Share Your World 2015 – Week 28

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…..week of July 14th

What is your favorite comfort snack food?

At the cottage I’d have to say that my favourite comfort snack food is hot freshly popped corn with a little drizzle of melted butter. I have a special cast aluminum pot that I inherited from my mother-in-law over 40 years ago. I don’t know how old it was when I first got hold of it but it’s probably from the 50s. It makes the best popcorn but it stays at the cottage so I never have access to it when I’m back in the city. Therefore my second favourite comfort snack is cheese. I love cheese and a little wine on the side doesn’t hurt.

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If you had to spend one weekend alone in a single store but could remove nothing, which store would you pick? (except food or beverage)

I like Cee’s answer (Ikea) but I think I might get bored. There are nice comfy beds to sleep on and the food there is also pretty good but I think I’d choose a Chapters Book Store. Most of them have a Starbuck’s on the premises and their chairs are comfortable enough for sleeping. I’m assuming I can take books off the shelves as long as I return them. I could really get into all the art books and decide which ones I’d like to own and maybe I could bring my knitting and find some great patterns that I could experiment with.

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What was the largest city you have been to? What is the one thing you remember most?

The largest city I’ve ever been to is probably the one I live in. Toronto is the largest city in Canada. The next largest city I’ve been to would have to be Montreal. The things I remember most are how the city is divided into old, historic Montreal and the new modern Montreal. In old Montreal there are great cathedrals and churches and in modern Montreal there are fantastic restaurants and great shopping.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.designsponge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/montreal.jpg

Photo courtesy of: http://www.cmdai.org/images/montreal.jpg

Finish this sentence: It has recently come to my attention that …. 

…..my husband is going to have more surgery in August. After all the tests and the indecision and differing opinions of numerous doctors, the tumour board has decided that surgery was the best option. We’re actually happy that a decision has finally been reached and we will find out exactly what it is in his lungs that keeps showing up in his scans.

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 week spent at the cottage. Now that the place has been opened and cleaned future trips will be much easier and there won’t be any hesitation about going up there. I’m also grateful for time spent with my daughters and husband and being able to take part in the Pan Am Games experience.

This week I’m looking forward to going back up to the cottage and hopefully the water will have warmed up a bit so that I can go swimming. My husband has another doctor’s appointment on Friday but I hope he can find the time to join me on the weekend.

My First Pam Am Games Experience

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…..couldn’t have asked for better weather or a better outcome

There was so much negativity in the media about these games that I felt compelled to actually buy tickets for some events. The prices were very reasonable and I questioned why wouldn’t we want to support our athletes. People were critical of how memorable these games aren’t and challenged people to remember where the last games were even held.

One day, recently, someone phoned in and actually answered those questions. I decided to do some research and I also learned a little bit about the last games. They were held in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2011 and opened Oct. 14th and closed Oct. 30th. There were three mascots for these games: Huihci, a deer, Gavo, a blue agave and Leo, a lion.

Image courtesy of: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/90/Guadalajara2011logo.JPG/220px-Guadalajara2011logo.JPG

This year is the first time that golf was added as a sport. I learned that bit at the soccer game during intermission when they hosted a trivia game.

Well I think the support for the games has been quite a surprise for the naysayers in the media. Many events have sold out and so far traffic hasn’t been the nightmare that they predicted.

On Saturday, my family and I drove to Hamilton to attend the women’s soccer game. There were actually two matches for the price of one. The first game was Brazil vs. Costa Rico and then it was Canada vs. Ecuador. We could have taken the Go Train free of charge but we weren’t sure how late it would be before we returned home so we opted to drive and park at our daughter’s house. She lives a couple of blocks from the new train station, that was actually finished on time for these games. At the station there were shuttle buses to take people to the stadium. It was a sea of yellow school buses or ‘cheese wagons’ as the kids call them.

It was barely a 5 minute walk to the station and we boarded one of the complementary buses to the stadium. The ride took only 10 minutes, if that, and then it was a short walk to the entrance. There were volunteers everywhere to assist people and they were extremely friendly.

We were sitting on the sunny side of the stadium but luckily the sun was setting so we weren’t staring into the sun for too long. We missed the first half of the first game but we really were there to see the Canadian women play. In the first match the Brazilian team won over Costa Rico.

