Happy New Year 2012

This will be a quiet day getting organized for the coming year. Slowly, I am getting better at planning.
Our celebration this evening will be quiet as you can tell from my previous posting.
Have a wonderful evening.

New Years!

I have something in common with Michele Pheiffer and Hilary Swank. Just heard a radio interview with both and neither one of them is able to stay up until midnight even on New Year's Eve. Michael and I have only managed it once and that was the Millennium. Other than that we often head off to bed well before midnight. We are just such live wires.
Will have friends over on New Years Day which will be nice. Yesterday we had friends over and went to Allan Gardens. The green houses were lovely. What a treat to see the plants and flowers. A gem that we hope that the city is able to keep.
Happy New Year to all of you. A little early, I know but wanted to make sure that I got in since I seem to be missing posts every second day.

Girl with the Dragon Tatoo

This is the movie week. We do not often have time for two movies let alone three. We will be going to see a third movie on Saturday, early to avoid the New Year's crowd.
Yesterday, we went to see the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was an interesting movie with plot twists. However, it also had accent twists. The cast is supposed to be playing Swedish characters but must admit that some of the accents slipped from time to time. If you have not seen the original which a friend suggested is best then this is a good alternative. Better than the movies aimed at teenage boys and there are plenty of those.
Have to decide what movie to see on Saturday. Will keep you posted.

Moneyball, the movie

Today is our first relaxing day. We went to the movies and saw a movie that will soon be off the silver screen, Moneyball. It is a movie about the Oakland Athletics and their baseball season in 2002. The movie tells the story of the coach, Billy Beane who hires an economics major who is able to work with statistics and help make choices for baseball players. The team has a remarkable season and nearly wins the America league pennant. Well done. Beane stayed with team instead of heading off to Boston at the end of the season and is still trying to win. He had a wonderful season and also put family ahead of money and team by not moving to Boston.
Worth going to see if you can find it. I prefer the real silver screen but some of you will find other ways to watch the movie.

Get together!

Yesterday was a lovely day. I taught my regular bassoon lessons and then after visiting the high school where I supply I dropped off a gift at the senior's home where I visit. She was asleep and I did not have the heart to wake her up. Never know how long she has been asleep.
Then, I picked up a shirt for Michael. He wanted a new shirt for a lunch he is going to today. Work is taking his department out for lunch which should be nice.
What I enjoyed yesterday was meeting with a group of former students for dinner. They were all from the school that I retired from. It has been a number of years since we all saw each other. It was fascinating to hear what they are doing. All of them seem to be finding there way even if it is not a straight line which is not a bad thing at their age. We are now planning to meet up again next year. Hope that happens. Will be interesting to hear what they have all been doing.
That is what makes the holiday time special. Getting together with people.

Sliding on Sidewalk

I was just watching a jokeroo video. What have we come to? The videors were filming people falling on ice. They knew the ice was there and just had a jolly good time watching people slide and fall. It was obvious that some of the people were very shook up. At no time did the people filming stop to help people, put sand down or anything that would actually help the victims.
What have we become? (Sorry to repeat but I am overcome with concern as to what we are becoming in our rush to film and get things on-line.) Voyeurs who love to watch and film victims? How incredibly sad.

Shopping for Christmas

Yes, you read correctly. I am off to do some Christmas shopping today. This is the first time that I have a whole day to do it. I have done the cards and believe me, I did plenty. Lost count how many but it was not just one or two.
Michael and I discussed the possible gifts and gift certificates came up as one of the alternatives. I think that I will cave in and buy some. It is hard buying things for people our age.
Wish me luck.

MacMillan Reunion!

On Thursday, I will be having dinner with a group of 12 former students from my grade 7/8 school who have all graduated from high school at this point. Will be looking forward to seeing who comes. The student organizing the event, Mary has let me know who some of the attendees are. I am surprised that so many want to get together especially since it has been over 5 years since some have seen each other. Wonder if I will recognize some of them. They will have grown up. I should insist on name tags. They will all know me but the others I wonder.
This is exciting, a first. Will let you know how it goes.

Final push

This is it. The final push to Christmas. Will be delivering a number of cards and presents tomorrow to two schools I have been associated with then. In the evening, I have a present for the flute player who I will play with. I am not worried, he does not check this blog so he will know that I have a present for him. Have you seen Lucy from Peanuts playing the flute? Yes, that is the gift.
Tuesday, I am having lunch with a group that I worked with. There will be 6 of us. I have scarves for the group. Might do what I did yesterday. Had the scarves in bags and each person picked their own. Worked out yesterday.
Wednesday will be a quiet day. I will have time to do some more reading and organizing and also important practising.
Thursday, I am going to see Olive, my 92 year old friend. Will bring a Christmas gift and also a birthday card. Have to think what I should get.
In between all these activities, need to do some more shopping. What a challenge!

The Wednesday Letters

Looking for something to read? May I recommend the Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright. It is a wonderful quick read. I read it in a couple evenings. Inspiring, not War and Peace but definitely worth a read. I have just requested another of his books and will report on it once I have finished. Trying to find authors who I am not familiar with. Have read most of the Russian authors, Brontes and authors of that ilk.
Mysteries are fun but I am not sure that is all that I want.
Suggestions?

Getting there

Well, the table cloth did not get done today. That will be put off until Monday. In the meantime, I had a lovely lunch and dessert with a friend. We explored a new part of the city. We are planning to visit other parts in the future. Should be fun. When you get out and start exploring, you start to see what a fascinating city this is. So many groups have found a home here.
Cards are done and you know that already, getting decorations up and now the table cloth and cookies.
How is your planning coming?

Christmas decorations

It is now that time. Christmas decorations are being put up. Got the wreath on the door,it is very old- a teacher who I worked with at my first school gave it to me, ( I only worked at two, things changed around me instead of me changing schools). I also put up garlands, time to replace those. They are falling apart.
Next it will be time for the tree, I love seeing the ornaments. Have to start making more ornament next year. Also need to make a new table cloth. That is Friday's job. Plenty to keep me occupied.
Hope that you are doing well with your decorating.

Food for the holidays

Cards are except for the neighbours and people who I will see during the holidays are done. Now it is time to think about menus. Turkey has been ordered for Christmas Day. Will also get back bacon. It is a treat that we have only a couple times a year. We love cooking and eating the turkey, have to modify the menu a little so that we do not have the fridge crowded with left overs. However, love to have turkey sandwiches, it is one of my favourite. Thinking of them already.
Desserts are a question: found a recipe yesterday for Vanilla Pound Cake with Peppermint Sauce. Now that sounds good. Will have to try it. Will let you know how it works. That might be for New Years Day when we are having friends over.
Will put my thinking cap on and come up with recipes.
If you have a suggestion, I am open to ideas.

Christmas Cards

Judging from topics posted in the past, I get excited when I finish my Christmas cards. Well, I am excited again. Finished in one day, all my cards except those for people I will be seeing before Christmas. People like my tennis buddies, my old school associates and friends. I am so happy, it took most of the day but it feels like I accomplished something serious. I certainly wrote more than the 20 cards on average which Canadians send. This is one of the times of year that it is important to reach out to people. As one of the ads said, you can not put up e-mails.
I am now looking forward to receiving cards. Have received some already.

Saving high school music programs

While travelling, I read many newspapers and one of them had an article about high school music programs and how they are in danger: "How to enliven-and save-high school music programs". In the United States the number of children receiving any arts education decreased by 21% from 1992 to 2008. Part of this would be because of the change in focus based on testing because of the No Child Left Behind program which has increased focus on testing. Another important point is that instruments are expensive. Interestingly, one of the points that seems to connect with people is that music only reaches a small portion of the students. However, this ignores the fact that other subjects that are optional do not reach everyone for example: visual art, family studies, languages.
The main disconnect is the focus on training students to become professional musicians. Why is this a problem? No one suggests that the art teacher should not be training students to go on and study further? Their supplies are not cheap either. I have been to the visual arts department, it is pricey. Family studies has expensive equipment.
There must be other reasons. Will have to investigate further.

Tea for the Queen in Moose Jaw

Yes, I still have news about Moose Jaw. Finally, I am getting caught up on all my computing. It seems that playing tennis early in the day makes it a challenge to get things done. Today, I am not playing until noon. Good.
One of the pieces of news that I picked up in Moose Jaw was a visit by the Queen to a farm in Moose Jaw. Can you imagine having the Queen to tea. My goodness, the preparations would be endless. The family of the 320 acre farm started 4 months in advance and continued preparing until the last minute. The family was excited and insisted on feeding all including the many reporters that accompanied the royal visit. The Queen and Prince Philip were knowledgeable and polite guests. What a honour to serve the Queen and her party.
What a lovely memory for the family. Tea for the Queen in 1959.

Car Hit!

We went out for breakfast this morning and had a lovely breakfast. Our usuals, an omelette and French toast for me. Good start to the day. Then it happened, we were at an intersection heading straight and a car on the drivers side swiped us and hit our side view mirror. Thank goodness, the driver, a young girl did very little damage. Just a scrape. However, she just drove away without checking.
Always check and be careful when you drive. She could have done more damage.

Spammed!

I don't know if I should be flattered that someone thought that my account is important enough to spam or annoyed. It was interesting that one of the people who was spammed actually traced the spam account to Argentina. I suspect that the spam did not originate there but it was just a point that could be traced. Interesting that this spam did not do anything to any one's account. Could be a try to see what could be done. My server has already had me change some account information. I have a feeling that all the virus protection in the world will not help if someone really wants to access your account.
Hope that does not happen to any one else.

