Robin returns

Yippee! Robin returns tonight.
But perhaps even more exciting is the fact that my keyboard is working again! It's really no fun having a keyboard that does not function properly when you have work to do.

I hope everyone got their fill of Robin's presence while he was in Winnipeg. And that you've convinced him we need to come back to visit for Yule/Winter/Christmas.

Nothing terribly exciting to report here. I've kept busy in Robin's absence. Friday night I even attended a huge Harry Potter release city/street party. The entire downtown of New Hamburg was transformed into New Hogsmeade for the release. It was great! I dressed up and went with some friends. We had to stay until midnight so my friends could pick up a reserved copy of the new book. Not me though. I only own the first book and then only because I got it for free because I had to read it for a course I TA'd. I'll wait for the movie. And maybe one day I'll read them with my kids, but for now I have more than enough books on my to-read list, including my favourite fantasy authors.

On the pregnancy front, what was mild nausea sometimes has expanded to mild nausea 24/7 which is not pleasant, but it could be much worse I suppose. It just makes me feel apathetic towards most foods and turned off by others. I make sure I eat and drink and all that good stuff. I think maple syrup is on my must-have list right now, honestly. Chocolate is on my avoid list though, and that sucks. Maybe I'm just feeling apathetic towards chocolate, but I know many women who couldn't eat chocolate while pregnant and I don't want any negative experiences to taint my future chocolate tastings. I bought a chocolate frog at New Hogsmeade just because one coffee shop in town was carrying Harry Potter food and drink such as chocolate frogs and butter beer. Butter beer is very very good! Sort of a fizzy apple cider with certain spices. I suppose Robin will have to eat the frog.

I am also taking Tai Chi with a friend. Last year he taught a Mind and Spirit course that incorporated Tai Chi. Now that he and his partner have a backyard he's invited friends to come do Tai Chi. It's great exercise and energy work.

Give Robin a big hug for me

If you're in Winnipeg with my hubby, give him a big hug for me. (That's you Jen!) This is the first time I've been left behind :( Usually I'm the one leaving home with Robin stuck at home.
On the plus side, I get to watch whatever I want on TV in the evening! NO SPORTS! No cooking shows (except Take Home Chef maybe). No poker. Ah, this is the life.

I borrowed a CD of harp music from the library when I was checking out some books, and subsequently I picked up Amalthea (that's my harp). Surprisingly I can still play and she's even relatively in tune so I didn't have to spend the first 10 minutes fussing over her strings. I plan to play more now... you know, for the baby.

I assume by now most people have heard. Robin was waiting until he travelled to Winnipeg to share the news with "his side". He had the benefit of getting to tell people in person.

To answer some common questions I've been getting and Robin doesn't seem able to answer:
Baby is due in early March.
I am currently only one month into the pregnancy (6 weeks as the nurses count).
So far I am lucky and not feeling significant nausea or other morning sickness.
Yes we are excited :D

I guess I'll soon have to add Baby to the title of this blog.

Canada's Wonderland

What an incredible day!
I still love Canada's Wonderland.
I wish I'd taken the camera, but I didn't want to worry about it while I was having fun!
We went on a lot of rides. Even Robin went on Rollercoasters. Yes, you heard me correctly.
My last ride of the night, as the clock was nearing 10pm (park closing) was the Bat. I saved the best for last because several months ago I dreamed of riding the bat at night and looking out over the Mountain with lights upon the waterfall. In my dream there were also fireworks. Riding the Bat again was just like my dream - minus the foreworks. (It would have been incredible if a show had started!)
Everyone really loved the new(er) ride Tomb Raider.
I remember when the stand-up rollercoaster came out (Sky Rider- and luckily I was a tall kid so I could ride it), and the suspended roller coaster (Vortex). Then they dame out with two roller coasters where your feet dangle (Top Gun and something in the kidzville) and Tomb Raider where you are laying on your stomach. There are some crazy (fun) designs!

