Tuesday
October 20, 2001

Warm Buns and Hot Heads

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Here are a few of my favorite online haunts:

REALTOR.ca
[This is the site I visit to fantasize about living in Toronto again, which is almost every single day during the winter]

Jonathan Cainer's Zodiac Forecasts
[This is where I visit in the morning, when I need a positive spin on things past, present and future.]

Living Local
[This is where I go to see what Canadians are up to, sometimes I even buy things from the businesses listed there.]

Environment Canada Weather
[This is the site I visit every morning, and before every road trip during the winter]

It is so warm and breezy today that I have my office window open and can hear the dry rustle of the leaves that still cling to the trees. Many trees are bare around "The Village" but those that surround our house are primarily green. They will not turn color and fall for weeks yet and then it will be time to rake.

I ventured forth for a walk this morning, a sunny Saturday morning walk. The library was my first stop, returning books and selecting more for cozy nights with my feet up. The next stop was the small grocery in "The Village". I indulge myself with flavored coffee cream in my morning cuppa, my only cup of the day. I was all out and rather than drive a few miles to the mega-store I thought I would check in at the little local grocery to see if they stock that specialty item. They do stock it and although I had to pay a little more for the cream, I did not have to drive to get it. Now I am ready for tomorrow morning.

"The Village" is a small area within "The City" that houses families of mostly middle income. The homes are older and renovated; a few are quite ostentatious in their size and demeanor. "Professional" people live in and around "The Village", doctors, professors and successful business people. The streets are usually bustling with well-heeled full-time Moms and seniors with healthy pensions. Many of the shops cater to specialty markets and antiques. It is no surprise then, that the small local grocery there stocks specialty items.

The last errand on my walk was banking at the local bank machine. I decided against it when I noticed a group of teenage boys hanging around the doors. They looked happy and non-threatening, but I avoid withdrawing money before an audience of any kind. I will do my banking later in the week.

I was missing Attila rather a lot yesterday and decided to distract myself by way of baking. After considering many types of decadent indulgences, I settled on Cinnamon Buns. I love them. They are relatively low in fat, at least if you compare them to the other treats I was considering, and they are low in sodium. Yes, I told myself, this is the healthy choice!

When they came out of the oven I turned them onto plates and set them to cool on the dining room table. Shortly after that I grabbed a book and sat down at the table to read and nibble. Before I knew it, three buns had disappeared. By the end of the day, there was but one plate of Cinnamon Buns left for Attila. I destroyed all evidence of a second plate by doing the dishes.

I think I will have to be careful with these Cinnamon Buns. They may be relatively healthy but they vanish with such rapidity that they lose their credibility. I suppose I am my own "Cinnamon Bun Control Board", but I have failed and fear future failure. I think I will go back to having a fresh apple as an afternoon snack.

I am beginning a new phase of eccentric behavior, and just when I thought I could not get any weirder. I suppose this is what comes of not having the daily dose of teenage scorn to keep me in line. Anyway, here is my latest lifestyle statement.

The past few weeks the temperatures have been rather cool. To save money I have kept the house closed up tight and kept the furnace turned off. It is not warm in here, between 59 and 61 degrees Fahrenheit. I have kept warm by wearing heavy socks, slippers, and the cuddly housecoat Attila gave me last winter.

The second important part of my description centers around my second computer "Alfred" and "Alfred's" old portrait monitor that emits a high pitched squeal. I have been transcribing data into my database on "Marjory", reading the original documents on "Alfred's" squealing monitor.

A few days ago, on a particularly chilly day, I was transcribing away and "Alfred's" squealing monitor was driving me crazy.

"Well," I thought to myself, "I will wear the headphones from that old "Walkman" in the closet, maybe that will keep the squealing level down."

As I rummaged through my closet in search of headphones, I found something else. An old set of earmuffs I had kept for the kids. They seemed just the things to filter out the noise. So I popped them on my head and went back to the keyboard. They did help a bit with the squealing. Then, as I worked, I forgot I was wearing them.

An hour or so had passed before I noticed that the house seemed significantly warmer. I arose and checked the thermostat. The house was actually a degree cooler than it had been a few hours before. I felt warm and toasty. I was mystified. I returned to the keyboard.

Later I took a break and sat by the front window, watching the rain and reading by turns. I still felt warm. I checked the temperature again, it was another degree cooler in the house. I wondered why I was feeling comfortably warm.

Still later, I welcomed Attila at the door. He greeted me with an odd smile. Confused, I asked him what was going on. He reached over to tap me on the ear, thumping the earmuff lightly. We laughed.

Now you will find me perched in front of my keyboard, happily typing away, with big black furry ears. Now I can keep myself warm and comfortable without having to heat the entire square footage of the house.

Of course, once the snow flies the heat comes on, earmuffs or no earmuffs.



Top of Page
RECIPES :: Cast

Worldly Distractions

Yellow leaves by a shed.
Cool and colorful.



By the Easy Chair
The Wise and Foolish Virgins
by Don Hannah



On the Screen
Snow Falling on Cedars



Weather
18:19 AM DST
Temp: 15` C
Humidity: 51%
Wind: SW 17 km/h
Barometric:101.5 kPa Sunrise 7:44 AM DST
Sunset 6:33 PM DST




Maggie with ear muffs.
Fashion Statement
 

Page by Page: A Woman's Journal
Photography
Poetry
by Maggie Turner

Canadian Maggie Turner writes and publishes poetry, photography, and a personal journal online. Her work reflects the current way of life in Canada, embracing Canada's past, present, and future in a unique portrayal of everyday life. Maggie's voice is one of the many that actively depict the rich diversity of Canadian culture.

Photography: "a term which comes from the Greek words photos (light) and graphos (drawing). A photograph is made with a camera by exposing film to light in order to create a negative. The negative is then used in the darkroom to print a photograph (positive) onto light-sensitive paper.
Source: University of Arizona Glossary

Poetry: "a form of speech or writing that harmonizes the music of its language with its subject. To read a great poem is to bring out the perfect marriage of its sound and thought in a silent or voiced performance. At least from the time of Aristotle's Poetics, drama was conceived of as a species of poetry."
Source: Creative Studios

Journal: " "Though a journal may be many things - a treasury, a storehouse, a jewelry box, a laboratory, a drafting board, a collector's cabinet, a snapshot album, a history, a travelogue..., a letter to oneself - it has some definable characteristics. It is a record, an entry-book, kept regularly, though not necessarily daily.... Some (entries) will be nearly illegible, written in the dark in the middle of the night.... Not only is it a record for oneself, but of oneself. Every memorable journal, any successful journal, is honest. Nothing sham, phony, false...." (Dorothy Lambert from Ken Macrorie's book, Writing to be Read )
A journal is a way to keep track of your thoughts about what you read... as well as what you did on any given day."
Source: Journal Writing

A Blog is an online journal created by server side software, often hosted by a commercial interest.

"The term "weblog" was coined by Jorn Barger[4] on 17 December 1997. The short form, "blog," was coined by Peter Merholz, who jokingly broke the word weblog into the phrase we blog in the sidebar of his blog Peterme.com in April or May 1999.[5][6][7] Shortly thereafter, Evan Williams at Pyra Labs used "blog" as both a noun and verb ("to blog," meaning "to edit one's weblog or to post to one's weblog") and devised the term "blogger" in connection with Pyra Labs' Blogger product, leading to the popularization of the terms."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_blogging


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