it's just a season thing...

Well, never say never.  Because inevitably, you WILL change your mind.  NOT that I'm planning on picking up the blogging pace in a big way, mind you - at least yet - but inspired by the lovely autumn weather we're experiencing,  I felt like writing a VERY simple post about this lovely time of year.  I don't have to say much, I'm going to let a few photos and some music do the talking!

A few weeks back, we took a drive up to Muskoka on a gorgeous day, and stopped by the Oxtongue Rapids to shoot a few pics, and have a little picnic.  This photo of the Oxtongue river rushing past beneath the turning leaves...

 ...brought to mind the song "Watching the River Run" by Loggins and Messina:

"And it goes on and on, oh, watching the river run,
Further and further from things that we've done, 
Leaving them one by one. 
And we have just begun watching the river run, 
Listening and learning and yearning, 
Run, river, run." 

There really are so MANY songs that can conjur up images of autumn, and the turning leaves - in fact, this beauty by Sting, "I Was Brought To My Senses", contains some of my favourite lyrics of his - and quite literally mentions the "turning leaf":

"And inside every turning leaf

Is the pattern of an older tree

The shape of our future

The shape of all our history..."

I instantly fell in love with one of my most favourite musicians, Tina Dico, the first time I saw her live.  That evening, she sang her gorgeous "Back Where We Started" - and that was it, I was an instant fan for life.  In that song, she also mentions the turning leaves of autumn:

"As in fall, the golden leaf must give in to the winds

This here tale of love is somehow meant to end where it begins..."

And last but certainly not least, there's John Mayer's "Wheel".  A song about the seasons of life, really, but absolutely still very pertinent to this time of year when the seasonal change is at its most beautiful and brilliant:

"You can't build a house of leaves

And live like its an evergreen

It's just a season thing

It's just that thing that seasons do"

Ah yes.  That one.  It gets me EVERY time.  

If you're experiencing autumnal temperatures where you are, I hope you have a chance to get out in nature and enjoy this lovely season to the fullest; and to those of you who are reading from Canada - my wishes for a very happy Thanksgiving.  There is MUCH to be thankful for. :) 

just for now

Well, for those of you who may have been wondering where I've been lately, I'm back.  Apologies in advance - today's post is going to be fairly short on visuals, and long on prose - because lately (and ironically?), I've been feeling blah about blogging.  It's not so much that I lack material - nor is it a case of blogger's block; the truth is, lately, I'm just not into it.

Now, this could be partly due to time constraints - against my better judgement, I recently took on a second (part time) job, (in addition to my full time gig) which, in turn, has made me even more sensitive to the amount of time I spend online.  When I have SO little "free" time (I'm not even sure what that means anymore) - I'm not all that sure I want to spend what time I do have sitting in front of a computer screen.  This extends beyond blogging, of course.  With the advent of Apple's new operating system (iOS 8), I did a little autumn housecleaning, and made the momentous decision to delete the Facebook app off my phone (oh, the horror!!!).  Now, I haven't gone whole hog and left FB altogether - I still check in on my computer from time to time - but the truth is, I was waking up, grabbing my phone (or iPad as the case may be), and scrolling through my FB feed to see what my peeps were up to - but increasingly, my friend feed has been slowly and insidiously replaced with "suggested" posts - that amount to little more than ads for what "the book" thinks I might be interested in.  I'd spend a fair amount of time scrolling through FB "ads", instead of using time that could be better spent:

a) reading a REAL book,
b) going for an early morning walk,
c) making a healthy breakfast
d) all of the above.

(For the record, I'm sure there are FB settings that would allow me to customize my FB feed, but frankly, I can't be bothered to spend the time figuring it out).

While many of my peers shook their heads at me, I embraced technology fairly easily and enthusiastically from the early days of the internet - from those first dulcet tones of the dial up modem, to furtively downloading music via napster (when it literally took HOURS to download ONE song), to making virtual friends from all over the world via membership in online fan clubs for favourite musicians (a few of those friendships still precious and lasting).  I've been on the bandwagon ALL the way along, keeping the rhythm with unbridled glee.  I was one of the first people in my social circle to own an original iPod, and I've owned every model of iPhone since their introduction (I don't have one yet, but I'm sure there will probably be an iPhone 6 somewhere in my future).  So I'm not knocking technology - it can delight, inform, and entertain us.  It has become an integral part of our lives, whether we like it or not.  But as one who lived a fair amount of my life on the BEFORE side of the technology line - before computers, before cell phones, before the the internet, before the monster that is social media - I survived.

I survived without having to be in constant contact with my friends and family.  I survived by using a paper map, of all things, to find my way to, and around, a new city I was travelling to.  Hotel and plane reservations were made, and not only did I arrive safely at distant destinations, I arrived with a sense of mystery and anticipation intact, because I hadn't already virtually walked the streets of (insert international travel destination) via google maps street view.  I went to concerts and was surprised by the setlist the musician was playing, and awed by the show's production - because I hadn't followed the real time tweets from those attending the same show the night before.  I heard something that I thought was current and newsworthy, and wasn't greeted with a blasé, "yeah, I read that yesterday on (insert social media outlet)" when I shared it with a friend.

