Tuesday, December 31, 2019

2020 Happy New Year!!


Looking ahead to 2020. Wow! Love the symmetry and metaphor of clear vision in those digits. The year has a futuristic buzz to it.

In 2019 Rob and I did quite a bit to prepare for the future, including the basement reno and financial planning. Well here we are, the future is now.

Looking forward to the year ahead.

Monday, December 30, 2019

A whole new level

We've made the investment and now we have a lot more space to enjoy ourselves. A warm and comfy place to watch tv and listen to music. A couch to curl up on with a good book. A space for guests to overnight in comfort. Improved storage. Better laundry layout. More energy efficient. A fireplace! A nice bathroom! A HUGE improvement that will likely add to the resale value of the home. Not that we're going anywhere, especially now that it is so comfortable!

There was a bathroom and kitchen we never used, roughed in from the time we purchased the property 30 years ago. Previous owners advertised it as a potential rental unit, and although we never rented the space out we never got around to fixing it up either, other that adding a bit of wallpaper. It desperately needed refurbishing and had turned into a tv room with mismatched furniture, with lots of items stacked and stored and tucked away that should have been tossed long ago.

It was time.

Yes, we could have done it all more cheaply. DIY instead of professionals. A coat of paint instead of drywall. A murphy bed instead of a sleeping alcove. Candles instead of an electric fireplace. Truthfully I didn't have the appetite to spend my weekends and holidays on DIY projects that may or may not produce desired results.

After consulting with our financial planner to make sure we weren't ransoming our retirement years, we decided to go ahead and refurbish.

We worked with Chris throughout the process. At times the reno felt like an ordeal, with all the upheaval and mess and expense. Her company is aptly called Functional Art as she helped us maximize available space and make informed choices - she's a professional with thousands of hours' experience. It was more than great to have her expertise at hand.

...

A year in the making:

January home improvement 'to-do list' includes reupholstering 2 chairs.

February, I was getting quotes from upholsterers .

March I was looking at fabrics.

In April there was serious scope creep when I asked Chris for some help finding fabrics.  She stopped by and, Rob and I couldn't resist asking her opinion about the basement. A few days later she showed us a sketch for the layout for a potential basement re-do.

By May we were scouting fireplaces. Gas or electric? We also began to declutter and sold a few items on Kijiji. We bought a lift bed that Chris had spotted on sale.

In June, Chris arranged for quotes from her suppliers for doors & windows; flooring; and bathroom fixtures. There was a preliminary scope of work we used to interview contractors and get quotes. It was hard to find contractors entering the busy season, and harder to get them to quote. We would get verbal estimates but then they didn't want to put pen to paper to commit to prices. One of them scrawled a total figure in pencil on the bottom of an invoice. Another bullied me over the telephone and then provided a verbal range based on a loose description. These guys - and they were all guys - may just have been loathe to do paperwork but I wanted assurances on the overall cost and timing of the project. In the end we found someone that a friend had vouched reliable... Paul turned out to be great and I have already recommended him to others.

July we decided to go with rads for the basement rather than electric heat. We also took delivery for the bed ordered back in May.

August we shortened our sailing holiday to spend more time emptying out the basement space to prepare. What we couldn't yet part with we jammed into the den, which became a storage locker for the next four months.

September the work actually began. Paul and Eric started by gutting the basement - thankfully the walls were nice and dry. Our cat Griskit started to look forward to the sound of their truck arriving every weekday morning at 7:30. Chris sent us on field trips: we checked out flooring and slate at Alexanian's; visited Gingers for the bathroom fixtures; went furniture shopping at Vogel and Windsor House.

October the struts and drywalling; prepping for rads; updating plumbing; moving the washer/dryer

November windows and doors; floors; tiling; bathroom; electrical.

December the painting and finishing touches; furniture delivered to site.

Those two chairs that started this whole project? One has been delivered, but the embroidered peacock fabric is still on back-order for the other!

Also still to be done: mirrors in bathroom and over mantle, mattress & bedding, touch-ups to the quarter round and baseboard.

Photo finish to follow!



Friday, December 27, 2019

December Evergreens


December had its highs and lows. 