There were easily over 15 000 people in attendance at this game. The camaraderie and spirit in the stands was amazing. It was a sea of red and white with a smattering of yellow from the Ecuadorian fans.

The Canadian team didn’t disappoint. They easily won with a score of 5 to 2.

When the game was over thousands of people lined up for the shuttle buses. We were glad to be in the line for the Go Trains because the line up for the buses going to the parking lots were crazy. There are a few kinks that need to be worked out with this free service but all in all it was a wonderful experience and we’re looking forward to returning in two weeks for the final game. Hopefully Canada will be in the finals.

How I Keep Warm on Cold Rainy Days

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….last Tuesday it poured at the cottage and it was cool

There’s always plenty to do in the cottage but when it’s cold outside it does limit my choice of activities. Last week we had one of those days. Luckily the rain held off until noon so I was able to cook a nice warm breakfast on the BBQ. I should have gone out for a long walk but I didn’t so I didn’t reach my walking goal of 10 000 steps.

The inside of my cottage holds whatever heat there is fairly well and when the windows and doors are closed there are no drafts to worry about. I did a lot of reading on Tuesday and when I felt cool I put on an extra sweater and covered myself with a blanket.

Close to supper time the rain ceased but the temperatures remained cool. I walked over to CH’s cottage, four roads over, with D and we found her unpacking her car. She had just arrived from Toronto with her 10 year old granddaughter, from Norway. I stayed for a cup of tea and I was then invited for dinner. Wonderful!

CH’s cottage is small and has electricity so it was nice and cozy warm inside. When I returned to D’s cottage, however, it had cooled off even more. D turned the electric heater on but you had to sit right in front of it and then it felt like you were starting to bake. If you moved back a cool draft hit the rest of your body. There was only one solution to really warm up and that was go into the sauna.

Now this sauna is something else. As with most projects done up here it was over engineered but it works like a charm. D’s father did an amazing job with the finishing details. It’s big enough to seat 6 adults comfortably and right next door is an outdoor shower with hot and cold water. What a luxury! Not only did I warm up but I also washed my hair. Heavenly! It’s the things we take for granted that bring me so much joy up here!

Share Your World 2015 – Week 27

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…….thank you Cee for this week’s questions

I’m a little late answering this week’s questions. The internet connections on the island were a bit wonky this past week so I had to wait till I came back to the city to post my articles and take part in challenges.

What is your favorite month of the year?

My favourite month of the year is October. It’s a busy month but the weather is usually mild, the autumn colours are out, the craziness of school opening has died down, we celebrate numerous birthdays in my family and we host Thanksgiving dinner. This year October will be extra special with the birth of our first grandchild. Can’t wait!

Do you drink coffee at all?

Yes! I couldn’t imagine starting my day without coffee. As I get older I like it stronger and it has to have cream. Milk just doesn’t cut it except in a latte or cappuccino.

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What was one of your first moneymaking jobs (other than babysitting or newspaper delivery)?

My parents owned a milk store when I was 14 and I worked in that store till I was 16. They gave it up shortly after I was robbed. The guy pretended to have a gun under his shirt but I wasn’t about to question him so I emptied the cash register. This was the second time that my parent’s store was held up. Luckily no one was hurt during the robberies.

After that my parents opened a fabric and sewing machine store and I worked there off and on for the next 20 years when they needed the occasional help. Other jobs where I earned a pay check included working at Woolworth’s, Ontario Produce as a clerical secretary, Pitney Bowes making metal and later plastic mailing cards, factory jobs making Barbie tents and filling sample pouches with perfumes, gels and other cosmetic products, cashier at a large grocery chain, waitress and one summer I worked in Germany in a small family owned hotel as a chambermaid.

List: If you play video/computer games list 5 games you like?

This will be a short list. Scrabble and sometimes Solitaire

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

I am grateful that I finally opened the cottage and spent a glorious week just puttering around and spending time with friends. I’m also grateful that my oldest daughter and her partner had a wonderful vacation on the west coast of Canada and returned safely last night.

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In the coming week I’m looking forward to seeing a Pan Am soccer match in Hamilton (the game is actually tonight) and returning to the cottage. Hopefully this time my husband will be able to clear his work schedule and find time to join me for a few days.