what I thought about menopause before it began (for me)

Here's "Running Out of Eggs," as I performed it at the Vancouver Poetry Slam earlier this month. I wrote the poem about 8 years ago. Now I can say it's honestly true to life.



question: got any eggs?

mompoet - it's okay, either way

adjustments

Ibuprofen - my friend in times of OUCH!

Massage - coincidentally had a massage at work appointment. Therapist worked on my low back, gluteal muscles and hip. Sounds like weak low back and inner thigh muscles may be park of the problem. Now it's my job to strengthen, stretch, assess how I stand and take the pressure off by being stronger, longer and better balanced. OK!

Not walking - I drove to work, then Alex took the car away for his evening shift at the theatre, then I took the bus home. Yay community shuttle! It felt weird. I kept looking out the window of the bus saying to myself, "I walk there. I walk there."

Icing and Heating - I have a frozen water bottle that I roll on the floor under my foot. It's dreadfully cold at first, then very nice. I also have a magic bag. I use it while I'm stretching my foot.

Visualisation - I have pictures in my mind of back muscles, bum muscles, leg muscles and the structures of the foot. I am picturing them all well and happy.

question: what do you do when you want to fix something that is inside you?

mompoet - healing my heel and soothing my hip

ouch! (I have the menopause foot)

I was walking to work Monday morning when I began to experience pain in my left heel. I hobbled the rest of the way in, and discovered that my heel is somehow injured. I have a burning pain on the bottom of my heel, where I stand on it. Every step hurts. Over the next couple of days the pain got worse, then subsided, then got worse, then subsided.

I had heard about this, so I looked it up on the internet. I will go see the doctor, but it will take a few days to get in to see her, so for now, the internet and friends will help.

The internet suggests plantar fasciitis, which is an inflammation of the connective tissue where it attaches under the heel bone. It is caused/aggravated, by tightness in the tendons and ligaments inside the arch of the foot. Suggested treatments include, rest, icing, massage, stretching the foot and calf, and anti-inflammatory meds. You can also get a night splint or a sock that stretches the foot and calf gently while you are not thinking about it.

So I'm taking the ibuprofen, stretching, not walking 10 kilometers a day (starting today), and icing. As I post this, I'm rolling a frozen water bottle under my arch and heel. Feels good! I happen to have a massage appointment this morning so I'll ask for advice and help there too.

Lots of friends have had this. I have a generous offer to borrow the foot stretching sock from dear Cathy, and tons of encouragement from all around. The funniest part is that one of the senior ladies at my work (a retired registered nurse) said, "I don't mean to say you're getting old, Sue, but this injury is very common in women around menopause."

So it seems that part of being 50 may be a greater susceptibility to injuries or at least to inflammation or perhaps a lower pain tolerance. I will do what I can to get better because darn it, I like to walk 10 kilometers a day. I plan to do it for at least another 30 or 40 years.

Thank you to everyone for your encouragement, about my pain, my age, and my prognosis for deterioration. We are all deteriorating. We can do it with care, even with flare.

question: have you ever had a pain in your heel?

mompoet - ouch!

resume life as usual (for 3.5 weeks)

We drove Fiona down to Seattle last night. She slept over at her college roommate's house there, and is in the air on her way back to New Jersey as I post this. We had an awesome 4 week visit with her, and while I know I'll miss having her here at home, I feel none of the wrenching sadness at separation this time. This is partly because Andy, Alex and I will fly to New York mid-February to see her perform in a musical at the university, so we'll see her again in less than a month. Then she'll fly home in March for Spring Break. More importantly, we know that she is very happy at Montclair, with her courses, her friends, her accommodations. She's in the right place, doing the right thing. This is exactly what she should be doing. While I'll miss her, I am over-the-moon happy to know that she is happy and doing well.

I have been enjoying 3 weeks of vacation, planned so I could be at home with the family over Christmas, and make the most of Fiona's visit. It has been lovely to have that stretch of time, with few commitments and lots of room for improvisation. Mostly I have relaxed and responded to opportunities as they have come up. This last week I have been available to tend to Fiona and Alex while they mostly rested up with bad colds. This isn't what I would have wished for them, but they've got through it okay, and I am glad that I've been here to help make them comfortable.