We have many stories from yesterday - from nabbing theives (that was me reporting them to security after we watched them pull out stolen merchandise from their bag, while standing in line at the bumper cars, and try to jimmy the electronic security tags. They were right behind us in line, and apparently are so stupid that even though I held up the line so I could wait and talk with a ride operator so she could call security - they never even caught on. Not even when I was pulled from line by security to further identify the thieves. They just stood in line waiting to ride the bumper cars. Until security checked their bag and took them away of course.) to the potato-hut employees who must have been smoking up in back because they were so incredibly absent and incompetent to watching a woman whip past us on the Thunder Run (goes through the mountain) talking on a cell phone. Who sits in the back seat of a roller coaster to have a telephone conversation as it is running the track??

And now for something completely different (back to work).

Solstice Greetings

Midsummer is upon us. Where did the days go?

Since returning to Kitchener we've kept busy.

Robin finished the outdoor painting.

I took off for another four days to attend Wild Ginger Witchcamp. (The pond and underwater tree photo are from camp.)

Darla has been encouraging me to join her outside.

I've been crocheting witch hats like they're going out of style (which they are not! never!)

And the days ahead hold even more fun!

We're going to Canada's Wonderland this weekend!!! I've not been in many years. Robin has never been. Do you think I will be able to convince him to ride a RollerCoaster? Because you know that's where I will be lined up all day!!

Let's see... solstice celebrations. Then I'm off AGAIN (last time this summer) for 6 days to attend Spirits of the Earth festival near London, ON.

Soonafter, Robin will be flying out to Winnipeg for the wedding of Justin and Christina.

As for my work, as suspected I have to resubmit my ethics proposal and they want me to do a pilot study with one family before I do the rest. It looks as if I won't really be starting my research until this fall. In the meantime I have research to do for someone else (paid work) and a course to prepare. I even have students registered already for my course. Which makes planning scarier - it was easier to do when there were no students...

And I suppose it is long past time that I submit works for publication. I hate editing. Or more precisely, I hate having to revisit old work. I much prefer moving on to a new project!

In garden news - it looks great. We had a long dry spell broken by thundershowers yesterday, which were not long enough. The frontyard flowers aren't at their best, but we've kept the veggies well hydrated. I saw peas today :) And we've had lettuce for a while now. And radishes.

Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Kitchener again

It's been a whirlwind of activity - as some of you know first hand as I raced about Winnipeg. I flew in to the Peg May 17 and spend that weekend at Gaia Gathering - a national Pagan conference. My friend Ericka, currently of Halifax, also happened to be in town that weekend and of course we had to get together!

Gaia Gathering was great. There were many interesting panels and I presented a paper on Canadian newspaper portrayals of contemporary Pagans as well as participated in a roundtable discussion of academic research in Pagan Studies. Best of all, though, was meeting new people and seeing folks from Winnipeg.

After Gaia Gathering my sister arrived home from a wedding and my days were filled with Dorion. Or, they would have been except that the next day I caught the 24 hour flu. So sick in bed for 24 hours and another 24 to recover slowly - what a waste of two full vacation days! And I didn't want to get near Dorion and risk having him get sick too. But it passed.

During my stay in Winnipeg I met up with Joe, Jen, Rob and Amanda for lunch - very delicious I must add. Jen makes a great taco soup. I also had breakfast (that same day) with Lauren and Nikki. Also had dinner with my in-laws. Most of the time was spent with family - my apologies to everyone I missed!! I even got to see my dad play with his pipe and drum band at the Forks. This was a first for me. We took Dorion along too (he goes everywhere in the wrap I made for him) and he seemed to enjoy it.

I also went to the Assiniboine Zoo. I didn't get to go last time I was in town :( It was the perfect day to go to the zoo and we took Dorion - it was his first time. I finally got to see the "baby" (not so much a baby any more) black bear. He's actually white right now. There were a lot of young or baby animals at the zoo, including two gorgeous young bald eagles who didn't look like the adult bald eagles.

Then I was off again - driving to Saskatoon for four days at the Congress of Social Sciences and Humanities. The best part of attending the annual meeting of the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion is meeting up with colleagues from across Canada. I also chaired a roundtable discussion on the study of new religious movements, presented a paper on including children in research on religion, and co-presented a paper on the contributions urban Pagans have to make for environmental studies. All in all, I think the conference went well. I also ate very well! There were many collegial food gatherings.

