Another Birthday and A Weekend Away

I have to say that sometimes, when you least expect it, things happen. I'm talking about a series of events which sometimes fall into place really nicely. So was my last week.

I recently had another birthday. Where do those keep coming from? Of course, for the most part birthdays become increasingly undesirable as we age. This one, was a pleasant surprise.

I awoke to find the kitchen decorated with gifts, balloons, and balloon animals. My daughter had

been busy during the night. Knowing how much hubby likes gifts, she even got a present for him so that he might celebrate his half birthday. Later in the day, we all enjoyed some lovely Greek take-out food, bubbly wine drinks, and a birthday cake...Smurfs.
                             
The next day, my friend and I headed out for Ottawa. I had recently received an email about the Signatures Show, so we decided it would be worth attending.  We arrived at the Novotel in the evening, after cautiously negotiating our way through a rainstorm and the usual construction. We had an unremarkable dinner. (see my Tripadvisor Review of Albion Rooms, Ottawa)

Saturday morning, we left bright and early for the Byward Market. We passed several amusing signs and one that was slightly disturbing....grass fed beef with a picture of a puffin?

We explored, bought some special celebratory Trudeau cookies, and eventually wandered toward the Shaw Centre where the Signature Show was happening. What a treat that was. Admission was a bargain at $6 senior. They were optimistic that we looked like shoppers and we were given a special bag for being one of the first 200 to enter the show on that day. The artisans were amazing. This wasn't one of those, sampling crackers and jam types of shows. There were many creative designers of jewellery, rugs, art, leather, knitwear, and more. There were unique items and best of all, they were totally Canadian. Talented creators had come from Quebec and other parts of the country to show off their work. Not only that, the artisans were willing to chat at length about their skills, talents, and dreams for the future. This wasn't just an exhibit, it was an experience.

By afternoon, we were tired enough for a rest but that didn't deter us from further explorations later in the day. We had seen a store that advertised "no ordinary shoes" and at the time, I hadn't realized that they sold Canadian designer John Fluevog wares. I had seen these shoes before in the Distillery District in Toronto. I often wondered whether they would fit my platypus feet. We had to return to try some, just to say we had. After an hour and a half, and a very helpful and persistent sales girl who was convinced that she could find shoes to fit me, along came a pair of what I like to call, Minnie Mouse/Daisy Duck shoes. They were large, wide, comfortable and most of all, had a heel. It was an interesting heel, but nonetheless, it was a heel. I was ecstatic as I whipped out my birthday money and clung to the shoes as if they were the most beautiful things on earth. Actually, they are...especially when they're on my feet. Now I am the proud owner of "no ordinary shoes". After all, I'm no ordinary person.

Truth be told, we tried every shoe in the store.

Sensible shoes with flare

After an eventful and exhausting day, we collapsed fatigued, woke up early the next day, had breakfast, and began to head home. That's not to say we drove directly home, but we did arrive eventually.

Chocolate, Chocolate, Everywhere

Last Sunday's Chocolate Exhibition and Marketplace in Toronto was an experience to be sure. It was the culmination of the Toronto Chocolate Festival, a fundraising event which I didn't even know existed. This year, all proceeds from functions such as The Chocolate Ball and Tea went to Prostate and Breast Cancer groups.

My daughter and I purchased advanced tickets, took GO transit, and walked to the venue...Roy Thomson Hall. This time, we were hoping to see a symphony of a different kind. It was to be a symphony of taste and a rhapsody of chocolate.
                                                           

Knowing what we do now, we might have approached this day a bit differently, but nonetheless, we did well. I realize that some of what stood out to us as disorganization, might be excused because many of the staff were volunteers. I'm hoping to find out where to give some feedback.

After entering the hall, we saw that the exhibits were "in the round". That is, they were all set up in the hallway of this circular building. Guests were naturally clustered around tables where free samples were available. According to the programme, there were 25 different chocolate makers from different parts of the country exhibiting their wares.

We soon noted that many items were for sale for cash and some displays had signs stating "2 tickets, 3 tickets" and so on. This confused us until we eventually realized that there were sampling tickets for purchase further along the hall...somewhat disappointing after our admission cost. On the other hand, it was also possible to take items home with an appropriate number of tickets. We decided against the ticket purchase as there were enough vendors dispensing free tastes.

We searched for some entertainment, perhaps chocolate sculptures, people dressed in costume, chocolate fountains, and the like but found only this strange item which looked out of place in the middle of the room. It made no sense. I photographed my daughter's hand in the frame which was also not made of chocolate (the hand nor the frame).

