have heart, there are a few good things about fierce weather:
question: cold outside?
mompoet - that's okay, really
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
how to make an 80th birthday crisp
Just to be clear, this is about making a "crisp" which is a noun when it is the name of a baked fruit dessert. It is not about how to make an 80th birthday crisp as in the adjective for crunchy, fresh, neat or lively.
I realised I have not posted a "how to cook something" blog in a little while. When I baked a fruit crisp for my mom's 80th birthday recently, I photographed the process. So here we go...
Mom had a delicious home-made layer cake on her actual birthday, at my sister's house in Cranbrook. A week later we celebrated with Mom at home. She wanted a lighter dessert, so I made an apple blueberry cranberry crisp. I got some gorgeous Norther Spy apples at the Coquitlam Farmers' Market. I sliced these into an oiled casserole, then added some frozen blueberries from the big batch that Andy and I picked this summer. Then I used up the leftover fresh cranberries from our Thanksgiving dinner. Notice how I partially sliced each cranberry before adding them? Cranberries are prone to bursting as they heat, and I didn't want mini dessert explosions disrupting my baking effort.
Next, I mixed one cup of sugar with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and a teaspoon of cinnamon, then I stirred the mixture into the apples and berries in the casserole. If I was a neatnik, I would have done this in a large bowl rather than in (and out of) the crowded casserole. But a neatnik I am not, so it was a bit messy. Don't worry, it's not essential to have it completely combined. The bubbling juices will move the sugar and cornstarch around as the crisp bakes.
For the topping, I mixed 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats, and 1/2 cup cooking oil. You can use butter or margarine instead of the oil but then it's not vegan-friendly. Too much of the world is not vegan-friendly, so I used the oil, which makes just as nice a topping as any alternative. (Are you thinking "What? Isn't margarine vegan-friendly?" Please read up. Most regular margarine is not.)
You may have noticed that the fruit and topping are mounded up pretty high. I always think this when I am building a crisp. It won't stay that way, however. As the fruit cooks it will collapse, as the water leaves the cells and turns into the yummy juice that will rise up in the casserole. That's why we use cornstarch after all, to thicken up the juice, so the finished dessert is yummy and gooey, not yummy and drippy.
Bake the whole thing for 45 minutes to an hour at 350. If the top browns before you can see the gooey bubbles all through the dessert, cover the top loosely (tight wrapping will trap the steam and defeat the crispiness of the topping) with a piece of aluminum foil and continue baking.
Here's how it should look when it's ready.
Here's how Mom looked when we sang happy birthday to her. I know we're not using crisp as an adjective here, but don't you think my mom looks crisp (in a good way)?
question: what does crisp mean to you?
mompoet - happy birthday to mompoet's mom
I realised I have not posted a "how to cook something" blog in a little while. When I baked a fruit crisp for my mom's 80th birthday recently, I photographed the process. So here we go...
You may have noticed that the fruit and topping are mounded up pretty high. I always think this when I am building a crisp. It won't stay that way, however. As the fruit cooks it will collapse, as the water leaves the cells and turns into the yummy juice that will rise up in the casserole. That's why we use cornstarch after all, to thicken up the juice, so the finished dessert is yummy and gooey, not yummy and drippy.
Bake the whole thing for 45 minutes to an hour at 350. If the top browns before you can see the gooey bubbles all through the dessert, cover the top loosely (tight wrapping will trap the steam and defeat the crispiness of the topping) with a piece of aluminum foil and continue baking.
Here's how Mom looked when we sang happy birthday to her. I know we're not using crisp as an adjective here, but don't you think my mom looks crisp (in a good way)?
mompoet - happy birthday to mompoet's mom
winter is coming
question: do you like the winter?
mompoet - don't hate me because I'm weird
Sunday, October 21, 2012
pantless in port moody
Do you ever dream that you are a student at high school or university, and you discover you have showed up to school without your clothing and/or you have not prepared for an important exam or presentation? I think this is a classic "I am unprepared, unqualified, and in danger of being humiliated" dream. I dream it from time to time. The other version of this dream for me takes place at a floor hockey tournament. I find myself in the final game of the tournament, with absolutely no skills, stamina or understanding of the game. Often I am playing without a hockey stick. (Did I mention I have a life long aversion to participating in team sports?)
Yesterday, I thought that I was going to live that dream. Fortunately, it turned out to be not so bad after all. A few months ago, Barb Buxton, the Adult Services Librarian at the Port Moody Library, phoned me and invited me to participate in a panel discussion about how to get published. I told her that I thought she was asking the wrong person because none of my stories or poetry have been commercially published, not even one poem in a literary journal, let alone a book. I do have a recipe for B-Bars that was published in the CBC Squares and Bars Cookbook about 10 years ago, but I don't think that counts. I also have work in the 11 (soon 12) chapbooks published by the Shoreline Writers' Society, and my own self-published poetry collection, Swirl. Barb told me this would be okay. She was looking for someone local, and they needed a poet on the panel. I offered to help track down a local, published poet. She said she wanted me. I said yes.
The intervening months went by, and I heard from Irene Jakse, the Program and Services Coordinator at the library. Irene put me in touch with the panel moderator, Julie Ferguson. Julie introduced all 5 panelists to one-another via email, and an exchange of biographies. So I knew my fellow panelists: Joyce Gram is a lawyer, a contract writer for non-profits and a professional editor. Lois Peterson is a children's librarian who has published 7 books for young readers with Orca Press. Gaetan Royer is the former City Manager for Port Moody, now a Senior Planner for Metro Vancouver Region. He has published Time for Cities: Canadian Towns and Cities are Going Broke! Strategies for a Sustainable Future, and is working on his next book. He is also the recipient of the Governor General's Meritorious Service Medal in recognition of his humanitarian work in the restoration of war-torn Sarajevo and Bosnia. David Russell is an actor, screen-writer and free-lance writer for newspaper and magazines. he has published two detective novels with Dundurn Publishers, and is working on his third. Our panel moderator was similarly accomplished. Julie Ferguson has published 15 non-fiction books in the past 17 years, writes travel articles, and coaches authors on their way to getting published. To say I was intimidated would be an understatement.
I emailed Julie and told her that I felt that I was significantly under-qualified to be on the panel. I write mostly for the joy of it, and to facilitate my performance as a spoken word artist. I am not a book-maker like these other real authors! Audience members, seeking wisdom about how to get published, will surely be disappointed by anything I can tell them. Julie reassured me, it would be okay. I could bring my perspective, and it would be welcome and helpful. Okay, I said, if you say so. Still, I had grave doubts.
Thursday evening before the Saturday panel, I shared the stage with Rosemary Nowicki, performing poetry and stories for the Elizabeth Bagshaw Women's Clinic fundraising evening. I was in my element, performing the pieces I had written and rehearsed. I was confident in my preparation and my ability to convey my message using the skills I have developed over many years of practising spoken word performance. The audience was appreciative, Friends and relatives were there too. I felt in my element, doing something that I felt confident doing. I knew why I said, "yes," to this.
