TO MARKET, TO MARKET TO BUY A FAT PIG

Not only did a buy a fat pig, as in sausages, I bought everything else for a fresh Market Meal!

But let me start at the beginning. I love going to the market each week to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables. Then I had an idea....why not create a dinner out of all things Market Fresh?

There was salad of market greens topped with roasted mushrooms and red peppers, Baba Ghanoush for dipping radishes, cucumber  carrots, broccoli, and some funky white turnip (that was a big hit), barbecued honey garlic and spicy sausages, roasted potatoes and beets,  garlic bread, cheese biscuits and pholourie, little spicy balls of chickpea dough. 

Dessert consisted of Raspberry pie, churros, fresh berries and, well I cheated a little here, banana bread from my freezer.

I invited some friends to help me taste the wares and review the bounty. The winners were everything, but coming in at first place were the funky white turnip, roasted beets and potatoes, sausages and pholourie.

It was a lot fun deciding what to buy for the Market Meal. The options were endless and the people friendly and knowledgeable about their products.

This is Justin, the sausage dude. He knows how to treat pigs right!

You pay a pretty price for the mushrooms from these guys but they are worth it I tell ya, worth it.

This is Bya, ladling out the Phlorourie for us. I also bought the little cheese biscuits from here and had to resist the roasted chickpeas - I'll save that one for next week. 

We also checked out the "authentic Russian food" from this very authentic Russian lass:

I'm planning on making this an annual event opening it up for everyone to explore the market and bring a dish of their own creation. 

So come on everybody! To Market to Market to buy a Fat Pig - Home again, Home again jiggety jig!

BEAUTIFUL ENDINGS

When we start something new it can be very exciting and fresh: new marriage, new job, new house for example, and often endings can be sad and difficult. But many endings can be made into something beautiful. 

My garden is at the end of it's seasonal run right now. Today I went out to snap a few pics. After a heavy fog, the plants were wet and dewey. 

The morning primroses, once green with bright yellow flowers are turning this beautiful shade of red.

The rose bush is starting to turn sleepy brown and the bee balm has a few straggling strands of red fronds left.

Only a few short weeks ago, the phlox was white and frothy! The lily of the valley is mottled and brown.

But I find a lot of beauty in the garden right now, even with the plants at the end of their growth and blooming. 

Yesterday I volunteered at the Greg Shepherd Memorial Run. This fundraiser is in honour and memory of Greg, who was like a son to me. After a night of hanging out with his friends at Kelsey's on July 11, 2013, Greg hopped on his motorcycle and was barely a block away when he was stuck by a car. Greg passed instantly. We all still grieve this sudden and inexplicable loss. 

But his family decided to make a beautiful ending.

Each year they host a motorcycle ride to raise funds for a bursary, given to a deserving student taking the DSW program at our local college.

Motorcyclists, friends and family, gather together to honour and remember Greg.

Endings can be hard...really hard. But look closely, you may be able to find there is beauty in the ending. 

I'VE GOT GOOD NEWS AND I'VE GOT BAD NEWS

If you follow me regularly you know I often write about my biking adventures. Just this past April I wrote "The Bicycle, Season 47, Episode 1" and in Spring 2016,  "Ready to Ride".  

But this year, there's been a few plot twists I did not see coming; some good and some bad. So, let's start with the bad news.

In mid-August I rode my bike to work. Lovely ride, no surprises until I strolled out of the office with helmet in hand to discover my bike was not where I had left it - stolen is the word. My faithful bike with the skull and cross bone duct tape on the seat, the one I just invested a good couple hundred dollars in to keep her spruced and rolling was not to be found. Yes, it was locked and he/she was good enough to leave me the lock but not so much the bike. I called the Police and left a description and that was that. 

Now, onto the Good news! About 3 weeks ago, I got a new bike! Another Raleigh with fat juicy tires and rides like the wind. A purple beauty with a little yellow bell. I'm back in the saddle.

But, another plot twist, back to some bad news....Two weeks ago as I'm crossing an intersection a truck misjudged how fast I was going and hit the back end of my bike. I lost control and took a tumble. There was no head injury, just some prize winning bruises. I did not call the police but the driver assured me to call if there were any damages. 

I was sore, stiff and shaken plus I wanted to take my bike back down to where I bought it for a check up before I started riding again. So, this past Saturday I took my new bike back to Stephen's License (they are great to deal with) and after a little tweaking it was deemed as good as new.

I feel I've earned a good cappuccino and perhaps a little chocolate madeleine after all that, don't you?

Life is full of good and bad news. There are things we just don't see coming. I'm grateful that I was not badly hurt, that I sat beside my beautiful daughter in church today, that I went for a drive in the County with my husband and had a nice lunch. I'm grateful that I'm not in the path of Hurricane Irma at the moment and hunkered down in a shelter hoping my home will still be standing when I get back. 

Be kind to one another. You don't know if they have just been hit by a truck or landed big money or in the path of a hurricane. We all need grace and support to get through whatever is coming our way. 

SCHOOL DAYS

What seems like 100 years ago, I was off to kindergarten. My parents had to take a pic of myself and my sisters ready for our big day. I love that we are united, holding hands, matching pixie cuts and me with one sock up and one sock down.

For the first time in about 25 years I don't have a child in my house heading back to school this September.

No first day jitters, no snapping a pic, no lunch packing, new clothes, supplies or back packs kicking around. 

I feel a little out of the loop! And I miss the energy and excitement in the house. Granted, I won't miss trying to wake someone up who has about 5 minutes left to leave, or the angst over an assignment or trouble with a best friend either. 

But still, this is a special time so I hope all you moms and dads are appreciating the moment! 

Near our house we have an old public school that has been abandoned for about 10 years now. The property was sold some time ago and I was expecting to hear the constant sounds of construction as a new subdivision began to take over, but as yet, the place is quiet and still.

All windows and doors are boarded up. The pavement in the school yard is crumbling and the basket ball hoops, though still occasionally used by local kids, are hanging in shreds. 

We take Lulu for a walk in the huge field that used to be filled with giggling12-year-old girls and the hollering of boisterous boys showing off. 

As we pass by some old trees at the back of the property I can almost here the secrets once shared. "Meet me by the big tree!"

This bench once held would-be sluggers about to knock it out of the park. "Batter, Batter, Batter Uuuppp!" The star pitcher stares them down...

Someday, probably soon, this school will be gone and Lulu won't have the big field to race freely around in anymore. Someday, you too will have the last time you see your little ones off to public school or high school and before you know it, you will be dropping them off at University and driving away (a tearful, heart wrenching process, let me tell you). 

But for now, enjoy the school days and all that comes with them! If anybody wants to meet at the big tree to share secrets, let me know!