….thanks to Lost in Translation for hosting November Words
Fun-Loving
fun-lov·ing
[ˈfənˌləviNG]
November Words – Fun-Loving
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Category Archives: Family
Thursday’s Special – Words in November
…thanks to Lost in Translation for Words in November
This week’s words for November are: fun-loving, dormant, influential, salubrious, ear-marked
Dormant
dor·mant
[ˈdôrmənt]
ADJECTIVE
-
(of an animal) having normal physical functions suspended or slowed down for a period of time; in or as if in a deep sleep:
-
(of a plant or bud) alive but not actively growing.
-
(of a volcano) temporarily inactive.
-
(of a disease) causing no symptoms but not cured and liable to recur.
-
heraldry(of an animal) depicted lying with its head on its paws.
-
Halloween at the Zoo
….it started out chilly but when the sun came out the layers came off
Going to the zoo during the week on Halloween had its perks. There was lots of parking, the line-up to get into the zoo was very short and we didn’t have to push through crowds of people to see the pandas. The downside is that a lot of the refreshment stands and rest areas were closed. The mono-rail wasn’t operating and some of the animal enclosures were closed.
We arrived late morning and we needed to bundle up to stay warm. Out came the hats, gloves and scarves. As soon as we entered the grounds we could see that staff had made an effort to decorate for Halloween.
Our first destination was the panda pavilion. The pandas are on loan here from China and the original two successfully mated to produce two cubs. The young cubs are already two years old and are almost the same size as their parents. In March, Toronto will have to say good-bye to the pandas when they move to Calgary. I was thrilled that I was able to get so close to get some great shots.
As we walked from the Giant Panda Experience towards the Polar Bears and then to the African Savanna, the sun came out and we shed our hats, gloves and scarves. The pathways are beautifully laid out as they wind through forests of orange, gold and red. There were many interesting animals along the way but this post would be far too long if I mentioned them all. I’ll save that for another day.
Share Your World – October 9, 2017
…..thanks Cee for hosting Share Your World
What do you consider is the most perfect food for you? (It can be your favorite food to something extremely healthy.)
My most perfect food would have to be grilled salmon and oven roasted vegetables. Not only is it healthy but it is also one of my favourite meals. For comfort food I would go with homemade macaroni and cheese but I tend to eat too much of it and any health benefits go right out the window.
Are you focused on today or tomorrow?
Since tomorrow never comes I’d have to say I tend to focus on today. That’s not to say that I don’t think about tomorrow but if I focused on it all the time I’d never get anything done.
If you could interview one of your great-great-great grandparents, who would it be (if you know their name) and what would you ask?
My great-great grandparents were born between 1828 and 1838 and died between 1908 and 1917. After more research I discovered the names of 8 great-great-great-grandparents. These were only the ancestors on my grandmother’s side. I know very little about my grandfather. These ancestors lived from 1789 to 1895.
I’m very fortunate to have photographs of my great-great-grandparents and I found one photo of my great-great-great-grandmother Karoline (nee Witte) Mewes. Karoline was born in 1814 and died 1895. The photo I have of her is with her adult son Walter Mewes (born 1840 and died 1917). It appears to have been taken when Walter was in his 30s or 40s. I’m assuming the family had money by how well they were dressed and the number of professional photos they had taken of the family. Walter was a very distinguished looking man, always with a cigar in hand. His mother, Karoline appears quite stern and dressed in somber dark clothes. She bore 6 children.
If I could interview Karoline I would ask her about her past and if she had help raising her six children. I would also ask her if she ever had any desire to have a career.
What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.
This past week I appreciate being able to get six family members together to celebrate their birthdays which all take place from Oct. 2nd to Oct. 17th. The birthdays span 89 years; the oldest being my father who turned 91 and my granddaughter who is two later this week. The other birthdays include my husband, my cousin, my son-in-law and his brother. 
Happy Thanksgiving Canada
….celebrating with a Southern flair
This year we substituted turkey and stuffing with deep fried chicken, BBQ ribs and macaroni and cheese. We started the meal with curried pumpkin soup, served in the pumpkin shell and freshly baked corn bread. Our daughter hosted the meal and because there were 14 of us we decided to share the work with a pot luck meal. I brought the soup and bread and plum cake. Gaelan and Brendan cooked the meats and the mac and cheese. Other contributions included roasted potatoes, pasta salad, coleslaw, wine and meat and cheese platters as appetizers.
As you can see from the photos our granddaughter loved the pumpkin but she loved the soup just as much. Even my Dad who normally dislikes pumpkin pie enjoyed this soup.
The recipe came from a cookbook that my friend Janice gave me as a gift last Christmas. Her church, St. Philip’s Lutheran Church, collected soup recipes from friends and members of the church and created the book It All Begins With Soup and sold the cookbook as a fundraiser. This recipe is dead simple.
Curried Pumpkin Soup
1 large can of pumpkin puree
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 cups of chicken broth
1 Tbsp curry paste (more if you like spicy)
1/4 tsp. coriander, salt and pepper (adjust seasoning to your taste)
3/4 cup coconut milk (1/4 cup for swirls in the serving bowls)
Saute the onions and garlic in the coconut oil. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, paste and seasonings. Stir and cook until boiling. Cover and continue to boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pumpkin puree and coconut milk. Whisk until smooth. Cook for a final 5 minutes before you puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Serve warm with a swirl of coconut milk in a bowl.