Posting?

Wonder how many of the rest of you find it hard to keep up with e-mails? I have not been away travelling to exotic places like Moose Jaw which we visited a month ago or Massachusetts. Have been home but keeping up with e-mails keeps me busy. I also send snail mail, have a great deal to send tomorrow. I think that I will be able to post this week but don't count on it. If I miss the morning, do not seem to be able to get back to my blog the rest of day.
I am not extremely popular but have a number of e-mails that I receive.
Hope that the rest of you are keeping up and enjoying yourselves at the same time.

Glass Buildings

Finally, an architect is willing to speak out and admit that glass buildings are not appropriate for Toronto at least. I have long wondered about the glass buildings that are popping up everywhere in the city. Yesterday, I heard an interview on the radio and the architect admitted that it is cheaper to build glass buildings, not necessarily safer, smarter heating wise. I often wondered what is motivating these builders. Also wondered that the purchasers of these units could not see the flaws. Units that face the sun would be overheated even in the winter as the sun shines into the units over half the day. The summer must be unbelievabley hot. Glass panes have fallen down and I am sure that will continue.
When will builders and others stop this madness and admit that this is not the best way to build?

Last Casualty of World War 1

Things that I learned while in Moose Jaw. One of these is about Private George Lawrence Price.
It is interesting that two places claim rights to the last casualty of World War 1. Private Price born on December 15,1892 in Kings County, Nova Scotia which is why that claim is made and he enlisted in the army in October 1917 from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
Private Price completed basic training in Regina and was enrolled in the December 1917. He was transferred to the 15th Canadian Reserve Battalion on February 6, 1918 and then transferred to the 28th Canadian Infantry Battalion on May 1, 1918. He arrived in Etaples, France on May 2, 1918 and finally on the front on June 1, 1918.
A few minutes before the end of the war, Private Price's luck ran out. On November 11, 1918, at 10:50 a.m. Private Price of A Company was shot by a German sniper while carrying out a reconnaissance on the far side of the Canal du Centre. He was the last Allied battle fatality of WWI.
Private Price is buried within a half a mile of where the first casualty of the First World War was killed. Private John Parr, of the 4 Battalion Middlesex Regiment, died on August 21, 1914, about the time that Private Price arrived in Moose Jaw.
Sad that war continues and people are still killed until that magic moment. The end has been decided and still fighting continues.

Seared Tilapia with Chili-Lime Butter

Getting back to trying new recipes. This is the latest.

Seared Tilapia with Chili-Lime Butter. (My better half really enjoyed this.)

Chili-Lime Butter
Ingredients
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh Thai or red serrano chili pepper, including seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pan-seared Tilapia
Ingredients
6 5-6 oz. pieces skinless tilapia filets
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation
1. In a bowl, stir together chili-lime butter ingredients.
2. Pat fish dry and sprinkle with salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over moderately high heat until just smoking. Saute 3 pieces of fish, tunring over once with a spatula, until golden and just cooked through, 4 to 5 mintes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Repeat with remaining fish and oil.
4. Serve each piece of fish with a dollop of chili-lime butter.

Excellent way to add fish to your diet.

Search for a restaurant

What happened to the Watt's and Diana Sweets of this world? I enjoy trying the cuisine of different cultures but sometimes it would be nice to have a simple salad or a simple meal. A group of us are trying to find a location that will work for us. We do not want something so noisy that you can not talk to each other. One location that we tried was so noisy that we could barely talk across the table. Group conversation was not possible. Our favourite restaurant, the Sierra Grill is bankrupt. Not sure what happened there after 33 years in business. It was wonderful.
Wish us luck finding a restaurant that is not themed and noisy.

V is for Vengeance

Love those mysteries. The newest is V is for Vengeance. Will tell you more after I have finished. Read 6 mysteries the past couple weeks. Sitting in airports makes for a great deal of reading. This coming week, I will have to wait while some students practise which means again more time spent waiting. Not complaining. Good to get a chance to read. As soon as I finish these books time to read some books about the Middle East that a friend loaned to me.
What books do the rest of you read? Always interested since I find so many books in the library. The only problem is that there does not seem to be enough time to read the books.
I have recently found time to bake again. Problem is that I have the urge to eat the cookies. Must fight that urge or get to more exercising. That is another item on my agenda.
Still not enough hours in the day.

Rita Mae Brown and books

I think that some of you already know that I love mystery books. The latest that I am reading is Hiss of Death by Rita Mae Brown. The focus is always a mystery and death but on the side, Rita Mae Brown does discuss the environment-in this case the urbanization of rural areas, health issues in this case-breast cancer and cancer in general, politics. It is interesting how she manages to integrate these issues into her work.
I love her books and look forward to future ones.

New Posts

What to post? I have a friend who stopped posting in January. In the post, she promised that she would be back on but that was not to be. It is hard to keep posting. Sometimes life is not that exciting.
Do you want to read about the e-mails that I sent, not very exciting I am sure. The tennis that I will play. I am okay but nothing great. Will not win any championships. I do have fun and as long as I am able to play a good game will continue. Need to exercise which is my main motivation.
I can tell you about the cleaning that I am doing. I am actually getting somewhere with it. Hard to believe that I promised myself that I would do a real serious cleaning when I retired. Well that did not happen. Have been too busy just enjoying myself and getting other things done. However, I have started doing some serious cleaning and will get to really getting things done over the next while especially when it gets cold and I do not want to go outside unless it is to shovel snow. Oh don't start too soon.
Getting the tires switched starting next week. Don't want to be caught in a line-up when the snow comes.
Will try to find more interesting things to write about.
Hope that all of you have exciting lives.

Bank fees

Finally, someone is on the same page as I am. This morning, as I was watching the Sunday Morning show, one of my guilty pleasures one of the commentators complained about bank fees. In particular, she was commenting on debit cards and the fees that Bank of America is going to charge. Apparently, the bank is going to charge $5 per month to use debit cards. Now, that is not fair since the charge is to access your own money. How is that fair. I have always felt that it does not make sense for banks to be charging you to access your own money. I was first introduced to this concept over 35 years ago before it was even introduced and when VISA was actually chargex. At the time, I commented that it did not seem right to have the charges.
Wonder if customers are going to react or blindly just use the card and pay the fees.

Moosejaw

We are back from our travels. The last little while we have been travelling: went to Massachusetts for a conference and then once we had returned and had a little break, it was off to Stratford to see the Grapes of Wrath. That was an excellent production. We actually decided that we would go to Stratford in the future instead of Kingston since we found an excellent Indian food restaurant.
Home and then off to Moosejaw. We can now say that we have only one province left to visit. Can you believe that we have visited 9 of the 10 provinces. We might just have to visit Manitoba without a reason such as a conference.
Moosejaw was interesting. Population is 36,000 and the residents consider it a city. Hardly in my opinion. Places with a population base so small in Ontario are classified as towns.
Enjoyed visiting the Museum of Transportation- interesting that they had an Indian Motorcycle which was manufactured in Springfield, Massachusetts which we had visited a couple weeks before. At the museum in Springfield, there were many Indian Motorcycles. Also visited the Art gallery which was very small. And then did a walking tour of the historic buildings which were not even 100 years old. Nice buildings.
Looking forward to more adventures.

Abuse

What I learn as time passes! Received a call from a 92 year old friend this week. Her daughter has hit her. I had warned her that if she is going to tell her daughter something that might annoy her that she should have an advocate with her. After talking to an abuse hot line found out that this does not work once the friend is gone. Daughter can then start the abuse. How very sad to find out what I anticipated is happening.
What causes people to do things like this? Why do people cause harm to people who are in no position to help themselves?
Will see what happens when I visit today.

Payment for job

I play in a number of music groups. It is interesting how they evolve and then things change. One of the groups that I am involved in is a large ensemble. The past two years we have had a conductor. Last year, the group had one performance after a summer of practise. This year, we had a number of performances at seniors homes and also a performance at a shopping mall and a gallery. During the summer, I contacted the conductor to firm up payment. He danced around the discussion and avoided saying anything about payment. Now that the season is over, it seems that we have two camps. I think that the conductor would be surprised the group does not want to simply give him all the money. The expectation is that group members get paid as well.
This is a lesson to the group. Need to get expectations set before starting. My how this group has changed over the years from a group that practised in a basement as one of the members said.
Might have more about this in the next few days.

Inheritance

It is interesting. When my parents passed away, I did not expect to get anything and certainly did not tell either one of them what I would have hoped to receive. I can not imagine telling a parent what portion of the estate I wanted. I visit a friend who is 92 and certainly her estate is a concern. Unfortunately, she does not have a vast estate and despite that one of her daughters has asked for 2/3 of the estate not just half. She does not want to share equally with her sister. For some reason, she feels that despite all that her mother has done for her in the past and has done recently, she is entitled to more. She is asking her mother's care givers to give more and also is very abusive of the case worker that her mother has. She feels it is her right to tell these people off.
Families can be interesting and sometimes sad to observe them in action.

Supply teaching

Now that the fall has arrived, (I know that I am a little early), routines are changing. Yesterday, I did my first of the supply teaching days. I can do 20 days this year and next year, it is up to 50 days which will be quite the change.
The school where I work and I only work at one school and usually one department, the music department is very good. The students do not have discipline issues. They are very nice. I am sure that there are a few that are challenging. (There were three police cars outside the school when we left yesterday which means that something was up.) I know the routine so things work out well.
Today, I am going to check about my bassoon students. Have two and that is at an arts school. Nice place to work as well. Have to work on keeping track of payments for lessons. Was not very good at that last year.

