny day. It was beautiful, and strangers and neighbours were in accordance that this was a great day. For me, the last two weeks when the streets finally cleared of the ice that covered them for the last 4 months were just fine, but it was consensus today, and I had to agree. The wind was noisy and gusty, just like I like it from my prairie days. The water was running freely through the drains and I even found a spider in the soil as I unearthed grass growing in the wrong place that wasn't dealt with from last year. It was the kind of spring day that I remember rejoicing in as a child, in rubber boots, with toothpick boat races and kite-flying. It was the moment that I came inside from an hour of gardening that I almost didn't do. I was dirty and am still tired, but I wasn't sad anymore. I was alone in my house, and I wouldn't call it happy, but there was a complete lack of sadness in my aloneness, and, honestly, that was a great relief.
One insight that I recalled while gardening and dreaming of hosting baby showers and having friends over and widening my social circle was that I didn't have to be done. I can no longer wait until my garden or my house or my body is in shape. I am a total believer in the philosophy of starting before I am ready. Why else would I be a marathoner, half-marathoner, triathlete, doctor, or mother? The act of signing up is the beginning of something great, and being ready has never been the point at which to start any of those things.
So, I am 17 minutes in, and I really do need to sleep, but I want to remind myself, and anyone reading this blog, that spring is a perfectly wonderful time to start something that you are totally not ready for. If you don't start it, you will be never complete it. So just do it! Start something that scares you a little today!
The writing marathon is in preparation of November's feat of writing a 50,000 page novel, and it seems like a great way to get in some practice with exercises all year long. 10 minutes was easy. 20 minute went pretty fast. 30 minutes didn't happen and 60 minutes won't either. There is no way tomorrow is going to have 2 hours of time to write, and I find the suggested "training schedule" a little intense. So I am taking 7 minutes, which will likely turn into 10. Anything is so much better than zero.
What inspired me to sit down and write, even if it has nothing to do with a novel? It was the moment I came inside from gardening, and saw that the sky was, at the same time, darkening and lightening into the colours of sunset on a sunny day. It was beautiful, and strangers and neighbours were in accordance that this was a great day. For me, the last two weeks when the streets finally cleared of the ice that covered them for the last 4 months were just fine, but it was consensus today, and I had to agree. The wind was noisy and gusty, just like I like it from my prairie days. The water was running freely through the drains and I even found a spider in the soil as I unearthed grass growing in the wrong place that wasn't dealt with from last year. It was the kind of spring day that I remember rejoicing in as a child, in rubber boots, with toothpick boat races and kite-flying. It was the moment that I came inside from an hour of gardening that I almost didn't do. I was dirty and am still tired, but I wasn't sad anymore. I was alone in my house, and I wouldn't call it happy, but there was a complete lack of sadness in my aloneness, and, honestly, that was a great relief.
One insight that I recalled while gardening and dreaming of hosting baby showers and having friends over and widening my social circle was that I didn't have to be done. I can no longer wait until my garden or my house or my body is in shape. I am a total believer in the philosophy of starting before I am ready. Why else would I be a marathoner, half-marathoner, triathlete, doctor, or mother? The act of signing up is the beginning of something great, and being ready has never been the point at which to start any of those things.
So, I am 17 minutes in, and I really do need to sleep, but I want to remind myself, and anyone reading this blog, that spring is a perfectly wonderful time to start something that you are totally not ready for. If you don't start it, you will be never complete it. So just do it! Start something that scares you a little today!
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
MOVIE REVIEW: TADOUSSAC
It took me to the credits to realize that the film was entirely without sound. A simple film following a young woman's venture to find answers in a village in a Tourist area dear to my heart, having sat for hours with my daughter on the beach, and taken a boat trip to watch for Beluga and Minke whales.
An unusual piece by a male writer director. A simple story with satisfying closure, and few fabulous views of the St. Laurent River.
An unusual piece by a male writer director. A simple story with satisfying closure, and few fabulous views of the St. Laurent River.
