Making Merry Meals

I hosted three family get togethers over the holiday season, ceebrating Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and ringing in the New Year.

Christmas Eve menu

Holiday Aperol Spritz

Devilled Christmas Eggs, Nuts, Cheese

Miso Soup

Frenched Lamb Rack chops, Roasted Cabbage, Minted Pea Mezze

Bliss Balls, Shortbread, Chocolate and liqueurs for dessert

For Christmas Eve dinner with Alex, Penny, Nora and Rob, I held the number of courses to four to avoid too much fuss. It was a delicious and unhurried meal. The Holiday Aperol Spritzes were made more festive with large fruited ice cubes. Party in a glass!

red miso

The soup course featured  hand crafted Miso Soup Ball from Ukiyo Life. Beautiful little works of art! I poured the individual servings at the table after placing them singly in each bowl. Alex and Penny received their own box among their Christmas presents. Delicious favour and striking presentation: dried daikon, spicy tofu, roasted sesame, red miso, white miso, wakame. I've since seen recipes online to make your own.

After tasting Mai Lis' easy roasted cabbage at the BPYC Book Club Christmas potluck, I added it to my own holiday table. Such carmelized flavour, and truly no fuss. A fabulous complement to roasted meat or veg, this is going into my regular meal rotation.

Dessert Bliss Balls were made with medjool dates, almond and tahini. No baking! Had I thought of it, I would have rolled them in rose powder, but desicated coconut helped them look like little snow balls. A virtuous alternative to the shortbreads.

Boxing Day 

Charcuterie

Prime Rib, Green Beans with Miso Butter Onions, Scalloped Potato, Homemade pickles (beets and yellow beans)

Persian Love Cake, Shortbread, Liqueurs

More guests on Boxing Day, with Dave, Therese, Leo, Emma, Amita, Twincy, Alex, Penny, Nora, Rob and I. We were rubbing elbows, for sure! Oops! Too bad, I forgot to take a photos. 

Most of the prep could be done before dinner so I could enjoy the company. Rob made the scalloped potatoes the day before so it was just a matter of reheating. We made Persian Love Cake the day before as well. 

Green Beans with Miso Butter Onions were a huge hit, such big umami flavour. 

I was happpy to learn my local butcher was open on Boxing Day, so went around the corner that morning to pick up a 3 lb roast. 

This method, Roasted and Reverse Seared Prime Rib from Serious Eats, will now be my 'go to' for cooking Prime Rib. Not only delicious but scrumptious.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to lowest possible temperature setting, 150°F (66°C) or higher if necessary. (Some ovens cannot hold a temperature below 250°F/121°C.) Season roast generously with salt and pepper. Place roast, with fat cap up, on a V-rack set in a large roasting pan, or on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven and cook until center of roast registers 120-125°F (49-52°C) on an instant-read thermometer for rare, 130°F (54°C) for medium-rare, or 135°F (57°C) for medium to medium-well. In a 150°F oven, this will take around 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hours; in a 250°F oven, this will take 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
2. Remove roast from oven and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Place in a warm spot in the kitchen and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, preheat oven to highest possible temperature setting, 500 to 550°F (260 to 288°C).
3. Ten minutes before guests are ready to be served, remove foil, place roast back in hot oven, and cook until well-browned and crisp on the exterior, 6 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, carve, and serve immediately.

Full House! January New Year Celebration

Crudite & Charcuterie

Meat Lasagna, Vegetarian Quiche, Salad

Holiday Cookies

Wonderful to host a get together for those who could make it. Twenty! Dave & Therese & Leo & Emma; Mike & Karen & Sarah & Patrick; Al & Sue & Jessie & Jerod; Pat & Robin; Alex & Penny & Nora; Amita; Rob and me. It filled my heart with gladness to have so many I hold dear gathered for a happy occasion. I made a toast to Kathy and Mom in their absence.

Since we'd be crowded it had to be a meal easy enough to eat from your lap. Costco sure came in handy. I served in courses throughout the afternoon. 

