SOME KINDA FRUITCAKE

 All right I’m putting my Christmas cards on the table. 

I LIKE FRUITCAKE

I’m one of the few left who are Fruitcake Fans. 

This year November 26 is “Stir Up Sunday”. It is a reference to the last Sunday before Advent and gets its name from the book of Common Prayer “Stir up, we beseech thee O’Lord, the wills of thy Faithful People.” It’s also the traditional time to start prepping those rich English puddings and fruitcakes filled with candied fruit, nuts and raisins!

Most people consider Fruitcake the worst gift ever, better off as a brick or paperweight. But I like it so for the first time this year, I made one!

Now my Mom makes a rum soaked version rich  in raisins, currants, dates and nuts and goes easy on the jewelled coloured mystery fruit. 

But I went a different route and made an orange and almond base with all the neon fruit. 

I had a bottle of Grand Mariner in the cupboard to use so I figured for my fruit cake this would be what I would use to bathe it in booze.

So I mixed up the batter and stuck pretty close to the recipe as it’s risky to get bold with new recipes and better to follow instructions!

This “brick” baked long and slow in the oven and then I wrapped it in swaddling cheesecloth and put it to rest in the cool garage. I pull it out weekly and give it a fresh soaking of Grand Mariner to keep it moist

Today, I figured it was time for a taste test

It’s a lovely fruitcake! Rich, orangey with lots of fruit and almonds. I’ll add it to the tray of goodies for friends and family to try. Who knows, maybe I can turn around the trend and boost the Fruitcake Fan Club!

Or, I’ll keep it in the freezer and nibble away at it for the next year. It’s not a brick or a paperweight. 

It’s some kinda fruitcake!

A TEN YEAR REVIEW

My 10th birthday, 50 years ago

 Sixty…Yup….6 0…I’ve managed to stay on this earth for 60 years. It’s a Pretty Big Number to chew on but I’m happy to say I seem to be holding up. Aches and pains? Of course, but that’s to be expected with 60 year-old-machinery (all original parts I might add). 

Ten years ago on my 50th many family and friends celebrated my accomplishment (read my Blog “Turning the Big 50”). This past week they again blessed me with gifts, well wishes and a surprise dinner. 

The Big 60!

But a lot has happened in the past 10 years…A LOT! So it’s time for a 10 year review! 

Let’s start with family: In the past 10 years both my children married! Not only that they gave me grandchildren! Two little princes, a princess with another princess due in January!  

The Legacy of Family

If nothing else happened in the last 10 years except this, it would be enough. 

But I’ve also thrown in travel: two trips to Europe - one to France and one to Prague, trips out to British Columbia and Alberta. Amazing camping trips and let’s not forget my cross country drive with my son from BC to Ontario. 

The Mother/Son Cross Country Road Trip

There has been a share of grief and sadness as well. Goodbyes to dear ones whose memories stay with me and live on in my heart. 

I’m very fortunate to still have both my parents with me to celebrate my 60 years with me. 

These two have been with me from the Beginning!

Some things have not changed: I continue to work on the cello, my garden and show up for work and church! I’m working on over 37 years of marriage!

I survived COVID. 

I became and End of Life Doula 

All in all - I’ve had a very good 10 years full of many blessings. 

But what about the next 10 years? Good Question! Undoubtably  I will have my share wonderful moments and deep sadness. I don’t know if I will see 70 years. 

But this I know beyond a doubt. I’ve lived a blessed life on this earth and I’m very grateful. Whatever time I have left I hope I use it well and faithfully until I’m called Home. 

A SEASON FULL OF TREASURE

 Fall finally arrived. Most of our September was extremely dry and warm. My sweaters lounged in the dresser waiting to replace tanks and T-shirts. But right before Thanksgiving, Fall swooped in on a raucous north wind and rain taking her rightful place. 

This beautiful, short season is full of treasure. Now is the time to explore the world full of golds, reds and oranges.

Sheldon and I were blessed to enjoy a weekend away at Lucky Lake in North Frontenac. 

The lake, now devoid of swimmers and sunbathers holds a peaceful prelude for the coming winter’s sleep.

Misty mornings hide the muted colors around the edge of the lake

But there were other treasures for me in this season! The garden leaves a few last parting gifts as well. 

The rose bushes presented these jewels along with my tomato plant

On an outing to Prince Edward county my girlfriend and I came across a curious spot that was really a hoarder’s treasure trove. We wandered around the yard and numerous little outbuildings packed full of trinkets

And purchasing anything was basically on an honour system! If you could pick it up, you could take it and send an e-transfer according to the signs on the door! Treasures indeed!

Soon the frost will come and the leaves will fall and the gardens will sleep. 

Enjoy the treasure hunt!

