Food Choices

If you could only eat 7 different foods for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

After careful thought (and some salivating), I would choose bread, cheese, fruit, vegetables, coffee, milk, and, of course, chocolate.

In fact, on most days, I already choose these foods in my diet.  Often, I also have tea, wine, butter, nuts, meat, or fish also.

So what are the 7 foods that you couldn’t live without?  Is chocolate one of them?

Thought-provoking Questions

I heard a very interesting interview during "The Next Chapter" show on CBC radio the other day.  During the show, hosted by Shelagh Rogers, an interviewer asked the interviewee, Camilla Gibb, a Canadian novelist (the author of "The Beauty of Humanity Movement"), the following questions from the Proust Questionnaire:

Name your favorite writers.
Who's your favorite hero of fiction?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
What phrase do you most overuse?
What do you value most in your friends?
What historical figures do you most despise?
Your favorite occupation?
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
What is your principal defect?
The quality you most admire in a man?
The quality you most admire in a woman?
Where would you like to live?

If you want to hear the interview yourself, including Camilla Gibb's great answers, you can download the podcast at http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/nextchapter_20101101_40374.mp3.  It's well worth listening to the entire show but the interview is at about the 22 minute mark.

Argh!

Aluettes won the Grey Cup, 21 to 18. Too bad. Saskatchewan tried so hard. But, despite that, it was a great day at Marg's. Her family came to watch the game and have supper there. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Now, I'm home again, catching up on things on my computer and thinking that I should be in bed, reading a book, instead of writing this blog post. Being a person of inaction, I think I'll do just that!

Saturday Date Day

Margaret planned today well, taking us to the Spamalot matinee at the Concert Hall, followed by a pleasant dinner at The Peasant Cookery.  Spamalot, with its extravagant costumes, colours, singing, and 'in your face' speeches was a hoot!  And, the Cookery, with its down-to-earth starters and entrees and fantastic wait staff, was very enjoyable.  Thanks, Marg, for a great day!

It was also good to drive home afterwards and find that our streets had finally been cleared of snow.  Driving through the deep snow and ruts on Civic and Carbutt was becoming a real challenge.  With the sidewalks also cleared, we can now resume our dog walks without risking a slip and fall.  At Marg's place, we set up the Christmas tree (she did most of it, me having very little decorating talent).  Happiness is ...

And, today, Sunday, is Grey Cup Day, when Saskatchewan will beat the Montreal team.  I imagine most Canadians will be glued to their TVs this afternoon.  Marg is hosting a small family dinner, centred on watching the West beat the East (we hope).  It should be fun.

Snow Blown

It turned out to be a nice sunny day here, starting about noon, as the clouds moved off to the east.  I always marvel at how sunshine brightens our outlook on everything.  After a few days of overcast skies, the brilliant sunshine somehow makes everything okay, even the rough going on some of the snow-clogged, residential streets.

I was pleased to find my snow blower started easily this morning, enabling me to clear the foot or so of snow from my driveway quickly, with a minimum of shoveling.  Now, hopefully, our street will soon be cleared.  Maybe, tonight?

I was going to clear the back deck again this afternoon.  But, fortunately, Margaret invited me to go for lunch and do a bit of shopping with her.  After she dropped me off at home, a nap seemed more attractive than shoveling the snow off the deck.  So, Holly and I curled up together and dreamt of warm, sunny, country walks.  It was nice!

Faced next with creating supper, I again chose the easy route, finding some frozen beef stew I made a couple of weeks back in my basement freezer.  Just the right meal for a cold, wintry evening ... and a thoroughly lazy cook!

37 cm So Far ...

That's a lot of snow, even for Manitoba, in the last few days.  And, with the wind blowing it around this afternoon and evening, some large drifts are certain to form.  One of them will be in my driveway.  I drove to the pharmacy a few minutes ago with Holly.  It's only a couple of kilometres away but I was glad I was driving a 4x4 vehicle with lots of clearance.

Our residential streets have not been plowed yet so they are really 'tough going'.  A few unhappy people were being towed out of ditches in my neighborhood while I drove by.  At least, our bus routes are kept clear and there's talk of the City clearing the residential streets next.  An overnight parking ban goes into effect tonight.

Margaret and I had planned to see "White Christmas" at MTC, in downtown Winnipeg, tonight.  We may have to cancel that plan.  Oh, well, it should all be cleared away by Saturday when we're scheduled to attend "Spamalot" at the Concert Hall.  One learns, living in this province of winter weather extremes, not to write any planned outings in concrete.