One thing we wanted to check out was the wine and chocolate pairing workshop. This was going to cost another $15 and was available at specified times only. We inquired but the people in the vicinity of the signage were unfamiliar with this event. Again, we decided against the expense.

As we shifted our eyes skyward, we saw some people sipping what appeared to be beverages of a certain proof on the upper level. ID's were being checked as patrons ventured up the stairs. We asked and were told anyone could go up there. We were of course disappointed that nobody questioned our ages. Trudging up the steps with my old legs was a challenge, but I thought of it as a way to work off a few of the earlier free samples. After reaching the top, we discovered, that we needed tickets for the samples and the only place to purchase them was downstairs at the one ticket selling location. Told that we'd probably need about 3 tickets per drink sample, we purchased a fist full and headed back up the steps.

The first vendor we saw, was dispensing chocolate raspberry truffle wine. Interesting and a bargain at only one ticket. Chocolate samples were 2 or 3 tickets, but liquor samples were, as we now discovered only one. We set up camp. Not only was the mezzanine level far less crowded, we could see all the events below, everything from chocolate making demos to eating contests and games.

The Girls' Night Out chocolate raspberry truffle wine was delicious. It tasted exactly as the picture would suggest. Note - I wouldn't recommend this as a dinner wine with meat but rather more of a dessert as the label would indicate. After tasting a chocolate vodka mojito or two, followed by some chocolate lager, and some other type of wine, we really began to appreciate the show.

We also found that we had far too many tickets left over. Back we went for another sample of raspberry, chocolate truffle wine. This had now become our favourite by far. A short trip downstairs to one of the chocolate vendors helped to dispose of the rest of our tickets. I would not recommend chocolate covered dates filled with nuts from Dubai after sampling a few liquors.

We were getting hungry and tired of the smell of chocolate so we left and had lunch before negotiating the maze which is the new and impossible \Union Station. 

We also took some samples home for hubby, but if he doesn't soon eat that chocolate mouse sitting on our sideboard, it just might skitter into someone else's mouth.

Halloween Pumpkin Fun

Sometimes we forget the fun we used to have.  Fortunately, we have our children to remind us.

My adult daughter recently mentioned that we should have a mom-daughter bonding time. She suggested carving pumpkins.

"Really?" I asked. "More than one?"

"Three," she announced. "We need at least three."

So I picked up a couple of small ones on my way home tonight. We already had a larger one ready to go.

This evening we began. Three pumpkins, cut open and cleaned out. Now what?

We needed to make a plan but had no fabulous ideas. I had scooped out the big one so I started by making my usual boring face, but soon after became a little more creative. Eventually, through no effort at all, my Jack-o-Lantern became a punk rocker...or perhaps Mick Jagger...you decide.

My daughter tried to recreate her own facial features by using some of her makeup. She wasn't happy with the outcome and after a bit of back and forth and a lot of laughter we thought of a chia pet. Wanting to make it current, we were thinking Miley Cyrus or the like, but eventually zeroed in on the Kardashian family. We're not familiar except for what we've heard on the news and through the Jenner connection. From this, the "Chia Kardashian" was born. I always knew there had to be a use for all that extra parsley that comes in supermarket clumps.

The realistic box was entirely my clever daughter's doing.

Since we were getting tired, we decided to punch a few holes to create swiss cheese and fill the final pumpkin with vermin. Here's the result.

Further crazy thoughts were to add a glass of wine with the cheese and the cheese knife or possibly make it into a Kardashian family wine and cheese party. Unfortunately it was well beyond the witching hour and by the time we had cleaned up all our mess....and yet, here I am writing a blog.

It's amazing how these simple creative and fun things can give us such joy. Unfortunately, we lose a lot of the lust for life and energy to want to do things as we get older. Why is that?

Wire Wrapping Not Wire Rapping

My friend and I recently registered for a wire wrapping class. Not to be confused with the spoken word poetry to music, this was a class in bending wires to assemble jewellery. We wanted to make a beautiful necklace. Registration was inexpensive and the class took place at a large craft store. We were the only two to arrive on a Friday night and naturally, appreciated the individual attention.

First, we selected and purchased our beads and wires at a discounted price. Next, we laid them on a tray provided, so that we wouldn't be chasing down tiny beads all over the floor.


Then our wonderful instructor gave us the beginner info. and tools. We were glad that we didn't have to purchase pliers, trays, and the like. Using her equipment, we attempted to begin our project. After several re-dos, sore and blackened fingers, and minimal success, we were out of time and I for one was out of patience.  

                                                         
Here's what I managed to complete after a couple of hours. I connected three beads. In fairness, I did bend all the dozen wires creating the links. My friend was much more skilled and made several segments for her necklace. Clearly, we needed more time and fortunately were offered such on another Friday night, by our instructor.

