Carp Farmers' Market... Again

Last Saturday we paid our first visit of the year to the Carp Farmers' Market...














Terry always heads straight for the local veggies...














These cucumbers reminded me of a time when I actually did make pickles and relish.














I can't resist the fresh pastry...














There are always surprises, like homemade dog food...














...and emu oil...














A vendor selling bouquets of fresh flowers in tea pots...














...and coffee pots... (I never thought of using them as vases...)














I noticed a new pastry shop called Pretty Fours...














My personal favorite is the English Pie Shoppe...


















...where I always buy a meat pie (called a pastie) for lunch...

My July Garden

I usually enjoy my July garden from indoors - because of the hot weather - so July is the month that the garden grows out of control!














Our high humidity often makes the temperature seem a lot hotter than it is. The bees also keep me at bay! The flowers, on the other hand, love the humidity and don't mind the bees!














I focus on eliminating weeds and trimming back wild vines - leaving the flowers to grow like mad!














In early July, the white daisies were in full bloom...

Then the yellow arrived...


















This year a very exotic-looking yellow lily surprised me when it flowered... Where did it come from? Then I remember it was a gift from a colleague of Terry's (who owns Sunlight Gardens nursery out of town near Almonte).














My favorite July flowers are the phlox. Every year I divide them, so now they bloom all around the yard....














I love the pink and mauve...














The red ones don't really match with the mauve, but they do add a splash of color.














The white ones seem to glow against the green leaves.














My pictures don't do them justice! They have a radiance that cheers me from dawn to dusk.














I'm always happy when new plants thrive... like this echinacea which I bought last year...














And then there is my latest garden addition - a dozen tomato plants a neighbor gave me! I have to water them daily...

And after all that work, I wonder if we'll actually eat any tomatoes ... Or will some little critters beat us to them?!

Free Outdoor Concerts... in Perth

A few weekends ago Terry and I attended the (free!) outdoor music festival in Perth, Ontario...














This was the 20th anniversary of this event, organized by a team of volunteers from the community. We parked across the river from the park, so we had to cross on a wooden foot-bridge.














The park was full of families...














The volunteer organizers do an amazing job!














Several stages were set up in the park...














Nearby children could play in the water...














while parents kept an eye on them (or dozed!)...














This is our second visit to this event...














Maybe next time, we'll come for the whole weekend!

As we were leaving, I noticed several lovely homes beside the park...














I couldn't help but take pictures of their flowers...














And this old home - a perfect setting for a novel... or perhaps a movie!

A Family Celebration

Exactly one week ago, my mother celebrated her 91st birthday...














Family gathered for a meal at the retirement residence...














Coming from as far away as Dallas... My mother was delighted to see so many young people...














(I'll count myself in that group, too!)

Thankful for... (Part 2)

I have become an armchair traveler... enjoying emails and pictures from friends who share their travel adventures...

Yesterday I shared one misadventure of a friend. Today I'd like to share another tidbit from her email...

Without mentioning the country she was in, I'd like to quote her again...

"The city is a real mixture of old and new, and different ethnic groups. Our guide was a very knowledgeable ... man who reeled off lots of facts and figures and assured us that there was no poverty or unemployment ... unless people chose to live that way. Beggars and the homeless are very much in evidence. After the tour he privately told a couple of us that he was not allowed to say anything critical or negative about the government and faced a possible 3 years in jail if he did. "

So again... today, I'm thankful for... the FREEDOM to tell the truth - as I see it - without the risk of being thrown into prison for simply criticizing the government...

Thankful for...

Sometimes I hear something that makes me very THANKFUL for what I have...














Here in Canada I often forget to be thankful for simple essentials like... WATER.














(In fact, most years we get so much rain that we actually COMPLAIN about it, forgetting what a precious resource it really is!)

But recently a traveling friend sent an email about her summer holidays and mentioned an airport adventure:

"I had to go via Dubai and had a 3 hour stopover there. None of the toilets in the whole of Dubai airport were working, due to there being no water to flush them with, which made for an interesting 3 hours and a lot of people walking around looking extremely worried. "

Hmmmmm. I can't even begin to imagine!! It never occurred to me that our water-based sanitation system would pose such a problem in desert countries...

(They would probably shut the airport down if that happened here in Ottawa!)

In our part of Canada, we have had a lovely hot, sunny summer so far...

Now when it does cloud over and begin to rain, I promise not to complain!

Sowing in Tears

"Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him..." (from Psalm 126)

These words have the power of taking me back to my first year of university and a quote I had pinned over my desk. I had discovered it in French class. It went something like - "Celui qui pleure aujourd'hui rirera demain" - roughly translated, He who cries today will laugh tomorrow.

