ALMONDINE WITH RUM RAISINS IN THE GRAND DINING ROOM

On the last sea day, I went down for a breakfast at the "ordinary" (read GRAND) dining room, and noticed a pastry on the special bakery list called Almondine. The server went to the trouble of obtaining one of these delights, and it was worth the wait. WOW! It could not have been better in a Parisian bakery! Served by a window view of the turquoise Caribbean Sea, on gold leaf china and Christofle cutlery. Exquisite!

  Muffin shaped pastry, standing on a puff pastry round, layers with rich semolina and rum infused raisins, and topped with lightly toasted roasted blanched almond slices

Baking you can eat with a fork, in tiny wedges, to enjoy every bite!

TURBULANCE AND MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON

I have written before about how the world is a better place because I am not a pilot. If I imagine that I was forced into the position, I think of the scene in "A View From the Top", when Gwenyth Paltrow hits turbulence as a newbie flight attendant and starts screaming. It would be unnerving for all if I was a pilot and an emergency occurred!


I used to be thrilled to get on a plane. It always sign that I was going somewhere, and that felt exciting. I actually remember the thrill of getting in a car on the highway, for a weekend away, driving often alone to a nearby destination. But for a number of year now, I panic in planes. Not if it is a smooth flight, and I certainly do my level best to not show it if I travel with my daughter, since she doesn't have any fear about it. I have learned to adapt. I read or play Sudoko while the plane takes off, or talk to the person beside me or, if I'm lucky, I have a screen and can start a movie with earbuds or the sound off.

I feel it more if I am in the center of a big plane, and the movement is less but the creaking is more, and it jumps back to memories of disaster movies that are always shot in the bulkheads of large aircrafts. It happens with turbulence and is worse if no one explains it. My hands sweat, and I can't concentrate while it is ongoing, so I mostly just tell myself not to grip the arms of my chair too tightly, do my best to distract myself,  and I really only relax once back on the ground, taxiing in.


But lately, I have taken to ask for window seats, and have flown into some beautiful places. I enjoy the take-off and landing again, getting a great view of the Mont Royal mountain and the St. Lawrence, Montreal on a clear day circling back, or seeing the countryside or water on the way to a city I had never been to, and seeing the city open up and identifying the Sagrada Familia of Barcelona, or the CN tower of Toronto. The view distracts me and there is a joy of travelling that has reappeared, that I have not felt for a long time.


When I reflect on the timing of when my joy disappeared, I am reminded of a paper I read on the subject. It confirmed that the level of anxiety collectively had arisen of those who have a fear of flying, and maybe, without realizing it, I had become had one of the statistic. Maybe it was just time for me to feel mortal. In any case, it seemed to start from one flight with joy, to the next in anxiety, and it was annoying.


So this week, on a flight from Miami, I was reminded again about pilots, as I wrestle with fear during turbulence, and for the first time in a long time, I entrust the responsibility to the pilots, believing they would do what has to be done, and, anyways, what could I do if they weren't able to keep the plane righted? I think my usual panic attacks were quelled by a few of factors. A fearless colleague had told me about a harrowing trip alone in a prop plane over the coast of Peru, and knowing even he could be nervous, somehow reassured me. I watched the movie Scully, a beautiful film that retold the incredible crash landing on the Hudson, saving everyone on board.  I started enjoying travels again.


The Peruvian flight was a funny (read harrowing-but-everyone-survived) story, and in my head, I identified with the flight in "So I Married An Axe Murderer", where the pilot looks like a hippy high on pot, and then falls asleep, taking the cop to where he can save his friend from murder, which is how he ends up taking this risky flight in a thunderstorm. Compounded is my childhood recollection of missionaries dying in small South American planes, most memorably Keith Green. In this case, on arrival to his hotel, he asked the tour guide to arrange to fly over the Nazca lines. He was discouraged from doing so, which seemed an odd position to take from a man who worked for tourism. So after a long day on the bus, he got in the plane, and saw them all. His comment that he was glad he had the distraction of photography made it plain that it was a turbulent ride. His fear, albeit barely expressed, after being such a seasoned traveller, gave me some confidence today.


The film Scully was another level of confidence in flying. Honestly, when I heard the story, I felt it was a miracle that a pilot did what he did, on water, and so near NYC, with all its traffic. So I was really looking forward to seeing the details unfold, and I do love Tom Hanks, so I was surprised how the story was told. I didn't think I could feel more admiration, but what I hadn't known was the story that came after. I found that came close to home, the scrutiny he was under. While the world and I were wowed by the unlikeliness of such a skilled water landing (unlike the expected water crash), he was being criticized for making the call to do what he did. It made me weep with relief, after feeling the pressure he must have been under, that he was proved to be right. One of my friends who was there had never even heard the story before, and was bowled over with the idea that what she just saw was based, carefully I think, on real events.


Lastly, I have a spend a week on my first cruise through the Caribbean, and for most of the week my body has experienced the bumping around that far surpassed the turbulence that I felt in the air, and nothing bad ever happened. So I hope that when I get back on the plane in Miami, instead of fear or anxiety, I will feel a little bit of the thrill, and look forward to the next flight that will take me on another adventure!

