the great tomato soup taste-off - part 2

The tasting took place outside our house, in my parking spot, and neighbour Chris's. We sat in patio chairs and enjoyed our soup samples in the fresh air. I served each taster his or her own selection of 5 soups in dixie cups. You'll see from the photos, we began early in the evening, and continued as tasters arrived through the evening. Nolan and Temem requested to join us, and became our teen tasters.

As you can see, the tasters took their work seriously. Most knew right away which soups they liked best, and which they did not. They recorded their responses, and I collected their tally sheets. Then they returned to their cocktails and the snack table of "things that go with tomato soup."

We began about 6:30, and continued until about 9pm, when the last of the tasters completed their slurping and rating. By this time it was dark. Plenty of beer, wine and snacks had been consumed. I took all of the tally sheets into the carport, where there's a light to see by, and put the scores and comments together.

the great tomato soup taste-off - part 3

The results:

In fifth place, with 27 points - CAMPBELL'S TOMATO SOUP
Comment - "bland and sweet"
One taster ranked this soup as his/her favourite of the five. Three tasters ranked it least favourite.

In fourth place, with 31 points - SAFEWAY TOMATO SOUP Comment - "generic"
One taster ranked this soup as his/her favourite of the five. Two tasters ranked it least favourite.

In third place, with 34 points - SUPERSTORE NO-NAME TOMATO SOUP
Comments - "decent" "okay" "yukkie"
One taster ranked this soup as his/her favourite of the five. One taster ranked it least favourite.

In second place, with 43.5 points - KNORR CLASSIC TOMATO SOUP WITH REAL CREAM Comment - "thick with herbs - good"
Four tasters ranked this soup as their favourite. Two taster ranked it least favourite.

In first place, with 45.5 points - AMY'S ORGANIC TOMATO SOUP
Comments - "fresh taste" "blech"
Four tasters ranked this soup as their favourite. One taster ranked it least favourite.

I found it interesting that every soup was the favourite of at least one taster AND the least favourite of at least one other taster. Everyone was surprised that good old Campbell's did so poorly. Several of us will be buying a different brand of soup as a result of this experience.

I learned a few things from organizing this tasting:
1) Every one of us has his/her own taste.
2) It isn't easy serving 5 of the same thing to nearly a dozen people, but it's worth it.
3) My friends will let me boss them around (I think because they trust they will have fun if they do).
4) Soup of the evening, beautiful, beautiful soup!

question: what is your favourite soup?

mompoet - forming new opinions and preferences

MeTube

Here are a couple of YouTube videos from my feature set at the Vancouver Poetry Slam's Cover/Tribute Slam in July.





question: Are you Mike McGee?

mompoet - I'm not, but if I were...

wheat salad, memory, and early morning congress with slugs

I remember that I have a bag of whole wheat on the shelf, so I put a cup of it into a bowl of water to soak before I go to bed. In the morning, I remember that I have started a wheat salad, so I venture out to the garden, because I remember that I have some sweet, plump pea pods, ready for picking. I think they would go well with the wheat.

I pause to say that remembering creeps up slowly on me in the morning. Now that I am walking to work each morning, I reserve coffee-drinking for after my arrival at the office. This adds incentive to get walking, and prevents the urge for an ill-timed potty stop somewhere along the way to work. When I arrive at work, I put the coffee on for the seniors who will soon walk in the door, ready for a day of fun, and those who bound up the stairs after their early morning squash and tennis, ready for the coffee that they have also surely deferred, perhaps for reasons similar to mine.

That first cup of coffee aids remembering, mightily.

Let's go back to the garden. I am standing in rather lanky grass, still wet with dew. I am wearing my pajamas and a pair of pink croc shoes that Fiona used to wear when she was about 10 years old. Andy and I both use these as garden shoes. He looks very cute in them. I am scanning the 8 foot tall pea plants for treasure. It's interesting how pea pods are exactly the same colour as pea stems and pea leaves. The only variation on the plant is the blossoms, of which there are many more, and so potentially many more peas. After a moment of calm focussing, I see lots of peas. I make a mental note to look up more recipes using peas, a note which I instantly forget.

I notice also that the slugs have not messed with the peas. Perhaps they would fall off of the slender pea plant branches, or succumb to altitude sickness. At any rate, I am glad to find many pea pods, ready for eating by me and my family, and not already partially eaten by slugs. I pick a hearty handful of peas and stick them in the pocket of my dressing gown. Then I look at the kale, because I think I would like some for the pizza that I plan to make for supper. The kale has not fared so well with the slugs. It's early enough in the morning, in fact, that a fat slug munches brazenly on one of the lower leaves of the purple kale plant. I pluck the slug and fling it to the other side of the yard, where it lands in the lanky, damp grass. Why can't we get the slugs to eat the grass, like goats do? That way the slugs would be fed, and we would not have to mow the lawn. Well, I guess I don't like to eat grass, so maybe the slugs have the same good taste in vegetables that I have. I note to myself that slugs are more similar in aesthetic values to human beings than they are to goats. I instantly forget this thought, as well. I do remember to pick a bunch of mint from the garden, but not before I wipe the slug-slime off of my fingers in the damp grass. I do remember that slug slime is impervious to soap and water, but removes nicely with a lawn-wipe.

Back to the salad. I am now running short on time to pack lunch, shower and dress before walking to work. So in super-speedy mode, I concoct the following salad:

1 cup whole wheat, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
a good handful of grape tomatoes, halved
a couple of tablespoons of chopped mint leaves
one dressing gown pocketfull of pea pods, halved
one chunk of cucumber, diced
a slice or two of red onion, also diced

I mix these up in the container that I used to soak the wheat, then dress them with

1/2 cup olive oil
a splash of balsamic vinegar (proportion to taste)
salt and pepper

I mix this well, portion a lunch-size scoopful into a smaller container, and remember to pack a wee container of crumbled feta cheese, to garnish the salad at lunch time. The rest of the salad goes into the fridge where it will keep for a day or two.