We had a new plan for our follow up class. We decided more fun was in order. Since we were early, we shopped, snacked, drank, and acted a little silly. Lots of laughs resulted from our little purchase.  Not only that, Yoda, much attention he garnered.












We arrived at the class and once again were the only two. Our instructor was enthusiastic, Yoda watched and we completed our projects as we snacked on Pringles. What a fun time. Here's the result of our efforts...beautiful necklaces.

Indispensable Products I Know and Love

I am not getting any form of payment for this. In fact, I didn't think there'd come a point in my life where I would know or care about certain products. No, it's not that I have too much time on my hands. I just feel the need to share the most remarkable of recent discoveries. That is...discoveries by me. These things may have been around forever. What do I know?

I have, for example always used Lestoil. I will continue to do so. I remember the commercials when I was a child. "There's less toil with lestoil, so clean the lestoil way".  There was also some mention about washing away grease and oil but I've never tried this product in the laundry. I have raved about Lestoil for more years than I can remember. I love it as a grease fighter and a floor cleaner and have been finding it harder and harder to find in stores. I feared that it had gone the way of some other products from my younger years when, suddenly I located it at my local Canadian Tire. I immediately purchased a lifetime supply. In my case, about half a dozen bottles. I hoped I wouldn't expire before they did.

Now for something I didn't know about. Giving credit where credit is due, I have learned of a new brand from my realtor. The brand is called Zep and when I say new, I mean new to me. We recently had a property for sale. It sported some unsightly carpet spots. My realtor brought in Zep spot remover and it was amazing. Seriously, it was amazing. I've been scrubbing, and bubbling, and powdering carpets for years trying to get some type of clean from them. She simply sprayed on the Zep cleaner and lifted the spot with a cloth. Wow!

I had to have some, so I went to the local proprieter of all things magical, Home Depot, and requested Zep.

"Which one?" asked the young man helping me.

"There's more than one?" I responded, mouth agape.

It was then that I discovered a whole line of products. There were bathroom cleaners, carpet cleaners, window cleaners, oven and bbq cleaners, pet stain cleaners, spot removers and more. The price was reasonable. I believe I have now purchased most. I've tried the glass cleaner...phenomenal; the shower tub and tile cleaner...terrific, and I'm looking forward to using the rest. Yes, my life is just that dull.

















Finally, and this is the biggest marvel of all, I discovered that there are such things as floor saucers. I have no idea what they're really called... perhaps moving discs, or magic sliders, or all of the above. Once again, the realtor is responsible. These handy dandy items get put under the legs of furniture, making it slide easily to a different location. Gone are all the pulleys, and ropes, plastic gizmos with small wheels, and muscle men that were once needed to move dressers or desks. These phenomenal discs let anyone move anything. You just need to be able to slightly lift the corner and place the saucer under the legs of the furniture.

So, whether you always knew about these items or whether they are new to you, I'm sure anyone would agree that most are indispensable.

My name is Hilde, and I am Invisible

I know for a fact that I'm invisible. Just to clarify, in my mind, that's not the same as simply feeling invisible. Being invisible must be differentiated from being inconspicuous, indistinct, unassuming, or unnoticeable. Those are earlier degrees of invisibility, a developing state which must be mastered. Once one becomes proficient, being invisible is difficult to undo. Oh, you might dabble in being seen from time to time, but for the most part, you are invisible and you prefer it,

So, just as an alcoholic stands up and confesses, "My name is          and I am an alcoholic", I am now sharing that "I am Hilde and I am invisible."  Again, that's not to say that I don't have mass. I take up space...more than I'd like. It's not that kind of invisibility to which I'm referring.

“I don't need a cloak to become invisible.”  -J.K. Rowling

Some of us grew up during an era when parents, out of desperation said things like "children should be seen and not heard". Although I don't recall being a rambunctious child, my folks were known to use this expression from time to time. Sometimes, I sat under the kitchen table in order to avoid being either seen or heard. It worked. I was rarely noticed and seldom missed. I liked the feeling. Perhaps I was even praised for my behaviour, who knows? It kept me out of trouble.

“A quiet kid is a good kid. But a quiet and invisible kid is an even better kid.”
  -Jarod Kintz
 
During my school career, I strived to be indistinct. I was the kid who sat quietly, off to one side toward the back of the classroom. I recommend this particular seating for people preferring anonymity. Don't sit too close to the front, the back, or the middle of the room. Those are always in the teacher's sights. I learned not to look down or away. This is an essential skill which must be mastered. Teachers always pick up on it if someone is looking down or pretending to be searching for a missing item in their desk. I simply stared straight ahead but not directly at the instructor to be sure I did not make eye contact. I was the one who didn't raise her hand, didn't talk, didn't do much of anything other than what was needed to progress each year while remaining unnoticed.

