Life on Manitoulin

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Free Rice
2008-02-12 23:27:00
Because I'm such a nerd, I find myself drawn to word games. Yes, I'm addicted to Scrabble and Scrabulous. Friends and family hate playing with me. I admit, my love for words is sometimes a bit frightening. Some people like Sudoku...and then there are people like me who are no good at solving math problems. I suppose this is why I became an English teacher. I'm not saying that English teachers aren't good at math. I'm not good at math! My ten-year old niece keeps trying to teach me how to solve Sudoku problems. I just can't wrap my brain around it. To me, it's like trying to solve that Rubik's Cube puzzle! Thank you, but I'll stick to my word problems.I found this site called Free Rice . According to the site, for each word you get correct, 20 grains of rice will be donated through the United Nations to help end world hunger. Anyway, I was curious and tried my hand at the the quiz. I'm always curious to see just how good (or bad) my knowledge of vocabulary is.On Free Rice yo...

Just another day...
2008-02-11 00:25:00
I looked out our living room window to see two foxes scampering across the field and heading toward the barn. The dog went to the front door and started barking like crazy. I let him out and followed him across the property. Through the snow we trudged and up the little hill. I spotted animal tracks in the snow. They were smaller than the dog's and larger than the cats'.Chance led me into the barn, where the footprints were leading. Those pesky foxes were in the barn! Somewhere nestled amongst the bails of hay, they hid. How do I get rid of foxes? I never had to deal with this in the city. The odd raccoon or skunk would find its way to our garbage in the city. The Island is different. Here, you can spot more than just skunks and raccoons. Here you can find deer, black bear, foxes and wolves...just to name a few.Oh, what did I do next, you ask? Well, I ran out of the barn and went back home! I told Hubby about the foxes when he got in from feeding the cattle! I just wouldn't want ...

A Household Divided
2008-02-08 21:11:00
Even before we were wed, Hubby and I vowed that we would always love, honour and respect each other. We shared similar beliefs and felt the same way about how our lives would be conducted. We were in agreement with all of the fundamentals in life. Love, honesty, support, understanding, compassion...We seemed the perfect match.My ideal partner would be intelligent and funny. He'd also be someone who has strong moral beliefs, loves animals and most importantly, he'd be someone who wants to have a household filled with children.Together we overcame many minor differences. In fact, those differences were something that we cherished and loved about each other. I grew up devout Roman Catholic and he was raised United Church of Canada. I was a city girl and he was a country boy. I traveled extensively all over the world and he was tied to the farm. I come from a cultural background that includes Spanish-Filipino-Caribbean-Chinese roots, and while his lineage includes primarily Scottish ...
More About: Household

Throwback Thursday #24
2008-02-07 18:55:00
This week's Throwback Thursday installment brings us back to 1992-1993.1993 marked a very important year in my young adolescent life. It was the year I graduated from high school. It was an exciting year, yet at the same time it marked an end to many things. I know it was supposed to be a year of new beginnings, since we were on our way to college and then after that we were to go on to university. For me it signified an end of freedom. Long gone would be the days of just having fun with friends. College was serious business (I later found out that college was not all work and no play though). Many of my friends would be going to different colleges than the one I applied to. They called my college the "West Island Country Club". It wasn't really like that. I can think of some other places that were snobbier! In fact, I don't think my college was snooty at all!One of our class trips in my last year of high school was a trip to Stratford, Ontario. I can't remember if we took the t...

