Couch Potato No More!

Given the chance, I'll stay in my robey most of the day, with only short forays away from the couch or rocker to eat, run errands, tutor students, and empty the hound. Exercise, to say the least, has never been my passion.

There was one major exception.... Five summers ago I completed Seattle's Danskin Triathlon -- an amazing experience that happened purely because the thought of it (especially the .47 mile Lk. Washington swim) terrified me. I trained with an incredible group of beautiful, diverse women -- the Kitsap Tri Babes -- for 12 weeks, swimming, race-walking and biking, and I loved it (well, maybe not the swim so much, but...). Then, after the life-changing August event, I sat back down.

We all know that sitting is not the road to living a long, active life, so it's time to get off of my rapidly-softening rear again. Menopause seems to be in full swing, and my metabolism is beginning to crawl in time to that music. At almost 54, along with many people at this age, I'm beginning to think about the upcoming second half of my life. While I've always been a bit of a health nut, I'll admit to having known much more than I've practiced. It is time to step up my game.

(Ok, the truth is, I do love my weekly yoga class. And I did dust off my bike for a few great rides this year. So I'm not a complete slug.... Just a minor one.)

The movement I most enjoy is walking. From strolling to race-walking, I like it all. Walks with my pup are stop-and-go exercises with frequent visits with other dog-walkers for neighbourly catch-ups and fascinating sniffs. To supplement those non-aerobic, brief in the hot- and cold-season jaunts, kijiji provided a low-cost used treadmill last weekend, to which I've added a lovely first-phase hunk-o-plywood desk. So, at this very moment, I'm moseying at about 1.5 mph -- have been for the past hour -- and will amp it up this evening for another 1/2 hour with Pierre on his bike trainer beside me.

While I doubt there is another triathlon in my future, (unlike one of my fellow Tri Babes who went on to complete an Ironman last year!) Ottawa holds a number of 5k's, 10k's, half- and full-marathons. And I plan to greet next spring and summer with a stronger, healthier body, ready to cross some finish lines. :) Would you like to join me?

A Woman's Perogative

Well... as my immigration journey is ongoing, I've changed my mind as to what will be posted here over the next few weeks. Those stories will make their way here eventually....

Time For Something New

What a fun project the Photo/blog post-a-Day project was!

If you'd be so kind.... I'd really appreciate your feedback on your favourite (or least favourite) entries. Please feel free to comment on any of the past couple of months' posts.... Your (gentle, constructive) criticism or hurrahs can help improve my writing, or highlight topics that you'd like to see more (or less) of in the future.

FYI: Since spam comments are rampant on blogspot, I moderate them, meaning your comments will be private until/unless I choose to open them to the public. So... no need to be shy. :)

And now... 

On to my next project....

Over the past (almost) four years, I have been moving through the process of immigrating to Canada in order to spend the rest of my life with the most fabulous man on the planet. For various reasons, it has been a long journey. Along the way, I have spent many hours researching government websites, speaking with lawyers, reading forums and blogs, and have made a few hard-knocks mistakes. It occurred to me that telling some of the stories might be helpful to other immigrants -- or would maybe just be an interesting read.

So, the immigration chronicles begin! I hope you'll enjoy the next few weeks' posts.

P.S. If you'd like to receive notification of new entries, you can add your address to the "Follow by Email" box below. Guaranteed spam-free!

Oct 30 - Photo a Day - Clothes

Ottawa Little Theatre's Green Room

Pierre and I have discovered the theatre. If you know us, you'll probably think that's odd. Neither of us can win at poker, we're not big on Halloween costumes, and we are both completely transparent pretenders. In addition, memorization is definitely not one of my strong points.

What may not surprise you is that we spend our theatre time backstage. Helping with the stage set -- working on the crew or scooting props around -- allows us to spend time with some of our favourite friends, meet fabulously talented and creative people, and contribute with our organizational skills.