Note the Christmas tree formation of the photos ;-)

That Ol'Christmas Moon - December 2024

Spent the last Full Moon of the calendar year wrapping presents and admiring the decorations on the tree. It was such a pleasure to hang the ornaments, remembering Christmas' past. Some of them so harried and rushed! Being able to savour the moments this year is the big Christmas Present! 

Years gone by I would call my mom and sister and we would reminisce, I missed them this year. 

This was Nora's first Christmas, and seeing her come into the world and discover things is such a joy. We were over at Alex' and Penny's for family dinner and all of us delighted in watching her find her toes and then stick them in her mouth. Happy Baby Pose! 5 moons old.

illustration above is a watercolour by Rob

November - Full Pizza Moon

When the moon hits your eye like a big Pizza Pie, it's November!

Okay, officially known as Beaver Moon, but this past November, a Full Pizza Moon! Rob hit a milestone birthday, and people came to celebrate.

Although I wanted to throw a big party at the club Rob insisted on something smaller at home. Art and Chris came down from Sudbury for the occasion, and we also invited Dave and Therese, Kaarina and Mike, Liz and Darcy, Wendy and Raymond, Amita and Twincy, Alex and Penny, Rob and me.

So Alex made pizzas and it was a feast to behold. A pro-oven that brings temperature up to 800 degrees and dough made ahead for 16 pies. Chronicled on Insta @alexpizzapies   Some of my favourite combinations were pesto, pistachio and Fior' di Latte; basil, mozzarella and tomato (classic margherita); chorizo and mozzarella and mushrooms.  All so yummy!

What a fantastic night! After wonderful dinner, we had Rob sit in a chair and we toasted him with stories. Some gentle teasing ensued. Art talked about high school Bridge classes, Darcy some tales about being college roommates, Liz about the time he returned pasta to a kitchen in Priano. Alex talked about memories growing up and I  talked about how lucky I was to have him by my side for nearly 50 years (gasp!!).

Good cause to celebrate, and so happpy we were able to honor him in style.

Kathy

My sister Kathy died on October 12, 2024, at her home in Kitchener, ON at the age of 61. I was by her side and had been for several days. She was suffering so much, I was grateful when she passed. 

I have been thinking about her every day. 

At her Celebration of Life, I kept searching the family faces, really expecting that she was there somehow, somewhere. 

These past few years we would call each other and spend hours on the phone talking. I would get to Kitchener and we'd go out for lunch. One trip she treated me to a mani-pedi. I so wish we had more time ahead to spend together.

It was the very end of August and I realized we still hadn't celebrated her birthday together. When I'd called to wish her Happy Birthday she'd been coughing, and on our latest call her voice was so faint I had a hard time hearing her on the phone. I had such a strong urge to see her, so Rob and I drove to Kitchener to take her out for lunch. Much gratitude I listened to that urge. When she opened the door, we could see she wasn't well. She didn't want to talk about it, but we learned it was cancer. 7 different kinds, all at once. 

I was next to her when she passed 6 weeks later, again a strong urge not to leave her side. It was Thanksgiving weekend but I decided to stay with her in Kitchener rather than head elsewhere... there was no point in going anywhere as she would be all I could think about anyway. So I stayed, and I am truly thankful I was there.

<Spouse of the late Daniel George Emery (2008). Loving Mother of Dan, John, Eric and Chris. Cherished grandmother of Nicholas, Destiny, Skylar, Serenity, Terry, Mercedes, John Jr., William, Autumn and Araya.
Great-grandmother of Daniel, Marilyn and Lincoln. Sister of Diane, David, Michael, Alex and Patrick. Will be greatly missed by many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Predeceased by her parents, James and Marion Bickers, son, Steven Emery (1987) and granddaughter, Brooklyn (2015)Kathy Adrianna Emery (nee Bickers) was an amazing wife, mother, sibling, daughter and friend. She led a full life. She was recognized as an unsung hero for her volunteer efforts in the community and worked as a chef and later, a tattoo artist. We all admired her strength and courage as she faced life's challenges. Kathy passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family. 