I pack my knapsack, shower, dress, forget to water the petunias on the porch, remember my cell phone and iPod, and walk to work, leaving at 7:35am, just in time to NOT have to take the bus.

I arrive at 8:30am, and put the coffee on. I remember to put my salad into the fridge in the staff room, but know that it wouldn't have hurt it to stay warm in my pack until lunch. I dress in work attire, and get that cup of coffee. AHHHH!

Bigger AAAAAAHHHHHH! at lunchtime. The wheat salad is delicious. It takes considerable time to eat because the wheat is very chewy. The flavours and colours are nicely balanced and the pea pods are sweet and bright. I remember how much I like wheat salad, and I think about how I might incorporate more pea pods from the garden into tonight's supper. I haven't forgotten about the slugs, but they don't really bother me. They are teaching me about patience, and abundance (enough there for them and us!). I am teaching them how to fly.

question: what do you find on your shelf? in your garden?

mompoet - remembering to share with the slugs

circus

Cirque du Soleil just spent the night
in the drawer where we keep the kitchen scissors.
The scissors are not where I left them yesterday.
This morning, they straddle the jar of paper clips,
arms extended in a victory bow,
clips and snips, both grinning in triumph
at the completion of some feat
beyond the ability of most home office supplies.

The twist ties, if anything, are tidier than when I left them.
They line up smartly, according to height, width, and place of origin.
But I know they've been up to something.
Each one of them has been (precisely)
twisted.

Plastic cling wrap, wax paper, aluminum foil,
all have (I suspect) been extended to their full length
repeatedly
re-rolled and returned to their boxes
tighter, neater, and somehow more smug
than I have ever seen them.

I'm almost certain I smell grease paint
on the double-a batteries
eyelash glue on the scotch tape dispenser
and that rub they use for sore muscles
on the back of the trusty old stapler

If I were a betting woman
I would bet one hundred dollars
someone has been juggling these push pins
and using those rubber bands for trapezes
employing ball-point pens for stilt-walking...

The toothpicks have biceps.
Q-tips - tired divas
resting from back-to-back aerial performances.
The multi-head screwdriver
just shrugged off glittering spandex
and tucked it away in the compartment
with all of the screwdriver heads.

I search the baking parchment
like a left-behind programme
looking for clues of the night's revelry
proof positive of sensations unseen
but receive only a blank stare.
All acrobatic excess - flatly denied.
The circus has left town.
Scissors fold closed
slip sideways beside the stapler
where they belong.


question: what happens at your house during the night?

mompoet - world of imagination

between

in moments before waking
the blank, the void, the blessed repose
general feeling of all is all there is
loop of non-linear bliss
walking, blank-faced through clothesline rows
of fresh-washed bedsheets
warm and sweet as a day in the sun

long, soft flight of strangely lanky shorebirds
built not of this world, nor nature
but of your nature, mine too
drifting and pulling
drawn by logic of memories and supposition
instinct of buried thoughts, surplus impulse
their nightly flight subsiding - soon
in pools of shallow tide

and you
your daytime self
poking your head from the earth
fresh as a pea sprout for that single second
that same warm emergence
a smell, a sound, a thought
for a minute, unrecognizable
thin membrane unfolding
easy landing
welcome home


question: good morning?

mompoet - awake

morning

he wakes early
before leaving for work
photographs the dawn and sunrise
leaves her a slideshow with her coffee and email
phones to say
look - it was even better than that
no camera can capture the colours
I wish you'd...

she pours her coffee
thinks how the first cup tastes best
thinks of her first cup ever
thinks of the smell of her mother's coffee brewing
when she was a little girl
remembers wondering...

her mother calls, then
tells how the raccoon family came again
tells how, hearing their clatter, she
went out to the yard in her nightie
watched them wash their food in the fountain that dad built
we stayed like that for an hour
it was like the old days with him here
you and your brother...

sometimes
your heart's desire is so close you
can almost...

mostly, you just have to wake up and go out and find it
life all around you, your toes cool in the damp lawn



question: what do you hold close?

mompoet - reflecting as summer closes

blue-bundance part 1

On Sunday, Andy and I drove out to Granny Frannie's Blueberry Farm in Port Coquitlam. It is actually owned by a granny, named Fran, and her husband. It is the sweetest place you have ever seen, and the berries are wonderful. In 3 hours we picked 51 pounds of berries. Then the fun began.

We brought the berries home in buckets. They looked so good that we kept scooping them off the top and nibbling them. They are hard to resist. My plan was to NOT resist them, but to share them with my family, and enjoy as much as we wanted over the next few days, but also to freeze a substantial quantity for the cold months. This sounded like a good plan, until I opened the fridge door to check out "how much room for blueberries?"

I quickly did some fridge-combing, and threw out a few expired items. I think the oldest thing that I found was some historical garbanzo beans from the beginning of time (those were NOT nice at all). I also found cranberry jelly, which caused some alarm until I remembered that I served a turkey at spring break - but still, that is old. I combined a couple of jars of simultaneous salsa, and ate a couple of pickles. There!

Did I mention that we bought a watermelon on the way home from the farm. Du-oh! You see, there is no sweeter combination in the world than chunks of watermelon mixed with fresh blueberries. Try a bowl full. The colours, shapes, textures and flavours are really yummy. So Andy and the kids and I sat down and ate watermelon and blueberries, and I packed some for our lunches the next day because the little lunch boxes stack more nicely in the fridge that big chunks of split watermelon do. See part two...

blue-bundance part 2

I consolidated a couple of the buckets to make 9 instead of 11, and got the camping cooler chests and ice packs out of the basement. Finally, I had most of the berries stowed for cool storage while they waited their turn to be frozen.

I proceeded to prepare the first batch of berries for freezing. I poured them into a plastic colander and rinsed them in the sink, shaking the colander as I rinsed, and picking out leaves, stems, dried blossom bits and anything else I found. The berries were pretty clean to start with. Andy and I are good pickers.