More Randomness
2008-02-06 05:51:00
1) I have the terrible habit of resting my fingers on the keys while thinking of what I'm going to write next. This is bad because I end up activating the Filter Keys function. This makes me end up writing in CAPS and it makes all the letters, numbers and punctuation marks screwy. I usually just get really annoyed and frustrated...and end up pressing every single key on the keyboard until the Filter Key function miraculously disables itself!I just spent twenty minutes looking for solutions for this problem by visiting a number of web boards on how to turn off filter keys. I tried the standard go to Control Panel, double click on Accessibility Options, go under Filter Keys, click Settings, go under Keyboard Shortcut and click to clear the Use Shortcut check box. I tried doing this several times. It didn't work!!!! Out of sheer frustration, I held both SHIFT keys down at the same time...and voila! Problem solved! Thank goodness I accidentally figured out how to fix the problem. I al...
More About: Randomness

Odds and Ends
2008-02-03 21:26:00
1)I took my love and I took it down I climbed a mountain and I turned around And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills Well the landslide brought me down Oh, mirror in the sky What is love Can the child within my heart rise above Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides Can I handle the seasons of my life Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I built my life around you But time makes you bolder Children get older I'm getting older too Well... Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I built my life around you But time makes you bolder Children get older I'm getting older, too Well I'm getting older too So, take this love and take it down Year and if you climb a mountain and ya turn around And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills Well the landslide brought me down And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills Well maybe Well maybe Well maybe the landslide will bring you downLandslide was playing on the radio on my way home from running e...
More About: Odds , Ends

Throwback Thursday #23
2008-01-31 06:20:00
It's time for yet another Pinks & Blues inspired Throwback Thursday . Now that I've figured out how to use my new scanner, I shouldn't have any excuses reasons to not keep up with my Throwback posts.This first set of photos is actually for Curiosity Killer. She recently asked me where some good cherry blossom viewing spots are in Japan. Ohanami is an annual event in Japan that lasts from April through May. It's means 'cherry blossom viewing'. Companies, families, and friends get together and have picnics underneath the cherry blossom trees. Everyone just enjoys themselves and admires the spectacular blooms. Celebrations go from morning until late at night (early in the morning, depending on how you look at things). Everyone pretty much drinks until they are inebriated.These first three photos were taken in Hiroshima-prefecture. I can't remember which park we went to. I went to about a dozen ohanami parties that week! The photos do not do the blossoms justice. Th...

Humour me...If you will
2008-01-30 23:27:00
I remember his sandy blond hair. His blue eyes sparkled all the time. He was so sweet, tender, and thoughtful. He was artsy, creative, intelligent and passionate beyond compare. He was an animal rights activist, an enviro-freak, and the most devout vegan I had ever met.Together, *River and I would sit along the Lake Shore in between classes and have picnic lunches of a baguette with hummus or Veggie Pâté and copious amounts of fruit. His name wasn't really River, but I called him that because he bore a striking resemblance to the late River Phoenix.Photo of the late River Phoenix from Google ImagesAll the girls loved him and wanted to hang out with him. He was just so cool and so dreamy! He was quiet and soft spoken. He was full of a million and one interesting things to talk about. He was a thinker, a philosopher, an artist, a poet, and the most beautiful thing on earth.We'd peruse thrift shops together and find cool vintage clothing. We'd spend hours upon hours rifling throug...
More About: Humour

Snowed In
2008-01-30 20:17:00
It's complete whiteout where we live right now. This is the view of one of our fields to the back of our house. It doesn't look that bad from the photo, but you can't really see anything with all the wind blowing the snow everywhere.My parents said that they've got reduced visibility where they are, but we can't see a single thing out here. The buses are canceled and some of the highways are closed. I loved school when I was a kid, but I loved hearing that ever anticipated radio announcement for school closures even more! Sure, it was too horrible out to venture to school, but it wasn't too miserable to play outside in all that snow! It's amazing what we can endure when we're young!On the radio, it was announced that the winds were blowing as fast as 120 km/hr in some areas and in others, around 80 km/hr. I seriously thought the roof was going to be lifted off our house. Unfortunately, that was the case for poor 'ol Chance's house. My Dad built him an amazing doggy condo t...

