Goldenberries

Goldenberries

My friend S and I noticed these goldenberry samples at a grocery store on the weekend and we liked them. The food demonstrator said they are a cross between a gooseberry and a cherry tomato.  I don't know if that is true.  From what I can google they come from South America, a country such as Brazil.  They seem to have many health benefits.

And here we are at the end of another month, we are enjoying summery temperatures already.

Kay's Tulips

I have an art post for you today, inspired by a photo of tulips Kay took on a recent trip to Keukenhof gardens in the Netherlands. Kay allows me to paint her photos.  It is a greeting card (31/2" x 5") in permanent marker and outlined with a PITT marker.

My blog comments aren't being emailed to me anymore for some reason, it just means I have to keep checking my blog for incoming comments.  It used to be that I wouldn't get email notifications from certain people but now it is everyone.

On Sharks

This article explains that sharks have a bad reputation but that there are a lot more dangerous things. You could die more easily falling out of bed or by eating contaminated food. Dogs are the 4th deadliest animal on earth while sharks don't even rank in the top 10.  They are far from being the world's deadliest animal!  Are you surprised by this?

Grace, Poise and a Sense of Gratitude

neighbourhood greenery

I came upon this  inspiring story of an 81 year old man John Voelpel, who recently earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy.  As a young man, he studied chemical engineering, then law, becoming an environmental lawyer.  Later on in life he moved to Florida.  He was involved in a car accident at 70 years old where he lost his right foot and knee.

 His Ph.D. professor of ten years waxed philosophical on the man's drive,
“Seeing him deal with these fears and the anxiety and this general trauma, including one of amputation, with such grace and poise and a sense of gratitude — that’s pretty awesome.”

'Voelpel ultimately wrote a doctoral dissertation on the ethics of climate change with a moral imperative toward the generations to come.'

His father died at 97,  Voelpel is still taking courses at school and thinks he has a lot of time left as he  wants to do more research and teach.  He still has questions.

Vinca Minor

I was on a long walk with my friend S last weekend and we came upon some vinca minor, from the periwinkle family. The common name of the plant is Myrtle. Many years ago I tried growing it to no avail. It likes the shade and seems to be an invasive ground cover. I have no idea why I had trouble growing it. It is just as well since it is invasive once it gets underway.

Nature's flower arrangements

I was out for a walk on a gorgeous day last weekend and took these photos for you. These are nature's flower arrangements.  The weather has become 'summer hot'  this week 30C or 86F.  It is a bit of an adjustment.

Paint Party Friday - Garden Bed

I have some tulips opened up in a garden bed for you today. The piece is done on brown cardstock (4 1/2" x 6 1/2") in acryic and permanent marker. Happy PPF!

First Food

Well these dandelions are everywhere nowadays. I read that they are the first food of the bees at this time of year, did you know that?

Brussels Sprouts with Portuguese Pancetta

Brussels sprouts were on sale and I had some portuguese pancetta (Toucinho smoked bacon) on hand so I put them together using Giada's recipe. It's not that I know about Toucinho bacon but it was clearing at the grocery store so I thought I would try it.  It is a smoked pork belly from what I can google.

Changes at the Cinema

We went to see 'Avengers: Infinity War' last week.  Warning, this is an action movie.  Husband M wanted to see it and son K came along with us.  If you go, be sure to stay till the end of the long credits to see a film clip.

It's been awhile since I went to the ticket station to purchase movie tickets and of course you can get them online ahead of time.  I was  hoping to purchase them from an actual person while M parked the car.  Now there are only kiosks.  It was simple enough but it helped to have son K pushing some buttons for me.  There are all these acronyms to identify the correct version of the particular movie as there are VIP showings, 3D showings and we just wanted the regular showing.  I declined purchasing snacks at the kiosk and just ordered from the snack counter which fortunately wasn't too busy.   It came to mind that all these cashier jobs are now gone.  They still have a ticket taker.

They have a free movie magazine which I usually browse but I ended up returning it as I was lazy to look through the pages thinking I've already noticed most of the news online.  This is another indication that magazines are on the way out.

Do you even buy physical movies on CD anymore?  It is all online with Netflix and various download options.

Well that is my cinema rant.

New Slogan

On Mother's Day they handed these flowers out after church to all the mothers.  Mine above has  lasted quite a while, carnations do that.

So have you heard the latest marketing slogan, it's  BOGO, meaning buy one get one free.  Our language is changing and fast!

Hope you are enjoying your long weekend if you live in Canada.

A Canadian snack

I was reading this article about Hawkins cheezies being a Canadian snack, so off I went to buy a package. It's been awhile since I had them. And 'oh no!' they are so good!

Hope you enjoyed watching the Royal Wedding of Harry and Meghan as much as I did for most of yesterday, we had it taped. What a fairy tale wedding, wishing them much happiness.

First Blooms

It's the first long weekend of the summer. I'm sharing some photos I've been snapping about the neighbourhood for you as the first blooms started to appear.  This is the weekend most people start their summer plantings.

Paint Party Friday - Spring Piece

I did a spring piece for Paint Party Friday, thanks to Kristin and Eva for always hosting. It's done on (6" x 6") textured coloured cardstock using permanent marker with acrylic paint outlined with a black PITT marker.

