(Editor’s Note: Last week, I posted part one of this love story and today, I am proud to post part two. Here’s Judy - in her own words - to share the rest of the story.)
" Doug and Judy - The Romance" (Part Two)
Our romance was short lived at that time. Doug was in the Army and returned after his leave. On his next visit we again dated and I met his mother. She was a sweet, sweet lady, of course she had a wonderful son! She made a beautiful rag doll and gave it to me. I still have that doll today. Before Doug returned to the Army this time, he asked me to marry him. I was euphoric and sad at the same time. I could not marry him then. My father had died just a few months ago, my mother had just had surgery for breast cancer, my sister was 8 years old and my brother was in the Air Force, I could not leave my family at that time when I was needed so badly.
Doug had found a job in Milwaukee . When he returned for a visit he told me again that he loved me and that I was the perfect one for him, but I still could not marry him. The timing was just not right. On his next visit he told me he had met another girl and was going to marry her as he did not believe that there was a chance of our marrying each other. We said our goodbyes and I wished him well - he left me then and my heart broke in two.
Over the years I would think of Doug . I wondered where he was now and I still heard his words that he loved me. Those words haunted me and stayed with me as I went from 29 to 30 and 39 to 40. I would talk to God and ask Him where Doug was and did he ever think of me? Was he still married, did he have children? Please, God, was Doug still alive? 49 to 50 and I began looking in phone books of other cities that I visited. I went online and entered his name - there were a lot of people with his last name and more than one Douglas, but the city just didn't seem right.
My life from 20 to 70 was not boring. I loved music; singing and dancing. In my mid 20's I was an Arthur Murray dance instructor. It lasted less than a year as women instructors were required to wear high heels. Wearing heels for 6 hours while others walked on my feet more than I did convinced me to go into another line of work.
Then in my 30's I met John . He was a good man and kind to me. He asked me to marry him and gave me a beautiful ring. We were together for 18 years but never got around to getting married. At 49 I decided to go on my own again.
I worked, had my friends, had my music and I had my faith in God that what will be will be. I was contented and not lonely. I retired at 65 and was at peace with myself.........and I thought of Doug .....
I had several girlfriends online and we exchanged Emails and met in online rooms. Several of them opened Facebook accounts and asked me to join them. I didn't see the value in it but went ahead and joined also. I didn't go there very often but I did from time to time.
On December 15, 2009 I had checked my Facebook account. Nobody I knew was on it so I was about to leave when I spotted a window that said "who are you looking for". Without even thinking I typed in " Doug P___ ". Not expecting anything to appear I was shocked to see a picture of a man I had never seen before. I read his profile which said he was from Eau Claire and 73 years old and single. Oh my gosh! Could that really be THE Doug? I decided I would write him a note:
"Hello Doug . Periodically I checked phone books, etc. to see if I could find you again. When I saw you were from Eau Claire I thought I would drop you a line. I'm from Chippewa Falls and Doug P___ and I used to date...........way back when. I see that you are 73 and I'm 71 so maybe we are the same people. I was just curious if you were the same Doug I once knew. My name is Judy D_____ . If that rings a bell please drop me a line. I'm not on Facebook very often but will check back to see if you replied. Bye for now."
I checked back the next day and found this reply:
"Girl, what a surprise. Yes I am the same Doug . I have been searching for you for several years. Please send me a note to my e-mail address and include yours. (e-mail address enclosed) I live in.........to be near my children. Wife died a few years ago."
We began an online courtship that warmed our hearts.
Proposal # 3 - he asked me again to marry him and this time I said yes. Within 3 weeks he made the 5 hour trip to visit me and we were going to marry right then. But as we made plans we realized that we were moving too fast. There were major decisions to be made and he returned home...both of us broken hearted again. We continued writing and spent hours each day online renewing our friendship, our love and making plans. We reset the date! In January he returned again, this time with a beautiful diamond ring which I proudly wear. He still loved me and still thought I was the perfect one for him. Me? I realized that he was the one man whom I had loved over a 50 year span and I will become his wife on September 18, 2010 . He told me that I was "the love of his life" and I told him "I would love him for life".
There is no end to this story.................not ever............................not on this earth!
written by: Judy D.
~*~*~*~
Judy, thank you for letting me share this wonderful love story! I hope the two of you have many wonderful years together!!
dn
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Doug and Judy - The Romance (Part One)
Back on March 21 of this year, I posted a story that my good friend Judy had written, titled “The Princess’s Bed – A Tale Of Woe”. At the end of that story I shared that Princess Judy had another true life tale to tell. Today, I am proud to post part one of her two part story.
So, here – in her own words - is Judy to tell the tale!
"Doug and Judy - The Romance" (Part One)
Looking back to 1956 from an older and wiser position in 2010, one sees the beauty of a gentler society. One in which, not only neighbors, but yet unmet people cared about the freedom and safety of others.
This was my generation, my years of learning about life.
I was born into a loving, caring family where Dad always supported us and Mom made a loving home. I adored my older brother and my 7 year old sister was more like a living doll for me to love. My story begins when I was 18 years old.
Every small city has favorite fun spots for young people and in 1956, dance halls were the fun places to be. Oh I was a dancer - loving every minute I was on the dance floor. The Jitterbug or Lindy, as we called it, was full of pep and energy which I had an abundance of. My place of choice was The Hoot. The place to be for 18 to 21 year olds. The Hoot was between two cities, Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls . I was a Chippewa girl, and the lure of an Eau Claire boy was an exciting adventure. Having gone to The Hoot for a while, I had met boys from Eau Claire and looked forward to the weekends for dancing and maybe meeting someone new and exciting.
One Friday evening "the guys from Eau Claire " casually strolled in the door. This night there was a "new" face with them. My girlfriends and I saw him right away and I was smitten. He was sooo cute...and shy.
Eventually we were introduced - Judy met Doug . I remember making sure when I danced that I was at that end of the hall. The night ended with no other plans made, but there is still Saturday night. Saturday night he was there again and this time he spoke to me and we talked. He asked me out for the following Saturday night and I was thrilled.
Fussing over what dress I would wear, it was a toss-up between a pink flowered dress and a beautiful yellow sundress. Being fair skinned and pale, I so wanted a tan to show off my dresses that I decided to spend the day at the beach, in the sun. Like a foolish girl I did everything I could to get a tan. The day was overcast (bad news) so I would swim to get wet and lie on the beach. No suntan lotion in those days. I was there for hours then returned home to get ready for my big date. I, unfortunately, looked more like a red lobster than a tanned beauty - but red was better than washed out white. I dressed in my pretty pink sundress with its crinoline netted underskirt and fussed with my black hair.
I was ready when Doug called for me and he met my Mother. She liked him very much and my little sister gave me a wink. We went to Eau Claire to see a movie. As the evening progressed so did my sunburn and my evening turned into misery. The netting in my underskirt rubbed painfully on my poor legs so I casually scooted forward and went on my tiptoes to get the netting off the back of my legs. I then slipped my fingers under the dress straps to hold them off my throbbing shoulders. I don't remember what the movie was about! When the movie ended we got in the car and started moving. The movement made me awfully sick to my stomach. Doug drove through Carson Park and we stopped and sat on a picnic table and talked. I was getting sicker by the minute. Doug knew what was wrong also and with deep regret I asked him to please take me home.
He was so kind and gentle and I liked him so much that I regretted that my foolish pride had ruined the evening.
When I walked in our front door my Mother was so surprised and asked what was wrong. I told her my stomach was upset and that I hurt so badly. I laid down on the davenport and she put Noxzema on my burns then told me to go to bed. I tried to get up but couldn't move. She got me to my feet and I went upstairs to bed. In the morning when I got up I was so miserable I put cold water on my burning face. The next thing I remember is staring at the ceiling and Mom kneeling next to me. She had heard me fall and came to see what had happened and found me lying as rigid as a board on the floor. She called the Doctor and he told her to take me to the hospital. I had gone into convulsions and had a sunstroke with 2nd & 3rd degree burns. I spent the next 4 days in the hospital. Doug called and Mom told him what had happened. I was listening to the radio in my hospital room and heard a request for " Judy in the hospital from Doug ". I was thrilled and falling in love.
written by: Judy D.
Judy's story concludes Sunday August 8, 2010.
dn
So, here – in her own words - is Judy to tell the tale!
"Doug and Judy - The Romance" (Part One)
Looking back to 1956 from an older and wiser position in 2010, one sees the beauty of a gentler society. One in which, not only neighbors, but yet unmet people cared about the freedom and safety of others.
This was my generation, my years of learning about life.
I was born into a loving, caring family where Dad always supported us and Mom made a loving home. I adored my older brother and my 7 year old sister was more like a living doll for me to love. My story begins when I was 18 years old.
Every small city has favorite fun spots for young people and in 1956, dance halls were the fun places to be. Oh I was a dancer - loving every minute I was on the dance floor. The Jitterbug or Lindy, as we called it, was full of pep and energy which I had an abundance of. My place of choice was The Hoot. The place to be for 18 to 21 year olds. The Hoot was between two cities, Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls . I was a Chippewa girl, and the lure of an Eau Claire boy was an exciting adventure. Having gone to The Hoot for a while, I had met boys from Eau Claire and looked forward to the weekends for dancing and maybe meeting someone new and exciting.
One Friday evening "the guys from Eau Claire " casually strolled in the door. This night there was a "new" face with them. My girlfriends and I saw him right away and I was smitten. He was sooo cute...and shy.
Eventually we were introduced - Judy met Doug . I remember making sure when I danced that I was at that end of the hall. The night ended with no other plans made, but there is still Saturday night. Saturday night he was there again and this time he spoke to me and we talked. He asked me out for the following Saturday night and I was thrilled.
Fussing over what dress I would wear, it was a toss-up between a pink flowered dress and a beautiful yellow sundress. Being fair skinned and pale, I so wanted a tan to show off my dresses that I decided to spend the day at the beach, in the sun. Like a foolish girl I did everything I could to get a tan. The day was overcast (bad news) so I would swim to get wet and lie on the beach. No suntan lotion in those days. I was there for hours then returned home to get ready for my big date. I, unfortunately, looked more like a red lobster than a tanned beauty - but red was better than washed out white. I dressed in my pretty pink sundress with its crinoline netted underskirt and fussed with my black hair.
I was ready when Doug called for me and he met my Mother. She liked him very much and my little sister gave me a wink. We went to Eau Claire to see a movie. As the evening progressed so did my sunburn and my evening turned into misery. The netting in my underskirt rubbed painfully on my poor legs so I casually scooted forward and went on my tiptoes to get the netting off the back of my legs. I then slipped my fingers under the dress straps to hold them off my throbbing shoulders. I don't remember what the movie was about! When the movie ended we got in the car and started moving. The movement made me awfully sick to my stomach. Doug drove through Carson Park and we stopped and sat on a picnic table and talked. I was getting sicker by the minute. Doug knew what was wrong also and with deep regret I asked him to please take me home.
He was so kind and gentle and I liked him so much that I regretted that my foolish pride had ruined the evening.
When I walked in our front door my Mother was so surprised and asked what was wrong. I told her my stomach was upset and that I hurt so badly. I laid down on the davenport and she put Noxzema on my burns then told me to go to bed. I tried to get up but couldn't move. She got me to my feet and I went upstairs to bed. In the morning when I got up I was so miserable I put cold water on my burning face. The next thing I remember is staring at the ceiling and Mom kneeling next to me. She had heard me fall and came to see what had happened and found me lying as rigid as a board on the floor. She called the Doctor and he told her to take me to the hospital. I had gone into convulsions and had a sunstroke with 2nd & 3rd degree burns. I spent the next 4 days in the hospital. Doug called and Mom told him what had happened. I was listening to the radio in my hospital room and heard a request for " Judy in the hospital from Doug ". I was thrilled and falling in love.
written by: Judy D.
Judy's story concludes Sunday August 8, 2010.
dn
Sunday, July 25, 2010
The Autographed Picture
I’ve never really been a seeker of autographs. Okay, there was that period in the 1970’s when everyone seemed to have the little books and we collected each other’s signatures and we also signed each other’s yearbooks but that isn’t the kind of autographs I’m referring to. I mean the celebrity autographs.
I did have a few autographs from musicians of my younger days – but I have no idea where they are now. I collected them at various concerts I attended.
My most treasured autograph is a framed picture of Mel Blanc and many of the Looney Toon characters that I picked up at a celebrity auction back in the mid 1980’s. A local high school was raising money for their drama club.
But, today, I want to tell you about another treasured autograph that a friend got for me.
