First Time for Everything

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A thunderstorm during the night gave me a hope of a cooler day. Like the news these days, it was false. The day is already heating up fiercely. I’m closing windows and blinds and turning on the central furnace fan. I’m staying put, taking it easy and not putting on my bra. Funny how a little piece of cloth can make you feel so much hotter. My boobs actually don’t need it. They are able to stand alone. There’s not much to them to sag. There’s always an up side to a down size. Grateful for every little thing.

I am having a second cup of tea – and a big slice of raisin sourdough. Funny how the heat can kill your appetite and then other times increase it. I had my breakfast not that long ago. I am on my own today. The guy is off to the lake to see his buddies sail off on the Elbow Run for a week without him. This is the first time in over 10 years that it’s happened. It happens. There’s always a first time for everything. There’s a time to stop and a time to start something new. I was never that enthralled that I would go on a 7 day sailing thing. Sheba and I made occasional day trips with him. Sheba loved the water, sailing on it. NOT swimming in it. Her last sail was in August 2019.

Sheba’s last sail

How long ago it all seems. How young we looked then. I am sure we will be saying the same thing in a few years from now. Sheba has been gone for 6 years. My mother almost 2.

I am home alone. The house is dark with all the venetians closed. The house feels amazingly comfortable and cool. I am likewise. I have plans of cleaning house and home. I am moving amazingly slow so I don’t know how much I will get done. Today is a day I am giving myself. I am relaxing, letting go of measurements and goals. What will be, will be on this 18th day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

The Heat Keeps On

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Early afternoon on this 17th day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. It is already 30℃. I had wondered how I was going to navigate the morning. It was already hot by 9. I donned a wide brim hat and a long sleeved shirt to keep out the sun. I made a leisurely trek to the community garden. I harvested our first crop of snow peas there. I was amazed at how many there were. Our dedicated watering made the difference.

There’s always more work than I bargain for. It’s hard to ignore the weeds. I did a bit of hoeing before watering. Then I was done – and very sweaty. Lucky there’s baseball diamonds across the street with benches in the shade. After a short rest and drying the sweat with my shirt I started home. I didn’t get too far and came across a saskatoon berry bush/tree. Well I had to stop and pick a few before the heat stopped me. I did get maybe a handful or two. Maybe repeat early tomorrow morning.

Wordless Thursday – Still Wonderful

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I love the wordless days when I just sit and breathe and have my cup of tea. I haven’t sat like this for a very long time. Besides my tea, I have a pot of jasmine, lavender and Italian oregano. I can still hear the birds sing though it’s mostly the magpies and crows. It is still wonderful.

Labour of Love

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I had my sticky rice dumplings made and cooked at the end of yesterday. I can’t say I am ecstatic with success. Quite the contrary. I am rather disappointed with the result after many hours/days of labour. I thought this was my first attempt at it but memory brings up I had made them before with my mother some thirties years ago. It was also in July. It was warm and we were working in my newly renovated kitchen and house. It was a lovely time spending the afternoon with my mother.

Then I had her guidance. Now I’m relying on YouTube. The outcome is not the same. I consulted several videos and recipes. I soaked my rice and peanuts too long. The rice came out too soft and not quite sticky. Not all rice are equal. This one came from the Asian market. It’s too long and thin. The one from SuperStore is short and fat. I like it much better.

I could not gage how much of each ingredient to put in. I undersized. Then there’s the folding of the bamboo leaves. I couldn’t get the hang of it till I was almost finished but they’re wrapped and tied with no leakage. Are they delicious? I can’t tell yet. I tried one for lunch. It was too small to pass judgement on. It could stand to have more of everything in it. Would I try it again? Of course. The process is a labour of love, a creation of art besides making food. It is not fast. It is slow. I couldn’t hurry. It gives me time to meditate. It is a learning curve. I will do better next time.

Making Bamboo Sticky Rice

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I’m having a second cup of tea on this 13th day of July and the Ultimate Blog Challlenge. Good thing it is not Friday, the 13th. I am superstituous. It is a cooler morning. Hallelujah! The last 2 days have been wicked, especially in the evenings. We seldom have the air conditioning on but it couldn’t keep up with the heat. Perhaps cooling via a heat pump isn’t as good as a traditional AC unit. Perhaps there’s a malfunction. Whatever, 27℃ made me cranky and not nice.

I am thankful that we didn’t have any storms here in the city. Other areas in the province suffered storm damages. I am foregoing my walk this morning. Instead, I am starting the next phase of making bamboo sticky rice. I’ve already soaked my rice and peanuts overnight . I’ve fried up the seasoned pork belly and boiled the peanuts. The split mung beans, dried shrimp and mushrooms are soaking. The Chinese sausages will have to be sliced. I have to find the duck eggs. I can’t remember where I stashed them. The frozen bamboo leaves are defrosted. Now, I just have to defrost myself.

I will proceed after I get my head together and a little rest. I’ve read various instructions and watched a few videos. The trick lies in the wrapping and tying. I will wing it and hope for the best. Follow up tomorrow.

Having a Daily Plan

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Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.com

Today, the 12th day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge not only promises to be a hot day. It is hot already at 9 am. I woke at 6:30 to 24.5℃ in the house. It felt cool to the 28℃ at bedtime. I had to put my housecoat on. It’s all about relativity. Now it is heating up and I am seeking ways to block out the sun in the sunroom where no venetians are possible. I go through this every summer. I should have been more prepared. One forgets quickly once the crisis is over.

