Stone Soup

I attended a wedding a in late May. The bride and groom (in their late 40's and mid fifties) had both been married before, more than once, but decided they would have a wedding with all the trimmings.

So, the planning took about a year; there were showers, gift registry in a number of stores, an elaborate and oh so elegant garden wedding at a golf club, followed by an elaborate reception. And that was followed by a honeymoon cruise in the Mediterranean. It was a dream wedding and honeymoon. The bride was beautiful and very happy.

The room was impressive at first glance but really, it was overdone...just too much satin for my taste. Sometimes less is more! The flowers at each table were in elaborate giant champagne glasses, impressive from afar but sitting at the table, one had to look up so high to see them it made one's neck sore.
The meal was soup, salad, sorbet which I didn't think was necessary, then the entree of bacon-wrapped filet mignon well presented with grilled vegetables, followed by a dessert of strawberry shortcake and a choice of liqueurs with coffee or tea. There was red or white wine with dinner and of course, champagne for toasting.

My idea of a perfect Saturday is a trip to St Lawrence Market at Front and Jarvis in downtown Toronto. The building was part of the first Toronto City Hall, built around 1845. It is full of specialty shops: tea & coffee, organic produce, fish mongers, butcher counters, gourmet smoked fish and caviar, you can get fantastic sandwiches like peameal bacon on a bun, roasted eggplant smothered in sauce on a bun, spanakopita, cheese of every kind. The sights and smells are exciting! This one of only two places in the city I can get authentic Montreal (St.Urbain) bagels.

Craig's favourite place is the cheese shop. He was hoping to find some Stinking Bishop but unfortunately, for him, they didn't have any in. I bought a pound of Dutch Cantenaar, a delicious hard cheese that has 40%d less fat and 25% less salt than most cheese; it has a nutty full taste that is delicately sharp and has tiny protein crystals throughout. Yum! Craig used it in an omelet when we came home. I just couldn't stop shaving slices and letting them melt in my mouth. I do hope you will all look for this incredibly tasty cheese and try it.

After the market we walked to Queen's Quay to see the tall ships, part of the Toronto Nautical Festival. The crowds were enormous along the lakeshore but I really wanted to see the ships. The Bluenose II was supposed to be there but to my disappointment it hadn't arrived yet. The Bluenose has been featured on the back of the Canadian dime since 1937 but this year the Canadian Mint has been turning out dimes with out the ship, featuring March of Dimes instead. I am sorry to see the Bluenose go.

We did see a few ships that I wasn't familiar with. There were line-ups to get aboard and I hate long lineups so I was happy to snap a few photos from land and then leave. I might have stood in line to go aboard the Bluenose.

A friend sent me a list of tips and I found a few of them useful, the last one especially because I have a huge ant nest near the back gate that is actually heaving the lawn up. It must be at least 18 inches long by 12 inches wide. Last summer I tried pouring boiling water on it but obviously, that didn't work...the nest has grown. Hopefully the tip in this list will work. If it does, I will let you know.

Here's the list...hope you find some are good for you!

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the
little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store.
If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.
It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.
It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of
spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints
in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste
of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply
chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them
in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350
for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!

Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low
and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza.I saw this on
the cooking channel and it really works.

Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up.
Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly,
cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg.
Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer
for a few minutes. You can double it in size.. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes
with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in
a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food
moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers,
put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and for-
getaboutweeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not
get through wet newspapers.

Broken Glass
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket.
It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away!
To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper.
The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel
roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in nar-
row openings.

Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt
or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose.
Place pin in seam of slacks and... ta da!... static is gone.

Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water.
Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such
as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of
your car . When the window s fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside,
just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals
easily.

Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs.. It's cheaper than shaving cream and
leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioneryou
bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.

Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar
and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well.. You will find those flies drawn to the
cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't
digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works
and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

The skies were black over Pickering as I looked east from my office window about 10 minutes before I left for the day. The news said the storm would pass quickly and it did but what it left behind was a bit of a shock.

I drove home on the 401 but traffic was stop and go as I neared my exit. I noticed white along the edge of the road...was it from the trees? No, it was snow, no t was hail. I turned the corner on to my street and people were out with shovels clearing sewer grates. The street was flooded. The rootops were white. There was salad? all over the road...no, it was shredded leaves...the foliage on the trees was thin. My jaw dropped. People working stopped , looked at me and shook their heads numbly.