Tomorrow I will return to work. I've been around the office a bit while on vacation, because I've been going to the rec centre to work out. My wonderful co-workers have been taking care of business, but I'll have a bit of catching up to do, so I anticipate a hectic week. I don't dread returning. I love my work, and I'm going back very well rested. We'll celebrate Chinese New Year with the seniors, and start up all of our winter programs, and work on the brochure that advertises Spring and Summer sessions, and also work on our annual budget updates. I also have an Insights team session to facilitate, and an on-call week leading right up to the day before we fly to New York in February. I'm looking forward to all of it.

For fun, I'm looking forward to seeing Red at the Vancouver Playhouse next weekend. Then Andy and I have tickets to the Ovation Awards at the end of the month (that's the Vancouver musical theatre award night). On Feb 2, I'll be part of a wonderful birthday celebration for my friend, poet and author Irene Livingston. So many good things coming up!

While I'm not one to worry (much), I do have a bit of a laundry list of those going on. They are, in part, why I am looking forward to resuming my regular routine. Once I'm working again, I won't have time to waste on worrying. For the record, here they are: Did Fiona's suitcase weigh more than 50 pounds?/Will Fiona be allowed to carry her new ukulele on the plane or will they try to make her check it and put it in the cargo hold?/Will Alex's cough finally go away?/Will Fiona's ears hurt on the plane?/Will Alex be able to drive to work safely in the rental car that has only all-weather tires or should Andy and I drive him to work and back in Andy's car with snow tires?/Will snow make my Monday morning walk to work slow going so I should get up extra early?/Will I need to cancel programs at work Monday morning because of snow?/Where is my car?/Will I accidentally sleep in on Monday morning?/Will Fiona and Shannon have a smooth journey from JFK Airport to the university with all of their luggage in tow?/Do we have any more soy sauce in the pantry or do I need to buy some? Okay, when I start to worry about soy sauce you can see that things are really okay.

question: are you worrying about something today?

mompoet - teeny weeny worries, big happy life

winter colds

Alex and Fi are both down with colds. Andy is back to work this week after a vacation interrupted by a few unexpected call-ins to cover for a co-worker. I am still home on vacation. I took Alex to the walk-in clinic last night when he spiked a fever after a week of up and down with coughing etc. Dr took a throat swab for culture but says it looks like just a nasty cold. I hope he feels better soon. I hope Fi feels better before she flies back to NJ on Sunday. In the meantime: books, magazines, ibuprofen, ColdFX, macaroni and cheese, hot apple juice with ginger and cinnamon. I can "mom" a cold, yes I can.

question: have you been a care-giver or care-needer recently?

mompoet - always both

3 weeks rocks

It's Saturday afternoon. I'm lounging in my pajamas at the computer. Two of my three weeks of Winter vacation have passed. I timed it to be home until Fiona returns to university. It has been a lazy-ish, low-stress-ish vacation so far. Highlights:

