August is for reading

Reading for recreation or research is what I do all year long, actually. But this August, I managed to read more books than any other month this year.

When the garden is at its best, I take a rest & read a book. When it's raining, I stay in & read a book. When it's too humid, too hot, or too buggy outside to do anything constructive, I go back in and....you guessed it...read a book.

Whereas some people I know may have a few books in various stages of being read (one in each room in the house, for example) I don't do that since I am trying to simplify my life, after all. (OK. I have picked up another book before I finished reading another only because the first book was left behind in London.)

That was then. Now, I listen to an audio book when I "do" laundry; I don't mind folding 4 loads of laundry at all. When I am outdoors gardening, I listen to another book via an iPod shuffle (which I inherited from Valerie). During a particularly buggy day, I've become oblivious to the mosquitoes because I was so engrossed in the "book"! Not a good thing to discover those red, angry bites when I came in. I think I'd better listen to nature when I'm outdoors.

But, there is something comforting in holding, smelling, and looking at a real book; then, to read and pause in one's own time which one cannot experience when listening to an audio book is part of what it's all about. I guess I am old-fashioned that way,after all.

So, here's my (eclectic, what else?) list for August 2010:

1. Austen-Leigh, James Edward, Memoirs of Jane Austen (LibriVox)
   
2. Alcott, Louisa May, Hospital Sketches (LibriVox)
3. Demille, Nelson, Spencerville
   
4. Evans, Nicholas, The Loop
   
5. Follett, Ken, Jackdaws (spy thriller)
6. Hill, Lawrence, The Book of Negroes (a Canadian historical fiction)
7. Grant, Jessica, Come, Thou Tortoise (a humorous Canadian fiction)
8. Princess Der Ling, Two Years in the Forbidden City (audio book)
   

I am now reading The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham by Selina Hastings which will be on September's list since it is a rather hefty book (549 pages) and I'm just on page 75!

I hope you are all enjoying your summer reading as well!

Life glimpses

Gardening

July is half over and my garden has had its share of garden troubles!

Slugs & snails feasted on the Hostas and perennial tender shoots in the early summer. Then, there were itsy bitsy black insects chewing on the maturing leaves. I am too busy weeding to identify these little rascals. Now, the Monarda are plagued by the mildew. Last night's rainstorm bent the bamboo cane support for my (only) grape tomato plant & snapped the stem right at the base. One heritage tomato plant succumbed to the juglone wilt (walnut tree evil poison). Another heritage tomato plant was attacked by some kind of a borer; now half of that plant is wilted. And other garden troubles too many to mention.

Looking at the macro side of my garden (bird's eye view!) it looks beautiful!

The plants in this part of the front garden was transplanted this spring. Aside from the Iris 'Starship Enterprise', all the other plants are division from my existing plants.

















Sunflowers volunteered throughout the garden as I have been planting these North American native 3 years ago. The birds & squirrels just snack on the seed heads all summer long & reseed all over the garden.This is the tallest they've ever grown!

The staked plant on the right foreground is one of the 4 heritage tomatoes ('Brandywine') I sowed indoors. I've already harvested 2 tomatoes off it.












This is the middle of the north facing garden which is on its third summer.

Previous plants have taught me a lot about garden pests & diseases but I need a reminder calendar for all these garden chores in order to have a healthy garden. That will be my project this winter.






Cycling

Bob & I are still with the Roaming Riders. We have done a few out of town rides this year including the Greater Niagara Loop. The first day was approx. 80 kms from Welland to Pt. Colborne to Ft. Erie to Niagara Falls. We stayed overnight here and finished the (50 km.)loop through Niagara-on- the-lake to Thorold and back to Welland. Those were 2 hot & humid days & the group gave me all the moral support to survive the course! Click on this link for the Niagara Loop photos.

Visitors

Kilian's first visit to Ontario was in May. What a beautiful boy! He had tripled his weight since the last time we saw him. His personality is certainly showing through as he progresses through his development. This is the time when I wish that we lived closer! Richard and Valerie have excellent parenting skills; as Bob would say, "They're naturals". I have posted some photos in Facebook.

My cousin Jeanette & her family (hubby Randy & children Cameron,11 & Jaclyn,8) came at the end of June as tourists from Indiana. They visited some popular Ontario spots (Niagara Falls, African Lion Safari, Royal Botanical Gardens, Canada's Wonderland); we had supper together for visits. They managed to go to a Master Gardening garden tour the day they arrived and a Grand River rafting experience with me on their last day in Brantford. Did I have all that energy when my kids were at that age?

We are here and there for the rest of the summer. Give us a call when you are in the area; we'd love a visit from friends & family.

What a wonderful Spring!

One of the nicest things about having a garden is watching what pops out of the ground in spring or sometimes, at the end of winter. With Brantford's temperature in record highs last week, some of my spring bulbs literally just popped out!



Starting from the top, clockwise: Galanthus (snow drops), crocus spp.,daffodil, anemone, scillia.



