A Wander Through my Mind

 

Nothing is so beautiful as Spring - 

When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;

Gerard Manley Hopkins

When I opened my bedroom curtains this morning the fat golden full moon looked at me directly, as if to say, "Wake up, sleepyhead!" Now I sit here at my computer looking out on a cloudy morning that will surely brighten. One fat robin, red breast highly visible, sits in the neighbour's blossoming plum tree. Daffodils are nearly finished, and hyacinths soon to follow. A dark-eyed junco perches on the deck railing. I see the tiniest buds of lilacs beginning to form. Hooray for spring flowers. 

I confess that Spring is not my favourite season. She's too capricious. On days when the sun shines warm, the wind blows chill. I welcome the change of seasons, and there is much to admire - emerging plants, the turtles sunning themselves on the log in the pond, blossoms galore, and the increasing light. On the flip side, one might wear a down jacket, a raincoat, and go sockless in sandals all in one week. Capricious!

"The world is full of peril and there are many dark places. But still, there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater."

J. R. R. Tolkien

I've been stuck for words lately. Feeling unmotivated. There are ideas bubbling up inside me that are looking for expression. I am learning to wait for them like bulbs forming roots before bursting into colour. I'm also leaning more and more into staying away from media that encourages short interactions, such as Instagram and Twitter, and instead enjoying the thoughtfulness of blogging. But have you experienced how addicting those short snippets of irrelevant information can be? I am taking back my time and hope that it will result in renewed motivation and creativity. 

"You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine."

Annie Dillard

This week is busy with wonderful things. We have a birthday to celebrate (Tim's), Good Friday to observe, and Easter dinner followed by an egg hunt in the garden (weather permitting). I sat down this morning and made a lovely long list of tasks that I will enjoy ticking off one by one. 

I'll leave you with one little Easter memory. We usually visited my grandparents' home on Easter and Grandma had a special large chocolate egg hidden for each grandchild. I was the eldest and no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find my egg. I found my sister and brother's eggs, and those of the cousins, but not my own. As I became more and more frustrated, my Grandma told me gently that since I was the eldest my egg was hidden in a more difficult place, and that I had done well in helping the younger children find their eggs. I don't remember where the egg was finally hiding, but I do remember Grandma's encouragement. 

Then there was the time I got stuck in the outhouse at my other grandmother's farm home while wearing my new Easter dress - a pale yellow linen dress with a hand-embroidered daisy on the shoulder. My mother made us new dresses every Easter and every Christmas. No matter how I loudly I hollered no one came to my rescue. They were all busy eating dinner and visiting indoors. I finally managed to pry the door open and escaped, thinking I had been gone for ever so long only to discover that no one had missed me. 

So that was two little Easter memories. Now it's time to tackle that list of tasks. Have a most wonderful day, and I'd love it if you shared any Easter or spring memories of your own. 

Friday Favourites: Of Books and Flowers

 

Outside my window this afternoon all sorts of things are happening. The apple tree is getting ready to burst into blooms. Clematis armandii, seen above, couldn't wait, and a few pink buds have opened to the sun. The camellia bush, planted a year or two ago, is covered with pink flowers. Daffodils, pansies, bellis daisies, and a few tulips bloom in profusion along my walking route. And the ornamental cherry trees - pink clouds everywhere!

My current reading selection is eclectic, ranging from gardens to food and from Paris to England. Seasons at Highclere is a book to dip in and out of and I'll be sorry to return it to the library. 

Hidden Gardens of Paris is much the same - it's fun to look at the map, find a garden, and read about it. The book reminds me of finding the Anne Frank Garden in the Marais District in Paris a few years ago, and of a delicious lunch of falafel in a nearby restaurant. 

I've just begun What She Ate, an exploration of the kitchen lore and food preferences of six of women including Dorothy Wordsworth, sister of the poet, Eleanor Roosevelt, and surprisingly, Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress. I'm looking forward to finding out more about these women.