• Worked through the 23rd, did not stress about "getting ready for Christmas" but got decorations and tree up, a modest number of gifts bought, some cards out, what else is there?
• Helped at the family Christmas Eve service at church. It was lovely as usual.
• Celebrated the Eve after church with neighbours including grown up and almost grown up children. We stayed up way too late!
• Celebrated Christmas day at Mom-in-law's then Mom and Dad's house. Nice, small, family time.
• Saw a couple of movies - War Horse and Tintin. I want to see more movies before I go back to work!
• Read a couple of novels. Fault Lines by Nancy Huston and Room by Emma Donoghue. I want to read more novels before I go back to work!
• Lazed for one week then got back to workouts at the gym. I have time for spin classes when I'm on vacation. I love the intensity. I'm also visiting the weight room, so I don't miss my walks to and from the office too much.
• Hung out with Andy, watched a few movies at home on DVD.
• Hosted a mom and daughter footie pajama party and also a dress up New Year's Eve party.
• Had my car stolen (still missing)
• Saw The Sound of Music at Gateway Theatre in Richmond and Romeo and Juliet at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre. Learned how to spell Tsawwassen. Both were community theatre productions. Both were excellent.
• Went to the Vancouver Poetry Slam, competed for the first time in over a year, came in third. YAY! I want to go to some more poetry slams and compete with some new poems.
• Did not shop much, but bought an awesome stock pot less than half price after Christmas. Now I don't have to cook soup in a canning pot. Will cook more soup before I return to work.
• Booked a trip to New York City with Andy and Alex in February. We'll see Fiona in a show at the university, and I'll introduce Alex and Andy to New York, and to our friends and family who live there.
• Cooked and cooked and cooked. Yes, I love to cook!
• Got new eyeglasses. I can see clearly now!
• Went for lunch a few times. 
• Revived acquaintance with my twitter account - mostly copied facebook statuses to twitter feed 
• Celebrated our niece's 21st birthday. 
• Slept in and stayed up late. Weird for me!
• Didn't do much house-cleaning. GOOD!

On the agenda for week 3 of 3:

• Belated birthday day of adventure (my birthday) with Fiona. Will include Kitsilano and Granville Island.
• Friend Michele's birthday celebration
• More spin classes. Possible purchase of cycling shoes
• Writing poems
• Cooking, but not cleaning (much)
• Haircut? maybe.

question: what did you do as the days slowly began to lengthen and the nights to shorten?

mompoet - three weeks rocks

butter chicken and roasted Brussels sprouts

I'm having a really great vacation. I've been off work since Christmas Eve, and won't return to the office until January 16. Three weeks at home is really nice. At this point, it feels like forever since I started my vacation, and forever again until I must return to work. I'm enjoying time with the family and with friends and going out a bit more than I would if I was working. I am also really enjoying cooking. Here's how I make one of my favourite suppers. It's easy to make, satisfying to eat, and special enough to serve to company, AND it uses the little red pot. Perfect, huh?

Butter chicken begins with chicken. I use boneless skinless breasts, cut up into chunks. I cook them up in my little red pot, using just a bit of vegetable oil. For 4-6 servings I cook about a pound and a half of chicken in two batches. Cooked chicken and the juice that comes out go into a bowl on the side of the stove.

Next I chop up about 1.5 large onions or 2 medium ones, and saute these in the little red pot, using a moderate amount of real butter (about 1/3 cup). The rest of the recipe is really healthy, and the butter gives it the right to be called "butter chicken." Believe me, it's worth it.



Cook those onions in the butter for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile you can chop up some tomatoes. If you don't have tomatoes you can use some tomato puree or paste. I used three smallish tomatoes.

Now the magic ingredient: spice packet seasoning. I get these at my produce store. They have packets for Indian, Chinese, Indonesian and Thai recipes. So far I have found they are all good. I use two packets for this amount of chicken. Put the chicken and juice back in with the onions and add the tomatoes, the contents of the spice packets (kind of a wet paste of seasonings) and 2/3 cup each of yogurt and water. If you want to be decadent, you can use cream instead of yogurt. I prefer the tanginess of yogurt, and the sauce is rich enough just from the butter.

When you stir it all together it will be thick, then when it heats up, it gets quite liquidy. Never fear, it will thicken. Here's how it looks at first:

Leave it uncovered on medium heat. Cook it for about 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is somewhat reduced and substantially thickened.

While it cooks, you can put some rice on, and also make some yummy roasted Brussels sprouts. Wash and trim as many sprouts as you want to serve. These are good reheated, so you can make extra if you like. Put them on a baking pan covered with parchment. Drizzle them with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper at least. You can use rosemary, or another favourite herb if you like. These are good with just about any flavouring.

Bake them in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven, stirring once or twice, for about 15-25 minutes depending on the sice of the sprouts. If you're in a hurry, you can cut them in half before cooking. But you're in no hurry if you're waiting for that butter chicken sauce to thicken.