On a positive note, it looks quite beautiful outside.  All the browns of fall (including some leaves I never got around to raking) are now covered in brilliant white and the foot-high clumps of snow on trees and shrubs and even various objects around the yard are really quite pretty to look at.  Maybe, I'll have some interesting photos to post here soon.

For friends and family in Ontario and further east, get ready for snow, lots of snow.  It's headed your way ...

Went to Carman Today

Glad my routine doctor's appointment in Carman was for today, not tomorrow.  Today, in sunshine, the highway was dry and clear.  But, the forecast is now for 4-5" of snow, starting at midnight.  I wouldn't want to be driving out to Carman tomorrow.

I'm not looking forward to shoveling the driveway clear again on Wednesday.  Twice in the last few days is enough!  I suppose we can't complain; not after the great fall and early winter weather that we had.  Regardless, it's good exercise (though, I can think of better ways of exercising!).

Thinking about all that shoveling just tired me out.  Guess that I'll go have a nap now ...

Something My Father Gave Me

My dad loved music.  He had a fairly good stereo and loved to play military marches and such music.  When home alone, he cranked up the volume.  He said the volume was high enough only if the windows started to vibrate with the music.  And, he loved bagpipe music.  That love he passed on to me.

I listen to it often.  Usually alone, because not too many people share this love of bagpipes.  Some people (weird, I know) actually hate bagpipe music.  That's their loss, as far as I'm concerned.  Obviously, there can't be any good Irish or Scottish blood flowing in their veins.

I suppose that even I can get tired of the pipes.  I usually over-dose on them and then stay away from them for awhile.  But, I always come back!  One of my pleasures is to discover a band or singing group that includes one or more bagpipe players.  A good example would be the well-known Celtic Women (my all-time favorite Celtic group) and the lesser known Needfire (five rockers and a piper, if you can believe it!).  Then, of course, there are a few bands that feature pipers, like The Red Hot Chilli Pipers.  The other players are just backup.  This group is wild!  They really rock!

And, yes, like my dad, I believe the windows should vibrate whenever the pipers are playing ...

Insomnia

The same unknown wag who said 'the best cure for insomnia is a Monday morning' probably also said 'people who snore always fall asleep first'.  Regardless, it sure was nice to sleep in a bit this morning.  I, as usual, was up for awhile in the middle of the night when a certain dog of mine hopped up on my bed and started panting hard.  That often signals her desire to be allowed outside.  Perhaps, more often, her desire for some milk bones.  Because I never know which, for sure, I get up and head to the kitchen.  If she's waiting at the deck door, out she goes.  If she's waiting at the end of the kitchen counter, I reach for her cookie jar.  By this time, I'm fully awake and thinking about coffee.  Often as not, I succumb and make myself a cup, retiring to my home office to make my rounds on my desk-top.  After my coffee (and a few more milk bones for the beast), I usually head back to bed, to continue my reading and, hopefully, fall back to sleep.  And, so began my week ...

We've Only Just Begun

Today, it occurred to me, while listening to some of my favorite singers as I surfed the Web, that so many of them died, when they'd only really got going in their musical careers.

Karen Carpenter, who some say had the best female voice ever, died of heart failure, attributed to chronic anorexia.  Eva Cassidy died of melanoma.  John Denver died in an airplane crash.  Others included Rick Nelson, Roy Orbison, Aaliyah, Patsy Cline, Janis Joplin, and Bobby Darin.  The list goes on and on.  It seems so sad to ponder these premature deaths.  Fortunately, for us, their music lives on.  We can still enjoy their voices, though they are now long gone.

Hopefully, after I'm 'long gone', my family and close friends will still be able to read my words and view my photographs.  Not that I'm planning on leaving any time soon!  I promised someone I'd give her twenty more years to be with me ... a promise that I hope to keep.

Turning Stumbling Blocks into Stepping Stones

Every day, we face new problems, especially when there is a lot of change going on in our lives. And, often these problems come to us unexpectedly, sometimes from surprising sources. My problems often come in the mail, maybe an official notice or unexpected bill. Sometimes, they appear as a distressing email. Recently, one came when I was picking up an expensive prescription at the local pharmacy and learnt that, ‘no, you have to pay cash for this medication; it's not covered under your new medical plan’.


