The Joy of Spontaneity

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. and I reached my goal Saturday morning!

Some of the best times in life are those that are not planned and just happen as the day progresses.

The only thing that I had planned for the weekend was cleaning the house and getting some of my son’s belongings from the apartment he had shared with his girlfriend.

My husband and daughter number one, A, took care of the latter job while I started on the first. As it turned out retrieving my son’s belongings didn’t take long at all and my daughter called to arrange for me to meet her and my husband for breakfast.

As I was driving to the designated location for nourishment, A called me and asked if I would pick up her partner, J from the house so that she could join us for breakfast. The four of us ended up having a delicious meal in a very funky and popular yet unpretensious location.

I announced to my family that I had reached my goal that morning and my husband joked about celebrating by eating whatever I wanted. I wasn’t tempted. I ordered an omelet with cheese and herbs, a small side salad and a delicious cup of Americano. No potatoes, no toast.

As we were sitting in the booth (comfortably by the way even though it was pretty small) we talked about the large bag of pears my husband received from one of his clients. He wanted to make pear butter and put it in jars (there were so many pears).

The discussion soon turned to how we could all get involved and maybe we could pick up some tomatoes and make sauce as well. Hmmm….we had no idea how time consuming this would be.

The girls and I headed for the hardware store to pick up more jars, a food grinder and a propane burner to cook the sauce outside. We couldn’t find everything we needed in the first store so we decided to drive to a famous Italian store on St. Claire that catered to the Italian community, specializing in kitchen supplies. They had everything we needed except the jars and the pots were pretty expensive so we decided to continue our quest and we headed west. So far we had only purchased the food grinder.

After numerous discussions back and forth on our phones with K we decided to buy the propane burner at Canadian Tire where they were on sale. This particular model included the pot. Actually it was advertised as a turkey deep fryer. Guess how we’re preparing our turkey this Thanksgiving.

Unfortunately the first store had sold out but the Canadian Tire close to the house had 9 of them in stock. Back in the car. We made a couple of detours and stopped in a small cheese store where they make their own fresh ricotta everyday. What a treat! It was so fresh that it was still warm. The second detour was another cheese store. Have I ever told you that I love cheese.

We finally had all the supplies we needed for making the pear butter. In the meantime K picked up a bushel of plum tomatoes (another project for another day).

It was mid afternoon before we actually started making the pear butter. Turns out I had to make another trip to buy star anise, lemons and fresh ginger. It took us about 4 hours to cut up the pears, cook them, grind them and then cook them some more.

Pear butter after 45 minutes.

The actual cooking time for the butter to reduce was about 2 hours. As it cooked the sauce went from this light yellow to an amber and after processing it in jars it turned a pink colour.

After 2 hours.

For the recipe go to:

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pear_butter/

The final product. Delicious on ricotta cheese and toast.

After supper we were ready to put the pear butter into jars. We got the water bath ready and K volunteered to watch the last step so that the girls and I could go for a long walk with Frances. The rain that was forecast for the day was over by the afternoon and the wind blew the clouds over the city and to the east. An interesting sky.

The girls and I walked for about 45 minutes. We passed a house where the owner was selling fresh vegetables from his driveway and A and J bought a bag full of corn, potatoes and cheddar cauliflower. When we got home the girls packed up their goodies, including jars of pear butter and I drove them home.

The best part of the day was spending it with my husband, my daughter and her partner. None of this had been preplanned. It was an adventure and even though it was a lot of work it was very rewarding. What about those tomatoes you ask? Well that’s another story for tomorrow.

Frances guarding the tomatoes for Sunday’s sauce.

Three Days of Summer Left

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. and I’m already starting to feel the stress of returning to work

I’ve been at school for 4 out of 5 days this week, anywhere from a couple of hours to 6 hours, trying to remove or organize my belongings in one room and find a place for these belongings in my new room (the library office to be exact). Today I found out that the superintendent is coming to the school to observe our opening day. Even though the library won’t be used the first day I felt the pressure to tidy it up in case she decided to visit my space.

I haven’t been getting enough sleep this week. I’m slipping back into my old pattern of staying up late and getting up early. I know this plays havoc with my weight and with the added stress I’m looking at double jeopardy.

When K and I woke up this morning neither of us had the energy to drive to the cottage. We decided to leave tomorrow morning. I wish I was there now. I would already be in bed getting at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep.

The beach is calling me.

The heat was oppressive today. I put off my bike ride because it was just too hot. Our house is not air conditioned and sleeping in this weather is difficult. Thank goodness that I got out for one of our long walks this morning.

