November - A Year of Light 2021

I couldn’t choose between these two options for November’s picture for your phone background - choose your favourite and enjoy it this month. Grasses and seed heads have turned golden for the winter ahead, and the light is starting to take on a bit of its winter quality. Despite the last leaves falling from these beautiful birches, they are still beautiful - and there are still blue skies, even in November.

Notice: Cold and warm, dark and light

It’s usually November here when the first really crispy frost arrives (and maybe snow!) Some things I’m looking forward to noticing are crunchy leaves blowing around in the wind and getting stuck in puddles, the sparkle of raindrops on windows when headlights pass on a dark night, the contrast between dark and light on long evenings, a beeswax candle lit in the early morning, the warmth of feet in slippers, and the dark shapes of bare branches against the sky that are beautiful in their spareness.

Make

Dried grass arrangement: Go for a wander with some scissors in hand and see what kinds of grasses you might be able to find - they’re a lovely way to bring some of November into your home. Just place them in a brown glass bottle or vase, and you’ll have a delightful, free arrangement to enjoy. The possibilities are endless! Cats may find them very intriguing - one of ours loves to pull them out of vases and chase them around the house.

Curried Squash Soup: This has been a favourite recipe at our house since 2004. It is warm and cozy, vibrant and delicious. It also freezes well, and a flaky, buttery biscuit on the side is just perfect.

2 large onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped (other squashes work fine if that’s what you have on hand)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp salt

6 cups vegetable stock (I use better than Boullion mixed a bit more weakly than on the label)

sour cream and chives for garnish

In a large saucepan, sauté the onion, cumin and curry powder in butter or olive oil. Add garlic and carrot and sauté until softened. Add squash, bay leaf, salt, and broth. Simmer until the squash is completely soft, stirring occasionally.

(I haven’t tried making this in the instant pot, but I think I will; I will sauté the onions and spices first, then add in all of the other ingredients with 1 cup less broth and cook for 15 minutes, then blend with an immersion blender.)

Do

Find a good book or audio book to listen to as the evenings are darker and the cozy vibes get cozier - I find the best book reading experience is with books that echo something of the season. The Night Circus is pleasantly kind of spooky for November - I listened to the audio book a few years ago and enjoyed it. It’s not what I would usually gravitate to, and I think that’s partly what I liked about it. The Lost Man is set in the sweltering Australian outback (so not exactly reflected in Canadian November weather) but it’s a slightly creepy mystery that I couldn’t put down. It’s perfect for bedtime - I like to read fiction before going to sleep, and the best is when it’s a combination of easy to remember and follow when I’m sleepy, along with a story I’m eager to figure out. Audio books are nice and cozy for listening while puttering or doing other things, and I love the Hoopla and Libby apps from the library.

Neighbourhood walk after dark: one thing I miss about living in town is being able to go for walks on sidewalks (there are none where we live now - just shoulders on rural roads). Seeing and imagining all of the complex lives and people and things going on between the walls of many separate houses is fun to think about. And in November, the atmosphere of leaves swirling around (it’s almost guaranteed to be windy here in November), warm cozy lit windows against the cold and dark of the evening - I find it so very lovely. And a walk down Main Street with shop windows to look in, whether the stores are open or closed, just feels good. I’m planning to make an evening out of a walk in town this month - I’ll take a cup of tea, bundle up, and enjoy the dark and light.

October - A Year of Light 2021

October and its colours are my very favourite of all seasons - so here are three pictures that you can choose from for your phone background this month.

Notice: not-so-subtle changes

In October, so much changes here in Nova Scotia. At the beginning of the month, trees still have all of their green leaves, and by the end of the month many are bare. Usually the peak for colour is the second week of the month or so, and in the blink of an eye the colours are fading. At our house, we made it through the entire month of September this year without needing to light a fire in the furnace. Pay attention for the smell of woodsmoke on the air when the mornings become cooler - it’s one of my favourite scents. And when the first frost is imminent, you can smell that, too. That’s usually around the middle of the month, too. October always feels like the year is just hustling to sum up the warm months with a spectacular show before the long dark and quiet of late fall and winter.

Make

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies - a perennial favourite since I was a kid. These are cakey and soft and it is very easy to eat waaaay too many.

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 cup canned pumpkin

• ½ cup vegetable oil

• 1 egg

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir to combine. Add chocolate chips and vanilla and stir gently until combined. You can add as many chocolate chips as you’d like.

Place on cookie sheets by spoonfuls, and bake at 350 for about 13 minutes. I find the first tray takes up to 15 minutes, and about 12-13 minutes for the ones after that. These freeze very well, and are actually kind of delicious when partly frozen.

Enjoy!

If you’re Canadian, Thanksgiving is next weekend. I always make a turkey dinner, and Aimee’s turkey technique has been my go-to for Thanksgiving and Christmas since she first published it many years ago. It has my stamp of approval, 10 years running! For some reason, my link button isn’t working, so here you go: https://simplebites.net/how-to-roast-a-turkey/

Do

I feel like I’ve written this every month this year, but take a moment whenever you can to appreciate nature and what is changing and happening this month - there is so much in such a short time! The obvious beauty of the leaves, the scent of the woods when plant matter is rotting and it smells sweet and clean, gathering the last goods from the garden, and the morning chill in the air. There is so much to appreciate and pay attention to this month. Happy October!

September - A Year of Light 2021

Notice: Last days of Summer

September is always a very busy month for me as I go back to work for the school year. It feels like I look up and it’s October. But September has some of the most lovely weather of the year - there are plenty of warm sunny days to enjoy being outside, squeeze in some last swims, and enjoy the cooler nights. I’m going to try to embrace the last days of summer with a few scheduled things (because if they don’t get scheduled, they don’t usually happen). I’m going camping for a night on my own; I’m looking forward to some quiet and time to just be by myself. The boys and I are going to Keji for a day, which will feel very summery, and I want one of my default evening activities to be having a little fire by our pond with a cup of tea instead of looking at my phone. I want to spend some time being still and noticing every detail of these last days of summer and making it last as long as possible.

Make

Tomato Herb Butter: I first started making this recipe a few years ago, and it became an instant favourite. It is absolutely perfect served on haddock (the original recipe is for cod; we prefer haddock but any white fish will do). It is also excellent as a pasta sauce. There is such an abundance of tomatoes and herbs at this time of year, and it is a quick and easy meal to put together. The sauce is also easy to put together and freeze for later. With haddock, we usually serve it over basmati or jasmine rice. We have cherry tomatoes in bowls all over the counter right now, and there are more in the garden to pick… I think this might go on next week’s menu at our house.

Original recipe and full instructions are here: https://www.littlebroken.com/cod-with-tomato-and-herb-butter/

Jubilee Relish: This is a sweet relish recipe that was given to me by a neighbour who has been making it from this 1963 Women’s Institute cookbook for many, many years. If you’re feeling extra keen and have some cucumbers to use up, this is the perfect recipe. My favourite burger topping combination is sweet relish and cheese, so I love having this on hand. Make it now, and you’ll have it for next summer’s barbecues. Here it is, straight from her cookbook! (10 minute hot water bath after jarring is the current canning protocol.)