Problems can certainly complicate your life. But, instead of feeling distressed about something, one must simply shake their head and start to figure out how to solve the problem. It may take some time to fix a given problem. Days, weeks, months. And, let's face it; some problems cannot be fixed completely, only accepted and worked around, or patched up. The best one can do is recognize that most problems are just temporary inconveniences. You learn from these events and you move on.

Having faced many problems over the past year, I’ve learned one important lesson. There are many good people out there that are willing and able to help you find solutions. Some of these people will help you because they value you as a friend or as a customer; others, simply because they are just good people, have seen the problem before, and know how to find the answer quickly for you. For some problems, of course (e.g., legal, financial), you may have to hire a professional to sort things out for you. But, you rarely have to go it alone.

Happiness is rebounding from the problems you face from day to day.  A positive attitude goes a long way in turning life's stumbling blocks into stepping stones.

Wind Chills

It's only -8 out right now but the wind chill is -16.  Just back from a good winter walk with Holly, I thought, heading out, that I'd dressed very well for the current weather.  Unfortunately, I forgot about covering my ears.  I didn't think I'd need a hood or toque.  After all, it was only -8.  Wrong!  Live and learn.

I suppose it always takes lessons like this to smarten us up a bit for the changing conditions.  It's the same principle when it comes to driving during the first days of winter snow and ice, as a lot of Manitobans are finding out, waiting to be towed out of roadside ditches.

I took my small camera along with me today, think I might find something I'd like to record.  You know, the 'first days of winter' sort of photos.  Well, with the cold wind and the cloudy skies, nothing really was too enticing.  All I really wanted to do was to return to my warm home and put the coffee on.

We're under a 'heavy snowfall warning' at the moment, with 15-20 cm forecast for the city.  And, yes, I have my snow shovel ready!  I can even crank up my snow blower, if that becomes necessary.  Hopefully, it won't be, with this first real snow fall of the season.

It's times like this that I wish I lived on the West Coast.  Or should I say the Wet Coast?

Totally Addicted

After attending Mamma Mio with Margaret again tonight, I came home and immediately went to YouTube to listen again to the ABBA songs I heard earlier.  Yes, I'm addicted to their music.  Fernando, Mamma Mia, Honey Honey, SOS, Take a Chance on Me, and so many others.  I'm so pumped with their music that I'm wondering now if I'll get to sleep soon.  Oh, well ... it was worth it.  Thanks, again, Margaret!

Never Look Back

The way is open ahead.  Step through the open gate into the world before you.  A better life, to enjoy and to fill with wonderful new memories.

And, remember to close the gate behind you ...

Flurrious

When you glance out the window in the morning, after the sky lightens, and see the wind churning up the collected snow flakes on the deck and walks, you begin to believe the forecast for a 60% chance of flurries.  Flurries are a gentle reminder that, ready or not, winter has arrived at your door.  Whereas I don't welcome winter --- the cold, the ice, the snow --- I'm now ready for it.  Well, as ready as I can be.

My warm winter wear is hanging in the closet, ready to be worn.  My winter boots are sitting by the front door.  Good thing.  The temperature this week will not get above freezing.  Indeed, snow is forecast for tomorrow.  Soon, I'll get everything on, put Holly on her leash, and go for our first walk in the suddenly cold morning air of Winterpeg.  Oddly, I'm actually looking forward to it.

Thinking warm thoughts ...

"You raise me up ...

... to more than I can be" (Josh Grobin).  One of my favorite male singers is Josh Grobin.  And, this is one of best known songs.  If you would like to hear him sing it, turn the sound way up on your computer's speakers, and go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnztMhtUF6o&feature=channel

While you're there, after you've been raised up, listen to my other favorite song of his: "Don't Give Up".

Ancestree

Ever think how family trees have become more complex over time?  Long ago, they were relatively simple to visualize, a steadily branching tree.  Nowadays, they are anything but simple.  Marriages, if they even happen, often end and new ones begin, sometimes repeatedly.  Children may be produced in each of them, some of them, or not at all.  You can end up with a multiplicity of surnames and vaguely linked family trees.

Pity the family historian years down the road, trying to make sense of it all.  That person could easily get lost in the forest of family trees that is created over time.



The Best Time to Walk the Beach

When the tide is out ... that's the best time to walk the beach.  So much is revealed when the water is at it's lowest.  Things you'd never see at any other time.  Not only is there more space to walk along the shore, but as you stroll, you discover things left behind when the moon pulled the sea away.