Look! The sauce finally thickened up and turned golden. The whole house smells delicious, and everyone is climbing the walls, ready for supper. And the Brussels sprouts?

They are perfect - cooked through but not mushy, with a few bits of roasted brown on the edge of each sprout. Don't miss the stray leaves on the pan. They are crispy and delicious. Crispy Brussels sprout leaves?  Can you believe it? I think they are good enough to win over even a sprout-avoider.

Plated up, it looks like this. I was so hungry I didn't even tidy up the sauce splash on the rim of the plate. This is a wonderful warm and earthy combination for a winter evening.

Yum yum yum. Butter chicken. My new favourite comfort food, good enough for company.

question: do you like Brussels sprouts?

mompoet - Brussels sprouts remind me of the pictures of cabbages in Mr MacGregor's garden

new year's day brunch - eggs with veggies

This is probably my favourite easy meal. I have actually posted this recipe before, but never with photos, so here it is, in all its glory. I eat this for breakfast, lunch or supper interchangeably. It always includes eggs and cheese. Those are the constant ingredients. Sometimes I serve it with a warmed tortilla (then I call it "tortilla and eggs"). Sometimes I add rice or potatoes on the side, if I'm serving it to a hungry eater. I usually eat it just the way it's shown in this post, eggs and veggies. The veggies can be whatever you have on hand. I try for an abundance of green plus at least 2 other colours. This dish has to be colourful.

Begin by chopping up some veggies. This time I used purple onion, red pepper, red tomatoes, green broccoli and green kale. Ideally I would have used yellow or orange pepper to add another colour. It seems redundant to use two red veggies, but red was the only pepper colour in my veggie drawer on New Year's Day, so there you go.

Chop up enough for one serving or more, but cook just one serving at a time. It takes a frying pan to make one serving of eggs with veggies. Heat the pan, add some olive oil and saute the veggies briefly. They'll cook some more along with the eggs, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

So now the veggies are beginning to cook and they're all lightly coated with the olive oil. Make a nest in the middle of the veggies and break in two eggs. I'm careful with this step because I like my yolks whole and soft. If you like the broken and firm, go for it! Top the eggs with some bits of cheese. I used Macedonian feta this time, but pretty much any kind of cheese works well, and you don't need much. Try your favourite and let me know how you like it. Oh, I sliced on some slivers of kalamata olives too.

Now plop a lid over the veggies. You can use a lid big enough for the whole pan. I prefer a lid just big enough to cover the food. It makes a tight little dome inside of which the eggs cook sunnyside (using the steam from the cooking veggies) and the veggies get cooked a bit crispy on the bottom. You can experiment with this part too, if your preference varies from mine.

For cooked whites, runny yolks and slightly-browned-on-the-bottom veggies, I give it about 3 minutes on medium high heat. You can peek and poke and decide when the eggs and veg are done to your liking. Then you just slide them out onto a plate. I like a little salsa on top. I had some leftover hummus that my niece made, which I served on some lavash crackers with a drizzle of olive oil.

With a meal like this, who needs to nibble the leftover chocolates from the New Year's party? Not me!

question: what do you like to eat the day after the party?

mompoet - May your 2012 be filled with everyday meals that taste like a celebration of goodness!

what we really did

The New Year's Eve party began at 4:45 in the afternoon. Several guests arrived late because of the slow service during the seniors' special hour at Denny's Restaurant. Never mind, there was plenty of room in our fridge for leftover liver and onions, brought by those who did not have time to finish their meals. A festive bowl of Ensure meal replacement drink stood at the entry door, ensuring that one and all would maintain a life-sustaining blood sugar level throughout the evening.

We tuned in to watch that young buckaroo Dick Clark ring in the New Year in Times Square in New York, but were disappointed to find out that it didn't start until 10:30pm Eastern time, which is 7:30pm Pacific time (where we are) and so much to late for us. So we played Canasta instead.