SUNNY RUN -9

This was the coldest weather I have ever laced up my runners to run in. I had to remove the treads twice which was a small pain, but what a difference those make! I had my usual double cotton running socks, my amazing NorthFace reflective pants, a jogging shirt and a thermobol jacket, and heavy mitts. I was a little warm, and coughed a little, but it was a beautiful jog through Terra Cotta today.

SHUT UP AND RUN BY ROBIN ARZÓN

This book is a graffiti infused manual by an inspiring type I diabetic ultra runner that enthuses off the page. Here are a few quotes;

"Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving-it doesn't matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow a hundred times, come, come again, come." - Rumi

"The human body is capable of extraordinary things that all start with the choice to try. "

"Don't be afraid to do something that frightens you, such as falling in love, changing careers, or signing up for a marathon."

"Sweat with swagger."

"Regret is a heavier weight to carry than hard work - in running, love and life."

My favourite, " Begin anywhere. Start before you're ready. Today seems like a good day."

"If you are breathing, it's a good day to have a good day. "

"Silence your inner hater. Don't stop until you're proud"

"Start unknown. Finish unforgettable. Grind while others make excuses."

"To give anything less than our best is to sacrifice the gift." - Steve Prefontaine

" Feed your focus. Starve your distractions."

FOMO -Fear of Missing Out

YOLO - You Only Live Once

SMART - Specific Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely (goal setting acronym)

Running books she loves:

Born to Run Christopher McDougall
Eat and Run Scott Jurek
Finding Ultra Rich Roll
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running Haruki Murakami
Kings of the Road Cameron Stracher

Inspirational Books:

Power of Now Eckhart Tolle
A Return to Love Marianne Williamson
The Fear Project Jaimal Yogis
Through the Eyes of a Lion Levi Lusko

Greatest Running Movies:

Unbroken 2014
Transcent 2014
Run for your life 2008
Unbreakable: The Western States 100 2012
Running the Sahara 2007
Prefontaine 1997
Spirit of the Marathon 2007
Fire on the Track 1995

Ways to overcome your inertia:
Find your running tribe
Write your running story
Start a challenge
Buy some fierce gear
Track metrics
Run for charity
Have a race on the horizon

MRS. BEETON'S BOOK OF HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT

My girlfriends have been binge-watching Downton Abbey for a couple of years now, and I always bowed out, citing disinterest, or at least in proportion with the amount of my free time. One girlfriend in particular is a huge Anglophile, and I have enjoyed a couple of binge sessions of The Crown, about Queen Elizabeth, with the same girls and have enjoyed myself immensely. So when I saw that our library has the first six seasons of Downton, I thought I should catch up.

One of the obvious players in Downton's fascination to detail is a man often shown in the special features, and how I came to look again at the show. His name is Alastair Bruce and he was the historical advisor of the show. He featured in The Manners of Downton Abbey, and as I was walking out of the shelves with season two, I saw a 1100 page tome that sounded familiar: Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management.  I think this was mentioned somewhere in my recent explorations of Victorian England, and what I thought was an unedited book popularized by the tv series is turning out to be a pretty thoughtful extensive handbook on life by a young woman who is a gifted writer! I am inspired. By the time she died at the age of 28, she had 3 children and had published in dozens of magazines entries, which eventually were compiled into one book. Although the bulk of the book is about food, and a lot about meat, there are general ideas that are quite thoughtful, and diagrams and reflections on parties, recipes, servants, raising children, law and medicine!

Listen to her brilliant opening statement:

PREFACE "I must frankly own, that if I had known, beforehand, that this book would have cost me the labour which it has, I should never have been courageous enough to commence it."

CHAPTER 1. THE MISTRESS "As with the commander of an army, or the leader of an enterprise, so is it with the mitres of a house. Her spirit will be seen through the whole establishment; and just in proportion as she performs her duties intelligently and thoroughly, so will her domestics follow in her path."

Quoting The Vicar of Wakefield, "The modest virgin, the prudent wife, and the careful matron, are much more serviceable in life than petticoated philosophers, blustering heroines, or virago queens. She who makes her husband and her children happy, who reclaims the one from vice and trains up the other to virtue, is a much greater character than ladies described in romances, whose whole occupation is to murder mankind with shafts from their quiver, or their eyes."

Quoting Dr. Johnson, "Frugality may be termed the daughter of Prudence, the sister of Temperance, and the parent of Liberty."

"7. Friendships should not be hastily formed, nor the heart given, at once, to every new-comer. There are ladies who uniformly smile at, and approve everything and everybody, and who possess neither the courage to reprehend vice, nor the generous warmth to defend virtue.The friendship of such persons is without attachment, and their love without affection or even preference. They imagine that every one who has any penetration is ill-natured, and look coldly on a discriminating judgement. It should be remembered, however, that this discernment does not always proceed from an uncharitable temper, but that those who possess a long experience and thorough knowledge of the world, scrutinize the conduct and dispositions of people before they trust themselves to the first fair appearances."