But why, oh why? Why did I say "yes," to the library panel? When I woke up Saturday I thought, "I'm going to sit up there like a dumb nobody, and someone's going to ask me a question about submitting poetry for publication, and I'm going to say, "Well, I don't know. I have never done that!"
I got to the library early and met Julie and the other panelists. Barb and Irene were there too. Everyone was very kind and friendly. Two o'clock rolled around, and we began. And you know what? I did have something to say! The other authors answered the questions about literary agents, submitting queries to publishers, copyright issues, professional editing, etc. I talked about the importance of community, and the benefits of being part of a writing and critiquing group. I talked about Shoreline's process of collaborative chapbook writing, which is different from most anthology-making, I think. I encouraged writers to remember get out and meet and work with other writers in their community. I told them not to wait 3 years, like I did before I got the courage to attend a meeting of the Shoreline Writers. For 3 years, I told myself I was not a good enough writer to show my work to anybody but my children. Those were three years wasted!
Partway through the panel discussion, the light went on for me. I did have a role to play here, and I did have something to say. After the formal discussion, we had coffee and mingled for a while. I actually had a lineup of people waiting to speak to me about their own writing practice, and to ask me questions about how to become part of a writing group, and what happens at writing group meetings. I encouraged half a dozen people to come to our Shoreline meetings and also talked with some about other writing groups around the region, and online resources for finding groups and events.
I am glad that I trusted Barb and Julie, and had faith in myself. I feel like I was able to contribute something that helped the event and some of the people who attended. I am proud of myself for not hiding for another 3 years. I am getting better at jumping in. Before the panel began, I was chatting with Joyce Gram. We discovered that we have both recently joined choirs, something for which we both feel unqualified. I reflected that it took me 3 years to work up the courage to join a writing group, and one year to embolden myself to join a choir. I'm glad when Barb called I just said, "yes."
question: for what do you currently feel under-qualified?
mompoet - please consider saying, "yes!"
Yesterday, I thought that I was going to live that dream. Fortunately, it turned out to be not so bad after all. A few months ago, Barb Buxton, the Adult Services Librarian at the Port Moody Library, phoned me and invited me to participate in a panel discussion about how to get published. I told her that I thought she was asking the wrong person because none of my stories or poetry have been commercially published, not even one poem in a literary journal, let alone a book. I do have a recipe for B-Bars that was published in the CBC Squares and Bars Cookbook about 10 years ago, but I don't think that counts. I also have work in the 11 (soon 12) chapbooks published by the Shoreline Writers' Society, and my own self-published poetry collection, Swirl. Barb told me this would be okay. She was looking for someone local, and they needed a poet on the panel. I offered to help track down a local, published poet. She said she wanted me. I said yes.
The intervening months went by, and I heard from Irene Jakse, the Program and Services Coordinator at the library. Irene put me in touch with the panel moderator, Julie Ferguson. Julie introduced all 5 panelists to one-another via email, and an exchange of biographies. So I knew my fellow panelists: Joyce Gram is a lawyer, a contract writer for non-profits and a professional editor. Lois Peterson is a children's librarian who has published 7 books for young readers with Orca Press. Gaetan Royer is the former City Manager for Port Moody, now a Senior Planner for Metro Vancouver Region. He has published Time for Cities: Canadian Towns and Cities are Going Broke! Strategies for a Sustainable Future, and is working on his next book. He is also the recipient of the Governor General's Meritorious Service Medal in recognition of his humanitarian work in the restoration of war-torn Sarajevo and Bosnia. David Russell is an actor, screen-writer and free-lance writer for newspaper and magazines. he has published two detective novels with Dundurn Publishers, and is working on his third. Our panel moderator was similarly accomplished. Julie Ferguson has published 15 non-fiction books in the past 17 years, writes travel articles, and coaches authors on their way to getting published. To say I was intimidated would be an understatement.
I emailed Julie and told her that I felt that I was significantly under-qualified to be on the panel. I write mostly for the joy of it, and to facilitate my performance as a spoken word artist. I am not a book-maker like these other real authors! Audience members, seeking wisdom about how to get published, will surely be disappointed by anything I can tell them. Julie reassured me, it would be okay. I could bring my perspective, and it would be welcome and helpful. Okay, I said, if you say so. Still, I had grave doubts.
Thursday evening before the Saturday panel, I shared the stage with Rosemary Nowicki, performing poetry and stories for the Elizabeth Bagshaw Women's Clinic fundraising evening. I was in my element, performing the pieces I had written and rehearsed. I was confident in my preparation and my ability to convey my message using the skills I have developed over many years of practising spoken word performance. The audience was appreciative, Friends and relatives were there too. I felt in my element, doing something that I felt confident doing. I knew why I said, "yes," to this.
But why, oh why? Why did I say "yes," to the library panel? When I woke up Saturday I thought, "I'm going to sit up there like a dumb nobody, and someone's going to ask me a question about submitting poetry for publication, and I'm going to say, "Well, I don't know. I have never done that!"
I got to the library early and met Julie and the other panelists. Barb and Irene were there too. Everyone was very kind and friendly. Two o'clock rolled around, and we began. And you know what? I did have something to say! The other authors answered the questions about literary agents, submitting queries to publishers, copyright issues, professional editing, etc. I talked about the importance of community, and the benefits of being part of a writing and critiquing group. I talked about Shoreline's process of collaborative chapbook writing, which is different from most anthology-making, I think. I encouraged writers to remember get out and meet and work with other writers in their community. I told them not to wait 3 years, like I did before I got the courage to attend a meeting of the Shoreline Writers. For 3 years, I told myself I was not a good enough writer to show my work to anybody but my children. Those were three years wasted!
Partway through the panel discussion, the light went on for me. I did have a role to play here, and I did have something to say. After the formal discussion, we had coffee and mingled for a while. I actually had a lineup of people waiting to speak to me about their own writing practice, and to ask me questions about how to become part of a writing group, and what happens at writing group meetings. I encouraged half a dozen people to come to our Shoreline meetings and also talked with some about other writing groups around the region, and online resources for finding groups and events.
I am glad that I trusted Barb and Julie, and had faith in myself. I feel like I was able to contribute something that helped the event and some of the people who attended. I am proud of myself for not hiding for another 3 years. I am getting better at jumping in. Before the panel began, I was chatting with Joyce Gram. We discovered that we have both recently joined choirs, something for which we both feel unqualified. I reflected that it took me 3 years to work up the courage to join a writing group, and one year to embolden myself to join a choir. I'm glad when Barb called I just said, "yes."
question: for what do you currently feel under-qualified?
mompoet - please consider saying, "yes!"
Saturday, October 13, 2012
now that the rain has begun in earnest
July, August, September, and early October have been unnaturally bright and dry here. On Friday morning the rain began. All day we were surrounded by a fine mist that seemed to come from every direction and move in every direction, like a fine, cool swarm of very wet insects. I walked to work in my Gore-Tex rain gear, noticing how the mist got up inside the cuffs of my jacket and under the peak of my cap and onto my glasses despite the fact that I was wearing a cap. After an hour walking in this mist, everything about me was wet on the outside. Thanks to my good gear, my inner layers stayed warm and dry.