MOVIE REVIEW: PARIS CAN WAIT
It was a slow script, more akin to a French Film than an English one, but as a travel film, it was decadent and delicious. The presumptions were obvious, but the photography, food, and itinerary were jealousy inspiring!
The extras included a feature on the film's director, Eleanor Coppola. It was her debut, as the story was told, but a quick wikipedia search credits her directing 5 other films, albeit documentaries based on Francis Ford, and his work or their life together. She had written the screenplay, Hello Anne, and was 80 years old when she directed this travelogue.
It was an enviable adventure that begins in Cannes, travels through Provence with its lavander fields, fabric museum, and Roman aquaduct Pont du Gare, visits Bourgogne (Burgundy) with its wine and Vezelay Abbey, and finally ends in Paris. The draw are France and the food obsessed couple who talk and photograph their way through some of the finest food on the planet.
The extras included a feature on the film's director, Eleanor Coppola. It was her debut, as the story was told, but a quick wikipedia search credits her directing 5 other films, albeit documentaries based on Francis Ford, and his work or their life together. She had written the screenplay, Hello Anne, and was 80 years old when she directed this travelogue.
It was an enviable adventure that begins in Cannes, travels through Provence with its lavander fields, fabric museum, and Roman aquaduct Pont du Gare, visits Bourgogne (Burgundy) with its wine and Vezelay Abbey, and finally ends in Paris. The draw are France and the food obsessed couple who talk and photograph their way through some of the finest food on the planet.
BOOKCLUB : MURDER ON THE BALLARAT TRAIN
I saw Phryne Fisher on tv before I ever wading into a mystery written by Australian author Kerry Greenwood. The character in the show was strong, wore sumptuous clothing and dared to be seductive as she was smart.
I had hoped to start at the beginning of the series but the library only had the third in house, so I took it. The book did not disappoint. It was as sensous and beautiful as the sets on the show, and Phyrne's level head and moral heart was even more apparent.
Each chapter began with a quote Lewis Carroll. I'm still not sure what most meant, nor did I discover where Ballarat was, but it was a fun read nonetheless, and I look forward to another in the series in the near future.
I had hoped to start at the beginning of the series but the library only had the third in house, so I took it. The book did not disappoint. It was as sensous and beautiful as the sets on the show, and Phyrne's level head and moral heart was even more apparent.
Each chapter began with a quote Lewis Carroll. I'm still not sure what most meant, nor did I discover where Ballarat was, but it was a fun read nonetheless, and I look forward to another in the series in the near future.
Friday, April 5, 2019
TODAY I AM A DIVORCEE
There is no celebration on this day, but much reflection. Maybe divorce can be prevented. This needs to happen before kids.
I picked a nice man, with reasonable potential. I used to say that couldn't have seen this coming if I had the same information. But what I know now are the following:
When things fall apart, and your family fixes things for your marriage to stay together, you can find yourself somewhere you shouldn't be. If you can't do it alone, step back, take your family out of the picture, and then decide.
Most friends can't tell you the truth. Most friends you invite to your wedding won't be your friends in 15 years. Ask the hard questions, expect discomfort and lies, but better to know who your true friends and what they really think at the beginning of the relationship, because if you don't, you will only know it for sure it at the end.
Some men regress after marrying you. Mine did, in the most extreme way I have ever seen. It paralleled living with an alcoholic, without the unpredictability. Major failures at the beginning of your marriage can be enough to derail it permanently. If you are the cause of these events, take account and act early. Be honest, responsible, reliable, sorry. Make reparations. They will never be enough, so you can never stop. Commitment is patience with sacrifice. This will be enough in time.
If you are the injured party, be kind, open and strive to teach, not judge. But your ideal of marriage is not a reason to prop up your uncommitted partner. Your commitment will never be enough, if your partner does not step up. Allow yourself to grieve, but leave. Your pain will only be in proportion to your ongoing stupidity. You deserve more.
I knew I had a romantic notion of love. I had thought about it from a young age. I have read about it, dreamed about it, lived it. I know my role is never to be taken for granted as a woman. I am an afterthought in our society still. I am not mistaken for the leader. I am often not asked my opinion. My opinion, when voiced, is often dismissed. Women have gained many things in society. My university education was never in question. My acceptance to medical school was not about my gender. But despite being the sole breadwinner in a household for over a decade, I still did more housework then my "stay-at-home househusband", and not because I wanted to.