We will miss her every day.>

---

I shared the following at her Celebration of life on November 1st:

When life got tough, so did Kathy. She found out this past August that she had seven different types of cancer, and started making preparations. Finalizing her will, choosing the cemetery, thinking about how she wanted her graveside service.

I’m certain Kathy would have been pleased we chose the Day of the Dead to hold her service and Celebration of Life. Kathy was a very spiritual person, not a religious one. She didn’t want a Christian burial, and wanted something unique. And, if we could’ve pulled it off, there would have been sword swallowers, fire breathers, and a white horse to escort the companion urn to the Columbarium. A trained raven would have dropped a stone onto the urn in the niche, and then flown into the trees above to watch over us all.

As I’m sure Kathy is watching us now.

Kathy was such a very determined and courageous person.

She chose to die at home. This wasn’t some romantic notion, she knew exactly how hard things could get, because she helped her husband Dan die at home in 2008. When our mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2018, she stayed by her side and looked after her, too.

This time it was her sons’ turns to look after Kathy. Daniel, Eric and Chris you did your mother proud. In her last days she said how much you had really come through when she needed you.

I don’t want to just talk about how Kathy chose to meet death, but how she chose to live.

As a little girl, she & I looked after our younger brothers. This is back in the days of cloth diapers, when our mom would cut the corners off the plastic milk bags to make waterproof covers. Kathy also loved animals, and is often the one seen holding the cat or patting the dog in family photos. She was a true nurturer.

When she was a teeenager, she fell madly in love with Dan. And stayed in love with him the rest of her life.

In the early days, Dan would come around on his motorcycle and Kathy would hop on the back of the bike and they would ride off on their adventures.

She loved each of her five children so much. Daniel and John came along when she was still in her teens. When Stephen was stillborn, she was devastated. Chris and Eric were born when she was in her twenties, almost fraternal twins to their older brothers. Later, when Chris and Eric were in grade school, she volunteered in their classrooms.

Kathy earned a living working as a chef, but preferred to cook for family celebrations like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

She loved being outside in nature, whether in her garden, on the beach, or for a walk in the forest.

Did you know Kathy was awarded an Unsung Hero award? She became a community activist in a program designed to reduce neighbourhood crime, and was recognized for it at an Awards dinner.

Kathy recently shared some of her happy memories with me. The times she spent tattooing at community fairs with Dan, and later her sons. The people she'd met there. The times spent with her family in Goderich and later, Port Burwell. And Kathy spoke of her adventures with Randy, too, travelling to the Smoky Mountains and attending an underground wedding in Hamilton at a Masonic temple.

I wish she could have continued her adventures in good health. Unfortunately MS made her less active than she would have liked. She was grateful for the Ocrevus infusions she received twice a year because they gave her such renewed energy. So she would time the treatments before holidays, planning her family feasts and celebrations when she would have the strength to enjoy them fully.

As the Memorial card says, Grieve not for me. Remember the best times, the laughter, the song, the good life I lived while I was strong.

Kathy Adrianna, you live in our hearts.

That's a lot of candles!

I always thought it interesting that we 'turn' of age on our birth date, but really it is marking the calendar for the number of years since we were born. So now I am 63. I couldn't even imagine being 50. I asked my grandmother decades ago, when she was turning 80, whether she thought she would live such a long life, and 'no' she said. Can I imagine myself at 80? Well, I can imagine, but it feels more like hope.

My 63rd year was certainly eventful! Nora was born, my son became a father and I became a grandmother. Such a fierce attachment to this new being, she is such a wonder.

Travelled to Japan in April, in cherry blossom season. Bucket list! It was, and wasn't, everything I expected. Although only a three week visit, it made me realize how very different cultures and societies can be. Other travel destinations so far have felt somehow familiar, although this sometimes felt strangely so. Had I been here before? A fleeting deja vu and then back to the sensation I was floating through the scenery in an altogether foreign place.