We started the month with promises of a white Christmas, but most everything had melted long before Christmas day. I actually started checking to see if any crocuses were starting to sprout!  





Unseasonable highs and lows:
December 2nd actual temp was 0 to -4 degrees (historical average being 5 to -2 celcius)
December 27th actual temp is 9 degrees (historical average being 3 to -4 celcius)

Monday, December 23, 2019

Winter Solstice Celebration 2019

What a feast! Fine food, good spirits, profound musings and wonderful women. Soul-full blessings on the solstice.

Happy to carry on the annual tradition to celebrate the return of longer days with lovely ladies. The first was held in 2008. This year: Liz, Chris, Kaarina, Caroline, Wendy, Grace, Nicki, Virginia, and Nicolette. I do wish my table were bigger.

Everyone brought a wine, food pairing and a poem for a truly memorable evening.


POEMS

A Winter Nap, by Caroline
Life (Part 1 XXVIII), Emily Dickenson





MENU

Champagne paired with Chinese roast duck

Chablis paired with crab dip

Sancerre paired with scallop mousseline with lemon caper sauce

Gerwurztraimer paired with smoked duck, blood orange and bitter greens

Pinot Noir paired with pear with mushroom duxelles served with blue cheese and almonds

Spanish red paired with papas bravas and Spanish meats

Bordeaux and grilled lamb

Late Harvest Vidal and Stilton risotto

Niagara Icewine and berry crumble

Greek Muskat and dessert


WINES

whites
reds
not only for dessert


Lots of learning!

There is a great app called Vivino that enables you to snap a photo and it will provide tasting notes and a ballpark price, along with overall rating.


White wines are so food- friendly! I tend to be biased toward red but each of the whites was an outstanding pairing. Of course, champagne goes with absolutely everything! Wendy paired the Taitinger with beautifully plated and succulent roast duck. Gewurtz has always been a go-to for me with regard to spicy foods, but it worked wonders with the bitter greens. This was a pairing suggested by Fiona Beckett (K. took the dare).

Chablis and Sancerre with seafood, oh! Nicki found a great recipe for crab dip to highlight the Chablis; Caro brought her thermomix to prepare the mousselline on site. Absolutely visually stunning and the Sancerre a perfect match.

And the reds! Pinot Noir is one of my all-time favourites and the one Liz chose from Oregon "peared" so well with the duxelles and blue cheese. Rioja nicely complemented the spicy papas bravas made by Chris... I think I would be very confident serving this Spanish red with a spicy chili, too.

For my course, I checked on the bottles in my 'cellar' and pulled out a dusty 2005 Bordeaux: 2005 Chateau Haut-Vigneau / Pessac-Leognan which I had been saving for a special occasion. Robert Parker noted this wine's anticipated maturity would peak 2017-2040; Cellar Tracker at 2011-2016. I did start to worry if it may have turned. As a back up, I picked up a newer Grand Vin de Bordeaux, thinking that if things worked out for the best we could sample each and compare in the glass. Luckily the 2005 was still quite marvellous. To my taste the 2005, was still wonderfully round; the 2015 was a bit too young and brash. Some at the table preferred the 2005, others preferred the 2015. I plated the lamb with a dab of mint sauce and a dab of cherry calvados jelly - both tastes worked their alchemy with the wines.

Nicolette served what I tend to think of of as a dessert wine, a Spanish muskatel, with the big flavours of a blue cheese risotto... not something I would thought of, but it was a really great combo. Virginia paired ice wine and transformed the berry crumble into an elegant dessert. For the finish, Grace introduced me to the first taste I've had of a Greek Muskat.

Each course its own discovery, and the poetry elevated our discussions. The phrase, "dog into wolf," that Caro used in her poem to mark the twilight hours, still lingers. I will practice the French, "Entre chien et loup."


Big News



I got the call of a job offer for a position I wanted and called Rob with the Big News. He had some of his own - setting the date for his retirement!

2020 will definitely be a year of new horizons.