Do

I just had a beautiful paragraph about slowing down written here. As I was putting the finishing touches on the post, I accidentally deleted it and it’s irretrievable. Funnily enough, the idea of the paragraph was to slow down - and it was in my hurry that I deleted it. The irony is not lost on me! September is so busy for me, that the one thing I constantly need to be reminded to do is to slow down. To take a deep breath, focus on the one thing that I am doing, and not jump ahead, as I am very prone to do. If that is all that I manage to do in September, it will be counted as a win!

I hope that September is good to you.

August - A Year of Light 2021

Notice: Abundance

Nature is so abundant, and here is Nova Scotia that is especially evident in August. Apples are set on trees and growing every day, berries are in ditches and on roadsides everywhere waiting to be eaten, and tomatoes and cucumbers ripen in the garden. Abundance is all around us, and it’s such a lovely thing to think about. Plants just want to grow. Annuals hurry to drop seeds to grow next year, while perennials slowly peak and fade, strengthening their roots for next season. They’re cooperating with the bees, who are working at full tilt in August, buzzing in and around the flowers as they gather nectar and pollen to get them through the winter months that will be here before we know it. In stark contrast to January’s grey darkness and bleak landscapes (also beautiful in their own way), August is a delicious riot of colour and life.

Make

Herb-infused Honey

Now is the time of year to find some local honey. I like to use whole herbs that I’ve dried myself; I prefer dried so that there isn’t any extra moisture being introduced into the honey. We keep honeybees and have access to the very best and most beautiful honey; if you can find local honey, you’ll notice a big difference from grocery store honeys.

Ingredients:

3 parts honey

1 part dried herb leaves or stems (rosemary or lavender are lovely)

Clean glass jar

Method:

You can do this one of two ways.

Quick: (This method is faster and is ready to use almost immediately, but the heat can be detrimental to some of the wonderful things in local unpasteurized honey): Gently heat the honey and herbs over low heat for 10-15 minutes, remove the herbs and pour into your glass jar.

Slow: Place herbs into jar and pour honey over top. Use a skewer or something similar to poke the herbs under the honey. Let sit for 2-6 weeks, at which point the herbs will have infused the honey. When it tastes good to you, it’s ready to use!

This is lovely used as regular honey (drizzled on toast, yogourt, etc.) and also to soothe sore throats and coughs.

Do

Bask in late summer and its unique feel - notice the warm golden sun and the particular way that it changes through the month; and when you can smell September’s approach in the air. Enjoy the blueberries, raspberries and soon blackberries that you can gather handfuls of and stain your fingers with. Watch the bees stumbling all over flowers and the sheen of flower petals. Drink it all in every chance that you get. When I find myself in one of these moments that seems so absolutely wonderful that it must be impossible, I usually close my eyes, take a few deep breaths, and try to feel in my body how good and real and lovely it is, and recognize what a privilege it is that I am in this time and place and am able to enjoy this moment. The most tragic (and preventable) thing to me is to imagine the end of my life and wishing that I had seen all of these beautiful everyday moments for the magic that they are - the joy, privilege and delight of living on earth in this time.

Re-reading this, I can see how it might seem morbid to some - but to me, recognizing how fleeting our time on earth is, is how to live a good life. It influences our decisions and how we go about our lives, making every moment all the richer. Memento mori.

July - A Year of Light 2021

This beautiful place is in unceded Mi’kmaq territory. I hope today is that the light that is being shed on the atrocities that have been committed against indigenous people in this country will result in systemic change, compassion and understanding of what they have endured at the hands of settlers. And appreciation for the light that they have managed to carry despite it all.

July

Things to Notice: Fireflies

This one might not be accessible to everyone, but the fireflies have just appeared around our pond, and it is the most magical light show after dark. If there is a swampy spot near you, it is worth making the effort to stay up a bit late and see if you can find some. Even if you don’t, the experience of being outside on a warm summer night is just lovely. When we were in university in Fredericton, Adam and I used to go out biking or rollerblading after dark - it was just too hot earlier in the day. It was so much fun, and I have such lovely memories of those summer nights!

*

It’s finally summer, and there are so many things happening! I’ll keep the ‘make’ and ‘do’s short and sweet for July and August.

Make

Rosemary Shortbread

This is quick and easy, and a great way to use some summer herbs. You could also use lavender instead of rosemary, with equally delicious results. These were originally featured in my Nova Scotia Kitchens podcast project, and shared by my friend Sally.

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, cold and cut into chunks

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. Pulse all ingredients in a food processor very briefly, then press the crumbly mixture into a 9-inch pie pan.

3. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before cutting.

Lavender Gin Fizz

This is Sally's signature drink, and it can be made using tonic or soda water. You can freeze ice cubes trays with fresh lemon juice and the lavender syrup for quick assembly for summer parties - just top with the gin and soda or tonic water. Glasses rimmed with lemon juice and sugar would be so nice, and a garnish of a sprig of lavender and a curl of lemon peel would be perfect! And you can simply omit the gin to make this a non-alcoholic drink.

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1/4 cup food-grade lavender buds

fresh lemon juice

gin

soda or tonic water

ice cubes

1. For the lavender syrup, combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, add 1/4 cup food-grade lavender buds and steep for 15 minutes. Strain out lavender buds.

2. Add a couple of ice cubes to glasses (rimmed with lemon juice and sugar if you're feeling fancy). To each glass, add 1 part gin, 1 part fresh lemon juice, 1 part lavender syrup, and top with soda or tonic water. Garnish with a curl of lemon peel or a sprig of lavender. Enjoy!

Do

Sleep outside. Even if it’s an afternoon nap in a hammock or a deck chair, or a blanket on the beach. It is the best. Rest is so important, and summer can be so full of busy-ness and fun that it’s easy to forget that.

Have a wonderful summery July!

June - A Year of Light 2021

June

Things to Notice: Light

The light, again! I know that the “thing to notice” in January was also the light, but it’s just so different this month, and every bit as much worth noticing. At this time of year the evenings are long, the mornings arrive early, and sunny days tend to be more frequent. Having said that, we’ve just come through a dark and rainy stretch, and this evening the sky is dark and thundershowers are in the forecast for overnight. If it’s going to make an appearance, the sun is up well before 6:00am and doesn’t set until after 9:00pm in this corner of the world. As the sun rises and stretches across the lawns and fields, it catches every drop of morning dew. When it’s high at midday it feels like a warm hug, and in the evenings the sunsets are spectacular this month. If you can sit for a little while underneath an apple or cherry or other blooming tree as the sun peeks through between the blossoms at any time of day, do. The bright green new leaves are still tender and the light glows through them. There is such an abundance of light this month, and it’s easy to take for granted! You can make your own light to keep it going after dark with a little fire and some roasted marshmallows, too.

Things to Make

Plantain salve: I’ve been enjoying Terri Conroy’s YouTube channel called Danu’s Irish Herb Garden. Every time I watch one of her videos, it inspires me to or appreciate something from the garden or the wild. I recently watched this plantain video, and am hoping to make a batch of plantain salve this month. I find her videos are a bit like a pleasant visit with a friend; just calming and lovely visits in her Connemara garden.

Rhubarb Squares: I’ve shared the recipe before, and I will again - it is so perfectly delicious. Sour and sweet, custardy and shortbready, quick as a wink to whip up, and they use up some of that rhubarb in your yard or that a neighbour left on your step. I theoretically could eat an entire pan of these, but have discovered there is a limit to what my digestion can handle, despite my enthusiasm.

Rhubarb Custard Squares

Makes an 8x8 pan, approximately 12 servings.