Other travel adventures were St. Lucia (February), Stratford (September), and Fall colours in Matewatchen, Chelsea, and Old Montreal (October).

I fulfilled the requirements of the Toronto Master Gardener program and 'graduated' in June. I started the courses in 2022. I continued managing the relationship with the Toronto Public Library that puts our gardeners into branches across the city. More than 1000 participants in 2023 alone, so I do feel that I'm helping grow gardening inspiration across the city. Went to the MGOI Annual Conference in June. My garden has never received so much attention!

I  ended my term as Vice Commodore at BPYC on a high note in December '23, as members voted to accept the revised By-Laws I'd been working on over three year-long terms. What a relief! There was a very vocal minority who were trying to stop it being passed, feeling we were rushing things (really, three years, three consultations?!? Whatever. It's done!)  

Back to being a regular BPYC member, there were lots of fun social events, including a White Party and Basin Party, afternoons at the club playing Euchre, and the boat club book club. Sadly, I didn't spend half as much time sailing as I wanted to this year. It was a bit depressing actually. Rob just didn't feel like taking the boat out all that much, where I'd imagined my retirement summers sailing Lake Ontario. I was grateful for the time we did spend time Yondering, but it did make me realize I need to explore other summer pastimes. 

Strong reminders of mortality were my car accident in June as well as the passing of my friend Janine.  In early September everyone was shocked to find out my sister Kathy was battling seven different kinds of cancer. The treatment she was receiving for her MS accelerated their growth. I've been to Kitchener a couple times since then to help her settle her affairs. I admire her courage as she makes these final arrangements.

How do I want to spend the time I have left, who knows how long it will be? 

I do love the time spent with Rob, family and friends. My yoga and Qigong, Epitourists, Book Club(s). Garden Club(s). Neighbourhood walks. Time in the city. Theatre. Books. Music. Travel. Uke Jam.

I am grateful to embark on my 64th year.

"It's not how old you are. It's how you are old." - Jules Renard

Nora!

 Nora!

We adore ya!

Arrived on the night of the full Buck moon, in the year of the Dragon.

How amazing, my son is a father and Penny is a mother. I love how their hands encircle the newborn in a cradle of love. Her tiny fingers are so perfect as she grasps Alex finger and Penny supports her head. What a lucky baby to have such incredible parents! Feeling truly blessed. Life is a miracle.

Rest In Peace, my dear friend Janine

I miss Janine already. She made it a point to enjoy all life had to offer whether her taste in music, food or art. A true zest for living and making friends, she brought that special energy into the rooms she entered. A curious and inquiring mind. A life well-lived and well-loved. 

We were friends in high school and throughout the years, recently attending writing conferences or staying at each others places enjoying a nice dinner and wine. When she called me in January I thought it was to connect for a date, but sadly it was to share the news that cancer had returned. By February she had chosen a course of treatment that would remove her tongue in the hope it would remove the spread of cancer. When I was travelling in Japan I offered up prayers in Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples for her return to wellness. I truly believed she would beat this demon as she had the first time around, and we would be drinking another bottle of wine together to celebrate the publishing of her book.

Janine communicated with her friends about her treatment and the progress of her disease, and I was struck by her talent for writing as well as her courage and honesty. She entered into palliative care at the end of April.

I learned of her death on May 9 when my brother Mike sent me the obituary. Sad news.

Obituary of Janine Sharp (Grespan) 1961 - 2024
About our mother, Janine Sharp (Grespan)

by Bram and Jesse Sharp

Our mom was and always will be a Kitchener-Waterloo icon. She is often remembered for her 25+ years in local news and broadcast presentation at CKCO/CTV News Kitchener. Even in everyday conversation, she always took a journalistic approach and sought your real story. But her successful career does not completely encapsulate who our mother really was. 

Beyond the camera, she was a compassionate, committed mother to two sons. We were her world, and no matter the paths in life we took or who we decided to be, she adored us as the crowning achievements of her life. She loved and protected us in a way we can only aspire to treat our own children someday. 

