I Spot a Rat…

One day Mr. O’M and I were walking down Granville looking for good photography opportunities and my eye was caught by a group of young Asian men in military garb.

Then, a blur of something white whizzed across my peripheral vision. There was a visually arresting young homeless man with a rat weaving it’s way around his neck and shoulders. I asked if I could take his picture with the rat but then the rat moved over to another girl.

The girl was amenable to my taking her picture and then asked us for some money. We had already been asked this question by countless homeless folks that day but I wanted to give her something as she had posed for me.

Mr. O’M asked her if she was hungry and offered to get her a meal from the restaurant across the street. While he did that, I continued to talk to her.

I told her to please tell me if the question was uncomfortable or intrusive, but I wondered why she was living on the streets. Her answer was surprising and intriguing to me. She explained it was by choice.

She lived previously in Alberta but the winters were just too cold to bear outside so had come West. She liked to travel but working day to day or renting a home required more responsibility than she wanted. “I wasn’t abused or anything. I have parents who love me”, she reassured me.

Being a disabled person, I often think about how easy it would be to become homeless if we hadn’t had the help of our loving families.

When I am downtown and asked for money I often wonder about those who fall through the cracks…those with mental illness, or who come from broken homes or who struggle with substance issues or other torturous battles.

It had never once occurred to me that living on the streets might be a lifestyle choice.

Later that day I was pondering the winters here and the fact that although they are mild sometimes they do require needs like blankets and shelters. I suppose the shelters limited beds are available both to; those who are on the streets out of necessity and out of choice.

I was thankful to Jezz that day for sharing her story with me. She reaffirmed my theory that pets bring joy to people in every circumstance or walk or life. She also illuminated a new part of downtown that I had been in the dark about.

Picture Walk

Mr. O’M and I were downtown to purchase some camera equipment.  We went to Leo’s on Granville, which in my humble opinion is the best place to shop for all things camera related.

It is shocking how helpful they are in that store.  Customer service may be a dying art overall, but it is alive and well at Leo’s.  Also their stock is amazing.  If they don’t have it, I doubt it exists.

Mr. O’M noticed this building across the street and I was completely taken with the windows.  I had only seen windows that opened like this in magazines, never in real life. 

We continued on and I was glad that I was looking down –not just up-  because I noticed something I had never seen before.  I have walked Granville many times and never noticed we have our own “walk of stars”.   The first one I noticed (after obliviously passing several others) was Randy Bachman’s.

I had never heard of the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame previous to this.  I also was not familiar with some of the names honoured.  Thus, I looked up the website when we got home and it was informative.

It was fun to watch the people on the tour bus go by busily watching the sights.  I wouldn’t mind taking the tour bus one day to see what features of the city they point out.

Out of all the buildings we walked by, I like the facade of the Commodore the best.  The lines are so classic and beautiful.  The more you look the more there is to notice; like the detail under the arch windows.

This artist was giving a street concert in front of the Commodore Ballroom.  He was easy to listen to.  There is something about amateur musicians performing outside that makes it feel like it is “finally truly summer” for me.

This is one of the most unique receptionist desks I have ever seen. 

I love the sculptural aspect of these chairs.  They have them all along the street, two at a time facing each other.  They are one unbroken piece of metal, bent with no legs and simply bolted in.  It’s incredibly comfortable to sit in and very sturdy.  If only all city designs were this brilliant and pragmatic!

Had no idea that Gord Downie was doing solo work as well as fronting the Tragically Hip.  Turns out the “Country of Miracles” includes Julie Doiron (former Eric’s Trip now Broken Girl) who I adore.  Who knew!

Love this building’s facade.  The colors are amazing.  If our parking hadn’t been running out I would have loved to see what they were selling as there was no signage.  All the neat fluorescents shining through intrigued me.

I love this clock tower.  Not only because Robson is such an important street but because this clock reminds me so much of the movie “Back to the Future” when Doc has to attach the electrical cord to the clock.  This picture REALLY reminds me of it with the power lines front and centre like that.  I expected to hear him yelling “Marty…you have to hurry!”.

Food Chemistry and The Apple Pie Secret

I get so excited when I discover the answer’s to food mysteries.  I have to admit that in school, biology was the Science I favoured.  However, if they had explained how much chemistry is involved in cooking…that might have changed things.

For example, even after I was married I could never make cookies successfully.  They would spread out into pancake shapes, burn or remain doughy in the centre.  Finally I did some research. 