"10. Good temper should be cultivated by every mistress, as upon it the welfare of the household may be said to turn; indeed, its influence can hardly be overestimated, as it has the effect of moulding the characters of those around her, and of acting most beneficially on the happiness of the domestic circle. Every head of a household should strive to be cheerful, and should never fail to show a deep interest in all that appertains to the well-being of those who claim the protection of her roof. Gentleness, not partial or temporary, but universal and regular, should pervade her conduct; for where such a spirit is habitually manifested, it not only delights her children, but makes her domestics attentive and respectful; her visitors are also pleased by it, and their happiness is increased."

"15. In marketing, that the best articles are the cheapest, may be laid down as a rule; and it is desirable, unless an experienced and confidential housekeeper be kept, that the mistress should herself purchase all provisions and stores needed for the house.

"16. A housekeeping account-book should invariably be kept and kept punctually and precisely. The plan for keeping household accounts, which we should recommend, would be to make an entry, that is, write down into a daily diary every amount paid on that particular day, be it ever so small; then, at the end of the month, let these various payments be ranged under their specific heads of Butcher, Baker, &c: and thus will be seen the proportions paid to each tradesman, and any one month's expenses may be contrasted with another. The housekeeping account should be balanced not less than once a month; so that you may see that the money you have in hand tallies with your account of it in your diary.

Quoting Judge Haliburton, "No man is rich whose expenditure exceeds his means, and no one is poor whose incomings exceed his outgoings."

"17. Engaging domestics.. There are some respectable registry-offices…but the plan rather to be recommended is, for the mistress to make inquiry amongst her circle of friends and acquaintances, and her tradespeople… We would here point out an error…into which some mistresses fall. They do not, when engaging a servant, expressly tell her all the duties which she will be expected to perform."

Quoting Bishop Hall, "Recreation is intended to the mind as whetting is to the scythe, to sharpen the edge of it, which would otherwise grow dull and blunt. He, therefore, that spends his whole time in recreation is ever whetting, never mowing; his grass may grow and his steed starve; as, contrarily, he that always toils and never recreates, is ever mowing, never whetting, labouring much to little purpose."

VIRTUES (reminiscent of  Thomas Jefferson's American version, which would have predated Mrs. Beeton, but may not have informed them) - early rising, cleanliness, frugality and economy, choice of acquaintances , hospitality, good temper, charity and benevolence

GEMS - evolution of a kitchen, times when things are in season (month by month), the chemistry and economy of soup-making, average cost per recipe, the natural history of fishes, dining (tables laid, menus for parties with numbers and years, month by month), poisons and antidotes, law

CHAOS THEORY AND ORDER

Once upon a time I spent a month in a room with a bunch of surgery residents, led by a big blond bearded resident named Andrew. It was supposed to be a month to learn about trauma, but at the time, the only staff on service was one very tired overworked man who was either in his office or the OR, and a don't remember a case that wasn't related to scut. I do remember the room where we, the surgery team,  congregated and occasionally slept in, on couches and in chairs, late at night, interruptedly. Mostly I remember conversations led by Andrew.

 You'd think that I would remember a gruesome case or medical teaching, but the only two things I remember about the rotation was about this resident; first that he knew he would marry his wife on their second date, and that he was somehow finding the time to read a book called The Web of Life, by Fritjof Capra.

Long after I bought the book with the intention of reading it, a movie came out called The Butterfly Effect. The film was a mind bender, and a tiny element of the science of understanding complex systems and Chaos theory was introduced in its simplest metaphor; a butterfly flaps its wings in one part of the world and it effects the weather across the globe. It's always been the problem of time travel. How do you change one things without impacting others.  I suppose I hope karma works a little like this. We don't see the direct effect, but the good deed done will have one, and if enough occur, the world, somewhere for someone becomes a better place.

Lately, though, the overwhelming feeling I have is an expanding swath of chaos in my life, simply described in Newton's Second Law of Thermodynamics as Entropy. This feels like chaos, but it is a simple description of things falling apart, or expanding to maximum randomness. My house gets messy in this way. My life spins this way too. Attempts at creating order only manage to right some of these things falling apart, and over the years, I wonder if the energy necessary to reverse entropy is really ever going to equal its unrelenting existence. If so, what can be done about it?

Another big clean shaven man I knew better talked of his years of post secondary school drawing to a close after two undergrad degrees and on his second post grad. He used the verb synthesize. I have for many years thought I would like to reach that point also, but after all this time I still feel that I am forever in the learning trajectory. Perhaps I have not learned well, or perhaps synthesis is an ideal I will never achieve. Nonethless, I feel that I must at least summarize what I have learned to present.

So I declare this year (although I readily admit it may not be done in one year) a consolidation year.  I encourage you to fight entropy smarter, and look at your systems more globally. After all, a 28 year old woman named Mrs. Isabella Beeton wrote a thousand page Book of Household Management before dying in childbirth. Surely a year is enough time to consolidate your life to date!

WINTER RUNNING AT JUST BELOW ZERO IS A GREAT RUN

DINNER FOR THREE

For two years now, I have been fortunate to go out at regular intervals with two colleagues that used to be my staff. We call ourselves MAD, an acronym of our names, and we are a mutual admiration club that never fails to have a great time.  Usually we go out, and I remember every event. This time was clearly my turn, but going out for our usual splurge was going to be over my budget, as usual, and I didn't want them to bail me out, so I opted to change the rhythm and have them over to my house. I have never been at either of their houses, nor have I met their wives, so I wasn't sure how the dynamic would work. I didn't have too much time to worry about it though, what with my brother for Christmas, a crazy New Year's week, and two birthdays and two birthday parties, the last the morning we were supposed to meet.

