Back From Paradise

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. so why would I come back you ask???

I love it at the cottage but occasionally I have commitments back in the city that bring me home for a few days. This time I have a cousin from Germany, who’ve I’ve never met, and his girlfriend coming to visit me. They’ve been in Canada since last October, doing odd jobs in Vancouver and the interior of B.C. and travelling up and down the west coast. They are now on their way back to the east coast to catch a flight back to Germany so that they can return to school. On their way here they made a stop in Calgary and stayed with my baby sister for about 5 days before boarding a bus for Toronto. They should be arriving tomorrow evening.

I’ve been at the cottage for almost a week. The Saturday of the long weekend had to be the hottest day I’ve experienced at the cottage this summer. It was also the busiest. I had 10 guests arrive around noon, 6 adults and 4 very busy boys (ages 5 to 9). My daughter A, and her partner, J invited J’s sisters and brothers-in-law and their children for a day at the beach. They couldn’t believe that they were in Canada when they saw the beach and their apprehensions about going to a cottage without electricity soon vanished. I love guests that pitch in and do most of the cooking and cleaning. They’re welcome back anytime.

J and A with the 4 boys. As you can see they have a hard time sitting still even for a picture.

My husband K and Frances after our company left. Enough said.

Beetles, Tomato With a Nose and Too Much Salt

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. great party but up 2 1/2 pounds since yesterday

I know that the weight fluctuation has to be water but 2 1/2 pounds!!!!

My daughter, A and her partner, J hosted a family BBQ to celebrate J’s 30th birthday. I wasn’t too worried about my food choices but I didn’t count on the salt content of the foods that I chose to eat.

As you can see from the picture there were healthy choices but the BBQ’d meats were loaded with salt. No sense in dwelling on the past. I drank mostly water but did have 1/2 glass of cider and a sliver of birthday cake. Started the day with eggs and K made sure that there wasn’t any salt in them at all.

While sitting in the backyard, we enjoyed the garden and discussed successes and failures of our own gardens this summer. I learned some new tricks on trimming my tomato plants.

One of the things that I like about living in the city, where your neighbours live in such close proximity to each other, is the sharing that happens. During the party A’s neighbour leaned over the fence and handed her some of the vegetables he had harvested that day.

One of the tomatoes, literally had a cute little protrusion that looked like a nose.

On the fence, the other neighbour’s Rose of Sharon had some blooms spill over into A’s yard. Well into the party J became agitated by what she saw sitting in one of the flowers. Upon closer inspection I could see that a very large beetle was the cause of her anxiety. I quickly grabbed my camera and took a couple of pictures of this lovely beetle. Does anyone know what kind it is?

Took the Bike for a Spin Today

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. after our 5.2 km walk/run

My bike, ready for shopping.

What a great day for moving! Not the furniture, house moving kind but rather our muscles. My husband and I started our morning with a 5.2 km walk/run with the dog. When we got to the rugby pitch I started my run around the field (500 m). To my surprise my husband started to run as well. For those of you who know K, this is somewhat surprising and not because he’s just finished all his chemo rounds.

A little background on my husband: Shortly after we were married K decided to start running again. When in high school he was a very good cross country runner and in fact he was the team. He always had to go to meets on his own and place himself amongst runners from another school.

He quickly found his stride again and decided to join a running club. To make a long story short K literally became a world class runner and was ranked 8th in Canada in the marathon. After a number of years of packing up the kids to go to races and running 110 miles a week in training K decided to make his family and job his priority and he stopped racing.

He continued to run a little bit but he obtained a knee injury and the running stopped. Periodically he would go out and give it another try but the pain always returned.

Over the years as happens with so many of us K put on weight and lost touch with the running community.

At the moment K is on a fitness kick and works out every other day with weights and walks everyday with the dog. Until yesterday I didn’t know that he was slowly starting to run again. Of course he couldn’t stay with me, he had to run ahead of me (I don’t blame him, I’m so slow).