Watching the director, coaches and costume crew help the actors take on different characters' personalities has been truly impressive. The people involved -- especially the courageous and talented performers, but also the tech folks: design, sound, lights, etc. -- invest dozens of hours in making these productions succeed.

It has been an honour to be allowed to witness the evolution of the first two of (hopefully) many shows, from first stage rehearsals to standing ovations on closing nights. It's also surprisingly satisfying to know that our little bit of work in the wings has helped to create evenings of entertainment for audiences at Ottawa Little Theatre.

Oct 29 - Photo a Day - Moon

Sandy Strikes

It's a dramatic evening in North America. Hurricane Sandy has been building over the the Atlantic Ocean, making a mess of some tropical islands, and keeping millions mesmerized by its impending landfall. New York City anticipates major flooding. Nobody knows what that will mean for the busy subway system or for the NY Stock Exchange, let alone for the millions of individuals who live in that crowded metropolis.

Adding to the power of this unprecedented storm is the extreme tide effect, normally enjoyed by the coastal residents, brought by the full moon. The highest tides, corresponding with up to 100-mile-per-hour winds, almost guarantees flooded streets, fallen trees and downed power lines.

As in every intense storm, there will be those who will ignore the warnings, refuse to evacuate, and even walk or drive into the worst areas. Many can't resist the intensity of their curiosity, it seems. The rescue and healthcare workers will undoubtedly be handling a torrent of people in need.

Any hospital worker can tell you that emergency rooms experience a monthly surge when the moon is full. Having the moon in opposition to the sun effects all of the water on our planet -- including that inside our bodies. People get a little crazy, and sometimes their risk-aversion declines.

Tonight, we can only hope that the President's and newscasters' warnings will override the ramifications of this full moon, and help keep the curious stormchasers -- those most likely to be hurt -- inside, on high ground, or caring for those who need them.

Oct 28 - Photo a Day - Looking Back

Retrospection

If you're like me, you have a friend or two who can remember a million details from the past. Or perhaps you are that lucky person with the vivid memory. Personally, most of my childhood memories would be lost were it not for my old photo albums.

It's not that the box gets dug out often, or that I moon over the no-longer-sticky pages covered with black-and-white or faded-colour images. But the tired cardboard box of school annuals and picture albums contains a wealth of smiling snapshots and portraits that trigger thousands of recollections.

Rarely am I able to reconstruct an entire day or complete conversations. What tends to surface are the highlights -- the sparkling moments that warm, inspire, delight, or tickle me.

This precious box, filled with images of family and friends, along with my beloved laptop (where the past nine years of electronic photo albums are stored) would be the first grabbed should disaster strike. Meanwhile, I hope you'll excuse me while I open a notebook and take another journey down Reminiscence Road.

Oct 27 - Photo a Day - Morning

Penny and her dear Dad

We have a clown living at our house. It is obvious, by the outrageous number of YouTube kitty videos posted each day, that there are cats amusing humans all over the world. Ours is named Penny.

I've lived with cats for over 30 years, but this sweet little creature is my partner's first. From the first moment he saw her when we went to see if she was meant to be ours, he's been smitten.

Cats, I learned long ago, will dance on your head, lick your nose, attack your toes, and generally make a nocturnal nuisance of themselves if you let them. Penny has proven herself to be classic in that category (sorry for the pun), so she has multiple nighttime nests throughout the house. She doesn't seem to hold a grudge, though I feel like a mean-ol'-mom when I close her out every night.

Morning is Penny's favourite play time. Her wonderful dad, Pierre, provides multiple toys just for her entertainment: socks are the best, drug across the bed, down her sides, and under her belly; next is his belt, the leather withstanding bites and back-feet kicks; and last, but probably most fascinating, is his work badge with the retracting belt attachment. Her pounces and flips can keep us laughing for a quarter-hour, make Pierre late for work, and start our day the best way possible.

P.S. I would love to hear your cat stories!