I shook out as much of the water as I could, then poured the berries onto cookie sheets lined with parchment. The idea is to freeze the berries in a shallow layer, then pour them into freezer bags, so you can use as many or as few frozen berries as you need, when you need them. I put the pans into the big freezer in the basement, and went out to the garden. I had an idea for a nice combination. Our garden is new for us this summer, and it's doing very well in the sunniest corner of our back yard. Among many delicious things growing there, we have rhubarb!

I put together a crisp for dessert... (see part 3)

blue-bundance - part 3

Blue-barb-arine Crisp

3 cups blueberries
1 large nectarine
1 cup diced fresh rhubarb
1 cup sugar
3 tbs. cornstarch
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs vegetable oil

Grease an 8 inch casserole. Put the fruit into it. Combine the 1 cup sugar and cornstarch then stir it into the fruit. Mix up the oats, brown sugar and oil to make a crumb topping. Sprinkle this on top. Bake for about 40 minutes at 350, until it's bubbling well, all the way to the centre.

While the crisp was baking, I made salads to go with supper. I used blueberries, of course.

The panic I had felt earlier at the prospect of storing huge quantities of fresh blueberries subsided as I smelled the crisp baking in the oven, and looked upon the beauty of the bowls of salad. Now I just have to figure out how to fit 45 pounds of frozen blueberries into the big freezer downstairs.

Ah well, life is sweet. Alex picked up a box of ice cream to go with the crisp after supper. We are blessed with abundances all around.

question: did you buy, pick, or grow your blueberries?

mompoet - happy and blue!

life full of life

This past week has just been full to the gills with activity - all good, but busy. I haven't had time to read, vacuum or blog. I will admit I've spent a bit of time web browsing - just not much posting except for "liking" some things that my friends have posted on facebook.

Now I have half an hour before I must dress and get ready to walk to work. I could blog about blueberries, but I have a pot full of porridge just ready on the stove, and a half of a mango totally ready to eat, and there are also (lots of) blueberries. So instead, I will read the paper and eat breakfast. I will blog about blueberries and other things later.

For now, this is a picture of August so far. I think you get the idea.

question: how is your summer going?

mompoet - WHEEEE!

good cooking - 3 recipe successes from this week

I love the bounty of summer - so many fruits and veggies so fresh and inexpensive. Here's what I cooked this week:

Quinoa and Vegetables
(a recipe from the newspaper - I can't remember which newspaper - that I adapted)

1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cup water
pinch salt
red or yellow bell pepper
zucchini
cucumber
edamame
red onion
cherry tomatoes
1 cup miniature boconccini cheese balls
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tbs dijon mustard
oregano (lots)
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 small cloves garlic - minced
salt and pepper

Soak the quinoa for about 15 minutes. Rinse well using a fine strainer. Put the quinoa in a pot with the water and pinch of salt. Cook like rice: bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave covered five more minutes then uncover, fluff and allow to cool.

Wash and chop the vegetables. I think I assembled about 3 cups of chopped veg for this. You could sub in whatever you wanted. The recipe called for fresh peas, but ours in the garden aren't ready yet, so I cooked some frozen edamame. Add the veg and the cheese to the cooled quinoa.

Mix up the dressing. Be generous with the oregano. Stir the dressing into the salad. Makes 4 lunch size servings.

Grilled Eggplant with Tomatoes and Feta

This is a riff on a recipe by Martha Rose Shulman from the New York Times that my Dad pointed out to me. Dad, I will cook this for you next time you are over.

1 medium eggplant
6 medium tomatoes
fresh basil leaves
red onion
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
feta cheese

Chop the tomatoes relatively small, discarding the extra moisture and seeds so you're working with the meaty part of the tomato. Chop in the fresh basil leaves and add garlic and fine chopped red onion to your taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the eggplant 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Brush it lightly with olive oil. Cook it on your barbeque or your George Foreman Grill if you have one. (I used the George Foreman and it was excellent.)

Add the leftover olive oil to the tomato mixture.

When the eggplant is cooked, put it into a bowl and cover it. Allow it to soften for 10 or 15 minutes (if you can stand to wait!) Arrange it on your serving plate or plates and top with the tomatoes then sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese. Makes 2-4 meal-size servings, depending on how big the eggplant is.

Grilled Eggplant and Pepper Salad

This is also Martha Rose Shulman's from the New York Times - thanks again for finding it, Dad!

1 big eggplant
2 or 3 coloured bell peppers (preferably a variety of colours)
1 chili pepper (the recipe asked for a mildly hot one like an anaheim, but I couldn't find any that day, so I used a jalapeno - sparingly)
red onion
fresh garlic
1 fresh lime
a handful of fresh mint leaves
salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Heat up the barbeque. Poke some holes in the eggplant skin with a fork. Put the eggplant, bell peppers and hot pepper on the grill. Close the cover. Check and turn the veggies every few minutes. Remove them when they are cooked (blackened in parts, soft, fragrant). They will be ready smallest to largest. The grilled eggplant will be magnificent.

Put the grilled veggies into a bowl and cover them to let them soften further. In the meantime, chop up the red onion, mince the garlic, chop the mint leaves. Have a glass of wine.

Remove peels and seeds from both kinds of peppers. Chop medium-fine. Cut up the eggplant into small pieces. I kept the seeds and skin from the eggplant because I think they are very nice. Mix the lime juice, garlic, onions, mint, salt and pepper and oil into the veggies. Let them stand a few minutes. Finish your wine.

This makes a side dish amount for 4 people. I pretty much ate half of it all by myself very easily.

question: what did you cook this week?

mompoet - cooking, eating, appreciating

a walk in the woods

Kirsi and I met after work yesterday, and walked up the northeast slope of Burnaby Mountain. There's a trail that runs from Garrow Street in the Glenayre neighbourhood, all the way to the top of the hill. It's wide and well-maintained, also well-used. We saw lots of people walking and on bikes along the way. It's also steep and steeper. The steeper part is called Cardiac Hill. It's about as steep as you want to go without climbing stairs. Kirsi and I applied the low-gear, small-step psyche to this portion of the walk, and made it to the top, talking all the way (which is a good indication that we weren't gasping for air at any time).