I decided to make a game of it and was determined that in my 4 laps I wasn’t going to let him lap me. When I started my 4th lap K was well into his 5th lap but he hadn’t passed me. I could feel him gaining ground on me near the end of my 4th lap and I don’t know where I found the energy but I put on a mini burst and finished before he could pass me.

When we got home we decided to get out the bikes, rather than get in the car and run a few errands in the neighbourhood. I loved it. We cycled several blocks to a house where the owner was selling fruit from his driveway and we bought so much we had to cycle home to drop it off. Then we cycled up to the main drag and did more shopping and browsing and before we headed home (we took the long way) we stopped and had a coffee at the local Portuguese bakery. From the picture you can see that K enjoyed a sweet with his coffee and I shared a slice of vegetarian pizza with him.

Upon returning home I went to the computer to track how far we had walked and ridden our bikes. Much to K’s surprise we covered 5.5 km with the bikes. Not bad for the first time on the bike this summer.

Later in the day I drove downtown and picked up my girlfriend, D, and we went to our friend, M’s birthday party. We decide to eat before the party and stopped at a cute little Vietnamese restaurant where we shared 2 dishes and 2 fresh rolls. We drank clear tea and didn’t have dessert. I knew that the scale might show an increase because I tend to retain water after eating Asian food. Sure enough I was up 1/2 pound this morning but I was down 1 yesterday so I’m still going down.

At the party I literally had 1 shrimp, 2 pieces of cheese and drank water. I even passed on birthday cake. Feeling good about my food decisions. I have another party this afternoon at my daughter’s house but I’m confident that the food won’t be an issue.

Have to get ready to go. I’m literally sitting here in a towel as I write this. TMI??

Snakes, Seagulls, Surf, Sunsets and Scrabble

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. I didn’t intend to create an alliteration when I took these photos

This week at the cottage I was presented with some interesting moments for taking pictures. The first happened when my friend D was leaving my place and noticed a garter snake slithering along the ground at the bottom of the deck stairs. She suggested that photos of this little guy might make an interesting contribution to my blog. Check him out!

The next day the winds came up and we were treated to huge and powerful waves on the the bay.

Later that evening, the wind died down and as I was walking along the beach I witnessed this beautiful sunset.

One of my favourite games to play at the cottage is good old fashion Scrabble. I have to admit that I wasn’t very good at it the first few times I played it but my good friend D gave me a few pointers (which I’m sure she’s regretting) and I’ve been on a bit of a winning streak. Notice the word ‘zooid’. A good one to remember.

Oops! I guess the word ‘zooid’ was on the previous board. Anyway it’s a biological term meaning ‘a cell capable of spontaneous movement’. The word on this board that may be new to you is ‘natron’, meaning ‘a mineral, hydrated sodium carbonate’.

The picture below is of me and my Scrabble buddies, D and her daughter, Dy.

You can thank your lucky STARS that it was overcast last night so that I wasn’t able to take pictures of the night SKY and that I wasn’t interested in taking pictures of the SHOWERS today. Maybe next time. I’m home for a few days. I’ll post my weight loss progress tomorrow. TTFN

My Abundant City Garden

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….lost all track of time while I worked in the garden yesterday and my plans to head up to the cottage vaporized

I love the garden but it is a huge commitment and requires love, care and TIME.

I had packed my clothes, shopped for the necessities to bring back to the cottage BUT I needed to do one more little thing in the garden before I left…..

Well that ‘one little thing’ turned into many little things and before I knew it I was on a roll and couldn’t stop. It felt good to tidy up the weeds, trim the hedge (again!), cut the grass and pick the ‘fruits of our labour’. That evening I sat outside with my husband enjoying a lovely dinner of grilled vegetables and salmon fillets. Looking over the garden from our deck gave me a great deal of satisfaction and a feeling of pride.

