forty two

Amazingly delish cake made by O.
Sprinkles on top courtesy of Kana.

Going.... going...

july theme song

On Wednesday, O drove me to Urgent Care at Mis because I had a sudden severe headache, nausea, chills, muscle weakness and a stiff neck. 9 hours, a CT scan, blood tests and a spinal tap later, I was diagnosed with viral meningitis. Which is bad but not anywhere near as bad as bacterial meningitis or a ruptured artery in my brain (the other things I was being tested for).

At home feeling somewhat okay as long as I lay flat. Even sitting up a bit makes me feel super queasy and gets my head pounding. Fever is gone, so I'm on the mend, but I think it will take a week or two to feel more or less normal.

My old pal Iggy pretty much sums things up...

Soba Noodle Salad

O and I do not have air conditioning but we find all kinds of ways to beat the heat. And this is one of my favourites. A really refreshing salad with just a bite of heat. This week the culinary stars aligned. The basil and mint were begging to be picked, O's dad gave us some gorgeous mangoes and the temperature spiked to the 30s. I don't really have a recipe but this is close:

• Soba noodles (or in this case red curry and cilantro vermicelli), cooked and cooled
• Two perfectly ripe mangoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 to 3/4 c. edamame, steamed and cooled
• 10 or 12 mint leaves, chopped
• 10 or 12 basil leaves, chopped

Dressing:

• Juice of one lime, plus a bit of zest (or you can swap some of the lime juice for cider or rice vinegar)
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• Red chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Small drizzle of sesame oil (don't go overboard or this is all you'll taste!)

Toss first set of ingredients. Mix the dressing and pour over salad. Mix again. Chill for 1/2 hour or more and enjoy!

hello summer!

O and I have discovered the joys of Patricia Beach. This is a picture taken on Canada Day. While 20 thousand people battled for a piece of sand up at Grand Beach, we felt like we had the place to ourselves.

Yesterday was even more deserted. Unfortunately....

Yep. Broken toe. The good news (?) is that this is the toe I broke 20 years ago. That break turned the toe in so the nail rubbed against the next toe and I've had a corn ever since (sexy, I know). Now it is clearly turned out so hopefully that problem will be solved. Not sure what is going to happen with the badly needed pedicure I have scheduled for Friday. Or with work for the next few days.

But back to the charms of Patricia Beach... such as the baby swallows in the men's change room. Everybody, say it together! Awwwwwwwwww..... sooooo cuuuuuuuuute!

at the cabin with my sis - june 26 to 28

Our retreat.

Pelicans.

Deer tracks (no bear thankfully!)

Possibly an Edward's Hairstreak?

Let's call this Otter Creek.

And naturally you'd expect to find an overturned
car full of empty jars while hiking in the woods.

june theme song

Yesterday my mom and I were talking about the interview with Nora Ephron that was replayed on Q. Specifically, we were talking about this quote, from her book I Feel Bad About My Neck:

If anyone young is reading this, go, right this minute, put on a bikini, and don't take it off until you're 34.

This afternoon I was tying up Lexi outside the bakery and I kid you not,  a young woman wearing only a bikini and flip flops strolled by. It was a fairly modest bikini in navy blue and she looked totally good BUT STILL..... The two women who were having coffee on the patio, and were probably in their late 50s, gave me this "did you see that?!?" look. I gave them the "oooooh ya" look back.

So in honor of that girl....

the queen of my garden

I've long been a lily lover but thanks to the red lily leaf beetle (pictures are unfortunately from my garden), irises have taken top spot in my heart. And this native iris is by far my favourite. Swoon!

film noir rufus

8th annual girls camping weekend

Our exploration of Manitoba parks continued this past weekend with our second trip to Hecla / Grindstone Provincial Park. The weather was less crappy than in 2008 but it wasn't exactly a beautiful weekend. We managed a few hours of hiking on both Saturday and Sunday without getting rained on, and both nights we were able to sit around the fire, but the rest of the weekend was rain, rain, rain.

Since the main points of the weekend are to eat good food, drink good wine and catch up on each other's lives, it was still a great time. Now we do a recipe exchange (check out the inspiring website that Shaunna discovered!) and start planning for next year.

Ready for anything! 

The lighthouse at Gull Harbour

A brief burst of sunshine

new job

First real day of work at my new gardening job. Kind of forgot what manual labour is like and expect that I'll barely be able to move tomorrow morning. Stinkin' hot day. Drank two litres of water and only had to pee once between 9:45 a.m. and 6:45 p.m. Needless to say, I came home sweaty. And rather filthy. It's bad when you can smell yourself. But I had a great time!