And then the Miss Marple Stories. These stories are written by current mystery writers with Miss Marple as her usual perceptive self. I've enjoyed the ones I've read so far, although I sometimes think, "Agatha Christie wouldn't have said it quite like that." 

Easter dinner was not at our place this year. My kitchen is a hollow, empty room where I manage to scrounge together enough to feed the two of us. Instead, we all met at Ashley and Owen's place on a rainy Sunday afternoon and enjoyed a delicious meal, a slightly wet egg hunt, and a wonderful time. Young Iris helped decorate the tables with cheerful bowls of floating dandelions. Both Iris and Cora were thrilled to be seated at the children's table in an adjoining room this year. They do love their older cousins, who love them and take good care of them in return. 

Weekend plans are loose - gardening, perhaps, or maybe a little outing. The new cabinets will be installed next week and until they are done Tim is not quite so busy. Wishing you all a weekend filled with satisfying things. 

Of April Things that Gladden the Heart

 

Spring is a wonderful and capricious season; blowing hot one day and cold the next. There's been both during this first week of April. All day today the wind tossed tree branches to and fro, and pink and white prunus blossoms fly through the air. Now in the evening we sit in warmth and pools of light and listen to the gusts outside.

American Robins are everywhere. I see them on lawns, poking their sharp beaks into the soil to bring up juicy worms. They perch on tree branches in the garden and in the woods. A sure sign of spring. 

Along a recent walk I noticed a weeping willow tree, each trailing stem acid green with new growth. In my own garden the acer tree leaves are a similar yellow green. 

The apricot tree is in bloom. I always think it flowers much too early, before the pollinators are really active. So I do my part with a soft paintbrush. Whether or not it does any good I can't say as our yield of apricots has never been large. 

The dyes I used were from things around the house - purple cabbage (the teal eggs), dried marigold flowers, yellow onion skins, grape juice, and sumac - the last was a first time experiment.

While dyeing eggs yesterday, I thought about Easters past. My sister and I always had new dresses for Easter Sunday, sewn by my mother, who usually sewed something for herself, as well. When I was very young, there were little hats and white ankle socks to wear with our patent leather shoes, and sometimes even white gloves. 

We often went to my grandparents' home for Easter, spending time with both paternal and maternal grandparents. Church on Easter morning meant getting dressed up in our new garb. My grandparents' church was large and I always thought it cold. But I loved the singing - Mennonites sing harmony so well. 

Then Easter dinner - a feast! My grandmother hid a large chocolate treat for each grandchild, often in the house because the weather was unpredictable. One year I remember looking and looking for mine and feeling quite desperate because everyone else had found their egg. Grandma told me that because I was the eldest, mine was well hidden. To my relief, I eventually found my egg. 

This year we're having dinner with our children and grandchildren at one of my daughters' homes. Rain is predicted so perhaps the egg hunt will be indoors once again. 

For those of you who celebrate Easter, I wish you the joy of the Risen Christ. 

Easter

 

Here I sit on Easter Monday - a day off school for me. It's not a statutory holiday in Canada, but the public sector has it off, so Tim is home, too. After yesterday's sunshine, we awoke to grey skies and fierce wind today. No rain yet, although it's in the forecast. 

Easter is a season of hope, which is found by Christians in the Resurrection of Christ. It's one of my favourite holidays. We gathered for dinner in the late afternoon (nap schedules have to be taken into account), preceded by an egg hunt in the garden. I always include packets of goldfish snacks, granola bars, and other individually packaged items to hide along with the chocolate. Non-sweet items are appreciated by the parents. It was fun to watch the older children racing around the garden at warp speed, while the two younger girls wandered at a much slower pace. Some treats were hidden in easy-to-find spots and left by the older ones for the younger. 

Then dinner. I roasted a spatchcock turkey which cooked much more quickly than a regular one. I did the cutting the day before and broke my kitchen shears. So I zipped up to the kitchen supply store for some poultry shear which worked much better. 