I learnt that I was missing one essential step:  putting the dough in the fridge for a period before baking (and in between putting the dough on the tray and waiting to put the next batch on).  Sure enough…perfect little cookies every time!

Down the road in my baking journey came, apple pie.  I was reading a baking blog http://www.cooking-mexican-recipes.com/apple-pie-recipe.htmland the “ author” asked:

 

“Do you ever notice some apple pies have a gap or space between the top crust and the filling? Would you like to know the secret to avoid that”

 

Well, yes as a matter of fact I HAD noticed.  I sure did want to know the secret.  Best of all, this wasn’t one of those deals where to find out the secret I just had to send in $19.99 and she’d send me the secret.   Not only that she’d throw in two for the price of one!  No.  Right then and there this generous blogger offered the solution.

 

“All you have to do is cook your apples and spices first.  Other recipes don’t tell you that”  I thought about that for a minute.  Brilliant!

 

Apple Pie Filling:

• 7-9  granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 2 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 - 1 cup sugar, depending on how tart the apples are.
• 1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

Then you just peel the apples and core them.  Slice them into 1/4 inch chips.  Mix the cinnamon, sugar and cornstarch together in a bowl and then put it all together in a pot over a low heat.  Stir all together.  Cover.  Simmer.  Stir.  20-25 minutes or so but not so that the apples are mushy.

Then you put the mixture in the pie crust and mound up towards the centre.  Put a few little pats of butter over the apples before you put the top crust on.  Another tip from the “apple pie blogger” (you can see it pictured on the above link if you find it hard to picture) was to put foil around the circle of the pie so the crust doesn’t get overly brown.  And, this is what you end up with…

Mmmmmmm……  Science is delicious!

Out & About

Last week I was able to get out on Ruby and take a jaunt to our nearby market.  Oh, it was lovely!  It has been a challenge to be housebound  and having challenges more than normal this year.  The end of June found me not quite my usual ‘sunny’ self, so getting out on my own in the summer air was SO uplifting.

I was quite taken with the above flower which brushed against me as I passed by on the sidewalk, demanding that I notice it.  It was outside of any residence’s fence and was in the no-man’s zone of the gravel by the sidewalk.  There it was…belonging to nobody and yet growing strong, beautiful and reaching out to passer-by’s.  (I know it was reaching out towards the sun but I like to personify it, tee hee).

I included this picture to show that you can see the mountain’s across from our house.  Most of the vegetation in these yards stays all year round.  In many ways Vancouver reminds me of Hawaii (too bad the rain in the winter is cold instead of warm and tropical :)

This is the path I take from our lane to get to the street to go to the market.  I love this path…so pretty.

This tree is located half-way down the above path.  It is a gorgeous, huge tree.  One of the things I love about it, is it has many nooks and crannies where things grow and insects have made homes.  In the middle, as you can see, another young tree grows from within the tree.

I thought the juxtaposition of this chain link fence with these gorgeous white roses growing wild with some wheat was just beautiful!

This is the bus stop nearest to me.  It is hard to tell from the picture but it is an AMAZING bus stop on a hot day.  You can be walking or riding by on a hot, sunny day and as you approach the stop the air starts to feel differently.  The area surrounding the stop is surrounded by huge hedges that block out the sun and make the spot feel shady and damp.  It feels like you have gone from being on a beach baking to walking in a fine mist of a fog.  Refreshing!

I had passed this yard and seen these little posts a million times (there are four of them) and always thought they were hardware of some kind.  The other day I noticed all four have RIP written on them.  The other 3 have dates on them and a few have names as well.  I suddenly realized these are markers in the yard of this home to mark where their family pets are buried.

 

The other 3 markers are closer to the house and I didn’t want to intrude on their privacy if they were home so I contented myself with this one.  I am always amazed how there is always more to notice even on routes we have taken many times before!

This is our backyard.  The owners of our property take such wonderful care of the yard.  C. especially loves to grow things.  She has a green thumb with flowers and plants and was explaining that when she was a girl they grew many fruit trees and vegetables in containers, in her small yard in the Philippines.

Summer Is Cleansing My Palette

Summer Salad

After what felt like an endless spring, we finally are having hot sunshiney summer days. The kind of days that make it easy for me to eat the amounts of produce I want to.

In winter I crave comfort foods. I want braised meats and curry chicken over rice. Hearty stews and yeasty breads that will warm the house and make it smell delicious.

Whereas in summer I desire crisp, refreshing flavors. When it gets really hot, I feel as if I could live on watermelon.

