A Beautiful Day at the Market

Posted on October 25, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….warm temperatures, some sun, some clouds, time with family – Bonus!

Today was a special day. Time spent with my husband and youngest daughter are always special but when the weather in late October is pleasant and doesn’t require umbrellas, hats and mittens it becomes extra special. This is especially true when we venture out to one of my favourite places in the city…..the St. Lawrence Market and Farmers’ Market across the street.

Today there were lots of vendors outside the market under canopies, selling paintings, jewellery, clothes and lots of flowers, fruits and vegetables. We met our daughter around 9:00 at the market and decided to eat breakfast before we started our shopping. Normally that means pemeal bacon on a bun but we decided to sit down to for a complete breakfast meal.

Afterwards we headed out in separate directions. I looked for cheese and freshly baked bagels while G and K bought free range chickens and other meat for later in the week. Across the street at the north market we took in the sights and I purchased some beautiful orange sunflowers. Here are a few of things we saw today.

Share Your World – Week 41

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….I’ll do my best to answer Cee’s questions

Would you rather take pictures or be in pictures?

I’d rather take pictures. I’m often disappointed in how pictures turn out when other people take them and I’m not talking about how I look in pictures but rather the overall composition. I’ve grown to love taking photos and experimenting with the settings.

What did you most enjoy doing this past week?

This week has been very strange. I’ve spent most of it, so far, going to and from the hospital. My husband had to go back in and have a second surgery on his neck. I picked him up this morning and he’s doing just fine, thank you.

I did go back into work on Tuesday and Wednesday and I’d have to say the most enjoyable thing that I did was make ‘leaf people’ with the kindergarten class. I’ll post of the their art in the next few days.

What is your greatest extravagance?

My greatest extravagance has to be a designer skirt that I bought and paid over $200. for. This is a big deal for someone who shops mostly at Winner’s and Marshall’s.

Which letter of the alphabet describes you best?

What a strange question! I’d have to say ‘C’ because two of my initials are C and because the letter is round and curvy like me.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful that my husband is finally out of the hospital for the second time and that the second surgery was successful. On Sunday I took my husband back to emergency because his neck blew up like a balloon. Turns out that the cavity left behind from the cyst that was removed, filled up with fluid and became infected. On Monday we went back for a second doctor to look at the neck and he informed us that K needed a radical neck dissection to remove the infection and clean out the area.

Monday was the Thanksgiving holiday so the hospital, especially the operating room area, was in holiday mode and somewhat understaffed. The waiting room was locked and we sat in semi darkness in the deserted registration area for day surgery. While we were waiting we had a bit of a scare when the intercom blared out that there was a code blue in one of the operating rooms. Luckily K’s surgeon came down the hall soon after and informed us that the surgery was successful and the code blue wasn’t for K. Phew!

For the rest of the week I’m looking forward to a full recovery for my husband and no more trips to the hospital. I’ve taken the day off because I was experiencing some dizziness yesterday and I’m hoping to relax and catch up on my sleep.

Share Your World – Week 40

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..here we go again…..thanks Cee

You’re given $500,000 dollars tax free (any currency), what do you spend it on?

I think about this every time I play the lottery because in Canada a lottery win is tax free (for now). First I would pay off all my credit cards and then I would give each of my children about $50 000 to pay off school loans and any other debts that they have incurred. This would still leave me with $300 000 so I would probably fix all the unfinished projects around my house and cottage, take a trip or two (Europe and somewhere exotic) and put some money away for our retirement.

What’s the finest education?

The finest education is the school of life. If you don’t or can’t learn from the hard knocks of life all the expensive education from Ivy League Schools schools is worthless.

What kind of art is your favorite? Why?

My favourite art is abstract art. I love colour, line and texture and some of my favourite artists are Ray Cattell, Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miro and Marc Chagall.

One of Ray’s paintings.

Is there something that you memorized long ago and still remember?

I hated memorizing poems or anything for that matter when I was in school. Having said that I have to admit that I know a lot of nursery rhymes and the national anthem.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful that my husband’s surgery went well. He had half his thyroid removed and a very large, unattractive cyst in his neck was also removed. I’m also grateful that my son-in-law’s procedure on his heart also went well and any future problems with his birth defect has been eliminated.

After surgery, the next day

Before Surgery

Looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner with the family this Sunday. The kids are doing the bulk of the cooking. Bonus!

Running to Stop Hunger

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….well more like jogging

On Sunday, my oldest daughter and I took part in a community fun run to support an organization called The Stop Community Food Program.

The run took place along the West Toronto Railpath. It was a 45 minute run and the idea was to run or walk as far as you could in that space of time. It was unusually hot but I’m happy to say that I didn’t stop or walk. I managed to ‘run’ 4.5 k in 42 minutes. I couldn’t make it to the 5 k mark in three minutes so the organizers recommended that I stop. I felt remarkably good.

I’m particularly proud of my daughter. This was the first run she’s ever participated in and she’s been practising really hard. She managed to run 7k in 45 minutes.