I love that tablecloth of pink and yellow. It's an old one of Tim's mother, of soft thick rayon that was popular in the 1950s. We set another table in the kitchen for the three older grands who like to be off by themselves sometimes.

A little collage of the grands. How quickly they are growing. Cora might look like she's been eating chocolate, but no, that's dirt. We're always scooping something out of her mouth, but she never shows any ill effects. I asked the children to sit on the stairs for me to take a photo of them, but I never got one with all of them looking at me. A squirrelly bunch, but maybe that was due to all the chocolate!

A friend passed along a link to a cute bunny bag pattern last week. On Sunday I decided to make one for each grandchild. I spent every free minute until Wednesday stitching the bags. They are so cute with the egg and the bunny ears. 

I hope your Monday is going well, no matter the weather. 

An Unexpected Easter Story

Spring is bursting out here in spite of the unusually cold temperatures. Snow on the hills and at my daughters' houses not too far away. Sharp wind that drives right through to the skin. Glorious sunshine to temper the chill, and flowers that must bloom no matter what. 

Here I am at 8 or 9. Every year, for Christmas and Easter, my mother sewed new dresses for my sister and me. The outfit above was a tunic type top and a skirt, made from buttery yellow linen. Mom hand embroidered a sweet daisy on a stem on the top. 

The year we wore these dresses we drove from our home in the interior through the twisty Fraser Canyon and its tunnels, for Easter dinner at our grandparents' home. My paternal grandparents lived on a dairy farm. The house was not large, but we all crowded in around the table to enjoy a delicious dinner. There were likely 20 or more of us, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents. In the middle of dinner, I had to excuse myself from the table to "use the facilities". There was no indoor plumbing in the house and I had to go outside, down a short path, to the outhouse. My business finished I attempted to open the door latch to return to the house. I couldn't. I jiggled and pulled and pushed, but the latch was stuck. What was I to do? I hollered loudly, to no avail. The dinner table noise drowned out my cries. I thought that perhaps I could crawl under the door, for it didn't go all the way to the ground, but then I would ruin my pretty new dress. I hollered some more, but no one came. Finally, I jiggled, pushed, and pulled the latch some more. To my great relief, it opened. I returned to the dinner table to discover that everyone was so involved in visiting that I hadn't been missed at all.  

 Have you ever been stuck in an outhouse? It never happened again, but I've never forgotten this experience.

The Clematis Montana are draping themselves all over the fence these days, with a lovely delicate fragrance. They would probably be happy to drape themselves over any structure - even an outhouse. I'm grateful for indoor plumbing! 

(nearly) A Week into April

 

I am so glad that we had sunshine over the Easter weekend. We were able to gather together with our children and grandchildren and enjoy dinner together, and an egg hunt for the littles. 

A new interest of mine is dyeing fabric with natural dyes. To that end I have a collection of avocado pits in my freezer, and I dried marigolds last summer. As of yet, I've actually dyed nothing. Then I saw some naturally dyed Easter eggs, and thought, "aha!" I had already boiled 7 eggs in preparation for dyeing with food colouring, but my thinking took a hard turn toward natural dyes. I boiled some of my dried marigolds in one pot, a few avocado pits in another, and some Concord grapes from the freezer in yet another pot. Finally, I took the grounds from my husband's pour over coffee and added them to some boiling water. After simmering the dyes, I strained them and poured them into deep bowls or cups (large mugs work well), and added a tablespoon of vinegar to each mixture. I picked some botanicals from the garden and placed them against the shells, then tied some muslin around them. Into the containers they went. 

Unlike food colouring and commercial dyes, natural dyes take longer. Mine sat for most of the day - 8 hours, I would guess. What lovely soft colours. The botanical prints didn't turn out very well, but the wrapping gave some nice effects. Can you guess which botanical dye gave which colour? 