Today, the air is thick with fat bumblebee raindrops all propelling themselves straight to the ground where they splash-land in puddles and little rivers on the road and sidewalk. I am at home, warm and dry in non-waterproof flannel, procrastinating and enjoying the fact that I don't have to go anywhere or do anything.
I like the rain. Rain is the way it is around here, for most of the fall, winter and spring. We should embrace it. In the spirit of embracing rain, here are a few positive thoughts about rain:
mompoet - I hope that you can find a reason to love rain today
Today, the air is thick with fat bumblebee raindrops all propelling themselves straight to the ground where they splash-land in puddles and little rivers on the road and sidewalk. I am at home, warm and dry in non-waterproof flannel, procrastinating and enjoying the fact that I don't have to go anywhere or do anything.
I like the rain. Rain is the way it is around here, for most of the fall, winter and spring. We should embrace it. In the spirit of embracing rain, here are a few positive thoughts about rain:
- Rain is good for fish. The salmon need the streams to fill up now, so they will have an easy journey up to their spawning grounds. I hear that the Chum salmon are thick in the Coquitlam River now. Andy and I will go look at them this weekend.
- Rain is calming. I woke up during a break in the rain this morning, to hear 2 happy boys next door bouncing on a trampoline in the back yard. But it began to rain again and the boys went inside. The sound of the rain on the roof soothed me back to sleep for another delicious 45 minutes of rest.
- Rain gives us a soundscape of our outdoor space. We know when it is raining lightly, and when it is pounding down. We can tell when a car or bicycle goes by. We can hear wet footsteps. The sounds of animal and human voices are amplified by the wet air.
- Rain makes temporary evidence of our presence. I can see wet footprints in the dry concrete leading up to our sheltered front door. I can follow an umbrella's drip trail through the lobby of the building where I work, to find out who has recently arrived. At home, I can follow the damp clumps of coats, socks and other gear to know who has recently come in from outdoors.
- Rain reassures us that there are cycles and seasons. What goes up must come down. Everything goes around and around. Rain is the most persistent and obvious reassurance of continuity that we have in our world.
mompoet - I hope that you can find a reason to love rain today
Monday, October 08, 2012
before the rain begins to fall
Things are looking better for people who live in the Tri-Cities area (Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam). For people who have no home, the annual cold wet weather shelter program has opened up, a month earlier this year than last year. For people who have homes and jobs and food on the table, the opportunity to really share and help is so readily available. Life is really wonderful.
This year, our shelter is called "The Bridge Shelter," not because it's on or under a bridge, but because it has changed shape a bit to bridge the two years between our old shelter (which rotated from church to church from November to March) and the new one which will have a permanent address at 3030 Gordon Street in Coquitlam. The Bridge Shelter is open now at Northside Church in Port Coquitlam. The plan is to run it at that location for this winter and next, then to move to a permanent location at 3030 Gordon Street in Coquitlam in 2014.
So here's where it becomes apparent that it's things are really looking better for people who live in the Tri-Cities. Here are just a few examples:
question: what do you know about this?
mompoet - please come find out more - you will be glad
This year, our shelter is called "The Bridge Shelter," not because it's on or under a bridge, but because it has changed shape a bit to bridge the two years between our old shelter (which rotated from church to church from November to March) and the new one which will have a permanent address at 3030 Gordon Street in Coquitlam. The Bridge Shelter is open now at Northside Church in Port Coquitlam. The plan is to run it at that location for this winter and next, then to move to a permanent location at 3030 Gordon Street in Coquitlam in 2014.
So here's where it becomes apparent that it's things are really looking better for people who live in the Tri-Cities. Here are just a few examples:
- If you know someone who is homeless, tell them about the shelter. It's lower barrier this year than it has been in the past. There's secure parking for guests' carts and walk-up guests are welcome. Inside there's a safe, warm place to sleep, free clothing and toiletries, a home-cooked supper, hot breakfast, and a bag lunch. Plus, there are workers from Hope For Freedom Society who can help with referrals to housing and addiction and health services, if that's what you want.
- If you want to help, you can volunteer to work a shift at the shelter. Morning volunteers make breakfast and eat with the guests, then put the beds away after they leave. Evening volunteers set up the beds, share supper with the guests and help with clothing and toiletries.
- If you want to help, but don't want to work on site at the shelter, you can donate. Right now, the shelter needs new or gently used men's clothing (everything from socks to jeans to winter coats), small toiletries, feminine hygiene supplies, and groceries. Work boots are especially welcome, even used, with some life still in them.
- Another way to help: sign up to cook supper for the guests for one night. (This is a good family or friends and neighbours project.) You just need to cook it and bring it in by about 9pm. The volunteers on site will serve it and do the dishes. You can stay if you like. It will change how you see things. I promise.
- For information about all of the options listed above, call Hope For Freedom at 604-729-4972
- Finally, you can learn more about the permanent shelter planned for 3030 Gordon Street in Coquitlam. There will be an open house at the Evergreen Cultural Centre, 1205 Pinetree Way in Coquitlam on Tuesday, October 16, 5-8pm. You can meet the people from Raincity Housing (the society that is building and will be operating the permanent shelter) and have input to the plans. Info about the open house: Sean Spear at 604.215.3048
question: what do you know about this?
mompoet - please come find out more - you will be glad
thanksgiving haiku movie review
the best thing about
The Master? Joaquin Phoenix's
wings akimbo
question: did you see any movies this weekend?
mompoet - marveling at the intersection of turkey roasting and film-making
The Master? Joaquin Phoenix's
wings akimbo
question: did you see any movies this weekend?
mompoet - marveling at the intersection of turkey roasting and film-making
Saturday, October 06, 2012
is this the party to whom I am speaking?
My family tells me that I should change the way I say "hello" when I make an outgoing phone call. This is the way I like to do it:
1. I dial the number.
2. The phone rings.
3. Voice on the other end: "Hello?"
4. Me: "Hi Mary-Lou! It's Sue!"
5. Voice on the other end: "Um...this isn't Mary-Lou, it's her son Edward."
6. Me: "Oh, sorry Edward! Can I talk to your Mom."
7. My family members, overhearing this: "Groan!" "Mom! Don't do that!"
So today I phoned the home of my sister Barb and her husband Kim, in Cranbrook. A deep male voice answered. I said, "Hello Kim!" but of course I was wrong. It was Adem, the young man who lives with my sister and her family. Adem sounds a lot like Kim when all he says is, "Hello." Most people sound very much alike when all they say is hello. So I had a nice short chat with Adem, who was home studying while the rest of the family was out for Saturday breakfast at BJ's Restaurant in Kimberley. (loaded hashbrowns - yeah!) I told him I would call back later.
I think it's friendly to greet the person who answers the phone by name, even if the greeting is somewhat less than accurate. After all, what are the alternatives?
