A Year Past, A Year to Come

I thought I'd add my end-of-year reflections to the myriad of lists, accomplishments, losses, dreams and wishes out there in the blogosphere.

I enjoy reflecting on what's been, what is and what will be, but this year I'm finding it harder than usual. Nothing is jumping out at me like it did last year. However I do have many things for which I am grateful so after much reflection, here are my three lists of ten (list items are in no particular order):

10 things I learned in 2007

1. street parking in the Winter still sucks
2. going back to work after 11 months off is hard
3. if I'm afraid to cross a beaver dam or footbridge, there might be a place downstream I can cross with the help of a few makeshift walking sticks
4. if I'm really afraid to cross a beaver dam or footbridge, I can always crawl
5. I like unscheduled, free time; I hate to rush
6. mending a broken heart still takes time, but it gets better & better
7. there's a neat organization called Servas that focuses on building peace by facilitating international friendships via travel exchange
8. maybe I can be happy working within the public service
9. creativity is a big part of my life, without it I feel lost
10. I can make Mom's meatpies

10 things for which I am grateful in 2007

1. being off on sabbatical from January to April
2. a steady paycheck as of May
3. going back to work at a job I like, with people I like, for people I like
4. finding a house to share with D. and Cassie in 2008 that meets 99% of the criteria on our wish list
5. Grand Manan Island NB, cliff edge camping, the sun rising on the water and hearing whales blow beneath our campsite at night
6. having a local errand run, getting to know local businesses and business owners
7. hiking, hiking and hiking
8. my solo trip to Montreal
9. my Labour Day weekend road trip to Mom & Dad's with Sis, watching with bated breath as my car's odometer went from 99999 to 100000km, chatting for six hours straight, singing Endless Love at the top of our lungs
10. a loving, supportive circle of friends and family

10 things I intend to create and nurture in my life in 2008

1. fun and laughter
2. forgiveness (of myself and others)
3. art
4. order
5. financial security
6. community
7. health
8. shared home, comfort and beauty in my surroundings
9. connection to my source of Divine Energy
10. peace and love

What's on your list?

Post-Christmas Grinch

I've been in a funk for the past few days. I'm afraid I've become a post-Christmas Grinch but I remain hopeful, for this too shall pass. Even the Grinch's heart grew three sizes one day.

And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches plus two.
- Dr. Seuss

Merry Christmas!

In a few minutes, D. and I will be heading out to spend a few days with his family for Christmas. I wish you all a marvelous Christmas full of laughter, rest, music, yummy treats, and most of all peace.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.

Steph
xox

Saturday Greatness

What a great day this is turning out to be. I guess the peaceful energy set during last night's Solstice celebration carries on. So far I've ...

• enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of eggs, freshly brewed Costa Rican Cloudforest blend and toasts with Mom's apple jelly
• listened to Stuart MacLean's classic tale Dave Cooks a Turkey on CBC's Vinyl Cafe
• chatted and giggled with Mom and Sis over the phone
• found the perfect parking spot on my freshly cleaned street (hurray for the cleanup crew!)
• sipped more coffee at Bridgehead
• walked around my neighbourhood, taking in the winter scenery before tomorrow's rain
• rented the ultimate Christmas chick flick (and D., my Christmas gift to you ... I won't subject you to watching it with me!)

All that and it's only mid-afternoon. Saturdays are awesome.

Solstice Celebration

During the past few years I've come to realize that the Winter Solstice has more spiritual significance for me than Christmas day itself. I feel a deep, strong connection to the Divine each time I am awed by Mother Nature and her glory. This year, the December transition from darkness to light has me in a reflective mood. It's time to rest, time to listen, time to be.

So although the Solstice is officially tomorrow, December 22nd, I celebrate tonight by enjoying a healthy, wholesome dinner (much needed after this week's extravagances!), an evening of rest and reflection amidst the holiday rush, and maybe even a few sips of organic beer.

Happy Winter Solstice to you.

And The Snow Falls

The snow continues to fall, the city continues to reel from the latest 37cm of snow received Sunday and this urban chick is quickly remembering how annoying parking on snowy streets can be.

I spent the last four days hunkered in suburbia with D. and the luxury of a dedicated driveway hoping that maybe by today, my street would be plowed. HA! It hasn't even been touched! At least I was lucky enough to drift sideways into one of the few remaining spots available.

Two-lane streets have become one, cars and pedestrians negotiate snow banks, an OC Transpo driver digs out his bus as I write. What a wild and snowy winter this is turning out to be!