After my husband spiked the Ensure bottles with a bit of sherry, we got frisky and decided to play the well-known seniors' party game, musical dentures. Everyone took their teeth out and plopped them in the punchbowl. I doled out cups of punch. Whichever pair of dentures you got, those were the ones you wore. We took photos. Hilarity ensued. When I get the film developed I'll photocopy the pictures and pass them around to all the guests. That should be in about March or April, because I didn't totally finish the roll. There's a couple of shots left which I don't want to waste, so I'll save it for the next time I take pictures, like Easter, then get them developed.

We had all just eaten supper at Denny's, so of course we weren't hungry, but of course there's never going to be enough to eat, so we all filled our plates up with the treats that everyone brought. Meals on Wheels must have delivered tilapia and peas this week, because there was a lot of tilapia and peas, plus a fruitcake that I think has been making the rounds for a couple of years. It was good that the food was soft because we were all working with unfamiliar teeth.

About 5:15 we put on party hats and got noisemakers. My neighbour Ethel says she doesn't need a noisemaker because her husband George makes a noise everytime he stands up or sits down in his chair. So George got ready to stand up and sit down a few times. Then we counted down 10-9-8-7... but we forgot the numbers a couple of times so it was a good thing we started early. We shouted Happy New Year sometime around 5:30. Then Gertie's husband Eric said, "WHAT?" because he had his hearing aid turned down because you would too if you had to live with Gertie. So anyway we had to count down again so Eric could hear it this time. Then it was almost 6 o'clock and we didn't want to miss Jeopardy on TV so everyone went home.

Dear young adult children, nieces and nephews, I hope that this fulfills your idea of how we OLD people celebrate new year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR (what???)

mompoet - not so very old

our new year's eve plans

Andy and I are hosting this year. I think my email message to our friends just about sums up our plans, and puts it all in perspective:

So tomorrow is New Year's Eve. We will be ready any time from 8pm on. My niece says that this is a sign that we are OLD. People in her generation, she tells me, would never think of showing up at a New Year's Eve party at 8pm. I tell her that gives us 5 or 6 hours to party because we'll all be up past midnight after all. I say this with special emphasis because we are up past midnight probably only 2 or 3 times per year these days. She just rolls her eyes when I say this.

When I tell my niece that we won't play beer pong this year, she is amused. "You played beer pong?" YUP! I say, but it's a year later and now we are OLD. So we are having a silly gift exchange instead. "Okay," she says, "I hope you get a nice gift." Then she kind of smirks.

So let's have a smirk-busting New Year's Eve. Andy and I will be ready for you as soon as the seniors' supper special is over at Denny's. We'll print up some songsheets for World War II song favourites, and we've hired an accordion player. We'll record New Year's in Australia and play it at about 9:30pm so we can all be home and in bed by 10. After all, we are OLD.

Seriously, 8pm onwards, bring a nibbly food to share, bring a wrapped gift or two - could be something good or something terrible or just something funny. Women, wear a nice dress or otherwise cocktail attire. You can keep your shoes on in our house if you like. Men, shirt YES, tie OPTIONAL, pants REQUIRED.

See you at the end of 2011.

sue

question: how OLD are you? and what are you doing for New Year's Eve?

mompoet - OLD enough to laugh at myself

honest mom, it's not there

I was just going to sleep about midnight Tuesday when my phone rang. It was Alex, with panic in his voice, "Mom! Where's the car?" Alex had just come out of work at the movie theatre to find that the car was not where we had fropped it off for him earlier in the evening. I verified the spot where we left it and he verified that it was not there. "How many cars are in the lot?" I asked him. "Not many, and none of them is your car, Mom!" he assured me. It dawned on me that it must have been stolen. I told him to go back inside and wait, while Andy and I drove to the theatre.

Alex was right, it was gone. Some time between 7pm and midnight, someone made off with our rusty but trusty 1995 Honda Civic. I phoned the police and reported it stolen, then we drove home. In the morning, I called ICBC, then I called our friend Chris, who is also our insurance agent. Both the ICBC Claims person and dear Chris helped me feel a lot better. Apparently 9 out of 10 stolen cars are recovered within a few days. Usually only the door lock and ignition are broken. I'm just hoping that my car is found in one piece and deemed worthy of repair. If it's written off, I won't get much for it, then I have to buy a car.