The menu was a simple one. I served my version of the Sonata (3/4 oz Aperol, 2 oz apple juice or iced cider, 3/4 oz cinnamon syrup) for a cocktail to start, making the cinnamon syrup (1 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks. Boil together for ten minutes, stirring to dissolve sugar, then cool.) earlier so that it could cool in order to serve cold with Aperol (memories of the Venetian Spritz) and apple juice I had already refrigerated. I had made a reliable standby called Puree of Sweet Potato,

 a gorgeous soup garnished with roasted almond slices and cream, and took a small risk trying to replicate as "wild" mushroom lasagne (I used what I had, which was very domestic button mushrooms and it was delicious!) I had been served before but never made. I opened my most precious bottle of red wine, Menage à Trois, Folie à Deux, to serve with the meal. I had a few leftovers of a failed chocolate walnut fudge and sucre a la creme, which I layered in verrines with cool whip and diced fresh pear to good effect.

As it is with most great events, and even some of the greatest food I eat or serve, I have no pictures! Only the memory of a six hour meal with two wonderful friends. It was a perfect night!

TWEENS HELP WITH THEIR BIRTHDAY

Each year my daughter has ideas for her birthday, and each year she does a little more to contribute. This year, she was supervising two of her biggest projects.

The first was a project she had seen at daycare at Halloween. She found the ingredients and instructed us on how to make the best mummies. They were a lot of fun, and disappeared very quickly at her party!

The second was a pinterest idea that we also went shopping for the eyes, specifically chosen by my daughter. I think the cupcakes she took to school were gorgeous! She made every cat face, and had to guard them with her friends at recess so they wouldn't be eaten before snack at school!

BIRTHDAY FAIL?

The m and m's and reese's poured out of a collapsing cake. No one complained, but looks less professional, and more pinterest fail! Tasted great though.

Every year I end up doing something special for my daughter's birthday. I always tell myself to keep it simple, but I never really mean it. It is just too much fun to something different, even if means a late night!

This year, the party was simpler than some. Her party consisted of her three BFFs and the only sister of one of them, also a dear friend. We went back to the Ecomuseum, so there was an activity as well as a clean room to start and end with. I had done well this year, planning snacks ahead, and making sugar cookies in advance to freeze in the shapes of animals. The cakes had been made and there was just the pizza dough and decorating to do, so I had gotten up the day of the party to finish things off. The pizza dough was rising, the mozza was grated, and the cakes were cooled. That's when I made a mistake. I had gotten the idea to make a surprise cake for Rebecca filled with mini-Reese's Peanut Butter cups, inspired by a Nerdy Nummies surprise cake. I was finding cutting the centres easiest to do one after another, until I was done, and stacking. Then I realized my error. I needed to leave the last cake whole! Now I had a cake full of reese's mini PB cups, but the divot on the top just kept sinking down. So I filled it with some leftover green m and m's until it sat precariously, and covered it with all the icing leftover, which was enough for a crumb coat, but not enough for a proper looking cake! Next time I make the Wilton layered cake, I will buy one cake mix and two frosting containers! Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker Vanilla worked well, but the yellow generic icing was too soft, so this is one of those instances where I would pay for branding or keep more icing sugar on hand! 

Happy 11th birthday, sweet pea!

Just before birthday wishes!

PRINCESS PIRATE'S 11TH BIRTHDAY

Laura yes

Maya A yes

Rylee yes

Jasmine yes

Mom

Dad

Mel

Jon

MIX

Dark Horse

Legendary lovers

Roar

Bad Blood

Radioactive 

Seasons of Love

Peace like a river

Oh Be Joyful

Closer

Pictionary white board, markers, erasers

Twister

Twister dance check batteries

Hula hoops musical hoops

Bio dome questions

Fortune cookies

Pizza 2 homeade cheese

PB butterscotch squares

Dijon chips

Cheddar popcorn

Cheesies

Veggie and fruit platter 

Peas, carrots, corn (Dad)

Strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe, blueberries

Drinks

Cups

Plates

Napkins

Forks and spoons

I LOVE MY SMARTPHONE

I honestly thought I was a Luddite, finding many technologies complicate my life, and feeling nostalgic about a simpler time. I am quite unlike the true Luddites, never destroying technology, or fearing it would outstrip my job. As to the latter, maybe it will be possible, but I think the improvements possible for my job in health care (legibility, accountability, error prevention, communication) are more likely than erasing the need for health care providers. That being said, I enjoy the simple things of life, but I am probably so dependent on technology that I could never live without the basics for long with feeling nostalgic. If I discount the "basic" technologies of electricity, hot water, and telephone/internet, I would have thought I was satisfied at that. Perhaps it's just appealing to my laziness this morning after a crazy couple of weeks, but today my smartphone gave me great pleasure in how it simplifies my life.

