Andrew Haydon Park in August

Terry and I recently headed over to Andrew Haydon Park for a walk...

The day was sunny - though ominous clouds threatened rain...

There seemed to be a lot of parents and children out...

We noticed new additions to the park - statues of dogs (or wolves?) to keep geese at bay...

They weren't totally effective: we still saw some in the ponds and on the grassy hills.

They're hard to discourage...

I guess they think that the park belongs to them!

We were able to circle around the park several times before heading home.

Such a lovely place to walk!

New Retaining Wall

Several weeks ago, our son and his wife had a new retaining wall built in their back yard.

A very old tree in poor health had been removed and the roots ground down. Now the slope at the back of their yard needed support.

As they shared pictures of the work in progress, we were both intrigued - but I could sense that Terry wanted very badly to see the wall for himself!












So it wasn’t a total surprise when, out of the blue, Terry blurted out: Let’s drive to Toronto again! 

Of course, he wanted to see the family!

But that wall! He just had to see that!

Seeing My Pottery Bowls Again

On our recent trip to Guelph, I enjoyed seeing our daughter's new apartment...

Her cat was snoozing in the sun...


















Nearby I noticed several of the pottery bowls I had made - holding her lovely succulents.

They’re just the right size! Maybe I need to get some succulents, too!

Going Through My "Stash" of Gifts

I tend to shop for gifts during post-season sales - and on vacation... I then put my purchases away in my "stash" box - and tend to forget about them!!

I recently went through my gift "stash" after one of my sons mentioned he'd welcome socks as a gift...

(I must be getting old, he added, if I'm asking for socks as gifts!) Yes... It wasn't all that long ago that every gift he wanted had "Nintendo" in the name!

Didn't I have some that I bought a year ago, fully intending to give them to him for his birthday (which just passed...)?!

It was then I found the T-shirt I had planned to give Terry for his birthday this year: Happy belated birthday, I said (three months after the event)... I don't think I gave you anything. 

In May, when we celebrated his birthday, we weren't going out much. Were shopping centers even open? We only ventured out - with great caution - for essentials... I certainly wasn't out shopping for gifts!

Now, what about these tea towels I bought at the TATE Gallery in London the year my youngest son got married...? 

(How many years ago was that?! They have two kids now!)

In all this time, I haven't given them away as gifts... I think I'll start using them myself! They'll brighten up the kitchen!

And these souvenirs from Prince Edward Island, where Terry and I vacationed several summers ago... 

I'll use the pot holders myself...

The "potato" soap as well!

With all these things from my stash that I'm finally allowing myself to use - it almost feels like Christmas!

Trip to Toronto and Guelph!

I wasn't sure that we'd be going anywhere this summer, but last week Terry made an impulsive decision to drive to Toronto and Guelph...

We brought our own food along, in order to have minimal contact with other travelers.

But once we got to Toronto, we enjoyed hanging out with family...

We started out mainly watching...

But eventually shared the fun of holding a baby again...

And playing with a four-year-old...

This little guy was only 3 months old the last time we saw him in early March!

They grow up so quickly! Glad we were able to go!

We All Need Encouragement!

A discouraged young mother of two preschool sons recently exclaimed: If one more thing goes wrong today, I'm putting up the Christmas tree! (In her place, I'd probably be saying:... I'm heading for Dairy Queen!) But I know where she's coming from! At times we all need encouragement!

Early in the pandemic, I was feeling discouraged and confused. I'd hear daily numbers of new cases and deaths in the news, but it was all too much! I needed a system to help me see where things were going.

So I started to keep track of the number of new COVID cases in Ontario and the daily number of deaths. Later I started to calculate our 7-day average of new cases... Averages tend to fluctuate less and they indicate a trend.

I remember hoping and praying that the numbers would diminish to less than 100 a day... When that happened, my new goal was less than 50...

Keeping track - especially when things are improving - has helped me focus on hope.