We have always admired our mom's natural gift of friendship. To her, making friends was never a popularity contest. It was a gift to create strong loyal and loving bonds—and have fun while doing so. Wherever she travelled across the globe—from Australia to Europe to Africa—she was never without someone to have fun with, because a friend was just waiting to be made. Our mom was also a woman of exceptional taste and culture, deeply ingrained in her community's arts and music initiatives. She could always be found in the front row dancing, even if she was there alone. She never once apologized for her uncompromisingly sociable attitude, and for that, we are so proud of her.

Above all, we believe the most important thing to note about our mom's life experience is courage. She dared to live out loud and love without fear of being ridiculed. She took great risks and lived a life full of adventure. She made many friends from various backgrounds. She had the courage to fight cancer - twice.

In 2007, the first time she was diagnosed, she stated on a TV broadcast that she "would be back." She fulfilled that promise and inspired many other cancer survivors in their own battles. Then, after her triumphant victory, she set her career in journalism aside, to enjoy 15 more wonderful years. We always believed in her strength, but could not fully comprehend her courage until we saw it for ourselves. She was the most courageous woman we have ever known.

We have heard that people who have passed are never really gone if we keep them in our hearts. For us, we will remember our mom in every beautiful flower garden, every fishbowl glass of wine, every pink sunset cloud. So she will never truly be gone from us. We know her memory and legacy will be carried on by all of us in her community, including the many dear friends and acquaintances who had the joy of meeting her.

Our mom peacefully passed surrounded by her family on Friday, May 3rd, 2024  at Grand River Hospital's Freeport Campus in Kitchener. She is predeceased by her parents Fred and Enes Grespan, and sister Claudia. She is survived by her two sons Jesse and Bram, her daughter-in-law Maliyah, her siblings Paul (JoAnn), Peter, Michelle (Alan), Rebecca and Sonja and her nieces and nephews Benjamin, Laura, Lakin, Sierra and Erica. Also by her dear friend and former husband of 35 years, David Sharp.

Cooking with Amita

Amita had kindly given me a standing offer of Indian cooking lessons, and so when my friend Joyce casually mentioned she would like to know how to cook Indian cuisine, I had the perfect excuse! 

Amita pulled together the menu and Joyce, Linda, Joanne and I had the chance to roll a chapati or two as we learned how to put together some healthy and economical vegetarian meals. 

After the lesson we enjoyed the dishes and finished off with some Bollywood dancing in the living room. Shoba, Amita's mom, was visiting from India and looked on, grinning as she rated our dancing technique. 

It had been a long, cold, and mucky winter so Indian flavours were just what we needed. Thanks Amita!

Joyce took copious notes and I tried to capture measurements as we went along. Here are the recipes:

Savoury Semolina

~ 10 minutes prep + 15 minutes cook ~

Ingredients

- 1/3 cup semolina flour

- Himalayan salt

- 3 - 5 TB oil

- green chili to taste

- 1/2 onion

- vegetables to taste (tomato? carrot? peas?)

- raisins or nuts (optional)

- water

Directions

1. Slice onion. Chop vegetables & coriander.
2. Put semolina in about 3 tbsp sunflower oil, cook 3-4 minutes until fragrant and crunchy (but not brown!). Take out of pan & let cool.
3. If using raisins and nuts, cook in pan until golden and crunchy. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Add more oil to pan. Add onion. Cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes,  other vegetables, green chili and cook until tender.
5. Add semolina back in pan. Add salt. Add hot water (1 part semolina to 1.5 parts water) with stove on high. As it cooks, semolina will absorb water, reduce the heat. Keep stirring until done!
6. Top with raisins and nuts, add fresh green coriander.

