It's a new year, a new decade

The shortbread cookies photographed well but they have all been eaten. The turkey is gone. The living room is undecorated, the christmas tree at the curb. The only signs of 2009's holiday season left are presents still not put away, a bit of fruitcake still uneaten, and chocolates that are almost gone. All in all, a quiet and yummy Christmas here at the eatwritecreate household.

I'm glad we've entered a new decade and left behind the one with no name (the double zeroes? the oh-oh years?). Like all decades it contained good and bad, but while I remember the good with fondness -- and there was much goodness in the past 10 years -- I seem to recall the bad strongly ..... troubles on a personal level (losing beloved pets, my serious illness) and troubles on a grander scale (9/11, Katrina). I'm happy that 2009, which began so sadly for me, turned out to be a wonderful year for my family -- it's given me renewed optimism. I'm ready to tackle this new decade with enthusiasm and hope for the future. It feels great to be positive!

For my family and your family too, I wish peace, contentment, good health, wealth in whatever form means the most to you and, above all, much happiness and love in 2010 and beyond. May you laugh and smile often, may your heart be filled with joy, and may sadness and tears be infrequent. And thank you for continuing to visit my blog; I truly appreciate your support and your friendship.

U is for undomestic

A few years ago, my sister-in-law (hi, Heather!) was reading Sophie Kinsella's Confessions of a Shopaholic while we were all enjoying a family vacation on the beach in Florida. She was constantly laughing out loud and when she finished it, she passed it on to me. I instantly became a fan of Kinsella's breezy chick-lit style. So for this week's A-Z Wednesday reading challenge, where we are now at U, I chose one of my Kinsella favourites, The Undomestic Goddess.

I have to be honest here. To enjoy this novel, you must suspend all rational thought. The plot is implausible, plain and simple. Simply sit back, grab the book, and prepare to enjoy a lighthearted, amusing story in the classic fish-out-of-water vein. Here's what Publishers Weekly had to say about The Undomestic Goddess:
Samantha Sweeting, the 29-year-old heroine of Kinsella's latest confection is on the verge of partnership at the prestigious London law firm Carter Spink — the Holy Grail of her entire workaholic life. But when she finds she has made a terrible, costly mistake just before the partnership decision, she's terrified of being fired. In a fog, she stumbles out of the building and onto the nearest train, which drops her in the countryside, where she wanders to a stately home. The nouveau riche lady of the house mistakes her for the new housekeeper — and Samantha is too astonished to correct her. Numb and unable to face returning to London, Samantha tries to master the finer points of laundry, cooking and cleaning. She discovers that the slow life, her pompous but good-hearted employers and the attentions of the handsome gardener, Nathaniel, suit her just fine. But her past is hard to escape, and when she discovers a terrible secret about her firm — and when the media learns that the former legal star is scrubbing toilets for a living — her life becomes more complicated than ever.
 
Chick-lit this is, but it's chick-lit at its finest. If you're looking for a great book to take on vacation or read while you're hiberating by the fireplace, you won't go wrong with The Undomestic Goddess. Or any of Kinsella's other novels, for that matter.

tippi's first christmas

Tippi had a great first Christmas; she was so excited!

2009, a month at a time

I started working on this little montage back in April, then promptly forgot about it....until yesterday, when I stumbled across the file as I was looking through my folder containing 2009 photoshop projects. So I finished it off today and decided it was a terrific year-end posting. (I know, it's not the year-end yet. I'm a tad early).

Here's what the photos represent:
January: an old 7up bottling plant in Corbin, KY; something I spotted as we were driving through this small town on our way down south
February: a Florida pelican
March: a poster of Guy Fieri, host of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, on prominent display in Matthews Cafeteria in Tucker, GA (this restaurant was featured in one of the show's episodes and the captain and I went there specifically because of that)
April: a spring flower blooming on the day the captain and I wandered around the grounds of the Guild Inn
May: this duck and his mate were backyard visitors
June: our wonderful family vacation down to DisneyWorld
July: Tippi!
August: homemade peach pie
September: Toronto's art&design district
October: fall colours in eastern Ontario
November: Leslie's rear garden, testing cameras on a fun-filled afternoon
December: this year's christmas tree

Here's looking forward to 2010, a new year and a new decade!

Merry Christmas

Hope your day was everything you wanted it to be, and more. Merry Christmas, everyone!

My favourite Christmas photograph

Our son (Rob, or Robbie as he was known when he was little) was just 17 months old when I took that photograph you see above, back when I still shot film, using my old Minolta SLR. No fancy buttons, no automatic anything.

I mean the picture on the right...obviously.

That Christmas photo remains, to this day, my favourite holiday picture.

T is for terrific

The A-Z Wednesday reading challenge seems to be flying towards the end of the alphabet; we're already up to T. It just so happens one of my favourite books begins with this letter: Two for the Road, written by the husband-and-wife team of Jane and Michael Stern.