The trail cuts along the cliffs at the back of the mountain, and it's heavily treed on both sides, so there aren't spectacular views. It is beautiful though, and nice to have such a green place so close to our homes. We came out near some of the Univer-City homes, and followed the ring road around to the bus stops near the west end of campus, then cut back on a trail that gave us a less steep descent than we would have found on Cardiac. I specifically did not want to go sliding down the hill on my bum!

An hour later, we were back in Glenayre. A woman just heading up the trail told us that a bear had just ambled past her, onto the street below. We were glad we did not meet the bear on the trail.

Kirsi says this is a good walk, even in the rain, because of the shelter given by the trees. On a sunny summer day it was cool and fresh, all the way up.

Now I am picturing a mini sea to sky walk, starting on the Trans Canada Trail below the Barnet Highway, where it follows the shoreline. From there, I could take the Westhill Trail straight up to College Park, from there, a stroll past Westhill Park to Garrow, then up again to the top of the hill. I think it would make a nice 2 hour loop from our house down to the water, up the mountain and home again.

question: does anyone want to join me?

mompoet - climb every mountain

pajamas again!

I've just posted photos of the traveling blue flannel pajamas on my pajama blog. Check it out!

question: where have you been in your pajamas?

mompoet - appreciative and admiring

Theatre Under the Stars - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Fiona and I went out to see Joseph at TUTS last night. We usually see both TUTS shows every summer. It's a real treat to sit outdoors at Stanley Park and enjoy a musical theatre production put on by a local company of professional and emerging performers. We usually know people in the show too, which makes it even more enjoyable.

We've seen a couple of productions of Andrew Lloyd Weber's Joseph recently. In the fall, Footlight Theatre in Burnaby put on a funny and delicious show at the Michael J Fox Theatre in Burnaby. This company made a successful transition from the more intimate James Cowan Theatre into the grand space of the Fox. Joseph was the perfect choice for this move. The production was splashy and gorgeous. In the spring, we saw Royal City Musical Theatre's production of Joseph at the Massey Theatre in New Westminster. Fiona was in the show, so we saw it a few times, and loved the high energy, non-stop splendour of it. Luxurious sets and fab costumes set off a solid ensemble performance with a jumbo cast.

Both Footlight and RCMT followed the script pretty well to the letter in their productions of Joseph, spicing things up with local and current references where convention dictates. We would have been happy to see something similar at TUTS. Instead we were treated to a total revamp of old "Joe" that was a bit herky-jerky (on purpose I think), and a splendid surprise.

Director Shel Piercy has revamped the traditional Joseph into a new story, with so many twists it's sometimes hard to stay caught up. I just relaxed and enjoyed what I could see. Jacob and the brothers are played by children. There are multiple narrators. The show is set in 1967. The Pharaoh is a woman. There are acrobatics and magic tricks. And that's just for starters.

The show begins with a dejected group of kids trying to put on a show about Joseph's coat. They don't have enough actors to play all of the brothers, and it's almost curfew time. As they ponder whether to stage the Wizard of Oz instead, or to just give up and go home, their rehearsal space is invaded by a group of hippies, who promise not to harm them, and to show them how the story goes. They recruit a 12th brother from the audience (a little girl who was incorporated into the whole show in a simply lovely way) and tell the story. The songs and plot line are the same, but everything else is different. Cultural, historical and political references are spiked through every bit of the narrative, and there are lots of musical theatre in-jokes. Performers literally swing from the rafters in crazy dance routines and the kids and adults all perform together on stage from beginning to end. My favourite part was the funniest rendition of "Canaan Days" that I have ever seen. The production is tight - finishing in 2 hours even with a generous intermission. There's a lot of heart in it, a fine lead performance by Erik Ioannidis and great ensemble work too. All in all, it was a refreshing change and a thoroughly satisfying evening.

If you haven't been to TUTS in recent years, things have changed. All seats are reserved (online, in person at the Malkin Bowl box office or at Tickets Tonight). There's a great barbeque for supper if you need it, other reasonably priced refreshments, wine and beer sales inside the venue, and ample parking nearby if you come by car. When you pay for parking, note that it's free after nine. If you arrive at 7pm, you should be able to park by the miniature railroad and pay $5 for just 2 hours. Once that lot is full, there's one just across the main road beside the RCMP horse stables. Programs are free now, and you can get your photo taken for free also, at a photo tent run by the show's corporate sponsor, TD Bank.

Some things are the same as always: the walk across the garden to the washrooms under the tea pavilion, sea planes and seagulls crossing overhead during the performance, cuddling up under a blanket as the sky darkens during the second act, and the love and energy of the performers and volunteers at Malkin Bowl. It's more than just the play you go for when you enjoy an evening at TUTS.

As we walked back to our car we saw the little girl who had been brought from the audience into the show to be youngest brother, Benjamin. She was dancing around on the lawn outside the venue gates, still wearing her beautiful coloured coat. "You did a great job!" we told her. "Thank you!" she sang, still dancing.

question: have you been to TUTS lately?

mompoet - loving Vancouver

power pole monday

I walked to work Monday morning. I left at about 7:20 so I could be at work and changed into work clothing by 8:30. About 9 at work, a tree branch feel on my co-worker Diane's car in our parking lot - luckily no damage but it was a scary incident. The wind had started up, as promised by the weather forecast, and things were getting a bit hairy outside. At about 10:30, Alex, who was home for the day, woke up and phoned my office to tell me the electricity was out at home. It was a warm day, and he had a full battery on his macbook, so he was okay. He went out on the bus for a little while, and called me again at 3 to say that the fire road gate at the top of our neighbourhood was open. This gate is used to admit emergency vehicles to our cul de sac neighbourhood, and on the rare occasion that the road to the highway is closed, so the several hundred houses between it and the highway have an alternate access route. Soon after, I got a call from Fiona, home on the bus from a day out, also noticing the fire road open.

