end of summer

Well, it's me again. I've been away from this blog since the end of May, which in blogland is an entire eternity, so I'll understand completely if you've stopped reading. But if you're still there, I'm back. Probably not in a daily way that I was at one time, but in a weekly way.

I've realized that I need this space again. The summer has been full of ups and downs and has been consumed largely by our move to a new house. My moods have been down more than usual, and I feel like I need to write to keep myself on the up and up.

I've realized the power of words - to hurt, to heal, to make whole. And also the power of silence. There is something very healing for me to type words on a page. And if these words can give just one other person a bit of a balm to their day - even better.

And now here I am, the first day of school. Part of me is really sad about the start of the school year. It makes me wonder if we squeezed enough out of this summer. But as I look back, I realize that we did many, many things that felt summer-y and oh-so-good to me. Like:

* visiting Kawartha Dairy for some chocolate peanut butter ice cream

* going on a hike at a new spot - this summer to Eagle's Nest and Egan's Chutes near Bancroft, Ontario

* canoeing on a still lake - even better, at night during a full moon

* swimming in a northern lake - even better, at night during a full moon

* finding monarch caterpillars, watching them turn to chrysalises and releasing the butterflies (we cared for 3 this summer)

* spending time with friends and renewing old friendships

* family camp at Fraser Lake Camp

* sleeping in a tent, reading by flashlight

* fishing (didn't catch a thing, but it's the process, not the product - right?)

* making s'mores over a campfire

* spending time at cottages with family

* spending evenings chatting on our new porch (old porch, but new house to us)

* making nature crafts (it's amazing what hot glue, imagination, and googly eyes can make)

* catching frogs, minnows, toads, and crayfish

* making giant bubbles

* making fresh pesto

* eating paella on a perfect summer evening

* watching the sunset on the lake

* counting the stars

* writing in the air with sparklers

* discovering a new bakery (that sells macarons, which we hadn't had since our time in France)

* going rock collecting at this cool place that looks tacky but was a pile of fun

* eating wild raspberries

* quietly watching a deer from only 15 feet away

* jumping from a jumping tower

* floating on my back in a lake and completely forgetting about everything

* planting new things in our backyard

* lying in a hammock, watching squirrels fight and hummingbirds flit around

* reading a novel (hasn't happened in a long, long while)

* tie-dying t-shirts

* watching street performers

* riding the ferris wheel

* eating cotton candy

* building an inukshuk

* doing a belly flop

There. I feel better already. I really DID have a summer. Phew! When I look at this kids' bucket list, I love that there are many things on there that we did this summer.

And now I can enter this new day, this new school year at a brand new school for my girls, knowing that we played, we relaxed, we summered well.

What are your favourite summer memories? Or things on your must-do list in the summer?

where my feet take me

Some days - maybe particularly in the summer months - my feet take me to places of such beauty. And calm. When I let them. Like this past week, visiting relatives at a cottage on Lake Erie.

Morning sun shone over the lake, cicadas mixing with crickets along the well-worn path, and the lapping of soft waves on the shore. I could do this every morning - the feel of the hot sun on my skin mixed with frigid lake waters on my toes. The blue heron flying overhead. And water - as far as the eye can see.

I think that in the summer, I'm more willing to follow my feet. To take the time.

A little peek into where my feet took me in motion right here or right here below:


Lake Erie from Rebecca Seiling on Vimeo.


And in still right here:

To what places of beauty have your feet taken you this season?

harvesting

Harvesting the sun-ripened raspberries 

and sun-dried hay

"As long as the earth endures, 

seedtime and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

day and night

will never cease." 

- Genesis 8:22

morning fishing

Because it's the last month of summer holidays, I'm de-cluttering my blog posts for the month. Less words. Mostly images. So here is the first:

5:00 am fishing. 

Lake like glass, 

sun rising through clouds, 

fish nibbling, 

loon calling,

paddle dipping,

children sleeping, 

peace.

treasuring summer

One way that I treasure summer is by eating it. I love the heat of summer (especially when I'm near water), but I'm not a big fan of a hot house. So I'm looking for cool cooking ideas. If you have any to share in the comment space below, I'm all ears.

Here's a little recipe I devised the other week in order to eat some ripe mangoes and not heat up the kitchen. For this recipe, you don't need to heat anything except the water to make the couscous. Boil a cup of water and put it in a bowl with the 1 cup of couscous; cover with a plate for 5 minutes. Cut up the rest of the stuff while you're waiting. Uncover the couscous and toss it with a fork to let it cool off a bit before adding the other ingredients and tossing it with the dressing.

Mango Couscous Salad

1 cup couscous, raw (or use 2 cups cooked rice or quinoa)
2 cups chicken chunks, already cooked (sub in tofu)
1 tomato, chopped
2 mangoes, chopped (sub in peaches or apricots)
chopped up mint, green onion, cilantro to taste
feta or bocconcini cheese - top with this (optional)

Dressing:
1 1/2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. maple syrup (optional but really yummy)
1/2 t. sesame seed oil

1 T. canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh Spring Rolls

We brought these camping last year because they were so easy and good. We just put a bit of warm water on a plate, let the rice wrap sit in the water for maybe a minute or so until softened, then move it to another place to stuff it with your choice of fillings, then wrap up the sides and ends, dip, and eat!

Rice paper wraps (we can get them at our grocery store with about 50 in a pack)
Warm water on a plate

Filling ideas:

• vermicelli noodles, cooked
• shredded lettuce
• carrots, thinly sliced
• tofu or chicken or beef or pork slices or shrimp
• hoisin sauce mixed with sugar (for dipping)
• sprouts
• fresh basil, cilantro, and mint
• cucumber, thinly sliced
• mango, thinly sliced

Hoisin dipping sauce:

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 T. peanut butter
peanuts, chopped

And speaking of ideas, I'm looking for ways that our little family can have a small summer solstice fiesta, nothing big, nothing fancy - just some simple ways to celebrate things summery. I like to treasure and welcome each season. The summer solstice was officially June 21 (yesterday) this year, but I'm sure summer won't mind if we wait a few days before properly celebrating. Here's what I have so far: something that involves sun + water + fire.

Happy summer to you!