Oct 26 - Photo a Day - Listening to

My Current Driving Story by one of my Favourite Authors

Thank goodness for the library!

Being read to is one of my secret pleasures. It evokes comforting memories of trooping back from the bookmobile carrying a new stack of books that mom or dad would read to us on the couch or in bed just prior to sleep.

While I haven't been to a bookmobile since elementary-school, it turns out that Ottawa has a number of them. I'm lucky enough to live just a short walk to one of the branch buildings, which I visit regularly, and still happily carry my pile of books home.

The library has changed its offerings over the years to include our modern-day array of media. In the past year, I've read library e-books from my computer as well as (my favourite) listening to recorded books on cd, and even mp3.

I'm calling this fixation on libraries a healthy, life-long habit. I usually have at least a couple of traditional, paper-bound books next to the bed or beside my writing chair. In addition, virtually every road-trip, short or long, contains -- at minimum -- a portion of a chapter read by an actor, voice-over artist, or (as my current book-on-cd) the author herself.

Since my list of must-read books is still many pages long, thanks to the library, "getting there" in my car has more than one meaning. And, even though I'm no longer a child, someone is graciously willing to read me a bed-time story.

Oct 25 - Photo a Day - People

Bells Corners Union Cemetery

Resting in Peace

I love cemeteries... especially small, old cemeteries. There is a tiny one near my home (722 graves, according to the records) with many gravestones dating back to the 1830s. The names on some of the cracked headstones include those of founding families which adorn street signs across town. The grounds are well-tended, and there are even bunches of silk flowers on two or three of the graves. I find it a peaceful, fascinating place.

I know the location of only a small handful of family members' graves: my paternal grandparents, my partner's parents, and two second cousins, both who died far too young. While I know that many people derive great comfort from visiting their loved ones' graves, and I respect that greatly, for me the spirit of the deceased is far more present in places where we shared time or in quiet contemplation of cherished memories.

There is one headstone that I've had the honour of tending. It is a beautiful granite stone marking the graves of two people I would have loved to have met: my future parents-in-law. Last fall I spent a few afternoons there cleaning and re-painting the flaking letters, and thanking them for bringing such a wonderful man to this Earth. The serenity of those hours surrounded by crosses and angels, with only the sound of the birds and breeze has stayed with me.

Perhaps the reason I find such peace in these beautiful resting places is that each stone is a tribute to a person who was dearly loved. And even though each person is gone, all of the love remains.

Oct 24 - Photo a Day - Weather

Beautiful Cloud Cover Above Ottawa

Dreary Days

For over ten years, one of my weekly clients sat down in my chair, and 85% of the time, complained about the weather -- we did, after all, live in Seattle. He had lived there all of his life, so chilly dampness was not new. But if it wasn't late July or August, those glorious days of which songs have been written, he was cranky.

I often wondered, and even asked a few times why he stayed. He didn't have an answer. He dreamed of retiring, like so many do, to the hot deserts of Arizona. He vacationed in the southwestern states and in arid eastern Washington. And yet he dug his uncomfortable webbed feet into Seattle's mossy ground. It was a choice, of course. His friends and family, his home and his routine took precedence over his hatred of the weather. But he never made peace with the drizzle. With the exception of those few weeks in summer, he subscribed to Murphy's Law: if it wasn't raining, it was bound to, once Saturday arrived.

Since I'm a glass-half-full person, I tried everything I could think of to show him an optional view. He would listen politely. He would chuckle kindly at my attempts to cajole him out of his gloomy funk over soggy boots and raincoats. We cracked up about many subjects over the years, but for my friend, the Pacific Northwest's climate was not, and could never be amusing or -- heaven forbid -- endearing.

Oct 23 - Photo a Day - The View From Here

Time for one last garden clean-up

My Front Porch

In the southern U.S., it's common to see folks sitting in pillow-stuffed wicker chairs or slow-moving rockers on wrap-around porches watching the world go by. It's long been a dream of mine to have not only the veranda, but also the balmy weather and leisure to enjoy such an activity.