Some favourites
2008-01-29 17:22:00
Kyoto, JapanBarbadosUbud, Bali Japanese OkonomiyakiVeggie lasagnaPad ThaiLoreena McKennittChantal KreviazukSarah McLachlanThe Group of SevenThe Lady of Shallot painted by WaterhouseThe Accolade by Edward Blair LeightonPillars of the Earth by Ken FollettClan of the Cave Bear by Jean AuelThe Famished Road by Ben OkriWhat are some of your favourites?
More About: Favourites

NOT BRUSSEL SPROUTS!!!!!
2008-01-25 18:58:00
I just wanted to share with you a funny interaction that took place at dinner.Scene: a cozy, warm dining roomEnter Wifey. Wifey smiles as she places a dinner plate in front of Hubby. Hubby looks at the spinach and corn soup, roasted sweet potato fries and...brussel sprouts.Hubby: Not brussel sprouts!?!?!Wifey: (chuckles) Eat them! They're good for you! Hubby: But, I don't like brussel sprouts!Wifey: Seriously, they taste really good! They're good for you!Hubby: Hmph! Three or four would be somewhat okay, but NINE???My dear Hubby makes me laugh :) He is so funny. For a second, I could envision sitting across the table from a three or four year old, refusing to eat his brussel sprouts!The conversation didn't stop there!Wifey: (laughs a hearty laugh) I guess some butter would make it taste more flavourful. Hubby: No. It would need more than butter to make it taste good. Can't you at least put cheese on it???I wasn't expecting that reaction from him. He really made me laugh so har...

Throwback Thursday #22...and an Award!!!
2008-01-24 04:54:00
It's been a while since I've posted a Throwback Thursday post. First off, I do realize that it's Wednesday today and not Thursday. I'm a day early, but don't know if I'll have time to post tomorrow. I've got a few reasons excuses for not keeping up with this wonderful Pinks & Blues tradition. A) I haven't had time to look for old photos I've sort of been lazy about getting photos together, and B) Our scanner wasn't in operation for a while and Hubby just bought me a nifty 5-in-1 scanner/photocopier/fax thingy. Very cool!I've only just figured out how to program and install everything. Duh...How come no one told me I had to insert the CD that came with the unit so I can install everything? Anyway, I figured it out all by myself and voila! I just went scanning crazy!These photos are of my time in Japan . There will be more Japan pics to come, as I had many wonderful memories teaching there.The first two sets are of me with some of my English teacher friends at Oshogatsu...
More About: Award

Detoxing
2008-01-22 18:49:00
That's right. We need help. We've hit an all time low (or high...depending on how you look at things). After a week of eating lots and lots of yummy food, we're starting to feel the effects of all those huge dinner parties! I don't know about you, but after the holidays or after a vacation with all the eating and celebrating, I always feel so...blah! We go back to our regular routine and cut back on intake, but I still feel that something more needs to be done. This time my solution is... A 7-Day Liver Detox Program!Image from Google Images As Hubby grumbles and groans in the background, I am making a menu plan that will help us cleanse and detoxify our systems. Don't get me wrong. I love it when my family comes to visit! They cook the most delicious food. The only thing is that when it's just the two of us at home, Hubby and I don't eat that much. We don't need to eat that much! Hubby gets spoiled when my family is up to visit us. Every night, it's tons and tons of amazing...

Psssssst!!!
2008-01-22 02:07:00
I'm over here today.

Winter on the Island
2008-01-20 01:33:00
Many people often ask me, "What is there to do on the Island in the winter?" or "Don't you get bored up there with nothing to do all the time?"One thing is for sure. There is never a dull moment up here and if there is, you're doing something wrong! :) We're never at a shortage of things to do. With life on the farm and when we have students, we are super busy all the time. Even when we don't have students, there are always things to do.This week, we made sure to fit some time in for some fun. It can't be all work and no play all the time! I can honestly say that we are all addicted to Karaoke Revolution Party and Dance Dance Revolution! It isn't easy to sing and dance at the same time! Even my aunt was hooked! Let me tell ya, it's a really good workout! Check out Hubby and his fancy dance moves! What a cutie!My cousin, Wonder Boy was up for a one week visit from Montreal. The week was spent winter camping, snowmobiling, and ATV-ing (after all the farm chores were done, o...
More About: Winter