I really wanted a new gig and had my eyes open. This is a secondment with the same employer, as a lateral move. The new team's mission is compelling - to save $1B a year + add value to citizens + support business and cut red tape. I heard the Director speak and was inspired. A couple weeks later I saw the job ad for a Change Management specialist and applied. Within weeks I was called to prepare a presentation for the interview. Two days after submitting the presentation by the deadline, I was called to interview. Normally the recruitment process takes 3-4 months so this is lightning speed for government. Likely lots of storming and norming ahead, as this is a new branch, new unit and brand new team. I am looking forward to the momentum.

Rob's retirement has been on the horizon for awhile now but now seems more of a reality with a set date. Not too far away!

Monday, December 16, 2019

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

Joy, awe, wonder... conjured by music.

Such a powerful medium for time travel to Christmas' past, present and future.

This year the holiday season started for me at the end of November, with the Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas show and octogenarians rocking Koerner Hall with gospel classics like Go Tell it on the Mountain.

Choral music the following day filled a tiny church in Caledon with the glorious sounds of the season.  Rob's sister is in the choir and they performed classics such as the Gloria, Christmas Day by Gustav Holst, and Celebration of Light (a Hanukkah original). The Bells of Westminster, a community handbell choir, rang their Christmas bells and chimes. The audience was invited to sing along at parts, lifting spirits even higher.

Would it be Christmas without the carols? Sing-alongs truly put me in the holiday spirit, and it was fun playing ukulele and singing along at the BPYC Christmas party and the Scarborough Uke Jam.

Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show, November 29
Achill Choral Society, Glorious Sounds, November 30
Carols and Lost at C, BPYC Christmas Party, December 14
Holiday Sing-along, Scarborough Uke Jam, December 15

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Full Moon Before Yule -- December 2019

Long Night's Moon,  Cold Moon.... so full and bright last night it woke me up when it passed overhead the skylight.

The moon is officially full December 12 at 12:12 am but I was awestruck by the moonrise, at 5 pm today, when I stepped off the bus on the way home. So huge and rosy it warmed the freezing air (well, almost).

Here is A Song to the Moon by Dvořák, from his opera Rusalka (water sprite) sung by Renee Fleming at Royal Albert Hall

photo from Canadian Opera Company production of Rusalka with soprano Sondra Radvonovsky. Too bad I missed it when it was playing here in October... the opera is based on the original folktale of the Little Mermaid; the sets and costumes looked to be amazing.

English Translation of "Song to the Moon"

Moon, high and deep in the sky
Your light sees far,
You travel around the wide world,
and see into people's homes.
Moon, stand still a while
and tell me where is my dear.
Tell him, silvery moon,
that I am embracing him.
For at least momentarily
let him recall of dreaming of me.
Illuminate him far away,
and tell him, tell him who is waiting for him!
If his human soul is, in fact, dreaming of me,
may the memory awaken him!
Moonlight, don't disappear, disappear!



Sunday, December 8, 2019

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat


Michael Pollan, one of my favourite food writers, wrote the introduction to the book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, and revealed Samin gave him some cooking lessons, and he taught Samin how to write about food.... What a great pairing!

Pollan also writes,
"Taste, taste, and then taste again," she would tell me, even as I did something as simple and seemingly boring as sauteing an onion. Yet there was an intricate evolution unfolding in that pan as the rectangles of onion went from crisply acidic to clean and sweet to faintly smokey as they caramelized and then bittered slightly as they browned. She showed me how half a dozen distinct flavours could be teased from that humble ingredient, all depending on how you managed principle number four, heat - and deployed your senses, for each stage in the onion's evolution carried it's own distinct and learnable aroma.
While I do tend to flip back and forth in recipe books, this one is meant to be read as an approachable guide to deepen appreciation for how the elements are featured in cuisines around the world. Especially helpful are the fold out flavour wheels for each element. What a fantastic reference book.

Taste. Trust and educate your senses. Have fun. Explore. Tour the world.

The sentiments very much align with the Epitourists. Every time I get together with these women I am sure to learn something about food, cooking, or wine.

Caroline chose the book as a basis for a feast, with each Epitourist challenged to bring a dish to illustrate one of the elements.

I jumped at the chance to play with Heat. 