I walked home, arriving in the neighbourhood about 5, to note that the fire road was open and lots of drivers were using it. A neighbour confirmed that the road to the highway was, indeed, closed and the power still out. I got to the house to find it warm and bright, but with no electricity. Andy wasn't home yet. He's been working a later shift, and was stuck in rush hour traffic, complicated by a road closure on the highway. Eastbound routes all over were clogged.

I ordered pizza for pickup, and gave Alex some money and my car, with instructions to use the fire road out. In the meantime, I walked down to the highway to have a look. Along the way, I saw lots of neighbours. Everyone was coming home from work and going down to have a look. A lady who lives at the bottom of the hill was outside of her home. She told me the story.

About 9am, the wind blew the top half of a tall tree over on to the electrical lines that run along the highway, snapping multiple wires, breaking the pole and igniting a small grass fire on the hillside. Hydro, Fire and Police attended. Live electrical wires lay across the road that leads in and out of the neighbourhood, to the highway. The police blocked the road off and and opened the fire road as an alternate. Hydro crews worked all day, taking away the debris and bringing in a new power pole and electrical lines. At 5:30, the prediction was that it would take about 3 more hours to restore electricity to our homes. Traffic, which is backed up at 5:30 on a good day, was crawling along one lane, instead of 3, on the highway.

I was headed out to the poetry slam. Andy and the kids decided to go see a movie. We lined up all the flashlights, just in case the power was still out when we got home, then went out. When Andy and the kids got home from the movie around 9:30, the electricity was back on.

Looks like the food in our fridge and freezer is okay. It was a nice warm day, with lots of light, and best of all, nobody was injured when the tree blew over and the wires came down. The next morning, when I walked to work at 7:20, the fire road gate was closed. All is well.

question: did you see the wind?

mompoet - living with respect for tall trees

Chick-a-Boom at the Van Slam Cover Slam

On Monday night, I featured at the Van Slam Cover Slam. The poets performed poems written by other poets. It turned out to be a night of funny and sweet tribute work. I opened my feature set with this gorgeous poem by Irene Livingston.



question: boom boom boom?

mompoet - bloom

ziptrek (the big one)

Back in February, during the Olympics, Andy and I waited five and a half hours in line one drizzly morning to ride the zipline across Robson Square in downtown Vancouver. It was one of the most frightening things I have ever done. It was also a ton of fun. It was also much too short.

When it came time to plan a family vacation this summer, we decided to stay in Whistler for a few days, and to splurge on a proper ziptrek for the whole family. We booked the Eagle tour with Ziptrek Ecotours.

We arrived at base of Whistler, paid for our tour, and signed the waivers. Then we went outside to meet our guides. We had two guides, Drew from Prince George BC, and Jan from the Czech Republic. Both were friendly, helpful and well-prepared to take us on our adventure. At the base of the mountain, they helped us put on our harnesses and helmets so they were comfortable and safely adjusted. After that, we took a short van ride up the gully between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, stopping near the top of the Whistler Sliding Centre (where they held the bobsled, luge and skeleton competitions during the Olympics). From there we took a short walk along a trail to the first zip platform.

At this and at each of the subsequent 4 zip lines, one guide went ahead of the rest of the group to prepare the landing platform. The two guides communicated with radios to coordinate the zipping of guests along the cables. It works like this. When it's your turn, you step from the main platform out to a smaller launching area. Your guide temporarily tethers you securely to the platform while he attaches your pulley to the cable, and double-checks the adjustments on your harness. Then it's your turn. You take a few steps down on a stairway to nowhere, and step gently off into the air. Of course, your pulley is hooked up to the cable, so you slide along its incline, accelerating most of the way across the span. Near the end, your pulley connects with a brake mechanism that the second guide has advanced out along the cable, using a rope. When your pulley contacts the brake, it attaches to the brake. The second guide pulls you up to the platform, where you scramble back onto your feet and step back to earth (or in some cases, to a platform a hundred or so feet up a trees, connected to a wooden suspension bridge, connected to another platform). Then the two guides check and re-set things, and send the next ziptrekker across.

The ride along the cable is marvelous. The friction on the cable produces a whining sound that gets higher as you speed up, and lower as you slow down. The view is incredible. You are up as high as the top of the tree canopy, and you see down through the trees to the forest floor and to a rushing river that you traverse with each zip. At the highest, you are several hundred feet in the air. Each zip takes anywhere from half a minutes to a couple of minutes on the longest one. It is beautiful. Although I had a moment of fear over lunch before we set out, I didn't really feel seriously afraid at any time on the tour. It was just too much fun!

Along the way, the guides told us about the forest habitat, and about their company's efforts to help preserve this environment, and to practice and promote sustainable business practices. It was interesting to know about this. Nothing they could tell us, however, matched the impact of seeing these great big trees the way the birds and squirrels see them.

At the end, we shed our harnesses and helmets, thanked our guides and congratulated each other. The tour took about two and a half hours from beginning to end. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

question: have you zipped?

mompoet - flying through the sky, looking treetops in the eye

garden

The weather has been dull this summer so far where I live. Lots of grey days and some rain. Instead of shorts and t-shirts, we are wearing jeans and hoodies, and bringing our umbrellas just in case. Despite it all our first-time-ever garden is growing just fine.

Andy built a 6x6 raised bed in the sunniest corner of our back yard. Our friend Allan, who is a landscaper, and builds similar beds for his clients, helped with the construction, and advised Andy what kind of soil to buy. Together, Andy and I chose plants that we thought would do well, and that would provide food that we like. We planted some small plants from the nursery, and some seeds.

Now we have kale, chard, chives, mint, rhubarb and cilantro that can be eaten (and are being eaten). We also have plants busy making zucchini, beans, peas, peppers, broccoli and tomatoes. It looks like the sun is finally going to shine on us, which should give a boost to these latter veggies and fruits, tomatoes being a fruit.