My son Glenn had been waiting for me at my condo but left as soon as the hail stopped...he ran home to check his garden after watching mine shred before his eyes. He told me the hailstones were like golf balls and they smashed down for 15 minutes. He said it looked like the inside of a blender as the wind blew and hail shredded leaves off the trees.

My camera batteries needed to be recharged so the photos below are about an hour and a half after the storm. The sun was shining again. Residents are silently walking about the complex shaking their heads.

Our gardens were so pretty...it is like living in a beautiful park in my area. They spend lots of money here and work hard on the grounds and gardens.

What can we do but clean it up, salvage what we can and make it pretty again. Just do it.

Hail Mother Nature June 16 2008

Belgian man arrested for luring

Montreal police took quick action last night when a yourng girl was reported missing by her family. They came to the house and searched her computer and they found she had been talking to a man from Belgium on the internet. Speedy investigation revealed he was in Montreal and they searched all Montreal hotels. Withing hours they found them. The newsclip is followed by some advice for parents on safe use of the internet.

Contratulations to the Montreal Police on their fast action. They are heroes! What a happy ending this story has.

Friday the thirteenth post for the Friday Five is superstitions. I have tried to post this three times before and lost it each time. I am beginning to get a little superstitious about it. Let's hope it sticks this time. No, I am on the 4^th try now…the problem is with Multiply.

Although it was denied, superstition ruled life when I was growing up. My mom shook her head at it and told us it was all nonsense, people who were superstitious didn't believe in God. She did her best to banish old family beliefs but we still saw her under the thumb of a few.

1. Do not open an umbrella indoors; worse still do not stand under an open umbrella indoors. It was supposed to bring you bad luck. But how else was one supposed to get the umbrella dry quickly? Maybe the belief had something to do with not being able to see the pointy thing at top and knocking valuables off a shelf with it?

2. Pearls mean tears. We weren't allowed to have pearls on anything, no pearl jewellery, buttons or hair clips. I love pearls now and my pearls have brought me only enjoyment. They sit so pretty on the neck.

3. Speak of a dreaded thing and it will happen. I think this goes back to ancient times when people were afraid of angry jealous gods and believed speaking of a dreaded thing gave them ammunition to punish with. I find that expressing my fears has always diminished them.

4. Never lay a hat on the bed. A hat on the bed can cause a death in the family and who would want to be responsible for that! I used to purposely throw my hat on the bed and nothing happened other than my grandmother shrieking and quickly removing it!

5. Finding a four leaf clover will bring you luck. My mom was delighted to find one while sitting in my grandmother's back yard one day and that set me to searching for my own luck all summer and some summers after that. Even now, if I am sitting near a clover patch I will browse for luck! I have come across them from time to time. My very first 4-leaf clover is pressed between the pages of my childhood bible. In light of the second paragraph in this post, that is an incongruity isn't it.

An afterthought: clover patches in a lawn mean it needs fertilizer, specifically potassium...the third number in fertilizer.

Have a lucky day!

"My toothpaste?" I thought. Is there anything to share about a thing as mundane as toothpaste? Of course there is!

I have been using this Crest Pro Health since I bought my electric toothbrush almost two years ago. Little grains in the paste polish your teeth and make them noticably whiter. But you must use it with an electric toothbrush. When I have tried it with a regular brush I ended up with a mouthful of grit and unpolished teeth. Only the electric brush moves fast enough to do justice to this toothpaste.

Electric brushes are terrific, but my nose sonicly tingles when I am done!

This hot and humid day, Bernadette, Kathy and I toured Bed & Breakfasts near Orono, Ontario. Many in the area had open house...each had a claim to fame. The first place we stopped was a B&B next to CatWorld, where we met this young wolf in the front yard. He had been raised in captivity from a baby and shared his large fenced yard with a young tiger. The owner brings the two to schools and other places in the area. This wolf was not that easy to take a picture of, he kept pacing and moving. Not your regular dog on a hot day. Isn't he beautiful?

I was so busy trying to get a photo of the wolf, I missed a shot of the tiger stretching up on two legs at the fence, showing interest in Bernadette. Perhaps he thought she looked tasty. I hoped he would do it again--she did not. It was quite hot and he decided instead to find some shade under a picnic table. I asked the owner/trainer if the tiger ever tried to jump the fence and he told me the tiger was young and wouldn't do that. It isn't normal for tigers and wolves to get along but these two have been raised together.

