Tag Archives: writing

NO IDEAS, NO PLANS

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Photo by JESHOOTS.com on Pexels.com

Egads! it’s another day but no dollars. I’ve come to the keyboard late with nary an idea. It’s another day of no plans and no laying foundations from which to build upon. I really shouldn’t say no plans. It’s not totally true. My acrylic art class starts tomorrow. My head is such that I can’t find my way out of a wet paper bag. I knew I should get an early start organizing and packing all my supplies. And so I have and it is done. My bag is all packed. I don’t have to run around like a headless chicken at the last minute.

This morning I had high hopes of doing things and writing excellent posts. But it was just fluff in my head. Nothing came of it. What excited me was finding something I have saved awhile back. And it is on how to be an explorer of the world.

  1. Always be LOOKING (Notice the ground beneath your feet.)
  2. Consider everything alive and animate.
  3. EVERYTHING is interesting. Look closer.
  4. Alter your course often.
  5. Observe for long durations and short ones.
  6. Notice the stories going on around you.
  7. Notice PATTERNS. Make CONNECTIONS.
  8. DOCUMENT your findings (field notes) in a variety of ways.
  9. Incorporate indeterminancy.
  10. Observe movement.
  11. Create a personal DIALOGUE with your environment. Talk to it.
  12. Trace tings back to their ORIGINS.
  13. Use ALL the senses in your investigations.

This is the best I can do on day 18 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

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It’s wordless Wednesday and day 17 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I can’t be completely wordless but I can be less wordy. Here are a few photographs of how we took down our 2 spruce trees to make room for our greenhouse. We had lost Sheba in May 2020. We were mourning our loss and it stirred us into action. I planted the spruce trees as saplings. I did not hesitate with the decision of removing them for a greenhouse. However, after, I did mourn their loss as well. It is only natural. They were my babies as well.

Perhaps for next Wordless Wednesday I will post photos of the building of the greenhouse.

NO SUCH THING AS FAILURE

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Guess what I did this morning? Last week I started making sourdough bread again. It was so successful I’m making Tuesdays a sourdough bake day. Not to waste a hot oven I decided to do my regular whole wheat loaves, too. I made the dough the day before so it would be ready this morning. My idea was to bag the dough and put it in the fridge overnight. I had previous experience of knowing that the dough still rises in the fridge. I thought putting it in a ziplock bag plus fastening it with elastic should contain it. Wrong! The expanding dough broke the elastic and was trying to ooze out of the bag. So I squished it down and tied it up and put it in the freezer overnight.

Nature calling at 3:30 am got me out of bed. I remembered my dough and got it out on the counter. It was thawed when I got up at 7. I did give it some time proofing in the oven. And then some time on the counter. But it was a BIG ball of dough, slow to warm. I decided to put them into 6 loaf pans. They sat for an hour while the sourdough was baking. My raisin sourdough came out just perfect. It slid out without a hitch onto the rack.

I can’t say the same for the whole wheat loaves. They are smaller and denser than normal. But they are not terrible. We usually toast them anyways. They will be equally filling. It was not a failure either. I am learning about chilling and freezing dough. I shall try some different tactics next time. It’s nice to be able to make bread over a couple of days.

This sourdough was half white and half whole wheat flour. It stands up better. The white was wetter and looser, harder to handle. I will try some spelt flour next time. There’s much to experiment and learn. So ends day 16 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I missed yesterday. I was tired. It’s good to take a rest. It’s not I must, only I must not miss two days in a row.

NO TURNING ON A DIME

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Photo by Creative Workshop on Pexels.com

It’s a balmy -26℃ outside now at almost 6 pm. The temperature is slowly warming up though this morning Environment Canada still recorded -36℃ and with wind chill, it was -50℃. It was no wonder I couldn’t turn on a dime today. I couldn’t quite get with it and wasted the morning away. I never got lunch made till 1 pm. Now I am sweating the small stuff and writing for day 14 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

I just have to listen to my body sometimes. When it doesn’t want to listen to my mind, there’s no pushing. Am I making excuses? Possibly. Some days are like that. More days than I like. I haven’t been totally idle. Sunday is when I go over to my parent’s and do the vacuuming and whatever they let me do. I was suppose to supervise my mother’s bathing, too, to minimize risk of accidents. That lasted only a couple of times. Then she would do it before I got there. Now she’s bathing the day before. Well, what can I do? She is spunky with a mind of her own.

I got another sourdough bread in the making. This time half white flour and half whole wheat with raisins. I will have to pull the dough a few more times and let it sit in the cold oven overnight. Then tomorrow I will prep it to sit in the fridge will Tuesday. Then it will be bake day.

I start my acrylic painting class Friday. I am a little frazzled looking at my material list and gathering everything together. I am not excited yet. Just thinking, Why the hell am I doing this?

IN THE WORLD, OF THE WORLD

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So it is -34℃, feeling like -42℃ with the wind chill. I’m pretty warm and snug. It’s the supper hour. I’m just starting to tackle day 13 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I’m thinking it could be a struggle but Mary Oliver’s words are inspiring me . I’m starting right away. I am in the world. I am of the world. I belong.

In this moment, I’m finding life very sweet. There’s so many interesting things to learn, so many things to do, so many souls to know and befriend. I have to get right on it. I don’t have a moment to spare. I have to be like Keats – to be of purpose and focus.

