cuba

One of the many perks of my husband's dedication and hard work is a yearly trip to somewhere hot and sunny - for free!! (well, free if you don't consider long hours and high blood pressure a form of payment) This is our fifth time going on one of these trips and this year we found ourselves in Cuba. I always have reservations about these holidays, going to a third world country, eating like a pig, drinking way more booze than any human should and sitting on my backside in the sun for seven days just doesn't seem totally right. I usually get over it a few days before we leave, or at least when we land and get on the air-conditioned bus and for sure by the time I step off the bus and unload my bags I have completely surrendered. 

This time was different.

Cuba was never on my list of things to do in the first place, it just never really jumped out at me as a place I should go to. Since I am on a very limited diet (especially on these holidays, nothing like getting the "trots" on a sunny vacation) I wasn't too concerned with all the talk of horrible food, besides, it is Cuba, there must be fruit! I love fresh fruit, fresh, exotic, juicy, just picked fruit! Hard to turn down a "free" holiday no matter where it is, so I packed the usual hot sunny vacation items, sun dresses, sarongs, hats, books, bathing suit, sunscreen, flip flops, shoes, some "safe food", some extra food (in case all those people were right about the food), my workout gear (not that I ever use it on these holidays) and of course - my camera! The food might not be that great but I knew there would be some great photo ops!

We went down for breakfast on the first day but apparently Cubans don't do breakfast, at least not the sort of breakfast I was going to eat. There were wieners cut up in a milky, runny, tomato-like sauce, eggs cooked in a variety of ways, scrambled, over easy, and poached (all cold of course) some mystery meat and some random potato dishes, including mashed with some type of gravy. I was totally wrong about the fruit too by the way. You had three options, if you don't include the fried bananas they served for dessert at night, papaya, white pineapple, and some sort of peach/pear mixture in a syrup that had to have come out of a can. Breakfast was a bust, lunch and supper were no better. My diet for the week included, rice, cheese (when it was available), more rice, fried bananas, more rice and of course my suitcase full of granola bars and protein shakes!

Thank goodness for booze, sunshine and good friends! 

Once we figured out the food situation, realized that toilet paper, bottled water and clean towels were to be hoarded and protected like gold, we put on our bathing suits and made the best of it! We had a ton of laughs, we played cards, walked on the beach, took in a magic show and pretended we were on Survivor! Since there was nothing good to eat at the breakfast buffet and when I woke up at 7am  it seemed too early to drink I  went to the gym every morning. The view from the elliptical was out of this world and on top of that, this was the first holiday I came back from in the same shape or better as when I left!

Knowing that a return trip to Cuba was not likely, I knew I couldn't go back to Canada without seeing this very real, fairly sad, but also breathtaking city called Havana. We rented a 52' Chevy with a driver and spent a beautiful day on the road, it was perfect, even the food poisoning two of the boys were dealing with couldn't take away from this experience.  Everything about it was so interesting, the lack of American influence, the communist government, the millions of people, the skinny overheated horses and most incredibly - the architecture. You just know it was once a vibrant and beautiful city, a place with a rich history. We saw Al Capone's hangout, the parliament buildings, a beautiful cemetery, a fort built in the 1500's, we spoke with our driver about the government, the taxes and the Americans. We were enlightened and by the end of the day, I had a new found respect for Cuba and it's people.

I don't know what the future holds for Cuba, but it feels like change is on the horizon and I am glad I got to see it as it is today....lack of toilet paper and all! 

change is good

Part of being happy is being healthy, so it seems fitting to share the story of how I ended up on a path that has completely changed the way I relate to food. As I have mentioned before - I LOVE food! I love to eat food, I love to cook food and I love to share food! That has not changed, what has changed is the sort of food I can put into my body.

A few years ago I started to notice some strange things happening to me that seemed to be directly related to what I was eating. It actually started out with what I was drinking and how my body would react; I brushed it off as self-inflicted punishment for having had too many drinks. Then when it started to spill over into food, I knew I needed to figure out what exactly was causing me all this discomfort; so I went on a mission and a year and a half ago with the help of a nutritionist and my doctor I discovered it was gluten!

What is gluten even? Gluten is a protein found in wheat (durum, kamut, spelt) as well as barley, triticale and rye. So just stop eating it, stop eating bread and drinking beer – easy.  

Not really. 

