5 ways to get a new lease on life

1. Throw out all your underwear. Buy new ones. You'll feel like a million bucks. Trust me.

2. Find a monarch caterpillar. Put it in a container with a breathable lid. Feed it fresh milkweed each day, and empty out its poo. Keep it for about 3 weeks and watch it become a chrysalis, then transform into a butterfly. We've been doing this for the past couple of years, and it does not cease to amaze me. It's so inspirational and magical - a wonderful demonstration of letting go, resting, allowing change to come, and transforming into something altogether new.

caterpillars munching on milkweed

hanging and resting in a j-shape
getting ready for the chrysalis stage

3. Invite someone new over for dinner. See what you learn.

4. Plan a one-day stay-cation in your home town. Visit the sights like you're a tourist, seeing them for the first time. Learn some local history.

5. Buy a pack of Fun Dip and eat it all by yourself.

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.

summer camp

canoeing on Fraser Lake

Is there a more magical place than summer camp? And a better idea than family camp - where parents AND kids get to have fun together? And that it happens to be the place where my husband and I met?

We've been going to Fraser Lake's family camp for 6 years now. We all look forward to going, counting down the days. The ride there is beautiful, with an obligatory stop at Kawartha Dairy for ice cream. The days at family camp are full and fun - we stuff as much as we can into each day.

mother and daughter on the climbing tower

tie-dying fun

jumping off the water trampoline

the lake mid-day

crayfish hunting

dress up meals: Wild West theme

dragon boat crew

low ropes course

glorious sunsets

And I haven't even mentioned the millions of stars, the friends, the wonderful staff, the fun campfires with rousing songs, bracelet making, wagon rides to the treehouse, swimming off the barge in the middle of the lake, hunting for monarch caterpillars, spraining an ankle while playing basketball (Derek), getting 2 wasp stings in the raspberry patch (me), the clear glassy lake in the early morning, and the call of the loons every evening. 

rain down lemons

When life gives me lemons, I look to my kids for inspiration. For the wisdom to dance in the rain.

catching raindrops on her tongue
 - the rain has FINALLY come!

The above photo was taken in Cinque Terre, Italy, in the spring of 2010. Our hopes of hiking from charming seaside village to village were dashed with relentless rain that lasted most of the day. We were sopping wet, waiting at the train station to go back to our house. And the adults in the bunch were more than a little disappointed. But Eden found such joy, even while soaked, in catching the raindrops in her mouth and dancing around. She knew the secret of dancing in the rain.

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. . . 
it is about learning to dance in the rain."  

~ Author unknown

Speaking of lemons, here's a great lemonade recipe:

Sun Tea (part 1)

3 black tea bags

1 mint tea bag

large glass bowl or jar

8-10 cups of water

1. Pour water into glass bowl/jar.

2. Drop in tea bags.

3. Cover.

4. Place in the sun for at least 3 hours until golden reddish-brown in colour.

Lemonade (part 2)

2 lemons, sliced

1 orange, sliced

3/4 cup sugar

1. Slice lemons and orange.

2. Place in large juice pitcher.

3. Scoop out sugar and pour over fruit.

4. Mash together until syrupy.

5. Add ice cubes.

6. Fill jug with water.

7. Refrigerate until sun tea is ready.

Refreshment time (part 3)

1. Add 1/4 cup sugar to sun tea. Stir until dissolved.

2. Pour equal parts sun tea and lemonade into a glass.

3. Add a few ice cubes and fresh mint. Enjoy!

One of my favourite songs right now is "Storm Comin'" by The Wailin' Jennys. There is no interesting video to watch here, just the music to listen to:

storm coming across Lake Nipissing

Happy weekend! We're off to camp (where my husband and I met and worked as counselors) for a long weekend. I'll be back here on Wednesday, August (!) 3rd, all going well. May you embrace the storms (and sun) that come your way.

giant bubbles

If you've never tried these giant bubbles, you just MUST before the summer's out. They are mesmerizing and so much fun.