At the end of every one of her Heat classes, Samin shares a finished braise with her students. The book dedicates more than a few pages on classic braises and stews from around the world, however the dish I ended up preparing was a braise of pork in milk: Maiale al Latte, as it seemed we were trending to Italian flavours. Slow cooked over two and a half hours, the aromas wafting from the oven created a wonderful background to festivities.

Caroline's kitchen was able to accommodate us all as we prepared our dishes, with its generous island, multiple ovens and lots of counter space.

We took a break in late afternoon for a craft cocktail: Caesars with a choice of rimmers, including the less traditional option of bacon to round out the elements.

After dessert and before the cheese course, Caroline put together a wine tasting to demonstrate the effects of terroir at Australia's Dandelion Vineyards, featuring Shiraz grown under different conditions: Lionheart from the Barossa Valley and Lioness of McLaren Vale. Although one was not clearly superior to the other, there were definite differences.

The evening ended with us gathered by the warmth of the fire as Hero the German Shepherd kept us company. After a good sound sleep, we reconvened in the same chairs, sipping coffee and enjoying a snowy, sunny morning.

Breakfast of fresh eggs from Caroline's hens, homemade yoghurt, sourdough bread, fresh coffee, cheeses from the night before, more Amalfi tart...... and some champagne to toast another memorable gathering of friends.

..........................



Menu

Champagne

Salt (Kaarina)
Pasta Puttanesca 
wine: Zinfandel (Seven Deadly Zins, Lodi)

Acid (Caroline)
Roasted beets, yogurt and preserved lemon salad with smoked mackerel 
wines: Champagne + Sancerre (Les Baronnes, Henri Bourgeois)

Fat (Laura)
Roasted Squash, Sage, and Hazelnut Saladwine: 
wine: Pinot Noir (Maison Roche de Bellene Bourgogne Cuvee Reserve)

Heat (Diane)
Maiale al Latte
wine: Anselmi (San Vincenzo)

Acid (Caroline)
Amalfi lemon tart pour déssert
wine: Greco di Tufo (Benito Ferrara)

A cheese plate:
Blue (salt) 
Melted Camembert and Moca D'Or Gouda (Heat) 
Citrus Feta and aged Cheddars (Acid) 
Brebirousse d'Argental (Fat)




Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Concert Season


The Music of Dmitri Klebanov 
ARC Ensemble /Mazzoleni Hall (November)
The smaller venue is perfect for chamber music. The concert was a revival of a Ukrainian composer whose works were suppressed by Joseph Stalin. The ARC ensemble performed his string quartet no. 4, six songs, and piano trio no.2 to honour the composer whose reputation and popularity were damaged by the fiercely repressive regime.

This was an unscheduled treat, in lieu of seeing Daniel Hope, the classical violinist. Due to a scheduling mishap (I'm surprised it hasn't happened more often!) we showed up at the door four hours late.... thankfully they were able to find us a seat here.

Mavis Staples / Koerner Hall (November)
She turned 80 in July this year but still rocked the house. A standing ovation convinced her and the band to come back for an encore, which the Diva sang in her stocking feet. 

The concert was finished in less than 2 hours. Glad to have seen this icon, even if it was only for a short time.

Chieftains and Friends Irish Goodbye Tour / Roy Thompson Hall (October)
Astronauts Cady Coleman and Chris Hadfield joined the Chieftains as special guests, and so did the Toronto Fire Services Pipes and Drums in full regalia. There were Irish dancers and singers, and the afternoon felt like a joyous kitchen Cèilidh.  Favourite seats! M11 and M12 (section L1), because you get a whole row to yourself.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Moon When Rivers Start to Freeze: Nov 2019 full moon

Another month has come and gone, the earth spinning.

November 2019. Is it really?

Cree, Arapaho, and Abenaki tribes, called November’s full moon the “Moon When Rivers Start to Freeze.” And winter has begun, not by the calendar, but with the first snowfall on October 31. It didn't melt as expected, but clung to the surface of evergreens and slickened sidewalks. My garden winter white.

This month's full moon occurs this month on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 8:34 a.m. EDT (13:34 UTC).






Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Writing Wild Literary Festival 2019


Janine and I attended the Wild Writers festival for the second time this year. So much inspiration in one weekend.