Joys of Spring

Every spring my sister, who has a swimming pool, has a problem with ducks settling in and around her swimming pool, such are the joys of spring!  I hope you can see them in the photo above.  They were swimming in the pool once it was opened but my sister thinks that once it is topped up with chlorine they will avoid it.

Scribble Picnic - Storm

Welcome to Michael's Scribble Picnic 'Storm' theme! This one is an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") on canvas, in permanent marker and acrylic.  'Storm' can mean many things, I have always been fascinated by monstrous, stormy waves, the stuff of nightmares.  The friendly lighthouse was added to project a beacon of light and represent safety.

Uh Oh

My sister who lives nearby just had a nasty spring surprise. They noticed a crack in their ceiling (inside their house) and thought it was a leak. After actually calling the plumber they discovered it was not a leak, but squirrels have been stocking pinecones in their ceiling such that the weight caused a crack in the ceiling! It will be a big job to clear all these pinecones away. They have found the entry spot so that has to be sealed as well.

It is kind of funny, not!

Blackberry Bushes

My sister who lives in California is eagerly awaiting a bumper crop of blackberries from the bushes in her garden. You can see the blackberries forming on the bushes. They don't seem to have to spray any pesticides on their produce.

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing all the moms out there a Happy Mother's Day!  I am remembering my departed mom on this day as well.

Daughter L made me this beautiful cake and not to be outdone, son K got me these beautiful roses.

Butternut squash veggie noodles

Wow it's Mother's Day weekend!  Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Pictured above is a stir fry I did recently with butternut squash veggie noodles, snow peas and cremini mushrooms.  It was delicious.

Paint Party Friday - Chaise Lounge

I did a chaise lounge for Paint Party Friday in my sketchbook (9" x 12") in permanent marker. It was inspired by a photo I took at the mall of a chaise lounge in a furniture store. I liked the colour combination and decided to put it in a lakeside setting. The weather is improving here so why not?

Thanks to Kristin and Eva for always hosting!

On Old Age

This can be a tough puzzle, let me know how you do with it!

I was at my dentist recently for a checkup, all is well for now. His dad had a recent 88th birthday, it seems he just stays home a lot these days. His brothers have passed away and he doesn't have a lot of friends now. He used to be so active, out and about walking a lot. Is it lucky to outlive everyone, I thought. Well, his wife is still alive.

Scribble Picnic - Strawberry

Welcome to Michael's Scribble Picnic! The theme this week is 'Strawberry'. My 'little strawberry girl' is done on textured coloured cardstock (6" x 6") in permanent marker, outlined with a PITT marker. When my daughter was a little girl I got her this bumble bee costume which was very similar to this design. So I thought of changing it to a strawberry costume. She hated wearing that costume for some reason but it was so cute, she was only 2 years old.

A lovely birthday

prime rib dinner

We celebrated daughter L's April birthday downtown, by seeing the play 'Come From Away', then out to a nice dinner. L's boyfriend and his family actually arranged the outing way back at Christmastime. Come From Away is a sold out show and received standing ovations. It is lively and heartwarming.

Some new products

Pictured above are some products I recently received free from Samplesource. They had to be obtained using coupons.  I really enjoyed them and they are very low in carbs (great if you have diabetics in the family), as well as being nutritious. In fact I have already bought more of these products.  The one on the left is an unsweetened almond milk.  The one on the right is a smooth cottage cheese that I use in place of Greek yogurt occasionally.

Thoughts on Death

Researchers are discovering how our aging enzymes work, perhaps to one day slow the aging process.  It made me think of Martha's recent post where she discussed her favourite quote.  It comes from Alfred Adler.

Martha explains 'sometimes entire generations need to die off so we can evolve.'  Thanks for sharing your insight Martha, as I never gave this much thought (likely avoiding thoughts of death).

Perhaps we should leave well enough alone, but the researchers likely won't.  Are you comfortable thinking or talking about death?  I can't say I am.

Marie's Jammy Buns

We had high winds in the Toronto area yesterday, many downed trees and power outages.  I was out for a walk in the afternoon and had to take shelter in a nearby bank at the plaza as it suddenly got very windy and rainy.  Fortunately the weather calmed down after a short while and I got home without getting wet.

Marie posted a  recipe for Jammy Buns that I asked daughter L to try.  She is the baker in the family really.  It did not disappoint. They were delicious and so hard to stop at just one. We didn't have any whole wheat flour but it is good with just white flour.

Paint Party Friday - Military Plane

From time to time, Adam will post a photo that inspires me to paint it. This is an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in permanent marker and acrylic outlined with a black PITT fine point marker.  Drawing cars and planes are not a strong point for me, but I was drawn to the colours in the photo and the simplicity of the plane.

Happy Paint Party Friday!

Food Security

My sister in California is blessed with fertile soil. They have started a vegetable garden in recent years and get lots of advice from experienced neighbours. In what seemed like no time at all, she sent a photo of these potatoes that she said were produced from one seed. Isn't that fantastic?

Scribble Picnic - Picket Fence

Welcome to Scribble Picnic's 'Picket Fence' theme. Here is my piece, it is an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in permanant marker on canvas.

Haha

Welcome to the month of May!

I wonder if this could be true, it makes sense to me, haha.

Daughter L and I have started watching the Downton Abbey TV series. We love it, such beautiful costumes and a very interesting look at English life in the early 1900's. The series ran from 2010 to 2015 and I've always heard how good it was, so am happy we finally got around to watching it.