I was sitting on the couch (a rare event honestly) and had a kitty curled in my lap when my home phone rang. A message followed  my greeting, about an appointment my optometrist had booked for me two years prior, which I could no longer keep. So I picked up my smartphone, googled the optician's number, and while making the call, put the receptionist on speaker to enter the new information in my calendar. All this without dislodging the happy sleeping kitty! So embrace technology, at least when it makes life easier. Remember that the best technologies we enjoy are the ones we forget about. Like a morning coffee, it's always best to acknowledge the dependence, be grateful for its existence, and always remember how to live without!

WOLF MOON

I have a magnet on my fridge that I love. It is a quote by C. S. Jung that says, “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”

I have been trying to figure out an analogy for the relationship I have with a man who seems to have no boundaries, and is easy to get to know, but in the end, I am not sure what is at at his core. Is it hidden for a reason, or is it just I that do not know him? I like that I can be my best self with him, but I am aware that how I feel is generating from me, although clearly catalysed by him.

At first I thought of him as an atom with multiple valencies, knowing full well that if I was to describe myself as an atom, I would have very few valencies, and once bonded, I have few others free. This man, on the other hand, seem to possess van der Waal forces, bonding loosely with everyone, never seeming to fail to have room for more.

Then I thought of him in terms of gravity, and thought he was more like the moon, with a low gravitational pull. This allows so many of us to walk near his surface and be amazed, but in the end, most of us did not pull him and he only pulled us loosely too. It is difficult to know what is at his core. Maybe there is only the reflection of others that we see. Still, this power is wonderful and I enjoy being in its presence.

I love the moon, especially when it is low and big and full.

I am not sure how I feel about this man. It does, however,  scare me, because I once fell for a guy who let me see myself in the best light for a while, but had nothing at his core. He seemed like the moon, reflecting my best side, but in the end, he was a dying star, and after giving up his last light for reasons I will never understand, he ended up imploding like a black hole. Over time, it became clear that he was only near me to take everything he could from from me, like a vacuum, which I was able to escape, but at great personal cost. I can't afford to make such a mistake again. I liked who I was with him at the beginning, but in the end, he was like the Wizard of Oz, and once the curtain was pulled back, there was nothing to him, and I lost much more than I gained.

Here is the list of this year's full moons. Look for them! Today is the wolf moon.

ARE YOU A GIVER OR A TAKER?

I watched a TED talk by Adam Grant, an "organizational psychologist" titled , "Are you a giver or a taker?" It was an interesting insight into my work place and any others. The salient points I took away are:

Givers want to help others, and takers want to know what they can get from you.

Affable takers are the hardest to spot. Amiable givers have to be protected from burning themselves out.

Givers and takers exist, but most people are mixed, and influenced by the others.

Givers make up the two extremes in performance- at higher risk of burnout, but with great potential.

The most important part of choosing your team is keeping the takers out.

Adam's premise is that organizations succeed when we help others.

Check out his book or TED talk. Then, if you have the power, remove the takers and encourage the givers!

HOW TO BE ATTRACTIVE

Good posture
Smile
Be your best self
Be helpful
Be ready to do anything ( say yes more than no)
Be on time
Work hard
Be interesting
Be fit
Be kind
Make people comfortable
Be okay alone
Have friends
Dress comfortably
Express yourself
Moisturize your skin

MARTHA SPEAKS TO ME ABOUT POTATOES

My brother came to visit for Christmas, and one of the simple pleasures was to browse his extensive online subscription of Martha (included in his Rogers' mobile fees). Although I miss the days when she was editor, I am grateful that she is back writing articles.

I always imagine that she is personally having a conversation with me, in this instance, advice about gardening potatoes. Within two paragraphs, in the edition of October 2016, I have too much info! So I am writing this blog to highlight the ideas I want to take with me to my garden next spring.

On how to hide the shrivelled tops while awaiting the potato "prize": "behind cabbages and broccoli, and...behind the tomatoes."

Classic ones: 'Yukon Gold', 'Red Bliss', 'Maine Kennebec'

Favourite mashing potato: 'Daisy Gold'

Roasting potato: 'Red Thumb'

Purple for salad: 'Huckleberry Gold'

Fantastic baking potato: 'Bake King'

More facts and bios in the books by Helen Hamlin's Pine, Potatoes and People
and Charles Wilson Aroostook: Our Last Frontier.

Sounds like the story of how the potato famine changed Ireland would be well told, and how China became the world's biggest producer of potatoes worldwide!

Thanks Martha! I look forward to your next article!

MY CHRISTMAS WISH LIST 2016

Mike Myers Canada $25 online indigo.ca
Nathan Reflex Reflective Snap Bands 2-pack, pink $4.99
Bogs North Hampton black multi insulated rain boots $85 online bogsfootwear.ca
De Longhi espresso maker

CHRISTMAS BAKING

After living in Montreal for 20 years, a member of my family came out to visit during Christmas. It was thrilling, and I am truly grateful to my brother Nate for making it out for the holidays. The most fun preparing was knowing our special treats were based on the same nostalgia, and my daughter got on board, especially favoring the peanut butter squares, which were much more butterscotch than I remember, and a crowd favourite.

