So I am reading a book I found on the shelves of our 'SAS library' at work called A Fool and Forty Acres about how a Toronto urbanite picked up his family and moved to farmland in Prince Edward County (an unlikely, but increasingly popular new wine region in Ontario just around the start of the 1000 Islands area in between Kingston and Toronto) in order to plant vines and see what happens.
I am not usually much for memoirs and non-fiction in general, but the premise of this man's journey intrigued me, and for obvious reasons, the subject appealed to me. And it is a good read, as I reach about the half way point. I can't wait to discover how his initial attempts to graft roots and vines and manage all the natural elements pan out. I also like his slightly poetic, lilting style of writing - it almost conjurs the pace and feel of the life and land around him.
What I don't like has been the occasional and painfully long segments of the book that break into history lessons, reviewing Loyalist settlers and colonialist mindset back in the 1800's etc. I am reminded (oh, gawd, it was hell) of suffering through Susannah Moodie's Roughing it in the Bush for our Canadian literature class in my first year of university (it was a requirement for journalism students - ???). I'm sorry, but I don't care that it was extremely rare to have a female settler of the day actually able to read and write, let alone write 600 pages of SCINTILLATING day to day stories of the trials and tribulations of life in Canada at the time. Actually, you could have just told me about how cool that was, and that would have been all I needed to take away from that. Hated. it.
So yeah...I love this book, OUTSIDE of the Moodie-esque ramblings. When he gets back to tales of his travails and the characters he comes across live and in person, he's got me. What's especially cool is that just this week I received an email from Huff estate and inn offering a great weekend stay and 'play' package, and to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, husband and I are heading there in person to explore unchartered territory, and visit some of these estates and try these wines. And in doing so, a lot of the people mentioned in the book will likely be kicking around the community when we get there. I think that is pretty neat, and it is adding a whole new dimension to why I am excited to go. We love Niagara, and I am curious to see how the wines of this new region measure up.
I just love how little layers in life converge, making for fun and meaningful memories. Should be fun.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
On rolls and rolling rims
Yesterday morning wasn't my best morning ever. I have really been struggling to improve my attitude, my happiness levels, and my health in particular. It has been a very tough winter, and emotional eating and excuses have been my MO lo' these past few months, to the point where I am seeing rolls where there were previously nice curves and some somewhat defined muscles. The thing is, I don't know how the downward spiral began, and I can't pinpoint why it began, but I sure can look back at why it got worse! Life events played a big factor, but more than that, I got tired. Tired of being so busy my life felt like one big schedule. Tired of forcing myself to sleep less, work out at specific times, and struggle with myself to eat foods that weren't appealing to me.
Winter doesn't help. It is a proven fact that each winter, Canadians on average gain weight because it is a natural tendancy to eat heartier, heavier food when temperatures go down in order to have more insulation against the elements. So to try to eat light and healthy is a real struggle sometimes.
And finally, I think I have a hard time accepting that it is impossible for me to eat what I want, when I want and simply live and active life and look the way I want to look. It is a harsh reality to realize that if I have expectations of maintaining a certain body, that it will take continuous and constant sacrifice. It kinda feels like a jail sentence, and let me tell you, for someone who loves food, it takes a lot of ongoing creativity to figure out how to cook food that will satisfy the health quotient AND be tasty too. For three years I did well, but then again, I had a few favourite items that I ate a lot of, and now I am sick of them, so what now?
Does anyone have any ideas? Any good recipes that have good protein, low saturated fat, some good Omega fats, low sugar and sodium (although sodium is not as big a deal) but still taste delicious? Send me ideas!!!
But back to my day yesterday. As bad as it was, there was one very lovely highlight, and that was the fact that as I pulled up to the window in my car in line at the drivethru at Tim Horton's, I was told that my coffee had been bought for me by the woman in the SUV in front of me in line.
I didn't know her, I had never seen her in my life. And I guess, she simply wanted to do something nice for someone, and I happened to be that person...???
Random acts of kindness don't happen often and when they do, boy, do they ever make an impact.
I should try it sometime. It might go a long way to make me feel better about myself.
Winter doesn't help. It is a proven fact that each winter, Canadians on average gain weight because it is a natural tendancy to eat heartier, heavier food when temperatures go down in order to have more insulation against the elements. So to try to eat light and healthy is a real struggle sometimes.