This rhubarb was a baby plant given to me last year in the middle of a hot summer wave. Had it not been for all the rain we had, it would have been a struggle to keep it alive. Two days before this picture was taken, I couldn't even tell where I had planted it!










You must be able to tell me what these are: they are my asparagus! Granted they are only pencil thin, I dare not harvest them yet. I started them from seeds 3 years ago and they've been struggling in their present location- along the south-facing fence where the rain is minimal and the weeds are plentiful (the neighbors leave it on the wild side). Hopefully, next year will give me more shoots to munch.

Sometimes, I wonder what it's like to be dormant all winter & burst into a new life in the spring!

Disturbing

I was recently made aware of Canola oil's nasty reputation. After reading some of the articles, it seems that I am years behind in getting this information. Better late than never.

For years, heart-healthy canola oil is supposed to be one of the oils of choice (second to olive oil) for cooking & baking. But some of the reports out there had been published since 1996 (not to the general public, obviously). This was disturbing because olive, canola & coconut oils are what's in my cupboard! I use them a lot for cooking since organic butter is so expensive (so I save it for baking where taste counts).

This link is informative; rather lengthy but an easy, convincing, read. But then, I tend to be gullible. Then, I go on to read Snope's version that states that this type of information (described in previous link) is just a myth. Well, let's look at what the Canola Council have to say about that. The answers to the FAQs are convincing but then the council, after all, represent canola growers. Aaahhhh..that explains their position.

So, my friends, what do you believe? Comments/suggestions are welcome . Meanwhile, I may just keep that canola oil on hold?!

Getting ready to spring

Yes! the days are getting longer, the temperature getting warmer and the sun had been shining upon us for about 9 days straight until the rain finally came today.

I have been to a gardening seminar in February and a garden show in Strathford this month so it wasn't too difficult to think about gardening.

This is the time when the seed catalogues are well scanned & dog-eared for most gardeners. As for me, I have enough seeds collected from last year to keep me busy this Spring. Both my seed germinator hold heritage tomatoes, basil, marigolds and Swiss chard. They have all germinated & so I got busy making newspaper pots today for soon-to-be-transplants.

As one of the "new blood" in my garden club, I am slowly being oriented to the different machinations of the club. Besides being an executive member (board of directors) I am now one of the coordinators for our annual summer flower show in July. This event includes horticulture and floral design competition, plant sale, vendors, raffles and a tea room. This is not really my area of interest but I want to be able to support the club's events and grasp the opportunity to learn new things.

Spring means cycling as well. Bob & I attended a planning meeting with 2 other couples. Monday rides (out of town trips) had been planned by one person and he is retiring from the responsibilities. He was there at the meeting for consultation but the rest of the members are asked to lead a trip or two. With a 4 day trip to Quebec, a possible overnight trip to Pt. Dover and Niagara area, I am more than ready for Spring!

Winter wonderland

The inevitable has come. Yesterday's snow storm is today's winter wonderland.

This is the view from one of the back rooms. (Is it the library, the TV room, the room with the deck access? Hmmm. We are stifled with the usual indecisiveness when "things" hardly matter.)

Well, it is rather pretty to look at. This is the moment when I can look at the landscape to see if there is enough winter interests amongst the perennial beds. There is one stick between the deck posts in the middle of the picture. That is my native Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) that I planted last summer. It is nothing to look at now but it has the potential of being the focal point when it matures. (in 5 years)

While the snow slowly filled the landscape, I was indoors having a cooking marathon. I had a 2.5 kg of turkey breast thawed out & I had a mission!

There are 4 dishes in this photo. top L>R : turkey pasta with Thai basil sauce, veggie chili with tempeh, jambalaya; L corner: turkey barley soup. Still in the slow cooker & not shown is the turkey savoury stew.

I had a coworker who did this batch cooking with 2 other friends. The menu for 4-5 dishes & shopping were planned ahead. They met each Saturday when the spouses minded their small kids; they cooked everything from scratch. Then they split the fruits of their labor into 3 ways with each person packing her share according to her family size.

Cooking in large batches make sense for us because now that there are only the 2 of us, I don't feel like cooking all the time. Of course, I do this almost every week, snow storm or not.

Love at first sight

The anticipation of going to Halifax to witness the miracle of birth of my first grandchild is indescribable. It was just as well that I had occupied my time finishing projects that needed to get done before my departure! I gave myself lots of time to be there in order to visit with Valerie & Richard, to offer any assistance...and distraction as we waited for baby's arrival.


















Newborn Kilian (5 minutes old)

My experience of witnessing Kilian's arrival was emotionally overwhelming, needless to say. And I wasn't the one who was hormonally-frazzled and in labor for more than 36 hours with minimal sleep! It was an Amazonian effort for Valerie and it was a proud moment when Kilian was presented to her: truly a God's child.

From that moment, I could not help loving this child as I had when I held Valerie (& Michael) for the first time.

So, here are some more photos of Kilian for those who are not in Facebook:

Proud parents holding 10 minute old Kilian















Grammy & Grampa going ga-ga over 5- day old Kilian.