This weekend is the 10th year for the girls camping weekend (though we skipped two years early on and Shaunna got married in 2010, so it's only our 7th actual trip). Will report back in three days...

and speaking of endearing....

Happy 4th birthday to Lexi. Our Poodle. Our Doggles. Our pretty girl. You can tell from the photo that she not digging the party hat but I told her to sit and stay, so she patiently did until I took the picture. She really is such a good dog!

biodiversity project

Just discovered an amazing website. Photographer Joel Sartore has been taking picture of zoo animals against black or white backgrounds. Prints available for sale with profits from the photos goes towards funding further shoots. His mission is to show the amazing animals that are in danger of extinction with the hope that raising awareness will help raise support.

I was surprised by the number of creatures on the site that I'd never heard of before. What's cool about the Biodiversity Project is that it doesn't focus on the charismatic megafauna that usually get all the attention. There's equal coverage of the ugly and ridiculous. Except in Mr. Sartore's photographs, the unique beauty of each creature is brought out. I mean seriously... this little possum ain't pretty, but isn't it also oddly endearing?

Yesterday morning was beautiful. The forecast for the evening was showers with a chance of lightning. I thought "beautiful morning, showers this evening..... I'll plant my garden!" Put in everything. Herbs, annuals, tomatoes, plus there are lots of delicate little seedlings popping up. And then...

torrential rain, hurricane-force winds, hail

Put pots over the basil and hoped the rest were hardy. You can't tell in the picture but the water between the beds was like a river, gushing out into the back lane (which is much better than it gushing towards the house).

Still raining this morning so I haven't gone out to survey the damage. Some of the lettuce looks like it is covered in mud. Pretty sure the beans and peas will be toast but it's still early enough to replant. Fortunately, I'm a pragmatic gardener. It's just not fun if you're stressed out about it.

working weekend

The weather here has been astonishingly beautiful. Feels more like July than May. So we took advantage of the sunny days and got the yard ship shape. Mowed the lawn, weeded and mulched the front garden. O fixed the back gate and adjusted some of the stone path between the back garden beds. I made two frames for my cukes and peas to climb up and wrapped our laundry pole in chicken wire for the beans. O made a small window box for the garage and I painted it. Planted all the veggies.

Then we had beer and tacos on the patio. Followed by much needed showers. And woke up this morning feeling very much like we had worked all weekend. Next weekend.... cleaning the garage.

Took some photos of the yard. Pretty amazing compared to what we started with!

may 2012

may 2008

may 2012

may 2008

jane's walk

Spent a cloudy Sunday afternoon on my first Jane's Walk. The one I chose was located just a few streets from where I live and featured a stop at my community garden. The walk was hosted by a local blogger and history buff, Christian, who has nicely put up a history of Burnell Street and lots of photos on West End Dumplings.

It gave me a totally new appreciation for my community. I had no idea there was such a strong Icelandic influence in the way it was developed. Some of the gorgeous old buildings are the only ones that have ever stood in that spot and were built on what was once pasture or a dairy farm. Others, such as Greenway Elementary School have been built and replaced multiple times. And speaking of Greenway, the modern school patrol system started there. Who knew?!?

I am now a huge fan of Jane's Walks and I'm sure this will be an annual event. O is still a bit limpy and didn't join me but I'll be dragging him out next year!

may theme song

Not really my theme song but very bummed to hear that Adam Yauch aka MCA died of cancer today. This was the first Beastie Boys song I ever heard and though I was never a fanatical fan they've been part of my musical landscape since 1986. They were true originals. Maybe the death of MCA won't be the death of the Beasties but it's hard to imagine them without him.

april theme song

In honour (?) of Earth Day. And because it's really funny and ridiculous. 

sure sign of spring

Half way through Fahrenheit 451. Another classic that I probably should have read long before now. Humming nicely along, enjoying dystopia, and then this on page 61:

Give the people contests they win by remembering the words to more popular songs or the names of state capitals or how much corn Iowa grew last year. Cram them full of non-combustible data, chock them so damned full of 'facts' they feel stuffed, but absolutely 'brilliant' with information. Then they'll feel they're thinking, they'll get a sense of motion without moving. And they'll be happy, because facts of that sort don't change. Don't give them any slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy.

*sigh*

Now they tell me.

Thinking maybe I should read Something Wicked next rather than Something Wicked This Way Comes.

march theme song

Pretty bad video but this song is so spring-y! And I am literally breathless these days as I have started running** again after a 10 month hiatus. 