Banana curry

~ 10 minutes prep + 10 minutes cook ~

Ingredients

- 2 banana or plantain

- 1 cup of onion

- 3/4 cup tomato (use pureed and some freshly diced)

- 2 TB vegetable or sunflower oil

- sprig of curry leaves (optional)

- green chili (optional)

- 2 TB chopped coriander leaves

- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds (optional)

- pinch asaphoetida (also known as hing (optional)

- 1/8 tsp turmeric

- 1/4 to 1/3 salt to taste, or to taste

- 1/2 tsp jaggery (cane sugar)

- 1 1/2 tsp ginger/garlic paste

- 1 tsp red chili powder

- 1 tsp garam masala (optional)

- 1/2 tsp coriander powder

- water

Directions

1. Slice banana OR If using plantain, slice and then boil or steam to soften but don't make them mushy. 10 minutes should do it
2. Gather spices, chop coriander
3. Cut up onion and tomato, chop coriander
4. Add oil to pot and heat
5. Add cumin seeds (and mustard if using). When they begin to sizzle add hing, onions, and green chilies if using. Saute until onions are golden.
6. Add chili/garlic paste until raw smell goes away. Add powdered coriander and cumin
7. Add pureed tomato, stir couple of minute
8. Add bananas and salt, then 1/2 cup of warm water
9. taste, adjust spices if needed... more salt, heat or cumin/coriander.... add jaggery
10. Add fresh coriander, leave for 2 minutes, then serve

Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients

- 1 cup basmati rice

- 6 whole green cardamom divided

- 4 cloves divided

- 1 tsp salt divided

- 1 1/2 TB + 1 tsp ghee divided

- 2 medium red onions

- 2 -3 cups  mixed vegetable (potato, carrot, cauliflower, green bean)

- 1 1/2 mixed vegetable

- 2 TB broken cashews

- 4-5 large garlic cloves crushed

- 1 1/2 TB oil

- biryani masala spice mix (store-bought)

- 2 TB turmeric

- dried red chile to taste

- pineapple

- fresh mint

- fresh coriander

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1. Prep ahead of time: boil potatoes and mixed veggies, make rice
2. Add six tsp/tbsp oil medium high heat and then cook sliced onions, stir until softened, add garlic gloves
3. Add handful of cashews, pre-boiled potatoes and mixed veggies (chicken optional)
4. Add biryani masala MIX (store bought), 1-2 heaping tbsp, turmeric and red dried chili
5. Empty pot.
6. Add oil and butter. Add pre-cooked basmati rice and potatoes/veggies and mix
7. Add pineapple and mix
8. Sprinkle with fresh coriander and mint and eat!

Matar Paneer

Ingredients

- Paneer

- 4 tomatoes

- 1-2 onion

- cashews

- Ghee

- Yoghurt

- 2-3 bay leaves

- 1 dried red chili

- 1 TB garam masala

- 1 TB jaggery or brown sugar

- 1/4 cup chopped coriander and/or mint

- salt & ginger & garlic to taste

1. Prep ahead: 
1. Soak cubed paneer in water, turmeric, salt
2. Make Sauce Puree
1. Melt about 2 tbsp butter in pot
2. Add onions, diced tomatoes, cashews
3. Add 2-3 bay leaves, cinnamon, black peppercorns, cloves
4. Stir for 5-7 minutes
5. Take off heat and cool
6. Remove bay leaves. Blend with yogurt and/or milk/water, ginger and garlic until pureed
2. Add butter and melt in pot. Add sliced onions, cook until softened. 
3. Add 4 heaping soup spoonfuls tomato puree
4. Add garam masala 1 tbsp-ish
5. Add sauce puree, ½ cup water, dried red chili, turmeric, 1 tbsp brown sugar
6. Add paneer]
7. Check seasoning & adjust to taste (salt, chili)
8. Stir on low for 5 minutes
9. Sprinkle coriander and mint, and eat!