Preheat oven to 350.

On the stovetop in a medium pot, melt 1/2 cup butter. As it's melting, line an 8x8 pan with overlapping parchment paper, to make removal from the pan easy. Remove melted butter from heat and stir in 1/4 cup icing sugar and 1 cup flour. Spread evenly in pan with a wooden spoon or hands and bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine in same pot (to save dishes!) 2 beaten eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt. Mix well, then fold in 2 cups diced rhubarb.

When the base comes out of the oven, pour the rhubarb mixture on top and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until set and slightly golden. Cut into squares or bars and enjoy! You can double the recipe and use a 9x13 pan. 

Rose water / syrup: This is another seasonal recipe that I’m planning to make later in the month when the many rosa rugosa are in bloom along our beaches. A splash of rose syrup in sparkling water, along with a sprig of mint is just a delicious delight on a hot afternoon. And the colour is just incredible! I shared a post all about it over at another project of mine, Nova Scotia Kitchens awhile back. You can the recipe and some photos here.

Things to Do

Dehydrate herbs for tea: I seem to do a lot of things with herbs, I’ve noticed now that I’m keeping a bit of a log of the things I like to do through the seasons. Lemon balm and mint are two of my favourites. There are many ways that you can dry herbs; a dehydrator woks best, but you can also use paper bags if it’s not too humid where you live, and some people have had luck with a low oven - but if they get too hot they lose colour and flavour. There are many other ways that you can preserve them, too - freezing in cubes, using in jellies - there really are hundreds of possibilities. Once they are nice and dry, I like to store them in a dark cupboard in glass jars - and don’t forget to label them.

If you don’t have either mint or lemon balm in your garden, now is the perfect time to plant them! They both spread enthusiastically, so if you don’t have a space where they can do that freely, you might want to plant them in pots. They’re readily available at garden centres, and - even better - if you have a friend with either or both, you can just take a bit to start your own! And the combination of flavours in tea is minty and lemony - perfection.

Find some lilacs: Drink in the scent. It is heavenly, and only accessible for a very short while each year. I can’t explain what it does to our brains and senses, but it is amazing. Right at this very moment the lilacs here are in their glory, and it seems like every other house or old homestead has some. I was driving for work yesterday, and opened the window as I drove - the scent wafted in. It was amazing. 100% recommend.

Nature watch: There is so much happening in the wild at this time of year, that it would be a shame to miss it. The hummingbirds have arrived, and the ducks, geese, robins and other songbirds are singing in the mornings and evenings, visiting feeders, and raising babies. If you don’t have a yard to look for wildlife in, there are bird nest webcams online and public parks have lots to look for. I especially like checking in on the same things often to see how they’re changing as spring progresses. We have a pair of muskrats that have moved into our pond this spring, and they are such a delight! They’ve done a number on our cattails, which we are thrilled about, and it is so much fun to watch them do laps back and forth, their mouths full of grasses and leaves as their little tail-rudders steer them along. I’m hoping they might have some babies that we will be able to watch before long!

June really is a magical time of year, and it can be so busy that is slips by almost without noticing - that is something that I’m determined not to let happen this year! I hope you’ll join me.

May - A Year of Light 2021

May

Things to Notice: Greens

There are so many shades of green that appear in May, and I love them all. As the leaves are emerging on trees and plants around you, notice how each plant and tree comes alive in its own time. None of them are hurrying up to catch up to the one next to them, or worrying that they leafed out too early. They’re just doing their thing in their own time, bringing life and colour back into the landscape. (There’s your metaphor for life for the month.) Look for the bright, deep greens of grass on lawns filling in after the golden colour of winter. There are the light, lime-y greens of new leaves that are just starting to emerge and will be wide open, darker in colour and tougher in texture by the end of the month. There are the dark greens of the evergreens that are so steady and reliable throughout the year - and the contrast between that and the almost minty colour of the new tips as they emerge. (Taste one - they’re delightful and tart and fresh!)

Things to Make

Hummingbird nectar: Over the past few years, keeping hummingbird feeders from May through September has become one of my favourite things during the warmer half of the year. It’s usually the first week of May when they arrive for the season. These are the two that I have and love, but you can also make your own if you search online for ideas. This window one is great - so easy to clean and fill, and it’s really, really neat to be able to see the hummingbirds so close up. You can also hang that one or put it on an included post. And I love this antique glass style one that I’ve had for years. (Not sponsored!) The nectar is easy to make - just dissolve one part white granulated sugar into 4 parts boiling water and let cool. You have to clean and refill the feeders often so mold and bacteria don’t take over. It’s definitely worth the effort to have them whizzing around and see their feathers glinting in the sun - they are so delightful!

Potato salad with chives from the garden: Potato salad tastes like spring to me - we’re getting plenty of eggs from the hens right now, and the the chives are in full swing. Chives are so easy to grow, with zero maintenance required (more on that below). For the simplest potato salad, just boil two eggs and some peeled, cubed potatoes. Combine the cooked and cooled potatoes, chopped boiled eggs, salt, pepper, a glop of mayo, salt and pepper and a handful of chopped chives. Bacon bits add some extra oomph, and I think a bit of sriracha is also good dotted on top. You can play around to find the ratios you like best. Best if eaten outside in the sun!

Fir/spruce tip tea - There are a lot of fir and spruce trees here, and the fresh little tips of new growth are not only edible, but tasty and nutritious. They have a bright, lemony flavour that’s hard to compare to anything else. The simplest tea is simply from a few tips, steeped either in hot water or in the sun in a jar of water. There’s a comprehensive post here all about them and there’s also a recipe for fir tip syrup.

Things to Do

Plant some herbs! If you don’t already have them growing in your garden, my top two are mint and chives. There are many varieties of each - we have spearmint, chocolate, and strawberry mint… and a few others I’ve forgotten. I love mint SO much to dry and use in teas through the winter, to freshen up iced tea and as a garnish - it’s lovely. It’s easy to grow, and will take over wherever it is planted once it’s established. Chives are equally easy - you just plants them and leave them. They come up in early March, bloom the prettiest purple (also edible) flowers in May, and are just delicious, with a subtle onion flavour. It’s so much less expensive to grow your own rather than buying the little plastic containers at the grocery store. If you have a friend or neighbour who has them, they can be easily split and shared from one garden to another. They can also be grown in pots, if you don’t have space in the ground.

Take a photo walk: I just love going for a walk and taking pictures to share. It’s even more fun when there is a specific theme - this time of year, there are so many things to choose from - colours, flowers, trees - the options are endless. I find it helps me to look more closely at my surroundings when I’m thinking about taking pictures.

Plan something fun: Planning is a huge part of the fun of a trip, and even though we can’t travel as much as we might want to, there are fun things closer to home. We have a few camping trips booked for the summer, and I get so excited about planning menus, and all of the details. We’re back in lockdown right now, but are able to get out and about in our own communities for outdoor exercise - I’m looking forward to the warm weather this month and getting out in it. Planning some new-to-us walks and hikes is almost as fun as actually doing them.

I hope that despite everything, you find something to enjoy this month. Take care!

April - A Year of Light 2021

April

Things to Notice: Peepers!