There was also the ugliest duck I have ever seen. She was brooding, sitting on her eggs at the side of the house. Perhaps I shouldn't say she is ugly...but really, what do you think? Bernadette told me what kind of duck she is but I forget...never heard of it.

Mona is daring us to show our glasses this week. Here are mine.

I did not wash these before I shot the photo, but should have! They are not really dirty but have been sitting there for a while so gather a bit of dust which shows quite well! I do use these glasses fairly often, depending on the quality of the wine. The wine goblets are Waterford and delightful to drink from...so thin they feel good on the lips and I love the ring when they clink; it is like music! They must be hand washed so I never wash them when I have been drinking from them...I carefully set them aside and wash them in the morning.

The everyday glasses are in the kitchen...shinier because I use them more often! Not all in the cupboard...the rest are in the dishwasher. *s* You don't want to see those ones do you?

A new fine dining estaruant has opened at the marina near my home; Craig, Glenn and Grace took me here for dinner on my birthday.

Our dinners were very enjoyable. Grace chose Asian Chicken with vegetables.

I enjoyed sirloin steak cooked to pink perfecton in a demi glace sauce with sweet little peppercorns and mashed potatoes.

Craig is vegetarian; there was only one selection on the entree list and it did not appeal to him so he chose an appetizer of savoury goat cheese cheesecake topped with tangy cranberries and a side of perfectly done asparagus with bernaise. I had a wee taste of the cheesecake and it was absolutely delicious.

Glenn said his dinner was tasty but just not enough! His selection was Duck Three Ways.. Thirty two dollars for this plate is kind of pricey, don't you think?

Meet my kids! Craig, Glenn and Grace. The flash on Grace's finger is her engagement ring. *s* She and Glenn have set the wedding date, May 30 2009. Plans are underway.

The restaurant opened a few weeks ago in April 2008. Decor is clean and modern, plenty of windows with view of Lake Ontario and the marina on Frenchman's Bay. Very pleasant view.

This restaurant offers hospitality to dogs...outside.

If you serve them, they will come.

We walked on the boardwalk after dinner and met this Chow who loved many pats and lots of attention...we obliged and showered him with it! Isn't he a dear?

There are many geese in the lake and ponds nearby. We noticed a nest in the distance and I zoomed my camera...not a very good shot but the best I could do with this camera. This is the first time I have come across a nest.

I love my kids! Thank you Craig, Glenn and Grace.

I found this photo on webshots...doesn't it make you want to climb up on his back wearing a gossamer white dress and let him fly you away with your hair blowing behind you? Such a fairy tale photo.

Mmmmm! Esra made me hungry this morning when I read her blog about cucumbers. You an read it here. She described a cold cucumber yogurt soup that she enjoys in the summer. I went searching for the recipe on the internet and found this one but it isn't soup. It is more like a thick creamy salad--I made it and just can't stop eating it. It is a good thing I made it with low fat yogurt. SO delicious, I hope many of you try it. My son came over for a taste and said it reminded him of tzatzikiwith walnuts...it isn't as garlicy as tzatziki though.

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, grated or chopped finely
2 cups yogurt, drained in a cheesecloth (I drained mine with coffee filters in a colander)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Juice of 1 lemon (I grated the zest and added that too)
3 tbsp minced mint
¼ cup minced dill
Sea salt and cracked pepper
¼ cup toasted walnuts, chopped ( I used all of a small bag)

While the yogurt drained for about an hour, (Esra says you don't have to drain it but I didn't know that then) I sliced the cucumbers thinly, spread them on paper towels and salted them to draw the water out. !/2 hour later, I patted the cucumbers dry and chopped them finely.

Then combine the cucumber, yogurt, garlic, lemon, mint and dill. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Stir in the walnuts. Serve with warmed pita.

I used way more walnuts than the recipe called for and I am glad I did...they balance the tangyness of the yogurt and lemon so nicely. Not sorry I drained the yogurt because as you can see it is quite wet still.

Thank you for whetting my appetite Esra! I will be eating this all summer!

After a visit to the optometrist a few weeks ago, I chose some new frames and I picked them up the other day. I have always come home with frames that were similar to my last frames but this time I made a real effort to choose something different. These are metal, like the last ones...oh oh...but they are a deep maroon colour, much darker than I have worn in many years. They are more square than I have ever worn too, and I kind of like the sides.