Saskatoon was unfortunately cold and often rainy. I hadn't really brought appropriate clothing, but I managed to make due. It was beautiful on the last day - when we were leaving.

Finally, I was back in Winnipeg for a couple more days, which included a large family BBQ. My aunt hosted this in her new large backyard - complete with an outdoor, enclosed spa-tub! All my new family members were there - my nephew and two newborn second cousins. It was a fine time, even with the rain. (Rain was welcome in that heat!)

Back in Kitchener, Robin was not on holiday! He had to wake extra early every morning to walk Darla, water the gardens, then bike or bus to work (no decent parking available except on Sundays). When he got home he had to walk Darla again and make food (and water the plants again if necessary). Apparently he's discovered that cooking for himself is less fun than cooking for others. On top of that, he decided to paint the outdoor trim in my absence. It looks great! I can't say I'm too sorry for him - all those additional things he had to do are what I always have to do in addition to my work - because I work from home. Of course, I don't get up extra early, I just continue my work through the evening and use gardening and taking care of the animals as a break from research and writing.

Once I returned, there was gardening and other catching up to be done. I'm still waiting to hear back from the Ethics Committee regarding my research application. I've heard some pre-warnings, which have not made me happy. Suffice it to say, research will be delayed. This should not surprise me.

Coming back from Winnipeg was difficult. It's hard to say which place is "home". This is where my physical home is - and my nuclear family - but Winnipeg is where most of our family and friends are - and that makes it home. Ideally, we will move back. Ideally. If I can get a university job in the region. That's a few years away yet.

Garden Joys

Before I move into photos of the garden - let me give an update... umm... Robin still works days, now with Fri+Sat off. My sister, nephew and my dad arrive at the end of the week. I fly to Winnipeg in a week and a half. I've finished my first of three conferences this month - and it went very well. Monkey keeps growing. Fenwick is much more bold. Darla is enjoying the shade outside. I'm wishing we would replace the deck umbrella - because the sun is hot! I locked myself out one day a few hours before Robin returned from work and got a lovely sunburn.

On to the garden. Let's begin with the current flowers in the front yard.



These are my favourite daffodils because of the bright orange centers. We also have all yellow and in the neighbour's garden mirroring ours she has white with yellow.

These grape hyacinths just get crazier every year! You can see some of the other hyacinths behind them.


The Lepard's Bane. The day lilies beside them have yet to flower of course. On their right are the newly planted strawberries.


New phlox added as ground cover. We really like the phlox we currently have - makes a great perrenial, particularly once it fills out. Now, on to the tasty gardens!


The relocated perrenial herbs. Already, just days after this photo, these look even more full! Ignore the weeds creeping in from the side. We have lemon balm on the right, three small parsley plants from last year, a new lavendar just to the right of the trunk, thyme in the shade, and oregano in the left corner.


In this bed beneath the herbs are the broccoli, kohl rabi, swiss chard and chives (just out of sight at the top). At the bottom is mint.Below this bed are planted green onions, radishes and peas, but only the radishes are really showing yet.


Across from the cabbages bed is the lettuce and red onion (top row - you can see the onion best), radishes, and spinach along the bottom.


The oh so tasty strawberry plants! Between the rows is a row of mixed lettuce greens. Behind are sweet pea flowers.


Alas, these are the raspberry canes, which are not looking so good. Along the edges you can see Lily of the Valley coming up. We removed an entire bed of those flowers - they were so densley packed that all the soil had to go too! Now the soil/plants are in a pile in the sun... still growing.


Whoa - bigger than I thought, sorry. Here inside the greenhouse are the future plantings. Cucumbers are finally up (green stick). The blue sticks mark a flower - cosmos I think. The orange is for pumpkins. I was despairing that none had come up by the time they were expected, but yesterday two popped out - and when they come out of the soil they're already huge! So I will have pumpkin!!


I saved my sage seeds last year (after all the herbs went to flower). In one package I had separated all the teeny seeds from the dried flower heads. In another package I gave up separating them and saved the dried flowers. This spring I planted both in tow different pots. Then I forgot which was which. But both came up - so this year I am not straining my eyesight separating tiny seeds!