Painters

Well, the painting is not done. There were things that we contracted for that did not get done and some of the work was sloppy. I had arranged for the painters to come again today and finish the work. Glad that I did not count on them coming.
I have learned my lesson, will make sure that I ask for references which I will use. In the past, work was always well done. This is not the case this time. Interesting that they came, booked a return visit. Today, no call, no e-mail nothing. No show!
Oh well, I paid a deposit but not the full amount. I think that tomorrow, I will clean up the paint material that was left behind.
Will check the hardware stores for new screen doors. Wanted our painted but think that it will be cheaper to have new doors. After this many years, I think that it might be the better alternative.

Letters

Now that Labour Day is here, time to get into a new routine. Summer seemed so relaxed that I had trouble many days getting into a serious routine. Now that will change after today. Why isn't this day New Years? We are going to celebrate it as New Years because of the many changes. Even at work settings people get into different routines. No more summer shifts, early off Fridays.
My main goal now that the time is changing is to get out more letters. I have been good but time to up the anti. People are home and ready to receive the mail.
Want to send the first letter to Olive who is 92 and really not doing well. She has called and said that when I visit that I should come to her bedroom. However, there is a gatekeeper who is stopping that. Don't want to try to get past her at this point. Might change my mind if it keeps up.
Will let you know what happens.

Labour Day weekend

After a couple quiet weeks, it is time to gear up. That is why I did not write. Nothing of note.
The Labour Day weekend is here, time of great change as I may have mentioned in the past. New Years in many ways. Seasons start, summer vacation is over for students. Since I volunteer at one school, do some teaching at another and supply teach, I do notice the change in schedule. Also the change in daylight. Now when I get up and it is 6 a.m., it is still dark and I know that it will be darker each passing day.
Will enjoy this weekend and work towards the change of schedule.
Hope that everyone else is enjoying their long weekend.

Goderich

This morning, I was shocked to see the pictures of the devastation in Goderich. A tornado ripped through there yesterday. One of the pictures in the paper this morning was of the hotel that we had stayed at when we were there last year. Who knew that it could get that bad. The daughter-in-law of a friend lives there part of the time. She works at a historic site. Luckily, she just had a baby and is living in Waterloo with her husband.
You never know when something is going to strike.

Storm

Wow, I can understand why some of these musical stages have collapsed recently. A storm just moved through this afternoon. Thank goodness, no damage to our property but a branch did come off our tree and hit the neighbours driveway. It might have hit the power line but it is not down. No cars parked in the driveway so no damage. Yeah!
Across the street a major branch came down and landed on the front of the car. They won't find out about it until they come home. They are away and do not know anything about how long they will be away. Not a nice thing to come home to.
The storm was fierce but thank goodness nothing happened here.
Hopefully no more storms for a bit.

Choices

Just received an e-mail from a high-school student who is now in grade 11. Hard to believe that they keep getting older. I taught him in grade nine when I was covering the maternity leave at the high school where I work as a supply teacher. It was a good year. Now, I am working on other things like more playing. Amazing how many gigs I have.
Well back to the student, he wanted my advice about a job that he got at a Boys and Girls Club. He is going to work 2-3 days a week. It seems that the work will be flexible on the clubs part which means that the student will not know each week when he is working. That will cause problems with his band and stage band practises. I think that he wanted me to say that it was okay if he missed practises but unfortunately for him, that is not what I am prepared to say. As we get older we need to commit to practises and times and sometimes eliminate things from our schedules because they no longer fit. I hope that he does not give up band. He is a good player.
Hope that he makes a good decision but I can not make it for him.

Painting not Done!

Yes, you read the title correctly. The painting is not done. I am learning more about painting than I wanted to know. I now know that water based paint should not go on oil based paint unless proper sanding and priming is done. If it is not done, then there will be bubbling. Painters should know this but I had to point this out. We had bubbling and since then more bubbling. Learned this from a friend who is a painter and lives in Nova Scotia. Thank goodness, she was able to advise as to what the problem is. The painters are to do the screen doors and now I am scared that they will do a sloppy job. Also paint elsewhere has not been done properly. What a problem. Need to investigate the workmanship carefully in the future. I thought that seeing their sign out was good enough but no, not good enough. Need to call for references. Had not done that except for a vacation excursion which was wonderful.
Will let you know how the job works out next week.

I did it!

Those of you who read this blog yesterday know that I was going to drive on the highway going west yesterday. The good news is that I did it. Wow, for me it was a challenge getting on. Once I was on, no problem. I can speed with the best of them, in fact managed to hit 120 a couple times but never let my passenger know. I think that might cause her concern.
I drove around Niagara Falls and to Niagara on the Lake. All good.
Need to keep confronting fears like that. One day, I might even be able to drive the 401 across the city. That might take a little time.

Gardiner and QEW

Today, I will be doing something that many people think normal. I am going to drive on the Gardiner Expressway and the QEW. I have my route planned, I will enter from the Lakeshore where the Don Valley enters the Gardiner and then get in the centre lane and stay there all the way to St. Catharines. I am going to visit my husband's aunt and uncle with someone who is also a friend of theirs. She has known them from choir and then socially. She was going to drive but I decided that I should since Eileen and Joe are getting to the stage where they are going to need help legally and Michael and I will be responsible. I will need to be able to drive out and help.
Wish me luck.

Honesty

It is interesting dealing with people. Everyone once in a while you find that you are dealing with someone who is not completely honest. Even when they try to finally be honest you are not sure about their motives and if they are being honest. You check about the information that you have been given. Is it the truth or could the person have told you a story to keep you in the dark? It is much easier and better to be up front with people.
I do not want to discuss the situation too much just in case the person involved actually sees the blog and realizes that it is them that I am discussing. It seems that a contract was negotiated and the information about payment was never made clear. It is interesting how a person can hide the actual amounts paid. The group has been up front but the person working with the group has not. Sad because trust is then lost.
Remember that it is best to be honest. If you have nothing to hide, it is easier to deal with others.

House Painted

I could tell you about my adventures working with my student chamber players.They are doing really well but I will tell you about my house painting instead.
The house is being painted with red for the front door. This project was put off after last year when we ended with getting the roofing redone. The painting will be the last project of the year. All the trime is while and the front door will be red.
It seems that there is always something to do. Hopefully, once this is done the remaining projects will not be as serious: roofing, a new furnace after 25 years and the furnace is always more expensive for us since we have radiators, work done on the crawl space since we had a leak and the neighbours put in a new fence and we are sharing the cost. Want the invoice redone since it does not explain what was done at all. Interesting.
All the others were very clear. Wonder who the neighbour is getting to do the work.
Oh well, the new door will be nice.

Cold Sassy

Just finished a lovely book, Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. Just read the cover when I finished and discovered that the author born in 1924 was diagnosed with an illness in 1976 and decided to write a novel. Her first was Cold Sassy Tree and the sequel, Leaving Cold Sassy, I have ordered from the library. Fascinating that she would decided at her age that it was time to write novels instead of articles. Based on the this book, it is a shame that she did not write more. However, it appears that she wrote but articles not books for the Atlanta Journal Sunday Magazine.
Found out about this book from a magazine that I subscribe to the Victorian. Interesting where you will find out about books.

Red Door

Time to get painting done on the house. We are prepped. Had wood work done last week and also got siding put up on the back of the house. Now, we are ready. Decided to try a new painter since this was the only painter that mentioned that wood work needed to be done. Wondering what the others planned to do? Just paint and leave wood that way it was? Scary since some of it really needed to be replaced. We are being wild about the front door. Going to paint it red! Yes, you read correctly. Red! Will take a picture once the work is done.
Hope that you have happy renovations. This will be it for this year.

Plan for the future

If you read about my friend who is 92, you know that I am concerned about her well being.
This makes me think about what I must do to plan. Day to day is not bad but the future. We have our wills done which is a good thing but interesting how over time your idea of who should look after things changes. People move and their circumstances change.
This reminds me that we must get things better organized. I have started which is good but much remains to be done. Amazing how much needs to be done.
My friend who is 92 worries about this but her affairs and things are minor compared to mine. I wish that I was joking but it is amazing how many things that I have physically and financially. More must get cleaned up.
Must get back to the goal of at least one thing out each day. That will start tomorrow.
As I reread this, I can see that seeing Olive has gotten me thinking about many issues.
Time to practise. Have a performance tonight and then another tomorrow.

Life without regrets!

How to live life without regrets.
That is hard but something that is worth trying to achieve. Again, I refer to my friend who is 92 and obviously on my mind. She has regrets for things that she has done and not done. I know that there are things that we wish we had done but we must try always to do what is best at the time. Time will tell us that maybe it was not the best decision but it was the best we could do at the time.
Time to reflect on the future but looking back. We can do nothing about the past.
I know that there will be regrets but hopefully not serious enough to cause major heartbreak.
Live life to the best of your ability. Enjoy and do for others.