The exact date of this is hidden somewhere in my memory bank, but to the best of my ability, I believe that this happened in 1991. I was living in a building in north Winnipeg and had suffered my detached retina just a few months earlier (November 1990). In late summer of 1990, I had started getting to know one of my neighbours - John. We weren’t romantically involved, but we enjoyed spending time together, listening to music and chatting the night away. It didn’t take long for us to discover that we both enjoyed “The Young & The Restless” (Y&R). He had spent several months travelling in Asia and Indonesia, so wasn’t really up to date on storylines so I brought him up to speed. If he wasn’t working that day, we would watch the show together.
Y&R often sends various cast out to promote the show and many of the cast also do a lot of charity work, so if you are lucky, you may just find yourself in a city with a visiting soap star! That was the case for us in 1991.
The Grande Dame of Genoa City herself – Katherine Chancellor - who is so amazingly portrayed by Jeanne Cooper - was coming to Winnipeg for a local charity event. I think it was for the Winnipeg Humane Society, but she was also scheduled to make a mall appearance at the mall in our neighbourhood. There would be a question and answer session with the audience and you could get autographs after.
I was just getting used to my new limitations with being legally blind and I hate being in crowds, so I never really thought about going. I knew it would be very stressful for me. John had to work part of the day but wasn’t sure if he could make it or not, so I never really thought much more about it.
Unbeknownst to me, John made it to the mall a few minutes before the event was to start. He was standing at the back of a large crowd looking around to see if he knew anyone when he spotted someone he recognized standing off to the side - out of view of the main audience. He walked over and introduced himself to none other than Jeanne Cooper herself!!
They chatted for several minutes before she was introduced to the audience. John later told me how gracious and down to earth she was. Among other things, they had talked about traveling and he had briefly told her about his trip to Indonesia. I believe she had told him about a family member also traveling in that part of the world.
He stuck around for the Q&A session, then got in line to get an autographed poster. There were several to chose from – a couple of Jeanne or one of Jeanne and Jess Walton (who portrays Jill Abbott). They were already autographed by Jeanne (and Jess for the one with both) but you could get it personalized for an additional small fee.
Due to time limitations and the size of the crowd, there was a limit of one per person for the personalized posters. Well, John - being John - wanted two posters autographed. He paid for the posters and was giving the names he wanted the posters autographed for, to the person who was assisting Ms. Cooper. He was trying to explain to the person in charge that he wanted one for a close friend who loved the show but couldn’t be there because they were dealing with a major health issue. The person in charge wasn’t having any excuses and insisted that it was one per person – no exceptions.
Jeanne, who was busy signing autographs, overheard the conversation and saw that it was John who wanted the extra poster. She looked at the person in charge and said that John was a friend of hers and that if he wanted two personalized posters then he will get two personalized posters! John thanked her and gave her my name for one of the posters.
A short time later, John was at my door and started telling me about his afternoon. As he got to the part about the autograph, he pulled the rolled up poster out of his backpack and gave it to me.
To say I was shocked was an understatement! I wasn’t shocked at how John had handled the whole thing as he has this quality of making friends quickly, but I was surprised that he had gone that extra step to get mine personalized!
I must admit though that I wasn’t exactly thrilled that he had gotten me the one that also included Jess Walton as ... well ... let’s see, how do I put this politely? Jill can be a "bit difficult" and really hadn’t been that nice to my heroine Kay! John assured me, that since I had only been watching the show for about 4 years at that point, that I would come to love Jill as well. Well, he was partly right! I really do respect the actress – Jess Walton - as she is a marvellous talent and Jill can be quite loveable, but I have to admit that there are still times I want to throttle her!
My personally autographed poster is framed and still hangs in my apartment! Every time I look at it, it makes me smile and think of John and how he did something so kind and wonderful for me at a time when I wasn’t feeling very good about what was happening with my sight and my life. I wish I could have gone with John that day and met Jeanne myself but I have the next best thing – a personally autographed poster!
I took a picture of it the other day and uploaded it to the PC, so that I could post it here. Using a photo editing program, I blurred my name to protect my privacy – but I swear that my name is under there!
Jeanne Cooper is almost 82 now and still going strong on Y&R! Her character, Katherine Chancellor, has been through a LOT of ups and downs and countless adventures since she first aired in the fall of 1973, but Ms. Cooper truly is the class act that she appears to be both on and off camera.
Thanks for being such an inspiration Jeanne - and thanks for the autograph!
dn
I did have a few autographs from musicians of my younger days – but I have no idea where they are now. I collected them at various concerts I attended.
My most treasured autograph is a framed picture of Mel Blanc and many of the Looney Toon characters that I picked up at a celebrity auction back in the mid 1980’s. A local high school was raising money for their drama club.
But, today, I want to tell you about another treasured autograph that a friend got for me.
The exact date of this is hidden somewhere in my memory bank, but to the best of my ability, I believe that this happened in 1991. I was living in a building in north Winnipeg and had suffered my detached retina just a few months earlier (November 1990). In late summer of 1990, I had started getting to know one of my neighbours - John. We weren’t romantically involved, but we enjoyed spending time together, listening to music and chatting the night away. It didn’t take long for us to discover that we both enjoyed “The Young & The Restless” (Y&R). He had spent several months travelling in Asia and Indonesia, so wasn’t really up to date on storylines so I brought him up to speed. If he wasn’t working that day, we would watch the show together.
Y&R often sends various cast out to promote the show and many of the cast also do a lot of charity work, so if you are lucky, you may just find yourself in a city with a visiting soap star! That was the case for us in 1991.
The Grande Dame of Genoa City herself – Katherine Chancellor - who is so amazingly portrayed by Jeanne Cooper - was coming to Winnipeg for a local charity event. I think it was for the Winnipeg Humane Society, but she was also scheduled to make a mall appearance at the mall in our neighbourhood. There would be a question and answer session with the audience and you could get autographs after.
I was just getting used to my new limitations with being legally blind and I hate being in crowds, so I never really thought about going. I knew it would be very stressful for me. John had to work part of the day but wasn’t sure if he could make it or not, so I never really thought much more about it.
Unbeknownst to me, John made it to the mall a few minutes before the event was to start. He was standing at the back of a large crowd looking around to see if he knew anyone when he spotted someone he recognized standing off to the side - out of view of the main audience. He walked over and introduced himself to none other than Jeanne Cooper herself!!
They chatted for several minutes before she was introduced to the audience. John later told me how gracious and down to earth she was. Among other things, they had talked about traveling and he had briefly told her about his trip to Indonesia. I believe she had told him about a family member also traveling in that part of the world.
He stuck around for the Q&A session, then got in line to get an autographed poster. There were several to chose from – a couple of Jeanne or one of Jeanne and Jess Walton (who portrays Jill Abbott). They were already autographed by Jeanne (and Jess for the one with both) but you could get it personalized for an additional small fee.
Due to time limitations and the size of the crowd, there was a limit of one per person for the personalized posters. Well, John - being John - wanted two posters autographed. He paid for the posters and was giving the names he wanted the posters autographed for, to the person who was assisting Ms. Cooper. He was trying to explain to the person in charge that he wanted one for a close friend who loved the show but couldn’t be there because they were dealing with a major health issue. The person in charge wasn’t having any excuses and insisted that it was one per person – no exceptions.
Jeanne, who was busy signing autographs, overheard the conversation and saw that it was John who wanted the extra poster. She looked at the person in charge and said that John was a friend of hers and that if he wanted two personalized posters then he will get two personalized posters! John thanked her and gave her my name for one of the posters.
A short time later, John was at my door and started telling me about his afternoon. As he got to the part about the autograph, he pulled the rolled up poster out of his backpack and gave it to me.
To say I was shocked was an understatement! I wasn’t shocked at how John had handled the whole thing as he has this quality of making friends quickly, but I was surprised that he had gone that extra step to get mine personalized!
I must admit though that I wasn’t exactly thrilled that he had gotten me the one that also included Jess Walton as ... well ... let’s see, how do I put this politely? Jill can be a "bit difficult" and really hadn’t been that nice to my heroine Kay! John assured me, that since I had only been watching the show for about 4 years at that point, that I would come to love Jill as well. Well, he was partly right! I really do respect the actress – Jess Walton - as she is a marvellous talent and Jill can be quite loveable, but I have to admit that there are still times I want to throttle her!
My personally autographed poster is framed and still hangs in my apartment! Every time I look at it, it makes me smile and think of John and how he did something so kind and wonderful for me at a time when I wasn’t feeling very good about what was happening with my sight and my life. I wish I could have gone with John that day and met Jeanne myself but I have the next best thing – a personally autographed poster!
I took a picture of it the other day and uploaded it to the PC, so that I could post it here. Using a photo editing program, I blurred my name to protect my privacy – but I swear that my name is under there!
Jeanne Cooper is almost 82 now and still going strong on Y&R! Her character, Katherine Chancellor, has been through a LOT of ups and downs and countless adventures since she first aired in the fall of 1973, but Ms. Cooper truly is the class act that she appears to be both on and off camera.
Thanks for being such an inspiration Jeanne - and thanks for the autograph!
dn
Sunday, July 18, 2010
It's Never Too Late For Love
A friend of mine shared a story with me the other day. An acquaintance had just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. When asked how they celebrated, she said that her husband had taken her out for a hamburger!
Now that may not sound like much of a celebration, but she was all excited about it! My friend didn’t get a chance to ask what was so exciting about a burger or even where her husband had taken her, but my guess is that it was a remembrance of a first date or something along those lines. Very sweet actually!
It always amazes me how the seemingly little things are the things that hold the most memories and sentiment in a relationship. The things that you want to celebrate and share over and over.
My dad always carried a roll of butter rum life savers in his pocket when he was dating my mom. He often had a little bag of cashews as well! She loved that and still talks about that even though dad has been gone for almost seven years. They were together 59 years and 5 months. He would often pick flowers from the garden or even wildflowers and bring them into the house as if he were courting her all over again. She’d say; “Oh, my boyfriend brought me flowers!”
Whatever the little traditions are, it is a part of what keeps the relationship alive. Those things ... that when they happen ... can trigger memories of what made the relationship spark. It can even rekindle a fading relationship.
I’ve often wondered what it would be like to be with someone that long. In some ways I can't imagine it ... and yet at the same time, I envy long relationships. The security in knowing that there is someone standing there with you through the good and bad ... supporting and loving each other through it all. Even with all of your foibles, faults and flaws!
This isn’t easy for me to admit, but as much as I love my privacy and cherish my Independence, I do have regrets of spending so much of my life alone. There is no point in playing the "should've, could've, would've" game as I can't change the past, but I do wish I had taken more chances with love and relationships. Over the years, I swore up down left right and center to anyone who would listen that I'd never marry! But I've come to realize that was to protect myself from being hurt. I was too afraid to truly give my heart and take that risk of finding real love or possible rejection. I was scared that I would not be good enough or even fail.
In the last few years, I have certainly grown stronger and more self assured. Okay, I still have doubts - but not as many as I used to have!
I have also learned to never say never!
Luckily, love is not limited to the young. Deep and lasting love can come at any age and most definitely not always in the form we had imagined or expected it.
As we age, we tend to carry more baggage. The baggage may include: exes and former in-laws; kids; grandkids; habits; quirks; interests; health issues or any number of other things. That isn’t necessarily all bad. The tricky part can be finding out if the baggage we carry, is compatible and can we really live with, and accept the parts that aren’t as compatible.
Most of my friends are a great inspiration in the relationship department. Despite a few divorced friends, several others are in relationships of twenty to forty years. Some of my pals have found their love’s in more recent years. Two of them found their loves in their 40's. Two widows found second loves in their 50's and 70's. Many years ago, a friends aunt, whom I had met a few times, fell in love and got married for the first time in her early sixties! I hear of more mature love stories all the time.
However, one of the most inspiring tales of love, is a gal pal of mine who is getting married for the first time in a couple of months! She spent a good part of her life looking for love but was never able to connect with the right guy, then finally decided she was okay with being single and never marrying. Long story short, she was pretty much content with her life for several years and then the love of her life entered the picture several months ago and can’t wait to spend the rest of his life with her!
She keeps telling me to never stop dreaming. That I shouldn’t be afraid to risk loving or being loved! If it could happen to her it can happen to anyone – as long as you allow your heart to be open!
She is right of course.
So, even at fifty-two and change, there just might be hope for me yet! Maybe there is a guy out there that is just crazy enough to want someone like me in his life! A challenge, I know - but it would be nice to share life’s journey with someone - creating memories and growing old together.