The pale peachy pink came from the avocado pits, the coffee yielded pale brown (the egg right under the flower at the top), the marigold yielded the strong yellow, almost greenish, and the concord grape dye, which looked purple as can be, yielded the blue. When I took the grape dyed eggs from the water, I watched them turn from purple to blue with some greenish spots, all due to oxidation. They also had a thin film of fine crystals on them. Fascinating! 

The egg hunt had to be organized a bit differently this year. While the older grands raced around looking in, under, and over, the 22 month old wasn't up to that. So we "hid" some treats in plain view on the block border and told the older grands they were for Iris. That worked well. Everyone was happy with their treats. Rather than all sweets, we hid granola bars, individual packages of cookies and crackers like Goldfish along with the chocolate eggs. They can take those things in their lunches to school. 

We organized tables for the couples, each with chairs, all socially distanced. The children shared a little table. It was great to be together to celebrate this special day. 

Tomato seedlings are sprouting in the dining room where I have a corner window and lots of light. They are much further along than the above photo shows, and I expect I'll be potting them up towards the end of the week when their true leaves fully form. 

Several times each day I brush my hand gently over the seedlings as I read that that mimics breezes and strengthens the plant. The distinctive scent of tomato plants is already evident. I like the smell, do you?

I've been watching Charles Dowding's Youtube videos about starting seeds and gardening, along with a site called "The Middle-Sized Garden." There is so much wonderful information available to anyone. 

Things I'm looking forward to this week:

* reading this latest issue of Country Living UK

* sowing more seeds indoors - Swiss Chard, various flowers

* spreading some compost from the bins onto the beds

* going for walks with friends and family

What are you looking forward to this week? 

A Different Kind of Easter

Easter Sunday evening. A quiet day at home. Church via the internet. Phone and Skype calls to loved ones and friends. At 7 pm we, along with several other households on our street, go out and bang pots and pans in support of our frontline workers. It's become a time to chat for a few moments, and to check in with each other. 

With the strange way we are all living these days, I wondered if I should just let tradition go. No, I decided, let's find new ways to celebrate. So on Good Friday I baked Paska Buns, an airy rich yeast dough with a hint of citrus topped with buttercream and sprinkles. It's a tradition from my Mennonite heritage. 

Tim and I delivered plates of Paska to our local families, along with a few Easter treats, and a large manila envelope to be opened only when instructed. We enjoyed a short visit on the porch of each home. 

Early Saturday evening we met via Zoom, the three Island households, and the one on the mainland. It was fun to see everyone together. The three older grands disappeared after awhile, then returned with costumes on - a butterfly, Superman, and a mermaid who later changed into a dragon. Little Iris clapped her hands and waved and tried to grab the computer. 

This is a corner of my unkempt garden. Our son had the idea of a virtual egg hunt, so Tim and I thought about it, and came up with a plan. I took five photos of our garden, and in each photo there are five eggs hidden. I put copies of the photos in the manila envelopes, and emailed them to the mainland. Everyone was instructed to open and look at the photos at the same time. Can you find the five plastic eggs in the above photo? There is one each of blue, orange, pink, purple, and green. It was a fun activity to do together. 

I spent much of Saturday and Sunday working in the garden. The weather is sunny and warm and some garden seeds planted a few weeks ago are finally sprouting. The first centaurea montana - wild cornflower - is blooming just now, with many to follow. 

This evening I made dinner for the two of us. Ham, potato gratin, carrot souffle, roasted asparagus, and a rhubarb cream cheese pie for dessert. As we sat across from each other at the table, we reflected that it was the first Easter ever with just the two of us. We've always been part of larger gatherings no matter where we were. 

As odd as this Easter is, it's made me think differently about the first Easter when Jesus' followers were utterly bewildered by the way their world had been turned upside down. Fear, uncertainty, confusion were part of their world. Then, the Resurrection - another topsy turvy event that rocked their world, but brought hope to life. 

I loved Queen Elizabeth's first ever Easter message, in which she said, "Life and light are greater." By God's grace we will get through this. 