Help for the aged

Went to visit a friend who is 92 today. It is so sad. She is very depressed and her daughter is not helping. She is letting her mother do the laundry. Now, if her mother was able I would say that it is okay but the mother is falling. How hard is that?
The daughter got a parking ticket for $250 for parking in a fire zone. How hard would it have been to park a few feet away. The daughter is not handicapped so she did not have to do something like this. The worst part is that she will use her mother's money to pay the fine. She does the banking for her mother. Mother has very little money. This is not a wealthy woman, I know because I did her taxes and her deceased husbands because I was his executor. The woman made a person who took her to the lawyer her power of attorney and executor. What a mistake. I will avoid her. Called her about the situation of the woman and she said that she is just a little sad. Oh, it is much worse than that. Mother did not eat all day when I saw her at 1:30. She was going back to sleep.
What to do? This is going to be very hard to watch. Sad and if something happens, I might even take them to court since both the daughter and Power of Attorney seem very negligent.

Health

Today, I seem more aware of good health than ever.
For lunch, a group of us are going out with a colleague who has lung cancer. I know that people survive this type of cancer but it is one of the more difficult ones to deal with. She is very optimistic. I am not one of those people who believes that if you are optimistic and positive you will beat the cancer. Some of the most optimistic people have been beaten by this disease.
My aunt wrote to me this morning and told me about visiting a neighbour in the hospital. This neighbour is a double amputee. I can not imagine but then again, I am one of those people who is active and being confined is not something that I can picture.
We must enjoy our good health while we have it.

Not everyone who says hi is talking to you

Just went to do some errands and as I exited the dry cleaners someone said hi. Since I do not like to be rude, I answered. Well, to my surprise the street sweeper was talking on his blue-tooth. Who would be believe that street sweepers would have blue-tooth to talk while they work and unfortunately, he was not really very busy working.
This will cause me to rethink my attitude of saying hello to others. There might just be more times when the person is talking to their cell phone.
My attitude is that when you are working that is what you should be doing. Guess, this just shows my age.

It is hot!

Oh my, it is hot. I do not use air conditioning during the day and boy am I noticing. Took a shower yesterday before going out. Thought that I had not dried myself properly, tried again. That did not work, I was simply sweating. Wow, was I glad to go to an air conditioned place for our performance. I will be glad when this heat wave moves on. I am someone who does not mind the heat but this is enough.
Also, we need some rain. I need to go outside and water the plants. They are begging for water.
It is not too much to ask for is it. A little cooler weather and rain.
I am off. Time to water.

Racoons preying on Family Pets

While we are in the middle of a heat wave, it is hard for me to think about posting on my blog. My apologies.
Today, I read about raccoons that are attacking family pets in Richmond, B.C. Wow, we have raccoons but I can not imagine that they would actually attack pets and these were not kittens. The raccoons are actually swarming and eating pets. My goodness, this is something that I would picture happening in a horror movie but not in real life.
Will watch the raccoons with new respect.

Power of Good Posture

As long as I have worked with students, I have insisted that they sit up straight. Aside from the fact that it is good for their breathing, it is also positive in interviews and similar situations. Good posture creates the appearance of being in command. Standing tall makes you feel strong, confident and less likely to feel pain according to new research from Toronto's Rotman School of Management. "It's the same idea as if you smile, you'll feel happier," says researcher Vanessa Bohns, now a professor of management at the University of Waterloo.
The study by Bohns and Scott Wiltermuth from the University of Southern California will appear peer-reviewed Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
Dominant postures like standing up straight or with feet wide apart increase testosterone in both women and men and decrease cortisol, a stress-related hormone. Assuming a dominant stance signals you own the space around you, says Bohns.
"Posture affects nerve stimulation, the circulation of blood, the lymphatic system. Once you're in awkward postures, you compromise those three things and it leads to discomfort-pain, aching, throbbing.
Posture has a hug impact on every-day life."
Will clip the article and show it to the students who I am working with.

Canadians Rescue ailing porter

On Monday, a group of Canadian climbers received an urgent call for help. A Pakistani porter suffering from severe altitude sickness had been left on the mountain base above them. He was abandoned by a team of Japanese climbers who were unable to organize a rescue but could organize to continue their climb. The Canadians found the porter, had brought emergency supplies and climbed back down to an emergency medical tent with the porter.
The climbers realized when they were done and celebrated that the other team had ignored their humanity and instead listened to their egos.
Mr. Rousseau and his fellow climbers are being lauded as heroes and rightly so.
Hopefully, we can all remember our humanity and not let our egos get in the way.

Names in Toronto

Do you ever wonder how places got their name? Well, I read about one that I had never thought about carefully yesterday. Christie Pits. This iconic spot is named for the Canadian baker and entrepreneur William Mellis Christie a.k.a. Mr. Christie. This is according to city archives. His massive biscuit making operation took up much of the area where George Brown College now sits.
Bloor Street is named after a Joseph Bloore who was one of the city's earliest brewers. He built his brewery in 1830 and when he sold it in 1843 bought land in what would become Yorkville. City officials are not sure whey the 'e' was dropped when Tollgate Rd. was renamed Bloor St. in 1855.
That is your history lesson for the day. Many place names to explore.

Chickpea Couscous

The cooking is going well, the gardening is another story. Just looked out at the garden and saw that the plants that I transplanted yesterday have all been pulled up. What is going on?

Oh well, I made Chickpea Couscous yesterday, courtesy of Martha Stewart and it was popular. Have another recipe which I found in the mystery book that I am reading.

Chickpea Couscous

Sweet raisins and nutty chickpeas add taste and texture to this 10 minute summer side.

Ingredients:
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3/ cup raisins
1 teaspoon olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup couscous

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, combine chickpeas, raisins, oil, 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper; bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, and cover pot; remove from heat. Set aside (5 minutes). Fluff couscous gently with a fork before serving.

Nice side for a meal.

El Sistema again

After a couple days, I am writing about El Sistema again. I wonder what the goal of El Sistema is in Toronto where supposedly the school system is teaching students about music and how to play instruments and sing. Is this a comment about what is being done? Will the school system wake up and acknowledge that there are issues that need to be addressed or will it just let this programme which is good take over its responsibility?
I am truly puzzled that there does not seem to be a response from educators. Why is this?
Will keep watching what happens.

Transformational Power of Music

Interesting that El Sistema which I have been following for some time is now becoming firmly entrenched in Toronto and the surrounding area. What is interesting is that El Sistema is being developed in an area that supposedly has music in the schools. Obviously there is a failure on the part of the system or a disconnect with El Sistema and the schools. Wonder what is going on? Are the school failing to provide music? Questions to be asked. I think that the idea is wonderful.
If you can find the Globe and Mail today, there is an article "The Transformation Power of Music" which explains that researchers are applying for funds to track the El Sistema programme. Wonder what the school system's reaction is?

Summerhill Nursery and Floral

One of the things that I love and am finding time for this summer is gardening. Will go out later when it is a little cooler. It is warm today and I am going to relax this afternoon. Went to a new nursery today, the Summerhill Nursery and Floral. Interesting place. It had plants that I have not been able to find else where. I am on the search for exotic plants. Found some oxalis which we saw on the Magical Gardens of Leaside tour. Will search for Oxalis. Not sure if if it is a perennial or annual. That I will check next.
Will let you know about other garden centres and plants as I hunt them down.
Happy gardening.

Wonderful weekend

What a wonderful Canada Day weekend. It rained last night but that was by the time we were home and relaxing. Yesterday, we did some quick errands and then after a visit to the bookstore went to see the movie "The Trip". Would not suggest that you see it unless you are eager to see some wonderful English scenery and great food vignettes. The rest of the film falls flat. Not as good as the film that took place in the Napa Valley and was about a week before a wedding. Sandra Oh was one of the actress in that film.
Time to shop, visit a deli and then practise. What a lovely day. Today was relaxed, played tennis and had strawberries at the tennis club. After, groceries and some errands. This afternoon read a book-"Unraveled" by Maggie Sefton. I enjoy her books about a yarn shop in Colorado.
Must get to some other books. Trying finally to catch up on my reading.

Canada Day is Here!

Canada Day is here and what a lovely day. We went out for breakfast which was a lovely treat. After I finish checking e-mails on the computer, I will do some gardening. Perfect day for it. I can not see any clouds. Supposed to rain tomorrow but I am hoping that forecast changes. We would like to be outdoors a little more. Rain at night when we sleep would be best. However, I think that I am asking for too much when I ask for rain during the quiet hours.
Hope that you are enjoying Canada and if you are working, sorry but you will get your holidays.

Happy Canada Day

I know that it is a day early but I want to wish everyone a Happy Canada Day. Some of you will have finished long slow drives to cottages. Hope that you have a wonderful time at the cottage. Others will be enjoying the city which has its delights as well. We will be having breakfast in the Beach area. Nice way to start the long weekend. I will have gone to the Music Banquet. Nice to have been invited.
Enjoy.

Mail strike is over!

Yeah! There is good news and bad news. The mail strike is over which means that bills will come. However, it also means that some cheques will start arriving. I am owed a couple cheques for performances. I can also start sending letters to friends. Missed sending off notes and cards. Just realized that I need to send a birthday card to a friend. Must get that off.
Wish that the strike could have been resolved without government intervention and suspect that it could have but we will never know. Enjoy the mail. Most of you will not care about the bills since you have prepaid them.
Bring on the mail.

Jeffry Leung and Fuzzy Bird

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of hearing one of my former students perform. He is now finished second year of the performance programme at U. of T. He is calling his performances the Fuzzy Bird project and I must say that I am impressed. The Fuzzy Bird comes from a Japanese composer who wrote the piece which is very modern.
I just googled him but at the moment, nothing. I do not think that will continue. Jeffrey Leung will be a name to note and you will hear more.
Must go and practise. However, I can only think about the standard he is reaching. Not enough hours in the day.