After eight, PB square and peppermint chocolate fudge

A perfect plate

Christmas platter

Peppermint Fudge

PB butterscotch squares

Christmas Rainbow squares

Popcorn balls and a nearly completed Starbucks advent calendar

On the list of MUSTS (which were not all possible on one occasion):
For Montreal:
Millefeuille
Bagels and cream cheese
Sucre à la crème
Peppermint fudge
Sugar Pie
Tourtière
Fondue and wine (Hobnob merlot, Menage à Trois)

For Christmas in Saskatchewan:
Rainbow squares
Popcorn balls
PB butterscotch squares
Mandarin oranges
After Eights

For tradition:
Eggnog
Pomegranates
Grapefruit
Ginger chocolate
Peppermint dazzler
So I Married An Axe Murderer

KINDRED SPIRITS HIKE

Once in a while I meet a kindred spirit. Two of my favourite humans are as in love with hiking as I am. So when my friend said she was free this morning, and would I like to go to Mont St. Hilaire, I took the first train I could make to meet her downtown, and we spent the day slopping through the wet trails on our own. Its funny how weather makes people change their plans, but for a few of us, a free day is good enough! I was glad for my gortex Northface trail shoes, but mostly it was a gorgeous walk with a terrific human. I feel very blessed!

Lake Hertel

In the end she didn't cross here, but I love that she even thought she might!

SNOW

Yesterday it snowed from the time the sun came up to sun down. They say 15 cm fell, but my car looks like it was even more. I love snow. My daughter loves snow. Every kid at the bus stop loves snow. It's like Christmas toys. From the time the snow comes to when it leaves, you never have to entertain a kid. Just make sure they have their snow pants on when you go out, and they fall down on their knees and play until you call them in, usually not on the first try!

In 24 hours, we have had three of my favourite types of snow.

The first was what I call fake snow. I really could call it "glitter snow". It was light and fluffy and covers like the synthetic snow you can buy to decorate indoors. The glitter snow layered like "White Christmas" snow, as I always imagine Vermont would look, piling up on rooftops and boughs of evergreens, and covering cars. By the end of the day, my daughter could hardly find her toboggan that she had filled with snow for posterity!

By sunset, the snow was becoming granular. This even my daughter recognized as "white sugar" snow.  This is not to be confused with "brown sugar snow" which is much more common, and not actually a snow. It's a combination of sand blown on the streets for traction, or dirt from exposed  snow.  Which reminds my of the most infamous kind of combination snow, known as yellow snow. (I think that one is well known, and deserves no explicit explanation.)

This morning, the ground was covered in small round balls, which can vary from being tiny, resembling a white hail, to larger, resembling styrofoam filler. I use the short form of this snow as "styrofoam snow", because hail is painful and this snow does not hurt.

Still, the best snow is the rare "snowman snow". It is a great day when you wake up and can make snowballs, because that's a day you can make a snowman. That is the best kind of snow!

Really, the topic of snow is just begun in this blog. If you want to know more, check out wikipedia's  and read about the types of snow. For a linguistic mystery, check out the Great Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax, which explains how the myth began that "Eskimos" have 50 words for snow

So I hope that you are having a snowy fall, but if not, dream of a white Christmas. It is what I wish for every year!

If you have more names for snow, let me know! I may remember others as Winter approaches!

MY FIRST TWENTY-SEVEN DAYS OF RUNNING

My daughter ran a 1.5 km cross country run this fall, and I enjoyed walking the route as volunteer. Preparing for that run, my daughter came home with a  booklet called the Roadrunner Club, complete with tiny footprint badges that she could earn at intervals. This was such a popular idea that a few weeks ago it was opened up the parents too, and I was excited as a school kid to get my logbook.

Twenty-seven days later, I have earned two badges and run a grand total of forty-two kilometres. I like that number! I averaged 1.5 km per day, and ran ten times with an average run of 4.2 km. Most of that was in my nearby trail in Terra Cotta Park. Two of those runs involved me breaking in a pair of traction devices that attach to my runners. I had them all last winter, but never used them. This has been my first year running in the snow, and it feels great! You just have to remember to take them off before you cross the cleared pavement!

THE ANONYMITY OF CYBERSPACE (VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED)

I started this blog six years ago as a personal journal of things I loved: travel, food and unique experiences. Over the years it has been many things, but for the most part it has been random thoughts that I was expressing to the universe. It was a testimony of some of the beauty and richness of my life. If my house was robbed or burnt down in a fire, it was a safe place to leave a journal. If my daughter grew up and wanted to hear some of my thoughts in the past years, she could, like the rest of the universe, take the time to peruse a few or all of my entries.

This journal was a personal voyage, but one of its best features was its anonymity. My ex-husband, and my good friends may or may not read some of my entries, but they had the good sense to know that it was a private space for my thoughts to go. If they had been at the restaurant, or I had mentioned a topic I had blogged about  they would comment. But mostly this was just me talking to myself.

That all changed this year when I had an argument with my parents. What used to be a relationship
of conversations about weather was now no longer enough. So my mom started to read my blog religiously. Maybe my dad too, but he had the good sense or not enough interest to follow along in anything but an appropriately cursory way. My mom, however, hung on ever word, and mistook my ranting as personal intimacy with her. So while our telephone conversations were brief and superficial, she would read my blog and mistake this for a change in our very superficial relationship.