Big porches are a rare sight here in eastern Ontario. On ocassion I've seen a front-yard-sitter, but for the most part, when people are outside here, they're either working or on the move. Sitting takes place inside or in private, fenced back yards where interaction takes place only by invitation. People aren't unfriendly; they're just busy.

My writing chair is situated in the natural light of a wonderful, nearly floor-to-ceiling front window, and provides a juniper-bordered view of the street. I enjoy taking in the slow, irregular parade of dog-walkers, bike-riders, and the comings and goings of neighbours, waving when one looks my way. I observe the constant changes in the garden, V's of geese, darting of black-capped chick-a-dees, glimpses of bright red cardinals, and brash antics of the squirrels.

Perhaps in fact, this spot is this northerner's climate-controlled answer to the pleasures of front porch sittin'.

Oct 22 - Photo a Day - In Your Town

Britania Park at Sunset

Nature Inside City Limits

Everyone warned me and many laughed when I told them I was moving from Seattle to Ottawa....      "Canada?? Don't you know how cold it is up there?" Yes, I knew, but it definitely couldn't be worse than living 4000 miles from the man that I loved.

The winter before I arrived, Ottawa had record snowfalls. Looking at photos of six foot snowbanks wasn't encouraging, but I had learned to drive in the snow, and having been a motorcycle rider I knew that staying warm was all about the gear.

My friends were right. Winters aren't easy here. Chipping a thick layer of freezing-rain ice off car windows is no fun. However, relaxing in front of a crackling fire with Pierre, Copper, and Penny more than compensates for the harsh climate. And have I mentioned that Ottawa is stunningly beautiful?

I used to say that Seattle was Paradise. I've learned that there is more than one Paradise on Earth. This federal capital of just under a million people -- a quarter of the size of Seattle -- contains a whopping 850 parks. Seattle Parks and Rec, on the other hand, maintains only 400. So even though I can't gaze out at (or take a short road-trip to) Mount Rainier's majesty, nor see the rest of the Cascade nor Olympic mountain ranges, my sweetheart, dog, and I are able to romp every few blocks in lovely open fields dotted with a huge variety of trees.

And when, like today, I can no longer stand being so far from the sea, we can visit one of the meandering parks along the Ottawa or Rideau Rivers and listen to the soft rhythmic waves swish up to the shore.

Oct 21 - Photo a Day - Calm

Editor, Peace and Environment News

The calmest exterior may rest upon a monumentally fervent core.

I spent time today in the office of the Peace and Environment Resource Centre (PERC), a magazine-, computer-,  and book-lined room on the third floor of a church auxiliary building built in the late 1920s. Over the past year and a half, I've climbed the echoing marble staircase dozens of times to join the staff and other volunteers who run this long-standing non-profit organization.

One of the PERC's original founders, the Centre's newspaper editor, Margaret Jensen, was there this afternoon, quietly adding final editorial marks to the next issue's articles about homelessness.

Margaret, in my experience, is possibly the calmest, most unassuming person I've ever met. I can't picture her in a tizzy or raising her quiet voice to anyone.

Yet since the early 1980s, this kind woman has regularly broadcast the fervent voices of advocates and activists to the citizens of Canada's National Capital Region. The Peace and Environment News is her brainchild, and she, the volunteer authors, and the PERC team have produced dozens of issues -- hundreds of thousands of copies -- of passionate papers, reminding people to stay awake.

The values that Margaret embodies -- her concern for the planet and for social justice -- seem to radiate from her peaceful nature. As gentle as she is, the issues she cares about so deeply reveal the intensity of her ardor, and command a fully-earned respect.

Oct 20 - Photo a Day - Four o'clock

To a job well done!

 Good Afternoon

It's four o'clock on a Saturday, and we're celebrating a very full day of yardwork with a lovely glass of shiraz. Only a couple more outdoor jobs -- oh, those pesky gutters -- and the house will be set for winter. How that "w" word conjures mixed feelings...