1. Phone rings.
2. Voice: Hello?
3. Me: Hello, this is Sue, may I please speak to Mary-Lou?
4. Voice: This is Mary-Lou!
5. Now that was awkward!
Besides, this sounds like I am a stranger. If I know Mary-Lou and her family, I think this approach is just too formal.
Here's one our friend Bill uses. It works for him:
1. Phone rings.
2. Me: Hello?
3. Bill: THIS IS BILL!
4. Me: Oh hi, Bill, this is Sue, how are you?
But I'm afraid that it would work like this for me.
1. Phone rings.
2. Voice: Hello?
3. Me: THIS IS SUE!
4. Voice: Hello Sue!
5. Me: Who is this?
6. Voice: NOT SUE!
7. Me: Oh. Sorry. Can I speak to Mary-Lou please?
or
1. Phone rings.
2. Voice: Hello?
3. Me: THIS IS SUE!
4. Voice: SO WHAT! (hangs up the phone)
5. Me: Now what?
I could just ask at the outset:
1. Phone rings.
2. Voice: Hello?
3. Me: Who's this?
4. Voice: What do you want? (hangs up)
No. that wouldn't work. Maybe, "This is Sue. Who's this?" would work better? But if I'm going to be all inquisitive, why not go for the gold?
1. Phone rings.
2. Voice: Hello?
3. Me: THIS IS SUE! Who's this? Do you like my hat? Do you like the tin man? Did you floss your teeth last night? What time is it? Where are you? How do you like me so far?
4. Voice: (hangs up the phone).
I think, for now, I'll stick with the way I am currently greeting the person who picks up the phone. Most of my friends know I do that, and will forgive me when I guess wrong.
question: Who's this?
mompoet - THIS IS SUE! Do you like loaded hashbrowns?
1. I dial the number.
2. The phone rings.
3. Voice on the other end: "Hello?"
4. Me: "Hi Mary-Lou! It's Sue!"
5. Voice on the other end: "Um...this isn't Mary-Lou, it's her son Edward."
6. Me: "Oh, sorry Edward! Can I talk to your Mom."
7. My family members, overhearing this: "Groan!" "Mom! Don't do that!"
So today I phoned the home of my sister Barb and her husband Kim, in Cranbrook. A deep male voice answered. I said, "Hello Kim!" but of course I was wrong. It was Adem, the young man who lives with my sister and her family. Adem sounds a lot like Kim when all he says is, "Hello." Most people sound very much alike when all they say is hello. So I had a nice short chat with Adem, who was home studying while the rest of the family was out for Saturday breakfast at BJ's Restaurant in Kimberley. (loaded hashbrowns - yeah!) I told him I would call back later.
I think it's friendly to greet the person who answers the phone by name, even if the greeting is somewhat less than accurate. After all, what are the alternatives?
1. Phone rings.
2. Voice: Hello?
3. Me: Hello, this is Sue, may I please speak to Mary-Lou?
4. Voice: This is Mary-Lou!
5. Now that was awkward!
Besides, this sounds like I am a stranger. If I know Mary-Lou and her family, I think this approach is just too formal.
Here's one our friend Bill uses. It works for him:
1. Phone rings.
2. Me: Hello?
3. Bill: THIS IS BILL!
4. Me: Oh hi, Bill, this is Sue, how are you?
But I'm afraid that it would work like this for me.
1. Phone rings.
2. Voice: Hello?
3. Me: THIS IS SUE!
4. Voice: Hello Sue!
5. Me: Who is this?
6. Voice: NOT SUE!
7. Me: Oh. Sorry. Can I speak to Mary-Lou please?
or
1. Phone rings.
2. Voice: Hello?
3. Me: THIS IS SUE!
4. Voice: SO WHAT! (hangs up the phone)
5. Me: Now what?
I could just ask at the outset:
1. Phone rings.
2. Voice: Hello?
3. Me: Who's this?
4. Voice: What do you want? (hangs up)
No. that wouldn't work. Maybe, "This is Sue. Who's this?" would work better? But if I'm going to be all inquisitive, why not go for the gold?
1. Phone rings.
2. Voice: Hello?
3. Me: THIS IS SUE! Who's this? Do you like my hat? Do you like the tin man? Did you floss your teeth last night? What time is it? Where are you? How do you like me so far?
4. Voice: (hangs up the phone).
I think, for now, I'll stick with the way I am currently greeting the person who picks up the phone. Most of my friends know I do that, and will forgive me when I guess wrong.
question: Who's this?
mompoet - THIS IS SUE! Do you like loaded hashbrowns?
Thursday, October 04, 2012
learning how to be an alto (again)
I have joined a choir. It's a group of people who work for the City where I work, plus a few friends. The choir started a year ago, and I wanted to join, but I was too afraid. Then I reminded myself how it took me three years to get the courage to go to a Shoreline Writers' meeting, and how positive that was once I finally went. So I decided not to waste any more time.
I had to audition, but it was easy. I sang Happy Birthday, then held a note while someone else sang other notes with me not losing track of my note, then the leader, Cecile, told me I was "trainable," and I can join the choir. Hooray!
I joined the low alto group. It's a fun group of women. Coincidentally, three of us are named Susan. Two are Susan Elizabeth. One is Elizabeth. That is more than weird, and I like it. We meet once a week to learn and practice for 2 hours. I record most of our sessions and listen to them through the week, and peck out our alto parts on the keyboard in our basement and practise singing them. It sounds like when Alex was learning to play the alto saxophone: All by itself, what I sing doesn't sound like a song. It's so full of pauses and starts and stops with silent gaps, and the notes are un-melodic, but put it together with the other parts and it's quite lovely. Well, potentially quite lovely. Right now it sounds like the back half of a barn. MOOOO! Hee-Hawwww! Squawk!
Which brings me to self-doubt. How dare I presume to try to sing with these good singers who sing well? (I have not sung outside of home and at church on Sunday since I was about 18 years old.) Are my notes sour? Am I sliding into the beginning of my part until I hear the others singing around me? Am I singing something totally different and nobody is telling me? Does my breath smell? Do I have body odor? How's my driving? Does this dress make me look fat? Ahem.
When I listen to my recordings of our practices, I can hear the odd sour notes in our section. But the voice doesn't sound like my voice. When I can hear my voice I think it's okay. And I know that I'm not really supposed to hear my voice. I'm supposed to blend with the other voices in my section and in the rest of the choir. So as long as I am actually singing, and I don't hear HEE HAWW! MOOO! Squawww-awwwk, that things are going well. Getting better at singing will require getting better at listening so I can hear everyone, singing all the parts and know that the part I am singing fits well.
Our teacher, Cecile, is lovely. She is dynamic and encouraging and gives us lots of exercises and direction and she is working with what she has in her choir group to tweak the arrangements to be fun and challenging and not sound like the back of a barn so much. We have a good mix of voices, I think, including one teenage daughter and a 10 year old girl who just joined with her mom, which is very cool. She can be in our section, even if her name is not Susan.
Our first performance will be on December 2. Just a little less than 2 months away. I have some work to do, partly on my singing, partly on my confidence level. I can do it. I'm glad I did not wait any longer to show up and give it a try.
question: what's new for you?
mompoet - HEEE HAWWW!