One evening last week, my oldest son came into the house, yelling for me to take out my earbuds and go outside. He knows me well, and was one hundred percent correct in thinking that I would be absolutely thrilled to hear the spring peepers for the first time of the year. Peepers are the teeniest tiniest little brown frogs that are quite widespread in North America. Their mating calls sound like a very loud, very piercing, almost electronic “Peeep peeeep”. We’re hearing a few this week, but by mid-April, the chorus of them calling is as loud as someone talking in the house, even with the windows closed. They live near ponds and marshy places, and are so tiny and well-camouflaged that often the only way to find one is to watch for a blade of moving grass, and look down it until you might be lucky enough to see one hanging on. (I’ve only ever seen one!) The volume of their sound is incredible for such tiny creatures, which makes me think of other seemingly tiny things in life that can have a huge impact - my attitude toward a particular task, those extra few moments spent chatting with someone, and dropping everything for a few minutes to be fully present and check in with your people.

Another sound I’ve been appreciating this week is the birdsong in the mornings! After so many months of leaving for work in dark and silence, it is so life-giving to be leaving the house as the sun is coming up and the birds are riotously singing their little hearts out. I’ve been hearing new calls almost every day, and I love it SO MUCH.

Things to Make

Coloured Easter Eggs: This weekend is Easter, and even if you don’t have any kids in the house, dyeing or colouring eggs is fun to do, and a nice way to welcome Spring. When my boys were small, before we had our own Easter Egger hens to give us pre-coloured eggs, the least messy, easiest, and most satisfying way that we coloured eggs was to boil a dozen white eggs, and colour on the shells using crayons while the eggs were still quite warm but not too hot. The colours stay bright and vibrant, and you can write names and draw fairly detailed patterns or pictures in several colours. You can just keep them in the fridge and eat them, or keep them out for a day or two and then compost them. If you’re looking to spend some time in a more involved process, there are a million and one tutorials on using natural dyes to colour your eggs.

Flourless Chocolate Cake: Speaking of eggs, we are almost overrun these days. We don’t usually think of eggs as having a season, but right now as daylight hours increase, egg production from the hens is high. It’s also birthday season at our house, and this flourless chocolate cake was requested by my youngest son for his cake. It uses up several eggs and is absolutely smooth and rich and delicious. It would be super cute as an Easter dessert with some candy eggs on top, too.

Someone’s day: Call or send a message to a relative or friend you haven’t seen in awhile, just to let them know that you’re thinking of them. Or drop off a little gift of food or something you’ve made, just because. It’s a small thing that can make someone’s day brighter, and who couldn’t use a little of that?

Things to Do

Open the windows: I’ve been known to sneakily open windows in mid winter just because the air felt stale, and to open all of the windows wide on the early sunny (yet still quite cold!) days of Spring. It just feels and smells (usually - sometimes the farm scents of freshly spread manure waft over, like yesterday) so good to get some clean, fresh air into the house. Bonus points are always earned for opening windows opposite each other and getting the holy grail of fresh air in the house - the cross breeze! (Adam makes fun of me for my love of a good cross breeze. So be it.)

Find some flowers: Whether you have your own garden or not, unless you’re further North than we are here, there is likely somewhere that you will be able to find some flowers in April. Snowdrops and crocuses are up early in the month; coltsfoot and some early dandelions will be coming up in a few weeks. If you’re local and looking for some flowers to enjoy in your house, Lisa of The Flower Bucket has some flowers grown in her hoop house available at Canadian Tire - this isn’t sponsored; I just love Lisa and her flowers.

Declutter: Okay, so this is something that I kind of do year-round… but I’ve been on a proper decluttering kick for the past few weeks; Spring just feels like the right time for it. The Minimal Mom (Dawn) on YouTube has lots of great practcial tips and advice for decluttering if it’s something you’re interested in. Honestly, if I needed another career, professional organizing and encouraging people would be so satisfying to me! It’s fun to have a motivating video on in the background as you empty a cupboard or drawer (or room!), and you might find something you find helpful on her channel.

I hope that you find many things to enjoy in April; it will come and go before we know it. Let’s make the most of it!

March - A Year of Light 2021

March

Things to Notice: New Life

The days are noticeably longer now, and the first bulbs are just starting to appear. I learned from Gardener’s Question Time (my favourite podcast) that a waxy coating protects flowers emerging from bulbs, so that even if they begin to appear in midwinter, they won’t be destroyed by cold blasts and snow. Snowdrops are the first bulbs to open here, and it is a highly anticipated event for me at the end of every winter. There may still be snow and ice and wintry weather, but it won’t last for long, and spring will definitely be here soon. I love the edges of seasons, when evidence of the previous season is still present, but the change is just beginning to take place.

As we shift into March here in Nova Scotia, there are also lovely changes in the scents of the air outside as the weather warms. I’m not sure how much of that can be accounted for by changes in the ocean, but I think it’s a contributing factor for sure. Variations in ocean and beach scents carried on the breeze are one of those things that I find absolute, pure delight in several times a year, and I’m expecting a significant change in March from the cold, scentless winter air to all of the muddy, warmer scents of Spring.

The world may still look barren and wintry in many ways, but so much new life and growth is coming- it’s just hidden from view. So much is taking place that we can’t see as sap is coursing through trees, the ground is thawing and plants begin to awaken - feel free to apply that metaphor to whatever you’d like.

Things to Make

Frittata: Our hens are laying more eggs now that the days are longer, and a standby meal that we can almost always whip up is a frittata. You can serve it with salad or soup, eat it hot, warm, or even cold, and use whatever ingredients you have on hand. It’s simple, quick, and delicious. The chives in the garden are just barely starting to emerge, and there will definitely be handfuls ready to add in later this month. This is one of my favourite flavour combinations.

Herbed Frittata

10 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 generous handful kale, torn

1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan

1/4 cup milk or cream

2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Heat a 12 inch cast iron pan to medium on the stovetop. Add butter or oil to grease.

3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs thoroughly. Add salt and whisk until incorporated. Add remaining ingredients, and gently stir until egg covers all of the vegetables. Pour into the heated pan and cook on the stovetop without stirring for 3-4 minutes, until the bottom is just set. Remove from stovetop and place pan in preheated oven.

4. Bake for 16-20 minutes until frittata is slightly puffed and set in the centre.

5. Slice and serve warm; also makes wonderful leftovers, or a great lunch with a salad on the side.

Notes: You can skip the stovetop and just bake the frittata for a longer time (30-35 minutes) in a non-preheated pie plate or casserole dish. Another favourite combination is 1/2 cup chopped ham, 1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese, and chives. Spinach, feta, and tomatoes is also delicious. And if you have half an onion to use up, sauteeing it in butter makes an excellent start to any combination. To make a pretty garnish, lay some intact chive spears across the top of the frittata before baking. I buy parmesan in large blocks, which I grate and then store in the freezer for easy use.

Something for outside: I feel like the focus in March tends to shift from inside to outside, and it’s a great chance to take a look around and see if there is something you would like to make to liven up your outdoor space. Maybe it’s a planter for a bit later in the season, a bench, a birdbath or feeder? Or maybe a fire pit? Take a look on Pinterest and I’ll bet that you’ll find something within your time, skill, and budget constraints that you’ll be able to enjoy through to winter.