(As an aside, we've been enjoying alcohol-free weekdays, and sipping just a bit on the weekends for nearly two months now. So nice to feel back in control. :))

Returning to four o'clock though... What an interesting time it is. Since I've never held a 9 to 5 job, I'm unfamiliar with the last-hour anticipation that accompanies many people's 4 p.m. These days in fact, it's often the time when I'm starting a new appointment, am in the middle of a project, or getting ready to participate in an evening volunteer gig.

Afternoon / evening tends to be my highest-energy time, which only rarely coincides with others' internal clocks; most seem to be winding down around then. It would be a treat to be sleepy at 9:30 p.m. and bound out of bed at 6 a.m.; however, the truth is, drowsiness eludes me most nights until late, and I don't normally feel completely in-my-body awake until 10 a.m..

Certainly I'm not alone in this out of synch feeling. To the rest of you night-owls, I send a slow-morning coffee- or tea-toast to the fact that we don't live in a horrid dystopia with a 5 a.m. wake-up alarm, where punishment is meted out to us non-morning citizens. Hurrah for freedom! Cheers!

Oct 19 - Photo a Day - Letters

According to Yogi Bhajan, this is the most high Kundalini yoga mantra (read and chanted or sung from bottom to top). "These eight syllables are the 'code' letters, the direct personal phone number connecting you, the creature, with your Creator." How fabulous is that?

I look at this hand-painted poster resting against the wall of Rama Lotus' yoga room nearly every week. To me, not knowing the language, they are just letters. Obviously, to many, they are extremely powerful words, and when chanted for two-and-a-half hours before sunrise for 40 days, can lead a person to enlightenment.

Translated, the words are nearly the same as the beginning of my daily prayer:
There is a creator. Truth is his name. Great is his wisdom.

Letters... strung together make the language of words -- some which nurture, some which wound, and everything in between. Everyday each of us does what we (seemingly) can not help but do: fill words with meaning. True power comes when we realize that we are the authors and the meaning-makers, and every word's interpretation is actually ours to decide.

Oct 18 - Photo a Day - Made Me Smile Today

Can I Help?

Short post today, as I'm trying to kick a mean headache out. This was my view from the floor as soon as I dropped down to do some yoga stretches. Floor level is Copper's, and he loves to lend his 85 lbs and whichever toy he happens to be carrying to my practice. It's hard not to smile, even with a pounding head, when this goofy boy is wagging, wimpering, and/or offering up a favourite stuffed woobie.

What helped more than anything, though, was the next half-hour, which looked like this...

Hope you all got a good snuggle today, too, or at least one really good hug. If not... Copper has plenty more to give. :)

Oct 17 - Photo a Day - Fruit

The Saddest Drawer

Pssst... Don't Forget the Fruit

Dragonfruit, bananas, melon, peaches, kiwi, plums, cherries... There are so many delectable fruits in the world, and so few that those in this household eat.

Our produce drawer regularly looks like this. It is often the place where fruit (and sometimes tofu) goes to mush. Usually lemons and limes are cut for adding to water, beer, guacamole, or fish, but many times the last slices grow a slimy, white mould before we return to them.

We love the taste and crunch of apples, but if you look closely, you'll see that both the red- and golden delicious (probably imported from Eastern Washington) are covered in weeks-old wrinkles, and are undoubtedly mealy inside. The sunken-in pomegranate under last weekend's grapes is likely filled with dried kernels that, far from being a delicious juice ingredient, may soon masquerade as a handle-less maraca.

Why do we do this to these fabulous fruits? Waste makes me nuts, and I'm famous (at least with Pierre) for my leftover-kichen-sink-glop dinners. But many of the tender, sweet, vitamin- and mineral-rich fruits that come to our house tend to wither away rather than be crunched, blended, juiced, or savoured. (I'm hoping, in case you didn't know, that confessing this weakness in our dietary habits will help us change our careless ways.)