My mom made a big batch of the solution for a family reunion, but you can make it in small batches too.

Magic Bubble Solution

Small recipe:

1/2 cup Dawn dish soap

2 1/2 cups water

1 T glycerin (you can find this at a drug store)

1 1/2 t sugar

Place all the ingredients into a container. Stir well. 

Crowd recipe:

4 cups dish soap

20 cups water

1/2 cup glycerin

1/4 cup sugar

Put it in a pail and stir well.

You can get the giant wands - the plastic version - at some toy stores. You can also make your own.

Giant Bubble Wands

Supplies:

• 3/8" dowel
• 2 washers, approx. 2" diameter
• 4 feet of cording that has a bit of a weave to it (to absorb more bubble solution)
• duct tape 

1. After cutting your cording, measure down about 12 inches and make a loop. Put the loop through one washer, bend the loop back over the ring, then pull both ends of the cording through the loop so it's snug.

2. Slide this washer onto the dowel.

3. Put the second washer onto the long end of the cording.

4. Bring both ends of yarn together and line them up with the end of the dowel. Use a piece of duct tape to secure these ends onto the dowel. Feel free to use several pieces to make a bulky end so that the washer on the dowel doesn't easily slide off.

Then dip the wand into the solution. Lift the wand. When you lean it back, the ring will slide towards you. This will make a V-shaped loop of yarn. Slowly move your arm to create a giant bubble. To close the bubble off, slide the washer that is on the dowel towards the duct tape end. Or try to make the longest bubble you can before it breaks (or someone breaks it). Have fun!

germ alert

Here's one thing I've learned lately: don't bring an excited 4 year old into a bulk food store. Or else be willing to live with a germ catastrophe.

Before my daughter's birthday party, we went to the Bulk Barn to load up on Bazooka bubblegum and some gummy candies for her candy kebobs. We couldn't pass by the bubblegum bin without her getting one piece for each of her guests. She dug in her hands, counting out each wrapped piece. I thought: no big deal. The candy's wrapped, but out of the corner of my eye I spied a woman scowling at us.

We headed for the gummy aisle, and this daughter was in heaven. We were having a marvelous time perusing all the gummy worms, bears, butterflies, soda bottles, strawberries, feet, frogs, dolphins, and more. And then her hands just flew into one of those bins, grabbing and counting them out for the kebobs. Before I could guide her toward the supplied tongs, the scowling woman came over and loudly declared, "That is just GROSS. I saw her over by the bubblegum and I didn't say anything. But she should use a plastic bag over her hand. See?" She showed me the right way to shop at Bulk Barn. And that just burst my bubble.

And the awfully judgmental devil in me wanted to shout out, "Do you KNOW how many germ violations I observed in YOUR country of origin? Countless!" I know. Shocking thoughts. But because I'm a relatively kind person on the outside, I kept these keen observations to myself. I explained that my 4 year old daughter was just a wee bit excited about her birthday party, and that I would try to help her to be more hygienic for the remainder of our shopping trip.

I knew she was right - that we should try to keep our germs to ourselves whenever possible, but I wondered what she was doing at the Bulk Barn if she was so worried about germs. It is, after all, called the Bulk BARN - doesn't exactly conjure up images of sterility. Surely there would be other, more hygienically secure places to shop for food. Where things are vacuum packaged up and immune to the unpredictable germs of others.

For the rest of the day, I kept observing germ violations ALL OVER THE PLACE. At the pizza place where we picked up a quick lunch? Straws - just sitting there in a box with no individual protective paper wrappings. As I reached for one, I'm pretty sure my fingers grazed one or two more straws. Germs. There they go!

At a potluck? An open bag of chips. You mean people just stick their hands in there and pull out some chips, not knowing whose hands have been in there? Gross.

And what if children (or adults) have not been taught the "no double dipping" rule? Then any hummus or veggie dip is not immune. A regular germ soup. And fondue? Look out.

On our counter? Fruit flies buzzing around the fruit. Who knows where their feet have been?