Some Quilting Inspiration

These days, my quilting goal is to collect leftover strips of fabric - and sew them together, somewhat randomly, to make a quilt...

The idea comes from quilts I saw on Pinterest...

I like this one...

Here is another...

I don't expect my finished quilt to look very much like these... I start with ideas in mind - but then reality takes off in new and unexpected directions!

For me, that's the joy of quilting... Every quilt ends up being a surprise. Every one is different!

Changes... Across the Street

Our neighborhood - with its older homes on large yards - is undergoing a shift... In many places, one house is knocked down or hauled away and two larger ones built in its place...

For those of us who've lived here for a long time, it is a bitter-sweet change. We love the spacious gardens of this old neighborhood, once commonly called "St. Clair Gardens."

There isn't much room for gardens when houses take up the whole lot.

This is what's happening across the street from us: Bill's house (as we affectionately call it, even though Bill hasn't lived there for years)... Bill's house will soon be knocked down and two larger homes built in its place.

The other day, a tree removal company came to cut down trees and bushes.

Terry and I watched with interest...

Any day now, we expect a demolition crew... That won't be as interesting to watch as this was...

I wonder - will I sit outside and watch, or go inside and shed a few tears...?!

Remembering My Day

I have selective memory! Often when asked what I did - or ate - the previous day (or previous meal), I simply can't remember! Is my memory really that bad?! Or do I just not pay attention?!

Those were my thoughts after reading about a daily meditative practice called the "examination of conscience" in The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything. Jesuits are expected to do a 15-minute examination of conscience once or twice a day.

The "examination of conscience" has five steps - but two were of particular interest to me.

The first one - which is actually the first of the five - is to mentally list all the things one is grateful for, blessings that have come one's way. 

Over the years, I've tried to maintain a positive, grateful attitude, especially when feeling discouraged... But I haven't made a point of doing this every day... That will be a challenge!

The second aspect of the examination of conscience that interests me is the third step in the process: Remember everything one has done throughout the day, replaying one's entire day in one's mind...

Wow! That will be hard! So many things slip through the "cracks" in my memory!! But for the next little while, at least, I'm going to give it a try!

Chocolate Mug Cake

Now that summer is here, I don't often use the oven... So, often when I crave a sweet treat, I turn to this flexible mug chocolate cake recipe:

1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of cocoa
1/8 teaspoon of baking soda
2 tablespoons of oil
3 tablespoons of milk
1 tablespoon of water
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla

Mix well in a mug or glass bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute 45 seconds. Test with a toothpick to see if it's done. Enjoy!

I should probably add that I enjoy this recipe because it's flexible. I've tried replacing the white flour with a mix of chickpea flour and coconut (which would make it gluten-free). I've also tossed a few chocolate chips or chunks of cream cheese into the batter...

I love to experiment!

This is a fun recipe to make when you crave a bit of chocolate - but don't want to make a big cake! And if, after all my experimenting, it doesn't end up as amazing as I had hoped... there isn't a lot to eat up!

Calm Before the Storm...

Neighbors recently moved out of the house across the street... As I drink my morning coffee on the front deck, I miss seeing their cat prowling around the yard... All now is quiet...

We've lived across the street from this house for decades!

But any day now, construction crews will arrive to take down the house and garage - and build two larger houses in its place...

We'll miss the old house - but then... nothing stays the same!

Anemone Season

Two kinds of anemones burst into bloom in our front flower bed as summer draws to an end.

Early white anemones that bloomed low to the ground in spring bloom again in late summer. Here is the first one...

Nearby, a tall plant of pink Japanese anemones is beginning to bloom...

Soon all the buds will turn into pink flowers, making this plant is one of the loveliest in my whole flower garden.

Playing with Barbies...

The last time my four-year-old granddaughter visited (at the end of February), I pulled out the bins of Barbie dolls my daughter used to play with...

She had a wonderful time dressing them and playing make-believe.

When her family left, I put the bins in the upstairs bedroom she usually sleeps in - for next time.