Toilet cleaner: I found this recipe from Simply Living Well on Instagram a few weeks ago, and it’s great! Not everyone has citric acid on hand, but it’s pretty easy to find online. Combine 3 cups baking soda, 5 drops lavender essential oil, and 5 drops lemon essential oil in a bowl. Add 1 cup citric acid, and stir to combine. Store in an airtight container. To use, scoop 2 tbsp into toilet bowl, wait for fizzing to stop, then scrub. I have a hard time finding less harsh toilet cleaners that really work and that I can stand the scent of - this works a treat!

Things to Do

Garden plans: Gardening is one of the greatest joys in my life. It sounds dramatic, but it is true! There is nothing quite like it. In March, I like to take stock of my seeds, decide what plants I want to add and decide what I’d like to focus on this gardening year. The bindweed was such a problem last year in some areas that I think there might be some overhauling in our garden this time around.

Go for a walk somewhere new: I don’t know what it is about Spring, but it feels like there are so many possibilities. Going for a walk in a new place makes us more alert and aware of our surroundings, and it’s just a nice change from the ordinary. There is a trail in Wedgeport that I’m planning to visit sometime this month - I’ve technically been there before, but it has been many years.

Sit outside in the sun: I can almost guarantee that there will be at least one (and hopefully more) days when it’s really warm in the sun. Make a point to sit outside with a book and a cup of tea and uncover as much skin as is comfortably possible, to start producing that vitamin D.

I hope that this March is kind to you!

If you love honeybees as much as I do, here’s another photo background option for you that I took last March of one of our bees. Look at all of the pollen, dusted all over her! Gorgeous.

February - A Year of Light 2021

February

Things to Notice: The Cold

February is the shortest month of the year and usually brings the coldest weather here in Nova Scotia. I love thinking about contrasts of all sorts, and the difference between cold and warm is a tangible, relatable concept that everyone has experienced. This month, notice the cold; really pay attention. What is your first response to it? Even just thinking about it, now? Are your shoulders hunched and tensed? Did you shudder? By changing your perspective a bit, you can maybe shift from hating the cold and just wanting it to be over to embracing it as the temporary, fleeting experience that it is, just like every part of life. Bundle up and BE outside on a cold day - feel it in your lungs and on your skin. Notice what the cold air feels like in your nostrils and lungs, how your body warms it before exhaling - notice what your footfalls sound like on the frozen ground, the particular quiet of outside in winter. Notice how, as you move, your body generates its own heat and warms from the inside. And then, embrace the contrast when you’re back inside and your body warms - the warmth is all the more welcome after the cold, and is what gives it meaning.

Things to Make

• A lovely warming drink: chai is a favourite of mine; with an oatcake, it is the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. There are recipes for chai concentrates online, you can buy a bagged version (I like the Tazo one.) For a quick version of decaf chai, which is a difficult thing to find premade: make your decaf tea (I love Yorkshire Gold) and plop a piece of a cinnamon stick in there. Take it outside on a walk and enjoy the contrasts of cold and warmth.

• Oatcakes: I found this recipe through 3191Q many years ago. It is a gem.

  1 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

  1 cup flour

  1/3 cup brown sugar

  1/2 tsp baking soda

  1/2 tsp salt

  1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

  1/4 cup plain, whole fat yogourt

  • Preheat oven to 350. Combine oats, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and work in with hands or pastry blender until you have a coarse meal texture. Stir in yogourt until a soft dough forms - I find I have to tip it onto the counter and gently knead it for it to come together. Pat it out on a floured surface and roll to 1/4 inch thickness. Using the top of a jar, a glass, or a biscuit cutter, cut into rounds. Bake for 15 minutes or until slightly browned. Store in an airtight container. Recipe can be doubled, and they freeze very well. Perfect with a cup of tea!

• Hand/lip balm, since your skin might be feeling the winter-ness of this time of year. Measure out equal parts by weight of coconut oil, olive oil, and beeswax. Melt the beeswax and coconut oil over low heat, add the olive oil and allow all of them to melt together. Stir gently, and pour into small jars. This makes a very firm balm; adding less beeswax makes it a bit softer. It’s a lovely gift, and you can easily make a lot - just keep the proportions the same.

Things to Do

• Exfoliate and moisturize! It will make your face feel less like a flaky wintry desert. It doesn’t need to be with anything other than a warm, damp face cloth. Wring it out, lay it gently over your face until it cools. Gently scrub your face, all of the way to all of the edges, in a circular motion. Immediately moisturize - a few drops of oil (argan is nice, but you can use olive, grapeseed, almond, etc.) on damp skin, then your regular moisturizer gives your skin a bit of extra love. Try the oil cleansing method - I do it every now and again in the winter and it feels so good.

• Watch a documentary to mix things up and put yourself in someone else’s shoes in a different part of the world. It’s so easy to feel like our own little part of the world is all there is, especially this year. I loved Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat on Netflix, and My Octopus Teacher was wonderful.

• Have a fire, outside or in, and again - enjoy the contrasts of cold and warmth. Or light candles (over which you can toast marshmallows, by the way.)

Sending you love and warmth this month,

Sherrie

January recap

Before posting February’s ideas for A Year of Light later today, I thought I would recap a bit of what I noticed, made and did in January.

Noticed:

• Light: honestly, this past month was very, very grey. There were a few sunny days, but they were few and far between. This did make it extra nice to see the sun when it did appear, and it felt more urgent to take advantage of it and get outside.

• Sun pillars: I only saw a sun pillar with my own eyes once in January, a couple of weeks ago as I was driving as the sun rose. It was so, so beautiful. I’m hoping to see more in February - these coldest mornings and evenings of the year are when they appear.

Made:

• Winter soup: I made a giant batch of winter soup early in the month, taking the opportunity to use up straggling vegetables in the fridge and freezer. It was delicious and warming and filling.

• Beeswax candles: I tidied up the space where I keep my wax and equipment, and decided not to make more candles until we use up more of the ones we still have on hand. I had a small stash set aside that I had forgotten about, which was a delightful surprise. The daylight hours are getting longer, but it’s still nice to have a candle lit at suppertime.

• Cards: I did send out a few cards this month to friends and relatives, and included individually wrapped tea bags in some. I also connected with a longtime friend for a FaceTime visit last weekend - I hadn’t seen her in years, and it was so nice. These little ways of connecting are so important for the heart.

Did:

• Bulbs: I had an amaryllis bulb that I planted in November and gave up on after over 6 weeks of it sitting in the pot and doing nothing obvious. I finally took it out of the soil to find the roots shirveled and browned, and I thought it was a dud. I popped it back in the pot to deal with later, and then - it started to grow. It still hasn’t opened, but is almost a foot tall now and looks like it will very soon!

• Tidying: I had one of those days a few weekends ago when all I wanted to do was tidy. I cleaned the back porch where I keep jars, soapmaking supplies, and extra household goods. I tidied the garage, kitchen drawers, and cleaned the dishwasher filters. It was lovely, and I’ve been enjoying the results ever since. And just this past week, I went through the bathroom cabinet and tossed a few things that had expired or I would never use, freeing up a bit of space. It’s such satisfying work!