[an aside: great way to get rid of fruit flies - put some cider vinegar in a wine glass. Add a drop or two of dish detergent. Do not drink. Welcome the fruit flies to the party. It really works!]

I'm not germ phobic, and I'm happy to be that way. I have a somewhat satisfied, smug feeling when I read reports that claim our environments are too clean and sterile and this is leading to more allergies and sickness. I say: not in my house. My house is definitely not germ-free. And we're hardly ever sick!

But I get it: bare hands in Bulk Barn bins is gross. Use the supplied tongs, Rebecca and children.

If you're germ phobic, avoid these things (and probably many more):
* public bathrooms
* hospitals
* restaurants (who knows where those chef's hands have been)
* potluck meals
* outdoor markets
* kissing
* children

I'll be prepared for our next Bulk Barn experience. Next time we'll put on perfectly sterile rubber gloves before we dig into the candy bins. But wait - what if there are toxins leaching off of those rubber gloves? Apparently vinyl never stops giving off toxic fumes. Do we want toxins in the candy? Or are germs better? And what if my hands touch my gloves as I'm putting them on? Won't there be germs on the gloves then? Is there any way to escape those germs?

blueberry dye

Wondering about a craft that combines blueberries and bandanas? Well, look no further.

A clever aunt put together a box of cottage fun which included some natural dye experiments. We tried three dyes: blueberry, onion, and beet.

Blueberry dye: Mash 2 cups of blueberries and add about 4 cups warm water. Set in the sun for the morning. Strain and reserve the dark liquid. Dissolve 3/4 cup salt in hot water and add it to the blueberry mixture to help set the dye.

Onion dye: Peel 3 onions. Place the peels in 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Strain the liquid, then add 3/4 cup salt and stir to dissolve.

Beet dye: Chop and soak beets. Cook for about 20 minutes or set in the sun for the morning. Strain the liquid. Dissolve 3/4 cup salt in hot water and add it to the beet liquid.

1. Find white things like bandanas, t-shirt, onesies, underwear, pillow cases, etc.

2. Tie little knots all over the fabric, or use elastic bands to make twists by grabbing a small section of the fabric, twisting it as tightly as possible and then fastening an elastic band tightly around the twist. Make these twists all over the fabric.

3. Dip the little twists or knots into the dye, holding the fabric in the dye for several minutes. The longer it soaks, the darker the dye.

4. Place it in a plastic bag to set overnight.

5. Rinse the fabric the next day, starting with warm water, then cool, until the water runs clear. Remove elastic bands while rinsing.

6. Hang up the fabric to dry.

7. Wash and dry these items separately just in case the dye is not completely rinsed out.

We found that the blueberry one worked best, followed by the onion, then beet. If you've tried other natural dyes, I'm all ears.

persistence

I marveled at the persistence of this little finch. For about 1/2 hour, it worked at getting a string off a hook on our back porch. 

I can be persistent like the best of them - just ask my family. And there are times when my persistence pays off. 

Sometimes I have been stupidly persistent. Like when I tried to waterski, pulled a leg muscle, and kept trying for 7 more times that day and 7 more times the next day. Just dumb and stubborn, and resulted in a pulled leg muscle that lasted for a good 7 months afterward. And then when I tried the next summer. And the next. 

pep talk with my encouraging sister-in-law
who makes waterskiing look like a piece of cake

I'm all for "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Or "if you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you are right." When I was a teacher, these are the quotes of the day that I had displayed on the blackboard each morning. Inspirational little quotes meant to encourage and teach the value of persistence. 

Here was my inspirational quote while I tried to get up on those waterskis: "If my parents can do it, I can do it." But even that didn't work for me. 

But sometimes I think I just need to admit it: I'm not destined to be a championship waterskier. Or any type of waterskier. 

Maybe one day this finch will finally snatch this wonderfully long white string to build the best nest ever. And perhaps one year I'll persist again, and miraculously and effortlessly sail across the top of the water on skis. It's good to have dreams, right?