THIS is the first sign of spring!

Away with the clothes rack...for today, anyway.  Tonight we can look forward to sleeping on sheets sheets that smell of the outdoors.

I love the fact that I've learned to live without a dryer.  Nothing beats the smell of laundry fresh off the line.

My side door that leads out to my line has shifted and I have to walk around the house because I can't open that door. The walk is well worth it.

Soon house will settle on to its original position and the door will open and my clothesline will get much use.

Oh happy days....oh happy days!

I am resigning...

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year-old again.

I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four star restaurant.

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make a sidewalk with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them.

I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple; When all you knew were colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care.

All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset.

I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good..

I want to believe that anything is possible.

I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.

I want to live simple again.

I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness, and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind, and making angels in the snow.

So... here's my check book and my car-keys, my credit card bills and my 401K statements. I am officially resigning from adulthood. And if you want to discuss this. further, you'll have to catch me first, cause... Tag! You're it!

Frances

Today I lost my best friend.  

I've known Fran for over 25 years.  She was "my other mom."  

When I met her, I was in a very unhappy marriage.  She lifted me up....dusted me off...and loved me unconditionally.  I could do no wrong.

She was my safe port in a storm.

She was my mentor.  

She showed me that one could be happy in the face of adversity.  She knew....

She lost most of her sight when she was just a little girl.  The circumstance surrounding this loss don't really matter.  What matters is how she managed the rest of her life as someone who would be deemed, eventually, legally blind.

She learned Braille.  She sewed her own clothes...with only her worn clothes as a pattern...and she sewed them by hand.  She tells me that she even drove!!

She was artistic.

Eventually she would receive a Cornea transplant which allowed her to see fairly well for a few years.  She was so grateful....

She came by her artistic talent honestly.  Her dad was Frank Hollister who created the Stained Glass windows on the Peace Tower in Ottawa.  One of my fondest memories was our trip to Ottawa where she was escorted to see these magnificent works of art.  I am not sure what she saw as she would never want to disappoint anyone by saying she saw little....but I know her eyesight was fading.

Her house was a safe haven for everyone...  Why?  Because she loved everyone unconditionally.

When the world was turned upside down, Frances became a Bahai.  She knew that the world needed a healing balm, and the Faith was the path towards peace.  The Oneness of Mankind....the elimination of prejudice of all kinds....the essential harmony of science and religion....the equality of men an women...the common foundation of all religions....the acknowledgment and respect of the station of Christ....these were the principles of the Baha'i Faith that she taught all of us....and she taught us so much more.

She was ever grateful....for all things.

She did not fear death.  She looked upon it as merely a step into another journey...another adventure...

I believe that she will be reunited with her beloved Cameron.

Rest peacefully, my friend.  You have earned your wings.

You and I will meet again, When we're least expecting it, One day in some far off place, I will recognize your face, I won't say goodbye my friend, For you and I will meet again.

Tom Petty

So very little to report from the Canal...  Winter drags on, and becomes a boring blog subject.  The days, however, are becoming longer, and daylight savings occurs this weekend.  This coincides with the delivery of seed catalogues...so all in all, we have much to look forward to.

I have been doing a little painting....watercolour...and enjoying learning how to work with this new medium.  

Have also finished a teddy which has been hand sewn while sitting on my couch with my warming pad under my feet.  The floors in our home our very cold, as this little cottage is on peirs.

Meet Ted....

Today is March the 6th.  This is the last March 6th that I will be heading to work.  If all is well, I will be retiring next March.  Some say that I won't know what to do with myself.  I beg to differ!

Winter on the Canal

I haven't ventured very far this winter.  I am finding that when my day off rolls around, I am spent.  Bankrupt is a better word, I guess...

On occasion, I'll get off my couch, and venture to the side window to see what is happening in our neck of the woods.  I don't wander about in this cold...so you won't see any footsteps in the following pictures!

Above, is the view of the Lock.  The water flows constantly, making this a dangerous place to fish, and in the 4 years we have been here, nobody has ventured onto the ice, knowing it to be thin and unstable.

This is the view to our East.  I love the sunlight on the snow drifts!

Our flag has taken a beating this year, but look beyond to that beautiful blue sky.   

Winters in Canada are harsh, but for the most part, we can choose to stay inside.  And...you don't have to venture far to find beauty in any day!

Onion Syrup

Hubby has been really ill with a respiratory infection.  This will be our second week in...  His cough is relentless.  It is so difficult to watch. 

We ran out of cough medicine so after he went to bed...and continued to cough incessantly...I did some searching.  I came up with a recipe that I found on Pinterest.

I whipped up a batch last night and allowed it to sit for 12 hours.  It is harmless and can be used whenever needed.  I used a sweet onion.  The honey was local but I cannot vouch for it being organic. 

Were you aware that honey that you buy in a grocery store may not be pure honey?

All I did was chop a whole sweet onion and add enough liquified honey to cover.

Please go to www.herbalrootszine to check out this and many more great ideas!

This syrup will store in the refrigerator for several months.  The onions will be removed later today.  The taste is subtle.  Please do not give honey to any child under one year of age, however.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce!

This morning we woke to several inches of snow that was covered with a slick coat of ice.  The safest bet was to stay home, and off the roads, so I got at a task that had been calling for a while.

My son had a garden last summer, that put mine to shame.  He had tomato plants that were huge, and loaded with the most beautiful fruit.  When he harvested them, he filled many freezer bags, and sent them to my house where they would become spaghetti sauce.

Many, may hours were spent in my kitchen....but oh, the results were impressive...if I say so myself!  I filled a large saucepan with frozen tomatoes which had been previously dipped in boiling water to remove their skins.  When they had cooked down a little, I added sauteed onions and garlic, and red pepper.  The sauce was flavored with oregano, parsley and salt.  Towards the end of cooking, I added a small can of organic tomato paste.  The whole dish was, in fact, organic, and so so good!

So...  I'm pleased...and I hope that my son is too!  I'm so proud of the fact that all of our children are gardening in various degrees...and I look forward to seeing what is produced this summer!