I had to audition, but it was easy. I sang Happy Birthday, then held a note while someone else sang other notes with me not losing track of my note, then the leader, Cecile, told me I was "trainable," and I can join the choir. Hooray!
I joined the low alto group. It's a fun group of women. Coincidentally, three of us are named Susan. Two are Susan Elizabeth. One is Elizabeth. That is more than weird, and I like it. We meet once a week to learn and practice for 2 hours. I record most of our sessions and listen to them through the week, and peck out our alto parts on the keyboard in our basement and practise singing them. It sounds like when Alex was learning to play the alto saxophone: All by itself, what I sing doesn't sound like a song. It's so full of pauses and starts and stops with silent gaps, and the notes are un-melodic, but put it together with the other parts and it's quite lovely. Well, potentially quite lovely. Right now it sounds like the back half of a barn. MOOOO! Hee-Hawwww! Squawk!
Which brings me to self-doubt. How dare I presume to try to sing with these good singers who sing well? (I have not sung outside of home and at church on Sunday since I was about 18 years old.) Are my notes sour? Am I sliding into the beginning of my part until I hear the others singing around me? Am I singing something totally different and nobody is telling me? Does my breath smell? Do I have body odor? How's my driving? Does this dress make me look fat? Ahem.
When I listen to my recordings of our practices, I can hear the odd sour notes in our section. But the voice doesn't sound like my voice. When I can hear my voice I think it's okay. And I know that I'm not really supposed to hear my voice. I'm supposed to blend with the other voices in my section and in the rest of the choir. So as long as I am actually singing, and I don't hear HEE HAWW! MOOO! Squawww-awwwk, that things are going well. Getting better at singing will require getting better at listening so I can hear everyone, singing all the parts and know that the part I am singing fits well.
Our teacher, Cecile, is lovely. She is dynamic and encouraging and gives us lots of exercises and direction and she is working with what she has in her choir group to tweak the arrangements to be fun and challenging and not sound like the back of a barn so much. We have a good mix of voices, I think, including one teenage daughter and a 10 year old girl who just joined with her mom, which is very cool. She can be in our section, even if her name is not Susan.
Our first performance will be on December 2. Just a little less than 2 months away. I have some work to do, partly on my singing, partly on my confidence level. I can do it. I'm glad I did not wait any longer to show up and give it a try.
question: what's new for you?
mompoet - HEEE HAWWW!
Monday, October 01, 2012
art + nature + people = community
Sunday afternoon, Andy and I drove out to the Silk Purse Gallery in West Vancouver to see a show of our friend Diane Moran's paintings, sculptures and photographs. Diane's work is expressive, whimsical and intense. We enjoyed seeing it exhibited in this beautiful little cottage turned into a gallery, on north shore across from Stanley Park.
Diane is the most community-minded artist I know. She travels to different parts of the world, arranging art exchanges between school children. She visited the survivors in one parish after Hurricane Katrina and created connections and art through that experience. At home, she has worked on banner and tile mosaic projects in many local neighbourhoods. So it was no surprise when Diane got a show at the Silk Purse, she invited the West Vancouver Shoreline Preservation Society to collaborate.
So there was Diane's beautiful art and a collage station that she set up, to encourage visitors to make art to connect with their experiences of the remarkable shoreline environment. The Shoreline Preservation Society people conducted walking tours to showcase their work restoring the shore to its natural state. They have brought back rocks and logs to the water's edge, re-built natural reefs, taken down seawall, freed stream outflows from their culverts, and worked with the city to allow more natural sediment to come down to the waterfront from the many streams that run to the shore. The result is a beach that is re-creating itself the way nature wants it to, simply because people are consciously allowing it to do so. It's really beautiful. And it's not just nicer and more natural. This beach will do a better job of protecting shoreline properties from extreme weather and rising sea level than any seawall ever could.
All in all, it was a splendid, inspiring day. We are proud and happy for Diane, and grateful for the power of caring communities.
question: did you move any rocks today? on your own or with friends?
mompoet - remembering that every rock moved has an impact on more rocks downstream
Diane is the most community-minded artist I know. She travels to different parts of the world, arranging art exchanges between school children. She visited the survivors in one parish after Hurricane Katrina and created connections and art through that experience. At home, she has worked on banner and tile mosaic projects in many local neighbourhoods. So it was no surprise when Diane got a show at the Silk Purse, she invited the West Vancouver Shoreline Preservation Society to collaborate.
So there was Diane's beautiful art and a collage station that she set up, to encourage visitors to make art to connect with their experiences of the remarkable shoreline environment. The Shoreline Preservation Society people conducted walking tours to showcase their work restoring the shore to its natural state. They have brought back rocks and logs to the water's edge, re-built natural reefs, taken down seawall, freed stream outflows from their culverts, and worked with the city to allow more natural sediment to come down to the waterfront from the many streams that run to the shore. The result is a beach that is re-creating itself the way nature wants it to, simply because people are consciously allowing it to do so. It's really beautiful. And it's not just nicer and more natural. This beach will do a better job of protecting shoreline properties from extreme weather and rising sea level than any seawall ever could.
All in all, it was a splendid, inspiring day. We are proud and happy for Diane, and grateful for the power of caring communities.
question: did you move any rocks today? on your own or with friends?
mompoet - remembering that every rock moved has an impact on more rocks downstream
Sunday, September 30, 2012
whoooops! (fall)
Holy smokes, I did not notice how things slowed down over the summer. In July and August and even early September, I could carry everything I needed to remember and do in one pocket. Now I need a knapsack with extra compartments and tie-ons, and I'm cramming every corner full. Fortunately, I am remembering my amazing energy, creativity and optimism, and putting those into full gear.
Work at the office has geared back up. Fall programs have started up for the seniors and for the children, and everything is going well. I have some new staff members on my team, and it's great getting to know them, and making sure they are getting what they need for a successful start. Over the summer I interviewed for the job that I have been filling for 4 and a half years on an acting basis, and now it is mine permanently. Hooray! I don't have to wonder, every December, if I will be coming back to this work that I have grown to love. I am so happy, I might even re-organize the file drawers in my office. Whoah!
Things are getting busy at our church. I was elected to the Church Board in the Spring, and have just assumed the role of Board Secretary. We are preparing several events for the fall, including work towards transformation. As a congregation, we are moving towards a new, sustainable shape for our faith community. We lack the resources (people and money) to keep on going at our current location, just us. It's likely we'll join up with another nearby congregation to take a new shape altogether for both groups. I'm helping with the meeting and talking and discerning around that. By Christmas 2013, we should be on our way to something new, so this will be an exciting year. In the meantime, we continue our many ministries. I'm still leading the sandwich ministry group, making and delivering sandwiches to the downtown east side once a month. We are also preparing to host the homeless shelter again in November, this time at a new location, so I'll be driving out to Port Coquitlam a few frosty mornings in November, to make and serve breakfast and put away the beds and clean up after our guests go out for the day.