I know, you never intended to be in this world.
But you’re in it all the same.
So why not get started immediately.
I mean, belonging to it.
There is so much to admire, to weep over.
And to write music or poems about.
Bless the feet that take you to and fro.
Bless the eyes and the listening ears.
Bless the tongue, the marvel of taste.
Bless touching.
You could live a hundred years, it’s happened.
Or not.
I am speaking from the fortunate platform
of many years,
none of which, I think, I ever wasted.
Do you need a prod?
Do you need a little darkness to get you going?
Let me be as urgent as a knife, then,
and remind you of Keats,
so single of purpose and thinking, for a while,
he had a lifetime.
— Mary Oliver, Blue Horses

BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE

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It’s is a very cold, cold day here in Saskatoon. This morning Environment Canada posted a temperature of -40℃. The wind chill made it feel like -53℃. Double and triple burrrrr! Made me think of the winters of 2009 and 2010 when Sheba and I did daily walks down by the river at the Sutherland dog park. The river was frozen over. We could walk on it. Sheba ran, of course. Steam rose from the river. I had icicles hanging in my nostrils.

The cold brought back these wonderful memories of our times down by the river. Tomorrow promises equally cold temperatures. I do love these times when I can just hunker down and just be. Feeling grateful I have shelter, heat and food. Day 12 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge in the bag!

5 MINUTES

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

It is day 11 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I’m still here. It’s remarkable since I’m finding 5 minutes of doing nothing a hell of a long time. I’m trying to rehab my left plantar fasciitis. I’ve discovered that the root cause is my body alignment is out of whack – for many years. I’ve been clenching my whole left side forever and a day. I have left sided discomfort from my face down to my foot. I’ve been like that so long I kind of gotten used to that until my left heel pain was so excruciating that it was hard to walk even a few steps. It stopped me in my tracks. I had to give it some consideration.

I bought a few pair of shoes and different gizmos to put inside them. They didn’t really worked. I looked online for a fix and a body shop and found the pain academy. Or rather it found me. In this case social media was very helpful. When I googled heel pain, all kinds of things pop up in my Instagram feed, including Vinny from the Pain Academy. He shared many exercises that I thought would help me. After doing them, I realized that they were similar to the ones from my mobility class at the YWCA.

The first exercise was to rest the body for 5 minutes to get it in a neutral state. It is really restful but 5 minutes is a long time to stay put on the floor with your legs up on a chair at 90° angle. I started fiddling and squirming within seconds. And my mind went crazy, darting all over kingdom come. I’m doing a little better now with some practice. It’s a good exercise to do to let go of the tension in your body. I never realized how much till now.

Well, this is more than 5 minutes now. I have to stop. I’ll be back tomorrow with more. But hey, I think my heel pain is going!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

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It is wordless Wednesday but not snowless. Though I have been looking forward to the snow and skiing, my body and mind had to do some adjusting. After all, the snow and cold were 2 months later than last year. I’ve forgotten what to do when I do get onto the cross country ski trails.

As you can see, I’m not wordless. It is not a bad thing. We have been that and contact-less for the years of the Covid. We need to converse and tell our stories and feelings again. You know, get to know each other again. Be human, vulnerable, let down our guards, laugh, cry and whatever. In the past, I’ve thought that I’ve talked too much, shared too much, left myself opened too much. True, I’ve been hurt many times. I’m none the worse for it. I’m still standing. And I’ve learned a whole bunch. I’m not saying I’m wiser. That is obvious. I’m still talking – maybe a tad too much.

More snow pictures. It’s another way I talk. Killing softly with photos.

PASSIONS – Sourdough & Learning

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I am having an almost perfect day. I started the morning at 7 with kettle on the stove for a cup of tea. Then I got out the sourdough loaf that was chilling in the fridge. I dusted the inside of the cast iron Dutch oven with cornstarch before transferring the dough into it. Next, I scored the loaf, covered the Dutch oven and put it on top of my cast iron pizza pan. It all goes into the oven set at 450℉ for 55 minutes. That’s right. I started everything cold. No preheating anything. Saves energy and it turned out great. By 8 it was done and so was our breakfast.

The pizza pan underneath the Dutch oven somehow prevents the bread from sticking. The loaf came out pretty slick and allowed to chill. It made for a healthy tasty afternoon snack. It is my most successful sourdough. It is my first white flour loaf. Next one I try will be half white/half brown.

Baking bread is a wonderful to start the morning. The chill of the morning is warmed by the oven and aroma of bread baking. It was a perfect setting to receive my first online class titled: From First Among Equals to Elected Dictator: A Political History of. Canada, 1867- Present. Instructor: Dr. Jason Zorbas. Dr. Zorbas is an awesome lecturer. His classes are always filled. It is an in-person one as well as being on-line. On-line is a good option for me. I don’t have to run to catch a bus to the university. Parking on campus is difficult. I am finding, to my surprise, that Canadian history is très interesting.

SOUP AND BOOKS FOR THE SOUL

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‘Twas a foggy cool morning as we headed across the University bridge towards our gym. We could not really see the river for the mist rising from below. It was not inviting. We were out by habit. I was happy that I have the making of turkey soup in the Instant Pot before we left. I can relax read when we get back.

I am also happy that I got my reading mojo back. I’ve been an errant reader for a long while now. My attention span has been reduced to that of a gnat by electronics and other distractions. I’m working on getting it back. I feel that all these things I am doing are helping – the writing, cooking, baking and reading. I am doing and engaging rather than just watching. That is why I dislike and don’t watch reality TV. I might be doing too much useless scrolling. But at least I don’t do reality TV.

I’ve never kept track of how many or what books I’ve read. I have no clue how many in a year. I do think it is a good idea though. I will start keeping a list. In order to read 50 books a year, I will have to read one a week. I’m on track so far having read Atomic Habits by James Clear and half way through The Arsonist by Sue Miller. The Arsonist did not get many good reviews but I love it. The next book on my list is The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict. It’s about Albert Einstein’s first wife. Sounds like a good read, doesn’t it?