I feel like I’m coming off a ‘high’ after celebrating my birthday and visiting with old friends two days later. What a difference a couple of days can make. I seem to be in a daze and can’t make the simplest of decisions. This post makes me sound like I’m depressed. I probably am.

I started to write about other things that are weighing heavily on my mind right now but I’ve deleted most of it. It’s just too much of a downer. I know that all these feelings will pass in a day or so or after a good night’s sleep. No point in making my readers feel bad. I’m not looking for sympathy.

Things that were positive today:

I bought a brand new pair of sandals that were on sale and I had an additional $15.00 off coupon to use.

I bought 2 new flowering plants to brighten up my garden

I discovered that the cabbage that I thought had bolted is actually a brussels sprout plant and is still producing little brussels sprouts.

The main part of my library is tidy and ready for visitors.

I had a good food day today and am back on track with my eating.

I’m getting to bed before midnight so that I can enjoy my trip to the cottage tomorrow.

On that note I’m bidding you all a good night. Sleep well!

A Very Long Walk

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….we decided to walk extra far today instead of doing our usual run.

I got ready for my walk/run today without the usual coaxing from my husband. Instead I had to light a fire under him to get us moving today.

When we got to the rugby pitch we decided to forego the run and walk further along the path than we would normally. Frances was not pleased. She kept pulling toward the pitch and then toward the lake but we persevered and moved on.

This is what Frances wanted to do today. We did let her have a short swim at the beach in Marie Curtis Park before we turned around to come home.

We walked past an area in Toronto where the homes sit on the lake. Some are the original little cottages that were built there almost 100 years ago and others are massive monster homes that have slowly been replacing the cottage-like dwellings. I can’t blame people for tearing down some of the older homes. Property values on the lake are through the roof. I do have a problem with homes that don’t fit into the neighbourhood because of poor design or little regard for the vernacular of the neighbourhood.

The Old Cottages…..

Anyway the walk was long and Frances was not a happy puppy. When I got home I went to gmap-pedometer and mapped out our route. We walked 8.75 km. It seemed longer for some reason.

I’m leaving for the cottage today or early tomorrow morning so I won’t be posting for a few days. I’m looking forward to my long walks on the beach and through the woods and getting in a few last swims before the end of summer. Can you believe it’s almost September? Boo-hoo!!!

…..replaced by monster homes like this!

The old places definitely need work but the new monster homes have so little character.

Some of the renovations are stunning and I’ve included some of my favourites. They still have that cottage feel and look but are obviously larger and have more modern amenities. They’re also beautifully landscaped. You be the judge.

Back to Running

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. I love this poster. I’ll think about it every time I run laps.

Today I went running with my husband, K and our dog Frances. I did 6 laps of the rugby pitch and of those 6, I ran 5. K lapped me once but I’m proud of the fact that I did 2 laps without stopping and after that I walked about 50 m and then ran 1 full lap before walking again. Each lap is roughly 500 m.

It felt good to get out and run again. I hadn’t done it for about a week. I was thinking about how slowly I run as I was doing my laps but this poster has put a new perspective on it for me.

When we got home I got out into the garden and cut the grass in the front and back and then trimmed the edges and cut back the shrubs. I still have to cut the hedge. Maybe I’ll get a start on that after dinner.

The other thing that I started again today was drinking more water. I find that it really does help with my weight loss. Dinner tonight is a vegetarian dish, homemade chickpea curry. Yum!

I have 1 week to get to my goal of losing 30 pounds before my birthday. I need your positive energy sent across air waves. Wish me luck!

Cheers

My vegetarian chickpea curry with a dollop of fat free Greek yogurt. If there’s enough interest I’ll post the recipe.

Getting a Workout at a Baseball Game

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. or how not to gain weight at a sedentary event

At the Rogers Centre in Toronto for the Blue Jays vs the Chicago White Sox game. Monday, August 13, 2012

Let’s face it, watching baseball is a very sedate activity. So how does one go about getting a workout at a game? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Park the car far enough away so that you have to walk at least 1.77 km to and from the stadium. You’ll also save money using street parking; $4.25 vs $10.00 in a lot.

2. Buy tickets for the upper deck so that you have to climb to the 5th level up the ramps and descend using the stairs. You’ll use 2 different sets of muscles and give your heart a good workout. Again you’ll save at least $30.00 per ticket by sitting in the “nose bleed” section.

3. Stand up and cheer every time the “Let’s make some noise!” sign appears on the jumbo screen. Just hang on to the rail so that you don’t fall over into the crowd below.