SUMMER, IT’S TIME TO LEAVE

I like summer, I really do. It’s one of my favourite seasons. 

Little dresses

Summer salads

Biking

Swimming

Roses blooming

Not having to wear EVERYTHING just to survive outside.

Summer is easy, breezy and it warms my bones. Yeah, it’s a great time.

But even the sweetest of guests can sometimes overstay their welcome and this year, summer, you missed your cue!

This is the first week of September. The littles are excitedly lining up to catch that big yellow bus and head back to school. But are they wearing their new fall sweaters and jackets? NO! It is hot, record breaking hot out there. 

This is my outdoor very Canadian thermometer at 5:00 pm today:

That’s 30 degrees Celsius in the shade at 5:00 pm. In the sun, closer to 40! 

Pumpkin spice anything is on the shelf; we want crisp, fresh fall air to enjoy those! I have no inclination to turn the oven on and bake a pie or roast a chicken. 

Summer is short in Canada, but so is Fall and we want to enjoy all its charms too. So, Summer, it’s time to move on. You’ve had your moment and we love you, but it’s time to leave! 

I HEAR THAT TRAIN A COMIN’

 Sometime in the early hours of the morning I woke up and heard the train coming down the track. The train whistle, lonely like the loon’s call sounded comforting and familiar in the darkness. No matter where you live in Belleville, you will always be able to hear the trains. The tracks criss-cross everywhere so that even when I lived outside of town in Foxboro, I could still hear them rumbling through! 

I recently found out there is a word to describe the wind rustling through the trees: “Psithurism”. Who knew? I know a lot of words, but I did NOT know this one! Psithurism is one of my most favourite things! 

I miss it in the winter when the trees are bare and leafless. But then there are other sounds. I don’t have to get out of bed to wonder if it snowed out once I hear that snow plow making the rounds. And how welcoming is the chickadee’s Sweet Susan call on a grey winter day. 

Our senses are a gift that enrich our lives. But as we grow older, they begin to fade. Eyesight dims, food becomes bland, the TV volume starts to rise to a higher setting. It is a reminder this body is a temporary shelter and not meant to last forever. It is organic and will, eventually and naturally, breakdown. 

When someone is dying they are often sleeping (or seem to be) for great lengths of time. But it is important to keep talking to them. Don’t talk around them like they are not there. Tell them about your day, what the weather is like, the grandchildren’s antics. Read to them from a favourite book. Sing them a song. Get up close to their ear so they can hear you. 

Like the train’s whistle at night or the wind in the trees it will be a familiar comfort as they journey out of this world and into the next.  

COTTAGE GEMS

 

I’m not sure why, but the cottages I’ve been to (you know, the “rustic” type) all have this mish-mash of decor. It was like someone said “boy this dresser that Grandma left us is in pretty good shape! Anybody want it? No? OK, let’s use it at the cottage!” To me, that’s part of their charm 

We spent a week recently at a cottage full of all sort of gems. It is a 5 bedroom cottage big enough for both my kids, their spouses, the grand babies and even my DIL’s parents joined. And it was full of treasures! The couch was straight out of the 1960’s, chintzy sunfish from the 1970’s hang in the bathroom, and there are two dining sets: one a classic oak and another a more elegant dark wood affair. 

The dishes cover all eras from the past.

These delicate china cups hang in the cupboard with a cornucopia  of bowls, plates and coffee mugs. 

Remember BlockBuster? The place to go on a Friday night in the 1990s? A booming business now extinct thanks to Netflix. But I found the popcorn bowl! 

Not to be outdone, I picked up a Paint-by-number set from the local Dollar store for the adults to dabble with. It was cheap, with cheap paint that you could still see the numbers through. In some places, there was NO number so you could take some artistic license. 

Most of the adults took a stab at it and here is the finished product:

Fitted right into cheesy cottage decor! 

But I found a few other cottage gems -some truly precious ones:

Like Little Prince #1 and his penchant for bugs (or in this case a frog).

And Little Prince #2: One Cool Dude! 

Precious Princess Eva (note the mug, anyone place the year?) is worth more rubies than the world holds. 

This bunch is priceless!

There were so many cottage gems all around me, I could scarcely take them all in. 

 I’ll just take a few home. 

THE GARDEN WORLD

When my children were teenagers, there go-to-escape computer game was “Sims”, especially my daughter! She loved creating the little families, building and expanding their homes, making sure everyone was fed and happy. Seems to me gardening is kind of like Sims but with plants!

I spent a lot of time this week making sure my plants were fed and happy. I evicted a lot of free-loading weeds making room for other plant families to expand.

      The morning primroses are growing into one big happy family. 