The one fruit family whose photograph could probably never be captured here is berries. There hasn't been a berry picked that is safe in our house. Sometimes a basket of blue-, straw-, black- or rasp-berries lasts a full twenty-four hours. More often they make their way into that night's dessert bowl and disappear in a hundred bursts of dazzling flavour.

If you have any motivating ideas that could save the inhabitants of our produce drawer from an extended, non-nutritive death, please feel free to pass them on. For now though, I think I hear that last honeycrisp apple whispering my name.

Oct 16 - Photo a Day - Something I Wrote

Two Years of Notes and Assignments from the PW Program

A Scribe

You may have guessed that I have a weakness for writing. It doesn't yammer at me to get out, as I've heard some authors describe. Full-blown stories don't exist inside me, just waiting for the excess stone to be chipped away, revealing their legends, adventures, or allegories.

Instead, ideas take hold, and as my fingers rest on the keys, words begin to flow out -- jerkily, with many revisions and clarifications -- but I discover, just as you do, what is to be written that day.

I've only experienced writer's block once, with all of its black-holed dread. It lasted an unrelenting three weeks. Our college assignment was to create a children's story; it seemed so simple. But not being a mother, I had read a tiny handful of kids' books in the nearly fifty years prior, and it felt as though I was being asked to write a story in Swahili. "I can't" is rarely in my vocabulary, so in saying those words to my professor, I found tears in my eyes. Luckily, he has a kind and patient soul, and helped me set down my fear.

The following day a rhyming tale began, starring my dear old gold-dog, Porter, and his pug-buddy, Biggie. To my great surprise and delight, it and four others were chosen to be illustrated by the students in the graphics program. Those drawings, sadly, disappeared with the artist, but the block has not returned (touch wood), and I hope that the words continue rolling off of my fingertips, sharing my spirit with those who choose to read them.

Oct 15 - Photo a Day - Dinnertime

Tonight's Hybrid Dinner

 Au Revoir Été

As any cook knows, it's impossible to sear delicious smoky-flavoured grill-stripes onto pork, chicken, or steaks in a flat-bottomed fry pan no matter how one tries, yet here they are....

At our house, Pierre is The Barbecue King, a master of both the grill and the rotisserie. As a general rule, once he has begun preparation, the meat or veggies remain there until slowly cooked to perfection. Throughout the summer he regularly sends the mouth-watering scent of searing organic meat throughout our neighbourhood.

On a couple of ocassions we've run out of fuel in the midst of an outdoor grilling and have had to finish it up inside, but tonight that wasn't the case. These lovely chops' visit to the barbecue was aborted due to rain. No one, least of all a king, loves a soggy chef, so in he came, carrying a pink-tinged plate of pork.

The chops, joined by baked delicata squash and rosebud beets, made a yummy feast, but their cooking circumstances clearly illustrated that our beloved outdoor sizzling season is very near its end.

Oct 14 - Photo a Day - Makes You Laugh

Rick and Nancy Chuckle Together

ROFL!

What a treat it is to find people who crack you up.

I've been told throughout my life that I'm far too serious... or intense... or sensitive. In truth, I am all of those things. There are many things that "the general population" finds hilarious which seem cruel or simply sad to me. Sit-coms usually don't qualify as comedy in my world. The things that make me laugh are goofy, off-the-wall, and strange to many.

 What I have learned though, thank goodness, is that I am far from alone. The longer I live, the more people come into my life who share my sensitivity and values. I'm blessed to have a partner who not only finds me funny, (an amazing thing in itself) but makes me grin, chortle, and snort. That feeling of finding kindred spirits -- those whose oddities are similar to yours -- is affirming and freeing, and that in itself inspires laughter.

Spending time with happy, loving people is truly a delight. Discovering partners-in-weirdness makes the journey so much more fun. And the best thing to help lighten the somber contemplation of our out-of-balance and somewhat uncertain future is a grand guffaw.