- if you are vegan you can substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth
- I doubled the recipe to serve 14 people – the bowls were small but some people had seconds
- my pumpkin was way to big – the soup filled just over half the pumpkin
Happy Birthday, Dad – 91 Years Young
….birthdays are a big deal for my Dad
It’s Saturday morning, October 7th, and we’re sitting around waiting for friends and family to call Dad and send him birthday wishes. These phone calls mean the world to him as do birthday cards. He was so disappointed yesterday that no cards came in the mail. My sister in Calgary never forgets but this year she was away, moving her son to B.C. and it completely slipped her mind. I’m sure more cards will arrive after the long weekend.
This afternoon we’re going to take his iPad over to Apple and see if we can get it fixed, otherwise, he’ll be buying himself a new one for his birthday. For dinner he requested that we go to Mamma Martino’s for his birthday dinner so he can order spaghetti and meatballs. Kevin and I always call that restaurant one of our ‘cheap and cheerful’ places to go.
Well I think we’ve waited long enough for phone calls. I’m sure more will come in this afternoon. So far he’s received seven calls. Three from old friends and four from family.
His one request for his birthday was for a German plum cake with streusel. I’ve got the plums. I just need to find the time to make it now. Wish me luck!
WPC – Pedestrian
….how would you interpret this week’s WPC theme of pedestrian
pe·des·tri·an
[pəˈdestrēən]
NOUN
-
a person walking along a road or in a developed area.
ADJECTIVE
-
lacking inspiration or excitement; dull:“disenchantment with their present, pedestrian lives”
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Letter F – Fun
….thanks to Cee for hosting the Fun Foto Challenge
What’s more fun for a toddler than to play in water on a hot day.
Share Your World – Sept. 25, 2017
….thanks Cee for more thought provoking question on Share Your World
What is your favorite outdoor activity?
I think that it would have to be walking where ever I happen to be, with or without my dog, but always with my camera or iPhone close by. Here are some photos I took on this morning’s walk.
In a car would you rather drive or be a passenger?
It really depends on who’s driving and where I’m going. When I’m with my 90 year old father I’d rather be driving because he’s too distracted when there’s someone else in the car. When I’m with my husband and on a long trip I like it when he drives but I don’t mind taking turns.
If you could have three wishes granted for you alone, what would they be?
#1 – I’d like to take off my excess weight and maintain that loss (is that 2 wishes?). I’ve been on a roller coaster diet all my life. I feel much better when I’m thinner, my clothes look better on me and I want to be able to enjoy my walks and time with my granddaughter without feeling the aches and pains in my feet and joints.
#2 – I’d like to have enough money to finish some projects around the house and still be able to take at least one trip a year overseas or across the country without worrying about how the bills are going to be paid.
#3 – I’d like to have more grandchildren but I guess that’s not really up to me.
What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.
These past two weeks I appreciated spending time with friends in the middle of the week. When I was working this would have been out of the question. Two Tuesdays ago I went to the AGO (art gallery) with my life-long friend, Arlene. She’s been patiently waiting for me to retire so we could do this. The show we saw was called Every. Now. Then. Reframing Nationhood. In honour of Canada’s 150th birthday, it explores three urgent questions through the eyes of some of the country’s best emerging and established artists: where has Canada come from, what it is now, and where is it going?
Last Tuesday I spent the day with my daughter and granddaughter. We went to the mall together, had lunch and just hung out. I finished a hat for Winnie while I was there and apparently she didn’t take it off for two days. My daughter had to hide it from her. We’ve been experiencing a heat wave here and a wool cap is the last thing she needs on her head.
On Wednesday I drove to St. Catharines with my friend Diane to visit her father at the retirement home. We met her sister there and went for lunch at a great place close by. After that we got back in the car and drove to Niagara-on-the-Lake where we took in an afternoon show at the Old Courthouse. Walking through this town is always such a visual treat for me.
This week I was also inspired to finally reorganize my room so that I can start doing art again. Two of my friends gave me a timeline (end of September) to get my stuff sorted so that I can start putting shelves, a desk and a filing cabinet in my space. Hopefully I’ll really be able to organize my supplies and then get down to doing some serious art. At least now I’m not embarrassed when people go up to my bedroom. I can get to my bed now without stepping over stuff or having to worry about tripping on something in the dark. I’ll post photos when I have more ‘after’ shots.
Cheers!
SuperDogs and the Midway
….more fun from the CNE
All those years at the CNE and I never once managed to find the time to see the SuperDogs show. This year my daughters and I made it a priority and we weren’t disappointed. The show is free and the stands always fill up quickly. This show is fun and not meant to be taken seriously.
The CNE would not be the same for me or my girls if we didn’t walk through the midway. We’re not big on the rides but we like to look at them. We do, however, enjoy playing some of the games. At $5.00 a pop, Whack a Mole didn’t hold our attention for too long. We each tried it once but there was always someone with faster reflexes than us. We also liked playing the water guns but seat #12 always seemed to come in first. The Birthday Games also didn’t bring us any prizes this year.
After the girls and I parted ways I couldn’t help myself and I went back to the water gun booth and sat on chair 12. Success!
Mama Cormier 