The following quote made me think of the many walks I've taken along various Canadian beaches, but mostly those on Vancouver Island. "Every time we walk along a beach, some ancient urge disturbs us so that we find ourselves shedding shoes and garments or scavenging among seaweed and whitened timbers like the homesick refugees of a long war" (Loren Eiseley).

Living or once alive, there are treasures to find, to record, or to collect ... to take away with you, in your pocket, in your camera, or in your memory.  Treasures found while walking the beach may vary from just the scent of crisp, salt air to an exquisite shell found amongst the debris on the sand, maybe left behind after a storm.  It may include a glimpse into a tide pool, filled with some jewels of marine life.

A walk along the beach during a storm can be invigorating.  On the other hand, strolling along in the early morning or late evening, when all is calm, can give one an overwhelming feeling of peace.
 
Life is a beach ...

Mortar and Pestle

Often, one must grind a spice to taste its essence.  In the kitchen, we can use a simple mortar and pestle to grind up spice seeds to release their flavour so that we can add them to some dish we are preparing.

Occasionally, on an outing, we may see a natural mortar and pestle.  Like this stone, caught in a depression in a large rock, in the inter-tidal zone of a west coast beach.  Slowly, very slowly, with each tide, the small, hard, little stone is swirled in the softer cavity, and, mixed with a little trapped sand, it gradually deepens its nest in the rock, becoming more and more established, revealing lines you'd never see, in both the stone and the rock.

A little like life itself ...

Sometimes, Music Touches My Soul

From Elton John to Pavarotti, from Mannheim Steamroller to the Barra MacNeils ... it doesn't matter so much as to who or what, every once in awhile, I sit between my surround sound speakers and I'm completely swept away by a song or a tune.  It may be just one or it may be a series of songs that carries me away.  Sometimes, a certain song just hits home like it never did before.  It sparks my innermost thoughts or my imagination. It makes me remember or think of some place or some time in my past.  It makes me want to grab my pen or my camera and create something so I can record the feeling I have, for the future.

As you may have already guessed, I'm in a musical trance right now ... enjoying the moment so much.

Relaxing Sunday

Seems to me, most of my days lately have been relaxing ones.  For someone with that old WASP work ethic, that means I feel guilty that I'm not doing too much.  Other than the housework, cooking, and shopping, I've not been doing much at all.  In recent days, I've done a lot of (so-called) research on the Web ... looking at images on Flickr, learning about odds and ends of writing, calligraphy, graphics, design, Canadian history, etc.  It's what I often call "following the thread", for want of a better description.  It's certainly not 'work'.  I've even been watching some TV (beyond my usual viewing of Food TV over breakfast and lunch) ... good grief!

Well, got to go now ... have to follow some more threads ...

The Serenity Prayer

The Serenity Prayer is the common name for an originally untitled prayer attributed to the theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, in the 1930’s. It is used by such groups as Alcoholics Anonymous.

Every once in awhile and most often when I feel overwhelmed by happenings in my life, I come across this prayer, seemingly by accident.

The short version is:

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

I like the full version:

God, grant us the
Serenity to accept things we cannot change,
Courage to change the things we can, and the
Wisdom to know the difference
Patience for the things that take time
Appreciation for all that we have, and
Tolerance for those with different struggles
Freedom to live beyond the limitations of our past ways, the
Ability to feel your love for us and our love for each other and the
Strength to get up and try again even when we feel it is hopeless.

As a close friend said to me today, ‘just keep thinking, it’ll all be over soon’.

The Days Pass Too Quickly

My last post was on Tuesday and, now, it's already Friday!  It's not that I was too busy to write something.  The last couple of days have been kind of lazy ones.  Lots of reading, relaxing, watching TV, and napping actually.  I blame it on the weather: yukky weather!  After weeks of wonderful, mild, sunny weather, it's turned cloudy, cold and wet, with drizzle and snow showers thrown in.  The kind of weather that makes one retreat into the comforts of a warm home.

I know I'll have to make an attitude adjustment quite soon.  Both Holly and I need some exercise and the only place we'll get that is outdoors, on a long walk.  I must face the fact that winter has arrived and make the most of it.  It's just a matter of dressing for the outdoors.  For me, bulky sweater and coat, hat, gloves, and warm winter boots.  Fortunately for Holly, she's already dressed for it: indeed, she has a good long coat on her right now.  And, when she starts running, she gets quite warm.  Of course, she's off to the groomers in a week or so, and, once trimmed again, she will feel cool when she's outdoors, for awhile anyways.  But, it doesn't take her long to grow a warm winter coat.