No Happy Feet!

A young Antarctic Emperor penguin has caught the attention of the media. This poor penguin took a wrong turn and ended up stranded on a beach in New Zealand. Conservation experts say the penguin, discovered Monday, is about 10 months old and stand about 80 centimetres high. Colin Miskelly of Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand, said the bird was likely born during the last Antarctic winter. It may have been searching for squid and krill when it took a wrong turn and landed about 3,200 kilometres from the Antarctic coast. Now that is a wrong turn. I would have noticed after the first kilometre or so. This poor bird's homing instincts were not very strong.
Recent reports say that the conservationist will not get involved with the bird. They can not head to the Antarctic at this time of year and they are worried about bacteria that the bird might have picked up.
Sad to think that this poor bird might perish on the beach alone and lost.

Cost of bags

Today, I bought blueberries. They are 2 for $5 which is about as good as it gets. When I asked for a bag, what a surprise. Bags are supposed to be 5 cents. Well, they are 5 cents plus tax which makes them 6 cents at this particular store. The money is not collected by the government so the store in question collects the money and then what? I was not going to argue with the cashier because she is just doing a job but I will send a note to the parent company. Wonderful if I get an answer that makes sense? Will keep you informed.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to send the letter until the mail strike is over.
Oh yes, I was told by an American company that I contacted today about purchasing some bassoon reeds that the strike is supposed to be over by Wednesday. Will see what happens. Another company that I contacted for something else did not think that the Wednesday is realistic. Politicians will not go on vacation until this is resolved. Will be interesting.

The Shops at Don Mills

A year later and the mall is not filled and I think a disappointment. Sadly, the builders forgot that we live in Canada and this is not a discount shopping centre with Big Box stores. The restaurants might be busy but I am not sensing that this mall is a major success. Sadly, because the stores are so far apart, it will be impossible to cover them. Maybe this is just my opinion but I have not gone to this centre for over a year.
Perhaps, others have found it much more to their liking.

Giving from the Head

2006, Charity Intelligence was launched and it started to apply its investment strategy to giving. It researches and analyzes Canadian charities in order to provide givers with the information they need to give to charities with proven results. It provides its findings free of charge on its website: www.charityintelligence.ca.
"We come from an investment background and modelled how we would invest money to...giving." Ms. Bahen of Charity Intelligence says. "If you look at the traditional methods of giving, compared with the analysis methods of giving, it's like investing your money with a Bernie Madoff, someone who has approached you at your golf club, versus going out and doing the nuts and bolts fundamental analysis and investing in a Warren Buffett, who a proven track record."
This sounds wonderful but I have a couple questions: who pays the staff of Charity Intelligence? Why is their information better than others? The last crash suggests that even the best companies had trouble figuring out where to invest. Only large proven charities would receive money from this group.
Hope that this works. Will check into it.

Blueberry Muffins

It is now nearly blueberry season. They are appearing in the grocery store in great numbers. I tried a simple blueberry recipe yesterday and it was a success.

Versatile Muffins

Two charming English words, muffin and gem, refer to the same little cake. Serve these puffly little morsels piping hot form the oven with butter-and don't over look the quick change ideas.

Preheat oven to 400o F.

Grease thoroughly 12 medium-sized muffin cups.

Sift or blend together
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Beat together with a fork
1 egg
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup shortening, melted

Add liquids to dry ingredients and stir only until combined (batter will be lumpy).

Fill prepared muffins sups 2/3 full.

Bake in 400o over for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from pans and serve warm.

Makes 12 muffins.

Blueberry Muffin:
Fold 3/4 cup fresh blueberries into batter.

Enjoy.

More Garbanzos

This will be a garbanzo and blueberry stretch of recipes. Going to enjoy these fruits and vegetables. The garbanzos are not a problem seasonally since they are canned. Tried the latest recipe last night and it was excellent.

Chickpeas with Spinach

"This vegetarian dish is easy and requires very little oil. Add ground red pepper if you'd like it spicier. I like to serve this dish with Indian flatbread and yogurt. "
Rajita Eihence, Middleburg Heights, Ohio.


1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups chopped spinach
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup hot cooked basmati rice
Lemon wedges (optional)
Grated Lemon rind (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, ginger and garlic, saute 4 minutes or until mixture begins to brown. Add water and tomato paste, cook 2 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring constantly. Stir in spinach, chili powder, slat and chickpeas, cover. Reduce heat, cook 5 minutes or until spinach wilts and mixture is heated. Stir in juice. Serve over rice. Garnish with lemon wedges and rind, if desired. Yield: 2 servings (serving size: about 1 cup chickpea mixture and 1/2 cup rice).

Calories 403

Cooking light 2004.

Italian Garbanzo Salad

Yes, I am back to cooking. Have blueberry muffins in the oven, made blueberry cornmeal bread yesterday and for dinner Chickpeas with spinach.

The recipe for today is:

Italian Garbanzo Salad
"This can be served as a first course or antipasti with Italian food or as a side to grilled chicken. It's even better the next day over salad greens.

3 cups finely chopped fennel bulb
2 cups chopped tomato
1 3/4 cups finely chopped red onion
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15 1/2 ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

1. Combine all ingredients except the cheese in a bowl, toss well. Let stand 30 minutes, sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Calories 159
From Cooking Light May 2004 (Oh yes, I am also catching up on magazines. You can tell that I am really behind.)
June 10, 2011

Mail Strike

The mail strike is now fully engaged. The only means of communication are e-mail and I use that a great deal and the phone. In some cases, face to face works but only if the person is in easy travelling distance. Just spent an hour sending out contracts, checking dates for my trio and dectet as well as sending out friendly contact messages. The only thing that is crucial is contracts that I need to send for the McMichael Gallery and if the strike does not end this week, I will start to e-mail the contracts. Negotiations were done by e-mail.
I love mail and hopefully this strike will end soon. I also like to use mail to keep in touch with people who are ill, I have two friends who have cancer. What are the odds? And also some seniors who do not have e-mail, the cost is too much for them. They could avoid the cost by using the library but it would be a difficult trip for one of them.
Hope this strike will end soon. The solutions are not simple.

Gardening

Getting back into gardening. Worked on the front lawn today. Spent three hours weeding-clearing up all the maple keys that have sprouted and well as other real weeds. Amazing how things that you don't want have the unique ability to grow while those plants that you desperately want to grow sometimes seem very reluctant.
An example of that is clivia that I bought. I bought one for our aunt and they have not done anything for the past few weeks. The problem is that they are very slow growing and she wants to see something happen. It is harder when you are hoping that these will grow. Indoor plants need to be contained at least in my opinion. I have a few that need to be transplanted. Time to deal with them as well as the out door plants.
Will start taking pictures and letting you see how everything has come up and the plants that are starting to bloom. The peonies are starting to look lovely. I love them. Wish that they would last longer.
Happy gardening.

Back

I can not believe that so much time has passed since I last posted. It is a new month. I have been busy with supply teaching, booking performances at the McMichael Gallery. This is something that I have been doing for 13 years. Who would have believed that I would be at it so long. Not me, but it is nice to plan for performances that the audience enjoys.
I have finally done some serious cleaning and will keep that up.
Gardening is also grabbing my attention. This year, I am going to have a lovely garden. It will take some work but will be worth it. I love a beautiful garden. Have to think about some of bushes that have gotten out of hand.
Music is also part of what I do. Today, I have a performance with Zach at a Seniors' home in Mississauga. I am pleased that things are going so well in terms of performances.
Now that I am back, I promise to be more faithful about posting.
Time to get to some cleaning.

Billy Elliot

Recently, I had a chance to see Billy Elliot. What a wonderful production. It was interesting to see how a movie could be translated to the stage. Obviously, some of the staging had to be changed since it would not be possible to travel as from place to place like Billy Elliot does in the movie. The production was excellent and I also enjoyed the fact that it was free. Now, when I say free that means that some of my money paid since we were invited to attend by our financial advisor.
Will try to get to more events. If Michael is unable to attend, I have found that there are others ready to stand in his place.
We had a lovely meal and appetizers before the show. Cathy from tennis, my guest and I decided to walk over to the theatre since it was not too far. Good idea since we were not wearing shoes that were impossibly high heeled. Cathy is ready to be a stand-in.

Concert

Last night, I conducted my band again. Hard to believe that 5 years after I retired, I am still conducting. What luck! The band members were wonderful and I am pleased to have been part of this experience. Each of the pieces had a number of soloist which was a nice touch. I am glad that students had a chance to be featured.
It was also nice to see students who I taught in the past. This seems like another phase of my teaching career which it is.
After I finish the thank yous and follow ups with students and others, it is time to move on to other projects.
Hope that all of you find things that keep you interested and active.

Furnace

Time to have the furnace replaced. This is a big job especially when you have hot water rads. Spoke to one of the neighbours and she mentioned that they are going to move sometime in the next year. Reason to not change their heating system. They still get oil to heat the house. Within the next year, they are going to sell to a developer not even bothering with retail sales. Sad since the house is good. They expanded. I think that will definitely help Michael decide that we should move. Guess we will be happy that we got a new furnace but not sure how long it will last. The neighbours have one daughter settled as a doctor, another is in finance. The son is the problem, he has a job at Home Depot but that is not full-time work. The challenge is for him to get more work. He has to decide on what he would like to do but that is hard. He did not manage to finish university. The courses that he enrolled in did not suit his needs and interests.
They are working on the furnace as I type. Do not want to interfere so I am watching TV, and computing. Hoping that they will be done this afternoon. Feels strange not to be able to go downstairs when I have the rest of the house. Problem is that there is no water. Wish that I had been warned. Guess that I should have guessed when they said that they would drain the rads. Problem is that I did not associate that with turning off water.
Here is hoping that they finish early this afternoon.