As a kid I I wanted to grow up to be either a saint, an astronaut, or a writer. As an adolescent I wrote poetry, in college it was screenplays. I enjoyed the discovery and self-expression but was daunted by the thought of earning a living by the pen, especially when I learned so many struggle to pay their rent and buy their groceries. Creative writers  became mystical creatures, beings set apart.

Instead of creative writing I have become an appreciative reader, and whenever I go to a literary lecture with the author in attendance I'm in awe of their tenacity and ability to get the book published. What a journey!

And there are so many books on shelves these days, I know it is impossible to read them all, however much I would like to.

Literary festivals are one way of tasting what's out there, and at Wild Writers this year,  I attended three panels:the Opening Showcase, Character Reinvention in Fiction Writing, and the Literary Brunch. The authors read from their books, each voice distinctive. I had the pleasure of hearing
  • Elizabeth Hay: All Things Consoled
  • Kathy Page: Dear Evelyn
  • Philip Huynh: The Forbidden Purple City
  • Nadja Lubiw-Hazard: Nap Away Motel
  • Casey Plett: Little Fish
  • Jessica Westhead: Worry
  • David Bezmogis: Immigrant City
  • Michael Crummey: The Innocents
  • K.D Miller: Latebreaking

I swore I wasn't going to buy any more books! Still, I couldn't resist. And so many new titles added to my 'Want to Read' list.

When I was younger, I remember being seized by an idea or needing to get things out and on to paper. Waiting for inspiration to strike isn't necessarily as effective as dedicating time and demystifying the process.

I DO plan on finding time for creative writing in the near future, but right now, insights into the writers' craft make me appreciate the magic and power of language all the more.

At the Opening Showcase, Hay and Page talked about how they wove personal experience into both memoir and fiction. How there is a bit of fiction in the best memoir, and truth in fiction.

Casey Plett shared Steven King's advice to "Write with the door closed, edit with the door open." Others agreed that it is important just to get the thoughts out and on paper, editing can come later; but if you edit yourself before you even start there won't be any material to work with.

Facing Your Fear of Poetry with Sarah Tolmie was eye-opening. She broke us into groups of four, and gave all of us the same instructions to create a braid with three lengths of rope. Our own little group experimented with different approaches for a tight braid, while others discovered a more rhythmic dance. After about twenty minutes or so we placed our creations on the floor. Each so different!

Sarah went on to say that what we had created was a simple text... 'text' literally means woven; the braid is motion captured. Each of us then wrote a poem about our individual experience, then we collaborated to create another.

Unfortunately, when people read the poems aloud, I couldn't hear them entirely well, but the impression was made. There were beautiful phrases that somehow transcended experience.

Also the concept ekphrasis arose when some late arrivals were asked to write poems about what they saw laid out on the floor, rather than their experience in creating them. Very cool... "in this way, a painting may represent a sculpture, and vice versa; a poem portray a picture; a sculpture depict a heroine of a novel; in fact, given the right circumstances, any art may describe any other art...

Creating Character with Kathy Page was a straightforward exercise in building a character, thinking about what they look like, what they wear, what they think about, fear, love. Some authors work out all the plot details and then set characters within the arc, others assemble the characters first and then let them spark the story. What is the worst thing that could happen to your character right now? Thinking about those difficult people we come across in our lives.... what made them so?

Nothing to write about? There really is no shortage of raw material.


Thursday, October 31, 2019

Hola!

Epitourists got together October 31 for a trip to sunny Spain, at Kaarina's house. A cold, wet afternoon that turned into a stormy Halloween night. Wind so strong it knocked the power out! We were quite comfortable inside as we enjoyed a menu inspired by her recent trip.

Very relaxed as we all took turns in the kitchen, preparing our tapas: paprika smoked almonds, orange stufffed olives, pork cheeks, chick peas and spinach, mushrooms, oxtail, tortas.

Laura and Caroline were sleeping over so I asked if I could join in for a pajama party. I have to say I was impressed that Kaarina could find separate rooms for us all and put us up so comfortably. After the reno I may be able to do the same but will still require a blow-up bed. 

Kaarina had arranged a sherry and fino tasting, which three different choices on offer, each in its own lovely glass. 