I hope that you noticed the light and did some satisfying things in January. The shortest month starts tomorrow, and the new photo and ideas for February will be up shortly! <3

January - A Year of Light 2021

January

Things to Notice: The Light

In January, there is a noticeable shift in the light as daylight hours gradually lengthen. The quality of the light is so different from any other month - it’s somehow clearer and cleaner and feels like a fresh start - and there are so many different ways to experience it in January. When there’s snow on the ground, it reflects the loveliest blueish light indoors, and is perfect for taking pictures next to our North-facing kitchen window. Sun sparkling on the snow or frosty roadside grasses in the early morning is an entirely different kind of magical light to watch for. Those shimmering, frosted sunrises can be truly breathtaking and are worth getting outside for if you can. Sun pillars are most often seen here this month, too - it’s the most amazing phenomenon on very cold days where you can see a pillar of light above the rising or setting sun. It’s light from the sun reflected from the surfaces of millions of ice crystals - it feels so magical to experience the phenomenon. And of course, the metaphorical light and energy of a new beginning in January gives all of these types of light more significance.

Things to Make

• Winter Soup is warming, delicious, nutritious, and a great way to use up leftover vegetables. Here’s my go-to winter soup guidelines (it can hardly be called a recipe): Saute a chopped onion in a bit of olive oil in a large pot. If I have some ground meat or sausage on hand, this is the step where I cook it up, but it’s also a great vegetarian soup. Add two or three carrots, peeled and chopped, and some celery if you have some to use up. And parsnips or turnip, or really whatever other root vegetables you want to use, and some cubed potatoes. Top with water or broth, and simmer until the carrots are tender. You can put a parmesan rind in for some added flavour if you have a bit on hand. At this point, add in some canned tomato product - it can be crushed tomatoes, diced, or even condensed tomato soup. Add in a can (or equivalent) of beans if you want (yellow-eye are so nice - I cook them up in our instant pot and keep them in the freezer.) Add a generous handful of kale (frozen or fresh chopped) and/or frozen peas or corn (I don’t usually add peas and corn if it’s sausage and bean.) Continue cooking until everything is warmed through, season with salt and pepper and serve with crackers or rolls. It freezes and refrigerates well, and is even better the next day.

• Beeswax candles are another way to add light to your winter days, and if you’re looking for a project, these are pretty easy to make with a few supplies. The scent is so sweet and lovely - it’s literally summer sun in candle form. You can make rolled candles using sheets or poured. You can also buy locally made beeswax candles at most farm markets or local craft stores. 

• A card or letter for a friend is a lovely way for them to be able to hold a reminder of you. If there’s someone you haven’t been able to see during this past year, making and sending a handwritten card is a perfect way to connect in a tangible yet safe way. There is infinite inspiration online for simple and more complicated cards to make; pop-up cards are especially fun. I sometimes tuck in a few individually packaged tea bags so we can imagine how lovely it will be to have tea together again. 

Things to Do

• Pick up some discounted paperwhite or amaryllis bulbs from the store. Check to make sure they’re intact and not squishy or mouldy before buying them; it’s okay if the flower stalk is starting to emerge. Plant and water them, and watch through the month as they grow.

• You might feel inspired to tidy; taking a bit of time to go through your toiletries is an easy, practical way to have a mini fresh start. Bonus: every time you go to wash your face or brush your teeth, you’ll be giving your past self a high - five. Take everything out of your cupboard. Toss any expired products, keep only the ones you use and enjoy. Pass along any you haven’t opened and won’t use. Wipe down the shelves in your cupboard, wash out your toothpaste / toothbrush cup - really make it sparkle. This is the sort of thing that is easy to put off, but doesn’t take very long and is so lovely once it’s done - make a cup of tea and put on your fave podcast, and enjoy the process.

• Also, (this is not medical advice - talk to your doctor) - fish oil and vitamin D have become so important to me in the winters. Fish oil keeps my skin from drying up and flaking off entirely, and vitamin D is good for all body systems in the Northern hemisphere at this dark time of year. (Oh doctor, oh doctor, oh dear doctor John, your cod liver oil is so pure and so strong - did anyone else learn that song as a kid?)

I hope that you find light this January.

Love,
Sherrie

A Year of Light 2021

As I write in this last week of December 2020, 2021 lies ahead of us, a tentative shimmer of hope after the year that has just passed. There will be more hard days coming, I am certain. But there will also be goodness, and light. I’d like to share a bit of that light with you each month in 2021, so I will be posting a photo of mine, sized to use as a background/lock screen picture for your phone, and a bit of inspiration for the month with ideas for things to notice, make, and do.

I live in beautiful Nova Scotia, Canada. Some of the things I will share this year are specific to this place, and may not be things that you will encounter in your part of the world. I love that when it’s deepest darkest winter here in NS, it’s the height of summer in other places: the purpose behind this whole project is to encourage you to notice what is around you, wherever you are. When I see other people’s Instagram posts or read a book about an experience different from mine, one of the things that I love is that my sense of self-importance, central place in the world and staleness of routine is shifted. It highlights the differences between that experience and mine and reminds me that we are all somehow, wonderfully, on this planet at the same time. How amazing that we can share our stories with each other so easily! It makes my own worries and concerns seem less overwhelming.

Starting our days and months with intention, and having something to focus on gives shape to our thoughts and how we look at the world. I want this project to be a delightful reminder when you look at your phone that there is a beautiful world around you, whatever else is happening. This is not at all to say that hard things can be ignored, pushed aside or glossed over, but that the good and bad, dark and light, easy and hard have always existed at the same time. And so, this gift of mine for you is a look at each month captured in one photo, and have some ideas for things to make and do that you might find useful and heartening. 

Feel free to use the photo for your phone lock screen / background and to share this project with friends.  I’ll be sharing each month’s full post here, including the picture and ideas, as well as on Instagram and Facebook. If you make and or do any of the monthly activities, I’d be delighted if you posted about it, but please don’t feel obligated. This is a no-pressure project - take what you like and leave the rest. If you do want to share, you can use the hashtag #YearOfLight2021

What I wish for you in 2021 are eyes that are looking for the wonder that surrounds you - because it’s easiest to see what you’re looking for.

Love,

Sherrie

P.D. James, Iris Murdoch, and November notes

I could write “what a year!” once again, but I think that’s a given. I’m trying to imagine how history will look back on 2020. Will it be the same way I look back on major historical events with a glaze of “wow - imagine to have lived through that?” when of course, having lived through it for most people was the usual routine of their days along with the looming knowledge of this major thing happening in the world. I finished reading PD James’ Time to be in Earnest recently, and she describes being in hospital after the birth of her first child during the bombings of WW2 - being wheeled into the hallway at night because it was potentially safer than being in the ward, while the babies were taken to the basement for safety. Her nightmares of what would happen if they were bombed and she couldn’t get to her baby were so heart-wrenching. The things that people have lived through are incredible.

In the same book, she mentions an encounter with Iris Murdoch at an event. (Side note: she wrote the memoir during her 77th year, and the number of events she attended and spoke at is exhausting and inspiring.) Murdoch’s name rang a bell, but I couldn’t quite make the connection in my sleepy evening-reading state. And then as I was clearing out my inbox this morning, there it was - in a Brain Pickings newsletter that I have had sitting there for ages to be read. The idea of “unselfing” as something that Nature and Art are uniquely positioned to enable us to do is fascinating; allowing us to moving beyond and outside of ourselves. It’s a term I hadn’t encountered before, but it’s definitely something I’ve experienced. It makes me feel inspired to both experience more for myself, and to share that with others.

*

Thomas had his first horse lesson today. It was absolutely delightful to see how much he (and Tulip the horse) enjoyed it. I’m trying to savour every delight that I can, especially this year.