Men also have a romantic view of love. They have expectations that they may never have thought about. They more than likely have lived a naive entitled existence, and will act accordingly. They will think that "helping you" is sharing responsibility. They are too often taking the easy road and sharing much less of the cognitive responsibility. They were taught to act sexually and confidently, without having many tools to meet woman's emancipated understanding of struggle. Philosophy degrees do not connote more understanding. You will have to insist on not being their mother, their prostitute, their subjugate. It is their fault, but not until they see it is it conscious. Consciousness is the first step to true communication. This process is slow, and if you are lucky, their mothers and sisters and colleagues and girlfriends will have done some of the work before you.
We are in an era where the ideal of marriage is less of a pressure, and in Quebec, the legal obligations so unfairly protected, that a long term relationship is more likely taxable than legal. I am not sure I am proponent of marriage anymore, but I do think committed relationships are ideal. For more on the history and thoughts from author Elizabeth Gilbert, her book Committed is a great read.
The success or struggle of marriage is decided in the events of conflicts. It doesn't matter about your compatability in the good times. It is decided in the bad ones, which are more marked if they happen in the early years. Some interesting factors are raised to be predictable in these cases, and can be seen in a TED talk I recently watched by a psychiatrist Dr George Blair-West. He believed that divorce can be prevented, and that while you are dating, you can see whether this might be a relationship that lasts. He starts with a list of most distressing human experiences. Number one was death of a spouse. Number two is divorce. Number three is marital separation. Number four is being imprisoned in an institution. I am proud of my insistence to stay in mediation where I was disadvantaged, because divorce felt better than separation, although separation from my child was the true suffering. This is the interesting take home message in 3 points:
1. Get married older.
I picked the right age. Marrying at 30, you are more likely to be the personality that you will stay, to some degree. It was not enough.
The next two points are what I learned myself. I thought I knew the factors involved in a happy successful marriage. But what counts, really, is how to see the things that destroy a marriage. Apparently it had nothing to do with me. Women are influenceable. Not all men are. But what they are matters.
2. You husband needs to be influencable. The most stable and happy relationships are those where the couples share power. Men who allow women into the decision-making process are called influenceable. This trait also make better fathers.
If your husband holds all the power, it is like drowning. If he quits his job, leaves every responsibility to you, vetos your decisions, you may be an emancipated woman with income and intelligence, but if you don't have influence, you are more impotent than the unemployed man on your couch.
3. You both have to be reliable. The older we get, the more important this is. It doesn't matter if your partner can make you believe all things are possible. It matters that when the opportunity arises, you can rely on them. That means no task can be passed off. You need to learn how to cut your kid's nails when they are too long. You need to see the house needs cleaning, not be asked. And when you mess up and need to be asked, you can't take 7 months without an answer or update or explanation.
Dave Williams says it best, in his book, Defying Limits: "Commitment demands two things: patience and sacrifice". If your partner doesn't make sacrifices on your behalf, but you do for them, say good-bye. Your endurance will only make things harder for longer. You will have to forgive yourself the image you had of your ideal. It will not solve the problem of a bad relationship. You are worth it.
I picked a nice man, with reasonable potential. I used to say that couldn't have seen this coming if I had the same information. But what I know now are the following:
When things fall apart, and your family fixes things for your marriage to stay together, you can find yourself somewhere you shouldn't be. If you can't do it alone, step back, take your family out of the picture, and then decide.
Most friends can't tell you the truth. Most friends you invite to your wedding won't be your friends in 15 years. Ask the hard questions, expect discomfort and lies, but better to know who your true friends and what they really think at the beginning of the relationship, because if you don't, you will only know it for sure it at the end.
Some men regress after marrying you. Mine did, in the most extreme way I have ever seen. It paralleled living with an alcoholic, without the unpredictability. Major failures at the beginning of your marriage can be enough to derail it permanently. If you are the cause of these events, take account and act early. Be honest, responsible, reliable, sorry. Make reparations. They will never be enough, so you can never stop. Commitment is patience with sacrifice. This will be enough in time.
