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A sparkling memory
Pop. The gentle popping of a cork to open a bottle of sparkling wine is a joyful sound. The pop releases effervescent vapors in a delicate swirl around the narrow opening, as if freeing the magical bubbles trapped inside. This particular pop releases a nice memory as well from my visit to De Simone Vineyards in Niagara. De Simone Vineyards was one of the wineries that Eleacia circled on my Niagara wine map when I visited Southbrook Vineyards in February 2020. The neighbouring winery was just down the street on Niagara Stone Road. Luckily I took her up on her recommendation. That very same day. The tasting area at De…
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Delightful things about winter
I sliced my orange in half, releasing a fresh citrus scent, and was delighted by the gorgeous purply red colour inside. I took a closer look at the segments hidden inside the thick-skinned citrus. They were bursting with juice. Before eating the orange, I paraded it around my house to show the beautiful colour to my family (they weren’t quite as delighted as I). A small pleasure in a small thing. Perhaps this is the type of observation that Sei Shōnagon might have recorded in The Pillow Book. I recently learned about this Japanese author/poet/philosopher in Eric Weiner’s book, The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers.…
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Home sweet home
I woke up to a dripping sound the other night. Drip drip drip. It was coming from the bathroom. It was 3 am. My first reaction was annoyance at my house. How can you do this?! Then I quickly realized that was unfair. My house does a fine job of providing us shelter, and so much more. As my husband yanked the garbage bin under the drip, I formulated a plan to deal with it (in the morning) and rolled over and went back to sleep. The next morning, without the leaky metronome, I thought about how much I appreciate my hardworking home. Then I thought of Marie Kondo. At…
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A dog’s point of view
This was a good year for me. My whole family was home! All. The. Time. I went for so many walks, nice long ones. There was always someone around to scratch my back …or my belly …or under my ears. Oohhh yaahhh. Let me explain. I’m Caramel. They also call me Pooche or Poochie pie. Whatever they call me, I perk my ears so they know I am paying attention. Sometimes they merge it all together in a squeaky noise like Caramelmylittlepoochiepie while they tussle my ears. This is usually my cue they need some comforting. I look into their eyes, tilt my head to one side and raise my…
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Simplicity
Simplicity. This is the name of our Christmas tree this year. (Our local garden centre attaches a name tag on each tree to add a little whimsy to the tree selection experience.) The tree fits nicely in our home. It’s not too tall, so there’s room for the star on top. The bushy green branches are well spaced to host our assortment of well-worn ornaments. We chose the tree for its pleasing shape and size rather than its name. But the name fits quite well too. Wizard, Joey or Audi would not feel right this year. In a year where good health, family and a comfy home are appreciated more…
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Year in Review
It’s been a year since my first post when I created this blog. Perhaps it’s my government policy training that compels me to look back over the year to assess progress and identify highlights….or simply remember what I did! I started out by setting goals for myself, including trying new things and travelling more. The year took an unexpected turn (for all of us) so expectations needed to shift. My ‘highlights’ below were not necessarily planned at the outset, yet I feel better for them. I was fortunate to have time to: Become fully acquainted with the natural surroundings and hidden gems on my local paths and trails (even the…
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An autumn hike bookended by wineries
“You see that path over there?” our friendly server walks to the large window in the wineshop and points to the vineyard below. I follow his gaze out the pane of glass to a wide path that intersects the vineyards at Vineland Estates and ends at a dense cluster of red, orange and yellow trees. “There’s an entrance to the Bruce Trail there.” My husband and I were picking up a few bottles of wine at Vineland Estates, and hoping to combine it with a short hike on this sunny October day. The winery staff was super helpful in pointing us in the right direction. This short section of the…
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Thanksgiving traditions
We generally have a family gathering at Thanksgiving. If my Mom is hosting, she would ask us to say one thing we are thankful for before digging into our feast. Sometimes it was to identify something we are thankful for about the person to our left or right. Does this tradition sound familiar? I admit some years I was not always a fan as my hot plate of food cooled in front of me. Like a lot of things, you don’t realize you miss it until it’s gone. Last year a dozen people crowded around my dining room table, while this year a couple gourds sit in the centre of…