Time and time again, I would return to my room in residence, toss my books onto my desk, look up at the quote, and ask myself: When will tomorrow come?

It eventually did come - the following year - in a different university setting.

But there have been other times of sadness in my life... like the eight months Terry and I lived in Toronto, our second year of marriage. We had moved from Montreal so that Terry could resume his studies. I felt no real purpose in being there (much like my first year ta university). Both were times of transition - moving out of my comfort level - and questioning what I was doing with my life...

Were these hard times (for me) essential to my growth as a person? (I'd like to think they weren't wasted!)

Could they have been cut short had I focused less on my own sadness?

I recently came across the idea that depression would end if people turned away from their own problems and spent time helping others. I wonder if that really works!

Terry's Favorite (FOOD) Season

Summer brings Terry's favorite FOOD season... CORN ON THE COB SEASON...














STRAWBERRY SEASON (just ending) comes a close second!

The best corn on the cob I've ever tasted is served at the Brockville RibFest, which we discovered several years ago, and have attended ever since. (Brockville , a small picturesque city on the edge of the St. Lawrence River, is about an hour's drive south of Ottawa.)

At the Ribfest, the corn is barbecued, dipped in a big vat of melted butter, then generously sprinkled with salt AND pepper... (At home I use only a tiny bit of butter!)

I'm glad the event is a fund-raiser for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization... as I keep going back for more... and more!

Growing in Talent

I have been thinking about talent... how it develops and grows...

Music at our church is often led by a pianist and a number of guitar players, as well as a drummer. All volunteer their time, preparing and performing, as they lead the rest of us in singing. Often one of the musicians starts off our Sunday morning service with a few remarks and a prayer.

One young man who from time to time leads this part of the service appeared hesitant and uncomfortable when he took on this role not that many months ago. But last Sunday, less than a year after he first began, I was struck by his confident manner, and I marveled at how far he had come in so short a time!

Recently I also met a young woman I hadn't seen in several years. When I last saw her, she was thinking about becoming a teacher. Now- a few years later - having taught for two or three years, she was dynamic and outgoing... unlike the shy individual I had known before...

Is that how talent grows? I often think of talent as a pre-packaged gift delivered to some - and not to others... But perhaps it is really the product of patient toil... and time. Does it develop as people willingly undertake challenges that stretch them? ...And eventually they "fill the shoes" they have stepped into?

By not stepping out and trying new things - am I holding myself back, stunting my potential growth?

Tourist in My Own Town...

When do I visit Ottawa's Parliament Buildings?...














Or gaze at the nearby American Embassy?














Or watch the sun set on the Ottawa River?














When out-of-town friends visit, of course!
This year, an interesting twist...

Norma and I have known each other for more years than either of us wants to count... But this visit - while talking about Facebook friends - we discovered an interesting connection... Her cousin's daughter recently married my cousin's nephew... (I think that's how it goes...)

After all these years... does that mean that we are now related?!!

A Tale of Two Muffins

I have been trying to monitor my calories this summer (after my weight jumped - when my favorite ice cream stand reopened down the street!) I'm not that successful at controlling my cravings, but sometimes I look up the number of calories in foods I enjoy. And has that been a surprise!!

Let me explain... I am a great fan of the DQ Chocolate Extreme Blizzard - with its chunks of fudge and brownies, as well as its chocolate sauce... So I wasn't really surprised to discover that a small one has HALF of my daily caloric intake (if I try to stick to 1300 calories a day). So... if I eat lots of salad for the rest of the day, and very little of anything else, it's doable!

But I was shocked to discover that another food favorite... a McDonald's Double Chocolate Muffin... a much lighter treat I enjoy with coffee... has a THIRD of my daily caloric intake! (And it's not as filling as the blizzard! I could easily eat two!)

Compare that with blueberry bran muffins I make from time to time... I would have to eat 8 of these to reach 1300 calories!

(All muffins are NOT created equal!)














If you like blueberry bran muffins, here is the recipe I use. It's from The Lighthearted Cookbook by Anne Lindsay, page 150.














Buttermilk, Bran and Blueberry Muffins (makes 18-20)

Mix together:

• 3 cups natural bran
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

In another container, blend together:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups buttermilk (or add 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice to 2 cups of regular milk)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup molasses
  

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients - together with 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries. Mix until evenly moist.














Bake muffins for 25 minutes at 370 degrees Fahrenheit or 190 degrees Celsius.














Enjoy! (Each muffin is about 160 calories or 3 Weight Watcher points.)