Happy Birthday!

Today is the 7th birthday of a very special person in our family.

Hope she has a day filled with fun and joy! (And some cake and ice cream, as well?!!)

Mermaid Suit

A few weeks ago, my soon-to-be-7-year-old granddaughter said: "Grandma, do you know what I want for my birthday? I want a mermaid suit." After a pause, she added: "They probably have them at Toys R Us."

"Really?! A mermaid suit?"

But - for some reason, Grandma forgot about this little conversation - until a week before the big day. Then ... panic!!

There were no mermaid suits at our local Toys R Us. But there were patterns for knit and crocheted mermaid suits online... (However, time was running short!)

A search through my yarn stash yielded a partly-finished striped afghan and a ball of yarn that could possibly become a mermaid tail fin.

A day later, it was done...

I gave it to her a few days early... 

I hope she likes being a "reading mermaid" - lying or sitting on her bed. It's definitely not for water! 

I added a glittery hairbrush to go with it.... 

Don't mermaids sit on rocks and brush their hair?!

Interesting Tree

Yesterday when Terry and I were out walking,  I saw this interesting old tree.

As sometimes happens, I saw facial featured in it. I don't know if Terry did...

Here... I've added eyebrows! Can you see it now, too?!

My First Virtual Walk is Done!

A few days ago I completed a virtual walk from Nazareth to Capernaum, on the Sea of Galilee, a distance of just under 63 kilometres. (Now I'm waiting to receive the lovely medal, above, in the mail.)

Most of my walking was done in the mall - at a rate of 10,000 to 14,000 steps per day. My real walking terrain (indoors) was a far cry from the real terrain - a rocky path - seen above on google maps' street view. I'm sure I would have been a lot slower there!

But it was fun - and the adventure of walking in two places at once (in my mind) made me want to walk farther every day: I added about 30% more steps while virtually hiking than I average most days otherwise. That's a significant increase, all because walking becomes a game - a competition to see if I can do it.

Now I'm wondering about doing another virtual trek. What would I do differently?

Since it's a game, as well as a learning experience for me, I'd definitely pay more attention to Google maps' street views as I walked along. I might upload smaller segments of my walking - every hour or so - throughout the day, checking out the street view each time. That would add a sense of reality to the adventure. 

I'd also choose a longer challenge - not less than 200 km - since I already aim for 10,000 steps a day (about 5 km). There are a lot of interesting shorter treks, and they are perfect for people wanting to get into the walking habit. But I've been walking for an hour or more a day all winter.

On my first challenge, I visited places I've already been to - by bus. I'd like to continue virtually walking to places I've already know, like the Cabot Trail and the Grand Canyon, to see them from closer range and in greater detail.

Maybe I'm ready to start again!

More About "Mulukhiyah"

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a dish called "mulukhiyah" - something I have never eaten. 

A few days later, a friend  commented that she had read my blog post and - (surprise!) - she and her family regularly eat it. She even had some mulukhiyah soup in her freezer.

She shared other interesting information, some of which is from a site called Amira's Pantry.

The dish apparently originated in Egypt and spread throughout the middle east and North Africa. The soup is popular as a Jewish Sabbath dish, hence the name, "Jew's Mallow'.

Molokhia [another spelling] is a type of leafy plant called Corchorus, It can be found in different forms - fresh leaves, dried or frozen variety.

https://amiraspantry.com/mulukhia-aka-jews-mallow/

My friend commented that the soup has a slimy texture that her children didn’t enjoy. But she and her husband found that a squirt of lemon juice cuts it, and enhances the flavour.

The following day, another friend reminisced about eating it at a favourite Montreal restaurant:

"I was intrigued by your blog on mulukhiya. The Basha restaurant used to have a daily special once a week made with that vegetable. They called the dish mulukhiya. I'd never heard the other names for the vegetable in English. The people at Basha referred to it as Egyptian spinach. I loved that dish. It was toasted bits of pita covered with a big serving or white rice, which was then topped with mulukhiya stewed with chicken and spices. All this was then garnished with a generous amount of chopped raw onion in vinegar or lemon juice. The stewed mulukhiya looked like green slime, but the whole was delicious. I first tried it because I always took the daily special."

This lovely food description ALMOST makes me want to try it - though I'm not a fan of eating "slimy" food.

River Running High

My daughter, out for her evening run, sent us these photos on Sunday night.

The river is running high!

Hopefully we won't get rain - which would make things even worse... But I think there's some rain in the forecast - "April showers"!

Cure for Restless Kids

Yesterday, I was on the phone with my daughter-in-law, when it became obvious, from background noises, that the two kids were intent on annoying each other.

"I need to deal with this. I'll call you back," she said.

When I didn't hear from her, I called.

My son answered.

Natalie and the kids are outdoors. They're picking up debris using their toy tractor and the grabber Natalie just got.

Brilliant! How better to settle restless kids than to give them something useful and fun to do?! And to join them as they do it?

And what better to do on Earth Day weekend than to head outdoors and work on keeping our beautiful earth - including our own neighbourhoods - tidy and clean?!

(Don't let that pizza box fall out!!)

Boomerang!

My daughter was deleting files when she came across a quote that I had shared with her in 2012. She passed it on in a social media account.

All these years later, before deleting it, she sent it back to me! I'm glad she did. It's good to be reminded of wise words.