I’m not going to hit the bar scene or join any dating services as that just isn’t my style. What I am going to do, is continue living my life - but be more open to the possibility that love could come my way. I believe in fate and destiny. If I am meant to be with someone, then somehow that will happen when the time is right.
No rose coloured glasses here or blinders on as I know the odds are against me at my age, but who knows what tomorrow may bring!
Mr. Right could be closer than I know.
dn
Now that may not sound like much of a celebration, but she was all excited about it! My friend didn’t get a chance to ask what was so exciting about a burger or even where her husband had taken her, but my guess is that it was a remembrance of a first date or something along those lines. Very sweet actually!
It always amazes me how the seemingly little things are the things that hold the most memories and sentiment in a relationship. The things that you want to celebrate and share over and over.
My dad always carried a roll of butter rum life savers in his pocket when he was dating my mom. He often had a little bag of cashews as well! She loved that and still talks about that even though dad has been gone for almost seven years. They were together 59 years and 5 months. He would often pick flowers from the garden or even wildflowers and bring them into the house as if he were courting her all over again. She’d say; “Oh, my boyfriend brought me flowers!”
Whatever the little traditions are, it is a part of what keeps the relationship alive. Those things ... that when they happen ... can trigger memories of what made the relationship spark. It can even rekindle a fading relationship.
I’ve often wondered what it would be like to be with someone that long. In some ways I can't imagine it ... and yet at the same time, I envy long relationships. The security in knowing that there is someone standing there with you through the good and bad ... supporting and loving each other through it all. Even with all of your foibles, faults and flaws!
This isn’t easy for me to admit, but as much as I love my privacy and cherish my Independence, I do have regrets of spending so much of my life alone. There is no point in playing the "should've, could've, would've" game as I can't change the past, but I do wish I had taken more chances with love and relationships. Over the years, I swore up down left right and center to anyone who would listen that I'd never marry! But I've come to realize that was to protect myself from being hurt. I was too afraid to truly give my heart and take that risk of finding real love or possible rejection. I was scared that I would not be good enough or even fail.
In the last few years, I have certainly grown stronger and more self assured. Okay, I still have doubts - but not as many as I used to have!
I have also learned to never say never!
Luckily, love is not limited to the young. Deep and lasting love can come at any age and most definitely not always in the form we had imagined or expected it.
As we age, we tend to carry more baggage. The baggage may include: exes and former in-laws; kids; grandkids; habits; quirks; interests; health issues or any number of other things. That isn’t necessarily all bad. The tricky part can be finding out if the baggage we carry, is compatible and can we really live with, and accept the parts that aren’t as compatible.
Most of my friends are a great inspiration in the relationship department. Despite a few divorced friends, several others are in relationships of twenty to forty years. Some of my pals have found their love’s in more recent years. Two of them found their loves in their 40's. Two widows found second loves in their 50's and 70's. Many years ago, a friends aunt, whom I had met a few times, fell in love and got married for the first time in her early sixties! I hear of more mature love stories all the time.
However, one of the most inspiring tales of love, is a gal pal of mine who is getting married for the first time in a couple of months! She spent a good part of her life looking for love but was never able to connect with the right guy, then finally decided she was okay with being single and never marrying. Long story short, she was pretty much content with her life for several years and then the love of her life entered the picture several months ago and can’t wait to spend the rest of his life with her!
She keeps telling me to never stop dreaming. That I shouldn’t be afraid to risk loving or being loved! If it could happen to her it can happen to anyone – as long as you allow your heart to be open!
She is right of course.
So, even at fifty-two and change, there just might be hope for me yet! Maybe there is a guy out there that is just crazy enough to want someone like me in his life! A challenge, I know - but it would be nice to share life’s journey with someone - creating memories and growing old together.
I’m not going to hit the bar scene or join any dating services as that just isn’t my style. What I am going to do, is continue living my life - but be more open to the possibility that love could come my way. I believe in fate and destiny. If I am meant to be with someone, then somehow that will happen when the time is right.
No rose coloured glasses here or blinders on as I know the odds are against me at my age, but who knows what tomorrow may bring!
Mr. Right could be closer than I know.
dn
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Lemon Cloud Pie
A few months ago, I was looking for a light dessert to serve for a gathering that I was hosting. I came across a recipe in Taste Of Home for a “Refreshing Lemon Pie” that sounded fairly good but I thought I could make it even better!
The original used a Graham crumb crust, but I really like lemon and chocolate together so chose to make an Oreo crumb crust. I was also concerned that the filling wouldn’t be thick enough to really set well, so I added ½ package of cream cheese. Also the original did not use any light or calorie reduced products so I switched to light where I could.
Well, my guests thought it was wonderful! I’ve made it twice now and it gets rave reviews for being light and very lemony. This recipe is so quick and simpe. It is the perfect dessert for any summer of festive gathering! I was debating what to call this new creation and a friend suggested “Lemon Cloud Pie” Sounds delicious to me!!
Lemon Cloud Pie
The original used a Graham crumb crust, but I really like lemon and chocolate together so chose to make an Oreo crumb crust. I was also concerned that the filling wouldn’t be thick enough to really set well, so I added ½ package of cream cheese. Also the original did not use any light or calorie reduced products so I switched to light where I could.
Well, my guests thought it was wonderful! I’ve made it twice now and it gets rave reviews for being light and very lemony. This recipe is so quick and simpe. It is the perfect dessert for any summer of festive gathering! I was debating what to call this new creation and a friend suggested “Lemon Cloud Pie” Sounds delicious to me!!
Lemon Cloud Pie
Ingredients
• 1 ¼ cup Oreo/chocolate cookie crumbs
• ¼ cup margarine, melted
• 125g/4 oz light cream cheese, softened to room temp
• 1 can 300ml/10.5oz. light sweetened condensed milk
• 2 fresh lemons – medium size (or enough to make: 2 - 3 tablespoons freshly grated lemon peel and 1/2 cup lemon juice)
• 2 to 3 drops yellow food coloring, optional
• 1 500ml/2cups light frozen whipped topping, thawed
Directions
Combine crumbs and melted margarine in a small bowl. Press gently onto the bottom and up sides of a 9” pie plate – reserving about 2 Tablespoons crumb mixture for topping. Refrigerate pie crust while preparing filling.
Wash and dry the lemons, then grate the peel. Set the peel aside. Then juice the lemons and strain to remove any seeds. If necessary, top up the lemon juice to the ½ cup with bottled lemon juice.
With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the sweetened condensed milk and blend till smooth. Add the lemon juice, grated peel and about 3 drops of yellow food colouring; mix until smooth. The mixture will begin to thicken. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Garnish with reserved crumb mixture.
Cover lightly with saran and refrigerate for at least 3 hours of overnight before serving.
Yield: 6-8 servings. Refrigerate leftovers.
Tips:
-When you empty the can of sweetened condensed milk, there always seems to be some milk left in the can, so I took the strained lemon juice and poured it into the can. With a spoon or a scraper, stir along the bottom and edges to get the excess milk out. Then pour the juice and milk mixture in with the rest of the ingredients.
- Before putting saran over the finished dessert, I strategically place about six toothpicks around the edges, leaving about ½ inch sticking up out of the dessert. This way the saran does not ruin the look of the top of the dessert when you go to serve it. Just remember to pull out ALL of the toothpicks before serving!
Enjoy!
dn
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Will Someone PLEASE Stop Ringing The Bells!!
Last Sunday, I wrote about what Canada Day was like in my neighbourhood. I thought it only fair that I update that post and tell you how this year’s celebration went.
To put it into perspective, I have to start June 29. The day was fairly normal and I was looking forward to a decent night’s sleep – presumably the last I would get until after the annual street fest. It had been a busy day and by evening I was in need of some shut eye so I went to bed about 10:15 and fell asleep not too long after.
I slept rather soundly until about 3:30 or so in the morning. I was startled awake by the sound of a loud screaming match somewhere outside. I couldn’t tell exactly where it was coming from – only that it was to the west of me and that if stopped and started several times over the next 20 minutes or so. I wasn’t about to go out and investigate and without knowing a specific address, there was not a lot of point in me calling the police.
As I lay in my bed, trying to go back to sleep, I heard bells chiming the quarter hour. I will note here, that I had heard these church bells in the past but never during the night. There are several churches in the neighbourhood, but they generally only ring the bells before and after services. One of the churches, had recently begun chiming the quarter hour and playing a stroke for each hour at the top of the hour but it had only been during daylight hours. How odd to hear them in the night. I’m not a heavy sleeper but presumably, I had been in a deep enough sleep prior to the argument that I did not awaken. I tried to go back to sleep but the bells kept me awake. I heard them at 3:45, 4:00, 4:15, 4:30, 4:45, 5:00 and 5:15. Somehow, I managed to drift off after that but only till about 6:15 when I was once again - wide awake.
So much for sleep! I got up, did my stretches, ate breakfast, showered and got ready to go grocery shopping. I didn’t need much for groceries and there were a few items on sale at the local Safeway, so I walked over a little before 8AM. I knew that several of the churches were fairly close to the Safeway so thought I would have a better idea of where the bells were coming from when they rang at 8:00. I couldn’t tell for sure which church it was, but they were MUCH louder by the Safeway than my block. The bells continued to ring through the day and into the early evening of June 30.
I would love to have had a nap Wednesday afternoon but it was a very busy day and I had a lot to accomplish so there really wasn’t time. I had to hope for the best - that I would get some sleep that night, despite the street party.
The streets were closed off starting at 6:00PM and the party was on not too long after. As usual, the sounds of the stages and the people on the street was loud and annoying but it started to settle down by about midnight so I decided to try and get some sleep.
Well, once again my sleep was rudely interrupted – again by bells, but these were much closer. These were the ones from the bell tower that was built at the end of my street back in the 1990’s.
I never liked the bells from the start. It is not that I am opposed to bells, it is just that this is a very densely populated neighbourhood and the tower is located right at a very busy intersection. The bells are not of the greatest quality and frankly they are loud, harsh and a bit shrill.
Imagine, if you will, that you are visually impaired and are reliant on the sounds around you to safely navigate the area. You are trying to discern - by sound - if it is safe to cross the street or are attempting to cross the street or waiting at the bus stop, by the tower, trying to hear the bus driver yell out his bus route number to you – all while the bells are ringing nearby! It is extremely disorienting to say the least. I called the local BIZ to voice concerns and complaints several times in those first years, but the head of the BIZ at that time thought they were marvellous and just what the area needed. He could have cared less that some residents didn’t like them or that it could possibly endanger the lives of the visually impaired.
After a few years and countless repairs the bells were more or less silenced. They were used for a few special occasions but thankfully that was rare.
So, I'm sure you can imagine, my horror to awake to the sound of those dreaded bells at 2:07 Thursday morning as they chimed the hour to be 11:00!!
Are you kidding me??
The bells continued to ring the quarter hour the rest of the night! They chimed the four note quarter hour at 2:22 and the eight note half hour (missing one note) at 2:37. They chimed the twelve note three quarter hour (missing two notes) at 2:52 and the sixteen note top of the hour (missing three notes) at 3:07 – all while being three hours and seven minutes behind the actual time. Of course, the bells seemed even louder in the silence of the night!
I was never really able to fall asleep again after that - other than for about 10 minutes at a time. Finally, just before 5AM, I called the non emergency police line to put in a noise complaint. I told them what had been happening but the woman I spoke with said she really wasn’t sure who to call. I explained that I had tried to call the BIZ the day before about another bell problem from one of the churches but was unable to find a phone number. She promised to talk to her supervisor and see if they could find a way to stop it. I thanked her, hung up, took two Tylenol for my splitting headache and attempted to sleep. I finally gave up any hope of sleep when the fire alarm in our building went off at 7:00!! The alarm rang for several minutes and several trucks pulled up out front. I think there may have been a small incident, but it wasn’t enough to evacuate the building which is made of cinder blocks and therefore fires do not spread easily. The last truck left about 30 minutes later.
By that time, I was wide awake and the tower bells were still ringing, so I stayed up, did my workout and had breakfast. I heard the bells at 8:22 but had the TV volume up during my workout so didn’t hear them at 8:37.
Wonder of wonders – there was no ringing at 9:07! Someone had finally turned them off. I crawled back into bed about 9:30 and drifted off to sleep till noon! I probably would have slept longer but the traditional Canada Day cannon salute from the nearby Legislature grounds woke me – that and the church bells!
