From Black Friday 2020, but still relevant. Here’s to staying positive!
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, fall, sustainability, Thoughts on November 26, 2021| Leave a Comment »
From Black Friday 2020, but still relevant. Here’s to staying positive!
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Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, family, holidays, home, Thoughts on November 25, 2021| 1 Comment »
Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, #adventure, hobbit is as hobbit does, home, Thoughts on November 22, 2021| Leave a Comment »
We had to run over to Montreal this morning. We left in the dark with rain and snow coming down. Miserable weather and some sketchy traffic, but I’ve always loved a road trip. Leaving the known and heading out into the world, who wouldn’t feel like a hobbit on an adventure?
(Also, it’s been ages since I’ve gone anywhere at all, so I’ll take my fun where I can get it:)
We made it into the city and picked up breakfast at a Moroccan bakery. Then our errand, then driving home on mostly rural roads lit by bright sunshine. Fall is a lovely season.
And lucky me, it turns out adventure tastes like chocolate croissants!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, inspiration, quotes, Thoughts, Writers, writing on November 21, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Our creativity is a wild and unexpected bonus from the universe. It’s as if all our gods and angels gathered together and said, “It’s tough down there as a human being, we know. Here—have some delights.
— Elizabeth Gilbert
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, fixing things, home, Thoughts on November 20, 2021| 4 Comments »
The microwave crapped out on us last night, again. Fortunately, it looks like it’s the same problem as last time, which means we still have extra spare parts from last time. So I’ll be assisting Mr. Man in another great Appliance Disassembly Rodeo!
Fun, right?
Brief aside: I really dislike throwing away mostly ok items and think the right-to-repair movement is a fine idea. Progress is being made on that front, but there’s still a gap between having the right to fix a thing and having the knowledge and equipment to fix a thing. Mr. Man is mechanically-minded and experienced, and also has pretty much all the tools a person could need (allll the tools!). A lot of people don’t. If you’re one of them, check out online sites for manuals or search for local tool lending libraries. Or make friends with a handy neighbor! (I recommend a smile, beer and/or brownies.)
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(update)
I wrote this yesterday. Since then, we pulled the microwave off the wall and took it apart. It was not, in fact, the same problem as last time. Sadly.
(cut to two hours later)
We have procured what may very well be the last microwave of its kind in Eastern Canada. The floods out West have done absolutely nothing good for already challenged supply chains, so we’re counting ourselves very lucky. It should arrive Thursday.
Fingers crossed!
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Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, cynarin, family, food, history, home, memory, Thoughts on November 19, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Here is a thing that I love, and the one item I requested from my grandmother’s estate: an artichoke plate.

Artichokes are thorny, tough and difficult to pair with wine. They were at the heart (hehe) of a racketeering scheme in New York in the 1920s and ’30s, which led to a temporary ban and a dramatic upswing in knowledge about, and orders for, the vegetable. They also taste great.
The back of the plate is marked “E & R 0136” but that’s the only information I have. Where was it made, when, and did it come from Ebeling & Reuss or another manufacturer? I don’t know, but I love it anyway.
Disassembling an artichoke flower bud is a messy job, and this plate is the perfect canvas on which to do it. I prefer to serve mine with lemon butter sauce, but there’s also mayonnaise. If you must.
I doubt the dish is valuable from anything other than an emotional standpoint but that’s fine, I won’t be selling it. I have a lot of great memories about artichokes and about my grandmother, and this plate helps me remember both.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, inspiration, quotes, Thoughts, Writers, writing on November 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »
“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”
― John Steinbeck
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Posted in Entertainment, Likes, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, fun, inspiration, interesting, internet, Thoughts, wackiness ensuing on November 17, 2021| Leave a Comment »
I accumulate a lot of links. Work links, sure, but on my way to the data mines I often come across fun, interesting, obscure or downright delightful corners of the web. They inform me when I need a bit of learning with lunch, cheer me up when the news is too newsy, and otherwise remind me that the internet, like the world, is not 100% terrible.
What sort of links? I’m so glad you asked:)
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Look Up! An Introduction to Identifying Raptors in Flight
* The answer is yes.
20 of the Best History Podcasts to Help Us Actually Learn From the Past
Honest Government Ad | Carbon Capture & Storage – YouTube
Introducing the Icelandverse – YouTube
Bohemian Catsody – A Rhapsody Parody Song for Every Cat Queen and King! – YouTube
This man won a Guinness World Record for his tree that bears 10 types of fruit
The True Story of the Blue People of Kentucky
Photos of the world above and below the sea by David Doubilet
Periodic Table of the Elements, in Pictures and Words
How to Identify that Light in the Sky
Scientists Create 3,000 TB Simulation of the Universe You Can Download
And since I’m a baker, here’s one last link:
All You Could Ever Want to Know About a Pumpkin Slingshot
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing on November 16, 2021| 2 Comments »
I’m experimenting with reading/media deprivation. Gotta say I’m not loving it:)
I’m also terrible at it, especially where the reading is concerned. So let’s just say I’m trying to reduce, not eliminate. Baby steps!
It would be nice to have more time and get more done, though. I do love crossing things off my list.
Side note, my NaNoWriMo project wants to be a graphic novel. Surprise!
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Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, #LicenseToChill, funny, Thoughts, winter on November 15, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Woke to snow. Not much, more of a light dusting that’s already melting off darker surfaces, but rooftops and lawns are white and dog walkers are all wearing toques.
This brings up a critical question: Why don’t we name our snow plows? Scotland does it, and it is awesome.
Which is my favorite? Right now it’s a toss-up between William Wall-ice and License to Chill.
Welcome to winter!
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