If you are the injured party, be kind, open and strive to teach, not judge. But your ideal of marriage is not a reason to prop up your uncommitted partner. Your commitment will never be enough, if your partner does not step up. Allow yourself to grieve, but leave. Your pain will only be in proportion to your ongoing stupidity. You deserve more.
I knew I had a romantic notion of love. I had thought about it from a young age. I have read about it, dreamed about it, lived it. I know my role is never to be taken for granted as a woman. I am an afterthought in our society still. I am not mistaken for the leader. I am often not asked my opinion. My opinion, when voiced, is often dismissed. Women have gained many things in society. My university education was never in question. My acceptance to medical school was not about my gender. But despite being the sole breadwinner in a household for over a decade, I still did more housework then my "stay-at-home househusband", and not because I wanted to.
Men also have a romantic view of love. They have expectations that they may never have thought about. They more than likely have lived a naive entitled existence, and will act accordingly. They will think that "helping you" is sharing responsibility. They are too often taking the easy road and sharing much less of the cognitive responsibility. They were taught to act sexually and confidently, without having many tools to meet woman's emancipated understanding of struggle. Philosophy degrees do not connote more understanding. You will have to insist on not being their mother, their prostitute, their subjugate. It is their fault, but not until they see it is it conscious. Consciousness is the first step to true communication. This process is slow, and if you are lucky, their mothers and sisters and colleagues and girlfriends will have done some of the work before you.
We are in an era where the ideal of marriage is less of a pressure, and in Quebec, the legal obligations so unfairly protected, that a long term relationship is more likely taxable than legal. I am not sure I am proponent of marriage anymore, but I do think committed relationships are ideal. For more on the history and thoughts from author Elizabeth Gilbert, her book Committed is a great read.
The success or struggle of marriage is decided in the events of conflicts. It doesn't matter about your compatability in the good times. It is decided in the bad ones, which are more marked if they happen in the early years. Some interesting factors are raised to be predictable in these cases, and can be seen in a TED talk I recently watched by a psychiatrist Dr George Blair-West. He believed that divorce can be prevented, and that while you are dating, you can see whether this might be a relationship that lasts. He starts with a list of most distressing human experiences. Number one was death of a spouse. Number two is divorce. Number three is marital separation. Number four is being imprisoned in an institution. I am proud of my insistence to stay in mediation where I was disadvantaged, because divorce felt better than separation, although separation from my child was the true suffering. This is the interesting take home message in 3 points:
1. Get married older.
I picked the right age. Marrying at 30, you are more likely to be the personality that you will stay, to some degree. It was not enough.
The next two points are what I learned myself. I thought I knew the factors involved in a happy successful marriage. But what counts, really, is how to see the things that destroy a marriage. Apparently it had nothing to do with me. Women are influenceable. Not all men are. But what they are matters.
2. You husband needs to be influencable. The most stable and happy relationships are those where the couples share power. Men who allow women into the decision-making process are called influenceable. This trait also make better fathers.
If your husband holds all the power, it is like drowning. If he quits his job, leaves every responsibility to you, vetos your decisions, you may be an emancipated woman with income and intelligence, but if you don't have influence, you are more impotent than the unemployed man on your couch.
3. You both have to be reliable. The older we get, the more important this is. It doesn't matter if your partner can make you believe all things are possible. It matters that when the opportunity arises, you can rely on them. That means no task can be passed off. You need to learn how to cut your kid's nails when they are too long. You need to see the house needs cleaning, not be asked. And when you mess up and need to be asked, you can't take 7 months without an answer or update or explanation.
Dave Williams says it best, in his book, Defying Limits: "Commitment demands two things: patience and sacrifice". If your partner doesn't make sacrifices on your behalf, but you do for them, say good-bye. Your endurance will only make things harder for longer. You will have to forgive yourself the image you had of your ideal. It will not solve the problem of a bad relationship. You are worth it.
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