In the meantime, ICBC pays for a rental car. I'm wondering how long I'll be driving it, if I'll get my car back, where my car is...

I picture it on a side street somewhere in Surrey. Somebody took it because they needed a ride home, or to a drug deal, or both. I'm hoping someone will notice the little old blue car that does not move from its place, and upon closer inspection notices that the door lock is broken and ignition wires are hanging out. They'll call the police, who will call the wrecker. Then they'll call me, and we'll see what happens next.

Talking to people I know, many have experienced this same crime. My neighbour even asked, "Is this the first time your car has been stolen?" So it's something new for me, but sounds like it happens and life goes on. I'm grateful Alex did not come out of work while the thief was breaking into the car. Part of me thinks maybe he wasn't meant to drive himself home that night. Maybe the car was stolen to put him out of the way of something else that wasn't supposed to happen. We'll never know, and I'm glad.

So I'll keep you posted. In the meantime. Look for a rusty little blue Honda Civic with a rear window shelf littered with L and N magnets. It's a good little car. It wants to come home.

question: has your vehicle ever been stolen?

mompoet - dude! where's my car?

my early Christmas gift from Alex and Fiona

Alex and Fi went off to the mall the day after Fiona got home from NJ. Their tradition is to shop together for stocking stuffers for the family, and to give each other hints about presents for one another. They also help each other with wrapping the presents when they get them home. Fiona talked Alex into getting me one more photo for our bulging "Santa Shelf" in the living room, where I have all of the Santa photos from babyhood up, displayed in frames. When Andy and I got home from our errands Fiona suggested I check the Santa shelf for a new addition. I love it.

question: are they not cute?

mompoet - Alex asked Santa for world peace. Fiona said being home for Christmas was present enough for her.

Grinfrick the Atrocious Elf-Child Almost Messes Up Christmas

A Christmas Eve story for you:
(Click on the first picture to make the text large enough to read. It's easy to click through after that.)

 I'm sorry that this one is a little out of focus. I let Grinfrick handle the camera, and he was trying to be good, but he is a wiggly elf!

question: have you seen any turtles or reindeer yet?

mompoet - a good little elf

sanctuary

I spent the first part of the longest night of the year at my church, helping to host the Commuter Sanctuary. At this hectic time of year, we are holding a space in our community for peace and rest. Everyone is welcome to come in, sit, listen to some quiet music, meditate, pray, or simply be. There's no structured service - no talking really, just a quiet space with low lights, candles, and blessed peace. It's every night this week, 5-7pm at St. Andrew's United Church on St. Johns Street in Port Moody. Sometimes, to find grace, or yourself, or peace, or all of these, it's best to stop.

question: when is the last time you sat in peace for more than a moment?

mompoet - enjoying stillness on the darkest night

all is well

Fiona is back from university, with us for four weeks. We picked her up at Seattle airport Saturday night late, and got home with her Sunday morning early. I thought she was going to sleep for a few days, after her hectic last week at school, but she was up-and-at-'em, visiting friends, baking treats, Christmas shopping and going to work at the store where she worked all summer. Last night she made a delicious lettuce wrap supper for Andy and me. It feels like she is trying to get the most she can out of this time at home. I hope it is delicious for her.

I'm still working this week, wrapping up the things that need to be done at the office before the end of 2011. It's hectic but fun, with happy holiday spirits all around. Working at a senior's recreation centre at Christmas time is dangerous though: If I ate every cookie, candy and piece of cake that I have been offered these past 2 weeks, I would be wearing my Christmas pants for sure by now!

Starting Christmas Eve, I have 3 weeks' vacation. I have no plans whatsoever except to relax, be with the family, enjoy Christmas and begin the New Year refreshed and happy. I found out about a month ago that I will continue with my assignment at the seniors' centre - something that started out as a one year placement back in January 2008. This makes me very happy. I love working there, and know now that I am set to continue this through 2012.

