Stone Soup

A bit addictive but very cool.  Once you have created a snowflake click the top right 3-D Rotate button.  You can add to your snowflake while it spins.   Refresh the screen to start over.

A bat flying about my bedroom woke me up at 4:00 AM.  I heard fluttering on the mattress beside me then something hit the fan.  I bolted up from sleep.  I thought someone was in the house, it took a while to realize it was a bat. I put the lights on and he disappeared. I mustered some courage and crept downstairs, turning lights on as I moved forward and I got to my laptop, put a message on Facebook and began to  Google "how to get rid of a bat in the house."  Everything I found told me not to kill it but to wear gloves, and gather it in a towel and move it outside. I knew I could NOT pick it up with a towel.  I was too frightened to even look for it.  I sent an email to my boss telling him about my dilemma and that I would be late, maybe not even make it in today.  He emailed me when he woke up and was very understanding, suggested I call pest control if I couldn't manage.  I sent an email to my condo property management company asking if any people in my block had complained of a bat problem.  I could handle the telephone and computer...sitting on the couch but wasn't comfortable moving around the house. 

After daylight I called my son, he promised to come soon. Craig arrived while I was on the telephone in the bedroom with the door shut. I didn't even know he was in the house, he checked upstairs first, then the basement and quickly found him near the ceiling.  He picked him off the wall with a tea towel and came into the bedroom (I gasped!) and calmly announced, "it's ok, I got him."  Second reaction from me was relief, third one "THAT'S MY TEA TOWEL!"  He told me to come and watch him let it go.  It didn't move for quite a while when he put it in the garden box, it seemed stunned but eventually got its bearings and hopped under the holly shrub.  I guess it will fly away tonight.

My boss and his director simultaneously broke into song--the theme from Batman--when I came to the office around lunchtime.  

Bernadette and I saw the movie tonight after work.  I arrived at Scarborough Town Center first, looked for some books I have been wanting to read, didn't find them, got sore feet and settled down on a bench in the mall to watch people--that never fails to entertain.  Time passed quickly!  I found Bernadette, we shared the 2-Mama-Burgers-and-a-Large-Fries-Special at A&W in the food court then went in to the theatre.  We thoroughly enjoyed the movie.  Meryl Streep was fabulous, that woman can do anything!  I think she should get an Academy Award for her performance in this movie.  She was outstanding!  We laughed so much, I had to keep wiping my eyes.  This movie is not just for women, not just for cooks, I really think there are ingredients in Julie and Julia for everyone: two lives with striking similarities, neither could cook in the beginning, both loved good food, two marriages two women from different eras searching for a purpose and experiencing similar victories and defeats, two great husbands.  I remember Julia Child well, I watched her on television.  Seeing Meryl Streep in her role, I forgot it was Meryl Streep and felt like I was watching Julia child again.  She "nailed" it!  I enjoyed the movie so much I think I will go back to see it again!  This is the first time I have to say I enjoyed the movie MORE than the book.  Speaking of books, now I want a copy of Mastering The Art of French Cooking.

My mom had another stroke last week; with this one there is bleeding in the cerebellum.  She had been back in her residence only a couple of weeks after convalescing from the last one.  This one is not good, it will be a long road back to any kind of recovery.  I am not getting very much news and the trip to Montreal is long and it is difficult to get hold of a doctor on weekends if I get there and then there is the language problem if I do find one who is dealing with her.   Prayers appreciated.

I never knew this was available on Youtube...it shows a more normal side of Michael Jackson, a lighter carefree side.  Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

I came upon this flower at the curb today, tiny but blooming.  I liked the photo but after looking at it a while, the flower seemed a bit lost against the texture of the cement and asphalt.  I selected the flower and plant with the pen tool and adjusted the hue, light and saturation, then adjusted the curve slightly.  Blurred the background one pixel.  I like the effect, the flower stands out a little more. jewel like.

Peach Cobler, Peach Salsa, Peach Preserves, Peach Almond Tart--so many ways to serve them.  The best way to enjoy a sweet, juicy Ontario peach is raw, washed clean, peeled if you must.  Bite into one to experience fresh incredible taste!  They are in season now!  Oh so GOOD!

I used to have a big garden, it was impressive--80 thriving tea rose bushes, a large vegetable garden, Big compost bins in the corner ner the cedars, a lovely rock garden across the front of my home, larger perennials along the side and a pretty plum tree right outside my dining room window.  I was a stay-at-home mom and spent many happy hours in the garden while my sons played in the back yard and on our quiet street with neighbour children. 

Over the years, my garden grew smaller and smaller as my sons grew bigger and my time and needs shrank.  I am now reduced to container gardening; all my herbs and vegetables grow in a few pots on the patio.  Today I was looking them over, wondering if there might be any sign of a ripe cherry tomato.  A quick glance was disappointing but as I bent to look underneath the leaves I found one little bright red ripe tomato at the back.  I plucked it, took a few photos (of course) and popped it into my mouth.  The tender skin broke easily between my teeth and gave a delicious squirt of sweet tomato juice.  I closed my eyes and savoured.    

Here is a full view of Lucy Maud Montgomery's house from across the street.  When I got home and downloaded it to my laptop I saw the wires, a big horizontal hydro wire right in front of the house.  I never noticed it when I shot the photo...I was distracted by the traffic and trying not to backup into a ditch, and my son insisting that I hurry up. 

After a few tries, trying to find the right spot to use as a source, I "healed" that wire right out of the photo.  How cool is that!

Daytripping again yesterday, I set out with no plans but to drive north on the back roads.  Just north of Uxbridge Ontario, I discovered the small community of Leaksdale.  I stopped to visit the home of Lucy Maud Montgomery where she lived for 15 years after she married and where she wrote 11 of her novels.  I had always assumed she wrote them all in Prince Edward Island where she was born and grew up.  As you can see, the house is not in very good repair but it is undergoing restoration.  Across and down the street a little, is the church her husband pastored.  It now hosts occasional weddings--how romantic-- and it has a gift shop. 

My grandmother introduced me to Anne of Green Gables when I was a young girl.  She brought the first book out one afternoon when I was visiting and told me a little about it--a teaser to whet my appetite.  I took it home and loved it, actually, I think I began to read it while I was still at her house.  She had the complete series and she shared them with me one at a time.  We talked about each book when I returned it and then she gave me the next one.  

This fond memory of my grandmother is bringing more of them back to me.  Good feelings here!