4. Eat a healthy dinner before you go so that you’re not tempted to buy the $8.00 hotdog and $10.00 beer. Again you’ll save yourself some money.

5. Throw caution to the wind and get up and dance when your team wins the game in overtime.

Did it help me with my weight loss journey?

Yup, I’m down another 1/2 pound for a total of 27 pounds.

Did I miss the beer, Cracker Jacks and hotdogs? Not one little bit.

My cousin P, his girlfriend M and me at the game. While we posed for this picture we missed a home run.

My Weight is Down Again

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. an then up but still down more than up

Yesterday was a good activity day but also a lot of time was spent sitting in the car and at my Dad’s.

I’m not sharing my total loss from yesterday morning because it was up slightly again today, despite a walk/run in the morning and a very long walk (5 km) in the evening. The problem was that I spent at least 3 hours driving to and from my father’s house in Oshawa. Once there we were ushered immediately to the dining room for lunch and then 2 hours later to a picnic BBQ at the German club.

I think that I made the best possible choices that were available to me but I think that my nemesis, salt, played havoc with my weight again. If my weight is down again tomorrow I will share by how much. No hotdogs for me tonight at the ballpark. I will eat dinner before I leave. Salad and salmon. Yum!

On our walk yesterday I took some pictures of one of my favourite wild flowers, Queen Anne’s Lace.

Enjoy!

I Did What I Said I Would

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. running

After writing my blog this morning I set the table for my guests, put on my running shoes and headed out the door. The sun was shining but the clouds in the distance were ominous. I wish I had brought my camera with me.

Frances was nowhere in sight this morning so I headed out without her. I walked to the rugby pitch in a nice steady pace. When I arrived at the college grounds I saw that the rugby pitch was actually being used for rugby this morning. So instead of running around the pitch I stayed on the path and ran a different route.

I decided that I would run as far as I could before switching back to walking. I was surprised how long I was able to run. When I got back into to the neighbourhoods I walked for 3 blocks and then ran the remaining distance home.

I have admit that I was a little disappointed when I tracked the distance on the computer. I ran about 1.2 km without stopping and then another .8 km on the last stretch home. When I walked in the door I noticed that my guests were still sleeping and Frances finally emerged from her bed.

I buckled Frances into her harness and set out again. This time I walked to Rotary Park and added another 1.5 km for a total distance of 4.6 km of walking and running.

I stopped at my friend, M’s house for a chat and a coffee before heading home to check on P and M. While sitting on her front porch the clouds opened up and the rain fell again. This happened all day off and on. I was glad I got my run in when I did.

Looking forward to another run tomorrow.

It Only Took Almost 60 Years

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. to like running

Today K and I headed out for our daily walk with Frances, early in the morning. I didn’t have any high hopes or goals for the running portion of the trip, especially after partying the day before.

When we got to the rugby pitch I placed my water bottle on the line as a marker for the beginning and end of each lap. Of course K passed me right away and I could see that beautiful form he used to have was beginning to return.

The rugby pitch where we run.

I’ve been doing interval training where I run 1/2 a lap, walk for 1/4 and then run again for 1/2 a lap. I did this for 4 laps today and then I decided to go for a fifth lap. I started walking the first 1/4 and then to my surprise I ran the remaining 3/4 without stopping. It felt great. K did 7 laps today (3 1/2 km).

I thought we were going to walk home from the rugby pitch (cool down) but to my surprise K started running so I followed him. We ran for 2 blocks and then walked for 1 and continued to do this until we got home.

The rest of the day turned out to be a good food day with very little salt and lots of water. Hopefully I’ll see some better results on the scale in the next few days.

We talked about our running experience today at dinner and I told K how proud I was of him for starting to run again. He was also very pleased with himself and knocked on the wooden deck in hope that his old injury wouldn’t come back to haunt him and put a stop to his now daily routine.

As for me I had to laugh because it’s only taken me almost 60 years to actually run and more importantly like it.

Cheers!

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??

Race Day!

Posted on June 17, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. the day has finally arrived.

I’ve been up since 5:30 and I can’t believe how nervous I am. I know I can walk the 5 km and I don’t have any illusions about running the total distance. I do, however, want to start running and end running.

It looks like it’s going to be a nice day but the weatherman has forecast rain later in the day. After the race it’s off to my dad’s place to celebrate Father’s Day and then back to Toronto to have a Father’s Day celebration for K with our children. My baby sister, CS and her husband leave for Calgary tonight.

Somewhere in between all of this I have to find some time to put the finishing touches on my report cards.

Wish me luck (for the run). Send me some positive thoughts over the airways.

Cheers