Unfortunately, I found out that I couldn't always be inconspicuous. The times I was seen were when something went wrong, when I made a mistake, or when I was embarrassed by what I had said or done. Not only that, it unravelled all my previous hard work. It overwhelmed me and I became obsessed with failure. I hated that. I had to work harder at being invisible.

As an adult, I believe I have mastered invisibility. I have also learned that the older you get, the more invisible you become. That is, if  "more invisible" is possible, since grammatically I think that simply "invisible" is the correct ultimate state. It's easy to be invisible when you're a senior.

"I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me." Ralph Ellison

Being invisible is not always a bad thing. In fact, on the days when you are wearing a shirt inside out, when you've dribbled food on yourself, or you have on two different coloured shoes, it's very good. Nobody notices. You're invisible.

So how do I know that I'm almost completely invisible most of the time?

When I speak, I can't really say that I'm heard. Sometimes I speak and others interrupt with what they need to say as if I'm not there. I perceive myself as background noise because that's what invisibility turns you into...a loud hum, a white noise. If I walk along a store aisle people jostle me, bump into me, or ram their carts into my heels. I rarely get the usual Canuk "sorry" anymore because I'm invisible. I go shopping and search for assistance. I don't get any, although that could be because store employees are also invisible. I'll line up in a grocery checkout or wait my turn at a counter and people will step in front of me as if they had been there first. Most recently, I went car shopping and wandered around a showroom climbing in and out of expensive vehicles. I was uninterrupted. See? Invisible.

I came across a Psychology Today article. There's mention of author Akiko Busch who thinks there are benefits to "social invisibility, positioning it as a salve to modern society's tendency toward narcissism",  Busch is further quoted as saying "we live in a time and culture that value display and are largely indifferent to the virtues of passing unnoticed". See? Invisibility is a virtue. I am invisible, therefore I am virtuous. I learned that logic in Philosophy 101 while sitting in a university classroom where everyone was invisible.

Besides the times when I commit a grievous faux pas, there are still some joyous occasions when I'm not completely invisible or when I don't want to be invisible. There's a quote that goes something like "love the people who see you when you're invisible to everyone else." I have a few close people who indeed "see" me and they are definitely loved.

I did not write this blog while playing the world's smallest violin. In fact, after reading the Psychology Today article, I feel quite good about my invisibility. After all, as Busch writes in a New York Times article, "Invisibility doesn't mean sacrificing one's individuality; it only means not having to assert it all the time. In this sense, blending in can reflect a deeper sense of self-confidence than standing out--even if no one else ever knows."

_________________________________________________________________________________
***"How To Be Invisible".New York Times, Feb. 7. 2015, Akiko Busch, 

***"Why Everyone Should Try Being Invisible", Psychology Today. Mark D. White PhD

Route 66 or Portions Thereof

October 1960 marked the premier of a t.v. show which lasted a mere four seasons, but resulted in nostalgic memories for a whole generation. The theme song was only slightly catchy with the opening line, "Get your kicks on route 66". That's some of what I recall from my childhood. Other than that, I believe there were two guys travelling around in a car having adventures along the Main Street of America. I always wanted to travel along that road, see the attractions, and appreciate the history.

A few weeks ago, hubby and I were on our way to a wedding and passed through Illinois, where we made an effort to visit some of the historic Route 66. I'll try to share my impresssions and some of what I learned along the way without turning this into a "we went here" and "we saw that" kind of a blog.

At the onset of our adventure, we used a pocket book, Road Trip USA (2009) as our guide. It was as helpful as it was confusing. Some towns/attractions were in random order and some information was no longer valid.  I discovered that the author has a more up to date, detailed website/blog on www.roadtripusa.com I also recommend the very useful and detailed Illinois Route 66 Visitors Guide available from the rest stop tourist information areas.

We found historic route 66 difficult to find and to follow. There are bits and pieces which go through small towns. Some pavement is old and broken up alongside a different super highway, or buried under a newer road. Some areas are closed for construction. We picked up the road south of Joliet although it actually began in Chicago.

These sightings got me enthusiastic for what I hoped would be ahead.

The Gemini Giant in Wilmington reminded me of people's obsession with space travel in the 60's. It was an amazing albeit no longer pristine fibreglass sculpture of a man with a helmet and rocket ship. The adjoining Launching Pad restaurant was up for sale. I have no idea how long that has been the case, but it was badly in need of renovations. We were glad to see that the Polka Dot Drive In in Braidwood seemed to be doing much better. Business was brisk and the original feel still prevailed.