Shoreline Writers is moving towards publishing its 12th chapbook. It's hard to believe we have created so many books. Each one is a snapshot of where we have been as writers and poets that year. I am proud of all of them. I have just two poems for our 12th book, but I am helping to edit the work of 4 other members, so I feel like I am contributing to the success of the whole publication. I have been invited to be on a panel to discuss publishing at the Port Moody Library in October:
Get Published! Advice from the Experts
Port Moody City Hall Galleria
Saturday, October 20, 2012
2-4pm
Admission is free but you have to reserve a seat. Call 604-469-4577
A couple of days before that, Rosemary Nowicki and I will be performing our spoken word works at a fundraiser for the Elizabeth Bagshaw Women's Health Clinic.
Party Like it's 1988
Heritage Hall, Vancouver
Thursday, October 18, 2012
7-10pm
Tickets are $30. There food and a silent auction and a cash bar.
For more info about Elizabeth Bagshaw Clinic go here.
For tickets go here.
And, I have joined a choir. Here's info about that!
And finally, Andy's Mom's apartment has sold, so we have a couple of weeks to move everything out and have it ready for the new owners who will move in very soon.
Life is good. There's lots in my knapsack right now. I'll try to make time to pull bits out of the pack from time to time, spread them out on the floor and write a blog post about them. In the meantime, if I don't call you, call me!
question: what's in your pocket/satchel/pack this month?
mompoet - I love to go a-wandering along the mountain track...
Work at the office has geared back up. Fall programs have started up for the seniors and for the children, and everything is going well. I have some new staff members on my team, and it's great getting to know them, and making sure they are getting what they need for a successful start. Over the summer I interviewed for the job that I have been filling for 4 and a half years on an acting basis, and now it is mine permanently. Hooray! I don't have to wonder, every December, if I will be coming back to this work that I have grown to love. I am so happy, I might even re-organize the file drawers in my office. Whoah!
Things are getting busy at our church. I was elected to the Church Board in the Spring, and have just assumed the role of Board Secretary. We are preparing several events for the fall, including work towards transformation. As a congregation, we are moving towards a new, sustainable shape for our faith community. We lack the resources (people and money) to keep on going at our current location, just us. It's likely we'll join up with another nearby congregation to take a new shape altogether for both groups. I'm helping with the meeting and talking and discerning around that. By Christmas 2013, we should be on our way to something new, so this will be an exciting year. In the meantime, we continue our many ministries. I'm still leading the sandwich ministry group, making and delivering sandwiches to the downtown east side once a month. We are also preparing to host the homeless shelter again in November, this time at a new location, so I'll be driving out to Port Coquitlam a few frosty mornings in November, to make and serve breakfast and put away the beds and clean up after our guests go out for the day.
Shoreline Writers is moving towards publishing its 12th chapbook. It's hard to believe we have created so many books. Each one is a snapshot of where we have been as writers and poets that year. I am proud of all of them. I have just two poems for our 12th book, but I am helping to edit the work of 4 other members, so I feel like I am contributing to the success of the whole publication. I have been invited to be on a panel to discuss publishing at the Port Moody Library in October:
Get Published! Advice from the Experts
Port Moody City Hall Galleria
Saturday, October 20, 2012
2-4pm
Admission is free but you have to reserve a seat. Call 604-469-4577
A couple of days before that, Rosemary Nowicki and I will be performing our spoken word works at a fundraiser for the Elizabeth Bagshaw Women's Health Clinic.
Party Like it's 1988
Heritage Hall, Vancouver
Thursday, October 18, 2012
7-10pm
Tickets are $30. There food and a silent auction and a cash bar.
For more info about Elizabeth Bagshaw Clinic go here.
For tickets go here.
And, I have joined a choir. Here's info about that!
And finally, Andy's Mom's apartment has sold, so we have a couple of weeks to move everything out and have it ready for the new owners who will move in very soon.
Life is good. There's lots in my knapsack right now. I'll try to make time to pull bits out of the pack from time to time, spread them out on the floor and write a blog post about them. In the meantime, if I don't call you, call me!
question: what's in your pocket/satchel/pack this month?
mompoet - I love to go a-wandering along the mountain track...
Saturday, September 15, 2012
at the lake with the ladies
It's our annual ladies away weekend. This year, we decided to come to Samish Lake, near Bellingham, Washington. We are in a lovely lakeside house that we rented for a few days. We have been hiking, swimming, cooking, eating, reading, sitting in the hot tub, playing cards and laughing.
Last night my friends surprised me with a much-belated 50th birthday celebration. They decorated the house with streamers and balloons and served supper with an "anything but a cup" drinking rule, so I had to drink wine from a gravy boat. That was fun.
We are having a luxurious time, reconnecting after a busy summer, and remembering how good it is to spend time together in a beautiful place.
question: where do you like to go? and with whom do you go?
mompoet - happy
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
warm beets and beet greens salad
While we were visiting with Pam and Dave on the Sunshine Coast, we got some beets at the Sechelt Farmers' Market. I used them to make this positively yummy lunch:
Here's how I made it:
a bunch of beet green leaves, washed and torn into small pieces
chopped red onion
chopped yellow pepper
coarsely grated carrot
ripe cherries, pitted and cut into chunks
handful of sliced filberts, toasted first in a skillet and allowed to cool
sprinkle of goat cheese crumbles
olive oil and balsamic vinegar (4:1 ratio) with salt and pepper to taste
cooked beets
Start first by putting the beets on to cook. I boil them in their skin, then slip the skin off at the end. Beets take a long time to boil - allow at least 30 minutes, even for smallish ones.
While the beets boil, you can prepare the other ingredients. Combine the veggies, nuts and cheese in a bowl big enough to allow for tossing. When the beets are ready, add the dressing to the salad and toss to coat the veggies with dressing. Then lay the still-warm beet slices on top.
It's very good, I promise.
I used filberts because that's what I could find at the tiny general store in Garden Bay. You could use other nuts or seeds. I used the cherries because I wanted something sweet. Other fresh or dried fruit would work too. I used the vegetables that we had bought at the market. I think you could vary this lots of ways. Make sure you keep the beet greens and the beets or you might have to give the salad a different name.
question: do you like beets?
mompoet - I love beets
a bunch of beet green leaves, washed and torn into small pieces
chopped red onion
chopped yellow pepper
coarsely grated carrot
ripe cherries, pitted and cut into chunks
handful of sliced filberts, toasted first in a skillet and allowed to cool
sprinkle of goat cheese crumbles
olive oil and balsamic vinegar (4:1 ratio) with salt and pepper to taste
cooked beets
Start first by putting the beets on to cook. I boil them in their skin, then slip the skin off at the end. Beets take a long time to boil - allow at least 30 minutes, even for smallish ones.
While the beets boil, you can prepare the other ingredients. Combine the veggies, nuts and cheese in a bowl big enough to allow for tossing. When the beets are ready, add the dressing to the salad and toss to coat the veggies with dressing. Then lay the still-warm beet slices on top.