I'm quite ecstatic that after the tasting, in addition to wine pairings with our meal, I didn't seem to suffer any allergic reactions. After several years avoiding wine I may be able to indulge responsibly again!

Although I didn’t hop on a plane and ramble la Alhambra, I did explore the recipes of Spain to prepare for the Epitourist gathering. Hola Foodie was a great source for salivating over the possibilities. Sunny Andalusia was my region of choice. Home of Seville oranges, and olives - a natural pairing for the tapas Orange Stuffed Olives. I let the olives marinate several days before stuffing them, and although they were wonderful pops of flavour, I can't help but think our readily available ingredients likely pale in comparison to the real thing.


Hola Foodie also featured Andalusian-style Chickpeas and Spinach, which somewhat surprised me as I don't quickly connect southern Spain with either of the main ingredients. Plain food, but so delicious when seasoned with the cumin, garlic, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper.

I couldn't resist a visit to Alex Farm Fresh cheese for Spanish cheeses to complete a cheese plate that was starting with Manchego. Strong flavour profiles appealed. The product notes for Monte Enebro read, "A rind composed of ash and mold means insistent flavor... the damp, cakey, acidic paste near the rind is fierce, with unmistakable overtones of black walnut. Inside the core remains salty, lactic, and soothing." I also selected Valdeon, "a Spanish blue cheese, wrapped in either sycamore, maple, or chestnut leaves. It has a very intense blue flavour." 

For the wine, I chose a northern spirit from the vintner Marques de Riscal, a specialist in old vines from Rioja. I've sampled this in previous years and wanted another sip... happily I was able to enjoy a glass!

Laura brought us some grain-fed beef from Wolfe Island that I know I will enjoy in the months ahead.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Promises


A few hours gardening today. Tearing out weeds and then digging up soil to bury bulbs.

One giant allium planted alongside the dwarf spruce. Three 'Graceful' alliums beside the red barberry shrub in the front, and three allium shubertii  by the iris in back, to poke up their heads in May/June. Eight Tulipa Rembrandt Happy Generation beside the front maple to bloom in April/May. A mix of fifty tulipa, muscari and chiondoxa by the front steps for early spring.

Hoping to take photos of the real thing in a few months time.

Several of my recent efforts haven't been hugely successful. All the jack-in-the pulpits I planted this year seem to have disappeared, along with the varieties of white clematis from a few years back. O well, half the fun is the expectation and anticipation, so I can't say the effort wasn't worth it.

In a few months time we will see if these bulbs work their springtime magic, and in the meantime I can look forward to festive spring colours.


HaulOut 2019



It is a beautiful, sunny day today! Not too windy. Perfect for a sail. Too bad the season has officially ended.

Kitchen duty with a 6 a.m. call, watching the sun rise and the crane move into position.

Five in the kitchen.  Breakfast served and then the chop-chop-chopping of onions, red pepper, yellow pepper, zucchini, prepping for dinner for eighty. I leave after a four hour shift but Rob will be there all day, literally tying up loose ends. His shift is 2-7, so I will be back later to pick him up and sample the dinner and roasted peppers.

Our last sail of the season this year was September 21, over to Toronto Island. We tied up at the wall overnite and had a nice, warm fire. Tore down the sails on October 8.

Overall we got out on about ten trips this year, but one of them was our three week vacation, so although we may not have been as active as past seasons, we were still able to enjoy the water. 

Hopefully the lake won't be so high next year!




Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Haircut

This is the second time we've had to give poor Griskit a Lion Cut, and around the same time of year. There is some plant or tree syrup she picks up on her exploits that causes her long hair to get so matted it is constantly pulling and making her miserable. She's much happier now, although she doesn't look it! And I can't believe how small she is without all that hair.



Monday, October 14, 2019

Happy Thanksgiving!

Off to Matewatchan for Thanksgiving in 2019. Such a wonderful tradition to continue through the years.

Rob and I, Penny and Alex enjoyed the long drive through the splendour of the fall colours, and four and half hours later arrived at Lois' and Mark's. Gord, Linda, Bill, James and Ryan were there as well. Although the gathering was smaller, the feast was grand and there was much joy around the table. Later on, a huge bonfire brought warmth to a dark evening and there were laughter and fireworks under a full moon.