The Canada Day celebration started to wind down about 11:30 or so Thursday night. There were still revellers in the streets, but the noise was lessened by the sound of my fans trying to cool my warm apartment. I drifted off to sleep a little after midnight. Of course, it wouldn’t have been a normal Canada Day without some morons setting off a few fireworks at about 2:30 or so but other than that it was a pretty decent night and I was able to sleep fairly well till about 7AM when I normally wake up.
I had survived another local festival – but next year it is on a weekend so will likely be a three day affair. Whoopee!!
By the way, late Canada Day afternoon, I finally found a phone number for the local BIZ and will be contacting them as well as my city councillor to put in a noise complaint. Actually, I think I’ll just send them a link to this post.
dn
As I lay in my bed, trying to go back to sleep, I heard bells chiming the quarter hour. I will note here, that I had heard these church bells in the past but never during the night. There are several churches in the neighbourhood, but they generally only ring the bells before and after services. One of the churches, had recently begun chiming the quarter hour and playing a stroke for each hour at the top of the hour but it had only been during daylight hours. How odd to hear them in the night. I’m not a heavy sleeper but presumably, I had been in a deep enough sleep prior to the argument that I did not awaken. I tried to go back to sleep but the bells kept me awake. I heard them at 3:45, 4:00, 4:15, 4:30, 4:45, 5:00 and 5:15. Somehow, I managed to drift off after that but only till about 6:15 when I was once again - wide awake.
So much for sleep! I got up, did my stretches, ate breakfast, showered and got ready to go grocery shopping. I didn’t need much for groceries and there were a few items on sale at the local Safeway, so I walked over a little before 8AM. I knew that several of the churches were fairly close to the Safeway so thought I would have a better idea of where the bells were coming from when they rang at 8:00. I couldn’t tell for sure which church it was, but they were MUCH louder by the Safeway than my block. The bells continued to ring through the day and into the early evening of June 30.
I would love to have had a nap Wednesday afternoon but it was a very busy day and I had a lot to accomplish so there really wasn’t time. I had to hope for the best - that I would get some sleep that night, despite the street party.
The streets were closed off starting at 6:00PM and the party was on not too long after. As usual, the sounds of the stages and the people on the street was loud and annoying but it started to settle down by about midnight so I decided to try and get some sleep.
Well, once again my sleep was rudely interrupted – again by bells, but these were much closer. These were the ones from the bell tower that was built at the end of my street back in the 1990’s.
I have to back up a bit here to give a little info on this bell tower. It was built as part of a renewal and beautification project for the area. The tower would feature bells to chime the quarter hour, mark the hour with chimes and then play a short piece of bell music. At the base of the tower there was a small waterfall/fountain. Almost from the start, the fountain leaked and was eventually turned off completely. The bells hadn’t faired a lot better. There were endless problems with the timers and some of the notes didn’t even play or played the wrong notes. I remember one Sunday morning, the bells started at 10AM as usual but wouldn’t quit until someone finally managed to turn them off about 2 hours later!
I never liked the bells from the start. It is not that I am opposed to bells, it is just that this is a very densely populated neighbourhood and the tower is located right at a very busy intersection. The bells are not of the greatest quality and frankly they are loud, harsh and a bit shrill.
Imagine, if you will, that you are visually impaired and are reliant on the sounds around you to safely navigate the area. You are trying to discern - by sound - if it is safe to cross the street or are attempting to cross the street or waiting at the bus stop, by the tower, trying to hear the bus driver yell out his bus route number to you – all while the bells are ringing nearby! It is extremely disorienting to say the least. I called the local BIZ to voice concerns and complaints several times in those first years, but the head of the BIZ at that time thought they were marvellous and just what the area needed. He could have cared less that some residents didn’t like them or that it could possibly endanger the lives of the visually impaired.
After a few years and countless repairs the bells were more or less silenced. They were used for a few special occasions but thankfully that was rare.
So, I'm sure you can imagine, my horror to awake to the sound of those dreaded bells at 2:07 Thursday morning as they chimed the hour to be 11:00!!
Are you kidding me??
The bells continued to ring the quarter hour the rest of the night! They chimed the four note quarter hour at 2:22 and the eight note half hour (missing one note) at 2:37. They chimed the twelve note three quarter hour (missing two notes) at 2:52 and the sixteen note top of the hour (missing three notes) at 3:07 – all while being three hours and seven minutes behind the actual time. Of course, the bells seemed even louder in the silence of the night!
I was never really able to fall asleep again after that - other than for about 10 minutes at a time. Finally, just before 5AM, I called the non emergency police line to put in a noise complaint. I told them what had been happening but the woman I spoke with said she really wasn’t sure who to call. I explained that I had tried to call the BIZ the day before about another bell problem from one of the churches but was unable to find a phone number. She promised to talk to her supervisor and see if they could find a way to stop it. I thanked her, hung up, took two Tylenol for my splitting headache and attempted to sleep. I finally gave up any hope of sleep when the fire alarm in our building went off at 7:00!! The alarm rang for several minutes and several trucks pulled up out front. I think there may have been a small incident, but it wasn’t enough to evacuate the building which is made of cinder blocks and therefore fires do not spread easily. The last truck left about 30 minutes later.
By that time, I was wide awake and the tower bells were still ringing, so I stayed up, did my workout and had breakfast. I heard the bells at 8:22 but had the TV volume up during my workout so didn’t hear them at 8:37.
Wonder of wonders – there was no ringing at 9:07! Someone had finally turned them off. I crawled back into bed about 9:30 and drifted off to sleep till noon! I probably would have slept longer but the traditional Canada Day cannon salute from the nearby Legislature grounds woke me – that and the church bells!
The Canada Day celebration started to wind down about 11:30 or so Thursday night. There were still revellers in the streets, but the noise was lessened by the sound of my fans trying to cool my warm apartment. I drifted off to sleep a little after midnight. Of course, it wouldn’t have been a normal Canada Day without some morons setting off a few fireworks at about 2:30 or so but other than that it was a pretty decent night and I was able to sleep fairly well till about 7AM when I normally wake up.
I had survived another local festival – but next year it is on a weekend so will likely be a three day affair. Whoopee!!
By the way, late Canada Day afternoon, I finally found a phone number for the local BIZ and will be contacting them as well as my city councillor to put in a noise complaint. Actually, I think I’ll just send them a link to this post.
dn
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Canada Day In The Neighbourhood
This Thursday, July 1, Canada will celebrate its 143rd Birthday!
It is a national holiday and there will be countless celebrations across the land. The largest gathering is always in Ottawa – the nation’s capitol but odds are there is also a gathering near you.
I’m one of those people who has access to a party in my own neighbourhood and another one within about a mile.
Having a Canada Day gathering in your part of town can be both good and bad.
On the plus side, you don’t have to worry about how you are going to get there – you can walk or ride a bike if you are so inclined. It’s great if you want to pop in and out at various times of the day and evening. If you forget something you can just walk home. Local transit also offers shuttle service between the larger celebrations if you want to party hop!
The area I live in, has hosted a large street party for many years. The local business improvement zone closes off several blocks so that they and other vendors can set up displays and offer entertainment for the crowds.
They usually start closing streets at 6:00PM on June 30. Stores and vendors set up special displays with crafts, clothes, jewellery, books and other merchandise. Restaurants offer food and drink specials and set up street patios. Food vendors also abound with mini donuts, corn dogs, cotton candy – you name it. Things are more or less set up and ready to party by about 7:30PM.
There is a fun zone for the kids and a beer garden for the adults. The beer garden also has a free stage featuring local performers. A second free stage is also set up at the opposite end of the blocked off area and offers a variety of performers. Just for good measure, there is a smaller, third stage set up about the middle of the blocked off area. Several buskers also set up along the streets between the stages.
The scheduled entertainment goes until about midnight on the stages then resumes late morning on Canada Day. Things start shutting down around midnight on Canada Day and streets are reopened by about 3 or 4 in the morning.
Sounds like fun, right?
Well, yes it can be a lot of fun. Unfortunately there can also be a lot of negatives to a neighbourhood party.
Transit buses are rerouted to usually quiet side streets. Aside from emergency vehicles from the neighbourhood fire hall, most streets are restricted to local access only. In other words, if you don’t live in the area and have your vehicle parked here before the streets are blocked - then don’t even bother trying to drive here or you will be walking at least 10 minutes from wherever you do find a place to park!
Depending on the weather, up to 10,000 people may visit the party. That is a lot of extra people milling about. That is great for local businesses and vendors, but can be a nuisance for local residents who are tolerating you traipsing through their streets and back lanes.
The part that I hate the most though, is the noise factor.
Walking along the party area can be a bit loud – much like walking through a packed midway - especially as the day wears on and the crowds swell. Many businesses and vendors also have their own sound systems. Everybody wants your attention. They want you to check out what they are offering and open your wallets. The entertainers on the free stages, tend to ramp up the volume as the day goes on. That is okay, IF you happen to like whatever genre of music that stage is offering but not much fun if you aren’t a fan. Sometimes you have to shout just to be heard by the person standing next to you.
Regardless of your audio tastes or how long you stay, you tend to walk away with a bit of ringing in your ears. That goes away fairly quickly once you get to quieter areas.
Escaping the sound isn’t much of an option for those of us living in the area. There are a lot of apartment blocks in this neighbourhood and the audio from the various sound systems of the three stages tends to reverberate off of the nearby buildings. You don’t notice it much from street level but if you live in one of those buildings it can be very annoying. It’s like getting three overlapping radio stations and not getting any of them clearly. The booming base of all three stages comes through though! Add to that the drone of the crowd and ... well it starts to sound like those annoying horns that are constantly blaring during the World Cup Soccer Games in Africa this year.
It probably wouldn’t be so bad if the street noise actually went to a reasonable level after the stage entertainment ends at midnight. Unfortunately, that is when so many of the buskers – with varying degrees of talent - come out and try to entertain the young revellers who don’t want to go home yet as well as the semi sober and the inebriated who have spent some time in the beer gardens or local pubs. For these people, there is something very appealing and liberating about being able to party in the middle of a deserted city thoroughfare. They want to enjoy this normally forbidden activity as long and as loudly as possible. Just when you think things have quieted down, someone will set off a few firecrackers or start singing Oh Canada at the top of their longs – off key!
They don’t realize – no make that they don’t care – that there are thousands of people living in the area who are trying to sleep. Children who need their rest. People who don’t have the next day off to sleep in. Residents who didn’t have the option or ability to go somewhere else for a couple of days of peace and quiet.
I think most of us who live here, tolerate the inconvenience and the absurdly high decibel of noise for the street party. After all it is only once a year for a day and a half right? Well, yes unless of course Canada Day falls on a weekend in which case the party is usually a 2 ½ day affair with three nights of little or no sleep. Oh, joy!!
Over the years, I’ve tried using earplugs to block the noise and get some shut eye, but I don’t sleep as well with them in. I can barely hear my phone ring with them in, let alone if there were a fire alarm. Frankly, I find the earplugs make things too quiet and very disorienting. It’s not that I am a party pooper – I love my country and want to celebrate its birthday just as much as the next person - I just need my rest to function decently the next day.
Wherever you happen to be, I hope that you have a safe and enjoyable Canada Day as you celebrate the birthday of our great country.
Just one little favour ... please try and keep it down to a dull roar after midnight, okay? Thanks!
dn
It is a national holiday and there will be countless celebrations across the land. The largest gathering is always in Ottawa – the nation’s capitol but odds are there is also a gathering near you.
I’m one of those people who has access to a party in my own neighbourhood and another one within about a mile.
Having a Canada Day gathering in your part of town can be both good and bad.
On the plus side, you don’t have to worry about how you are going to get there – you can walk or ride a bike if you are so inclined. It’s great if you want to pop in and out at various times of the day and evening. If you forget something you can just walk home. Local transit also offers shuttle service between the larger celebrations if you want to party hop!
The area I live in, has hosted a large street party for many years. The local business improvement zone closes off several blocks so that they and other vendors can set up displays and offer entertainment for the crowds.
They usually start closing streets at 6:00PM on June 30. Stores and vendors set up special displays with crafts, clothes, jewellery, books and other merchandise. Restaurants offer food and drink specials and set up street patios. Food vendors also abound with mini donuts, corn dogs, cotton candy – you name it. Things are more or less set up and ready to party by about 7:30PM.
There is a fun zone for the kids and a beer garden for the adults. The beer garden also has a free stage featuring local performers. A second free stage is also set up at the opposite end of the blocked off area and offers a variety of performers. Just for good measure, there is a smaller, third stage set up about the middle of the blocked off area. Several buskers also set up along the streets between the stages.