Cassie Digs Blue Man

Oh Snowy Night

Although I was tempted to write about my phenomenal meatpie success (it was a meatpie miracle!), I've had a change of heart. This snowy night has me in an appreciative mood.

D., Cassie and I just came back from a stroll around the block and I'm not sure what I enjoyed the most. The muffled sound of snowy silence? Cassie's playful game of stick-my-muzzle-in-the-snow? Or the beauty of a suburban street covered in white, dotted with soft Christmas colours.

Hm. I choose all three.

Meatpie Madness

***Warning: this is a long one.***

This Christmas I finally took the plunge and tried to make my mother's meatpie - a traditional holiday treat. Armed with a hand-written recipe from Mom, two shiny new pie plates and about five pounds of meat, I set out into a world in which I should never have ventured without proper supervision.

I think what really hurt me - aside from the meat having cooked in way less time than I thought it would into a rubbery consistency that made me wince every time it squeaked against the sides of my stainless steel saucepan - was my lack of experience in the gravy department.

The instructions on the box of Bisto state: "Add one cup of cold water to drippings and start heating; Add 1 to 2 tbsps of Bisto depending on required thickness." I had no drippings, and what was in the pot really looked more like soup than anything else. Nonetheless I poured a cup of cold water into a jar and started mixing 'er up with Bisto until I stood staring at an extra cup of liquid that would be added to the pot - liquid I knew I'd have to thicken later. I poured said liquid into the pot. The soup turned browner, but not thicker. I tried it again. A little browner, but not thicker.

In a timely flash of insight, I remembered Mom's recipe calling for flour as a thickening agent in addition to Bisto. I poured a little less water than earlier into my jar, added a tablespoon of flour and stirred 'til there were no more lumps. I poured the concoction into the pot and detected slight thickening. My heartbeat quickened just a bit. My logic told me that if one tablespoon worked, TWO must be even better so I repeated the process doubling the amount of flour. I shook the jar to stir. When I no longer heard any liquid swishing in the jar, I opened it and found a blob of white paste slouched against its side. My logic really let me down.

After three times of pouring into my meat soup what looked a lot like the paste I used in kindergarten to glue macaroni to construction paper, I started to decipher something that looked remotely like Mom's meatpie mixture. At that point I decided to leave well enough alone and surrender to the meatpie gods, letting them take this madness of an experience wherever they saw fit.

The meat still simmers as I type and although I'm scraping a lot of it from the bottom of the saucepan, I'm happy to report that it is getting thicker.

Vintage Delights

perfume bottle and ring

Cool Book Finds

I'm excited! I scored three fun new-to-me books this week:

• Sewing & Collecting Vintage Fashions (from Medieval times to the early 1900's)
• Sex, Nursery Rhymes & Other Evils - A Look at the Bizarre, Amusing, Sometimes Shocking Advice of Victorian Childcare Experts
• A Short Guide to Writing About Film

In addition to feeding my obsession about all things past, I even managed to find a book that combines two of my favourite hobbies: writing and movies! Total price paid? Four bucks.

I love it.

Christmas Family Tree

bird with unknown ancestor

In 2003, with the help of an upside down tomato cage, faux greenery and a few favourite ornaments, I created a family Christmas tree on which I displayed pictures of ancestors - some known, some not.

I've always felt a strong connection to my roots and I enjoyed honouring them that year by giving them a prominent place in my home. I'd like to honour them again this year but I haven't decided how yet. Maybe I'll embed those same pictures into my Christmas tree or maybe I'll weave them amongst the branches of another faux garland.

Either way, I like the idea of having them be a part of my celebration.

First Aid Instructions - Year 1925

From the 1925 Dominion Pocket Diary, Instructions for First Aid Treatment:

BITES FROM ANIMALS - Apply ligature between wound and heart immediately. Encourage bleeding. Wash wound well with clean water. If wound is on face or chest where no ligature can be applied, the wound may be safely sucked if person doing so has no fresh cracks on his lips or tongue. Wash mouth with spirits afterwards.

I never get tired of reading these. I just loved the use of the word "spirits" in this one. PREPARING FOR DOCTOR is pretty good too - but I'll keep that one for another day.

Now I Can't Stop

It feels weird not writing a post after having written one every day for a month. Now I can't stop. So I wrote this one.

I Did It!

I posted 30 posts in 30 days during National Blog Posting Month. Hurray!

Thanks to those who reminded me to post and encouraged me along the way. It was a fun experience. It kept me thinking, noticing and most of all writing, every day. I liked it so much I might try it again someday.