The Promise of Music

On Friday, I had the pleasure of attending a one-day symposium on Music Education. It was interesting and had many good parts to it but there did not seem to be anything uniting the symposium. First of all, there did not seem to be a point at which attendees got together. At lunch, Natalie and I had the opportunity to sit with a music educator who chose to sit with us and we discussed this conference and last year's. Last years had break out sessions and information posted for attendees. This year, there were presentations both musical and discussions. However, there was no over riding theme and no chance to talk to others.
The theme is apparently "Discover what can be done to make the Promise of Music a part of very child's life in Canada." A worthy theme but I think that the symposium failed at this goal. Some ideas were tossed out but at no time did the presenters get to the point of explaining how music could become part of every child's life.
Maybe next year?

Cleaning!

Cleaning is obviously not my favourite activity but I have started this week. It seems that I no excuses. My meeting at Toronto General Hospital was cancelled. It will not happen until the end of the month. That excuse is gone. Tomorrow, I will see my brother and take him for coffee. I will also get the dry cleaning done. Not enough to keep me from doing some vacuuming, dusting and scrubing. It will be nice to have the house clean before we enjoy the long weekend.
I am going to try to keep things tidier. There are rooms that are very tidy but other spaces that have become very scary. Time for a change.
Wish me luck.
Tomorrow, I will write about a conference at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Was there on Friday.

Toronto's future culture shock!

Creative Capital Gains is a report that was tabled last week at City Hall. I hope that the mayor and council were willing to pay attention.
One of the conclusions of the report which is co-chaired by Karen Kain is that private sector support definitely can not replace public investment. Private support follows public investment. This runs contrary to Rob Ford's suggestion that funding the arts should be entirely left to private benefactors. The report asks that the city stand by its goal to increase its spending on culture to $25 per capita from the current $18 per capita by 2013.
The report's main theme is "Don't think of the arts as a fringe benefit that makes life in Toronto nice. Instead, think of culture as a magic business engine that represents out best shot at being one of the world's most successful cities in the 21st. century."
There is overwhelming evidence that the arts are a catalyst for economic gains in Toronto. Toronto's cultural economy contributes more than $9 billion a year to the city's GDP and employs 130,00 people-almost as many as Ontario's auto industry. Wonder how much many of the people in the arts earn?
Toronto has 66 per cent more artists than any other city in Canada and 25 per cent of the creative industry jobs in Canada are here.
These reasons should be enough to convince Rob Ford to support the arts. Time will tell.

Violins help Kids Change their tune

I was fascinated to read an article about a string programme in the Jane Finch area, "Violins help kids change their tune". Why I read with interest is that the schools are supposed to have music programmes but this is a programme started by Moshe Hammer, a wonderful violinist who is not a certified teacher. The programme is wonderful and giving students an outlet. What is disappointing is that the programme has come from the outside. Part of the problem is that many schools do not have music teachers who can present these programmes or because teachers at the elementary level are supposed to be able to teach anything, they do not have the talent needed to offer these programmes.
This programme is much like ones that are offered in the United States which has a different system. Is this telling us that we are going the same direction? We will have people who are not teachers offering programmes.
I hope that there will be more programmes like this one but I also hope that the teachers are not ones who are not part of the system but outsiders who run the programme independently.

Spring has arrived

Yesterday, we finally spent time in the garden. It was not raining, and the temperatures were lovely. I nearly cleared up the front flower bed. Transplanted some of the plants to the back. It is fascinating how some plants are very invasive and others just have there spot and do not invade other areas.
I am amazed at how many of the hostas survived the winter. They are popping up and inspiring me to get more. We are going to a nursery next Saturday with Michael's aunt and uncle who live in St. Catharines. It should be a nice day of nursery shopping and lunch. Time to clean out the car's trunk so that there will be room for the walker and plants.
Today, I am going to do more gardening. Still need to clean up the flower beds and transplant as well plant plants that I grew indoors.
I am so glad that the weather is finally pleasant.
Here's hoping that the heat wave that the weather man is predicting does not happen.

Back to normal

Now that the wedding is over and the happy couple is off on their honeymoon, I can get back to getting things done and write on my blog. Last week, in addition to the wedding, I had an AGM, practises for today's concert at the McMichael as well as practising for orchestra- had a concert last night-Beethoven's 6th symphony, Mozart overture and piano concerto. The concert was very successful. The garden club has a board meeting, I got all my mail caught up and got taxes done for my brother. He has only one source of income and one additional source of funds, interest from some GIC's and the taxes were a pain to do. I thought that they would be very simple but no. I think that the government has created a plot to make it almost impossible to do taxes painlessly. Oh well, everything is done.
I am sure that your week was equally busy.
Enjoy the thought of the couple relaxing before you get back to your busy day.

Accountant

We finally gave in and have an accountant doing our taxes. What a wonderful idea. After years of trying to do my taxes and always failing due to errors that were not ones that someone who is not an accountant would find. Michael's taxes are much more difficult due to the fact that he has a number of income sources. Mine taxes are not as difficult but they are not easy.
Will let you know tomorrow what the results are. We are going with our cheque books since we know that we will have to pay taxes, unavoidable. The question is the amount and the accountant will need to be paid as well.
Happy taxes.

Easter weekend

When we have Easter at the end of April, I expect warm sunny weather. This weather is not what I hope for. We need to wear winter coats and jackets. I saw people with mittens yesterday. Today, it is raining and it is likely to rain tomorrow. Thank goodness, we got some gardening done yesterday. Hard to believe that this is the end of April. I am not hoping for shorts weather but I would like to wear a spring jacket not winter coat. I hope that this does not mean that we will go from winter straight to summer which has happened recently.
Enjoy your Easter weekend, no matter what the weather.

Easter

Wishing everyone a good Easter. We are going to work in the garden and then go out for an early dinner. A tradition of ours over the years. Will not be working in the garden too long since it is still quite cold. Hopefully, it will start warming up and we will have a reasonably warm summer.
Enjoy the day.

Catching up

Finally, I have caught up again. The job is to figure out how to stay on top of things. The next two days are very busy so I will have to get things done ahead of time. Mail is done and I mean really done.
Was very discouraged to read in an e-mail that mail might be become a thing of the past. How sad and worrisome. If the only record that you have of transactions is digital, we are entering a very difficult time. I worked for a financial institution at one time and when there were problems we resorted to paper records of what had transpired. If there are no paper records, what happens? I know that the institution that I was employed by would expect the complainant to prove that they were right. No easy task when there were no records.
I also love getting real mail. Now, don't get me wrong, I send plenty of e-mails and sometimes find it easier to deal with some people and groups by e-mail. Mass mailings are much easier by e-mail.
Today, I have time to practise and I really want to get back to the kind of shape I was in a few years ago. The only way is to practise. Like many things, there is no skipping the steps.
Time to move on and get some writing done.
More tomorrow afternoon. Have an early morning practise followed by tennis. This is the last indoor court. The other bubbles have come down. Not a good decision this year, but who knew.
Have a wonderful day.

Free Home care for all over 65 in Denmark

I was about to write about the problem with aging and care in Canada when I noticed this brief article about care in Denmark. Apparently, in tiny but dynamic Denmark, care for all over 65 is free. Danes over 65 who need it have free care around the clock if needed and this includes services such as cleaning and shopping. Those over 75 are eligible for an annual home assessment by a nurse to determine what extra care may be needed to head off future problems. According to Ms. Rostgaard of the country's National Centre of Social Research the visits have led to improved functional ability among seniors as well as a decline in mortality and fewer admissions to hospitals and nursing homes. "It gives the elderly better well-being and healthier lives." Danes who do end up in long-term care are accommodated in private rooms with their own doorbells. Pets are allowed to enhance a homey feel. Because of the emphasis on keeping seniors at home, just 20 per cent of Denmark's spending on the elderly goes to institutional care, compared to 80 per cent in Canada. Government funded services are provided to 25 per cent of Danes over 65, the highest rate in the world. It's 10 per cent in Canada. This is worth examining.

Simple Lemon Cardamom Cake

This is really one of the easiest cakes that I have made and Michael loves it. Simple Lemon Cardamom Cake Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes Ready in: 65 minutes, plus two hours cooling This is a one-bowl cake, that works brilliantly, simply beat everything together and bake. Serve with fruit on the side. It makes a lovely breakfast cake too. Ingredients Cake 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 2 eggs 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 2 tablespoons grated lemon rind 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup yogurt Glaze 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons minced candied ginger Method Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Combine butter, eggs, sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, cardamom, lemon rind, vanilla extract and yogurt in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 3 minutes or until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out, peel off parchment and set on a rack. Prick top of cake liberally with a toothpick. Combine sugar, lemon juice and candied ginger in a small pot over medium heat and boil for 1-2 minutes or until slight thickened. Brush warm glaze all over cake, sprinkle with candied ginger and let cool completely. Serve with poached pears or dried fruit compote or on its own. Serves 6. Enjoy.