The scheduled entertainment goes until about midnight on the stages then resumes late morning on Canada Day. Things start shutting down around midnight on Canada Day and streets are reopened by about 3 or 4 in the morning.
Sounds like fun, right?
Well, yes it can be a lot of fun. Unfortunately there can also be a lot of negatives to a neighbourhood party.
Transit buses are rerouted to usually quiet side streets. Aside from emergency vehicles from the neighbourhood fire hall, most streets are restricted to local access only. In other words, if you don’t live in the area and have your vehicle parked here before the streets are blocked - then don’t even bother trying to drive here or you will be walking at least 10 minutes from wherever you do find a place to park!
Depending on the weather, up to 10,000 people may visit the party. That is a lot of extra people milling about. That is great for local businesses and vendors, but can be a nuisance for local residents who are tolerating you traipsing through their streets and back lanes.
The part that I hate the most though, is the noise factor.
Walking along the party area can be a bit loud – much like walking through a packed midway - especially as the day wears on and the crowds swell. Many businesses and vendors also have their own sound systems. Everybody wants your attention. They want you to check out what they are offering and open your wallets. The entertainers on the free stages, tend to ramp up the volume as the day goes on. That is okay, IF you happen to like whatever genre of music that stage is offering but not much fun if you aren’t a fan. Sometimes you have to shout just to be heard by the person standing next to you.
Regardless of your audio tastes or how long you stay, you tend to walk away with a bit of ringing in your ears. That goes away fairly quickly once you get to quieter areas.
Escaping the sound isn’t much of an option for those of us living in the area. There are a lot of apartment blocks in this neighbourhood and the audio from the various sound systems of the three stages tends to reverberate off of the nearby buildings. You don’t notice it much from street level but if you live in one of those buildings it can be very annoying. It’s like getting three overlapping radio stations and not getting any of them clearly. The booming base of all three stages comes through though! Add to that the drone of the crowd and ... well it starts to sound like those annoying horns that are constantly blaring during the World Cup Soccer Games in Africa this year.
It probably wouldn’t be so bad if the street noise actually went to a reasonable level after the stage entertainment ends at midnight. Unfortunately, that is when so many of the buskers – with varying degrees of talent - come out and try to entertain the young revellers who don’t want to go home yet as well as the semi sober and the inebriated who have spent some time in the beer gardens or local pubs. For these people, there is something very appealing and liberating about being able to party in the middle of a deserted city thoroughfare. They want to enjoy this normally forbidden activity as long and as loudly as possible. Just when you think things have quieted down, someone will set off a few firecrackers or start singing Oh Canada at the top of their longs – off key!
They don’t realize – no make that they don’t care – that there are thousands of people living in the area who are trying to sleep. Children who need their rest. People who don’t have the next day off to sleep in. Residents who didn’t have the option or ability to go somewhere else for a couple of days of peace and quiet.
I think most of us who live here, tolerate the inconvenience and the absurdly high decibel of noise for the street party. After all it is only once a year for a day and a half right? Well, yes unless of course Canada Day falls on a weekend in which case the party is usually a 2 ½ day affair with three nights of little or no sleep. Oh, joy!!
Over the years, I’ve tried using earplugs to block the noise and get some shut eye, but I don’t sleep as well with them in. I can barely hear my phone ring with them in, let alone if there were a fire alarm. Frankly, I find the earplugs make things too quiet and very disorienting. It’s not that I am a party pooper – I love my country and want to celebrate its birthday just as much as the next person - I just need my rest to function decently the next day.
Wherever you happen to be, I hope that you have a safe and enjoyable Canada Day as you celebrate the birthday of our great country.
Just one little favour ... please try and keep it down to a dull roar after midnight, okay? Thanks!
dn
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Hats On!!
Have you ever noticed how some people look better in hats than others?
Most men can find a hat that suits them without a lot of effort. Depending on the shape of their head, most can wear a baseball cap and look pretty good – although I’ve never been a fan of the backwards or sideways cap. Just looks silly to me. Some guys look great in a poor boy or engineers cap. Cowboy hats have always been a staple for men. Frankly, some can pull it off better than others.
Personally I think a lot of men can look really great in a fedora – especially tipped slightly to one side a la Bogart! Most can also look pretty darn good in a panama hat!
Most men can find a hat that suits them without a lot of effort. Depending on the shape of their head, most can wear a baseball cap and look pretty good – although I’ve never been a fan of the backwards or sideways cap. Just looks silly to me. Some guys look great in a poor boy or engineers cap. Cowboy hats have always been a staple for men. Frankly, some can pull it off better than others.
Personally I think a lot of men can look really great in a fedora – especially tipped slightly to one side a la Bogart! Most can also look pretty darn good in a panama hat!
It isn’t that simple for a woman. I swear some women were born to wear hats! From the stylish hats that women wore for special occasions to the Sunday hats to the everyday hats that ladies of a bygone era wore just to run errands - a hat was always a must to complete the ensemble. It still is a must for some women.
Nowadays, hats are more for protection from the sun than for glamour and style. Not that these kind of hats can’t be stylish!
For some of us, finding a hat that suits us isn’t a simple or even enjoyable experience. I’m one of those people that hats don’t look that great on.
I’ve never really been a fan of hats. As a kid, I remember my mom making me wear one when I went out on really hot days in the summer. I looked ridiculous. I took it off whenever I could. It made my head sweat and made a mess of my hair.
By the time I was a teen in the early 1970’s hats were a bit more in fashion again. My friends were wearing the crocheted floppy brim hats. I had a friend make one for me in a dark brown and also in a denim shade. These weren’t bad because they were made of a cotton yarn and had lots of little holes so at least the head didn’t sweat!
Floppy brim cloth hats were also popular and I bought a couple. They didn’t look great, but it was passable and it did keep the sun out of my eyes. For awhile, engineer caps and bandanas were all the rage among my friends. I wore it too, but didn’t look nearly as stylish!
I’ve owned my share of ball caps that promoted various companies, organizations and promotions. I still own one for the local drive-inn of my youth and a favourite radio station! I’ve also worn a few visors.
My parents brought me a soft brim leather hat from Mexico many years ago. I really liked that hat even though it didn’t look that great on me. I also owned a cowboy hat at one time.
If I had my choice, I wouldn’t wear a hat at all. Actually, the only time I wear hats these days is on bright, warm sunny days when the UV ratings are high.
I have a floppy brim denim hat that reminds me of my teen years but it looks like hell on me. It also doesn’t stay on very well if there is more than a slight breeze.
Over the last fifteen years or so, I’ve been wearing a modified style of a baseball cap, It ties in a bow at the back rather than the notched band and also has an extra long, wide brim to keep the sun out of the eyes. I really like this style and it is one of the few that actually suits me. The main problem is that it doesn’t cover the back of the neck or the ears and tends to blow off fairly easily in a breeze.
Trying to function with this kind of hat hasn’t been easy for me. Walking with a white cane is challenging enough in the best weather conditions. Then, throw in using a monocular to see distance or trying to carry any bags/packages in the other hand. If the wind picks up, you practically need a third hand to hold your hat on. Although, a third hand may come in handy at certain times, it just isn’t a practical or viable solution. As much as I hated to admit it, it was time to buy a hat that had a chin strap option – or as my mom likes to call it, “something to tie my head on with”!
So, I finally went looking for a new hat a few weeks ago. I hadn’t seen anything I liked that was even remotely practical or durable in most of the major stores, but I knew that there was one place that I would surely find a good selection AND knowledgeable staff that could help me find the right hat for my needs – Mountain Equipment Co-op!
I checked the web site first and found a few possibilities so printed off my three top picks. The following morning, I went down and a very helpful staff member showed me the hats I had printed off as well as a few others. Most didn’t look that great on me or I felt that the brim was too narrow or way to floppy to actually protect me from the sun in a breeze. Some were also heavier material than I wanted or were meant more for wearing in rainy weather.
The hat I ultimately chose is stylish, practical, durable and very versatile in how it can be worn. I bought the Halcyon Sombrero which is made by Outdoor Research. OR’s site lists the hat at $42 Canadian yet I paid only $34 (plus taxes) regular price in store at MEC.
I’ve only worn it a few times so far but have gotten several compliments on it. One of the days that I did have it on, also happened to be extremely windy – gusts of 50-70km/hour (31-44 miles/hour)! For that strength of wind, I tightened the hat band and used the chin strap. In the ten minutes I was facing into the wind, the brim only went up once. Later that same morning, the wind was at my back for about 10 minutes and the back only lifted once. Not once did I have to worry about losing my hat – it stayed on perfectly!
This hat isn’t a great choice for rain, but it will keep a light squall from soaking you. It is also light and airy enough to keep your head from getting sweaty. This particular style is suitable for both women and men.
Warm sunny weather has arrived. Summer officially begins tomorrow – June 21.
So, if you are looking for a great summer hat – and you really should be wearing one to protect yourself from those dangerous UV rays – then this just may be the perfect hat for you too!
dn
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Improvised Camp Chilli
When I worked at summer camp back in the 1970’s, there were certain foods and recipes that were unique to each camp. For those of us who worked there several weeks or over several years of summers, it came to be as much a tradition for us as it was for the campers. Some we enjoyed more than others! There was your basic camp food like pancakes and sausages, hot dogs, hamburgers, roasts, soup, sandwiches and so on.
But where I worked, there was a type of chilli that was not found anywhere else. Almost every week we would make this recipe – outside in a large cooking pot over an open fire if the weather cooperated. It was so good and there was rarely any leftovers.
It isn’t your basic chilli recipe and many people will likely screw up their noses just reading the recipe. I recall the first time I worked in the kitchen and had to help assemble the ingredients I thought the head cook was joking when she handed me the list of ingredients.
I asked the origin of the recipe. I was told that several years earlier, a cook was going to make chilli and discovered she was missing a couple of ingredients so she had to improvise. The campers loved it and a tradition was born.
Before I left the camp that summer, I wrote down the recipe – not the version that served 50 but a more manageable family size version. I made it several times over the next few years.
Eventually I got tired of it and actually forgot about it until a few months ago when I was talking to a friend about weird recipe ingredients. I wondered if I would still like the recipe after all these years. I would have to try it again one of these days.
So, a few days ago, I checked to see if I had all the ingredients. I was missing only one - the second canned ingredient listed below - so picked up the ingredient while shopping. Before I prepared the chilli, I looked over the old recipe again and decided that my tastes had changed a bit over the years so I should probably add a few more things. The peppers, mushrooms, garlic, basil and oregano were not in the original but I had a strong sense that I would need them to make it satisfactory to my more mature taste buds.
As I was preparing the recipe, I really wondered if I was making a mistake in even trying this again after so many years – let alone making changes to it. When it was ready, I ladled out a bowl and set it on the table beside the fresh French bread that I had bought that morning.
But where I worked, there was a type of chilli that was not found anywhere else. Almost every week we would make this recipe – outside in a large cooking pot over an open fire if the weather cooperated. It was so good and there was rarely any leftovers.
It isn’t your basic chilli recipe and many people will likely screw up their noses just reading the recipe. I recall the first time I worked in the kitchen and had to help assemble the ingredients I thought the head cook was joking when she handed me the list of ingredients.
I asked the origin of the recipe. I was told that several years earlier, a cook was going to make chilli and discovered she was missing a couple of ingredients so she had to improvise. The campers loved it and a tradition was born.
Before I left the camp that summer, I wrote down the recipe – not the version that served 50 but a more manageable family size version. I made it several times over the next few years.
Eventually I got tired of it and actually forgot about it until a few months ago when I was talking to a friend about weird recipe ingredients. I wondered if I would still like the recipe after all these years. I would have to try it again one of these days.
So, a few days ago, I checked to see if I had all the ingredients. I was missing only one - the second canned ingredient listed below - so picked up the ingredient while shopping. Before I prepared the chilli, I looked over the old recipe again and decided that my tastes had changed a bit over the years so I should probably add a few more things. The peppers, mushrooms, garlic, basil and oregano were not in the original but I had a strong sense that I would need them to make it satisfactory to my more mature taste buds.
As I was preparing the recipe, I really wondered if I was making a mistake in even trying this again after so many years – let alone making changes to it. When it was ready, I ladled out a bowl and set it on the table beside the fresh French bread that I had bought that morning.
Okay, here goes nothing .... hmmm ... this isn’t bad if I do say so myself!
So here it is - a modified version of the camp chilli that I enjoyed as a teen. It isn’t cooked over an open fire, but there is no reason you can’t cook it inside or out this summer.