Roti / Chapati

Ingredients

- Stone ground whole wheat flour, about 2.5 cups

- 6 tsp oil

-water

- salt to tast

Directions

1. Add salt to flour stir
2. Make a well in the flour and add 6 tsp oil
3. Slowly add water, about 1 cup, and smoosh by hand until doughy
4. Near the end, add oil to your hands and make smooth
5. Take a ball of dough little bigger than a golf balls
6. Roll thin in SIX rolls 
7. Pan on medium heat
8. Put dough on pan and count to 5, then flip
9. Tamp and spin until nicely browned, then flip once more
10. This time your chapati may puff!
11. Stack - put a small bit of ghee on chapatic

2022 was A Very Good Year

What a momentous year!

Retired after 40+ years of work!

Danced at my son's wedding reception!

Rob and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary.

Regularly connected with family and friends.

Travelled to Greece and toured the islands on an epic three week holiday in Athens, the Cycladic Islands and Saronic Islands.

Sailed west in the summer. Enjoyed a few road trips.

Tended my garden. Loved my neighbourhood walks. Participated in my first honey harvest and third Christmas Bird Count.

Kept up my regular yoga practice with inspiration from weekly sessions with Niron, pranayama with Marlene, and intensives with Father Joe and Abhijata. 

Fed my love of literature at my book clubs and Heliconian Literary lectures, read 100+ books and attended the Writers Wild conference sponsored by New Quarterly.

Enjoyed strumming with the Scarborough Uke Jam and Lost at C.

Revelled in theatre, concerts, the ROM and art galleries.

Continued to serve on the Bluffers Park Yacht Club Board of Directors, publish the Spinnaker, and tackle the initiative to comply with new provincial legislation and update our by-laws. 

Started my first year of Master Gardener training and aced two horticulture courses (95%!) from the University of Guelph. Began volunteering as a coordinator with Toronto Public libraries, and brought more than 20 demonstrations into local neighbourhoods. 

My health was excellent - I seem to have dodged Covid so far.

Life is good! I am truly grateful.

Overjoyed

Dancing at my son's wedding reception brought so many memories together.  His birth and birthdays, my wedding, family & friends' weddings. So much joy I felt I might float away...

Alex and Penny got married in our backyard last summer. Covid restrictions severely limited the number of guests, so this year they held a reception to celebrate the anniversary. They made all the arrangements. These two have style! 

The venue was a small craft brewery with an outdoor patio. Food was served on small plates, and there was an open bar and DJ. Brief speeches. Alex and Penny melted my heart when they took to the dance floor - a little bit of Bollywood and a romantic slow dance. Followed by lots more dancing and fun.

Despite lingering Covid concerns, there were also lots of hugs!

Family and friends gathered. 

All my siblings and most of the nieces and nephews were able to take part in the festivities. This was the first time since Christmas 2019 we'd all been together.

Rob's sisters Sheila and Lois, and his brother Gord.

Friends also travelled to share the special occasion with us. Art & Chris came from Sudbury and Joe & Jan came from Ottawa. We had danced at their kids' weddings and were happy they could join the party.

Seeing everyone drawn together for this special celebration was incredibly uplifting. We had a wedding to celebrate! 

My toast

It is wonderful to see all the smiling faces and people coming together to celebrate Alex and Parshvi's wedding anniversary.

This is their first anniversary as husband and wife, but Alex and Parshvi have been together 13 years.

I remember 12 years ago, out in the back garden, Alex told me, after he had taken Parshvi to her high school prom, that he was head over heels and knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and make her his wife.

I was so happy he could feel such a deep and strong love!

I told him I was very happy for him. But I also said he was still very young - only 19 - and to keep an open mind and open heart because he was so young.

Then he said, "yeah, but you were SEVENTEEN when you met dad."

Well, he had me there.

And here we are, 13 years later, celebrating Alex and Parshvi’s anniversary.

I would like to make a toast to many, many more happy years together for these two beautiful souls.

To Alex and Parshvi!

 

Happy 35th Anniversary!

35 Years! 

Usually we don't celebrate, but this year I was reminded of the date when I had to share the wedding certificate for pension paperwork. 