My New Best Friend
2008-01-17 17:39:00
Those of you who have been reading the blog this week know that I was in an accident three days ago. Since the accident, I've been having some neck and back pains. I have found a great way to ease the pain. No, it doesn't come in a bottle. It doesn't consist of painkillers or Jack Daniels.Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to my new best friend.The Magic Bag is a thermotherapeutic pack that provides relief for aches and pains. It's all-natural and you can use it hot or cold.Hubby is so sweet. He has been warming my Magic Bag up in the microwave and putting it on my neck. The Magic Bag radiates heat for quite some time and it really does make my neck and back feel a lot better.Now for something funny
More About: Friend

I Ditched Her
2008-01-15 04:47:00
It was a wonderful snowy afternoon. I was on my way home from a very successful meeting. I was bursting with excitement and energy. I couldn't wait to relay the good news to my family as soon as I got home.Admiring the beautiful winding highway roads edged with snowy trees, I turned to my faithful companion, Chance and remarked at how truly amazing life is. I had been on the Island for four years and had not had a car accident. I had no run-ins with deer. I hadn't ditched my vehicle.Within minutes that would all change. I came across a speeding pick-up truck. The driver was traveling at an insanely fast speed for the winter! Not only was he speeding, but he ran me off the road! He was speeding down the center of the highway and wasn't making any room for me. My vehicle swerved and weaved from one side of the road to the other. I almost had things under control again, when I rounded a curve in the road. The funny thing is that all I could think of was, "Oh, God! Please make sure m...

You've Gotta Love Her!!!
2008-01-13 22:50:00
My gal pal, CK is a true genius. The girl has mad skillz when it comes to computer graphics. She just created a little avatar for Hubby since he will be guest posting on her new blog. His avatar is freakishly lifelike. I'm still trying to figure out how CK got Hubby to agree to guest post for her! (I'm thinking that Hubby is hoping CK cooks for us again the next time she's back on the Island for a visit!) I've been trying to get Hubby to co-host my blog or start one of his own, and he hasn't. Hmph!In other news, we've got family from Montreal who will be here for a week. Work and life on the farm are keeping us busy. Lots of other exciting things brewing, but can't tell you about them just yet! Muhahahahaha!
More About: Love , Gotta

Serendipity...and an award!!!
2008-01-11 18:32:00
I was thinking of a recent post that the lovely Jane from Pinks & Blues had written a few days ago. Her post was about how small the world really is and how we never really know who we're going to run into, no matter where we are.It made me think of a few serendipitous experiences of my own. I can think of three stories in particular, which really amaze me every time I think about them.1) After university, I moved from Montreal to Toronto. I went back and forth between both cities quite often. One day, I was driving on highway 401 on my way to Montreal with two girlfriends, and we were in total gridlock. Traffic was at a standstill. For some reason, something made me look at the car next to me. When I looked, to my surprise, I saw one of the guys I went to university with! The look on his face was total shock too, since we hadn?t seen each other in YEARS! We were in the same environmental group together in university and hung out together a lot.A few years later, I had to go to...
More About: Serendipity , Award

Chinese Dim Sum 101
2008-01-10 13:24:00
I mentioned a while back that I would post a funny video of Hubby's "initiation" into the world of Chinese Dim Sum. My Dad ordered chicken feet and wanted to see if Hubby would actually eat some! Poor Hubby!Hubby did it. He ate a chicken foot. He's so cute...and brave! I've been going to Dim Sum with my family ever since I was a kid, and I have never ever eaten chicken feet! I love just about every dish, with the exception of chicken feet and tripe! My Dad always asks me how I know I don't like those dishes if I've never even tried them. Oh, believe me...I know I don't like them! Gag!