**Running means mostly walking until I get my stamina back. Whew!

How I Spent St. Patrick's Day Weekend

In no particular order...

1. Raking the lawn in a tank top. But not raking the leaves off the perennials even though they are definitely coming up. The weather is unbelievably warm but really.... it's Manitoba. We could get a snow storm at any moment.

2. Multitasking in the lounge chair. That is: knitting, eating crackers and cheese, listening to an audio book, cuddling with the cats, noticing a butterfly, watching the sparrows scrap, enjoying the reggae drifting over from my pot smokin' neighbour's house and trying not to fall asleep.

3. Drinking coffee on the stoop with O and Lexi.

4. Drinking coffee on the patio at the Neighbourhood Cafe with Elizabeth and Lexi. Lots of coffee drinking this weekend though technically Elizabeth and I were doing MALT work.

5. Unearthing ladybugs.

6. Hanging laundry on the line. And then blissfully sleeping in sun dried sheets.

7. Riding my bike. Woo hoo!

8. Gazing at the planets. Three of them, anyway. Have yet to spot Mercury and Saturn but hoping my sister and her telescope will help out with that on Easter weekend.

9. Listening to my favourite birds singing. Just the common white-throated sparrow. Excellent video below.

flower pictures

from my recent trip, for all the flower-crazy girls who read this blog...

almond blossom
ceres

some kind of gorgeous succulent
monterey bay

calla lilies on a cliff
perkins park, pacific grove

some other gorgeous succulent, some purple flower, aloe arborescens and dandelions!
perkins park, pacific grove

azalea & bee
ceres

camellia
ceres

february theme song

Was there (but more stage left.... and closer!) Amazing show. Not procrastinating on school work by surfing for videos. Specifically looked for this song because, well, I can kinda relate right now.

the pack

Reading Sharp Teeth, a modern epic poem about werewolves. Surrounded by dogs. Hoping I'm pack leader.

Some people love winter.

Others? Not so much.

- 32 C with the wind chill this morning and my hands are so dry they have cracks.

BUT

It is a brilliantly sunny day and spent the afternoon drinking chai tea and reading. 

happy national sweater day!

As a knitter, this is something I can get down with. Actually working on my first sweater but it is definitely not ready to wear.

Come on people... Turn down the heat, put on a sweater!

dinner party

Omar and I had an amazing dinner last night with his friends who are in town doing a show at PTE. Jan prepared an excellent beet soup, pakora and filo pockets, five Indian dishes, naan, rice, and various condiments. Was quite blown away and totally stuffed. We were tasked with brining wine and dessert.

Don't have any pictures of the buffet but did take a shot of the dessert. Very pleased with myself! They are mini cheesecakes made in a muffin tin and they rocked, if I do say so myself. Topped with apricot ginger jam. Recipe is available on the Martha Stewart website. She suggests straining the jam, which does make it look prettier (and a bit like eggs) but I preferred the chunky bits of apricot and ginger.

Rufus was a big help, as always. He's well known for his love of all things toasty but this was going a bit far. He wisely stayed off the vent (which is why his butt is hanging over the edge) but he didn't seem the least bit concerned about getting caught lounging on the stove. He jumped off in a dignified and casual sort of way after I shrieked at him. Had to take his picture first, of course!

my new theme song

Holiday pics

Gingerbread house by Marilee and Ayva

Packed and heading to Brandon

Bluejay at my mom's feeder

Visiting Judy and Blair's farm near Miniota

Mom not getting suckered!

January 2011
Classic prairie winter

January 2012
Record breaking plus 6 degrees celsius

Resolutions for 2012

Well, half last year's resolutions were a bust. Specifically 2, 3 and 4. I resolve to do better this year?

1. I will continue to keep my head above water financially. My income has been cut in half since September but I appear to be doing okay. No wiggle room, but hey, surviving.

2. I will get back on the exercise bandwagon. Got rid of the 10 lbs I had gained and then put them back on. Grad school is hard on the body. Waaaaay too much sitting at a desk. Taking Lexi for a 5km walk every morning and lifting weights again. Will start running and biking as soon as the snow disappears.

And a new one....

3. We will not waste food. This is actually a household resolution prompted by a statistic that I came across while researching a paper. Approximately 1/3 of food is wasted at the household level. This one starts right after I clean out the fridge! I'm sure there is all kinds of horrifying things growing in there...

Set pizza on kitchen table.
Turn around to get plates...

cookie day

Cookie decorating with Marilee, Ayva and Heather.

Close-up of the Adam and Omar cookies (made by Ayva and me).

The Citadel, Halifax, May 2011