I leave you with a little bouquet from my garden - candytuft, grape hyacinths, lemon balm leaves, and that one cornflower blossom that I recklessly clipped to bring indoors. 

Have a wonderful week! I'll be back to teaching on Tuesday, but hope to spend tomorrow working in my garden again. 

On a Quiet April Morning

I'm thinking about Easter and the preparations for the weekend. Heart and home. Yesterday, after school, my eldest granddaughter and I made some bags of Muddy Buddies as treats for our Easter celebration. We enjoyed chatting and playing together, and she stayed for dinner with us. Now 8, she is growing up so quickly and I cherish the time I have with her, and with each of my other grandchildren. 

The quiet of this morning is more to do with the soft and steady drizzle of rain and the gray skies than with what's going on in my head. There things are flying around with wild abandon as I make lists and flit from one item on my to-do list to another. Just now, as I sit in my chair and watch the rain fall and listen to the quiet of the house my mind calms. It would be a good day for curling up with a book, or some stitching, and a cup of tea. That will have to wait. 

The fawn lilies are now in bloom in the woods, mostly white, floating like stars just above the mossy ground. I spied a clump of pink fawn lilies in the rain. Erythronium revolutum. I believe I prefer the white ones. These lilies are native to the west coast of North America. There's always a little leap of internal joy when I see them emerge from their flat, spotted, close to the ground leaves. 

Last weekend's Lemon Tart. This is a close version of the recipe I used, from Laura Calder. It's not too sweet with a decided lemon flavour and just enough pucker to satisfy. I made a press-in shortbread crust, baked blind, that worked well. 

Last night, after I took Adria home, the evening light beckoned me to the garden. I cut lemon balm - it's a bit invasive, but I let it stay because it can fill in gaps nicely in the garden, and transplants well. Maybe too well. On my walk the other evening I picked the first sprig of lilac. Lilacs will be the next flower to rush into spring. 

It seems to me that spring is full of hurry. The flowers tumble over themselves, all in a commotion to bloom. Snowdrops barely fade before crocus and daffodil and muscari and hyacinth rush upon the scene, closely followed by tulips and anemones. Now the cornflowers are forming blooms, and tight rose buds will emerge. It's unstoppable. Hooray for relentless spring. 
I feel like I can't keep up. I'd like to enjoy each one longer, if I could, but no, we move on to the next beautiful thing. The bustle can be exhausting! 

A bunch of spray roses came home with me from grocery shopping yesterday. I thought they were pinker than they are, but the soft blush is still very pretty. I lit a candle this morning, thanks to the rain. 

We'll be celebrating our Easter dinner as a family on Saturday evening this year. That's what works best for in-laws. It's always good to be flexible even if it means tradition sometimes needs to be tweaked a little. Dinner will include a baked ham with TWO sauces - raisin sauce and sweet mustard sauce - because it's TRADITION. Scalloped potatoes, probably some broccoli, bright carrots, and a fresh green salad. Dessert is still not decided. I'm debating between chocolate mousse and an orange chiffon cake. When I put the question to Adria yesterday, she said, "why not both?" Smart girl, that one. 

Thanks for reading this rather rambling post. I wish you all a most joyous Easter as we remember the sacrifice of Christ, and the triumph of the Resurrection. 

Easter Preparations

An Easter photo from long ago. This photo is taken in front of a motel, so we were traveling. Probably to Abbotsford to visit family, hordes of family. Boisterous cousins, aunties by the dozen, groaning tables, and green foliage everywhere, a striking sight after the brown that signaled spring in the interior. 

My mother created those darling outfits for my sister and me, often sewing late into the evening. I'm the one in blue. Skirt, blouses, jackets. She's very talented. Don't we look prim and proper in our black patent shoes, little hats, and white gloves? And our brother in his miniature blazer? Just what we wore in the mid-60s for dressing up. The hippie movement hadn't caught us yet.