There is a wonderful market near my house. It is like having access to a farmer's market every day. I keep expecting to be disappointed with something I buy there...a ho-hum tomato...a wooden tasting squash? No. So far everything has been bursting with flavor and texture.

The above salad was not really a recipe. I just took ingredients from the fridge: avacado, tomatoes, a bunch of thai basil, scallions, roasted chicken, a few drops of olive oil, a few dashes lemon juice, a bit of sea salt, a couple shakes of black pepper. It was absolutely delicious with a few blue corn chips. I think the only change I will make next time will be to add a little bit of red wine vinegar and some red pepper flakes.

I always thought I wasn't big on vegetables, but that was when I was buying them from the grocery chains where they had no taste. Eating my vegetables has never been this much fun!

Bring On The Borsch

Beet Borsch

Six years ago I had a total catastrophe when I tried to make chicken noodle soup. We ended up throwing it out our back door. The birds and dogs wouldn't touch it (they normally gobbled up the leftovers we put out) and the smell in the house made us gag.

That experience left me intimidated and jealous when people would talk about the wonderful concoctions they whipped up easily at home. It also left me in a pickle because (except for the very occasional Cambell's) I abhor store bought or canned soup.

For years I have been haunted by articles quoting facts about soup being good for both the body and the wallet. Finally, I gathered my courage and decided to "get back on the horse".

In honor of (1/4) of my heritage and my taste buds I picked a soup I have loved since childhood: beet borsch. I wanted a recipe that screamed "Your Ukranian Grandma's Best Beet Borsch Recipe". Thus, that is exactly what I typed into Google. I ended up choosing a bunch of recipes -both Ukranian and Russian - and amalgamating them into something of my own.

It went so well that I am already onto dreaming of my next soup creation... smells like...SUCCESS!

• 1 T-Bone Steak




• 2-3 Medium Carrots




• 3 Sticks Celery




• Onion (I used Red)




• Small Potatoes




• Cabbage




• 4 Beets (No Green Tops)




• Small Can Tomato Paste




• Vinegar




• Bay Leaf




• Fresh Dill




• Salt




• Oil or Butter




• Sour Cream

1. First you want to make your beef broth. Put your T-bone in a large stock pot of water. I took the largest stock pot I had and filled it 3/4 full. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 90 minutes to 120 minutes.




2. Finely chop your onion and celery. Grate your carrots. Saute these 3 ingredients in a bit of sunflower oil, olive oil or butter.




3. Take the meat out of the broth when the proper time has elapsed. Discard the bone. Cut up the meat and put it back in the pot along with the sauteed onions, celery and carrots.




4. Slice your beets into matchstick size pieces. Put them into the pan you sauteed your veggies. Add the can of tomato paste and cook on medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes.




5. Cut up your cabbage and potatoes and put them into the pot. Bring pot to a boil.




6. Sprinkle the beets with 1.5 tablespoons of white vinegar and then add them to the borsch.




7. Add salt to the borsch to taste.




8. Add bay leaf and a large handful of fresh dill to the borsch. (You can adjust dill to your taste as well).




9. Simmer for at least 15 minutes.




10. Enjoy!

To enjoy properly: borsch is served with a dollop of sour cream on top. It also goes really nicely with a few slices of dark pumpernickel bread. The bread is optional (I am not eating wheat right now and found the soup quite hearty on it's own...but don't skip the sour cream!).

HotdiggityDAWG!

My friends know me as a pretty easygoing gal. I tend to get a kick out of the smaller pleasures in life and it takes a fair bit to make me really angry. One thing that does provoke me to almost an "instant 10" is when I see dogs sitting in the car on a hot summer day with the window cracked open just a bit.

I admit that I have gone and gotten water for such dogs and even called the SPCA when I haven't been sure if the dogs have been there for hours. I am not sure if some people realize that the temperatures inside there car reach the same temperatures inside an oven.

Occasionally, there will be a news story of a baby or toddler perishing in a car, having been forgotten by a parent. I know that sometimes this has been a truly horrible accident by a very tired parent. Other times the parent has been neglectful and simply 'left the child in the car'. True, I am not a parent, but I also cannot stand it when I see children left unattended in motor vehicles.

Sooooo....I was absolutely delighted when I saw this product. It's designed for people who work with dogs (police dogs, search and rescue dogs etc...) and may have to leave their canine campanions in the car for periods of time. I thought other people who enjoy taking their dogs with them might find it helpful as well. It could certainly lead to a lot less tragic accidents.