But the Garden world is not always easy. For some reason I’ve struggled getting poppies or cosmos to grow, until this year. The poppies are snubbing me but the cosmos are finally coming along! And after a fair bit of wooing lavender decided to settle into my garden world. 

  Of course, there’s always divas that need extra pampering - roses!

                                 And check out the nursery!

I started these peppers from seed and transferred them into a raised bed.

And my baby lettuce, tomatoes and beans will soon be rewarding my efforts. 

The garden world is always evolving: the plants have their moment to shine and then step into the wings for the next to take centre stage. Some I move to new areas in hopes they will establish there. Some just fade away. Others are bossy and try to take over everywhere and I need to use a firm hand of discipline. 

Any gardener will tell you it’s cathartic to get your hands dirty and be rewarded for your efforts as you work with the plants, pruning and molding your own little Garden world. Beats Sims hands down!

 

ARRIVING IN BOHEMIA

 

I’ve often thought I had a bent towards a “bohemian” lifestyle and if you were to look up the definition it would describe someone who generally does not follow the crowd, hangs out with like-minded people and has a focus on artistic, literary or spiritual pursuits. Sounds about right! But I never, EVER, considered taking a trip to the Czech Republic, the birthplace of Bohemia. So when my husband suggested I tag along while he participated in a work conference in Prague I thought….Why Not? 

Typical of Europe, Prague is ancient, full of history and culture. Everywhere is beautiful architecture leaning towards renaissance and gothic spires.

The people are warm and friendly; many reminded me of gypsies with dark swarthy looks and flashing eyes. As we walked along we past musicians and artists entertaining us with their talents. 

Prague Castle will take your breath away!

How can you not be in awe of this incredible workmanship? 

As Sheldon was in the conference for a few days, I was on my own. Now this is dangerous business! My sense of direction is nil and the thought of heading out in a strange country alone was unsettling! But I wanted to take this challenge on and with the help of Apple Maps, I made my way to a beautiful Italian Renaissance style park about 20 minutes from our hotel. A couple of wrong turns, but I found it!

So, there I wandered in my best Bohemian style snapping pics, people watching and spending an hour or so reading “The Secret Garden” which is an excellent book to read in a park. I’ve discovered that pairing a book with the location you are reading it in is much like pairing wine and cheese; it is a fine art! 

The next day my target was the Cafe V Zahrade. 

This one was a bit closer so once I located it, I wandered the shops nearby. I found a Second Hand Clothing store which was busy with locals snapping up deals. I snapped up a deal myself: a sundress that cost $2.50 in Canadian! And I found a Bakery and bought an Apple strudel for Sheldon and Babovka (Czech local cake) for me. 

In the evenings there were Conference dinners to attend with Sheldon where the food and wine/beer flowed with abundance. 

Prague is a beautiful city. If you ever get the chance to visit, by all means do so! Come live your best bohemian lifestyle and pursue the music, read a book in the park or be enveloped in the hushed, awe-inspiring atmosphere of their ancient churches. 

THE HEART OF LIFE IS GOOD

 There is a very, VERY fine balance between a good avocado and a not good avocado. I play a balancing act of timing and placement to score a good avocado. First, they start rock hard hanging out in the fruit bowl to mellow with the bananas. Then with careful little pokes to check on, I move them to the fridge at just the right time: still a little overly firm but on their way to “nailed it.”

This avocado was timed just right and was so good with a poached egg, salt, pepper, tomato and a sprinkling of cheese.

We all have struggles. This business called Life is not easy. It throws pain, anxiety, fear and other curveballs at us. Dreams slip through our hands. People, pets, even places we love get taken away and we grieve. Oh, what is harder than a broken heart? 

And yet, as we move from year to year, so many good things also come our way! 

In Genesis Chapter 1: 31 after 7 days of work creating the earth, God says: And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” He made the light, the dry land, the animals, the winged birds and after careful review of each, deemed them “Good.” It’s a Good Foundation we have!

The weather people tell us we in Ontario have experienced the darkest winter in 80 years. Apparently the sun snubbed us. But tomorrow is the first day of spring - just be persevering, you can find The Good.

In Psalm 23:6 “Surely Goodness and Mercy shall follow me all the days of my Life.” Seems you can’t even escape it, Goodness is following you around, tailing you and showing up everywhere. And he brought a friend! Mercy! 

So, as I look around I find the Good there with me in the midst of it.

A Good Cup of Coffee

My Grandchildren

Canada is Very Good!

Not to mention my children and all my family, friends and experiences I’ve had over the years. 

Of course, it’s not always good, not always easy. But in the midst of my journey, I can find goodness hanging around. 

Tonight I’m going to see Jon Mayer in concert and I’m hoping he plays The Heart of Life (which by the way, SOMEBODY better play at my funeral). 

He knows: at the crux of it all, the Heart of Life is good.