This morning, I've already done my usual computer surfing.  Flickriver first.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that four of my contacts had one of their photos featured on this interesting series.  Facebook second, with another cute shot of KT, my favorite grand-daughter, posted by Tasha, to bring a smile to my face.  Then, over to YouTube, to watch/listen to some fantastic Beatles music.  Next, I watched a bit of FoodTV, to get some ideas for tonight's supper; a Caribbean theme, featuring trout, seems like a good idea for a Friday, I think.  And, today's plans?  Lots of housework with a bit of grocery shopping is on my agenda.  I best get moving now.  Later ...

HBC Blankets

Hudson Bay wool blankets are Canadian classics.  For over 200 years, the Hudson's Bay Company point blanket has been a familiar item in Canada and around the world.  It is enjoyed as much today as when it was first introduced into the fur trade in 1780.

Although these blankets had been a staple of the fur trade to the natives and company men before 1780, it was not until the first shipment to Fort Albany in the spring of that year that they were shipped to the posts on a regular basis.

The "point" system had been invented by French weavers in the mid-18th century to indicate the finished overall size of a blanket, because then, as now, blankets were shrunk or felted as part of the manufacturing process.  Later, the material in the blankets was also used to fashion coats.  Coats were not made after the year 2000.

Right now, I have a 6-point (queen-sized) HBC blanket on my bed.  The 8-point (king-sized) is the largest size made.  Mine goes on my bed every winter.  There's nothing more comforting than a heavy, warm blanket when the snow is swirling outside.

Unbelievable Weather

Today was partly cloudy here but with a high of 13 degrees.  Too nice at this time of year to stay inside.  So, this afternoon, Holly and I headed out to Beaudry again, to walk the grassy trails once more.  I can't believe how nice the days have been lately.  Our normal high is zero for this time of year.  And, we're getting back to normal over the next couple of days, with snow forecast for Thursday (sigh ...).

After our walk, I stopped in at Shelmerdines Garden Centre again.  I wandered through the greenhouse for awhile, looking at the poinsettias, Christmas cacti, peace lilies, and other seasonal plants that have been set out.  As an aside, I'm nursing Margaret's peace lily back to health.  Seems to like my attention because it's flowering now.  At the garden centre, I also wandered through the gift store area and marvelled at all the Christmas decorations that were for sale.  What an incredible variety of glittery ornaments!  With prices to match, unfortunately.

Now, I'm home again and starting supper.  How does Indian butter chicken, pan-fried potatoes, and my special Brussels sprouts dish with Parmesan cheese sound to you?

Bling

According to Wikipedia, "bling" is a slang term popularized in hip hop culture, referring to flashy, ostentatious or elaborate jewelry and ornamented accessories that are carried, worn or installed.

Although the concept was mostly associated with rappers until recently, it has now spread widely into everyday pop culture and seems to be the newest and latest "in" word.  Although not a word I would use in everyday conversation, I kind of like it for some reason.

Jewellery is not really my thing.  And, as one who gets his latest clothing from Mark's Work Wearhouse, I could not use the term in a fashion context.  But, I could see using it for the latest geek toys from Future Shop or Best Buy.  Things like cutting-edge electronics, televisions, computers, cameras, and so on.  Of course, they wouldn't be my things.

Unfortunately, one cannot be extravagant on a retiree's budget.  These days, I have lots of empathy for people who can afford such things but not much money.  So, I use the word 'ka-ching!' (the sound of a cash register taking my pocket money for groceries) instead of 'bling!'

Komainu

In Japan, a pair of stone guardian dogs, usually in front of a temple or shrine, is called "Komainu".  They are usually placed at entrances to ward off evil spirits.  They look a bit like a dog with a lion's head.  Japanese lion dogs were originally seen in India.  They were later brought to China and then Korea and finally to Japan, where they began to be used in the early 1600's.

Today, they can be found almost anywhere in the world where Asians have settled, even in downtown Winnipeg.  I first saw two komainu in front of a small grocer store in Winnipeg's Chinatown, where I sometimes shop for difficult to find tools and ingredients that I use in my Chinese cooking.  That store is directly across the street from my favorite place for Sunday morning dim sum, at Kum Koon Garden.