It is found in so many things! Things that you would never even think of, soya sauce, lunch meats, worcestershire sauce, flavoured alcohol, salad dressings, certain vinegar, and the list goes on and on and on......

Where to start? I started by talking to a man I work with that I knew was Celiac. He steered me to the local chapter of the Canadian Celiac Association website. He recommended the pocket dictionary and so I bought four, one for my purse, my pantry, my husband and one extra because I was a Girl Guide and we are prepared!  What a fabulous resource, they should be charging triple what they are for them! I would seriously be at a loss without it! My mom works with a woman who has a daughter that is celiac and my friend's father-in law is also celiac and lucky for me all these people were happy to share some tips!

Armed with all this advice, guidance and the support of my husband, I picked up my pocket dictionary and got started on the pantry. A lot of food was donated to friends and local food banks to make my house gluten free. I went through the fridge and freezer and once I was satisfied I had found all the hidden gluten in my house I started this journey. I have experimented in my kitchen with modifying my favorite recipes so that I can continue to eat the food I love and I am happy to say that so far there have been more successes than failures!  I may even post a few on this blog!

It was a year in February and I feel great! There have been some surprising positive changes that I wasn’t even aware of!  It hasn’t been easy and there have been some very painful nights after inadvertently ingesting some of this gluten that my body has deemed poisonous. Overall I feel good, I feel optimistic and I feel a lot more confident than I did a year ago! 

I am able to say “no thank you” to an offering of food now without worrying about hurting someone’s feelings...and that was a big step for me!

ten years.

On the twenty-fifth of May, ten years ago, my world lost a very special person.  I cannot believe it has been ten years already. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I know exactly where I was when I got the phone call, I remember sliding to the floor in shock and I remember crying and crying and crying. I remember wondering how I was going to tell our friends who were out visiting, who came out for a good time, who were out picking up beer to get ready for a weekend of fun and partying. I remember the silent drive home knowing our lives were changed forever. I remember it all and it still hurts just as much as it did then.  I try to be  a “look on the bright side” kind of person, but this one was really hard. I know, that until the day I die, I will be able to recall both happy and sad memories of that time. 

We all grew up together in a small community and we all took his death hard. For most of us it was our first experience with death and it brought us together. I remember trying to come up with a way to make sense of it, we were all trying to make sense of it.  Some of our friends still haven’t been able to. We don’t talk about it, and if it does come up it ends in tears, with the pain of losing him just as strong for them as it was the day he left us. He had such a presence, was such a well known and loved person. I like to think that we are all here to accomplish something and once you have done what you need to do, you move on. That is how I feel about losing him, he did what he needed to do and it only took him 22 years. This is what I believe, this is what I have believed since that day 10 years ago. It makes sense to me.

I like to focus on the good times! He was young, but he lived, he really, really lived, always full tilt, always a smile, a kind word and a helping hand. There are no shortage of good memories, adventures and lots of funny times! Anytime you would get stuck (or anyone of us would get stuck) you could always call him and no matter what time of the day or night it was, he was always up for pulling someone out the mud (or snow)! I remember going on my first road trip away from home with him, with no parents! It was my 18^th birthday and since I couldn’t drink in Saskatchewan he drove us to Edmonton. It wasn’t just a trip to Edmonton though, everything with him was a special adventure and he always wanted to make sure to include the people he loved. We stayed with his mom, his sister came with us and his brothers came up on the train. We made some great memories, surrounded by family; it was a weekend filled with love and laughter. Throughout the years  we spent a lot of days and nights “driving nowhere”, getting stuck, feeding cows, swimming in the dirty old swimming hole,  driving the tractor, playing cards, maybe having the odd drink; no matter what you were doing, it was always right where you wanted to be!  

He was a great friend to me and he was my first true love. I will forever be grateful for the time I was able to spend with him. 

For years he visited me in my dreams, we would go off together happy to be reunited.  I would see that big beautiful smile of his and he would tell me that he was back, I was always so happy to see him, they were always such nice dreams – until I would wake up and realize it wasn't real. Then one day, I met him in my dreams, it was our usual happy reunion, he asked me to go with him and I told him I couldn’t, I told him I loved him but this wasn’t real, that he was dead and I had met a man I loved and I couldn’t leave him. Like all the other dreams he visited me in, I woke up from that one crying, but I also felt better. I felt like I was ok, I felt like I had finally let go, and I knew that I probably wasn’t going to be seeing him in my dreams anymore. I have only met up with him in my dreams once since then; I still think of him often – only now it is almost always with a smile. 