And finally, I think I have a hard time accepting that it is impossible for me to eat what I want, when I want and simply live and active life and look the way I want to look. It is a harsh reality to realize that if I have expectations of maintaining a certain body, that it will take continuous and constant sacrifice. It kinda feels like a jail sentence, and let me tell you, for someone who loves food, it takes a lot of ongoing creativity to figure out how to cook food that will satisfy the health quotient AND be tasty too. For three years I did well, but then again, I had a few favourite items that I ate a lot of, and now I am sick of them, so what now?
Does anyone have any ideas? Any good recipes that have good protein, low saturated fat, some good Omega fats, low sugar and sodium (although sodium is not as big a deal) but still taste delicious? Send me ideas!!!
But back to my day yesterday. As bad as it was, there was one very lovely highlight, and that was the fact that as I pulled up to the window in my car in line at the drivethru at Tim Horton's, I was told that my coffee had been bought for me by the woman in the SUV in front of me in line.
I didn't know her, I had never seen her in my life. And I guess, she simply wanted to do something nice for someone, and I happened to be that person...???
Random acts of kindness don't happen often and when they do, boy, do they ever make an impact.
I should try it sometime. It might go a long way to make me feel better about myself.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Who does that?
Okay...I just got a call from my hubby and sometime between leaving my driveway this morning and now someone put a big dent in our new car's front bumper. I can't even figure out how it is even possible to have done that where I was parked, so it had to have been deliberate, but regardless, it is a new friggin' car, and I am pissed. Seriously maddened. I had my older Camry for 7 years and other than your usual light car door dings, NOTHING. But now that we have a new beautiful 2009 Camry Hybrid, some schmuck decides to damage it.
OH! I'm MAD!
Okay....five minutes have passed, and I just found out it is roll up the rim to win time at Tim Horton's. Doesn't make up for this, but at least I could win another car...right?
OH! I'm MAD!
Okay....five minutes have passed, and I just found out it is roll up the rim to win time at Tim Horton's. Doesn't make up for this, but at least I could win another car...right?
Catty claws and reality romance
Ah...the women tell all episode of The Bachelor. Okay, what? The old singles from all the old episodes of Bachelor/Bachelorette get together and GET TOGETHER? Actually....they all are perfect for each other. They all should join the Beautiful People website. Awwww...there's real love there! wow, that is cheezy.
So. who's it going to be? He's either going to make the wrong choice and go with the cutesy girl-woman Melissa, or he'll go with the wide-eyed balanced and much too good for him Molly. I just don't know what it is, but this Jason dude is trying much too hard to look perfect, and I am not biting. I mean, I seem to recall that Jason's home during his first appearance with Deanna was a normal apartment on LAND, and not a Sleapless in Seattle love boat, don't you? And he never seems to mention that he has shared custody with his boy, and isn't the 24-7 single sacrificing Pappy that he claims to be. I really liked my gal pal Jillian from northern Alberta, though. She came from Peace River, which is really close to where my Mom grew up, in a small wheat town called Hythe, near Beaverlodge (yup, you guessed it. They have a massive sculpture of a beaver as you enter town).
Well...the ladies are finally going to weigh in. Here we go - release the jungle cats and sharpen the claws....!!!
So. who's it going to be? He's either going to make the wrong choice and go with the cutesy girl-woman Melissa, or he'll go with the wide-eyed balanced and much too good for him Molly. I just don't know what it is, but this Jason dude is trying much too hard to look perfect, and I am not biting. I mean, I seem to recall that Jason's home during his first appearance with Deanna was a normal apartment on LAND, and not a Sleapless in Seattle love boat, don't you? And he never seems to mention that he has shared custody with his boy, and isn't the 24-7 single sacrificing Pappy that he claims to be. I really liked my gal pal Jillian from northern Alberta, though. She came from Peace River, which is really close to where my Mom grew up, in a small wheat town called Hythe, near Beaverlodge (yup, you guessed it. They have a massive sculpture of a beaver as you enter town).
Well...the ladies are finally going to weigh in. Here we go - release the jungle cats and sharpen the claws....!!!
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