My personal, living komainu, here at 43 Carbutt, is alive and well.  My bouvier, Holly, seems to serve the same purpose of warding off evil spirits.  Certainly, she has a ferocious bark and any one coming to my door when I'm not at home would, I believe, think twice about breaking-in, after hearing that bark.

Believe Impossible Things

Words from Alice in Wonderland ..."There is no use trying, said Alice: one can't believe impossible things ... I dare say you haven't had much practice, said the Queen. When I was your age I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast".

Some months ago, I dreamed something that I thought would probably be impossible.  Then, I slowly began to believe it might be possilbe after all.  Then, it happened.  Dreams can come true.  Happiness is ...

Only 48 days left until Christmas ...

With the way that I hate crowds, especially in shopping malls, it's a good thing that I've got most of my "gift getting" done already.  One of the perks of being retired is that I can do my shopping when most people are at work or school.  No crowds; no line-ups; no waiting to part with my money.

Last night was a little different.  I accompanied Margaret on some of her shopping errands.  One place on the list was Costco.  The parking lot was nearly full.  I kept repeating to myself, "chill out, Roy ... it'll be over soon".  This place always seems to be busy.  Looking at the number of shopping carts inside the door, I thought the place must be empty.

Not so.  This store simply has way more carts than it needs.  It was very busy inside.  Looking into some of the carts going by, I knew a lot of Christmas shopping was underway.  After pushing the cart around for a half-hour or so and leaving Margaret at the check-out area, I waited outside to escape the crowds.  Surprisingly, she appeared only a few minutes later, with a full cart and an empty purse.  Costco is very efficient when it comes to their check-outs.

Just looking, thanks ...

Brooks Anderson, painter and photographer, once said, "the virtue of the camera is not the power it has to transform the photographer into an artist, but the impulse it gives him to keep on looking".

Over the past year, I've resumed my habit of going nowhere without my camera.  For a while, that habit lapsed.  Too much was happening in my life for me to take time to just enjoy myself and my photographic pastime.  I was caught up in so many changes in my life, including retirement, getting rid of the detritus of my consulting business, and moving from the country to the city, that I lost my hold on the things that I enjoyed doing.  The stresses associated with major changes in one's life can do that to you.

Now, I'm back on track, more or less.  I now spend many hours just learning new things (e.g., perennial flower gardening, reading about philosophers), doing new things (e.g., going to plays, musicals, galleries, restaurants), getting out into nature more (e.g., while walking with my dog or with friends), spending more time with old and new friends, visiting with family, entertaining, learning new cooking skills, and so on.

One of the great things about all these activities is that, when I have my camera with me, I pay more attention to what's around me and I look for opportunities to record the slices of life that I see.

Treasures

As we go about our lives, we collect treasures.  Most people collect something: it may be baseball or hockey cards, art, ceramic bowls, marbles, crystals, figurines, teacups, matchbooks, stamps or coins, pinned insects, small mammal skulls, orchids, sea shells, or whatever.  Over the years, I've collected many different things.  Some collections have been passed on to my kids or simply given away to others.  Currently, I collect digital  photographs.  My own, mainly.

Well, I don't really 'collect' them.  I just make all sorts of images and save them.  Way too many of them, I guess.  But, unlike many of my other collections, my photographs don't take up very much space in my home, especially now that my images are digital.  Someday, I may even convert all my old negatives, prints, and 35 mm to the digital format as well.  It would certainly mean less dusting and free up some space for other things.

Digital images definitely are easier to share.  For example, I can go to the birthday party of one of my grand-children and take a series of photos and, within hours, save the best images onto CDs which I can then distribute to the parents and grand-parents.  Some images, I may print and stick on the fridge door to show off to visitors to my home.  Some, I may post to this blog or my Facebook page for my friends to see; others, to my Flickr page for the world to see.

Why do I collect photographic images?  Good question.  Maybe, I do it because I have a need to create something that either pleases me or someone else?  Maybe, so the images will serve to bring to mind memories of good times I've had or good places I've been?  Maybe, because I sometimes see something out there that most people do not and I want to record it and show it to them?

Veterans Week Starts Today

As Remembrance Day nears and many of us reflect on members of our family who lost their lives during the past two World Wars and the conflicts since then that our troops have been deployed to, I started to think of my father, who served in the Army during WW II and, fortunately, survived.

I only have a couple of pictures of him during that time, one of which is shown below.  Here, he's standing beside my mother somewhere in Toronto, probably on Northcote Avenue where her parents, Mary and Eddie Hiscock lived.  My grandfather also served in the Army.  My grandmother served in the Salvation Army.