35 Years! Wow! Where did the time go? 

Rob and I had a wonderful day of celebration, spending the morning in Mazzoleni concert hall listening to Tchaikovsky and  Rachmaninoff, and then stopping by Bar Ravel for tapas and cocktails.

When we got home, we had surprise waiting for us - Alex had by laid out champagne glasses, prosecco and colourful flowers while we were away. There was a cake and some chocolate with 'Base to 23' written on it. I guess the story of how we met stayed in Alex' memory, me on the radio calling out to Rob who was driving truck 23. 

After a simple lasagna dinner we went down to BPYC for couple of hours for an event to welcome new members. When we arrived home, more flowers waiting for us - this time from Amita.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Here’s to a great 2022!

And 2021….don’t let the door hit yer ass on the way out, ya prick.

Seriously 2021…GFY.

I didn't write those words, but snorted out loud when I read what Paul B. had posted on his Facebook page. 

2021 was a tough year. Covid lockdowns and restrictions added an extra layer of complexity and limited travel and social connection. Uncertainty made planning difficult. 

Just when things started looking like they would improve, a  new variant was sweeping the planet. Record high numbers of infections in Ontario meant plans for the Ontario Public Service gradual return to the workplace were extended from January to the end of March. People were trying to schedule booster shots and the lucky ones were lining up. Christmas parties were scaled back, New Year's Eve celebrations were cancelled, and BPYC postponed the New Year's Levee. 

Despite all the doom and gloom in 2021 there were important milestones.  Alex and Penny got married, I turned 60, and tried to set a date for my retirement/rewirement. 

My days and evenings were filled with blessings. I continued working from home, kept up my yoga practice, and took online classes and workshops with great yoga teachers. The Epitourists kept on cooking, I kept strumming with Scarborough Uke Jam and meeting with both of my book clubs. I studied meditation with Pema Chodrin and attended an online summit about the Science and Wisdom of Emotions.  I signed on for a second year as Vice Commodore at BPYC and became a Toronto Master Gardener in training. Traveled locally, took lots of day trips, and enjoyed a month long sailing holiday on Lake Ontario. Savoured quotidian pleasures: my morning coffee, walks in the neighbourhood, hot bowls of soup, meals with Rob, visits with Alex and Penny, zoom calls with my brothers and sister. 

It was a pretty good year, all things considered. Everyone healthy and safe.

Our New Year's Eve celebrations weren't fully planned and left lots of room for spontaneous fun.

Rob and I were invited to Amita’s for dinner and then Alex, Penny and Amita came back to our place for games and drinks.

At midnight we finished our countdown and sang Auld Lang Syne. Just after our champagne toasts, the sound of distant fireworks pulled us outside in hope of seeing something, but it was too far away and too foggy. As we were looking up into the night sky, a big show of golden fire exploded right overhead from a nearby neighbour’s house. It turned out Aldo and Alex (friends from BPYC) were visiting Alex’ sister across the street. They were laughing and taking turns dragging a suitcase around the road, which is a Mexican tradition to ensure a travel filled year. Not to be left out, I ran upstairs to get my suitcase and our household took turns. Hopefully this will work it’s magic and we will travel further distances in 2022!! To bring prosperity, we tossed coins over our shoulder into the front door and swept the old year out on the front steps. 

Alex and Penny stayed over and the next morning we had a lovely brunch. Mimosa, bacon wrapped scallops, omelet and grapefruit, chocolate truffles and coffee.

Welcome 2022!

Winter Solstice 2021

Earlier in the month I sent a note out to some of my kindred spirits that I wouldn't be holding a solstice celebration this year. I missed the camaraderie, poetry and spirits of years past.

To observe the longest night this year, Rob and I took a drive up to Old Skugog Road in Bowmanville to look at Christmas Lights. There seemed to be hundreds of cars with the same destination, enjoying the phenomenal displays.

Later we took a trip down to the BPYC clubhouse to watch the waves and gaze at the waning moon in the sky overhead.

More light will fill the days ahead.

illustration by Lizzie Spikes