Spring Cleaning in Winter
2008-01-06 20:27:00
What am I doing on a fine Sunday afternoon? While the snow is melting into puddles of slush outside, I've gone on a mad cleaning rampage. Starting from our bedroom upstairs and working my way down, I'm trying to get rid of things we don't need! It is amazing to see how much a household can accumulate even when they don't shop much! Crazy!We've got a very comfy couch and chair that we're giving away today. I am going to miss that couch, but it takes up so much room. We've already got a gorgeous living room set, and though the extra seating room is handy when we have parties, it does take up a lot of room. I am trying to do the minimalist thing here, and banish all clutter! Wish me luck!We've got bags of old clothes to donate. We've got household items that can be donated for rummage sales and other charity events. Sometimes it seems really difficult to part with certain material belongings. There is the personal attachment, the nostalgia...but if you're never going to use t...
More About: Winter , Cleaning , Spring

Music and Lyrics
2008-01-05 19:57:00
A few nights ago, Hubby and I watched Music and Lyrics on TV. The beauty about having satellite TV is that we get hundreds of movie channels to choose from on these cold winter nights. The rest of the year, we're too busy to watch TV, so winter is a great time to just relax and catch a few films.In Music and Lyrics , Hugh Grant plays Alex Fletcher, a washed up 80's pop 'has been'. Long gone are the days of recognition and popularity as a member of the band, POP. Alex is commissioned to write a song for Cora Corman, the current teen idol. The only problem is that while Alex has no problems with coming up with the music, it's the lyrics he finds difficulty with.Drew Barrymore plays the role of Sophie Fisher, Fletcher's plant watering girl (who is subbing for his regular plant caregiver). She is quick, witty, and a good poet. Will Alex convince Sophie to help him write a song for the teen sensation?Okay, this post isn't really about the movie. The movie got me thinking of all the...

Oh, Puhhhhhhleeeeeeze!!!
2008-01-05 16:49:00
The other night, I saw a commercial for McCain's Slow Cooker Solutions. I was so shocked that there would even be a need for a product like this! After laughing like crazy, I looked at Hubby and said, "Why? Why would anyone need to buy something like that?"After all, the job of a slow cooker is to make your life easier already. How much more effort does it take to cut up a few vegetables and meat (if you wish) and add a few spices? The slow cooker does everything for you. All you do is put in your ingredients and then turn it on.I know that parents are busy, work is hard, and when one comes home the last thing they need to do is prepare a labour-intensive meal for their family. I get that. I totally get it. What I don't get is this product that McCain has just introduced. If you have a slow cooker, then you've already saved time and energy. It doesn't take too much more effort to just cut up some veggies and meat and pop it into the slow cooker...and you can save a lot of money ...

999
2008-01-04 22:11:00
That's what my NeoCounter reads! 999 visitors from 44 countries. If this is correct, and I have visitors from Jordan, Ireland, Slovakia, Croatia, India, Singapore, Malaysia, and elsewhere around the globe, then how come no one is leaving me a message to let me know who they are? I'm curious to find out who has stumbled upon my little space in cyberland.Feeling kind of blah today. Don't worry. I guess it's just "one of those days". Thank goodness I don't get many of these kinds of days! Sometimes it's just so exhausting to be so happy all the time. Does that make sense? Today I just feel so tired of "good". I'm tired of everything healthy all the time. I'm tired of being a good and kind person. I'm tired of always worrying about doing things for other people. I'm tired of even caring about doing things for other people. These are the days when you don't want to do any kind of work whatsoever. They're the days when you want to sleep in and not do anything productive at all...