It's odd how so many people in my family have been connected to our Canadian Forces.  I never wore a uniform but I was a volunteer member of a DND advisory committee for over 25 years.  My son-in-law is currently Detachment Commander at the Recruiting Centre, here in Winnipeg.

Part of our History

Relics from the past, insulators, like the one pictured below, were used for railroad phone and telegraph wires.  Back in 1865, an American carpenter, Louis Cauvet, invented and patented the threaded pinhole design we may still find in insulators lying along old railroad track beds throughout our country.

They were designed as a method for threading the inside pinhole of the insulator, which then could be screwed down on a threaded wood or metal pin.  Unlike earlier, slide-on insulators, these screw-on insulators stayed in place when the poles were battered by strong winds.

Millions of them were made and used for about 100 years.  They are now, of course, obsolete for the most part, replaced by fibre optics or wireless communications.

Most people, these days, wouldn't even know what these objects are unless they were explained to them.  If you're walking along old railroad tracks in the country, you might be lucky enough to find one still, maybe lying in the railroad-bed weeds. Maybe, even on some still-standing post.  More likely, you'll see one at a garage sale or flea market, mixed in with a box of other strange objects.
 
Most older Canadians have had a glass insulator in a window or on a bookcase in their house at some point in their life.  I still do.  No longer made in Canada, they now are an interesting piece of Canadian history.

Beaudry Revisited

This park is like a magnet, drawing Holly and me back to it, day after day.  While my 'to do' list gets longer and longer (and my guilt about ignoring it, greater and greater), I still think every sunny day, at this time of year, is meant to be enjoyed.  Holly agrees.  So, back to Beaudry we go, time after time.

It's not the scenery, at this time of year, that draws me away from home and my chores.  Indeed, there's little to excite me, from a photographic point-of-view, at Beaudry these days.  You have to look hard to see beyond the browns of early winter.  I think, in large part, it's the sheer joy I see in Holly as she cavorts along the trails.  She rarely is motionless.  Only when I'm a little too far behind her does she look back to see that I'm still following her.  Very occasionally, she may even sit and wait for me.

The Assiniboine River flows through Beaudry.  Maybe, it's appropriate that, these days, I just go with the flow, too.

Life is good in the present ...

Country Roads

There's a Danish proverb that the road to a friend's place is never long.  Such was the case yesterday.  With Holly beside me, I drove out to Carman.  The warm, sunny weather was made for getting out of the house.  First, I visited with my guardian angel, Karen, at her clothing store in Carman where we caught up our news with each other.  Karen is celebrating 30 years in business at her location.  Quite an achievement in small-town Manitoba.  She's been putting shirts (and other clothes) on me for about 20 years.  Our friendship has grown closer and closer over the years.

Next, I headed down some back roads, taking a few pictures along the way, to visit a couple of other long-time friends, Denis and Gwen.

Travelling these gravel roads brought back some good memories of my life, living near Carman.  John Denver's song, Country Roads, kept going through my mind.

Along the way, it was neat to see most of the fields in the Carman-Homewood area already tilled and waiting for winter.  There was still the odd farmer working, mowing down the already harvested corn stalks or doing some final tilling and harrowing.  Most of the crops in this area are already in the bin or on the way to terminals.

Coffee and conversation with Denis and Gwen was great.  Catching up on the local news with them was fun.  They're now preparing to sell their country acreage, to move into town, into a new seniors' housing development where life will be a lot easier for them.  But, I think they'll miss maintaining their yard site and the privacy that they now enjoy.  I know I still miss my old place out there near Carman.  But, you have to adapt to changing times and circumstances.  Often, the changes we experience are good ones.

It Starts with an Idea

I know a few very creative people.  Most of them note their ideas or thoughts in a sketch book, in a notebook, or on scraps of paper.  Every once in a while, one of those ideas begs to be taken a step further, sometimes all the way to completion.

If I'm very fortunate, I get to watch one of their ideas go, step by step and over time, all the way from a vague note or sketch to a finished piece of art.  It may take days, months, or years.  The idea may end up as a painting, finely-crafted furniture, a quilt, or a piece of pottery.

The Path We Follow

Someone (was it Tim McGraw, the country singer?) once said, "we all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere".

And, sometimes, we take the same path others have taken, again and again ... just at different times and under different circumstances.