The next morning, a full breakfast before wending our way back home.

Soaking in the colours, we enjoyed our thanksgiving rituals: pausing at the bridge to take a group photo, pulling up to a road stand for local honey, picking apples at Pieter's Orchard, watching the salmon run in the Ganaraska River. This year, we extended our stay in Port Hope and Alex and Penny treated us to dinner at a local pub.

All of the thanksgivings blending into such beautific moments. Transcendent.



Sunday, October 13, 2019

Full Hunter's Moon - Thanksgiving October 2019

What better time to think of Diana, than a full hunter's moon.

The moon was full October 13, 5:08 pm


from the Commons:  While Diana is a triple goddess with many aspects, her connection to the moon is possibly more important to her identity than her huntress aspect. In Latin, her name means “goddess of light and of the moon.” It stems from the words for “shining,” “divine,” “the open sky,” and dies or “daylight.” This may seem contradictive for a goddess of the night and the underworld, but as Cicero explains, “she was called Diana because she made it like day during the night” 1. Diana was not only a moon goddess; she was worshipped as the moon 2. She was the moon. Ovid portrays her as such in his Metamorphoses, often using the word “moon” in place of her name.
Diana’s identity as the Moon plays a crucial role in connecting her other aspects as huntress and underworld goddess. The moon was an essential element of a successful hunt. The ancients believed that the moon provided the earth with dew at night, and this dew, or moisture, is what allows the scent of woodland animals to be picked up by hunting dogs. The moisture had to be just right; too much or too little and the scent would be too hard to track 4.
The ancients saw the monthly phases of the moon as a metaphorical death; a time when Diana, the Moon, would journey to the underworld 5. Because of the effect the moon’s waxing and waning had on the ocean’s tide, it was thought that she was who gave life and took it away 6.
“The shield of the god reddens at early morning, reddens at evening, but is white at noonday in purer air, farther from earth’s contagion. And the Moon-goddess changes in the nighttime, lesser today than yesterday, if waning, greater tomorrow than today, when crescent.” 7
The phases of the moon as it changes from new to full each month are representative of Diana’s transitory nature at the core of her identity. She transitioned the light to darkness and life to death.

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Silent Retreat

“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day—unless you're too busy. Then you should sit for an hour.” — Zen proverb.

It's been two years since Dave and I took the mindfulness studies course.

Prior to the course I already had a mindfulness practice, but no formal training, so part of the reason I took it was to find out if I was meditating 'right.' The course was very useful, as I learned techniques and some different approaches, and was reassured it really is a simple as it sounds, and as difficult.

Part of the curriculum was a day long silent retreat. I thought it would be a full day on the cushion, and was relieved when it turned out to be a silent day of a series of guided meditations. I felt fabulous at the end of the day and promised myself to return.

I checked in with Dave, and he was up for a return visit too, so I made it his birthday 'present,' and packed us each a lunch.

No clocks. No phones. No reading. No writing. No making eye contact.

Focus on the present. Here. Now. Here.

...

Guided Meditations
Moving
Breathing
Body Scan
Walking
Mountain
Eating
Moving
Noticing
Walking
Sitting
Loving Kindness

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

The play's the thing

Yaga / Kat Sandler / Tarragon Theatre October
Comic and dark,.Three generations of independent women become the objects of men's passion and fear. There IS a house in the woods, with a mortar and pestle to grind their victims bones.

The theatre convention of having actors adapt multiple roles is used in the play to provide a fitting twist at the story's end. Three actors play 10+ characters.

Baba Yaga (Seana McKenna) immediately leaps to her own defense at the start of the play. Depending on how you see it, Yaga is either a wizened, evil old crone who devours children and crushes men’s bones, or a benevolent trickster with little patience for those who offer her insufficient thanks for her boons. In Sandler’s play, she’s a stand-in for the aging, invisible woman, whose presence goes unrecorded unless she does something for – or to – men. (Money on Theatre)


Destiny U.S.A. /Laura Anne Harris (Convection Productions)/Fringe (Crow's Nest) July

This was a one-woman show performed by the playwright. She is living in the States just after Trump is elected, trying to make her marriage work, coming to terms with her mother's terminal illness. She is also working as a Relay operator (someone who acts as a voice for the deaf person by relaying what they say verbatim), so there were also insights into the lives of random callers.