Improvised Camp Chilli
• Olive or canola oil
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 ¼ cup)
• ½ sweet red bell peper chopped (about ½ cup)
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 Tablespoon (bottled type) minced garlic
• 1 14oz./398ml can red kidney beans, undrained
• 1 14oz./398ml can spaghetti in tomato sauce
• 1 10oz./284ml can vegetable soup
• 1 ½ teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Drizzle about a tablespoon of canola or olive oil in a large, deep frying pan and add the ground beef. Brown the beef over medium high heat stirring often. Add the onion and pepper and stir into beef, cooking till translucent. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic and cook just till tender. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Reduce heat to medium low and cook about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often.
Serve with a tossed salad and a bread such as Focaccia, French or homemade buns.
Serves 4
Enjoy!
dn
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Gal Pals
I have a confession to make. I’ve never watched Sex And The City.
Yup, that’s right – not one single episode. Of course, I have seen clips of the show and heard about it enough over the last decade or so, to know the main players; Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha. Frankly, you’d have to be living under a rock not to know at least a little bit about the show. It has been a huge hit among women around the world. Even men have followed the show – if only in hopes of getting a clue about how a woman’s mind works!
Yup, that’s right – not one single episode. Of course, I have seen clips of the show and heard about it enough over the last decade or so, to know the main players; Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha. Frankly, you’d have to be living under a rock not to know at least a little bit about the show. It has been a huge hit among women around the world. Even men have followed the show – if only in hopes of getting a clue about how a woman’s mind works!
I understand the concept of the show – four female friends sharing their life experiences and fantasies . The bonding and the camaraderie. The men, the drinks, the fashion and so on. I get that this is a huge draw for many.
I just don’t want to watch it. I have no interest in fashion. I don’t own any high heels or designer handbags or even a dress for that matter. I’ve never bought or read a fashion mag. I’ve never been interested in the bars or club scene. I have no idea what is in a Cosmo. I almost never drink and when I do it is vodka – which is about the only alcohol I can tolerate without getting sick! Some would see all of this as blasphemy and I could be considered a traitor to my gender.
Sex And The City, certainly wasn’t the first to promote the gal pal relationship. They just did it in a more provocative way. Being a cable show allowed them a lot more freedom to say and do things that weren’t allowed on network TV.
That being said, the ladies of Wisteria Lane on ABC’s Desperate Housewives could give them a run for their money in my book. Bree, Susan, Lynette and Gabby have unique bonds. They are not only neighbours, but have experienced a lot of drama together over the years - all while looking rather stylish and hoisting a few cocktails. They play poker together, shoot the breeze, offer advice, a shoulder to lean on and an alibi when necessary. Now that is a gal pal!
But, if I were going to go for the best gal pal ensemble of all time – well, there is no question in my mind that it was “The Golden Girls”! Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan), Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur), Rose Nylund (Betty White), and Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty) were four spirited women of a certain age who shared a home in Miami, Florida. These four women, bonded over cheesecake – usually late at night. They talked about their lives (past and present), their families and growing old. They shared their hopes, their dreams, their fears, their sorrows and their triumphs.
They also talked a lot about men and sex! These women all grew up during a time when s-e-x was more of a dirty word, but as they aged, they discovered more freedoms and liberations in their sex lives. Even though they were all considered seniors, they were dating and enjoying the company of men in and out of the bedroom. The conversations that these ladies had were enlightened, entertaining, frank and often thought provoking. They were also rather spicy at times. They said what they felt and took risks to find love again.
The Golden Girls gave us hope and encouragement to be ourselves and take chances with our love as we age. They gave us something to aspire to in our golden years or at any age for that matter.
Sadly, real life isn’t as simple.
Gal Pals on TV always manage to work out their differences – eventually. Real life often tells a different story. We change as we age. Our priorities change. Spouses/Partners, children, careers and interests change how we feel and react over time.
Then there is the whole clique like thing that often happens in gal pal relationships. Some feel closer than others or get their nose out of joint when they think they aren’t’ fully in the loop. Some get territorial or too gossipy. Way too much drama and immature behaviour for my tolerance level.
Don’t get me wrong, I do have my own gal pals but I just can’t imagine sitting down with them and sharing the intimacies of my life with all of them as the ladies on TV have done. I’m better at the one on one conversations for the really personal stuff.
Let’s face it, some gal pals are closer than others. Some you can confide only a few things and some you can tell almost anything! There are a couple of my gal pals that I can tell anything to and others that I’d be much more cautious in how much I share.
Gal pals means different things to different people. I have no idea if any of mine watch Carrie and her pals but it really doesn’t matter. We will never be Sex And The City gals. Thankfully we don’t have the drama of the Wisteria Lane gals. I think we can relate more with The Golden Girls even though we aren’t quite that old - yet.
My gal pals aren’t anything like the gals on TV, but we are all intelligent, open minded, spirited, compassionate, insightful and funny women of a “certain age”. We know that when push comes to shove or we just need a shoulder to lean on – our gal pals are the ones we want at our side. I love my gal pals dearly and try not to take any of them for granted.
So, if not being interested in the latest designs in fashion or sipping trendy cocktails at a hot spot and dishing about the latest gossip or man to cross my path makes me a traitor to my gender – so be it. I can live with that!
dn
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Pay More – Get Less!
In my last post, I told you about the way manufacturers and stores are changing the labelling and packaging of their products. It isn’t always because of new recipes. I think it is more of a way to keep consumers on their toes and to keep us in the store longer in hopes that we will spend more money.
Well we are spending more money but we certainly aren’t always getting more for our money!
Sure, some things are on sale and there are good deals to be had if we are lucky enough and patient enough to hunt for them BUT sometimes the new packaging can be a bit misleading.
How often have you checked the weight, volume or quantity of the product in that new packaging? Is it the same as what it used to be?
Several products have gradually shrunk over the years. When Canada brought in the metric system in the 1970’s products gradually switched their labels from imperial to metric. Rather than have odd sounding quantities the companies rounded the totals up or down to make the numbers even. For example: 8 ounces equals 227.2 g. This was either rounded down to 200 or 225 or rounded up to 250. 16 ounces is equal to 454g so that was generally rounded down to 450 but occasionally rounded up to 500. It was all rather confusing at the time and to some extent still is for those of us who were pretty much out of school by the time the metric came in.
What happened after that initial change though is in some ways more interesting. Several products gradually shrunk. You used to be able to buy a 12 ounce bag of chocolate chips. That converted to 340.8g. Somehow over the years, that has managed to decrease to the new standard of 300g or 10.56 ounces. Some varieties have even gone down to 270g which is only about 9.5 ounces.
Generally I don’t go by the weight of a package in a recipe – rather by the volume or weight of the product required for the recipe, but it can get confusing if you aren’t paying attention to a recipe and the size of the package you are using.
In the last few years several major manufacturers have changed the packaging to cover up the fact that you are actually getting less for the same price.
I don’t buy a lot of cereal, but I remember seeing a piece on the CBS Early Show a year or so ago that said some of the companies had actually decreased the amount in each box by anywhere from 2 – 5 ounces (57 – 140g) but kept the same suggested retail price.
Snack food companies have also done the shrinking product content trick. Several brands of potato chips and crackers have about an ounce less (28g) per package. Frankly, the fact that you are getting less snack food for the same price is a good idea in my mind as most of these type of products are high in calories, sodium and fat. I buy one or two bags of tortilla chips and a three or four boxes of crackers a year. I’m not much of a snacker and rarely eat junk food.
One item that I buy a few times a year is the Green Giant frozen vegetables. I don’t use them often - I prefer fresh – but these are nice to have on hand when you want something out of season or to throw in a casserole. Late winter of 2009, I was watching for them to go on sale as I didn’t want to pay the regular price of over $3 for a 1 kilo bag. Finally, just before Easter, I saw them on sale for $2.39! Great! I could stock up with a bag each of sweetlet peas, peaches and cream corn, cut green beans and the mixed vegetables. I found the display case in the frozen foods and started picking up my bags. Wait a minute – something doesn’t feel right here. These are smaller! I checked the label and sure enough – the 1 kilo bag that had been around for years was now down to 750g! The regular and sale prices were about the same but the quantity that you were getting was 25% less! When I got home, I checked the ad more carefully and there – in tiny print was the size of 750g. Needless to say, I was not impressed!
This shrinking product syndrome isn’t just happening in the edible areas. It is also happening in the paper products such as Kleenex tissues. They used to be 200/box but now about 100 to 150 depending on type but the tissues are also smaller than they used to be.
I think the most glaring of the shrinking products is toilet paper. I’ve been buying the Purex brand for many years. I always wait till it is on sale and then stock up with several packages. About 15 years ago, a double roll was 500 sheets. Eight double rolls for $4 or less was considered a good deal. Well, you can still get eight double rolls for about $4 if you watch for sales BUT the double roll has somehow gradually managed to shrink to 280 sheets!
Yup, times are changing. Inflation has increased prices and a dollar sure doesn’t go as far as it used to. Packages are being redesigned and getting smaller. If there really was truth in advertizing, the slogan would be “Pay More – Get Less!”
Then again, maybe the truth is a little too hard to sell. We’d need way to much toilet paper to clean up the mess that would create.
dn
Well we are spending more money but we certainly aren’t always getting more for our money!
Sure, some things are on sale and there are good deals to be had if we are lucky enough and patient enough to hunt for them BUT sometimes the new packaging can be a bit misleading.
How often have you checked the weight, volume or quantity of the product in that new packaging? Is it the same as what it used to be?
Several products have gradually shrunk over the years. When Canada brought in the metric system in the 1970’s products gradually switched their labels from imperial to metric. Rather than have odd sounding quantities the companies rounded the totals up or down to make the numbers even. For example: 8 ounces equals 227.2 g. This was either rounded down to 200 or 225 or rounded up to 250. 16 ounces is equal to 454g so that was generally rounded down to 450 but occasionally rounded up to 500. It was all rather confusing at the time and to some extent still is for those of us who were pretty much out of school by the time the metric came in.
What happened after that initial change though is in some ways more interesting. Several products gradually shrunk. You used to be able to buy a 12 ounce bag of chocolate chips. That converted to 340.8g. Somehow over the years, that has managed to decrease to the new standard of 300g or 10.56 ounces. Some varieties have even gone down to 270g which is only about 9.5 ounces.
Generally I don’t go by the weight of a package in a recipe – rather by the volume or weight of the product required for the recipe, but it can get confusing if you aren’t paying attention to a recipe and the size of the package you are using.
In the last few years several major manufacturers have changed the packaging to cover up the fact that you are actually getting less for the same price.
I don’t buy a lot of cereal, but I remember seeing a piece on the CBS Early Show a year or so ago that said some of the companies had actually decreased the amount in each box by anywhere from 2 – 5 ounces (57 – 140g) but kept the same suggested retail price.
Snack food companies have also done the shrinking product content trick. Several brands of potato chips and crackers have about an ounce less (28g) per package. Frankly, the fact that you are getting less snack food for the same price is a good idea in my mind as most of these type of products are high in calories, sodium and fat. I buy one or two bags of tortilla chips and a three or four boxes of crackers a year. I’m not much of a snacker and rarely eat junk food.
One item that I buy a few times a year is the Green Giant frozen vegetables. I don’t use them often - I prefer fresh – but these are nice to have on hand when you want something out of season or to throw in a casserole. Late winter of 2009, I was watching for them to go on sale as I didn’t want to pay the regular price of over $3 for a 1 kilo bag. Finally, just before Easter, I saw them on sale for $2.39! Great! I could stock up with a bag each of sweetlet peas, peaches and cream corn, cut green beans and the mixed vegetables. I found the display case in the frozen foods and started picking up my bags. Wait a minute – something doesn’t feel right here. These are smaller! I checked the label and sure enough – the 1 kilo bag that had been around for years was now down to 750g! The regular and sale prices were about the same but the quantity that you were getting was 25% less! When I got home, I checked the ad more carefully and there – in tiny print was the size of 750g. Needless to say, I was not impressed!
This shrinking product syndrome isn’t just happening in the edible areas. It is also happening in the paper products such as Kleenex tissues. They used to be 200/box but now about 100 to 150 depending on type but the tissues are also smaller than they used to be.
I think the most glaring of the shrinking products is toilet paper. I’ve been buying the Purex brand for many years. I always wait till it is on sale and then stock up with several packages. About 15 years ago, a double roll was 500 sheets. Eight double rolls for $4 or less was considered a good deal. Well, you can still get eight double rolls for about $4 if you watch for sales BUT the double roll has somehow gradually managed to shrink to 280 sheets!