I finally could not write any more, so I took the blog offline to only a private few, but that was unsatisfactory too. Now the thought of a stranger gathering strength or hope or enjoyment was no longer possible, and I still couldn't write. So I didn't for a while. But this act of babbling  to the cyber universe is important for me. I enjoy it. It is one of my happy places.

My blog is not under my name. I have posted no photo of myself or daughter unless from behind. For the most part, the comments are rarely personal. I can't unfriend you like I can on Facebook or block you from reading this site, but do not mistake what I say here as a conversation we have had.  What we talk about on the phone or in person is our relationship. If it is bad, that may be for a myriad of reasons, not least of which is how you are invading my privacy using this blog. Feel free to follow if you enjoy what a stranger has to say. But I am not talking to you personally, not do I want any comments about how great or terrible my personality or life is based on what I post here.  Please respect my anonymity.

A GOAL WITHOUT A TIMELINE IS JUST A DREAM

September 3rd, 2001, I ran my first and only marathon. My training was not ideal, but I was young, and enjoyed running 10k on Mount Royal, and an occasional long run of 20K at most. My fitter less trained brother joined me in Saskatoon to run a tougher race than I had hoped, but we both came out with personal bests. The trail was beautiful. Unlike Saskatchewan's reputation of being flat, the trail was along the beautiful South Saskatchewan river over bridges and on my beloved Meewasin trail. To make it psychologically harder, the race was two identical loops, so that what we did the first time we had to repeat to finish. Despite being lapped by my brother, we were both proud of our accomplishment. His time was 3:36:54, finishing #9 in the 20-29 men category and #50 overall. Mine was 4:01:09, finishing #2 in the 20-29 women and #98 overall. I won a vest which I was very surprised by, but after the dust settled, I was bothered by the idea that had I run a little faster, I could have been on the other side of 4 hours. Since then I have been dream of repeating the race with a sub-four hour time. I have been dreaming this for over a decade.

As time passes, I wonder if there will be a moment that this may not be possible. So this fall I have set out a plan to run a marathon in September 2017. My current run is a total of 4.6 k, that is about half on the street, and half on a trail. My goal is to run on odd days, but so far it has been more like ever  other odd day! Still, I am happy that my toe is entirely healed after 6 month of impatient waiting, and that my plantar fasciitis is burning out, making it possible with a brand new pair of Saucony runners to feel very little foot pain, at least until after the run! I have about twenty pounds to lose, and I will most likely have to be better trained this time around.

My goals are as follows:

4.6 km Terra Cotta run 3-4 times per week. When I am doing this consistently, I will run this 3x/week and will add a long run, increasing to 10k over 1-2 month.
then add in 6.5 km loop to Lakeshore (Pointe-Claire village to St. Jean) 3x/week with a long run, increasing from 10-20 k
then 10 km loop to Beaconsfield Yacht club 3x/week with long run increasing from 20-30 k until the week before the marathon, when I run terra cotta route.

I should be able to run a marathon if I can run for 2 hours and average 3-4 hours of running a week.

May 27, 2017 Xtrail (sutton) 6.5 trail (if I have managed to succeed AND do strenght traingin) vs
May 28, 2017 Scotiabank Ottawa 10k

Sept 24, 2017 Oasis Rock N Roll Montreal Marathon!!!!! (FASTER IN MY FORTIES)

Now, go for a run!

81 OF MY FAVOURITE ACTIVITIES

1 Kayak

2 Walk on the mountain

3 Boardwalk at Ile Bizard

4 Museum exhibit

5 Botanical gardens

6 Rock climbing

7 Movie

8 Hiking

9 McGill basketball

10 Riders football

11 MTL Canadians at sports bar or live

12 Ice skating

13 Ballet

14 Theatre/opera

15 Jazz festival

16 Guitar hero

17 Dance mania

18 Ballroom dancing

19 Yoga

20 Cooking class

22 Fly a mini kite on a beach

23 Settlers of catan or Cranium with a crowd

24 Metro stop exploration

25 Tennis

26 Cross country ski

27 Spa

28 Down hill ski

29 Watch sunrise/sunset

30 Read a book/ go to book club

31 Playground

32 Bus tour

33 Karaoke

34 Paint/al fresco painting

35 Bowling

36 Bake and bring to work

37 Rooftop pool in the winter

38 Crossword puzzle

39 Paddleboat

40 Segue

41 Toboggan

42 “Activity Triathlon” e.g. foosball, pac-man, pizza or skating, connect four, m and m’s

43 Board games 

44 University tour

45 Comedy club

46 Soup kitchen/feed the homeless

47 Wine tasting

48 Bookstore/coffee

49 Drive in

50 Fair rides

51 Email/text someone

52 Picnic

53 Get caught in the rain

54 Stargaze

55 Walk a neighbourhood

56 Rollarblade

57 Camp/s’mores

58 Golf

59 Write poetry/songs

60 Treasure hunt/geocache

61 Visit a sacred place (church, cemetery)

62 Surprise someone

63 Go out with family

64 Go out with friends

65 Reno something

66 Plant a garden

67 Train for an event

68 Go on a trip and make a photo journal

69 Drive and stop spontaneously

70 Waterslide park

71 Visit a zoo/aquarium

72 Massage

73 Firing range

74 Craft

75 Tour Montreal like its another country

76 Laser quest

77 Oka hike and ferry/Hike Sutton, White Mountains, etc etc etc
78 Watch a storm come in
79 Find a view
80 Snorkel
81 Swim

PLACELAG

Today I was listening to a podcast with Rick Steves and a pilot named Mark Vanhönacker who wrote a book titled Skyfaring. They had both travelled so much that they had lots of good stories. I can imagine the flight into South Africa's Cape Town, with sweeping views of Table mountain.

