Greek Fest! We Almost Missed It!

One of our favorite eating experiences occurs every year at Greek Fest...














The Greek Community has a 10-day fundraiser - with Greek food, music ...














and dancing - in the parking lot of their church and community center.














For years we have attended... not once, but several times.

This year, Terry got the dates wrong - and we almost missed it! But we still managed to get there twice (the last few days)!














I tried Greek sausage for the first time. It was good.














And, of course, Greek salad.Once we ordered lamb meat roasted on a spit... I often have Greek custard pie for dessert. (It disappeared before I thought to take a picture!)

Late August Flowers

I feel a certain sadness at this time of year, as the sedum (Autumn Joy) begins to turn pink... This, for me, is a sign that summer is ending!











Time to enjoy the flowers that remain - and to celebrate new garden spaces (like this new hosta bed) that have thrived...












Some blooms look a little ragged after last week's storms (like these Heliopsis flowers)...












Others - like the tiny red tea roses - have survived...













... in the shelter of friends... (The brown-eyed Susans - Rudbeckia Hirta - having borne the brunt of the bad weather)...

New flowers don't usually appear in late August, but here is one exception...










I remember planting it, but I don't remember its name!












The pink phlox are still blooming...














As are the white...












And two-tone pink...














These tall yellow flowers, (Golden Glow Rudbeckia - also known as Outhouse Plant) are still hanging in...











As well as a few of these star-shaped yellow flowers (Coreopsis)... They have a long bloom season!












The pink echinacea flowers look strong,...














As do the Brown-eyed Susans.












The hostas are still lovely,...














But other flower beds look like the party is over!


I'm already thinking of dividing the larger plants... and enlarging some flower beds for next year...










(But right now, I'd rather sit and enjoy the flowers that remain... than get down on my hands and knees and dig in the dirt again!)

Am I On the Wrong Track?

There is no division between religious life and secular life, Terry reminds me. All life is religious...

So I hesitate to call today's blog "religious"...

But I have been struck by something Jesus said... talking about Judgment Day, a day cartoonists have a lot of fun with!

But Jesus isn't laughing, and his words have left me wondering if I am focusing on the right things... or if I am on the wrong track...


(I'll let the words speak for themselves...)

Jesus said:

All the nations will be gathered before him [God], and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world...

(Now here is the part that makes me wonder...)

...For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

(You know, I've never even been in a prison...)

Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

(Jesus' words are very clear about how our lives will be judged... and they leave me squirming uncomfortably, wondering: When it comes to living as a Christian, am I focusing on the right things... or am I on the wrong track?!)

One of My Favorite Films

I once asked my doctor what kind of films he enjoyed watching... and to my surprise, he replied with a laugh: Hospital movies where things go wrong...

Which may be why - after many years in the classroom - I like films about teachers.

One of my favorites is a French documentary called Etre et Avoir (To Be and To Have). The film that shows snippets of a teacher's life in a modern rural schoolhouse in France.

The teacher, who has been at the school for 20 years, teaches all grades from kindergarten to middle school. (In the spring, all the children take a field trip to visit the school in town - where older students will attend the following year.) The teacher, who lives upstairs on the second floor of the school...is an amazingly caring, skillful man who manages the potential chaos with a calmness of an expert. He never seems to raise his voice.

We discover towards the end of the film that this teacher is on the verge of retirement - but the students - heading off for their summer vacation - are oblivious to the sadness of his final goodbyes ("Au Revoir")...

"Have a good holiday!" (Bonnes Vacances) signals - for him - the end of his teaching career, and brings tears to his eyes.

I originally saw the film in a repertoire theater that shows a lot of foreign films. A documentary, commissioned by the French Department of Education, it went on to win numerous awards. I was so impressed that I ordered a copy for myself through a CD store... I wondered if I would ever get it! It took over a year to arrive!

You tube has many snippets of this film - which I would highly recommend to anyone interested in teaching or in life in rural France.

The title of the film, Etre et Avoir (To Be and To Have) is interesting. These two irregular verbs need to be mastered by all beginners learning French... But a person also has TO BE an amazing teacher TO HAVE the ability to do what this man does.

Every time I see it, it moves me to tears!

Quilting Decisions

I started a reversible quilt a few months ago... (Last winter, in fact!)














I worked on it until the warm weather arrived, but then my interests turn outdoors... The 54 quilt squares have been sitting in a pile, in plain view... just to remind me to finish them.

Last week's rainy weather nudged me back to them, so I finished off the squares... Now to assemble them into a quilt... But wait! This is where another stumbling block crops up!...
What design do I want these squares to be in?! There are so many options!...

Option A? (The quilt that inspired me - created by my cousin Maria - looked like this...)














But there are other possibilities: Option B?














Option C?














Option D?














Option E?














Or option F...?














So many decisions! It may be a while before I begin the next step... I want to be certain I choose the one I like best!...

Toronto's Downtown Boardwalk

No trip to Toronto is complete - for me - without a stroll on the downtown boardwalk beside Lake Ontario.














Years ago, this was an industrial area - a shipyard.














I'm glad that city planners decided to turn it into a gathering place for tourists and residents alike.














I always pause to look at the boats - and the ducks!














There are hotels and condominium high-rises nearby...














But the lake adds a peaceful touch of nature to busy downtown life...














And a walk beside the water always relaxes me...

Stumbling Onto a Toronto Movie Set

In Montreal, I've seen streets lit up at night - to simulate daylight while a movie is shot.














But a a few weeks ago, while visiting Toronto, we happened upon a movie set in broad daylight, on Front Street, ...














...at a busy Toronto intersection.

.












Traffic was stopped while European cars - with European license plates - led the way... and cameras shot traffic rounding a corner...














...again ...














...and again...














... and again.














Passers-by - like me - stopped to gawk for a bit... and eventually moved on...














I don't know what the movie is about - but when it comes out, the setting will be Europe (Paris perhaps?) - not Toronto...














I never thought Toronto looked particularly European...














But maybe it does! (Except for the Canadian flags...)

Our Ever-Changing Neighborhood

Our neighborhood is about 60 years old. Every year brings changes, as trees grow bigger - or are cut down... Houses are enlarged, or new ones built in the spaces between existing homes.














Our neighborhood used to feel like a spacious village, but that is changing...














New houses are so close to their neighbors!

Usually people tear down an existing house, move it, or add on. Walking around the neighborhood a few days ago, I stared in puzzlement at this change... What is is happening here?! Someone is painstakingly removing much of this house... What are they planning to do?














Are they planning to tear it down?! Or rebuild on the "skeleton" of the old house? Time will tell!














There aren't many empty lots. Here is one where a house was torn down a few years ago. I wonder what they are planning to do...

Whatever happens, I hope there will always be room for big trees!

Toronto's Distillery District

Our recent trip to Toronto included a visit to a neighborhood called the "distillery district" - with its quaint cobblestone streets - where former distilleries now house cute shops and restaurants.














Wandering around, we came across an oyster shucking contest...














(Don't know who won!)














I was intrigued by a store called the Gallery of Industrial Design. I just had to go in!














It carried unusual items, like this book holder (carved out of a ball of marble)...














This corn on the cob set...














And items - like this tray - made of metallic "lace."














Wandering by an outdoor restaurant patio...














We discovered a live jazz band and singer...














So we sat for a while and listened...














He had a great voice!














Eventually we ate at the Mill Street Brew Pub... Had a wonderful evening...














Toronto is always a lot of fun!