Royal Conservatory System

It is fascinating that the United States decided that they would use the Royal Conservatory System of exams and teaching. The United States has a mishmash of systems and recently at a conference of music teachers held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin it was decided that they would use the Royal Conservatory System. A system which has been in place for quite a number of years. The goal is to increase participation in music throughout the U.S. partly by emphasizing music's central role in the development of innovative, healthy and happy societies. "It comes back to the goal to make participation in music, a central part of the daily lives of every person,"said Peter Simon, president of the RCM. Carnegie first commissioned consultants to explore the appetite for creating national exams and curricula. The study showed that schools, teachers and parents were eager and tapped the RCM as having the most reputable and applicable system. The two had no formal relationship but Simon flew to New York last fall and discussions moved quickly. Carnegie's education program is substantial and expanding through an ongoing $200 million (US) renovation which will carve out a 5,600 square metre education wing. The project has similarities to the RCM's recent revamping of its own building in Toronto. If the U.S. partnership proves a success, both parties envision establishing the examination system in other countries, notably China. "It's very clearly demonstrated that programs such as this are real motivators. You create an aspirational pathway for people. These things become beacons."

Knit Your Own Royal Wedding

Sometimes, I think that some people have the most unusual hobbies or too much time on their hands. I can not decide which. Fiona Goble Andrews McMeel has written a book Knit Your Own Royal Wedding. The reviewer suggested that people might purchase this book which is only 64 pages for $21 as a coffee table book to amuse visitors. The book has instructions and patterns for knitting your own royal wedding party, including Wills and Kate (of course) but also the Queen and Prince Philip, Charles and Camilla, Prince Harry, the Archbishop of Canterbury and as many footmen and corgis as you want, as well as a miscellany of extra suits, dresses and hats. Guess, if you are tired of knitting scarves and baby cloths this is a good alternative. What do you do with the knitting after the wedding?

Winklevoss deal!

My goodness, there really Winklevosses and they lost to Mark Zuckerberg. The Winklevosses lost in court to Mark Zuckerberg and will only get $65 million. My goodness, if I got that amount of money I would be quite content. Interestingly, the courts ruled that the twins had received their fair deal since they were backed by sophisticated lawyers who made the best deal for them. I was fascinated that the Winklevosses are actually the good looking twins who went to the Olympics in 2008 and now among other things are following up on the deal they had made with Mark Zuckerberg. What I find interesting is that the twins deal was settled by the judge because they had expensive help who got the best deal that they could. Wonder what would have happened if they were not wealthy twins. Probably would not have gone to court since they could not have pursued the case due to lack of money.

Working?

I have to go to work for the third day in a row. Wow, I woke up this morning and was ready to tackle my Saturday routine. That was great except that it is Friday. Do not know why I thought it is Saturday but in my mind I was thinking about what I had to do. Laundry, practise because I have a gig Saturday afternoon, and the other errands that need to be done like banking. I was sure that I was going to get these things done. It did not occur to me that the papers were here early for a Saturday and that Michael would not wake me up so early. Have to run and get to work. Hope that you are ready for your day.

Passwords

I am finally going to bite the bullet and set up a record of passwords. I can not believe how many I have: 1. my g-mail account 2. my regular e-mail account 3. my facebook account 4. my Linkedin account 5. my bank account 6. my tennis membership account-thank goodness-they actually post my numbers when they send e-mail 7. my blogs-I have two, a personal one and one for my chamber group Those are only some of the accounts. The ones that I can remember quickly. I know that my newspaper has a password and so on. Wish that I had a universal password that would work for everything. It would make life so much easier. How many accounts do you have?

Mailing labels

How many mailing labels do you receive? Today, I received more. I do send a great deal of mail in other wards all my communication is not by e-mail. However, I will still never be able to keep up with all the labels. It is amazing that so many charities decided that mailing labels would be the item of choice. One charity actually sends labels, cards and a pen in one mailing. I would love to give but there is a limit. I give once a year to a number of charities and my pile of charitable donations that I just took to the accountant suggests that I give to many charities. However, labels do not convince me to give. It is the work that the charity does. There are many charities worthy of consideration but I can not give to them all. Do you use your labels?

News?

Wish that I had something new to tell you. The only real news is that a friend's mother passed away this morning. Sad but she had a good life and celebrated her 90th birthday this past fall. That was worth noting and celebrating which the family did. Winter is slowing moving aside for spring which is wonderful and time to start taking pictures and posting pictures of the many flowers that are starting to bloom. The crocuses are blooming already. Back tomorrow with more news. Enjoy the lovely weather.

Jewellery Designer teaches

A recent article in the Toronto Star on Small Businesses reported on a jewellery designer, Jennifer Shigetomi of Matsu Jewellery. It discussed her craft and the fact that she designs and hand-crafts her jewellery. What the article explained is that her jewellery is one of a kind and the skill and technique needed to create one of a kind pieces. It is hard for many people to understand that one of kind well made pieces are special and do cost more. In these days of Walmart and Ikea it is hard for some to understand that something well made does take time and there fore money. It also lasts longer although the same can not be said of jewellery.
Wonder how many articles like this need to be written before people understand or if they ever will?

Snow has arrived!

I have been saying for a couple weeks that we would have one more snow fall at least before the real spring and today, I have been proven correct. It was not too bad earlier but now the snow is becoming fiercer. In fact, apparently in the west end of the city it is bad and deep and now the snow has travelled here. I am beginning to question how wise it will be to go out to orchestra. I have not been able to go for a couple weeks but this evening is looking very iffy.
Sometimes, it is not such a good thing to be right.

How to do estimates

Starting to get estimates for the painting that we need done. Got the roof done last year and now it is time for the next project. Amazing how much work needs to be done. You never get away from it. I know people who live in condos and it does not get better there.
A university student is doing the first estimate for the company that he has a franchise with. Too bad he can't get some coaching. He is doing the estimate and it is taking a long time which is why I have time to work on the computer. Do not want to go too far away while he is working. He has been here for over an hour. Wow, too long, he must not have too many estimates to do. He has not learned, get the information, go home and do the estimate. With modern technology you can e-mail the quote. No reason to sit in some one's house and do it. He is also doing each little item. It is interesting but I know that the others will eye ball the job and give me a quote. No problem for them, they have been doing this for years and they will not take up so much of my personal time.
Things that people will learn. He has paid to be part of a company. I think that as a franchisee he is giving money to others who will do well. They will get students to pay them for the franchise. Sad to see this happen.
Will let you know how the quotes go. Found a window that needs replacing while getting the estimate. Another job to be done. This window is on the neighbour's side so I rarely look at it. Oh well, another job. The work is starting.

Spring is coming

I noticed that I have posted blogs about this before but the arrival of spring is wonderful. This is one of those special times that I just love. Went into the backyard yesterday and discovered a number of flowers coming up. Why didn't I do it sooner. Well, the snow was so high that I couldn't and also I was worried about the ground being too wet where the snow had melted. All is okay now. The snow is all gone and the ground is drying. Flowers are coming up. Time for me to start taking some pictures and showing you how spring is arriving.
Hope that things are lovely in your neck of the woods as well.

Canada Blooms

Today, I am off to Canada Blooms. I will be volunteering, doing merchandise Sales this afternoon. This morning, I will tour the exhibit and enjoy things before they get too crowded. A couple years ago, I thought that I would volunteer and then tour the exhibit. Big mistake. The exhibits were very crowded and I had trouble getting to each.
Talked to a friend last night and she reminded me that I love to have plants in the garden and that it is time to start begonias. Will see about getting some interesting tubers. Might get some other interesting plants. More on that tomorrow.
Won't take digital pictures because I do not have any place to safely store my camera while volunteering and I do not want to lose the camera. In addition, I think that Michael will be taking it to work to take pictures. Don't ask but he will take pictures for a course that he is going to leading.
I am off to catch the bus.

Fears

Sent the flowers to my friend who is not well. Happy to have that done.
While I was out doing that, I met someone who I played tennis with. She is no longer playing because her back is bothering her. We talked about my friends who are injured and ill and then got on the greater crisis, Japan. It seems that some people are really expecting the worst from this. She talked as if what is happening there could affect us all and that we need to live each day and enjoy it. Wonder how many others are feeling this way?
Certainly, the Japanese are worried. It seems that many are now evacuating Tokyo. Just watched the news. Who would have thought that this Asian Tiger would be affected so seriously?
I am certainly hoping that the news becomes more positive soon.

Grateful

I just received an e-mail from a friend who I used to work with. I sent her an e-mail birthday wish since I missed the mailing date and I wanted to send greetings. I thought that she might be in the Maritimes helping to look after her parents who are elderly. Little did I know that she needs help. She had lung surgery in January and starts chemo in April. She has faced cancer before, this is in a different area. Tomorrow, I will call and also we, the group of teachers who all worked together will send flowers. It is the least that we can do.
I do not remember if I already posted a note about another person who I also worked with and I was playing tennis with last week. She fell during a break and broke her left wrist. Right now she is at home resting her wrist and trying to make sure that she does not jar the break.
My illness that I experienced a week and a bit ago seems minor in comparison. Makes me very conscious of how easy it is to have something happen.
Enjoy each day.

Earth quake

Woke up early this morning to the news of the earth quake in Japan. Oh my, what a horrible event. First of all, I can not imagine living in a country that regularly experiences mild quakes. This one is anything but mild. It will take time to evaluate the damage and we are still waiting for the tsunami to reach all its shores. The affect in Japan must have been devastating from what the pictures are showing.
It is at times like this that I am grateful to be living in a place that experiences mild tremors at the most and that happens occasionally. Not tremors with what I would describe as alarming regularity.
I am sure that there will continue to be news about this for the next while.