It is pictured at the top of this post and is appropriately called the "Hotdog". It has an electronic monitoring system that automatically detects dangerous temperatures. If the car gets too hot, two windows are automatically lowered enough for ventilation and the car horn beeps to alert you. It will also notify a pager.

The cost for the unit is $435 and the details can be found at the Criminalistics website at: http://www.criminalisticsinc.com/products/hotdog/hotdog.htm

Making the Best of Finding Yourself Unexpectedly a Guest...

This is sometimes what 'next happens' on "What Next Happens" so I thought I'd show you a bit of what the hospital I go to looks like.

The View From My Hospital Bed

This was at the beginning of Spring. I was so thrilled to be called up to a regular floor from the Emergency Unit where it is so hard to get any sleep. It was so nice to get a bed by the window. As you can see the windows are quite large. The view is amazing and there are always lots of things going on. It was just as the 2010 Winter Olympics were starting so there were torch relays going down some of the highways below.

A Rainy Photo of the View to the Right of My Room

It helps the time to go by faster when there is so much to look at. This was a beautiful grey day that made the other colors stand out more. On the far left you can see the Pattullo bridge and below it the skytrain line.

When I am on the skytrain going into downtown I often forget the hospital is even there above me. However, when you are in the hospital the skytrain takes on a complete fascination. You cannot believe there are people every day living there normal lives, walking around healthy. You wonder if you will be able to take the train by yourself again...

An Eye In the Sky

A large part of success as a patient is taking walks. A) It's good for you and it feels good to get out of your room. B) Nurses very badly want their patients walking and in the hospital everything about your stay revolves around your nurse. If you can please them, they will make your stay much more comfortable. So, once you are feeling well enough...walk!

In B.C. there is a huge prejudice towards a certain ethnic population. Often they are the ones who do the cleaning at the hospital. I found that the floors in our unit were kept spotless and I think this picture reflects that!

Blurry City Night Lights

I wish I could have gotten a better picture of this view out of my window at night. It was spectacular. This picture still shows the vastness, I think. Look at how far you can see the lights extending.

The very nice woman (my age with a darling 3 year old) who had kidney stones across from me had her curtain open and was having some problems. I still got up and took the pic but I was very quick about it as I wanted to respect her privacy.

A condo or apartment in B.C. with a view like this runs $350,000+ (just a private room in the hospital is $210/night). So I appreciate the views I get to see when I am here!

Don's Room

My friends J & M brought me that sweet turtle. If you are wondering whether to bring grown friends stuffed animals when they are in the hospital? Do. They are great to stick in the small of your back etc...when the hospital beds and pillows aren't cutting it. They are something warm and cuddly in a very sterile, impersonal and unloving atmosphere. And, they will bring repeated smiles and joy to the patient.

This hospital has co-ed rooms. So, for my stay, although the people changed, the ratio was always one older gentlemen and three women. It makes privacy difficult but I imagine it is even more challenging for the one man amongst all women.

The neighbour to my Left was an older woman named Marvel. And she was! She had amazing energy. Her great-grandaughter rides horses and is named "Destry Marvel". I thought that sounded like the name of a heroine in a great old-time western.

The neighbour across from me was Don. The first time I, and some of my guests heard his voice, none of us could believe it. It sounded like somebody pretending to be whispering like the evil person in a horror movie.

It sounded like he was arguing with someone on the phone but it was so difficult to understand what he was saying and because the curtain was closed and I hadn't met him yet, we didn't know if someone was just play-talking like that.

When I met him it looked like a shark had tried to bite his head and neck off. He had staples encircling his neck and shoulders like a zipper. It literally looked like his top had been ripped off and sewn back on. It turned out he had suffered an aneurysm.

He and his wife were from way up North on one of the more remote but very beautiful B.C. islands so he had to be medically transported which took time. By the time I met him he had undergone two operations to deal with the aneurysm which had been lodged near where his neck met his chest.

The Doctors had stopped the previous surgery when it got too dangerous, were letting him rest for a week and he was scheduled to go in again.

It turned out when I thought I had heard him on the phone, I had. He had been calling his family but got the wrong number. The person on the other end of the line was so alarmed by his voice they assumed he must be having a medical emergency so they were trying to call 911 for him. He was trying to explain that he WAS in the hospital. He had to wait for his wife to come in so she could phone them and explain.