Our biggest worry is the slugs. In the damp, cool weather they are thriving. I pick them off the plants when I find them, and throw them into the grass. We have also set up a couple of beer traps - cups of beer set into the soil. These attract the slugs, then they drown in the beer. Now I have just heard that eggshells are a good deterrent. This morning, I ventured out at 6am to cut some kale, chives and cilantro. Then I cooked these up with eggs and feta cheese, and served them with a tortilla and salsa (yum!) The eggshells will go back out to the garden to start my slug no-go zone.

It feels good to go pick ingredients from the back yard and put them directly into food for my family. We know these are free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. They are fresher than fresh, and include varieties that aren't found at the grocery. This is good!

question: what does your garden grow?

mompoet - looking forward to making my own salsa when those tomatoes are ready

wraps late entry

Here's one more wrap for the lineup (see next post down) because blogger lets me post 5 photos and we had 6 wraps:

• bulldog clamp - advantage: powerful and reliable disadvantage: pinching hazard

bon appetit (for fun and food)!

naked wrap festival

Linda and I had some fun at work on Wednesday, crafting ways to hold our lunchtime wrap sandwiches together without disposable plastic wrap. These pictures illustrate some of our ideas.

We found lots of effective ways to hold our wraps together without using plastic wrap, however each approach had its pros and cons:

• knitting yarn ties - advantage: inexpensive, biodegradable disadvantage: tongue-tied
• plastic clip nylon bracelets from the 1980s - advantage: retro-chic disadvantage: retro-chic
• buttons - advantage: debonair and minimalist disadvantage: choking hazard (also fake)
• satin ribbon and belt buckle - advantage: reliable and colourful disadvantage: terribly twee
• antique buttons from Grandma's house, with olives for accent - advantage: reminds us of lunch at Grandma Olive's house disadvantage: a bit like having Grandma Olive for lunch

Linda brought pasta salad and grapes. I brought fresh veggies and home made hummus. We removed all inedible components and enjoyed our naked wraps.

No wraps were harmed in the making of this blog post. All fastening materials were returned to their desk drawers and sewing boxes for future practical application as fasteners.

question: do you play with your food?

mompoet - good for the environment, and good fun

dad weekend

My Dad's birthday is June 19. Father's Day is June 20 this year. I believe that the two events should be celebrated separately. I am glad that my Dad concurs.

On Saturday, Mom made an awesome feast of red snapper and risotto. I brought a salad, made with some of the local strawberries that Andy and I bought at a farm in Port Coquitlam earlier in the day. We sat out on the deck at Mom and Dad's place for supper - finally warm enough for an outdoor meal! Mom made a delicious angel food cake with chocolate glaze. You'll note from the photo that Dad has binary birthday candles (64 YES, 32 NO, 16 NO, 8 YES, 4 NO, 2 YES, 1 YES = 75).

On Sunday, Dad and I took our traditional "sushi walk." I bought sushi and packed it on a walk out around Burnaby Lake. We enjoyed a picnic out at the end of Piper Spit. Dad brought a little stove, and made miso soup and green tea. We saw a family of ducks, having a rest on the beaver dam that sits at the end of the spit. It was a good day.

It was very nice to spend time with my Dad this weekend. We caught up on family news and history and agreed about how wonderful it is to have a beautiful place like Burnaby Lake, within walking distance of Mom and Dad's house. I didn't even get a single mosquito bite, so it was pretty much a perfect day and a grand weekend.

question: how did you celebrate Father's Day?

mompoet - big weekend of Dad stuff

naked wrap challenge

First thing Wednesday morning at work, my friend Linda beckons me to the staff room. "I have to show you something!" she says, gesturing towards the fridge. I wonder, "does she have a picture of her grandchildren in the refrigerator?" "Did she grow a giant rutabaga in her garden over winter?"

Linda opens the fridge, takes out her lunch and shows me a re-usable plastic container. She opens it up and shows me her wrap. I'm sure my yelps of delighted laughter can be heard all over the building, even with the staff room door closed.

Linda and I have been discussing how difficult it is to pack a sandwich wrap to work for lunch, without using clingy plastic wrap to keep it from un-wrapping. I have enjoyed some success with using a snug plastic box, and also with bringing the components separately, and building the wrap at lunchtime. On Wednesday, Linda tried toothpicks.

I think this is wonderful. Linda told me how, at first, the box lid wouldn't snap on because the toothpicks were too tall. She wondered, "Should she cut them shorter?" but settled on angling them to lower the profile. She also determined that she needed more than one toothpick (three actually) despite also employing cream cheese to glue the wrap shut. Linda likes cream cheese, so she did not offer to let me remove it before she ate her lunch. hmmmph.

So now the game is on. How many wraps can we eat in the next couple of weeks? How can we hold them together? Linda has Grandma's antique hat pins, but wonders if they are food safe. I was standing at the photocopy machine later in the day, glanced at my new name tag and shouted, "MAGNETS!" We are going to have some fun, and I will document it here.

A wrap is a great way to combine all sorts of ingredients in a neat package for lunchtime eating. Using a re-usable box instead of plastic wrap is good for the environment. How we make it work is a challenge that we relish, or cream cheese, or salsa. Watch for more developments.

question: do you pack a wrap? How do you fasten it?

mompoet - please remove inedible fastening devices before consuming your lunch

naked lunch

A facebook friend invited me to join a challenge this month to reduce or eliminate the plastic that I discard. It has been an interesting challenge. I have achieved a couple of plastic-dump-free days, I have found it to be very difficult to totally swear off throwing plastic into the trash.

Dump-free-days makes me think of Dumfries Street, which some teenagers (who will remain nameless) think is the funniest street name they have every heard of. They pronounce it "Dum Fries" street (like french fries) and have declared that when they grow up, they must own a house on Dum Fries Street. It's a pretty nice neighbourhood, near the cemetery, so I wouldn't mind visiting them there. I would probably help them pack their lunches to take to work, while they sat out in the yard in Adirondack chairs, drinking ginger beer and chortling about the name of their street. "heh heh heh! We live on Dum Fries Street, heh heh."

