Synchronized Skating Tournament

Yesterday we went to Oshawa to watch Alida's friend, Heather, (from Queen's and Calgary) skate in the national competion for sr. women's synchronized skating. Heather's mom was there too so we learned a lot about what the judges are looking for, since this was my first time seeing syncronized skating. It was really interesting, and also good to see Heather again. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures during the competition, so here is a picture of Heather and some of her team members waiting for their final score.

Forty Days of Lent

We just came home from an Ash Wednesday service and guess what I heard?! That there are 40 days of Lent but... Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and goes until Easter Sunday, but if you count the days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, there are 46 days! That's because the Sundays don't count as days of Lent. On Sunday the church celebrates the ressurection of Christ and so did not want to give up those days of celebration. We heard that there are 4 Sundays of Advent and 6 Sundays in Lent. Yesterday at our staff meeting Elliott was saying that he would give up coffee during Lent, but would be allowed to enjoy it on Sundays because they're not part of Lent. I can't believe that I never heard of this before and now all of a sudden I hear the same new thing two days in a row! We actually had a very special Ash Wednesday service and this was just an aside.

Magazines I Enjoy

Ice Sculptures in Yorkville

This morning on my way to work I hopped off the subway a few stops early to see the ice sculptures in Yorkville. Some of the fine details had melted off, since the sculptures had already been on display for the whole weekend, but they were still beautiful and I'm glad I got to see them.

Winter's Back

Even though I was very happy to see the tulips and some of the perennials coming up, I'm also glad that we've had enough snow in the last few days, to cover all the flower beds again. The snow serves as a good layer of insulation, protecting the plants from the frost. Hopefully the next time all the snow melts it will be warm enough for the new plants to survive.

Spike Back Against Poverty

Last night we participated in TCM's annual Spike Back Against Poverty beach volleyball tournament. About ten years ago the mission's donor base was really aging, so this annual beach volleyball tournament was started, to help raise awareness of the work of Toronto City Mission among the younger people in the Toronto area. Last night 22 youth and young adult teams from churches all over the GTA - over 200 people - participated. Loads of youthful energy and enthusiasm! It was fun! In addition to raising awareness of the mission, the teams raised $17,000. to help send kids to summer camp!

Gerard played on my behalf on the TCM Staff Team while I helped with registration.

Time for a break to hand out awards for the highest individual and the highest team fundraisers and to distribute raffle ticket prizes.

Here's the youth group from our church....

Hanging out between games.

Second Goal Accomplished - Tree Trimmed

I love the huge beautiful silver maple in our back yard. It creates its own climate around it, provides lots of shade and keeps us nice and cool in the summer time. Today there's a crew thinning out the crown of the tree so it doesn't catch so much wind, removing dead wood, trimming back some branches that are hanging too close to the house and cabling the two main trunks together to make the tree safer. So I'm doing my Saturday cooking today so I can see what's going on, because I really enjoy watching the process. They're like monkeys way up there in the tree.

Afternoon in Stratford

This afternoon we went to Stratford to visit my parents. They were in good spirits and good health. It was great to see them again.

It was really snowing in Stratford and also in Toronto. Nothing in between. Looks like winter's back.

One Goal Accomplished - Tiramisu

Tiramisu is absolutely my favourite dessert! So learning to make my own became one of my goals for this year. I tried for the first time on Saturday by making half of a 4-serving recipe -enough for Gerard and me to each have a serving. But... it was disappointing. It didn't taste like real tiramisu. So back to the internet for a better recipe. I read through lots of them, combined four recipes, and came up with my own. One goal accomplished - tiramisu! And it was delicious!

Family Day

Sunday Afternoon Hike

Look What I Found!

When the rain of the last two days melted the snow, I found these tulips pushing their way through last year's leaves. Yah! Can't wait to start digging, but I guess that's a little premature.

Pussy Willows!

I saw pussy willows outside a flower shop today!

Flooded Sidewalks

We walked to and from church this morning and are heading out on foot again this afternoon to play and sing at a nursing home. Finding a dry place to walk is a bit of a challenge in places, but the feel of the warm sun is wonderful!

Impatients in February!

Today I enjoyed the wonderful sound of spring - running water. The temperature got up to 8 Celsius causing snow to melt and water to run and birds to sing and me to hope that spring might just be coming someday...

The Handwriting on the Wall

I've always been fascinated by people's handwriting. In preparation for the Sheppard-Leslie subway station, the artist Micah Lexier, went to schools, nursing homes, and other places and asked people to write "Sheppard & Leslie". Now the walls of the station are covered with over 17,000 tiles, each with the words Sheppard and Leslie written in different handwriting by 3,400 Torontonians. I love looking at all the different styles and trying to guess what kind of person wrote each one.

Inspiring Lunch

Well, I've been having a hard time feeling motivated in January and February, also as far as feeling inspired to recognize and post my blessings on this blog. That's kind of how I usually feel around this time of year. Can't wait for spring! However, today I went to the naturopathic clinic and had lunch at their cafeteria after my appointment. Everything they serve is vegetarian and all organically grown. I had kale salad (again) and tried black bean salad for the first time. They were both delicious and I left feeling inspired to find some new recipes to prepare at home.

Views out the Back and the Front

Sunday Afternoon Hike