Here stands my lone tomato plant. But look - a new seed has sprouted. Behind them, with the orange sticks, is where the pumpkin has since sprouted. Behind the pumpkins are ground cherries which have also sprouted after many many many weeks - I'd about given up hope! No wonder you have to start them very early. Unfortunately, my peppers, which I started at the same time, are still not up.



And finally, here is the rosemary I so carefully tended inside over the winter. In the back right corner are the marigolds - with a couple seedlings. As you can tell, I love growing plants from seeds - they're my babies. I even get up early in the morning now to water them before it gets too sunny. Me, getting up early!

Reflections after Earth Day

How did you celebrate Earth Day?

I didn’t really “celebrate” Earth Day – no tree planting for me (which seems to be the standardized Earth Day event). Instead I helped with the monthly children’s Wondergarten event – where we discussed caring for the Earth with the kids, read Schim Schimmel’s Dear Children of the Earth, painted clay pots and planted seeds. I guess that is a pretty significant way to celebrate – to help educate children. Of course, these kids are already aware of how to treat the Earth respectfully. They told us all kinds of ways they do this – but it doesn’t hurt to reinforce it and share ideas with their peers.

I do have some concerns with Earth Day though – the same concerns I have with those e-mail (spam) petitions people send me. It’s all cathartic – they lull many people into imagining they are “making a difference” just by taking thirty seconds from their life to forward a list with their name on it. In the same vein, planting a couple trees in a city park on one day of the year doesn’t reduce your responsibilities during the rest of the year. Insofar as these things can raise awareness I support them – provided people go on to incorporate this awareness into their daily lives. But a couple trees don’t make up for the acres of rainforest and other old growth cut down for your beef/soybeans/paper, etc.

I don’t claim to be the most active environmentalist – but I keep my respect of the Earth in mind in all that I do. Here’s a short list that may inspire others. None of this requires any extra “effort” (except perhaps some start-up work for some things). (Warning, this is my soapbox)

Of the three Rs – reduce is the first for a reason. Reducing the amount of packaged foods and so forth is step one. Reduce the amount of disposable stuff too! Tupperware and other lunch containers are one way (and since Tupperware is so pricey, you’re unlikely to toss it like you might the disposable/reusable Gladware – but even Gladware has its place).
Swiffer-everything really annoys me. (The same goes for single-use cutting boards I see on TV.) There is a better solution – microfibre washable cloths. You can attach them to the end of your swiffer if necessary. These work wet or dry and are now available everywhere. If cost is an issue, the dollar stores carry them, but I’ve even seen them in grocery aisles. Combined with some environmentally-friendly household cleaners (bought or homemade), these clean everything in my house from glass to bookshelves. (I use regular cotton cloths for the scrubbing-cleaning. Vinegar, baking soda and diluted bleach are my household cleaners. (Recipes for homemade cleaners available all over the Internet.)
We don’t even use disposable tissues anymore. Washable flannel tissues RULE! Oh so soft and thick – no worries of getting snotty hands or a raw nose. Cheap and easy to make – just sew two squares of flannel together. I don’t have a serger, but a zig-zag stitch along the edge suffices. You can get any colour or design – which makes them fun too. Cut the squares at least an inch larger than the desired hanky size, since they will shrink on the first wash because you need to wash them in hot water.
Need I even mention reducing the amount of energy and water used whenever possible?

Reuse – the second R. I already covered reusable containers – and I’m sure you’ve also discovered that whatever plastic containers you don’t recycle immediately can be reused as well. Much of the above falls into this category as well.

The final R is recycle. In addition to using our municipal blue-box system, we also drive other items to the municipal waste management facility. Styrofoam and even bicycles are recycled at our facility – but not picked up at the side of the road. Most cities now have a grass-roots FreeCycle program where you can advertise your (free) unwanted items on a list and people will pick them up.
Composting is a form of recycling – turning yard/garden clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, tea bags, coffee grinds, and dried egg shells (no other animal products please) into food for your plants/garden/lawn while reducing the amount of waste in landfills. We have two composters – a large outdoor compost bin and an indoor vermicomposter with red wiggler worms. The large woody cuttings we gather go into paper bags to be collected by waste management who makes mulch and compost (which are available for free).