So much is good in my life. My family is reunited and happy together. My home is warm and safe and comfortable. I love my job. I have great friends. I have enough energy and resources that I can share some with people in my community and causes that are important to me. I am well. All is well.

question: what's well in your world?

mompoet - wishing you well in your world

dear fiona

four more days!

how to make granola at home

I have been working on getting just the right combination of ingredients and technique to make a really yummy granola. Here's my latest concoction, which turned out very nicely.

Begin with a bigger bowl than you think, because you know how things are. I used several cups of large flake oats. You could add wheat or other rolled grains as well.

 I cut the almonds from whole, unblanched, for a rustic feel. All of the nuts and seeds here are raw, because they will roast during the baking. Did I mention to heat the oven to 350F?

 Here's where you dump in the nuts and seeds. Pictured: the almonds, pecans, flax seed, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. If you find you have only toasted seeds, leave them out for now and add them after the baking, along with the fruit. Stir this whole lot together.

 For about 10 cups of mixed grains, seeds and nuts, I used 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup canola oil. We had the creamed type of honey on hand, so I softened it for about 30 seconds in the microwave, then whisked in the oil. You want the mixture to be liquidy enough to distribute evenly through the dry ingredients.

Mix the honey/oil into the dry ingredients. You can stir it with a big spoon on combine with your hands to make sure every bit of grain, seed and nut gets honey-oiled. Spread it out on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment and put it in the oven.

 You want it to get toasty but not toasted, so every 10 minutes take it out and stir/flip it with a spatula. You might want to do this more frequently near the end. Move the more-roasted bits from the edges and corners of the pan into the centre. Move the less-roasted bits out to the edges.

 In about 30 minutes you know. It will be golden but not brown, and it will smell heavenly! Take it out of the oven, and add a generous handful or two of fruit. Shown here: raisins and dried cranberries.

Here's how I store it, in a plastic container with a snap lid. It will keep for a few weeks on the shelf this way. In our house it gets eaten pretty quickly. It's great for snacking, or eating with yogurt. It's even good sprinkled on top of a salad.

question: are you a granola-head?

mompoet - unblanched spell-checks to "blanched!"

in case you notice me jumping up and down and grinning uncontrollablly

Fiona is coming home in one week. One week from now at 9:27pm I'll be waiting for her plane to come in at Seattle airport. I have been dreaming about her being here already. That's how much I want to hug her.

7 days. May face may break from smiling in the meantime. That would be okay.

question: who do you want to see right now?

mompoet - beaming like happiness to the googolplex power

easthill ladies shopping day on commercial drive

Kirsi, Karen, Cathy, Doris and I headed out Friday morning for a day of lunching, shopping and laughing on Commercial Drive. It was partly to toast my 50th, and partly just for fun.

 We waited for the bus together. It was a beautiful morning!

First stop: Lunch at Havana Restaurant. We sat out on the patio under a heater. It was warm enough even for some of us to take our coats off. We think this is a unique Vancouver experience for mid-December.

 What a great place to relax!

 We got a big pitcher of mojitos to go with our lunch.

 We let the waitress order our tapas. We enjoyed yam fries, calamari, meatballs, short ribs, prawns and chips with guacamole and fresh salsa. We even ordered a second plate of calamari it was so good!

 We gobbled it up in no time!

 We visited a bunch of great stores. Everyone bought gifts for family and friends, and we each bought something for ourselves too! Here's my haul. I was glad to find a vendor selling the Hope In the Shadows calendar.

 What better stocking stuffer for a 16 year old nephew than an inflatable beard? The cousins all joke on their birthdays that they have grown a birthday beard. Simon is the remaining one of the 5 cousins in on the joke to be waiting to actually be able to grow one. I think he will look like his Dad when he tries it on.

 I was happy to find Carl Jung finger puppets! We call this pose, "Two Jung for beer."

 With the day coming to an end, we stopped at Fet's restaurant for some Russel's Pale Ale. Karen got (and shared) this yummy warm apple crumble dessert. Mmmmm

Good bye Commercial Drive. See you again soon!

question: what's fun near your home?

mompoet - the luckiest, the happiest, and still two Jung for beer