It's very good, I promise.
I used filberts because that's what I could find at the tiny general store in Garden Bay. You could use other nuts or seeds. I used the cherries because I wanted something sweet. Other fresh or dried fruit would work too. I used the vegetables that we had bought at the market. I think you could vary this lots of ways. Make sure you keep the beet greens and the beets or you might have to give the salad a different name.
question: do you like beets?
mompoet - I love beets
Sunday, August 26, 2012
blackberries
We are on the Sunshine Coast, visiting with Andy's brother Dave and his wife Pam. Their home here is just beautiful. We are having a lovely time, exploring, swimming, cooking, eating and lounging and enjoying the beautiful view out over the ocean.
On Friday evening we went out for a walk after supper. We brought a bowl and picked blackberries along the way. Blackberry bushes are fierce, with thousands of slanted prickles. People try to keep them cut back, so you often have to perch on the side of a hill, or wade into the brush to get to the good berries. Then you have to find the ripe ones: All of the berries are black, but the ripe ones come off the bush easily. The sour ones hang on tight. So you have to shake hands with 50 blackberries to pick 20 good ones.
Here are some photos of our blackberry adventure, which began around 7:30pm and ended as the light was failing just around 9.
The reward? A brimming bowl of late summer sweetness. We gobbled them Saturday morning with our breakfasts.
question: do you pick blackberries?
mompoet - shaking hands with summer
On Friday evening we went out for a walk after supper. We brought a bowl and picked blackberries along the way. Blackberry bushes are fierce, with thousands of slanted prickles. People try to keep them cut back, so you often have to perch on the side of a hill, or wade into the brush to get to the good berries. Then you have to find the ripe ones: All of the berries are black, but the ripe ones come off the bush easily. The sour ones hang on tight. So you have to shake hands with 50 blackberries to pick 20 good ones.
Here are some photos of our blackberry adventure, which began around 7:30pm and ended as the light was failing just around 9.
question: do you pick blackberries?
mompoet - shaking hands with summer
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
fringeburger
Andy and I went to volunteer training tonight, for the Vancouver Fringe Festival. We're going to be ticket sellers for some Fringe venues. Here's the yummy burger that members of the Fringe staff team cooked up for my supper.
We're pretty impressed - not just with the supper, but with the organization and spirit we felt all around us. We know the shows are excellent. Now we're going to get an insider's perspective on the festival. We hope to see a bunch of shows too.
question: what's your fringeburger?
mompoet - I like doing new things.
We're pretty impressed - not just with the supper, but with the organization and spirit we felt all around us. We know the shows are excellent. Now we're going to get an insider's perspective on the festival. We hope to see a bunch of shows too.
question: what's your fringeburger?
mompoet - I like doing new things.
flusterbucket
Fiona has been in Toronto since Monday. I miss her a lot. I'm also very curious about what she's doing and how she's feeling. On the surface, I'm pretty calm about the whole thing. After all, this is an amazing experience for her. I'm sure it's stressful but it also has to be a wonderful treat to be immersed in what she loves to do, and surrounded by people who love it too. I am cool with that.
There is, however, evidence that I have been experiencing moments of extreme dunderheaded panic and bewilderment:
1. We left our house Monday at 4:45am, to get Fiona to the airport for 5:30 check-in. We parked at the airport. I got out of the car and checked in my purse for my cell phone. Guess what I found? The cordless phone from my kitchen! Um, I think I brought the wrong phone. So I took it out of my purse and stuck it in the console of my car. Then I forgot about it when I got home, but looked at it and remembered, whenever I was out in the car. On Tuesday evening I finally remembered to get the phone out of my car and back into my kitchen.
2. Tonight I was out with Andy at volunteer orientation for The Vancouver Fringe Festival. What a wonderful night we had! The training was excellent, and we're going to have a splendid Fringe experience. We got home and there was a message on our answering machine. It was a nice long message, and it was from Fiona! But the connection was so bad, her words were all broken up and we couldn't understand anything except, "Love you!" at the end. Darn it! I was totally disappointed and sad and wishing I could unscramble bad phone sound and know what she was saying to us. Blegh!
So now I just have to breathe out and acknowledge that I am jazzed about all this. There's nothing I can do but be calm and patient and try not to haul major appliances out the door. What will be will be.
question: did you ever wish you knew everything about everything right now?
mompoet - sigh...
There is, however, evidence that I have been experiencing moments of extreme dunderheaded panic and bewilderment:
1. We left our house Monday at 4:45am, to get Fiona to the airport for 5:30 check-in. We parked at the airport. I got out of the car and checked in my purse for my cell phone. Guess what I found? The cordless phone from my kitchen! Um, I think I brought the wrong phone. So I took it out of my purse and stuck it in the console of my car. Then I forgot about it when I got home, but looked at it and remembered, whenever I was out in the car. On Tuesday evening I finally remembered to get the phone out of my car and back into my kitchen.
2. Tonight I was out with Andy at volunteer orientation for The Vancouver Fringe Festival. What a wonderful night we had! The training was excellent, and we're going to have a splendid Fringe experience. We got home and there was a message on our answering machine. It was a nice long message, and it was from Fiona! But the connection was so bad, her words were all broken up and we couldn't understand anything except, "Love you!" at the end. Darn it! I was totally disappointed and sad and wishing I could unscramble bad phone sound and know what she was saying to us. Blegh!
So now I just have to breathe out and acknowledge that I am jazzed about all this. There's nothing I can do but be calm and patient and try not to haul major appliances out the door. What will be will be.
question: did you ever wish you knew everything about everything right now?
mompoet - sigh...
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
seniors' games
This week, 4,000 athletes will be in Burnaby for the 2012 BC Seniors' Games. As a staff member at a Burnaby recreation centre, I have been helping with preparations. I have seen our athletes practising and preparing for their competitions, and I have given my support to those who are volunteering to help organize and run the games. It's a huge undertaking. Athletes will come from all over BC to compete in everything from archery to one act plays. The youngest will be around 55 years old. The oldest will be in their 90s.
Last night I attended volunteer training and accreditation. Now I have my name badge and T-shirt, and I'm ready to report to work on Thursday evening, when I will assist at a participants' social evening at Burnaby Village Museum. I know it's going to be a marvelous night for everyone. I am looking forward to seeing the athletes and volunteers who call our recreation centre home, and to meeting people from other parts of the province.
I hope that when I am 70+ I will participate in BC Seniors' Games! In the meantime, all the best to our Burnaby athletes and volunteers, and a warm welcome to everyone who is visiting us. Thank you for making 2012 BC Seniors' Games a success!
question: what will you do when you are 72?
mompoet - I'm not totally sure, but I bet I will be having some kind of fun
Last night I attended volunteer training and accreditation. Now I have my name badge and T-shirt, and I'm ready to report to work on Thursday evening, when I will assist at a participants' social evening at Burnaby Village Museum. I know it's going to be a marvelous night for everyone. I am looking forward to seeing the athletes and volunteers who call our recreation centre home, and to meeting people from other parts of the province.