Perhaps this sounds like a lot – but when it is simply part of your routine you don’t even notice. Maybe it doesn’t sound like enough – it’s not overtly “saving the environment” – but reality is that the only thing that will save us is a total change in lifestyle. I still have to drive a car (but biking is more enjoyable) and fly in airplanes to conferences and use water for laundry and (unfortunately) dry clothes in the dryer – but I can reduce in these areas as much as possible. I alone will not make a huge impact – but we together can. It’s about choices and being painfully aware of consequences. It’s about respecting our planet.

As Mother Earth writes in Dear Children of the Earth:

“My children, tell your friends and other people… that I need them to love me and care for me. Tell them all the animals are their sisters and brothers, and that we are all one big family. And tell them, too, that I always know when they do little things to help me. … Remember, I am your Home. And just like you, there is only one of me.”

Snow?

I know that snow is perhaps to be expected in April. But I wasn't expecting it. No - after the 20+ degree weather we had a little while back I was ready for summer. I even bought summer dresses! I am done with snow - that's so last season. Now is the time for seeds and new shoots and things that are green - not white (except for the white snowdrop flowers and the purple and white crocuses in my garden).
As the weather drove me inside to huddle under a blanket I brought back out the crochet needles. I've been making hats like I have two heads! (Or maybe three). But I've quickly grown tired of the hats, so seeking a new challenge I'm using the beautiful new bamboo knitting needles Tay gave me and knitting absolutely divine purple wool that accompanied the needles. I've decided to make a lacy wrap. It takes much more work than the repetitive crocheted hats. And to increase my challenge I've retrained myself to knit Continental Style instead of English Style. Continental really IS so much easier once I get the hang of it. More like the movements of crochet work.
And just for the record - all the cool people knit and crochet. Just because I knit and have three cats doesn't mean anything...

Summertime in Spring

A crazy day today! Started with random downpours and thunder (frightening poor Darla) and turned into an incredibly hot, sunny, (muggy) day! The only way to deal with it was, of course, to go outside!
And while outside I had to be productive... so I cleaned up dead growth from the gardens, admired the snowdrops up front, and then did some work in the veggie/herb garden! Inserted a new wall on one of the sloped gardens using clay pots. Eventually I'll plant stuff in the pots, but for now they're just an ingenious wall. (I think it's rather ingenious and uses up clay pots I had lying around.) Above that, in the garden I did not plant in last year, I started some carrot seeds - since they are the only seeds I have that can be started outdoors already. Got very dirty and let Darla, Gryphon and Monkey play outside in the yard. Monkey sure does love playing outside, but she's really good for staying near me. Oh, I also found a frog (or toad)! I uncovered it while digging with my hands in the soil and screamed! Then I moved it to a safer location.

To follow up from the last post - I got a photo of all the animals in the same space!
See (l-r) Gryphon, Darla, Monkey and Fenwick around the stairs. (Also featuring the Dyson Vacuum whose canister was being emptied.)


See Fenwick see Darla (and everyone else sees Fenwick).


See Fenwick dart away... as Monkey watches. This is a very typical scene.

Three in One

This morning as Robin was getting up for work (me, I stayed in bed another 30 minutes because I could) all three cats dashed into the bedroom. I'm guessing Darla was in her chair in the office. So at one point I had all three kitties together on the bed! It was so cute - and a definite first! It didn't last long because Gryphon kicked Monkey off. Strangely, he didn't mind that Fenwick was snuggled up at my feet - she's the "stranger" in the cat family. I guess Gryph knew that Monkey would be competition for my attention...
Anyhow... must keep camera in the room now to get a three-in-one photo!
This may not seem like a big deal - but the fact that Fenwick is *finally* starting to be comfortable in the same room with Gryphon - heck, the fact that she is upstairs on a regular basic - is huge around here! It's taken over 6 months and I was really worried I'd made the wrong choice in having her live here - it's not a very nice life if she lives in hiding the whole time. She's still not fully comfortable with Darla, but she's at least bold enough to walk warily around D when she is sleeping.
I imagine a day when I can photograph all four of my children together :)