So, tomorrow, on the ten year anniversary of his death I will think of the good times and remind myself that everything that has happened in my life has brought me to where I am, this incredible place I could never have imagined……especially ten years ago.

a sign of summer

So I was on my way to the grocery store when I was completely side tracked by one of my favourite things……a garage sale!  As sure as the first crocus in April, a garage sale is a sign of the summer that lies ahead!! How happy was I when I pulled up to my first garage sale of the season! The sun was shining, there was a radio playing and the ladies running the garage sale were all smiles! I overheard them talking about the move and that’s when I noticed the for sale sign. After talking with them I discovered they had bought a house in Arizona and are retiring. How nice for them, and how random for me to know that about complete strangers, and then follow that up by getting a deal on a $2 belt! Awesome!

There are so many things about a garage sale that I love, the feeling of anticipation when I see the sign. What a nice surprise! Driving down the road, windows down, radio playing, wind blowing through my hair….and then – there it is, Garage Sale! Estate Sale! Multi-family Yard Sale!  I honestly can’t believe I haven’t been in a car wreck. These signs are so bright and commanding! I have to remind myself that I am in a vehicle and there are other people on the road. Oh, and if my husband happens to be driving, well he hates it! The sharp intake of breath followed by the pointing and yelling, I am surprised that I haven’t given him a heart attack! He gets mad, his blood pressure is up, but he is usually a good sport! He doesn’t always get out of the car with me – but I am working on him.

I have made so many great purchases at garage sales! I have some beautiful outdoor side tables, an old dresser, some great books, and much more! Even my husband got a deal on an old recliner for his man cave!  One of the beautiful things about garage sales are the deals! All the prices are just suggestions!  No one actually expects you to pay the asking price. Think about it – this is their junk!! They went to the trouble of putting a price on something, hauling it out onto their driveway, placing brightly coloured signs all over the community, setting up a lawn chair and committing an entire weekend to getting rid of this junk. They do not want to have to bring it back into the house or worse, load it into a truck and take it to the dump. The goal is to get rid of the stuff. They want you to take it, you don’t really need it, they don’t need it - so it comes down to who doesn’t need it less! 

There are a few things you can do to keep garage sale season running smoothly. First of all you should never really be looking for anything; it is good to have an idea of a few things that you could use around the house, but nothing you really need, if you really need something you should go buy it! If you have specific things you are expecting to find at a garage sale you will likely be disappointed. It is all about finding that thing you didn’t really know you needed.

The other key to a successful garage sale season is to carry cash. Not just when you plan to go to a garage sale, but throughout the entire season. It is all about the random finds – the garage sale is going to find you, not the other way around! Be prepared; keep some cash in your car. A variety of cash is also very important. Lots of small bills. You need to be able to say, “oh darn, I really really like this - but I only have $5 on me, would you take $5?” and they will. It is easier to pretend you don’t have enough money than to ask them to give you a deal. They want to feel good too. Make it as simple as possible, easier the better.

Another good tip is to remind yourself you really don’t need this item – because you don’t, if you did you would go buy it! You want the seller to feel just as good as you do, so let them sell it to you. Telling them you don’t really need the item, but that you like it gets them trying to sell it to you. They want to get rid of the item and are more than happy to tell you why you need it and to drop the price! You get to work a deal and the whole time they feel like they sold it to you!  You leave feeling great about the deal you just got; and they get to tell their garage sale partner how they totally just convinced you to buy whatever it was! It’s a win, win!

A garage sale is a sneak peek into someone’s life too, isn’t it? You get to see what kind of things they have held onto throughout the years, what sort of books they read, their style in hats and purses, how well they have taken care of all the tools in their garage and sometimes you even get to go into the house. Oh, the garage sales when they let you into the house! You would never normally let a stranger into your house, never mind putting an ad in the paper and half a dozen fluorescent orange signs with arrows leading the way for an unknown amount of strangers right to your door, but for some reason when you sell your house you open the doors to all kinds of people! 

Maybe that’s it. 

You are moving - you aren’t going to see these people again - this isn’t even your house anymore! 