Yup, times are changing. Inflation has increased prices and a dollar sure doesn’t go as far as it used to. Packages are being redesigned and getting smaller. If there really was truth in advertizing, the slogan would be “Pay More – Get Less!”
Then again, maybe the truth is a little too hard to sell. We’d need way to much toilet paper to clean up the mess that would create.
dn
Sunday, May 23, 2010
There Is A Flaw In My Shopping - Manufacturers!
Anyone who knows me, knows that I don’t really enjoy shopping. I don’t enjoy spending the day in a mall or hours perusing the latest products or sales racks.
I prefer to get in, get it done and get out as quickly as possible with minimal damage to my wallet.
It’s not that I am cheap or that I don’t try new things – I do experiment with some things – mostly in the grocery section.
There are tens of thousands of products in the average grocery store and most of them will never be brought into my home. There are several reasons for that including: price, calories, additives, personal tastes and some mild food allergies.
When it comes to grocery shopping, I find most of my items on the peripheral aisles - in the produce, dairy and meat departments. I occasionally get bread in the bakery or things in the frozen food aisles.
The produce and meat are relatively easy. The major decision is which variety of produce or cut of meat do I want. Do I want leaf lettuce or romaine? What variety of apple? Do I want pork, beef or chicken – what cut? Those decisions are made mostly on price and quality of the item.
For me, the problem with grocery shopping usually occurs in the aisles with the packaged products. The ones with the cans, jars, boxes and such. I don’t buy a lot in these aisles, but when I do, I seem to have trouble locating the items I want.
You see, I shop in bulk. I’ve come to know what brands I like and how things are packaged. I can grab the item and do a quick price check. I check the shelf life of the item and “guestimate” how much of it I would use over the shelf life. For example: if a 1 kilo jar of my favourite brand of peanut butter is on sale and it has over a year till the expiry date, I can safely buy several if I have the extra money and the space to store them at home. This takes a bit of pre calculation, but it saves me money in the long run. Shopping like this also helps me to make more healthy choices and to occasionally splurge on some other kind of food that my taste buds would enjoy.
So, you’d think this would be a win-win situation right? Well normally yes BUT there is a flaw to my system. A flaw that is caused by manufacturers.
Manufacturers have this really annoying habit of “rebranding” or “repackaging” their products. They don’t necessarily change the recipe, they just update the packaging.
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can confuse the heck out of a visually impaired and/or busy shopper!
The most confused that I ever got by a repackaging was a few years ago. I had gotten a really great deal on some feminine protection products, so bought about an 18 month supply. By the time I needed more, the package had gone from a pastel mauve to a deep purple with a completely different font for the print and entirely new labelling system. I honestly thought that my brand had been discontinued until I finally found a clerk who helped me sort out the new packaging and explained the new labelling and how to find what I needed.
In the last year or so, some major manufacturers have been updating their packaging.
Campbell’s soups have changed their labels a bit. The familiar red with white is still at the top but the soup pictures and variety labelling has been changed. I almost bought a cream of chicken rather than cream of mushroom. Not huge in the grand scheme of things but it wouldn’t have been what I really wanted.
Kraft has been doing some major changes to their packaging. Pretty much all the dressings have new labels and some items such as Miracle Whip even have a slightly different shaped jar. The familiar glass jar has been replaced by plastic with a unique scalloped edging on the lid.
The Kraft product that confused me the most though, was the Lemon Instant Pudding. The box used to be a rectangle and clearly said “pudding” on it. The newer one is more of a square – almost identical in size and shape to the Jell-o gelatin boxes. Yes, there is a suggested serving pictured but given the box shape and size it can be mistaken as gelatin unless you look closely. In the upper right of the box – in small pastel print no less – it does say instant pudding mix but good luck reading it without perfect sight!
I prefer to get in, get it done and get out as quickly as possible with minimal damage to my wallet.
It’s not that I am cheap or that I don’t try new things – I do experiment with some things – mostly in the grocery section.
There are tens of thousands of products in the average grocery store and most of them will never be brought into my home. There are several reasons for that including: price, calories, additives, personal tastes and some mild food allergies.
When it comes to grocery shopping, I find most of my items on the peripheral aisles - in the produce, dairy and meat departments. I occasionally get bread in the bakery or things in the frozen food aisles.
The produce and meat are relatively easy. The major decision is which variety of produce or cut of meat do I want. Do I want leaf lettuce or romaine? What variety of apple? Do I want pork, beef or chicken – what cut? Those decisions are made mostly on price and quality of the item.
For me, the problem with grocery shopping usually occurs in the aisles with the packaged products. The ones with the cans, jars, boxes and such. I don’t buy a lot in these aisles, but when I do, I seem to have trouble locating the items I want.
You see, I shop in bulk. I’ve come to know what brands I like and how things are packaged. I can grab the item and do a quick price check. I check the shelf life of the item and “guestimate” how much of it I would use over the shelf life. For example: if a 1 kilo jar of my favourite brand of peanut butter is on sale and it has over a year till the expiry date, I can safely buy several if I have the extra money and the space to store them at home. This takes a bit of pre calculation, but it saves me money in the long run. Shopping like this also helps me to make more healthy choices and to occasionally splurge on some other kind of food that my taste buds would enjoy.
So, you’d think this would be a win-win situation right? Well normally yes BUT there is a flaw to my system. A flaw that is caused by manufacturers.
Manufacturers have this really annoying habit of “rebranding” or “repackaging” their products. They don’t necessarily change the recipe, they just update the packaging.
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can confuse the heck out of a visually impaired and/or busy shopper!
The most confused that I ever got by a repackaging was a few years ago. I had gotten a really great deal on some feminine protection products, so bought about an 18 month supply. By the time I needed more, the package had gone from a pastel mauve to a deep purple with a completely different font for the print and entirely new labelling system. I honestly thought that my brand had been discontinued until I finally found a clerk who helped me sort out the new packaging and explained the new labelling and how to find what I needed.
In the last year or so, some major manufacturers have been updating their packaging.
Campbell’s soups have changed their labels a bit. The familiar red with white is still at the top but the soup pictures and variety labelling has been changed. I almost bought a cream of chicken rather than cream of mushroom. Not huge in the grand scheme of things but it wouldn’t have been what I really wanted.
Kraft has been doing some major changes to their packaging. Pretty much all the dressings have new labels and some items such as Miracle Whip even have a slightly different shaped jar. The familiar glass jar has been replaced by plastic with a unique scalloped edging on the lid.
The Kraft product that confused me the most though, was the Lemon Instant Pudding. The box used to be a rectangle and clearly said “pudding” on it. The newer one is more of a square – almost identical in size and shape to the Jell-o gelatin boxes. Yes, there is a suggested serving pictured but given the box shape and size it can be mistaken as gelatin unless you look closely. In the upper right of the box – in small pastel print no less – it does say instant pudding mix but good luck reading it without perfect sight!
It isn’t just the big name manufacturers though – even the store brands are changing designs. Over the last few months, there have been changes to packaging for some of my favourite no name products as well.
Picture it – you are moving along the aisle and scanning your list. You need salsa. You know you want the mild store brand but .... wait ... where is it? All the brand names are there and you know they are more expensive. Oh wait - what are all these white labels? Okay, the store brand is labelled differently now. Great – now I have to figure out which jar it is I want and hope it is the same as the one I’d been buying for the last few years.
For the salad dressings, the old labels were yellow with a small picture and a small section in blue with the word light on it for the low calorie versions. The new one is still yellow, but there is no picture and most of the printing is in black. The word light is in small letters above the variety of dressing. The light sits right beside the regular and all the other versions. That means you have to look really closely to make sure you have exactly the variety and version you want.
The boxes for the instant puddings have undergone changes as well. It isn’t as drastic but the print is different and the picture is smaller.
'
Some of the changes may have taken place months ago, but since I still had some on hand, I didn’t know about them until I needed them.
Now a days, when I put something on my list, I also have to be prepared for a treasure hunt. Oh goodie!
dn
Next Post - May 30: "Pay More - Get Less!"
Related Posts:
- Food storage to save you money! - Part 1
- Food storage to save you money! - Part 2
- Grocery Shopping
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Empathy
Empathy: understanding of another's feelings: the ability to identify with and understand somebody else's feelings or difficulties
Many years ago, I remember someone telling me that I should try and find some type of commonality with people I meet. Find something within my life, experiences or knowledge that can draw a parallel to what the other person is experiencing. This would create a bond of sorts that can lead to a great friendship and a better understanding of the person.
That was good advice. It really does work. But if you aren’t careful, it can also be a real problem if one of the people feels the need to take almost every detail you’ve shared and relate it to their own life. In other words, sometimes it has a way of becoming all about them. Your experiences were really only a springboard for them to express theirs. It doesn’t matter that you were the one who needed to share or vent. It becomes all about them – again.
Just because I may be having a bad day, doesn’t necessarily mean that I need to hear how bad your day was. You can relate, but don’t override mine. It isn’t a contest.
Maybe I got a really good deal or had an interesting experience that I’d like to talk about. I don’t always need to hear that you had an even better experience or got a better deal. And I certainly don’t need to hear a woe is me of “How come that kind of thing never happens to me?”
Sometimes you just need your own moment of euphoria or woe is me. You need a friendly ear that will listen but not feel the need to interject their own experiences on top of yours or before you’ve even had the opportunity to fully express yourself.
There is a fine line between understanding how someone feels and taking over that persons need to go through whatever they are going through.
It doesn’t mean that I don’t care – I do – well usually I do - but sometimes I just need some me time and for you to listen.
It is a balancing act that takes practice. It is a line that is sometimes too easily crossed.
We want to be a good and supportive friend, but trying to relate to everything is impossible and sometimes you just need to let the other person have their moment to vent or express themselves.
In a healthy friendship, you are able to take turns in being the ventee and the empathetic one. The roles will often reverse, but it eventually balances out.
In a less healthy relationship, one of you has to be more supportive than the other and that can be exhausting. There is only so much you can take or empathy you can express before you want to get an unlisted number or run screaming from the room.
You feel like every amount of energy you are putting into the friendship is being leached to feed their needs and your needs aren’t even being heard – let alone met.
Maybe it is just me and the stage of life I am at, but some people are just really working my last nerve. I dread running into them or even talking on the phone to them as I don’t feel they are even hearing me. They are too consumed with their own drama to really get that there are other things going on outside of their self imposed cocoon.
Oh that sounds harsh doesn’t it? Sorry. Maybe they are going through some rough stuff of their own, but sometimes the balance stays tipped in one direction for way too long. Just when I think it is starting to balance out, it tips over - again.
Don’t get me wrong. I have some amazing friends who are there whenever I need them and they know that I will always be there for them. We’ve helped each other get through a lot over the years.
I guess I’m just a bit tired of being the supporter rather than the supportee for some things.
It’s not that I don’t want to hear about what is happening in the lives of the people I know and care about. I do want to know how life is treating them – I just don’t need to hear every minute detail. If you want me to be empathetic – fine - I can do that, but know that I will most likely expect it in return at some point without you overriding my experiences and needs.
We’ve all had experiences where a friend has had a run of bad luck and feels the need to relate every little detail – even if it takes an hour to tell a story that could have been done in 10 minutes or less for the Reader’s Digest version and still gotten the point across. Sometimes brevity goes a long way. If I want more info, I can ask. The problem is that some people just don’t know how to self edit. But, by the same token, don’t be so brief that I don’t see the issue or that I have to pull more information out of you. Knowing how much to share can go a long way in getting the right amount of support in return.
Be happy for someone who got a great deal or is having a good day. Whining about your lack of luck or relating your better deal or luck, isn’t going to do a lot to endear you in the heart or mind of the other person.
Empathy works both ways. If you don’t seem to be getting what you think is your fair share, then stop and take a long hard look at your life and how you express yourself around others. It really isn’t all about you.
Sincerity and being a good listener goes a long way in being empathetic.
Empathy is not a game of “I can top that” or one-upmanship. It is a balance of compassion, support and related understanding.
Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now. Was there something you wanted to say?
dn
Many years ago, I remember someone telling me that I should try and find some type of commonality with people I meet. Find something within my life, experiences or knowledge that can draw a parallel to what the other person is experiencing. This would create a bond of sorts that can lead to a great friendship and a better understanding of the person.
That was good advice. It really does work. But if you aren’t careful, it can also be a real problem if one of the people feels the need to take almost every detail you’ve shared and relate it to their own life. In other words, sometimes it has a way of becoming all about them. Your experiences were really only a springboard for them to express theirs. It doesn’t matter that you were the one who needed to share or vent. It becomes all about them – again.