Where some places had long deteriorated, others lived on, and still others survived in the form of restored and valued landmarks. Such was the case in Gardner where the 1906 historic two celled jail stood next to a streetcar diner which had been moved here in the 1930's. When I took the photos, I felt some trepidation...dark circular clouds loomed and there was a fierce wind. I was concerned that I'd have to hole up in the jail for protection from an imminent tornado. The good news was that I was confident the small stone building could withstand anything.

We found that for people wanting to get a true sense of Route 66, the city of Pontiac was intriguing. The Hall of Fame and Museum is housed in an old firehouse and was well worth the visit. For a donation, we were able to view two floors of artifacts and photos. The outdoors was as fascinating as  the inside. The murals provided some nostalgia.

The road to Funk's Grove was closed for construction, so unfortunately, we had to miss visiting the towns of Shirley and McLean. Not that there was much in these towns, but the names amused me.

 Along the way, we observed some historic gas stations. Not all were functional but nonetheless, interesting that someone found these of historical significance and maintained them.













In an effort to keep the Rte 66 spirit alive, Springfield, the capital city of Illinois, has an annual Mother Road Festival at the end of September. Not only does the famed Cozy Dog Drive-In still exist, Springfield is a history buff's dream. Abraham Lincoln governed here and this is the location of his tomb. Awesome and moving to see where one of the most significant U.S. presidents is buried.

Although we missed seeing the huge pink elephant in Livingston, we did find the world's largest bottle of catsup in Collinsville. This was truly a highlight for me. Built in 1949, it is a 170 foot tall water tower which was built for Brooks original rich and tangy catsup. Sadly, like so many other landmarks along Route 66, the original factory is for sale along with the giant roadside attraction.

As we drove closer to our eventual destination, we were excited that we had found even small portions of this famous road. We were also disappointed at how many of the historical treasures had disappeared or were for sale, The small towns just couldn't support the businesses once Rte 66 was replaced by a super highway.

I couldn't help but wonder. Are historical societies fighting a losing battle? Are we the last generation to really know or care about this highway and its history? And when all is said and done does any of it really even matter?
_________________________________________________________________________________
**Note
These little known personalities were only a few of the hundreds of guests on the Route 66 t.v. show.
Ed Asner, Robert Duvall, Suzanne Pleshette, Lee Marvin, Leslie Nielsen, Barbara Eden, Harvey Korman,, Walter Matthau, Peter Lorre, Vera Miles, Rod Steiger, Tuesday Weld, Joan Crawford, Rin Tin Tin, Jack Lord, Buster Keaton, Cloris Leachman, William Shatner, Robert Redford, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Martin Sheen, Ron Howard, Boris Karloff, Gene Hackman, Alan Alda,  Burt Reynolds, Guy Lombardo.

642 Things to Write About

Some time ago, I received a book with the title, "642 Things to Write About". I was appreciative to have this as a guideline to help me formulate some creative ideas and possibly overcome writer's block. After all, what could be easier than to flick open a page, get a topic, and start to write?

I soon discovered that the ideas were a bit unusual. For example, on page number ....well, there are no page numbers. Nonetheless, I could not imagine writing a story taking place in Argentina in 1932 where a teacup plays an important role. First of all, that sounded like it required a lot of research. What did I know about South America, the 30's, or china for that matter? I flicked to another page."Your favorite jeans". I don't wear jeans, hence no favorites. Actually, there was a blank rectangular box under this heading, no lines. Perhaps I was supposed to draw a picture? I put the book away and didn't look at it again until yesterday.

As I revisited this book, I wondered. Why did I think the ideas were odd back then? They suddenly looked like fun things to write about. The only drawback was that the spaces were a bit small and my handwriting is very large. I suppose that's what computers and blogs are for.

My first effort was in reponse to this offering.

"Think about a person you despise. Now describe all the wonderful things about that person."

I don't really despise anyone I thought. I broadened the spectrum. Perhaps I should go for dislike, disapprove, or disrespect. It didn't take long. Here is my description. I'm not certain it's all that wonderful, but it's the best I could do. Can you guess who it is?

- is a Canadian
- knows how hold onto a high paying job and has for many years
- is able to spell "prorogue"
- has influential, powerful, and wealthy friends
- knows the Bush family of the U.S.
- photographs well, speaks fairly clearly
- lives in a nice house in Ottawa
- has a good wardrobe
- says kind things about someone else's hair

 Now, let me flick to another page in this book and see if I can come up with a more creative writing topic for my next blog.