Broken bones!

Yesterday, we had quite a scare and one of us had a real scare. We were playing tennis and then we were looking at photos one of the players fell backwards. She broke her wrist. Wow, what an injury during what was an innocent moment. She was not going for an amazing tennis shot, or running and accidentally tripped. She was just quietly standing and then moved backwards and tripped. Makes you think about how easy it is to have something happen. She is going to be out of commission for quite sometime.
My goodness, I need to be very thankful that nothing has happened to me.

March came in like a lamb

Well, March came in gently but it will not go quietly. Last night, we had another snow storm. This one started after 11 p.m. and stopped early in the morning. It managed to deposit a few inches of snow and some ice as well. The rest of the day was lovely. I am hoping that tomorrow will be a nice day. Meeting a friend for a walk and lunch. That should be a nice break.
This coming week is going to be lovely, actually better than the March break. Lunch and walk followed by coffee with a friend on Monday; Tuesday a luncheon; Wednesday I am taking a course in entrelac knitting. Will tell you about it after I have had a chance to experience it. Then Thursday going to see a friends art work which is on display. That is part of the week there is more but that should be enough for now.
More tomorrow.

Don't pile it-file it

Finally, I am going to tackle my mess. I have managed to clear up a bit of paperwork today and will continue over the next while. Just reread an article about pile it and putting things on the floor-that is me but only in the office where no one can see the mess. Time to get things off the floor, file, shred and clear. It is frightening how far behind I got. I was sick for a week which is why I did not post and I was amazed at how much did not get done. Well, all mail is done, all of it. I am now sending frivolous catch-up mail which has no due dates. Just a friendly hello.
I do not plan to hire someone. Against anything I stand for but I think that I will certainly set some serious goals.
I will promise to post the clean room once it is all done. Can you believe it?

Fundraising disparities between schools

Today, there is an article that shows the disparity in fundraising efforts for different schools, The Great Divide. I am not sure what is news about this. Areas where parents are professionals, have organizational abilities and also access to money will be better able to fund raise. Areas where parents are on the edge will worry about their daily survival and not fundraising for what might be perceived as frills. Parents assume that schools will provide the basics and that they are very good at however the frills which schools that have the ability to fund raise are accessible to the children of those parents.
What I find strange is that this deserves front page of a section. What did people think would happen in terms of fundraising?
There were some accounting errors and I am not sure why those happened since the errors happened where large sums were raised. These people have access to accountants and probably have one the board. That part is interesting. That deserves further investigation.
Some food for thought.

Communication

Now that I am much better, I am beginning to wonder about communication. It took me nearly two days to get caught up on my communication and I have to admit that I have not finished. I am nearly caught up on e-mails. I realized after being sick that it is not so bad to check my e-mail during the day. I had over 100 e-mails during the days when I was sick. Now, I will admit that many could just be deleted but they had to be checked, now I mean the title-I did not open them while sleeping. Some of the e-mails actually need a response or some could be forwarded. Wow, only one left to deal with, that's not bad.
Phone calls were not as bad since I do not seem to get as many. I think that many people have switched to e-mails.
Regular mail- I have paid all the bills and yes, I actually pay the bills. I learned the hard way through my brother that it is a good idea to see what is going on. It did not help us stop the problems with his account but we were able to determine that there was a problem. Serious!
With all of these to deal with, I am not sure that I want to actively pursue other means of communication. In other words, I am not ready to tweet, twitter, facebook and any other means of active communication they come up with.
The worst part is that with all of this, I was sick without any means of communicating. Need to correct that.

I am back

Wow, a whole week. I was very busy on Friday so there was no time to post anything and then the worst happened. I got sick. Was some kind of flu and today is the first day that I am really getting up. Managed to get all the bills paid that arrived over the past 4 days. Yes, Monday mail came since Family Day is a provincial holiday not a federal holiday. Laundry is done which is nice. I can not wait until the weekend. Saturday, I have to do more auditing of arts students so there will not be time to get all the laundry done on the weekend. I am now getting to phone calls and then I will get to the post office-mail and get more stamps. I am out and I always just buy a bundle, easier than getting stamps as I think I might need them.
Washed my hair this morning. Did you know that it can start to stand up on its own? You don't need gel.
Will have more interesting things to post now that I am starting to get back into my groove.

Martini Mayhem

We survived Martini Mayhem in fact we loved it. We got to taste five martinis which means that they were not full size but they were enough that you drove home very carefully. The first martini was fire and ice a traditional martini which was very good, followed by Between the sheets which had rum and orange liqueur, not bad. Midnight martini was very good, blushing lady which had pomegranate liqueur was good as well. Now one that I am not as fond of is the Chocolate martini, a curiosity but not excellent like the others. We finished with the Valentines Day Martini which included chilled ice wine and frozen green grapes- excellent, the best.
We have the recipes for these martinis as well as several others and an explanation about shaken versus stirred, there is a time for each.
I hardly recommend trying the LCBO's sessions. No I am not an employee, just someone who has enjoyed the experience.

Happy Valentines

Hope that you have a good Valentine's Day. We are going to Martini Maddness at the LCBO. I am sure that we will not be able to drink all the Martinis. We will have to sip and that's it. What a shame but we do not want to be stopped by a Ride Check and told that we had too much to drink.
Will let you know tomorrow, how the event went and if there are any martinis that you just have to try.
Fun way to spend Valentine's. We went out for dinner last night and it was a family style restaurant that was packed. This does not happen on a normal Sunday. Good to see that people still go out and celebrate.

Facebook!

Well, I have done it. I am now posting on Facebook. Oh my goodness, I have a steep learning curve. I am going to go slow since I need to understand what it is about. Also have to watch what I post. I am certainly not going to put pictures of me drinking too much and unusual things like that (I don't over drink , not worth it) but there might other things that should not be revealed. Have not figured out what those things might be yet but it could happen. The younger generation feels freer to post anything which I think can come back to bite you and in dangerous ways. Sometimes ways that you have not even though of. It is a good way to keep in touch but you must be careful. I like e-mails better and also then you know who you are posting to. Facebook is open to the world although someone I know has unfriended someone, a mutual acquaintance. That would hurt so I must be careful as to who I friend and what I actually post.
Much care will be taken and I will keep you up to date.

Class with ukes

No new recipes today.
I had band at 7:30 a.m. I am always surprised that students are willing and able to show up at that time. They are a good group.
What I am interested in today is the ukulele group at John English Junior Middle School. 8 year olds play ukulele's and enjoy learning about the instruments from Melanie Doane who teaches the students. Apparently, 58 per cent of elementary teachers have no music back ground but they are expected to teach music or trade off with someone who does. This can be a challenge and does not always work. It is interesting that this example of teaching music has made the papers.
Wonder if this example will encourage the ministry of education to change things.

Bittersweet Cocoa Brownies

Brownies made with cocoa powder are softer in the inside than those made with bar chocolate.

2 1/4 ounces (3/4 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt
5 ounces (10 tablespoons) hot melted unsalted butter
2 cold large eggs
1 1/2 ounces (1/3 cup) all purpose flour
1 cup broken walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

Heat the oven to 325 F. Line a 8 X 8 inch baking pan (preferably metal) with foil across the bottom and up two opposite side of the pan.

1. In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix the cocoa, sugar, vanilla, salt, and hot melted butter with a hand mixer or with vigorous strokes of a whisk.

2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until the batter is thick and lightened in colour, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add the flour and stir with a rubber spatula just until blended. Fold in the nuts, if using.

4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake until the top is puffed and slightly crusted and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a little fudge batter clinging to it 20 to 30 minutes.

5. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan on a rack. Lift the ends of the foil to remove them. Invert the brownies on a tray and peel off the foil. Turn the brownies right side up a cutting board and cut into squares (wipe the knife between each cut, as the brownies will be soft and sticky).
Just took them out of the oven. Hopefully, this recipe is good.

Rick Mercer!

Met a friend for lunch today. Doing a lot of that lately. I have at least one luncheon date each week for the next 3 weeks. This is a good life.
We met at what we thought of as a greasy spoon but will rethink that. As we were leaving, my friend noticed that one of the patrons behind her was having soup. She asked if it was good. Once we were both outside, I had to tell her that it was Rick Mercer. Yes, the Rick Mercer who has the television show. I told some friends who work at a music store that I had just seen Rick Mercer on the Danforth and they said that they would head down to that area more often.
Wonderful who you might see when you least expect it.

For-profit facilities leave seniors vulnerable!

In July 2008, Ontario's provincial ombudsman launched an investigation after receiving 100 complaints about the quality of the province's long term care. Another 450 complaints came in after the investigation was announced. The report announced in December 2010 revealed that there were "delays, inconsistencies and lack of transparency in the monitoring of long-term care homes". What a surprise!
In most provinces, long-term care is publicly subsidized but service delivery is provided by a mix of government run, non-profit and and private for-profit organization. Unlike hospital care, long-term care is not included under the Canada Health Act, so access to a defined set of services is not universal in Canada.
It took two years to figure this out? I find it baffling that a study had to be done over two years to figure that there are differences in the care provided to seniors. If you can pay, you can get the best and most comprehensive care but if you are needy your care level is vastly different and lacking in services.
The question is now that the government has determined that there are serious differences in the level of care offered, what will it do about this?
To be continued.