I have focused my plastic waste reduction in a couple of areas, the first being the lunches that I pack to work. Check out the photo of my lunch from a few days ago. If you go back to my previous post, entitled "lunch bag," you will note that this week's lunch uses less disposable plastic, which is good. It's relatively easy to use re-usable containers in place of plastic bags and plastic wrap. They keep the food fresh and contained, although they make my lunch bag a bit more bulky. In preparation for plastic waste reduction month, I re-organized the kitchen cabinet that holds the plastic containers. It's amazing how many lids we have that do not match to any containers, and vice versa. My theory is that the missing pieces are in the same place as the socks, the pens and the scotch tape.

My friend Linda talked to me about packing wraps for lunch, and how it's difficult to put a wrap in a plastic box and have it hold together. We discussed a few options for dealing with this problem:

- toothpicks
- lots of cream cheese, used as glue
-a kilt pin (remember to remove the kilt pin before eating the wrap, which I guess should also be said for the toothpicks, and the cream cheese, if you do not like cream cheese, but use it to hold your wrap together). If we eat lunch together, I will offer to remove any offending cream cheese before you eat your wrap. This reminds me of a long car trip, during which my kids (not yet teens at the time) obliged grandpa by sucking the chocolate off of the almonds, then feeding the almonds to him.

Ooops, I think I just went off on a tangent. Back to plastic waste reduction.

Another solution for the problem of the unraveling wrap is to bring the ingredients (in a re-usable container) and assemble them at lunchtime. This is especially good if you want to combine reheated fillings with cool crispy ones in your wrap.

Aside from this, packing lunch without disposable plastic is a piece of cake (just not choke cake, please).

The next area of waste reduction on which I have focused is shopping. Lots of stuff at the store comes wrapped in plastic. I feel fortunate that our children are young adults, and we don't buy toys for them any more, because by far the worst offenders in this regard are toys. I remember spending 10 minutes releasing a Barbie doll from bondage one Christmas, while our daughter practically died from anticipation. The poor plastic doll was tethered in her display box with about a dozen tiny zap strap type plastic ties, AND her hair was taped to her head with a cellophane head band. What did the manufacturers think? That she was going to hatch an escape plot and crawl out of the box while it sat under the Christmas tree? I just don't understand. One solution for this is to buy (or get for free from friends and family) used toys. Kids like them as well as brand new, and they can have them as soon as they see them.

I shop for food almost every day, and I've observed that the closer to the source a food product is, the less likely it is to be over-wrapped. Fresh fruits and vegetables are an excellent example. They sit naked in the produce store until we load them into clear plastic bags before they go into the shopping basket, then maybe we put all of those plastic bags into larger bags for the ride home. Starting this month, I have been re-using the clear plastic bags from fruits and vegetables that I have finished up. I just stick them into the bag bin where I keep my cloth grocery bags, then pack them with me when I go out. Nobody at the produce store has complained that I am not using their clear bags, so I'm at least getting a few repeat uses of the clear bags before I have to chuck them. Linda tells me she brings a lot of her fruit and veggies home without a clear bag at all. She gets them weighed together, then puts them into her shopping bag. It must be nice for the bell peppers to mingle with the limes and zucchinis. Kind of like fruit and veggies going commando.

The clear bag re-use plan will also work for bulk food shopping, and possibly at the fish store or butcher, however I have not visited either of the latter this month. What it can't help is all of the foods that come pre-packaged, which sometimes even includes fruits and veg. And I can't help thinking about how they were wrapped while they traveled to the store, and sat in the cooler at the back of the store. Even if I don't see the plastic when they're on display, it may have been part of their journey. At least with plastic you take home, you can decide to re-use or recycle it. We're very good with milk jugs, yogurt containers, etc. taking them to the recycle bins. Sometimes I wonder if they are actually recycled, or if we're just paying someone to pick them up and make us feel virtuous.

The final area of focus is general trash disposal. We live in a townhouse complex. We have recycle bins and a green waste trailer, to divert all but "real" trash from the waste stream. We're planning to install a composter this summer in our back yard, to help our new box garden in the future. That will take care of our food scraps, egg shells etc. The "real trash" goes into a dumpster, and we have to bag it before it goes there. Loose "real trash" falls out of the dumpster when the truck flips it. Bagged "real trash" tumbles into the truck like good little trash. This is particularly critical for "real trash" categories such as used cat litter. Nobody likes that stuff to rain on their parade. I re-use whatever store bags we have for the trash from bathroom and bedroom wastebaskets, but I put a brand new, store bought plastic trash bag into my kitchen waste container every 2 or 3 days, and I use the same thing (only double bagged) for the aforementioned weekly used kitty litter disposal. I haven't figured out a way to get around this, and welcome any suggestions. Reusing store bags just doesn't work. They break, leak and scrunch down inside the kitchen wastebasket, all resulting in horrible yukkiness.

If I have not been successful in totally eliminating my plastic waste, I do feel good about changing my habits a bit, and improving my awareness. I'll try to keep this up even when June is over.

question: are you taking the no-plastic challenge? How is it going for you?

mompoet - look out for kilt pins and call me if you need help with surplus cream cheese.

how to sleep

Recently, I completed a 21 day wellness challenge at the rec centre where I work. Participants committed to doing one healthy thing for 21 days, and recorded their progress on a big wall chart. I chose sleeping. I am good at sleeping, but I suspected that I might be healthier if I slept a little longer each night. My specific commitment was to get 7 hours sleep each night. I was successful on all but two nights of the 21. The most difficult part for me was getting to bed early enough and/or staying in bed long enough in the morning to achieve a 7 hour total. I generally get good sleeps, but I'm prone to wanting to be up and awake and doing things, rather than spending time in bed. I guess that means I also have good energy.

In response to a request from my friend Muhd in Singapore, here are some tips for successful sleeping:

1. Go to bed
If you are tired, get into your bed. Don't sleep on the couch or in your chair. Don't sleep in the car (especially if you are driving). If you find yourself falling asleep during the day, that means you are not sleeping enough or well enough at night. But zonking out in place, mid-activity is not satisfying or refreshing. Take a nap in your bed if you need a nap. Thirty to sixty minutes of napping can be the refreshing rest you need. Nobody wrote a rule that you have to get all of your sleep in the night time. Try napping, and nap properly (undressed, in bed). If you need to be up and doing something at a certain time, use your alarm clock.