At the end of the race a lot of draw prizes were given out. I won a $25.00 gift certificate from the Running Room. Both my daughters told me that it was a sign that I need to keep running. My youngest daughter said she would join us next year for the same race.

It was a great day. My husband and all my girls came out to support us.

A Fruitful and Musical Day

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….ran 4.4k, walked over 11,000 step, and enjoyed the Junction Market and Music Festival

I started my day with a trip to my daughter’s house and we both walked to the Railpath and started to run for 45 minutes. Next week we’re both doing the Railpath Fun Run. I was hoping to run at least 5k in 45 minutes but I only managed 4.4k. For those of you living in Toronto there’s still time to register.

All proceeds from this race will benefit The Stop Community Food Centre.

After our run we got in the car and drove over to the Junction to meet up with K who rode there on his bike. I actually didn’t even know that the music festival was on. Nice surprise but it did make it more difficult to find a place to park. We luckily found a spot on a side street and we walked over to the Farmers’ Market.

It was a gorgeous day but for some reason the wasps were everywhere, especially around vendors with food. I’ve never seen it quite so bad. We sat in a cafe by the window and the wasps came right into the coffee shop. We decided to ignore them and luckily none of us got stung.

The market was very busy and we bought some beautiful kale and green and purple peppers from Wheel Barrow Farms. One of the unique things that we saw on Saturday was a mobile cafe. I wonder how much one of those cost? I should check out the website on the side of the truck.

A few musical acts were set up on the side streets but the big show didn’t take place until later in the day. All in all it was a great day.

Share Your World – Week 35

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….can’t believe that it’s already week 35…check out Cee’s Photography for more great posts of Share Your World or join in

Have your blogging goals changed?

I think they have. I started as an incentive to lose weight and record stories from my childhood. I still do a little of both but now it’s become a venue for sharing my art, photography, and life’s adventures and challenges.

If you were to perform in the circus, what would you do?

I don’t know why this came to my head first but I thought clown. I’m not a big fan of clowns but I do like to make people laugh.

If you could go back and talk to yourself at age 18 what advice would you give yourself? Or if you are younger than 25 what words of wisdom would you like to tell yourself at age 45?

I would tell myself to pursue my interests, take risks. I was very practical and played it pretty safe at 18 but I was also somewhat romantic and probably naive. My biggest piece of advice would be to put aside money for retirement and not touch it. I’ve been lucky to have a job with a great pension plan and to own a house in the city. Not everyone is as fortunate and sometimes I think we could have been better prepared.

What is your favorite comfort snack food?

My favourite comfort foods are ice-cream and cheese. Not at the same time. When I want something sweet it would be ice-cream and for my savoury moments it has to be cheese.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful for a wonderful birthday week with family and friends. I spent the day with one of my oldest friends at the spa earlier in the week. My good friend L took me to the nail place and she treated me to a pedicure. My aunt and cousin sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers, my sisters sent me gifts through the mail, my son called me long distance from the Netherlands, my daughters and I spent time together at the CNE, my husband cooked a magnificent meal for six of us and my dear friends at the cottage prepared a birthday lunch with cake done in the BBQ and gave me a set of beautiful earrings. WOW!

I’m looking forward to using my new Jawbone Up (a gift from my family) to record my fitness and sleeping patterns and learning some new songs on my ukulele from the ukulele book that my sister sent me. I’m also looking forward to going back to school (believe it or not) to catch up with my colleagues and meet my new students. Getting the library up and running is number one on my priority list. I just hope I get some help doing it.

My broken birthday cake. It didn’t travel well on my husband’s bike.

Things That Can’t Be Carried on a Bike

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….I follow a blog Urban Simplicity that regularly posts Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike

Well last week we discovered something that definitely doesn’t travel well on a bike. As you may know it was my birthday and my husband was in charge of the meal and the birthday cake.

The meal was a fantastic five course Indian spread that K made completely from scratch. It was fabulous and there was enough left over for another meal for two. The only problem was with the cake. My husband is also a good baker but time ran out so he rode his bike to the local Italian bakery to buy a German Black Forest cake. I know….Indian, Italian, German?

Anyway San Remo makes wonderful birthday cakes and it’s always our go to place when we don’t have time to bake. K didn’t think carrying the cake would be problem because he has a flat carrier on the front of his bike and he was able to strap it in place so it wouldn’t slide around.

I guess the ride must have been a little (or a lot) bumpy because when he got home and opened the box this is what he saw:

As you can see he was a little embarrassed. No need. It was delicious just the same.

Have you experienced anything that CAN’T be carried on a bike?

Share Your World – Week 34

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….more great questions from Cee’s Photography

What is your favorite smell? What memory does it remind you of?

My favourite smell has to be cinnamon. I love the smell of Christmas baking. Another smell that I really like, especially in a perfume scent is lemon or a citrusy smell. It reminds me of a perfume my mother always used to wear, 4711 or Tosca.

Name a song or two which are included on the soundtrack to your life?