I love this book. You will too, if you're at all a fan of road trips or even travelling in general. And eating. The catch? You have to be willing to forego the chain restaurants and try the local fare. When the captain and I travel, this is something we always do. If you also do that -- or you haven't but you'd like to -- then please read this book. It'll make you want to hit the road, pronto.

Here's what Publishers Weekly had to say about this gem: The authors of Roadfood are crazy for American local food, that often informal, inexpensive cuisine that's not especially healthy but sure is tasty. The husband-and-wife team has traveled the country since the 1970s, seeking out the sort of food found in "unlikely restaurants in small towns and off two-lane highways," which, naturally, leads to all manner of fish-out-of-water scenarios, which they relate in this endearing chronicle. The Sterns' adventures are funny, if not quite perilous; the car breaks down in Enigma, Ga.; six jugs of iced tea bought at a South Carolina restaurant leak all over the car's floor, which the Sterns don't realize until days later, when they're nearing the Mojave Desert and could really use a refreshment. Their enthusiasm is inspiring; they regularly consume 100 meals in 10 days or less, but that only makes them more passionate for road food. Their descriptions of their grail are the book's highlights: baby back ribs at Carson's, in Skokie, Ill., for instance, are "sensuously sticky with a baked-on sauce that [is] striated red-gold as if it had been painted by an artist of the Hudson River School"; caramel rolls at North Dakota's Havana Cafe are "light and fluffy, swirled with veins of caramel frosting."

And here's a small excerpt:
"Long before GPS and Mapquest, getting lost was our lifestyle. As we drove through the east Tennessee hills on a road that twisted into a realm of primitive otherworldliness, we felt like strangers in a strange land. Through a tunnel of trees, we passed preplumbing log homes with dilapidated La-Z-Boy recliners on their front porches for the residents' relaxation. As foreign as it seemed, it wasn't scary, for every porch-sitter we drove by waved hello as if the passing of a car were a happy event."

This is one of the few books I've read more than twice. The Sterns are so crazy about what they do and they tell their tales of the road with such passion and enthusiasm, it's contagious. I highly recommend this book and I also suggest you check out the Roadfood web site. Happy travelling and happy eating!

O Christmas Tree

You see that Christmas ornament, with Snoopy? If it was twisted the other way 'round, you'd see "1978" on it. Yup, that's the Christmas tree ornament the captain and I bought right after we were married, in honour of our first Christmas together. We've bought one every year since; the ornament for 2009 is one we purchased at the Kennedy Space Center during our wonderful family vacation back in June.

Over at The Poetic Eye, today's photo prompt is "The Heart's Light". This made me think of the lights on our Christmas tree, of how they make me feel warm and comfortable. How the brightly lit tree is a symbol that marks our family Christmas as the years go marching on.

Our Christmas tree is finally up, lit, and decorated. We have a real tree this year, our first deviation from artificial in several years. I love the smell. This tree, while fairly tall, is much slimmer than our artifical. Miss Tippi thinks the lights, particularly our snowman lights (pictured below), are toys and she can't understand why she can't play with them. Poor girl. I hope Santa brings her something special!

I took several photographs after the tree went up; the five you see here are some of my favourites. They all light up my heart.

Anything Can Be

listen to the mustn'ts, child,

listen to the don'ts.

listen to the shouldn'ts,

the impossibles, the won'ts.

listen to the never haves,

then listen close to me.

anything can happen, child,

anything can be.
*shel silverstein*

(posted for Art Creations Friday)

The light of friendship

Some women have dozens of girlfriends. I have never been one of those women. I have never been without friendship, but my circle of friends has never been large, not even as a teenager. Over the years I've lost contact with many of those old friends, but on occasion I have been able to reconnect. My friend Donna, for example, who now lives in Japan.

I first met Donna Reddick in 1969 at Winston Churchill Junior High in Ottawa, when I sat in her seat, by mistake, in first-period Geography class. I was new to Ottawa and so was she; her father had been transferred there on business. She and I and Elaine Roy became fast friends. I lost contact with Elaine shortly after she married in 1978; I believe her and her new husband moved to Calgary, but I'm not sure. Over the years Donna and I managed to keep our connection alive, but sometime in the '90s we lost touch. I haven't seen her since 1985, but a couple of years ago I did manage to track her down, thanks to some intensive googling where I eventually found an online obit for her father, which led me to her mom's address in North Carolina.....so I took a chance and sent a card. Funny how modern technology helps us out. A few weeks later, I heard from her by email.

With other old friends, I have not been so lucky. My best friend in Vancouver, Nancy Vogt, for example. We met in grade five -- we lived in neighbouring apartments and we were in the same grade -- and stayed in contact right up until about April, 1980 (it could have been '81), when my birthday card to her was returned to me, marked "moved". I do on occasion google her name (and that of her little brother, Paul), but I've never found a trace.