This morning I walked around the garden and took pictures of the flowers and some of the vegetables that will be ready for harvesting in the coming weeks. If you remember my post from May where I showed you the beginnings of this garden I think you’ll agree that it’s come a long way. NOT BAD for a garden in the middle of Toronto.

Raised vegetable bed, ready for planting, May 21, 2012

My Garden in the Morning, July 22, 2012

Is it a Book or is it a Purse?j

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. I loved these clutches

Last Wednesday I took a detour on my way home from the cottage and headed into Midland. I parked the car and strolled up and down the main street. One of my favourite stores opened a few years ago and I was pleased to see that it was still in business. So many new businesses in ‘cottage towns’ don’t last more than one or two seasons. The name of the store is Homecoming and is located at 298 King Street.

I loved browsing and checking out the new food items such as homemade jams and mustards. Up near the cash I noticed an ironing board, stacked with piles of pre-cut fabric so I asked the clerk what he was making. He excitedly showed me some of the finished projects. How clever! They looked like books but were in actual fact clutches and purses. The small one, which I bought, are about the size of a paperback novel (large enough to hold your credit cards and a ‘smart phone’) and the larger ones have a strap long enough to put over your shoulder. There were a variety of actual book covers that one could choose from.

I’m sharing the clutch that I bought. Price? $24.95.

What do you think?

A Charm of Hummingbirds

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Mama Cormier

One of life’s little pleasures is watching hummingbirds visiting the feeders strategically hung around the cottage. Actually hummingbirds are very aggressive and they routinely dive bomb and swoop down on each other and they seem to have no fear of humans. Many a time I’ve had to duck to avoid being charged by a hummingbird. I’ve had visions of a hummingbird being lodged in my forehead.

Today I was experimenting with my simple digital camera and got some amazing shots of my speedy little friends.

A New Haircut and a New Lease on Life

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. at least that’s how I feel tonight

I came back from the cottage yesterday so that I could get my hair cut. I went into school this morning and managed to clear away all my ‘stuff’ so that the caretakers can clean my room. Well I guess it’s not ‘my’ room anymore.

I’ll probably go back next week to sort through some more papers and move some of my things to the library. I could leave it for the week before school starts but I think it’ll be too big a job and then I’ll start the school year tired and not refreshed. I have to come back to the city next week anyway to drive K to his doctor’s appointment.

I stayed at school until 3:00 and then I went home, showered and drove downtown for my hair appointment. After listening to the radio I thought I would be spending time in traffic but I actually got to the appointment early. They took me right away and in the next 45 minutes Dee did her magic and gave me a new hair style.

I called K and told him we needed a date night. We ended up going to a restaurant we hadn’t been to in almost 2 years. The owner recognized me right away and I brought him up to date on K’s health while I waited for him to join me. The restaurant has undergone a few changes, one of them being that Tony no longer does the cooking. He has hired a new chef who is passionate about good old fashion Italian cooking.

We had a great meal. I had the baked bass and a Mediterranean salad. I have to admit that I did have one glass of white wine. While there a young family came in and sat at the table next to us. The woman recognized me from when I taught at Hilltop. I was her Family Studies teacher and taught her how to sew and cook. Her partner and K had a long discussion about soccer.

It was a perfect evening and I felt like a princess. I’ve decided to use the picture that was taken at the hair salon as my first official ‘after’ picture. As I write this I’m not sure what I’m going to use as my ‘before’ picture but anything that was taken in the last 3 years will do the job.

Before After

Friday, July 13, 2012 – 23 pounds lighter. Who said Friday the 13th is unlucky?

Cheers!

Morning at the Cottage….coffee, views of the beach and a ladybug

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….morning is my favourite time at the cottage

Sleep! I sleep so well at the cottage. I think it has to do with the darkness, the silence and the fresh air. I rarely stay up past 11:00 and I sleep soundly for 8 to 10 hours.