Whatever the reason, I love it!  

staying open

Over the past few weeks I have been lucky enough to run into two old friends from high school!  It was exciting to sit down with two separate people from two different times in my life and catch up! The feeling was warm, conversation was easy and the laughs were continuous! I found myself smiling thinking about the good times we had and the mistakes we made together. The mistakes have made us who we are and to see both of these people all grown up with their ducks in a row was amazing. I realized that I have been “pigeon holing” these old friends into the places they were when I last knew them. It was so great to see them all grown up, in better places and on a better path in life. It was refreshing to see they are still the same thoughtful, kind, fun loving guys I knew way back when, just a little older!

Seeing these boys from my past, has really got me thinking. How does this “pigeon hole” thinking affect us? I think we are all guilty of it. You remember what you remember. You forget that people can change, people do change; surely you are not the same person you were ten years ago.  You have changed over the years.

This applies to so many things in our lives, not only relationships with people but also relationships with things. When I was a kid I really did not like stew and just assumed that as an adult I still did not like stew.  Then one day I accidentally over cooked a roast, so I cut it up, added some vegetables and homemade gravy and voila - stew! Now I go out of my way to make it, stew has become a staple at our house!  

Being able to acknowledge change in all aspects of our lives is important.  It is easy to get stuck in our ways, easy to get so comfortable with our ways of thinking and our opinions that we lose the ability to change.  We still have the ability but maybe we are too comfortable to let those changes in. Changing is growing and if you stop growing you stop contributing! We are on this earth for a short period of time and we need to stay open in order to make the most of it! 

I feel grateful to have been able to see these two old friends and I am so happy for them and for all the positive changes they have made in their lives. I feel grateful too that I have been able to make this realization and to open myself up to the idea that things are not always the same as I remember.  I think we all need to let go, forgive and open ourselves to what is ahead instead of remaining stuck in the past.

It was a good reminder, seeing those boys, a good reminder to keep myself open. Open to change, not only within myself but also within others. Open to being accepting and forgiving. Things are forever changing and change is good. I never realized I was doing it, but I think because it has been so long since I saw them I just assumed they were the young men I remembered. There have been lots of really good times, lots of late nights, lots of laughs and there was a fair bit of irresponsibility. I am not that same person, but for some reason I thought they would be. 

Why?

Why did I think they would not have grown up and moved on too? I am not really sure why I thought that way but I do know that I am really glad the universe pointed it out to me!

r

Voting equals freedom

Wow.

I can NOT believe how excited I am about this election!! I went to my voting station this morning promptly at 9:00am! There was a line up!!! AWESOME!!! I am a rural voter….so it was really amazing for me to see a line up so early!  We live in such a great country! I feel like I live in a great province as well! 

 

I have been working out in the yard all day and the tv has been off. I came in got dinner ready, poured a glass of red and turned on  Decision Alberta….the polls just closed – my husband thinks I am nuts. 

I just love being able to vote. The freedom to have a say in how my country, province, and city are run!  I love going to the polls, running into my fellow voters and neighbors, standing in line and talking about “what’s what “. It brings a smile to my face – seriously…I look like a fool when I go to cast my ballot.

I blame my “pro-union” parents for my excitement, appreciation and respect for this process. Ok, blame isn’t the right word;  thank, I thank my “pro-union” parents for my feelings regarding our democratic practices.  They believe. Believe in doing the right thing, in speaking up when something isn’t right and for fighting for what is right - popular opinion or not! Growing up I was able to see, at different times in my life, both of my parents on a picket line in their respective professions. They were accomplishing so much, surrounded by friends, colleagues, supporters, well wishers and optimism.   Of course there were also, non-supporters, “scabs” and sometimes even hate.  As stressful as it was for them, they stood their ground, because in Canada we can! And it makes me so proud. 

“fighting the good fight”

I think it is the feeling of optimism that I get so excited for.  The feeling that marking an X offers; the anticipation, the excitement, the potential is what it is all about! Whatever the outcome; if your party wins or your party does not win you can be proud that you went out and exercised your right to vote!  Tomorrow, as we go about our day we will be talking about the outcome, whether we agree with it or not, and the fact that we are able to do this out in open is simply fantastic! 

We are so lucky to live in a country in which we can have a say. 

Imagine -the changes that we are able to influence!

Imagine-the future in our hands!

Imagine – the voices of so many expressed through an X in a circle!

And then imagine…..not even being allowed to vote.   

It is hard to believe there are still places like that.