There have been so few cases of COVID here that things have felt relatively normal for awhile now. School resumed in person, and I have been continuing to see most of my students in person, with the looming knowledge that at any moment everything could change. It’s been different than any other year, that’s for sure. Sanitizer, masks, and staying distanced are starting to feel normal. But the looming threat of the possibility of another lockdown if cases get out of hand is always there. I’ve heard many people talk about the uncertainty of these next months and years and how that is probably the most difficult thing to process. Of course, we don’t have any guarantees at any time for what the future holds, so in many ways it’s the same, but with one major new factor that we know about that could change things.

Having my hands occupied always helps me to move through difficulties, and I have some Christmas planning to do. I’m going to make a large wreath for our garage door again this year; one of my favourite little yearly tasks, along with putting together the planters for the front step. I found a spot a few weeks ago with lots of rosa multiflora rosehips that will become a beautiful adornment for the house; maybe a wreath for the front door. We’ll do something special for solstice, and don’t yet know if we’ll be able to visit extended family. Holding things lightly is more important than ever right now.

May mornings and cooking

I have appreciated not rushing out the door in the morning to get to work over these past few months, and I’ve really tried to let the loveliness of May mornings sink in. It’s usually a very busy time for my work, and I am not taking this amazing, bright and blooming time of year for granted.

It seems like there should be so much to write about, but every day seems so much like every other day with this strange hazy routine and uncertainty about how our days ahead will look. Which is what everyone is saying these days, because it is so true.

Meals are definitely the anchor times of our days, and we’ve been spending a lot of time cooking and baking.

My oldest has made popovers (they’re SO delicious and they turned out perfectly- we preheat the pan in the oven and serve them with honey butter.) Our thrifted ice cream maker has been getting a workout this week making sorbets and banana ice cream.

Skolleboller was a hit - I loved these Norwegian cardamom buns. The texture of the bun was so nice - we let the dough rise a bit longer, and the bake time was about 10 minutes longer, too. Such a nice little treat with a cup of tea.

We’ve been using the Instant Pot most days too, for everything from steel cut oats to fall-apart whole chicken and sweet potatoes. And cheesecake! I did make a lime cheesecake that was pretty tasty in there, too. I was excited to try a spaghetti recipe in it last week for fun, and this one was great. For the marinara, I used a large can of crushed tomatoes, and added salt, pepper, a splash of balsamic and a pinch of sugar. Yum. My kid who doesn’t usually like spaghetti even likes it - the sauce kind of soaks into the pasta in a different way and makes this lovely smooth sauce.

This broccoli skillet recipe became a simple, easy new favourite - it was gobbled up in no time. And now that I’m thinking about it, I want to make it again this week.

Adam has been using the BBQ most days. He loves cooking with it so much, and we’ve been having all kinds of delicious grilled things (grilling a slice of pound cake and topping with fruit sauce or curd is delicious.) He loves to find recipes here.

Thinking of cooking, I’ve also been enjoying the Home Cooking podcast - it is delightful!

I hope that you’re eating well and enjoying some time creating in the kitchen.

*

A special hello to my niece and dedicated reader F. <3

April morning

After what has been the wildest imaginable year so far, especially here in my beautiful Nova Scotia, I’m finding that as always, nature is keeping me well. In the midst of trying to manage such a sudden shift in our daily routines and schedules, and all of the daily complications and irritations of making the best of things as we go through our days, she just moves along at her own lovely pace, bringing beauty and joy and life. There have definitely been disappointments over cancelled plans, we have had our ‘moments’ for sure, and it is so hard to not visit with friends. And I miss Frenchy’s. It is important to recognize those things. But. But! I am thankful for so many things, and that is what I am choosing to dwell on right now.

• We are healthy.

• We have a property that we are free to explore and work on, and the extra time that we have right now is perfect for working on some bigger projects.

• It is Spring! My favourite season. The earth is just waking up here, and new growth and life are everywhere.

• The garden! One of our big projects this year is a garden expansion. We have been collecting cardboard and shovelling a lot of compost and mulch. Trays of seedlings are on a table set up in the dining room, and it looks like we may have a freezer (or several) full of tomatoes this fall. My favourite Green Arrow peas are planted!

• Daylight hours - it’s so nice to have the early and late light to make the days feel more expansive.

• Home is my favourite.

I took the “real” camera out one morning last week as the sun was rising; here’s some of that beauty for you.

A few odds and ends that I’ve appreciated lately:

iNaturalist app: Thomas and I have been having fun with this app. He is delighted to take pictures of everything from lichen to deer poop.

Charles Dowding’s YouTube videos have been a huge inspiration for our garden expansion. Love them!

Ruth Allen: I stumbled across her Anemone ebook on Instagram. So lovely!

The return of the light

As we sink deeper into the colder months and winter officially arrived last weekend, I feel that gentle pull inward, to long cozy evenings indoors and just a quieter, more thoughtful pace for awhile, especially during these days after the rush of Christmas. There’s a relief and deep exhale with the solstice, knowing that slowly, bit by bit, the light will return once more.

To celebrate the solstice last weekend, we had a lovely bonfire down the hill by the pond. I planned to be very thoughtful about it, to maybe make a list of things to let go of and release them into the fire, with some tobacco that was gifted to me and thanks to Creator for what has been, full of hope for the future and what is to come. In reality, I forgot about these things amidst the hustle and bustle of the day, and after enjoying the fire for awhile, it ended abruptly when en ember flew into my eye (it’s fine now!). Such is real life. Anyway, the solstice fire is our small way of celebrating the return of the light and our connection to the natural world. What a thing - to be alive and in this beautiful place and present to all that is. And so, the light will return once more, then the darkness - it is the way of things. And what a privilege to be connected to it all.

***

New Year and all of its energy find me of two minds - on the one hand, I love the sense of a new beginning (much like Septembers!) with hope and optimism and best intentions. I very much dislike when it is approached with a tone of “whip yourself into shape” “fix yourself” and anything that is trying to sell something. Ugh.

My two cents for this new year - whatever you choose for 2020, whether you have lofty goals or none at all: love yourself and encourage yourself as you would a good friend. Don’t expect miracles. Take it one day at a time. Look around you for beauty and good and you will find it.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

In the autumn my energy returns, my head clears, and I feel ready to tackle anything. It is the season in which I feel the most myself, and I love it SO MUCH. I enjoy going back to work and starting a fresh school year (new notebooks! Post-its! Pencils!) Geez Louise, even the colours are the ones that look best on me. A scarf and a cup of tea outside in the woods? Yes, please!

At the moment, however, I’m fighting some kind of bug and am not quite feeling all of the fall wonderfulness fully - but hopefully in another day or two I will be up and running at full fall fervour.

This summer, I was welcomed into a beautiful garden belonging to a neighbour of my parents’. I came home with dozens of cuttings and bits and pieces of plants to add to my little garden. One of the ones I was most excited about are these fall crocuses - a plant I hadn’t heard of before. They are quite different from spring crocuses, and judging from the number of times their toxicity is mentioned in the Wikipedia entry, I think they deserve a cameo in a murder mystery. Hilariously enough, they’re also known as Naked Ladies, because the flowers emerge as seen above, way before the leaves. (The crispy brown bits in the picture are last years’ leaves, which I kept so I would remember exactly where I planted them.)

