Seeking Simplicity

I have just finished reading The Pelee Project, the account of a Toronto woman's search for sanity and personal peace after being in a serious car accident and recognizing her busy life was out of control. She decides to take a 3-month winter sabbatical on Pelee Island, a place she discovers while on vacation. Busy in the summer, it is permanent home to only about 200 people the rest of the year.

At the end of the book, the author, Jane Christmas, comments on what she has learned about simplicity. She writes:

Simplicity does not come in a neat little box. It means more than cutting back on material possessions... or slowing down. Simplicity... comes from within. 

Yes, paring down material possessions is part of the game - but only if you feel unnecessarily burdened by them...

Hmmm. Looking around, I see lots of "stuff," some of it useful, some of it sentimental.

Shaking his head, Terry often comments that when he was 20, all his possessions fit in the back seat of his Datsun! (I recognize that you have to be at least 25 to know what a Datsun is!) How did we accumulate so much?!

Yes, we do have a lot of stuff - much of it accumulated over the past 30 years. At times I admit that we have "too much" - but we still use a lot of it. What should we get rid of?!

Jane Christmas's words - "if you feel unnecessarily burdened by them" - is, I think, the key...

As I think about paring down possessions yet again (We are always accumulating more!)... that is the question I plan to ask myself: "What books, clothes, furniture, etc.... burden me in this room, this closet?"

Hopefully I'll have the courage to take it from there!

Ground Hog Neighbors

I'm always fascinated to discover that I'm living among wild animals, even in the city.

In a shopping area in my neighbourhood, I recently came across this family of ground hogs. We used to see groundhogs in a field near our house - until a large parking lot was built, ruining their tunnels.

I'm glad to see we haven't managed to totally eliminate them! They remind me of the persistent strength - and diversity of nature.

But I wonder how this family of three (or more) survives, surrounded by buildings and a busy road. What do they eat?!

They have managed to dig tunnels - a safety net against enemies. Will the property managers continue to allow them to co-exist here, ruining the lawn?

I hope so! I'd rather see them here, independent and strong, than in a zoo!

Delicious Tomato Parmesan Soup

I discovered this new favorite a few months ago when we were passing through Saint John, New Brunswick. Looking for a place to eat, we discovered a little pub that is well-known for its burgers. In hilly Saint John, Churchill's Pub is on the lower level of Church Street Steak House. We chose the pub rather than the restaurant because the World Cup was happening - and Terry wanted to keep an eye on the televised game while he ate.

I chose the soup of the day, which was Tomato Parmesan - and it was amazing! As soon as I got home, I hunted for a recipe, hoping it would be as good as the one at Churchill's. I'm happy with it.

The online recipe I used was from Dashing Dish. I modified it a bit (as usual)! This is how I made it:

Tomato Parmesan Soup

1. Place the following ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to boil.

Simmer for about 45 minutes:

• 1 large (796-ml / 28-ounce) tin of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• several stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 or 3 carrots, chopped (optional)
• 500 ml (2 cups) chicken broth or veggie broth
• 3 ml (1/2 teaspoon) each of basil, oregano, fine herbs

2. Let soup cool a little. Then puree it until it's thick and smooth.

3. At this point, I portion out one serving to eat, freezing the rest for later use.

4. When preparing to serve the soup, warm it up, adding about 75 ml (1/4 cup) of milk for every 250 ml (cup) of soup.

5. When soup is hot and ready to serve, add 75 ml (1/4 cup) of Parmesan cheese to each bowl.












Stir to melt the cheese.

Delicious!

The Power of a Name

I recently acquired this old copy of the novel, Gone With the Wind. I remember reading it in my teen years - and seeing the movie. I'd like to re-read it now - with my new interest in history - to get a sense of the American Civil War era.

It's hard to believe that, when it was being written, Margaret Mitchell called her heroine Pansy O'Hara (not Scarlett O'Hara).









And she wasn't sure what the title should be...

• Bugles Sang True
• Not in Our Stars
• Tote the Weary Load, or
• Tomorrow is Another Day

(I wonder - would the book have been such a hit with any of those titles?! Would the name "Pansy" now be a popular girls' name - had they not changed the heroine's name to Scarlett?!)

Summer Camp Wedding

A few days ago we attended our first "summer camp" wedding.


Perhaps I should explain...

After summer vacation is over, camps created to give children outdoor adventures, rent out their facilities for other events.










This wedding lasted all weekend - though some of us came only for the ceremony and reception.












Those with mobility issues managed..

Formality was tossed aside as many friends volunteered to help set up, prepare food and clean up: a special gift to the bride and groom - who were happy to know that their wedding weekend contributed towards sending two children, who otherwise couldn't afford it, to camp next summer.

Summer Wheels

On our recent trip to Toronto, we saw several interesting modes of transportation.


Could Terry and I ever travel on a four-wheeled motor-cycle, like these four couples were doing?



















It looks like fun, but I think we'd need more room for our luggage!















Another interesting set of "wheels" we saw was this ride-on lawn mower exiting a Tim Horton's parking lot after an elderly gentleman finished having coffee with buddies!

It reminded me of a beautiful movie I once saw - "The Straight Story" - a true account of Alvin Straight, an elderly World War II veteran who wanted to visit his ailing brother several hundred miles away.


He no longer had a drivers license. Both he and his brother lived in remote rural areas where there was no public transportation, so the man attached a wagon to his ride-on lawnmower and headed off.

A heart-warming movie! (Hopefully this man isn't going that far!)

Fall Flowers

There aren't many "fall flowers" in my garden.

(Do fall flowers even exist for my zone 5 Ottawa area? I'll have to find out!)

The sedum autumn joy - that has been growing and slowly changing since early spring - is now turning red.









 

The brown-eyed Susans still brighten the yard and the tall pink Japanese anemones are still blooming.

I'm always delighted to see lower lying white anemones (wind flowers) that bloom in spring return and bloom a second time! They seed themselves and spread, but I  don't mind! I can never have enough of these delicate white flowers!