I am fortunate to have good friends right now, some I've had for years and some that are new -- all are cherished. I was lucky to share the day yesterday with my friend Nancy and, as often happens, when I left her home my brain was mush. Even when we don't intend to, we always seen to get going with some creative idea or another and then just go with the flow. Exhilarating, but exhausting! If you look at the above photo, you'll see the reflection of both of us, a photograph I took last year when we were on one of our photographic walkabouts. I see the light of friendship in that photo, which happens to be the Day 4 photo prompt over at The Poetic Eye. This image couldn't be more appropriate.

Rooms for rent

I didn't get a chance to post for yesterday's daily challenge at The Poetic Eye, but I hope I'm not too late. The photo prompt for Day 3 is the light of the everyday, of the ordinary. Above, an ordinary light fixture above ordinary doors on an ordinary street in an ordinary suburb of an ordinary American city. (Perhaps. I expect the good people of Pittsburgh would take exception at the characterization of their city as "ordinary".)

An everyday shot, taken at dusk. I do believe though, that behind the ordinary, there are many, many stories to be told. Stories that are not ordinary, not everyday. This pink rooming house has, I'm sure, its share.

Still Alice

Have you ever really wanted to read a book, but at the same time dreaded it? That's how I feel about Still Alice, written by Lisa Genova. Leslie recommended this book to me earlier this year and I've been on the library's waiting list for it ever since (it's a long waiting list). Still Alice is my S pick for the A-Z Wednesday reading challenge.

This is a novel about early-onset Alzheimer's Disease, told from the point of view of Alice Howland, a Harvard professer in her early 50s who begins to notice an unusual forgetfulness in her day-to-day life. As her memory worsens, she receives the horrible diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's. Reviewers have called this book "a work of pure genius" and "heartbreakingly real". The Alzheimer's Daily News wrote, "A masterpiece that will touch lives in ways none of us can even imagine....the best portrayal of the Alzheimer's journey that I have read." The book even has its own web site.

This, from Amazon: Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University.
Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heartbreaking, inspiring and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind...
Reminiscent of A Beautiful Mind, Ordinary People and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Still Alice packs a powerful emotional punch and marks the arrival of a strong new voice in fiction.

When I was a teenager, one of my father's friends, an extremely intelligent, sophisticated man in his mid-40s, began to lose his memory. Within a short time, he went from being a vibrant, outgoing individual to a confused recluse. It was so hard on his family. For me, only 15 at the time, it was terribly confusing. Alzheimer's again touched my life, about 20 years ago, when the mother of my boss at the time was stricken with it. She too suffered a rapid deterioration. It's a horrible disease and I do hope this book will make me better informed about it.

The miracle of light

Those of you who visit here frequently may recall my blog entry entitled "A new dawn, a new day"; you may also have read yesterday's "The light of memory". That post was light-hearted, but I am more reflective today. For December 15th's photo prompt of "the miracle of light", I refer to both that August post as well as the photo above. Yes, another sunrise.

The rising of the sun should be special for everyone, I think. Aren't we all grateful, really, to be here? I know I am. The words I shared in that earlier blog post will tell you that. I know there is a time for everything, which can certainly be hard to accept -- last Christmas we were very subdued, reflecting on our loss of Terra. Others have felt loss since then, are grieving now -- the most recent news being the sad death of the husband of one of our very own artistic community members. And one of the captain's co-workers was recently injured in a house fire and may not pull through. All so very heartbreaking.

Words can soothe, but they can't heal, not on their own. I believe in words, in their power ... but only time can truly bring peace. With each new day though, each sunrise, I think we can all be thankful for the blessings we have and especially for the ones we have had. The sunrise is a reminder of all that is good. Is it a miracle of light? I definitely think so.

The light of memory

A little something that I hope brings a smile to your face. As I was blog-hopping this evening, I visited The Poetic Eye, L.K. Ludwig's wonderful blog. She is doing a "photo prompt" starting today and running for 19 days, all the way to January 1st. While I can't promise to post each and every day, this is a challenge I want to tackle and I hope to accomplish every one, even if I don't post every day.

The prompt for December 14th is "the light of memory" and when I read that, I immediately went to the Christmas photographs I took two years ago, opened up photoshop, looked at some of my textures (choosing this one), and ended up with what you see here. Yes, that is Bumble, the abominable snowman from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. He is a tradition in our home and tops our tree every year...as you can see, he is reaching to put on the star. I am always happy to see him and I hope you are too.

Quebec City, one more time

When I was in Quebec City, it was near the end of October. I took many seasonal photographs.....pumpkins, hallowe'en decorations, etc. It seems silly to share those photos now, when we are feeling festive rather than spooky, but I couldn't resist posting as least one of the pumpkin photographs.

I've been playing in photoshop today -- different filters, different textures, different edges, just experimenting -- and the results are what you see here. I shouldn't be sitting on my duff with so many holiday activities as yet undone (cookies to bake and presents to wrap being just two of several), but it was a dull day and I was uninspired to do anything else but sit.

Tomorrow, I will get cracking!

That last picture, the bicycle, was texturized using my own "texture 2" and "texture 3" from my freebies set on Flickr. If you like working with textures, please give them a try -- remember, it doesn't hurt to use more than one!