I love mornings. I make coffee, prepare a simple breakfast of cereal and berries, sit in the sun on my deck and leisurely enjoy eating my morning meal, all while I’m still in my pyjamas. Often I read a good book and relax with a second cup of coffee.

Currently I’m rereading Half Blood Blues. I’m pretty sure I didn’t finish it the first time. Most of the ladies in the book club really liked this book. I’m giving it another go. Much better, so far.

Everyday since Sunday I’ve been walking along the back road or on the beach. Today I decided to go for a long swim. I can honestly say that I have never had such a great swim and it’s the longest distance I’ve ever covered. The conditions were perfect.

I look forward to going back on Saturday. I’m sharing some of the views I see when I’m on the beach at the end of our road. The beach looks out over the north bay of the island. It was an exceptionally beautiful morning and as usual it was quiet and under used. Weekends is another story.

Normally this thorny thistle is an unusual and somewhat unwelcome addition to a sandy beach; however, upon closer inspection I discovered a lovely little ladybug nestled on one of its spiny branches.

The Cottage is Open!

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. very little evidence of mice or water damage.

Every year I dread opening the cottage because I don’t know what lies before me. In years past I’ve had coolers full of water and dead floating mice or acorns strewn all over the place because squirrels had inhabited the place over the winter.

For that reason I don’t like going up by myself to open the cottage. Since June was so incredibly busy at school and with my aunt being in the hospital, I didn’t have a chance to get to the cottage earlier this year.

My good friend L, drove up with me on Saturday. I picked her up before 9:00 in the morning and we arrived at the ferry dock by 11:00. The drive across the island was uneventful and we saw little evidence of new cottages going up. The lot next to ours has been leased for 3 years now but building hasn’t started.

The outside of the cottage looked fine. The lot needs to be racked and a few branches need to be cleared from the winter fall out. After we removed the plywood that covers our main door we carefully entered cottage. Surprise! It was exactly as we had left it. There was very little evidence of mice. I forgot that we left cloves all over the place so initially I didn’t know what I was looking at. Apparently rodents don’t like cloves and will avoid the areas where they’ve been left out.

I think some water may have come in after the snow melted off the roof but the bowls and coolers that we left out were empty. So far I’ve found no dead anything. L and I moved the propane fridge outside (I don’t trust it), set up the BBQ, emptied the water barrel, swept the deck and the outhouse and took all the cushions out of the plastic garbage bags and set up the couch.

When we had finished all of this we had a nice picnic lunch on the deck and then we headed for the beach for a nice swim. The weather has been so warm this spring and especially in the last 2 weeks that the water was actually swimmable. Georgian Bay is such a large body of water that most people don’t go swimming until August because it usually takes that long to warm up.Yesterday the water was refreshing and a nice break from the sweltering heat. It was difficult to pack up and leave.

Did I tell you that we only went up for the day. We caught the 4:00 ferry back to the mainland and drove back to Toronto so that we could attend our book club meeting.

A Moveable Feast: the Restored Edition

The book that we were discussing was Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast. Most members in the club hated the book and rated it very poorly. L and I, on the other hand quite liked the book and had a completely different perspective. As it turns out, the two of us read the restored edition that was published in 2009. This new edition had new chapters added, chapters moved around and sections of the book were replaced with Hemingway’s original drafts that the editors in the past had changed.

This restored edition is apparently how Hemingway wanted the book published. During our discussion it became clear that the two books are considerably different or at least different enough to give the reader a completely different perspective on the man himself. L and I quite liked the Hemmingway we read about and the rest of the group despised him.

Earlier in the year we read The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. I loved the connections I could make between the two books. McLain’s book is historical fiction and based on Hadley’s and Hemingway’s marriage and life together in Paris. In the restored addition of A Moveable Feast, it was abundantly clear that Hemingway truly loved Hadley. The group that had read the original version did not share the same conclusion.

I rated the restored addition of A Moveable Feast 3 1/2 out of 5.