Just because I may be having a bad day, doesn’t necessarily mean that I need to hear how bad your day was. You can relate, but don’t override mine. It isn’t a contest.
Maybe I got a really good deal or had an interesting experience that I’d like to talk about. I don’t always need to hear that you had an even better experience or got a better deal. And I certainly don’t need to hear a woe is me of “How come that kind of thing never happens to me?”
Sometimes you just need your own moment of euphoria or woe is me. You need a friendly ear that will listen but not feel the need to interject their own experiences on top of yours or before you’ve even had the opportunity to fully express yourself.
There is a fine line between understanding how someone feels and taking over that persons need to go through whatever they are going through.
It doesn’t mean that I don’t care – I do – well usually I do - but sometimes I just need some me time and for you to listen.
It is a balancing act that takes practice. It is a line that is sometimes too easily crossed.
We want to be a good and supportive friend, but trying to relate to everything is impossible and sometimes you just need to let the other person have their moment to vent or express themselves.
In a healthy friendship, you are able to take turns in being the ventee and the empathetic one. The roles will often reverse, but it eventually balances out.
In a less healthy relationship, one of you has to be more supportive than the other and that can be exhausting. There is only so much you can take or empathy you can express before you want to get an unlisted number or run screaming from the room.
You feel like every amount of energy you are putting into the friendship is being leached to feed their needs and your needs aren’t even being heard – let alone met.
Maybe it is just me and the stage of life I am at, but some people are just really working my last nerve. I dread running into them or even talking on the phone to them as I don’t feel they are even hearing me. They are too consumed with their own drama to really get that there are other things going on outside of their self imposed cocoon.
Oh that sounds harsh doesn’t it? Sorry. Maybe they are going through some rough stuff of their own, but sometimes the balance stays tipped in one direction for way too long. Just when I think it is starting to balance out, it tips over - again.
Don’t get me wrong. I have some amazing friends who are there whenever I need them and they know that I will always be there for them. We’ve helped each other get through a lot over the years.
I guess I’m just a bit tired of being the supporter rather than the supportee for some things.
It’s not that I don’t want to hear about what is happening in the lives of the people I know and care about. I do want to know how life is treating them – I just don’t need to hear every minute detail. If you want me to be empathetic – fine - I can do that, but know that I will most likely expect it in return at some point without you overriding my experiences and needs.
We’ve all had experiences where a friend has had a run of bad luck and feels the need to relate every little detail – even if it takes an hour to tell a story that could have been done in 10 minutes or less for the Reader’s Digest version and still gotten the point across. Sometimes brevity goes a long way. If I want more info, I can ask. The problem is that some people just don’t know how to self edit. But, by the same token, don’t be so brief that I don’t see the issue or that I have to pull more information out of you. Knowing how much to share can go a long way in getting the right amount of support in return.
Be happy for someone who got a great deal or is having a good day. Whining about your lack of luck or relating your better deal or luck, isn’t going to do a lot to endear you in the heart or mind of the other person.
Empathy works both ways. If you don’t seem to be getting what you think is your fair share, then stop and take a long hard look at your life and how you express yourself around others. It really isn’t all about you.
Sincerity and being a good listener goes a long way in being empathetic.
Empathy is not a game of “I can top that” or one-upmanship. It is a balance of compassion, support and related understanding.
Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now. Was there something you wanted to say?
dn
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mother's Day!
My mom has a great sense of humour. She loves a good laugh. We talk every Sunday morning for about an hour and every week we share at least a laugh or two or three! Since she doesn't use a computer, I often read her some of the email humour that regularly shows up in my inbox. So today - in honour of Mother's everywhere - I thought I'd share a little Mother's Day humour:
Mother's Day Quotes:"Mothers of teenagers know why animals eat their young." - Author Unknown
"Mothers are all slightly insane." - J.D. Salinger
"I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them." - Phyllis Diller
"My mother's menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it." - Buddy Hackett
What Famous Mothers Might Have Said:
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary's Mother: "I don't mind you having a garden, Mary, but does it have to be growing under your bed?"
Mona Lisa's Mother: "After all that money your father and I spent on braces, Mona, that's the biggest smile you can give us?"
Humpty Dumpty's Mother: "Humpty, If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times not to sit on that wall. But would you listen to me? Noooo!"
Columbus' Mother: "I don't care what you've discovered, Christopher. You still could have written!"
Babe Ruth's Mother: "Babe, how many times have I told you -- quit playing ball in the house! That's the third broken window this week!"
Michelangelo's Mother: "Mike, can't you paint on walls like other children? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get that stuff off the ceiling?"
Napoleon's Mother: "All right, Napoleon. If you aren't hiding your report card inside your jacket, then take your hand out of there and prove it!"
Custer's Mother: "Now, George, remember what I told you -- don't go biting off more than you can chew!"
Abraham Lincoln's Mother: "Again with the stovepipe hat, Abe? Can't you just wear a baseball cap like the other kids?"
Barney's Mother: "I realize strained plums are your favorite, Barney, but you're starting to look a little purple."
Mary's Mother: "I'm not upset that your lamb followed you to school, Mary, but I would like to know how he got a better grade than you."
Batman's Mother: "It's a nice car, Bruce, but do you realize how much the insurance is going to be?"
Goldilocks' Mother: "I've got a bill here for a busted chair from the Bear family. You know anything about this, Goldie?"
Little Miss Muffet's Mother: "Well, all I've got to say is if you don't get off your tuffet and start cleaning your room, there'll be a lot more spiders around here!"
Albert Einstein's Mother: "But, Albert, it's your senior picture. Can't you do something about your hair? Styling gel, mousse, something...?"
George Washington's Mother: "The next time I catch you throwing money across the Potomac, you can kiss your allowance good-bye!"
Jonah's Mother: "That's a nice story, but now tell me where you've really been for the last three days.
Superman's Mother: "Clark, your father and I have discussed it, and we've decided you can have your own telephone line. Now will you quit spending so much time in all those phone booths?
Thomas Edison's Mother: "Of course I'm proud that you invented the electric light bulb, Thomas. Now turn off that light and get to bed!"
Happy Mother's Day!!
dn
Mother's Day Quotes:"Mothers of teenagers know why animals eat their young." - Author Unknown
"Mothers are all slightly insane." - J.D. Salinger
"I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them." - Phyllis Diller
"My mother's menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it." - Buddy Hackett
What Famous Mothers Might Have Said:
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary's Mother: "I don't mind you having a garden, Mary, but does it have to be growing under your bed?"
Mona Lisa's Mother: "After all that money your father and I spent on braces, Mona, that's the biggest smile you can give us?"
Humpty Dumpty's Mother: "Humpty, If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times not to sit on that wall. But would you listen to me? Noooo!"
Columbus' Mother: "I don't care what you've discovered, Christopher. You still could have written!"
Babe Ruth's Mother: "Babe, how many times have I told you -- quit playing ball in the house! That's the third broken window this week!"
Michelangelo's Mother: "Mike, can't you paint on walls like other children? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get that stuff off the ceiling?"
Napoleon's Mother: "All right, Napoleon. If you aren't hiding your report card inside your jacket, then take your hand out of there and prove it!"
Custer's Mother: "Now, George, remember what I told you -- don't go biting off more than you can chew!"
Abraham Lincoln's Mother: "Again with the stovepipe hat, Abe? Can't you just wear a baseball cap like the other kids?"
Barney's Mother: "I realize strained plums are your favorite, Barney, but you're starting to look a little purple."
Mary's Mother: "I'm not upset that your lamb followed you to school, Mary, but I would like to know how he got a better grade than you."
Batman's Mother: "It's a nice car, Bruce, but do you realize how much the insurance is going to be?"
Goldilocks' Mother: "I've got a bill here for a busted chair from the Bear family. You know anything about this, Goldie?"
Little Miss Muffet's Mother: "Well, all I've got to say is if you don't get off your tuffet and start cleaning your room, there'll be a lot more spiders around here!"
Albert Einstein's Mother: "But, Albert, it's your senior picture. Can't you do something about your hair? Styling gel, mousse, something...?"
George Washington's Mother: "The next time I catch you throwing money across the Potomac, you can kiss your allowance good-bye!"
Jonah's Mother: "That's a nice story, but now tell me where you've really been for the last three days.
Superman's Mother: "Clark, your father and I have discussed it, and we've decided you can have your own telephone line. Now will you quit spending so much time in all those phone booths?
Thomas Edison's Mother: "Of course I'm proud that you invented the electric light bulb, Thomas. Now turn off that light and get to bed!"
Happy Mother's Day!!
dn
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Choco Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
A few weeks ago, I wanted to make a coffee cake. For the past few years, I have been making the “Choco Coffee Cake” on page 149 of the Company’s Coming Muffins & More by Jean Paré. Alas, this was one of those rare occasions when I didn’t have any sour cream in the fridge. I pulled out the family favourite Coffee Cake recipe from an old cookbook I got from my grandma called Cooking The Co-op Way (1959), but that recipe called for shortening and I haven’t bought that in years!
I looked through a few more cookbooks and on line but anything that sounded tasty called for shortening or sour cream and I wasn’t going grocery shopping for a couple of more days. What to do? I guess I could have made something else, but I really wanted a chocolate coffee cake - so I decided to experiment and create my own new recipe. I compared ingredients and quantities in a handful of recipes, made some notes and rough calculations – then crossed my fingers and hoped my creation would turn out!
Not all of my creations have turned out good on the first try. Some have taken several attempts before I’m happy with the results, but I got lucky with this one! A couple of my friends have tasted this and assured me that this is awesome – a real keeper! So here it is for you to try:
Choco Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Topping:
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
½ cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons margarine
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
¼ cup finely chopped almonds
Cake:
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup margarine
½ cup mini chocolate chips
1 egg
½ cup milk
Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray an 8” round or square pan with cooking spray such as Pam and set aside.
Topping: Combine first four ingredients and cut in margarine. Mix till crumbly. Stir in the chips and nuts then set aside while you prepare the cake batter.
Cake: Combine the first eight cake ingredients and then cut in the margarine. Mix until it resembles a fine crumb like mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Add the egg and milk and mix thoroughly. Batter will be stiff. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Spread the topping mixture evenly over the batter and lightly press into the batter.
Bake for 30 minutes or until it tests done using the toothpick method. Cool on a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving. Serves 8.
Notes:
Ever have trouble measuring small amounts of margarine? Here is a simple method that I’ve been using for years:
Most cakes are generally made in a round pan, but cutting the pieces evenly isn’t always easy. I almost always use a square pan for baking and have figured out a simple way to cut it so that everyone gets an equal size portion – and an edge piece. The triangular pieces aren’t quite the same shape everyone expects but its the taste that really counts! Here is the method I use:
Enjoy!
dn
I looked through a few more cookbooks and on line but anything that sounded tasty called for shortening or sour cream and I wasn’t going grocery shopping for a couple of more days. What to do? I guess I could have made something else, but I really wanted a chocolate coffee cake - so I decided to experiment and create my own new recipe. I compared ingredients and quantities in a handful of recipes, made some notes and rough calculations – then crossed my fingers and hoped my creation would turn out!
Not all of my creations have turned out good on the first try. Some have taken several attempts before I’m happy with the results, but I got lucky with this one! A couple of my friends have tasted this and assured me that this is awesome – a real keeper! So here it is for you to try:
Choco Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Topping:
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
½ cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons margarine
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
¼ cup finely chopped almonds
Cake:
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup margarine
½ cup mini chocolate chips
1 egg
½ cup milk
Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray an 8” round or square pan with cooking spray such as Pam and set aside.
Topping: Combine first four ingredients and cut in margarine. Mix till crumbly. Stir in the chips and nuts then set aside while you prepare the cake batter.
Cake: Combine the first eight cake ingredients and then cut in the margarine. Mix until it resembles a fine crumb like mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Add the egg and milk and mix thoroughly. Batter will be stiff. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Spread the topping mixture evenly over the batter and lightly press into the batter.
Bake for 30 minutes or until it tests done using the toothpick method. Cool on a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving. Serves 8.
Notes:
Ever have trouble measuring small amounts of margarine? Here is a simple method that I’ve been using for years:
Most cakes are generally made in a round pan, but cutting the pieces evenly isn’t always easy. I almost always use a square pan for baking and have figured out a simple way to cut it so that everyone gets an equal size portion – and an edge piece. The triangular pieces aren’t quite the same shape everyone expects but its the taste that really counts! Here is the method I use:
Enjoy!
dn
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