I hope that when I am 70+ I will participate in BC Seniors' Games! In the meantime, all the best to our Burnaby athletes and volunteers, and a warm welcome to everyone who is visiting us. Thank you for making 2012 BC Seniors' Games a success!
question: what will you do when you are 72?
mompoet - I'm not totally sure, but I bet I will be having some kind of fun
Monday, August 20, 2012
playoff eyebrows
Andy and I are home from the airport this morning. We dropped Fiona off for her 7am flight to Toronto, where she will participate in Dorothy Farm, the next part of the Over the Rainbow competition. We will be thinking of her and wishing her well all week long. We don't know how much we'll know about what she is doing, as it is being kept quiet so as not to spoil the surprise for the TV show that will begin on September 16. I told her I will try to post my blog throughout the week, so if she needs a smile from home, it will be here for her.
Since she came home from callbacks in June, Fiona has been growing her eyebrows. The top 20 Dorothy contenders were asked to leave their brows alone until their return to Dorothy Farm. Fiona has beautiful brows, but I know it has been hard to let them grow. I told her earlier this week that I have been holding off on going to have my brows shaped while she has been growing hers. It's been a quiet act of solidarity, not having super neat brows while she has been managing her growing-out ones. I think she genuinely appreciated that.
Andy was in on the conversation. He mentioned that Alex, our son, grew a beard for hockey playoffs. He suggested that we, as a family, should grow playoff eyebrows. We could show our support for Fiona in the Dorothy competition by letting our brows grow bushy and wild. Those of us (ahem) who are susceptible to mono-brow could even let that happen. The more our brows grow, the stronger Fiona's chance of success.
I pictured us in a CBC TV interview, looking like a Cro-Magnon family. "Me McIntyre! Me support daughter!" That would beat "Go Fiona" t-shirts all to heck, now wouldn't it?
question: what do you do to show your support for someone you love?
mompoet - whatever it takes...
Since she came home from callbacks in June, Fiona has been growing her eyebrows. The top 20 Dorothy contenders were asked to leave their brows alone until their return to Dorothy Farm. Fiona has beautiful brows, but I know it has been hard to let them grow. I told her earlier this week that I have been holding off on going to have my brows shaped while she has been growing hers. It's been a quiet act of solidarity, not having super neat brows while she has been managing her growing-out ones. I think she genuinely appreciated that.
Andy was in on the conversation. He mentioned that Alex, our son, grew a beard for hockey playoffs. He suggested that we, as a family, should grow playoff eyebrows. We could show our support for Fiona in the Dorothy competition by letting our brows grow bushy and wild. Those of us (ahem) who are susceptible to mono-brow could even let that happen. The more our brows grow, the stronger Fiona's chance of success.
I pictured us in a CBC TV interview, looking like a Cro-Magnon family. "Me McIntyre! Me support daughter!" That would beat "Go Fiona" t-shirts all to heck, now wouldn't it?
question: what do you do to show your support for someone you love?
mompoet - whatever it takes...
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Barb's binary birthday
My sister Barbara was in town for her birthday. At her request, I baked a delicious lemon cake from The Moosewood Cookbook. It's actually called Sour Cream Orange Cake in the cookbook, but Barb has adapted it to a lemon cake, and it's her birthday favourite. I substituted lemon for orange, Limoncella liqueur for Gran Marnier in the syrup that soaks the baked cake, and baked it into two layer pans instead of a bundt, sliced the two layers to make four, filled it with lemon curd between the layers and frosted it with fresh whipped cream. Did I mention it is a birthday favourite? The cake was about a foot tall when I got finished, and everyone's eyes about popped out when we sang happy birthday. Here's Barb blowing our the candles:
Thank you to Fiona for snapping the photos. Thank you to Barb's and my Dad, for teaching us how to count up birthdays in binary, thus saving us many 30+ cake meltdowns. In case you are checking how old Barb is, please read from left to right from the birthday girl's point of view. Although Barb might tell you otherwise.
question: how do you express your age in binary?
mompoet: ON, ON, off, off, ON, ON this coming November (which is not a prime, and also symmetrical - oh well, there's always next year)
question: how do you express your age in binary?
mompoet: ON, ON, off, off, ON, ON this coming November (which is not a prime, and also symmetrical - oh well, there's always next year)
Thursday, August 16, 2012
catching up - BC Day weekend
This summer is going very quickly! I think I'm out of the habit of posting my blog regularly. The days just keep filling with lots to do and not so much time to reflect and record.
We had an excellent BC Day weekend. My sister Barb and her husband Kim and their youngest son Simon came from Cranbrook for a visit. They stayed with my parents, so we had some get togethers at their house including Barb's birthday supper, which is still in my camera, I think.
On Saturday we had lox and bagels on the porch, a traditional Ryeburn family breakfast (except in winter when we have lox and bagels in the dining room). After that Alex and Lukas took off to see Spiderman in the AVX theatre at Alex's work. Andy went to the beach. My Mom went to White Rock with a bunch of people to visit a yarn store then have a picnic. Fiona went to dance class. My Dad stayed home (well maybe he also went on a walk around Burnaby Lake).
Barb, Kim and I took the Skytrain into Vancouver, then walked from Waterfront Station all around the Vancouver waterfront and Stanley Park, to English Bay. Kim went in for a swim. Barb and I waded in. There were thousands of people at the beach, enjoying the sun and staking out spots for the fireworks display that would happen later.
We walked up Denman and had lunch at Number 1 Pho Restaurant. I loved my avocado milkshake.
As we continued down Robson in search of a birthday latte for Barb, we met some people selling "Gay for a Day" kits, in preparation for the Pride Parade. We bought some.
Then we found lattes at Cafe Artigianno on Robson. I had a birthday cake in the works at home, but I think these lattes tasted even better.
By the time we finished the lattes and caught the Skytrain home, we were tired! Mom and Dad took Barb, Kim, Simon and Alex out for sushi supper, but Andy and I decided just to chill with a quiet supper on our porch at home.
What a splendid day in Vancouver with my lovely family.
question: where would you go? what would you eat? who would you go with? if you had a day in Vancouver?
mompoet - full up with summer's goodness
We had an excellent BC Day weekend. My sister Barb and her husband Kim and their youngest son Simon came from Cranbrook for a visit. They stayed with my parents, so we had some get togethers at their house including Barb's birthday supper, which is still in my camera, I think.
On Saturday we had lox and bagels on the porch, a traditional Ryeburn family breakfast (except in winter when we have lox and bagels in the dining room). After that Alex and Lukas took off to see Spiderman in the AVX theatre at Alex's work. Andy went to the beach. My Mom went to White Rock with a bunch of people to visit a yarn store then have a picnic. Fiona went to dance class. My Dad stayed home (well maybe he also went on a walk around Burnaby Lake).
We walked up Denman and had lunch at Number 1 Pho Restaurant. I loved my avocado milkshake.
What a splendid day in Vancouver with my lovely family.
question: where would you go? what would you eat? who would you go with? if you had a day in Vancouver?
mompoet - full up with summer's goodness
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