My health insurance doesn't cover everything on eyeglasses but every little bit helps. From $450 I will get back $200. I wear progressive bifocals, which freak me out when I go down stairs but for vanity's sake, they have to be progressive. I also got anti-glare which makes your lenses look thinner and anti-scratch. Pretty standard extras.

They also have sunshades that clip on by little magnets. Hmm...I wonder how long it will take me to misplace them!

Here is a tricky test...and a good one too since most of us reading this, blog almost daily or at least a few times a week. My mistake was #2. Have a go at it, click the image to take the test yourself!

OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

Glenn brought me a couple of pieces of chocolate cake he made this week. He wants to loose some weight and can't do it with chocolate cake in the house so he brought it over to make Mom fat. I was happy to oblige him. As I munched, I mentioned I could use his help shoveling mulch into bags at the garden center. So I finished my cake and off we went.


Bag-your-own garden mulch is new to me. It was near closing when we arrived. Four girls stood around the cash doing nothing but I had to ask for service. I told one girl what I wanted, she pointed at the bags and asked me how many. I told her 4. She rang up $13 something with tax and we took the bags out to the mulch pile. While he was shoveling, Glenn noticed a sign that said $2.99 per bag (what I had been charged) or 5 bags $2.49 each. I could have had an extra bag free but the girl never pointed that out. I suppose I should have gone back into the garden center and made a complaint but I was tired.

Glenn did a good job packing those bags, they were so heavy! I couldn't manage them and was greatful he was there to help.

This week's Picture Perfect theme is Gossamer.

What a sight it was that greeted Bernadette and I last week when we left the theatre where we saw La Boheme. There are two high rise condos across the street, at least 22 floors, maybe more...they were draped in soft cloud. It seemed as if the sky had softly descended.

I am shameless...lifting this right off Cheri's page. If you don't know the answers just take a stab. And if you post the questions at your blog, nudge me and I will answer.

My name:

Where did we meet:

Take a stab at my middle name:

Do I smoke:

Do I drink:

When is my birthday:

What was your first impression of upon meeting me:

What is your impression of me now:

What's one of my favorite things to do:

What is one of my favorite movies:

What is the best feature about me:

Am I shy,outgoing,a rebel or a rule follower:

Do I have any special talents:

Would you call me preppy, average, sporty, punk, hippie, glam, nerdy, snobby, or something else (what):

What is my favorite food:

If there was one good nickname for me, what would it be:

What's your favorite memory of me:

What is my worst habit:

If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what one thing would I bring?

Name 3 interesting things you know about me:

If we had one night together, what would we do:

My sister Karen's cat Charlie, moved in with them a few years ago. They didn't choose Charlie, he chose them. It was winter and Charlie kept coming around their door; he seemed to have no home. After a few days, they started to feed him, outside. Then it was cold so they let him camp overnight in the garage but soon he was coming in every night. They couldn't let him in the house because of her other sick old cat...but good old persistant Charlie kept hanging around and eventually even sick old cat got used to him. Then sick old cat went to kitty heaven and Charlie finally became top cat for a while and took over Old Boots position on the sofa. Then Cinder came and I think I have blogged about this before.

Charlie likes to find warm pleasant places in the sun to relax in...and here he found one. He had to tip toe though the tulips to find exactly the right spot to lie in.

He is snoozing in her front garden where he can keep an eye on the house and the street while catching some warm rays.

From his sunny bed, Charlie also has a pretty good view of the tree and the birds who visit but for some reason do not care to hang around very long.

Perhaps they will get used to him too...just like everyone else at Karen's house did.

I was listening to CTV News tonight at 11:00 PM and they said that a McGill University research on 14,000 babies shows that breast-feeding increases the intelligence of your baby up to 7.5 points. This is the largest study ever done on intelligence related to breastfeeding.

Every Friday Mona posts a dare to photograph something and she sets the criteria. This week it must be something white and you must take the photo yourself. This week's dare is easy for me because I have lots of white accents in my home.

Here is a small collection of soft critters on my bed. The curly bear on the right has a tiny blanket that says Bestest Aunt. My niece, Melanie gave it to me.


Actually , there is lots of white in my bedroom.



And below is a candle sitting on a scarf on my dresser. It isn't a real candle, it's battery operated. I prefer the real ones but this is white and I will keep it until the battery runs out. These candles were given out to all 1200 employees in February at our yearly All Employee Communication Meeting...the candles represent Candlelighters an association to help children with cancer. All our Friday casual wear tax is going to Candlelighters this year and there are a number of other fundraisers for them in the pipeline.