A few of my fall favourites:

The Girl Next Door Podcast Fall Extravaganza yearly episode! You can download all of the previous ones and listen while baking some apple cake and puttering in the kitchen - how cozy does that sound? Or enjoy them while driving by the changing leaves! So fun.

Burning these. Or diffusing fall-ish oils (frankincense and orange is a fave).

Cutting grass “flowers” from ditches, as seen above - perfectly seasonal, beautiful, free and compostable decor!

I always do a bit of a houseplant purge in the fall - there are always some that I’m just not as keen on as others for whatever reason, and I have people who will happily take them and nurture them. For some reason, it’s come to be something i like about fall - paring down (which I do in various iterations year round, I suppose). I also love going through my clothes at this time of year and weeding out the ones that I no longer wear for whatever reason.

And food! Tikka Masala in the Instant Pot.

This squash soup is the simplest ever!

And my favourite crusty bread.

YUM.

The one summer leftover that I hang onto until the very bitter end is sandals - I will be wearing them until the snow flies.

I hope that you enjoy a sunny, cozy, leafy, clear-minded fall, even if you’re not quite as enthusiastic about it as I am. ;)

Beautiful Bon Portage Island

It is late summer as I sit here in my living room. The weather shifted last night, and a gloriously clear and cool breeze is sweeping through the house. Fall is definitely in the air, although there will be a few more hot, humid days to come. Next to me is a steaming mug of very special nettle tea - made from young nettles harvested back in June on the rocky beach of Bon Portage Island. It smells much like fiddleheads, green and herbaceous, and tastes life-giving. I had my first cup of tea from these nettles back in June, made on a propane stove in a cozy cabin, sitting on a sunny deck with a group of people I had just met.

But the story really begins at my son’s Tae Kwan Do tournament at Evelyn Richardson Memorial Elementary School in Shag Harbour, last summer. Although I visit most schools in the area for my work, I have never had a student at that particular school. It’s perched at the rocky edge of the ocean; a setting that would be envied by most. In the lobby, a display honouring Evelyn Richardson, school namesake, held a copy of her book, We Keep a Light. I requested it from the library that day, and had it in my hands a few days later. As I read it, I was transported to another time, and a world so familiar and yet new unfolded before me. I fell in love with the island through her writing, never thinking that I would have the chance to set foot on it.

Fast forward to this spring, when I saw in an email newsletter that the Nova Scotia Nature Trust (NSNT) was organizing a weekend trip to the island, now owned by Acadia University, for volunteers to do some work and learn about the island. I couldn’t sign up fast enough. When I first found out I would be visiting the island, I told my neighbour. Her face lit up. “Well, have I got a story for you! Let me put the tea on.” Back when Evelyn and Morrill Richardson were the lightkeepers, she visited the island with her father, who was a minister. She painted the most beautiful image of her day’s trip, waking early for the long drive, and Evelyn making a picnic spread of fried chicken and salads for their guests on the lawn by the light. And so, on a weekend in early June, what feels like both yesterday and years ago, with much enthusiasm I tossed my pack onto the deck of a fishing boat and set off toward the island with 19 strangers.

Along with the 16 volunteers were three NSNT staff and a student who researches predation of the Leach’s Storm Petrel, the bird celebrity of the island. The petrels also had nests under the cabins, and at night as the birds came and went, we could hear them telling their mates all about their adventures. (You can hear what they sound like here.) We saw many nesting gulls, and sweet little fuzzy speckled babies. Birds are not an area of expertise for me but I loved seeing the enthusiasm of the birders on the trip, who whipped out binoculars, field guides, pencils and notebooks to document their sightings.

We worked together to build boardwalks to keep feet on pathways and away from nesting areas, ate leisurely meals cooked outside on camp stoves, and sat around the campfire, learning about the island, the birds, and the work of the NSNT. It was easy and relaxed, fascinating and beautiful. I can’t overstate: this was the loveliest group of people - generous, kind people who love this province and appreciate the beauty and interconnected complexities of nature.

Although I expected the usual beach debris - rope, buoys, plastic jugs and containers - I was not prepared for the volume of fishing gear on the beaches. Hundreds of old lobster pots littered the beaches. Cropping it out of pictures is pretty easy to do, but I made a point to include it in some. Rielle, who researches the birds and spends a lot of time on the island mentioned that she had recently found a bamboo fork on the beach - which seems small in comparison to the rest of the plastic waste, but does offer a small glimmer of hope.

All weekend, I kept thinking back and wondering what the island was like when Evelyn was living and working there. Divots in the earth by the ‘new’ light station outline the foundation where the original lighthouse stood. A thick ring of spent daffodils made my heart flutter a bit when I realized that she could have planted them; perhaps a gift from a mainland friend’s garden that multiplied over space and time, much like We Keep a Light.

The book We Keep a Light won the Governer General’s Award for creative non-fiction in 1945. Evelyn died in 1976. You can learn more about Evelyn Richardson here.

The Nova Scotia Nature Trust’s involvement with the island is explained here.

The CBC’s Colleen Jones was also on the trip, and wrote this piece about the weekend.

Chick Chat

I forgoed (forwent?) hatching chicks in 2018. It is a lot of work, they’re stinky and messy, and we would wait another year, I told myself. There are many reasons why I keep chickens and love it so much, but the extra work is not one of those reasons. A few of the reasons are:

• beautiful eggs in colours that we can’t find at the grocery store

• the satisfaction of knowing that these birds are living relatively safe lives where they are free to roam and forage and be chickens

• the delight of watching them running to eat their morning seed treats

• being able to use their coop litter in the garden

In order to have blue/green egg layers where we are, you can buy unsexed day-old chicks for $13 each, or you can find a friend with a flock and a rooster and get some hatching eggs. Our wonderful rooster died this past winter, so I got some eggs from my friend Ash, and into the incubator they went. It was my first time hatching eggs myself - I had teachers hatching them in their classrooms in previous years with mixed results.

As the eggs began to hatch, I was coming down with a nasty coughing sickness. I fell asleep on the floor next to the incubator more than once. I fretted over the temperature, the humidity, and had convinced myself that something was sure to go horribly wrong. Trusting knowledge from people who have done something before is a wonderful thing, and it worked to my advantage.

I am happy to report that things did not go wrong at all. 24 eggs went into the incubator. Four were removed after about 10 days, as they showed no signs of development. Most of the shells were too dark to candle, so I held on to hope that chicks were growing in there. Out of the 20 that remained, 16 hatched. All of the chicks were healthy, and watching them emerge from the shells was remarkable. Chicks begin peeping from inside the shells before they even hatch - it serves as encouragement to the others. The only mildly worrisome thing that happened was that one chick hatched and had one eye closed for a day or so; it eventually opened and the chick is fine. No fretting necessary.

Because the chicks are a “barnyard mix”, only time will tell how their feathers will come in and what they will look like, as well as what egg colours they will lay. Time will also tell how many are roosters - which is always the magical number when it comes to chickens. We’re hoping to keep one lovely, gentle rooster to raise - there are about four chicks with remarkably large combs right now, but I’m still hopeful for several hens.

It’s dusk as I write, and a hummingbird is drinking from the feeder on our dining room window. It feels like a magical fairy visitation each time I look up and one is there. Chickens aren’t nearly as graceful, agile, delicate or iridescent as hummingbirds, but their practical, goofy, not-very-bright-ness is so endearing.

The chick pics in this post were taken by my wonderful husband Adam.