I could go on, but you get the picture.  Yes, I lament the "old days" - and no, I'm not abandoning technology, or social media entirely.  Maybe I've just got a case of techno fatigue.  Maybe I just need time to adjust to a newer, busier, schedule. For the moment though, I'm stepping back a tad from blogging.  I'm pretty sure the mood will strike me (likely sooner rather than later) to pick up the blogging pace, and once again, I'll be off and running.  But for the time being, my free time will be spent, out of necessity and desire, enjoying the mundanities of everyday life. I just won't be sharing them here as often.  It won't be forever, I'm sure. Just for now. :)

other stuff

So, I just added a new tab to the blog today, because it occurred to me that although I already write about a variety of subjects, there are topics that don't quite fit into the, "recipes",  "nutrition and wellness", "favourite things", "travel", or "grey matters" categories.  So rather than try to fit the proverbial square peg into the round hole, I'm going to file everything else under the "Other Stuff" label going forward.  (I may be the only one to derive satisfaction from doing this, but please, humour me anyway). :)

For my inaugural (doesn't that sound fancy?) "other stuff" post then, I'm just going to freestyle it a bit with a few random thoughts...

1. Spotify.

To those parts of the world that have been using Spotify for your music listening pleasure for a while, please bear with me while I wax enthusiastic about this AMAZING music streaming service.  It has only recently become available here (in pre-launch capacity) in the Great White North (aka Canada), and I am LOVING it.  (I tried signing up for it AGES ago only to be told we Canadians didn't rate - so I guess I was on their waiting list as one of the lucky Canuks to get to try it first). You can access just about any music that tickles your fancy - got a favourite artist?  Type their name into the search bar and behold their entire music catalog at your disposal, wherever you may happen to be, on any of your devices.  In the mood for something to dance around the kitchen to?  Some music to drown your sorrows by?  An audiobook, perhaps?  Well, it's ALL there, my friends, and if you don't mind the odd short promo in between songs, it's FREE.  Let me repeat....FREE!! Honestly, I have no earthly idea how this is possible, but I'm not complaining.  For a music lover who has tried it all, this is like manna from heaven.  You can create and share your own playlists, and "favourite" songs you love, both new and old. And if you want to spend a nominal fee, you can upgrade to the premium service,where you can ditch the dulcet tones of the Spotify announcer, and download songs to listen to - OFFLINE!  Like Netflix for music lovers.  But maybe even better.  I'm still waiting to see what the catch is.  And if there are Negative Nellies out there who have beefs about it (because let's face it, there are always NN's), I don't care to hear about it, because so far I can see no downside to this at all.  So calling all Canadian music lovers - sign up here for your own invite!!  And rejoice! :)

2.  Don't have a job you love?  Create one! 

My beautiful new MOO biz cards! 

So the other day, I was watching a show on HGTV (House Hunters International, to be exact), featuring a blogger who was identified as a travel writer, who was looking to relocate to Italy's Umbria region.  Yes, for the record, I was jealous ;-) and had to ask myself, "how the hell do I get such a gig????"  Well, NOT that I'm pulling up stakes and moving to Italy anytime in the near future -  but then it occurred to me - I AM a writer. After all, for better or worse, I write this blog, right?   On top of that, I'm a photographer too (have even been paid for my services on more than one occasion!) - AND to round out my little trifecta, I'm a bona fide, Certified Culinary Nutrition Expert, (a proud graduate of the Academy of Culinary Nutrition!) - so what's to stop me from officially identifying myself as one, or all of these things? That's where the awesome folks at MOO came in - and I sat myself down at their website, and designed and created my own BEE-U-tiful, SQUARE (beesquare!) business cards!! (I LOVE my phone case, speaks for itself, doesn't it?) Now, none of these ventures have me quitting my day job (so far), but there's no denying - I AM all those things - so why not present myself as such?  The power of positive thinking, people.... :)

In that same train of thought, please take some time to check out  fellow CNE Laura Olson's blog "A Life Delectable" - where she gives you her yummy recipe for a Banana Pecan Skillet Cake - and yours truly helped her out with a little food photography. :)

3.  On being "Authentic". 

So the most amazing thing happened the other day!  I made a bloggie friend!!  Her name is Tracie, she is an American ex-pat living in Finland (!!)  (trying not to be jealous) ;-), a fellow music (and Spotify) lover, and she sews amazing custom creations, like these ADORABLE family pillows (I believe she has an etsy shop in the works...stay tuned...)

Best of all, she is a KICK ASS blogger - (which is to say, a kick ass WRITER).  I think you'll agree with me - please check her out at:

beets + birch

The lovely Tracie! 

She "found" me via my Pinterest page (it's a work in progress), because like me, she's embracing her silver hair AND her curly-girlness at the the same time.  I was IMMEDIATELY a fan of her writing style - and her blog philosophy - which is to say she writes in her own authentic voice, and for her own pleasure, and nothing else. I am SO totally on board with that, Tracie!  (And I KNOW you were NOT expecting anything in return for your kind mention of moi....) - trust me when I say I'm paying this forward because I believe others will enjoy your (self-described) "quirkiness" as much as I do. Thank you for reminding me of the reasons I started this blog, and to write in MY own voice. :)

Oh - and Tracie, you also inspired me to give my curly locks another try - and my hair may just FINALLY be getting long enough to re-embrace my curls:

Somtimes it's a good thing my iPhone selfie lens is smudged - built in soft focus!! :) 

Okay, so that about sums up my first "Other Stuff" post....but, LOLing here - because of course I instantly realize that all of the above things could easily be categorized under my "Favourite Things" tab....guess I can't help myself!  But what the hell, for today, Other Stuff it is!!  As my fave writer Liz Gilbert would say...Onward!! :)