The songs that come to mind are Let it Be by the Beatles and Your are the Sunshine of my Life by Stevie Wonder. The later was the song that my husband and I danced to when we were dating and on our wedding day.

Do you play video/computer game? Which one(s) or most recent?

The only game I play on-line is Scrabble. I’m addicted. I play with my sisters and a few good friends.

Which of Snow White’s 7 dwarfs describes you best? Plus what would the 8th dwarf’s name be? (Doc, Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey)

I think I’d be Doc, the voice of reason. Although not perfect and often mixing up this words, Doc is kind and keeps the other dwarfs in check. If there was an 8th dwarf his name would be Techy because in today’s world the dwarfs would need someone who can tinker with modern technology.

Photo courtesy of: http://statici.behindthevoiceactors.com/behindthevoiceactors/_img/chars/thumbs/char_17116_thumb.jpg

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful for a nice weekend at the cottage with my husband and daughter, A and her partner, J. We finally had decent weather. I’m also grateful for everyone’s help getting the outhouse properly set over the new hole and that it is no longer sitting on an angle but is perfectly level.

This week I’m looking forward to having lunch with my friend, AB and going to the CNE with my daughters. I’m also looking forward to celebrating my birthday on Thursday with my family.

Update on my Ongoing Saga

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..thanks to all my concerned followers; here’s where things stand today

My son-in-law has just come out of surgery and the surgeon is 99.5% confident that all is well. My husband’s visit to the surgeon this morning confirmed that the thyroid has to come out and they set a date for October 9th. He just called me from the hospital and he’s waiting to see my aunt. Apparently they took her downstairs to put a tube into her chest to drain the liquid that’s been building up and she should be feeling somewhat better. He said that the Hagen Das ice-cream that he bought her was melting in his bag. I suggested that he take it to the kitchen across the hall and put it in the freezer until she is well enough to eat it.

I’ve just picked up our daughter’s dog, Lucy, so that they have one less thing to worry about. Now I’m worried because didn’t she grab a toadstool and swallow it before I could get it away from her. She seems okay but I’ll have to keep a close eye on her.

On my way home from picking up the dog I ran into a lot of construction and I ended up making a wrong turn. In hindsight it was probably a blessing because I ended up on the highway north of the city and it was moving quickly. Unfortunately I exited too soon and I came down the street that runs by the school. I decided to quickly stop by and check out the library situation. The good news is that someone has put all the shelves back on the wall. The bad news is that they didn’t return the books, the heavy wooden book cases haven’t been put back in place and my office is still jammed with boxes and furniture. I guess I should be thankful for small blessings and hopefully sometime this week the book cases will be returned to their rightful places. With lots of help I can deal with putting the books back on the shelves.

Lucy looks okay (basset) and Frances doesn’t seem concerned.

I’ve just checked the internet and vet sites recommend inducing vomiting. Great! I’ll call our vet and see what she says.

The fun never stops!

Two Different Ideas of a Good Time

Posted on August 17, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..this weekend my husband and I celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary

Last Friday we loaded up the car with our doped up little dog in the back and headed up north for a nice quiet weekend at the cottage. When we arrived it was slightly overcast but the rain held off until later in the evening. The next day (our anniversary) it poured rain for most of the day.

We decided to not let the weather interfere with our time together or prohibit us from doing things we enjoy. My husband was bound and determined to get out on his mountain bike this weekend and come rain or shine he did. As it turned out it rained on Saturday but he enjoyed his soggy trip through the woods anyway. He returned covered in mud and his clothes were drenched with rain water. Today it didn’t rain but when he returned he was still covered in mud from all the puddles he rode through and he came back with some new scratches from riding next to the thimbleberry bushes. This is my husband’s idea of a good time.

Look who’s wearing a helmet. Yeah!

Scratches from today’s ride.

Look how happy he is.

Now don’t get me wrong. I love to ride my bike as well but I’m more of a city rider.

My idea of a good time is baking in the rain. As you may or may not know, we don’t have electricity at the cottage so all my cooking is done on the BBQ. Every once in awhile I like to bake and seeing I had 5 very ripe bananas and it was our anniversary I decided to create a new recipe using what I had in my cottage kitchen. I really wanted the recipe to be gluten free because I wanted to share the banana bread with my neighbour (outhouse hole digger) who has a gluten intolerance problem. The final product turned out quite well and I will share the recipe with you later this week.

Baking in the Rain.

The finished product. Yummy, oatmeal banana bread.

As you can see our ideas of a good time don’t always go hand in hand but we both enjoyed the banana bread and after 39 years we’ve learned to let each other pursue our individual interests and hobbies. Later in the day my husband played his mandolin and then read his book while I sat down at the table and worked on some drawings of birds. I’ve never done this before but it was part of an assignment for the on-line summer art camp I’m taking. I really enjoyed the process and I think I will work on my drawing skills some more. I honestly didn’t think I could draw birds. The second assignment was one I’ve done with my own students and it’ll be nice to have a couple of samples to show them if I decide to do this with them again.