And there they have sat...

One day not long ago, while I was talking to my granddaughter on FaceTime, she said: Grandma, take me upstairs to see the Barbies...

So I did, showing her the dolls on my camera phone...

Grandma, let's let the Barbies have a tea party. Pretend one is the mother and she has two girls...

So we did...

And she watched on her phone (450 kilometres away!)

New Sitting Area

It has been a long, hot summer. (But I'm not complaining!) So when Terry asked what he should do with some extra patio stones, I suggested he make a patio under some trees...

I had in mind one big enough for a table and a few chairs, but this is what he built for me: a patio big enough for one chair!!

When I suggested he enlarge it, he told me that it was hard work. And besides, he had no more crushed rock for the base...

(I would probably simply have laid the stones on the grass...)

Anyway - rather than lament that my patio is so small, I've decided to embrace the solitary privacy it offers me in the shade...

Darkened by the early morning shade, the flowers aren't as beautiful...

But later in the day, their colors are stunning!

Hopefully - with a little prodding (on my blog) - the patio will eventually be enlarged...!

Marina on the River

A few days ago, Terry and I were looking for a new spot to explore. We drove across the river to Quebec, ending up at the Aylmer marina, a place we hadn't visited in a long time...

It was a good choice!

There was a lot of action...

Sailing lessons, perhaps, as part of a summer outdoor program?

The moored motor boats reminded me of my teen years in Kelowna, BC, when my family had a boat my dad used for fishing - but it was still powerful enough to pull two water-skiers.

In summer, I'd often head over to the Kelowna marina - usually with my family, but sometimes with friends - to take the boat out for a ride...

I have no desire to drive a speedboat or seadoo anymore - but these spacious pontoon boats look like fun... I could imagine"parking" in the middle of the river and relaxing.

A floating cottage! I wonder if it has a small kitchen... or bathroom...

Probably not!

Not for me, Terry said...

You have to try it before you decide, I told him. You might just like it...

Maybe...

A slight breeze cooled the air near the water - as we tried to identify Andrew Haydon park across the river on the Ottawa side...

It's always nice to spend time near the river. The marina park is a lovely place to spend a hot summer's day!

Isolating Oneself during a Pandemic: A Very Old Concept

We are living in unusual times - trying to adapt to life in a global pandemic. But there have been epidemics before! 

Suddenly I'm curious in knowing... How did people manage?

Reading a book entitled Sacred Spaces (published in 2013 - long before the current pandemic), I came across a reference to the 1665 epidemic in Britain. At that time, in the region of Britain where the author Margaret Silf lives - Derbyshire - people were dying in large numbers from the bubonic plague.

She writes: In a communal act of selflessness the villagers [in one village] agreed to isolate themselves, in an effort to protect the neighboring settlements from contagion. They marked out their isolation perimeter by a circle of boundary stones, one of which was also a well. People from the surrounding area brought food, medication and news to these boundary markers to be collected by the stricken villagers...

She goes on to explain that the well became a symbol of those difficult times. After the plague was over, people began a tradition of decorating the well with flowers, a tradition that continues to this day.

I find it interesting that, in spite of one village's isolation, water - the well - was shared... It was on the border where it could be accessed by both sides... Also that people in the healthy villages left food and other essentials at the boundary for those in the stricken village. In other words, they cared for each other...

Reading this, I'm surprised that some things haven't changed: 350 years ago, people may not have known what caused the plague, but they knew the power of self-isolation to protect others.

Visiting Friends

This past week - for the first time - I have actually ventured out to visit friends I haven't seen in months - ever since social distancing began in mid-March.

Is life slowly returning to normal?

No, not normal... Not yet...

But as the number of new coronavirus cases diminishes in our community, it has been nice to sit (six feet apart) in someone else's back yard and chat.

This is so lovely, one of them said after an hour's visit... We need to do this as much as we can before winter arrives. If we're still social distancing next winter, we won't be able to do this on a snowy day!