Do You See What I See?

Yesterday I started my annual trek to look for evidence of spring. This year it seems earlier than ever. With a thaw in January that lasted three weeks, above average temperatures in February (and virtually no snow), everything is looking pretty rosy now in March. Check out this strawberry shoot. In March!


And those infernal day lilies that I curse in the summer because of how fast they grow and spread are, in March, oohed and ahhed at when their first green shoots poke through the cold ground. Spring is on our doorstep.

The Maple Leaf Forever

At the closing ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Michael Bublé sang a very jazzy version of The Maple Leaf Forever. The sedate version was Canada's unofficial anthem for many years.


When I lived in Toronto, I had a client who lived across the street from the actual tree that inspired the song. Richard and I revisited it a few years back and it's still standing!


As per my sister's request, here's the original...which my mother used to take great pride in ridiculing. She hated this song!
If I can find Michael Bublé's more current version, I'll post that too.

Found it! Click here. There are a few short ads before the almost 12 minute clip of the closing ceremony spot. A lot of fun to watch!

General Store in Rooseveltown, NY

Last week I made a quick visit to the U.S. to Rooseveltown, NY, just over the border from Cornwall.


I've seen this old general store a few times and always wanted to go in.


The signs are so fabulous.


Nice coke clock.


It's a real general store on the inside selling canned goods and chips...


...and some work clothes and boots too.


The lady who owned it said that the store had been there for 70 years. I'm pretty sure this gum is younger than that but I'm not sure about the rack it's in. Love this place!

Hockey Stuff

In honour of Sidney Crosby scoring the winning goal for Team Canada against USA at Sunday's final Olympic event, check out this fun TV spot where he plays dryer hockey with Pittsburgh Penguin teammate Max Talbot.


And here's me at 12-years-old, playing street hockey. I guess hockey is in my blood!

Hockey is Our Game!

When Team Canada's Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal last night at the game between Canada and the USA -- the final event at the 2010 Winter Olympics at home in Vancouver -- I think all of Canada shouted in unison! Here's a video, narrated by Canadian actor Michael J. Fox, that kind of explains why hockey is so important to us Canadians.

All You Need is Love ATCs

I made these artist trading cards by using a set of alphabet rubber stamps and watercolours and then ran the cards through the sewing machine. I did them with Valentine's Day in mind and traded them at our monthly ATC meeting in Dunvegan on Saturday.

Go Canada Go!

Canada plays U.S.A. in men's hockey at one of the last events of the winter Olympics today in Vancouver. Here's Tim Horton's version of patriotism. Go Canada Go!
P.S. Canada just won! Wow! What a hockey game. And...count how many little, red maple leaves there are on the donut. FOURTEEN (don't count the half, little broken speck there). That's EXACTLY how many gold medals we won. Fate, I swear...

Olympic Fever

The Olympics are over tomorrow and I'm really going to miss them. I watched hours of curling (?), skiing, speed-skating and, of course, hockey. Tomorrow is the gold medal round in men's hockey (Canada vs. USA) and then the closing ceremonies. I wonder what Canadian talent they'll feature? Celine Dion? Michael Bublé? Nickelback? Hmm.

Here's a photo of me and my friend Roberta when the summer Olympics were in Montréal in 1976. We attended every event we could get tickets for (sometimes standing room) and generally had the most amazing time just walking around the streets and people watching.

Hot Off the Press!

The spring issue of ATC Quarterly has been printed and mailed. Coming to a mailbox near you pretty soon. Don't you just love this cover by ATC artist Lynne Larkin of Joliet, IL?

Canada vs. American Speak

Thought this was kinda fun. Can you think of any that were missed?

Best TV Hockey Ads

This ad reminds me of growing up playing street hockey with my cousin Richard. I was usually the goaltender mainly because I had my own Sherwood goalie stick and was just crazy about Montreal Canadiens' goaltender Ken Dryden.
Saturday night was always Hockey Night in Canada at our house with my family gathered around the TV set, cheering on our beloved Canadiens.




This Tim Horton ad is from a few years back. I think it's so well done.




Another terrific Tim Horton's ad narrated by the great player Sidney Crosby. I think it kind of sums up what hockey means to many Canadians.

Wedding Cake 101

Instead of posting a finished cake, I thought I'd try photographing the process. I see from these photos that I should have taken a few more as I was doing it, but I was so in the moment that I forgot. At any rate, here is what a wedding cake looks like at the start. This is a 10-inch cake that is actually one and a half cakes iced together to make 3 layers.


Then you ice the outside of it.


The top of the wedding cake was an 8-inch round cake, cut into three layers and iced.


Before placing the smaller cake onto the bottom cake, I inserted 8 lollipop sticks into the bottom cake to support the weight of the top cake.


Shells were piped around the edges of the cakes. I also placed the bride and groom to see how much room there'd be for roses...and generally how the cake was going to look.


I had piped red roses out of buttercream. These were to match the bride's red dress -- and apparently they matched perfectly! I froze them to make them easy to handle, and then placed them around the perimeter of the cake.


I piped some small, green leaves around the roses and voilà! The cake is done.

Birthdays in Toronto

Richard and I headed west to Toronto for the weekend to celebrate friends' birthdays. We were on Yonge Street just as the sun was setting.


The party was held at a lovely little place called Starfish.


We started with a platter of three different kinds of oysters: 2 from the east coast and the other from the west.


We all liked the ones called Raspberry Point from P.E.I. so much that we ordered another platter of these.


For appetizers some folks had fish cakes and fried calamari salad. Here is another starter that was roasted sardines.


Jill had mussels in a lovely sauce that tasted somewhat of fennel...


...and they came with yummy, crispy frites.


Richard and I ordered the roasted halibut for two. Really tasty.


The meal ended with key lime pie from Dufflet's Pastries.


Birthday girls Patty and Wendy blowing out their birthday pie.


Here are my friends Wendy and Judah, both of whom I've known since high school.


Jill and me with the birthday girls Wendy and Patty. I can't remember when I've laughed so much. Isn't that the best way to spend an evening? Laughing and eating good food with good friends.

Explaining Canada to Americans