His situation appeared so frustrating and challenging, but he was SO nice and chipper. He was probably late 60's early 70's I would say. His kids came in each day to spell off the wife or stay with her and they all would play crib or talk.

I always try to stay positive despite my pain and in Don I recognized someone else who was really living that way. But, I also admired his lack of fear. He had a huge surgery coming up in a week and yet he was calm and had a great sense of humor.

People were not always kind in the room about his voice and could be impatient, but he WAS patient and easygoing. I also admired how he took time for himself every day to rest and do what he needed for his body. He was balanced.

I got out of the hospital and after I had said goodbye I could not stop thinking about him. I phoned a couple of weeks later to see how his surgery had gone. The hospital said he was no longer there, but they couldn't give me anymore information. Grrr.

So, I started looking through the internet for phonenumbers for people with their last name who were from Northern B.C. I didn't know where exactly they lived, only that they could see otters and whales and seals from their house, which gave me a general idea.

Finally after asking 4 people "were you in Royal Columbian with me...." there was a pause on the other end of the line.

"I can't believe you called!?!? I'm so sorry, I have sad news, Don is gone." The breath left my body briefly. I was shocked. He had such a good attitude and had overcome such immense odds. I had not even contemplated him dying.

It turned out he didn't even make it to the surgery. A couple hours after I left he aspirated on the sandwich he was eating for lunch and after much effort they could not revive him. It is so easy to get pneumonia in the hospital.

Oh, for Don to die of pneumonia after surviving being ripped apart and put back together still breaks my heart.

His family was doing well though sad. They were drawing close and choosing to dwell on positive things.

Don was an inspiration to me. I remember him just hours before his death smiling that shy smile, his blue eyes twinkling and full of life. I will remember him that way until I see him again.

Take It To The Bank

Danone Danactive

So, one thing that has happened next? I've joined a website I love called BzzAgents. It exposes you to new products, brands and websites. You can also be invited to join the campaign's of different company's, where they get you to interact with their products and you give them feedback.

I was invited to join the Danone campaign. I received an awesome kit with an offer for a complimentary 4-pack, coupons for Danone, information on the product and a contest. I actually haven't used the free coupon yet. It is for a 4-pack and my grocery stores have only carried the 6-pack.

I didn't mind as I ended up loving the product. My friends know that I am not a huge yogurt lover. It is something I need to be eating, not something I eat by choice. However, I am going to continue drinking the Danone by choice.

I prefer it chilled. The texture is lighter than yogurt, similar to milk. The flavor I had was cranberry/raspberry and it was delicious. I found it to be not as sweet as many of the "fruit" yougurts I have tried. The bottles are small so it is a light snack or meal (80 calories) yet it gives you a boost and plenty of nutrients as well as probiotics.

I am glad that Danone, through BzzAgents, actively recruited me to try these Danone Danactive drinks as they will fit in with my and Mr. O'M's lifestyle quite well!

Looking Back...

When I started this blog I had a lot of energy and was zipping downtown and having adventures, so I thought I would have a lot to write about...


Since then my circumstances have changed dramatically and I haven't been able to go out by myself since the summer.


I am mostly housebound right now, so I am very thankful to my friends for keeping in touch with me. I love emails as they can be read over and over. I also love cards and pictures. Sometimes I hang them up and they make me feel cheerful.

Hand-Made Cards

Sky Train Station

This is from a day this past summer. For my friends who don't live in the province, this is what the underground stations look like. I simply catch an elevator at street level and can scoot Ruby right up to the skytrain platform.

Downtown Garden

One thing I love about Vancouver is how things are juxtaposed against one another. You will often see beautiful, expensive homes right beside buildings that are falling down in disrepair. I am charmed by the city gardens. This garden is located right in the heart of downtown. I had to wait a fairly long timeto get the birds in flight in the picture.

Stained Glass

On this day I was on my way to the Pain Clinic and I stopped in at the IGA to get a magazine. Usually there is about an hour wait at the Clinic and I had forgotten to bring my own reading material.

I picked up my purchase and was standing in line when I noticed the man in front of me. I tried to be nonchalant as he made his purchases. He paid and walked out the door leading back onto the street and the cashier turned to me "Do you know who that was?"

I said "Yes, that was Ray Liotta."

The cashier and I were both laughing about it. I think we recognized him at the same time. And, both of us felt the same way...that we didn't want to disrupt his day by identifying him or sidelining him with conversation about "the biz" if it was his day off.

The cashier and I also came to a definite agreement on another point: Ray Liotta's eyes are even more stunning in real life than they are on film.