New Year...New Things
2008-01-02 15:44:00
Since this is a new year, we're welcoming many new things into our lives. I am excited to announce the birth of a new blog. My in-real-life and bloggy friends, the wonderful CK and the amazing Fancy Pantsy are co-hosting a blog dedicated to green awareness and living green. They will be showcasing products and companies that help us tread lightly on the earth, and the duo will also be giving their personal tips on how to be more environmentally friendly. I can't tell you how excited I am about their new blog. These girls are fun, cool, and simply bursting with stylish new ideas to share. Have I mentioned that they are two of the coolest people I know? I've been living green since I was 13. When I was 10, my teacher introduced me to the Minister of the Environment. We talked about the problems of clear cutting, acidic precipitation, as well preserving Clayoquot Sound.At the ripe age of 10, I had a keen interest in the environment. My grandparents have been composting all their fr...
More About: New Year , Things , Year

A New Year...A New Challenge
2008-01-01 17:42:00
The Think Different Challenge is all aboutfinding something in your life you currently have negative thoughts or feelings toward (eg work or your mother-in-law), and deciding to look at it differently. It is about realizing that some things are just a part of life, so we may as well try to find the positives in them. The rules for this writing project are: Write a new blog post in which you ?think different?. Follow my suggestions above, or be a bit different and interpret the challenge the way you want .State that the post is a part of the Think Different Challenge and include a link and/ or trackback to this post so that readers know the rules of the challenge. Feel free to use the above banner (inspired, of course, by Seth Godin).Include a link and/ or trackback to the blogger who tagged you.At the end of your post, go ahead and tag some fellow bloggers. Don?t forget to email them to let them know they have been tagged.That?s it! Just sit back and enjoy reading peoples? response...
More About: New Year , Year , Halle

Wishing You a...
2008-01-01 00:55:00
We hope that 2008 has lots of wonderful adventures in store for you and your loved ones.Love,C, Hubby, Chance, Trouble, Spike and the rest of the menagerie here on the farm!xoxo
More About: Wishing

Christmas in Montreal
2007-12-29 22:31:00
We just got home from our wonderful trip to see my family in Mont real for the holidays. Christmas was almost as I remembered it as a child...except that now my brothers, cousins and I are all grown up. There were Christmas carols as we gathered around the piano. There was the smell of logs burning in the fireplace and the crackling of the wood as it burned. There were decorations aplenty, putting everyone in a festive mood. The tree glittered and sparkled as it stood proudly amongst all the presents. This year, the presents were of love and thoughtfulness. The young gave presents to their elders, while before it was the "adults" giving to the kids. We're all grown up now and it's our turn to return to our aunts and uncles, grandparents and parents. Thoughtful little trinkets to show how much we care were all that was given. Our aunts and uncles gave us little presents too, but we're trying to turn the holidays into something more than just gifts.The thing I love the most about th...

We're off...
2007-12-22 17:09:00
By this time tomorrow morning, we'll be en route to my hometown, Montreal. Happy Holidays, everyone!Whatever holiday you observe (Kwanzaa, Tohji-taisai, Chanukah, Christmas...), we hope you have a wonderful time celebrating with your family and loved ones.************************************ ***************************************** ****P.S. My banner at the top of my blog is all wonky. The photo of Chance is kind of skewed to the left and on the right it's just white. Does anyone know how to fix that? Arrrgh!

'Tis the Season!
2007-12-20 21:16:00
A friend of ours gave us our Christmas present early, since we won't be seeing each other over the holidays. Her gift has got to be one of the most thoughtful presents I have ever received. When I got home after hanging out at her house, I just wept.Hubby rushed to my side when he heard me crying. "What's the matter? Are you okay?"All I could manage to say in between sobs was, "There are people in the world who are less fortunate than we are!"Perplexed and amused, Hubby saw me holding the card that stated that our friend had made a donation in our names that would "provide an impoverished child in Canada with a backpack full of school supplies".Our friend's gift really touched me.I went to the World Vision website to see what other gifts we could give people. I wept again when I saw that for $60, we could give "A gift of 10 fruit trees that will produce tons of fruit and much needed income" or for $55, two hens and a rooster.Instead of buying our loved ones loads of material thin...
More About: Season