That's a lot to pull off in an hour, but Laura Anne Harris made it work. The play incorporated a simple powerpoint for captioning with pre-recorded performances using ASL.

Reenacting moments and stirring compassion.

The audience and the theatre were small, which made the personal stories feel all the more like a revelation.

Forget Me Not /Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes/Luminato June

Very unique. A puppet master unpacks his trunk of many characters and calls on the audience throughout to take the role of Chorus; Mob; Lover; Maestro; and above all, Witness to the story. Single chairs, love seats, couches, benches and stools are cast around the floor to loosely face the stage, which is defined by a rug and vinyl record player.
Early in the performance, everyone in the audience is called to line up solemnly, take a hand puppet, and give the Other a name. Burkett moves around the theatre, challenging members of the audience: some are quite uncomfortable and others are completely entranced. At one point my puppet is given a good whack by the King for insurrection. I don’t quite always follow the plot, but the story details seem to be embellishments on the theme of underground love letters, unrequited love, and loss. At the end of the performance, Burkett pleads with us to not steal his puppets, changes into a Grim Reaper clown costume, and then throws the door open into the street to hail a taxi.

887 / Can Stage May
Wow! Lepage is a master storyteller and such a magician with multimedia. I absolutely loved how accessible this one man play was, and how perspective was moved from the very personal to the historical to the political. Constantly shifting and meandering, very dreamlike and yet so real. 

I absolutely loved the spinning cube and how it was able to transform from an apartment building to a kitchen to a screen or a monitor. What a conjurer! At the end when Lepage was taking his final bows, the backstage crew came out to join him front of stage, and there were at least eight people. Must take a huge amount of choreography to make the magic happen, and all the effort going into the production design. Incredible! My favourite production of the season.

Evan Hanson  / Mirvish April 

My favourite moment in the whole production was the transition to the last scene, with saplings in an apple orchard springing from the stage floor and magically growing five feet. That alone was worth the price of admission.  The set production was outstanding throughout, with text and blinking monitors and beeps and blips adding extra flavour to the storyline.

The score was my least favourite component, a bit problematic for a musical. One number was so grating to me I wanted to retreat to the lobby until it finished. As this was a Tony Award winner, my expectations were sky high. Overall I was so disenchanted with the score I likely won't return to musical theatre for quite awhile.

The Last Ship / Mirvish March
stormy seas and a starry night
Sting was the composer and some of the musical phrases from his top hits could be heard emerging throughout the score.

The famous musician also acted in the Toronto production.

The play was definitely worthwhile seeing, but there was lots going on and I found it overly long.

The staging was incredible. Lights and projection transformed the settings from factory to home to seascape, elegantly and seamlessly.

The story about how a seaside town is affected when a key industry closes down is very timely here in Toronto, with GM shuttering its Oshawa factory. Sting gave a free acoustic performance for GM workers in a show of solidarity, wishing them well in their fight.

Hamlet / Can Stage February 

Watching the deaf performer sign throughout her role as Heratio was unforgettable, and it really did add another level to the interpretation of events. For me, I kept thinking about the lack of voice - was it the frustration of not really being able to influence events? the hopelessness of fighting against fate?

Non traditional casting in all roles was a bit of a novelty but I think overall such approaches help bring new and diverse audiences to theatre.

Reinterpreting Shakespeare has helped keep the plays alive throughout the centuries.

Tartuffe / Can Stage January
This was a very funny staging of Moliere's comedy.

Setting it in the modern era, adding in tweaks for a digital age and using non traditional casting were useful reminders for how relevant the story remains.

During intermission I read in the programme notes that Moliere's play was banned by the church in the seventeenth century because of  its depiction of a corrupt religious leader who takes advantage of his followers' blind faith.

Moliere had to rewrite parts, including the ending, and have a benevolent king step in to the rescue. In 1669, King Louis XIV authorized performances of the third and final version of the play, and it was a great success.