Printer Dilemma

We have several printers in our basement. My daughter gave us hers to store. She rarely needs it in her home office. Everything she creates is simply transferred online. 

But I'm not sure how useful it is to me, as it only prints in black and white - which is of limited help when I download crafting patterns, some of which are color-coded.

For years now I've been using a printer that works well enough, though it is no longer supported by my computer. If I connect the printer and computer with a cable, it still works. But now I’ve run out of ink!

Maybe I should replace it and get a new one. It’s not perfect: it used to work wirelessly -  until we switched  internet providers. 

Another problem: I can no longer buy ink cartridges for it in stores. (Though I can purchase large bundles of unofficial cartridges online. Should I order another bundle?)

Should I look for a printer that has ink tanks instead of cartridges - like this one that my neighbour Earl has? No more hunting for cartridges, in that case. Just add more ink.

I hard for me to know what to do!

Moving In...??!

I haven't seen s lot of wild turkeys in our neighbourhood, though we do come across them in the country. I remember only once seeing one cross into our yard from the college grounds, then briskly continue down the street, on foot.

But a few days ago, another appeared in Earl and Mary's yard, across the street.. They got a few pictures before it, too, quickly moved on. (With its camouflage colours, it's hard to see!)..

This one flew up onto their fence. I'm again curious to know if  he (or she) is hunting for food - or considering moving in.

Welcome Signs of Spring

I'm never sure if the flowers...

Or the birds - are the first signs of spring. But we have robins in our yard - and a few flowers blooming here and there.

The blue Scillies are now in bloom - as well as four different hellebores plants...

... three yellow and one white. 

Another sign of spring: the plastic dome that covers the college soccer field in winter is now down. Soon outdoor games and practices will begin!

Watching the River

A few days ago, Terry and I headed over to the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, for one of my favourite river walks. It's always so beautiful there!

We saw a few ducks - and (to my great surprise!)...

... a beaver swimming near the shore.

He's optimistic if he thinks he can build a dam across this wide river!

We noticed that the river was higher than usual - and a little path we sometimes walk on was actually inundated!

Later at home, Terry read that some experts predict that the water level will go up even further in the next few days  - so the path we walked on could soon be under water! For the sake of all who live there, I hope that doesn't happen!

Back at the Gym!

This past week, I took a major step into "life-as-it-was- pre-pandemic."

I reactivated my gym membership. I need to do core strengthening exercises. After last week's debilitating stiff neck and muscle soreness, I realized I really needed to go back.

I also had a hydro-massage for the first time in 3 years! It was wonderful!!

But I did wear my mask the whole time I was there. I'll stop wearing it when Terry, who has chronic leukaemia, stops wearing his.

April Park Scenes

A few evenings ago, Terry and I headed over to Andrew Hayden Park for a stroll.

This park is always beautiful!

We noticed a few trees with damaged branches, from our recent ice storm.

We were hoping to see a few turtles or muskrats, but no luck!

Maybe next time... We'll definitely be back!

Remembering Last April

Soon it will be a year since our grandchildren (and their parents) moved from Toronto to Ottawa.

Time flies!

I recently came across these photos of our final visit to their Toronto home…

A lot of the furniture was already gone - but that didn’t stop the kids from having fun!

Memories!

Virtual Walking

My main exercise these days is walking - often indoors in a large mall. Going around three floors once logs me about 5000 steps on my pedometer.

Mall walking is great. The temperature is always pleasant. The window displays are interesting. And I can fit in some shopping as well!

I do miss travel - but I've found an interesting virtual substitute...

An app that lets me (virtually) go on walks I'd really like to take (but probably never will).

There is a cost involved. But I'm hoping it will be worth it... a learning experience. And when I'm done, I'll get a medal as well!

My first trek is called the "Jesus Trail."

Here's a link, if you want to find out more: https://www.theconqueror.events/r/MH982161

It's a virtual walk from Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee. The app positions me on a map and provides interesting information about sites I pass slong the way.

Every step I log on my pedometer gets automatically transferred to my virtual walk. It's possible to enter steps manually into the virtual walk app as well.

I got as far as Cana in Galilee on my second day. My app tells me I'm 1/5 of the way to my destination.

I lived in Israel as a university student. But that was a long time ago. Things have changed. I've been to both Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. But never at a leisurely pace. I always drove there quickly - usually by bus. This time, I'm taking my time - one step at a time - aiming for 5 kms day.

Canadian Tuxedo

I'm a big fan of the "Canadian Tuxedo" - blue jeans and a denim shirt or jacket.

I remember my friends and me wearing jeans at school in grade 7 in Red Deer, before moving to Kelowna. Blue jeans became more stylish in the 1960s - and I remember wearing bell-bottom ones then.

These days I often wear denim-coloured shirts as a light jacket over a T-shirt - more often than I wear jeans.

Now that warmer weather is coming, I've been hunting for a denim shirt with a pocket or two big enough to hold a cellphone.

Maybe jeans developed with my generation: I don't ever remember my mother or father owning a pair.

Looking for the origins of the name "Canadian Tuxedo," I came across this explanation online:

A cute story!

Surprised by... Hellebores!

I was out enjoying the warmer weather...

Inspired to rake the matted debris left under the snow, I was surprised…

…(actually, shocked?!) to discover not one - but THREE groups of hellebores blooms!

They must have been growing - and budding - under the snow!