2. Wake Up
Be active during waking time. Go get busy. Get tired. Exercise your body, mind and spirit with your daily activities and interactions. Make something to dream about. Empty your tank. This will help you be ready for sleep at night.

3. Deal with It
If something is bothering you, do something about it before you climb into bed. Don't save up a big stressball all day, then gnaw on it once your head hits the pillow. Worrying and sleeping and mutually exclusive. You might not be able to solve every problem before bedtime, but you need to consciously put them aside. Write down a list of things to deal with tomorrow, and leave them in another room. If they start to nibble at your consciousness, speak sharply to them (out loud if necessary), "Go away troubling thought! I will think about you tomorrow."

4. Deal with the Body
Pain, hunger, a tickle in your throat, itchy elbows - whatever it is about your body that needs tending, tend it before you retire. It's not a good idea to go to bed 15 minutes after eating a big feast, but it's also not good to go to bed hungry or thirsty. Have a small snack an hour or so before bedtime. Get your pillows right. Take an antihistamine. Do some stretches. Don't drink coffee or alcohol too close to bedtime, either. But you know that one already.

5. Transition
Think about what you do leading up to sleep. The more routine and calming, the better.
Bad pre-sleep activities: flamenco dancing, sword fighting, dog grooming, writing a letter to the editor
Good pre-sleep activities: reading, doing just one simple task like putting the recycling into the recycling box, checking in with the people who are still awake in the house and saying good night

6. Get a Mantra
The typical one is "counting sheep." You could do that, or choose something more original. Just pick something about the length of O Canada or the Lord's Prayer (that's mine). It should be simple, familiar and contain no emotionally charged content. When you are moving towards sleep, say it to yourself. If you wake up during the night, say it to yourself. You'll condition yourself to associate your mantra with falling asleep and you'll be able to use it as a shortcut to slumber.

7. Visualize
I picture myself at the edge of a deep, dark lake. The water in the lake is sleep. The water is warm and calm and safe. It will support me until morning. I picture myself diving into the lake - Goodbye wakeful day. Hello sleep. I feel my fingers, hands, arms, head, body, legs, toes enter the water and I'm gone. If I wake during the night, I visualise myself bobbing to the surface for a single breath, then I surface dive down, back into deep sleep. If you don't like water, your visualization might involve warm sand, or a cloud or a forest - it's up to you.

8. Be Well
You will sleep best when you are well. Do all you can to be well.

9. Tell Yourself the Good Story about Sleep
If you are experiencing wakefulness, do not conclude that you are a bad sleeper. This could become a self-fulfilling prophesy, even if you are quite sure that you are a bad sleeper. What would you rather be: right? or rested? Tell yourself that you had a short sleep last night, but don't put pressure on yourself by following up with, "so I have to get a good sleep tonight." Every night is an opportunity, not an imperative. Maybe you'll sleep better tonight. That would be great.

10. Make Sleep Delicious
Love your sleeping place. Choose colours, textures, images, scents to make your bedroom a great place to fall asleep and a lovely place to wake up. Isn't it awesome to sleep on the beach in the summer and wake up to the sound of the water and the sight of the sky warming up in the morning light? Have a book, a glass of water, some music, whatever you need to feel comfortable, even pampered, close by. Sleep should be one of your favourite activities. It is really delicious.

question: how do you help yourself sleep?

mompoet - PhD in Z

the sleep challenge

Yesterday was Day 21 of the Move for Health Challenge at work. Staff and participants at the rec centre where I work challenged themselves to adopt healthier habits from May 10-31. Some gave up treats, or reduced meal portions. Some increased activity. I decided to try to get more sleep. I specified that I would go for 7 hours sleep each night.

Getting 7 hours sleep is not easy for me, mostly because I like to get up so darned early in the morning. Here I am, at 5:40am, and I have already fed the cat and got myself a big glass of cold water, and now I am blogging (and toasting almonds for my breakfast yogurt and fruit bowl). I don't have to leave the house until 7:15, but I am up. The benefit of this is that I have a stretch of quiet, to-myself time in the morning, before the day starts jumping with demands and challenges. I like the extra hour in the morning for myself.

Rising at 5:30 means that I must be asleep by 10:30 if I want to get a full 7 hours. I have discovered that I must be determined and organized in order to do this. Falling asleep is blessedly easy for me, but getting myself into bed some time before 10:30 is another matter altogether. On nights that I am up late, I must stay in bed past 5:30 in the morning to achieve 7 hours sleep, and that requires more effort than one might think. I feel like I'm missing something if I roll over and grab another 30 or 60 minutes of snoozing. Nevertheless, I have persisted in trying to get me some sleep for the past 21 nights. I have succeeded on all but two nights. One night, at the tail end of my bout with the flu, I had been sleeping day and night for 2 1/2 days. Suddenly I couldn't sleep at night. I know I could have counted the day sleeping towards my debt that night, but I didn't. The other night of not sleeping 7 hours was last night - the final night of the challenge. I was out until 10:45, in bed at 11:00 and asleep by 11:15. At 5:30 I got up, and here I am.

Sleeping 7 hours is probably good for my health. I have read that 7-8 hours sleep is good for memory, weight loss, mood, cholesterol, and blood pressure. I can sleep 7 hours most nights of the week, but I'm not sure that forcing myself to sleep 7 hours every night is worth the effort. I don't actually feel any more rested for doing it. Maybe if I stuck with it longer than 21 days I would notice a change.

For now, I will say goodbye to the 21 day challenge, and sleep 7 hours most nights, a whopping 7.5 to 8 hours on weekends, and my typical 6 and a bit whenever I have reason to stay up late. I'm glad I took the challenge. I'm already thinking about what I might do next year. Hmmm?

question: how many hours sleep do you get most nights?

mompoet - early bird