Easter Sunday. We attended services at my grandparents' church at East Aldergrove. I remember it as chilly, and a bit damp. The front of the church had a curved ceiling, painted pale mint green. The choir sang. The highlight of the service, for me, was when we all stood and sang, "Up from the grave He arose," the sound welling up as the notes climbed higher, joy filling hearts and space as the triumph of the Resurrection was celebrated. 

Tomorrow we will attend church and that song will likely not be sung. But I sing it to myself every year. Today, Saturday, preparations are made. Our family will gather this evening. The table is set. A vintage tablecloth from my mother-in-law sets the mood for spring. I iron it and think of her, and pray for her. 

Sometimes the little ones sit with us, sometimes they like their own table. I know they'll like the eggs on each napkin. 

Although this is the day between, the day when Jesus lay in darkness, a quiet day, we know the end of this chapter and so, in the spirit of hope, I say to you, Happy Easter! He is Risen!

Sunlit Sunday

It's Saturday evening. The day between. The house is spic and span clean. In the fridge rests the Black Forest Torte, its imperfections covered with whipped cream and chocolate. Tomorrow morning, before church, the ham and scalloped potatoes will go into the oven (or slow cooker). 

There was a little time to go outside and enjoy the sunshine while picking weeds. In the center of a lupine leaf sits a droplet of water.

The bleeding heart planted last summer is blooming already. Very appropriate for this Easter season, as it reminds me of Christ's death and suffering on my behalf. And then tomorrow...what joy! Resurrection Sunday, full of hope and amazement.

There will be lots of commotion here tomorrow. Not just for Easter, but also a birthday, a significant one, for Tim to celebrate. The Black Forest Torte was his request.

Happy Easter! 

And so concludes the Sunlit Sunday link up for this year. Many thanks to Karen of My Little Home and Garden for hosting.   

Blooms in the Forest

Rain dripped in the early morning. By the time I got up, it had stopped. I met a friend at the base of Mt. Doug and together we walked along the trail at the bottom of this urban park, then climbed up to the top. The view was grey. 

On the forest floor, however, the colours are intense. A fawn lily looks shyly downwards as droplets bead on her petals.

I recently purchased Adobe Photoshop Elements. The learning curve is steep. Very steep. There is a lot of online support and it will take me some time to figure out enough to feel comfortable.

Miner's Lettuce (claytonia perfoliata) is an edible green that is found throughout Vancouver Island. It's crisp and juicy, and if you can find it growing outside of a park, it makes a crunchy addition to a green salad. As you might guess from its common name, it was eaten by gold miners during the Gold Rush to prevent scurvy. 

I was surprised to see the Henderson Shooting Stars in bloom already. It's an early spring, again. 

Tomorrow is Good Friday and Easter weekend is upon us. Tuesday I'll be back at school. These two weeks have gone by in a flash - not everything on my list was accomplished - but there were hikes and family times and those are most important.

There will be remembrance on Good Friday and many preparations on Saturday - Paska buns to bake, an Easter egg hunt to organize, a guest room to prepare, and dinner to concoct.

We'll be having:

Baked Ham

Raisin Sauce AND Sweet Mustard Sauce

Scalloped Potatoes

Grated Carrot Salad

Roasted Asparagus

Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

Black Forest Torte

There are two sauces because, after all, it's TRADITION. What's on your menu for the weekend?

I wish all of my readers the joy and hope of Easter.  

Easter Joy!

Christ is Risen!

The Saturday Between

Just popping in on Saturday afternoon. We spent the day on the boat with Tim's sister and brother-in-law, and brought Little Miss A along, too. Now we're home and I'm starting to think about Easter dinner tomorrow. Soup's in the crockpot for this evening. I prepared the table center piece yesterday with flowers from around the yard. Can you believe that bluebells are in bloom already?
 

Yesterday the house filled with the scent of citrus flavored yeast dough. Paska is a traditional Easter bread from my childhood. It was delicious! I used Judy's recipe from the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog.

Time to head back into the kitchen. Wishing you all a most blessed Easter.