I think I will cancel my walk this morning and hunker down in the house. There are lots to do that I have been actively avoided. It helps to have a plan. I haven’t made a to do list yet. Writing this post would be one. I will do the next step in making my bamboo sticky rice. I will watch the video again before I start. Yesterday I prepped 160 bamboo leaves. They are nicely wrapped in bundles of 20’s in the freezer. I am sure they will be easy to defrost. I’ve measured out 1 pound of glutinous rice and defrosting 1/2 pound of pork belly. It’s a small but good start.

We have so much heat. There’s so much hate. Seemed like a good time to watch Mississipi Burning again last night. It’s a long time since 1964 – 62 years. Things have changed and yet they have not. I asked Ms. Google if the KKK is still active today. The answer is: “Yes, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) still exists, but it operates as a heavily fragmented, shadow of its former self. Rather than a single unified organization, it is made up of dozens of independent, small chapters with an estimated combined membership of just a few thousand individuals.”

I am still reading both Heathers’ (Cox Richardson and Delaney Reese)posts every morning. It’s probably not good for my mental health. Yet it is hard to turn a blind eye to what is happening in our world. Whether we like it or not, it is happening to all of us. It is so hard to witness how much hate there is. Yet I must witness and learn from it. At the same time I must not be blind to all the good there is in us. It is good for me to have a daily plan and not fall into sadness and inactivity. So onward to the end of the UBC, morning walks, more sticky rice and more to do lists.

About To Do Lists

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Photo by Ivan S on Pexels.com

A hot July Saturday, the 11th day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I’m feeling lethargic, in the slow after dinner slump. The dishes are not yet done, sitting in the sink. I feel least like writing but here I am, tapping away. A few days ago, I started a to do list with just 4 items. One of the 4 is write a post for UBC. Another one is going for a walk. The list works for me, getting me unstuck. I get at least 4 things needing/wanting doing done.

I’ve already gone for my walk this morning. Before that, while it was still relatively cool, I boiled the bamboo leaves for 20 minutes to sanitize them for making sticky rice. I’m waiting for the leaves and water to cool before wiping them down. This method is very labour intensive. I’m breaking it down in daily steps so I can succeed. I love the aroma of the bamboo leaves. I smell it and think sticky rice. I think the process of making the sticky rice will be a good exercise for my brain. I will talk about the next steps tomorrow.

I can feel the heat coming through the sunroom windows even though the blinds are drawn. The house is at 25℃ with the central fan running. I am comfortable though feeling sleepy. Outside it is 29℃ with a 31℃ promised. No thunderstorms in the forecast and none materialized last night. I do not like hot summer days. They drain my energy and mood. They still remind me of childhood days in our small town. Everyone is on holiday and gone out of town. Everyone except the Chinese people with the cafes. It makes me feel as if I have no life.

Funny how feelings and impressions are hard to dispel even if they are erroneous. This time around, having a to do list grounds me. I’m anchored, feet to the ground, a sense of purpose, a sense of direction, a starting point, followed by….and so on and so forth.

The Walk, the Heat, the Pain

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July 10th. Sunshine abound. The skies are cloudless. A good day for an early morning walk but I did not get going till 10 am. The heat is on. I had to have a rest stop on the way to the mall. Good thing there was a bench halfway. These days my hands and hips are protesting with the heat. My fingers are puffy looking like sausages or bananas. They ache and ache. Now my right pinkie developed into a trigger. Taking tumeric helps some. My trek to the mall was more like a waddle than a walk.

Life goes on regardless, however slowly or painfully. I am not complaining. The whole world is suffering except maybe the 1%. Clearly our planet is complaining. We are not good stewards of our one livable planet. Green grass and trees are more beautiful in this beholder’s eyes than greenbacks. Obviously you can’t live without money either.

A Deer In Headlights

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Photo by Zachary DeBottis on Pexels.com

Most days I feel like I am treading water, getting nowheres. I vow every night I would do different. When morning comes I fall back into my old self. Later, later, always later. I should vow not to vow no more and just do. I am making good by starting right now, right here in this moment. I made a list last night on things I will do today. They are:

  1. I will clear the dining room table.
  2. Walk to the community garden to water our plot.
  3. Write a post for UBC.
  4. Make doctor’s appointment for August.

I’ve done number 4 and tackling number 3. My mind is not in a great space. We had a thunderstorm and some rain overnight. The good news is that I won’t have to water the gardens. The not so good is that there is a severe weather alert out for a long duration heat event starting tomorrow and lasting well into next week. These heat events are not so good for us older folks. I worry for my father. But we got lucky and have an appointment for him with his respirologist Monday morning.

Meanwhile there’s other storms in the world. The war in Iran continues. President Donald Trump is clearly showing he is not of sound mind at the Nato summit in Turkey, confusing Japan with Iran and Putin for Zelensky. The scariest part is not Trump, but the people who are still allowing him to be president. We are all in danger. I feel as if the whole world is a deer caught in headlights. My apologies for being negative and alarming.

Next on my list is my walk. As you can see, I am leaving the hardest for the last.