The most interesting thing I learned, was the term coined by Mark: placelag. Unlike jet lag, which is usually used negatively, placelag is the feeling of wonder that we have travelled by some miraculous means (like an airplane) a distance to a place we shouldn't be able to see so easily and quickly.

The jet lag flying red eye to Europe is exhausting and discombobulating, but the place lag of being on the beach in Barcelona after leaving a cool fall day in Montreal is an incredible gift, and the ability to travel in mere hours to another culture, language and time zone extraordinary!

TONIGHT I AM GRATEFUL FOR A COMMUNITY OF NEIGHBOURS

Yesterday I made a very big mistake. I had the plumber in to replace a pipe, and accidentally let our playful, athletic, contrarian two year old cat run out the front door. I followed her cautiously, because she likes to run away, and hoped for a squirrel to attract her attention, but she just kept crossing lawns. I thought she would circle back, and indeed she did only to move further than I had ever seen her go, and I thought I'd best let her circle back again. Unfortunately, by the time the plumber left, I saw no sign of her. I was still hoping right up until I had to pick up my daughter from the bus. She was no where to be found, and I had to break the news that her precious kitty was on the loose, and she went through all the emotions you would expect a kid going through loss would exhibit. We talked about hope and how she was likely hiding from us. We called around the neighbourhood before supper and ran doorbells looking for anyone who had seen her, but no one had. So we went to bed with heavy hearts.

This morning, she was feeling understandable sad when she went to school. My other cat seemed unbothered by her absence, but I was careful to keep a close eye that she too didn't escape!

In the interim, I called public security, because that's how a neighbour had found her dog, but they don't worry about cats in this neck of the woods. I found out that a local SPCA posts lost animals on Facebook and messaged them. I also found a site that is called petluck.ca and had a helpful email exchange there after being able to search the neighbourhood for any found cats (none were calico). In the meantime, a very useful article on how to get your cat back buoyed my enthusiasm. The gist of it is that food water and litter should be put out, and that after dark, you call your cat at the neighbourhood's quietest moment every night until they come home.

So while my daughter was at school, I  made posters, and put food and water out. When school was over, we taped posters all over the neighbourhood, asking anyone we saw whether or not they had seen a Calico cat. We were home printing out more when our neighbour rang our doorbell breathless, saying they had our cat! Elation was the first word that comes to mind!

Our neighbour heard a meow from a big evergreen tree on a visit to other neighbour's, and,  sure enough, this silly kitten had climbed up above the rooftops, and was making her way precariously to the smallest part of the branch. Two neighbours were already at the foot of the tree, tracking her progress. Another brought a ladder, while the neighbour who found her returned with a harness and gear to rope around the tree, and a backpack to catch her in. We had brought treats, and we camped out below with a blanket and plans for a fireman's catch if she ever fell. It took quite a while to convince her not to climb further out or up, and even more time to climb into the backpack full of treats, but she did it. She was lowered down, zippered in and writhing. By the time we caught her in the air (the backpack was being lowered by a rope ), she was sending off all sorts of musky warning signals and she sounded angry! I thought a shot with the hero was due, but it became clear that going home, and letting the cat out of the bag was the best course of action!

My daughter and I were so energized we went around to collect the posters, and were surprised to find that already many people had taken the number, presumably to call in case they saw her! As we rounded the corner home, we were met by friends who were out walking in search of her too!

At home, she was calm and smelled amazing, like a pine tree! She has a little sap in her fur and dirt in her paws, but she already found a soft place to curl up to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Home sweet home! Sweet dreams Calico! Sweet dreams angel girl!

In jeopardy

Neighbourhood hero

MULTI-PEAK LIVING

I have been listening to a lot of inspirational podcasts lately, and impatiently waiting for my next hike. Most of the stories that stick are ones that I actually don't ever plan to achieve in my lifetime, but inspire me immensely.

Take for example any one who has run in the UTMB. This is a 100 mile race in France that ultra runners drool over. I, as a wannabe runner, find this an insane idea from the distance alone. But these runs start in a small town and you start by running up a mountain!

What is so insane about these trail runs is the reason why I feel more relaxed about my future. The idea of running up and down is a mental barrier in these races, but it makes my future a little brighter.

I have reached the age where some things, physical or otherwise, feel like I have peaked, and it's all downhill from here. My dear friend, on our way back from a seasonal visit to Atwater market, pointed out to me that there is not just one downhill in life. There are multiple peaks, and when life feels like it's going downhill, another peak is coming up on the path.

So embrace the downhill, and enjoy it while it lasts. It might be the easy part, because another peak is in the future. It might be a rough climb, but I think I might enjoy the view!

ANTONIO GAUDÍ IS BARCELONA