We always get fall clothes when it’s time to go back to school, and then it’s still too hot to wear them. What do we expect? One day it’s August, the next day it’s September. Why do we think we’ll need so many sweaters?
This is the case in 2001, when I’m waiting for my very first university class to start. I sit on the floor in the hallway, uncomfortable in a very cute green sweater.
There is a guy standing across from me who is also waiting. He kind of looks like Vincent Van Gogh, but with a bigger beard.
The red beard is only the first thing I notice. He is wearing pyjama pants, and a comfy old pair of slippers. He leans against a wall looking unconcerned.
I have to admire his demeanour. Here he is, comfortable as can be, because who cares? I look at him while I sweat in my uncomfortable fall outfit.
I don’t know yet that I’m going to marry this guy one day. It’s months before I even speak to him.
A previous owner of my house planted these, and I am always happy to see them bloom.
Phlox can come in creeping varieties that are used as ground cover, and also standing varieties that stretch above your other plants. I have one of the tall varieties.
My phlox (phloxes?) are a pretty and light purple colour. They stand out against the dark brown of the wood siding on my house, and they also attract butterflies. Who doesn’t like butterflies?
The flowers are also star-shaped, which seems as good a reason as any to name this attractive plant Garden Star 🌟 of the Week. Welcome to the club, phlox!
It is Thanksgiving, but my son and I aren’t celebrating. I recently started a new job, and he recently started kindergarten. We are both just happy to have a long weekend to relax.
I’m not going to make a turkey dinner for the two of us, but it is a long weekend, so maybe I’ll get something a little festive. As we walk up and down the grocery store aisles, I see the frozen tourtières. A tourtière is sort of festive, I guess. I put one in my cart.
It is easy to make. All I have to do is put the frozen meat pie in the oven and wait. My son and I enjoy our slightly festive dinner.
A week goes by. Temperatures are getting lower and the air is more refreshing. The trees look like they’re going to a festival with all of their bright leaves on display.
My son brings home an assignment that he had at school. The top of the sheet says, “Draw a picture of what you ate for Thanksgiving.”
My son has carefully drawn a brown circle. At the bottom, his teacher has written, “A little more detail next time, please.”
My family and I recently went on a road trip in the province of Quebec. I have lived in the Montreal area for many years now and I’ve been on road trips before, but I’ve never stopped at a fromagerie. I have seen signs on the road announcing their presence all over the place, and I’m very enthusiastic about cheese, but for some reason, I never stopped.
For this road trip, I told my husband and son that I wanted to stop whenever we saw a sign that said “fromagerie.” I was also willing to stop for the word “laiterie.” Now I’m writing a blog post so that you can join us on this delicious journey.
You can read the vignette presented in this video here.
The video includes my artwork, and also some footage from our more recent whale watching tour last week. This time we were armed with Gravol and we didn’t get sick.
Here is a gallery with some pictures from the tour and with the artwork from the video.
For many gardeners, the part of summer when the tomatoes are ripe is the best time of year. There is nothing more delicious and rewarding than a fresh tomato from your garden. Whether you grew them from seed or acquired some small tomato plants, you did it, baby! It’s time to enjoy the benefits of your labour.
Maybe you plan on making sauce, or maybe you just plan on having salads and sandwiches that are more tasty than usual. At this time of year, I just add fresh tomatoes to basically whatever I’m making. I’m making pasta? Throw in some tomatoes at the end. Omelet? Oh look, now it’s a tomato omelet. Cheese plate? Who doesn’t love tomatoes with some fancy cheese? You get the idea. We love tomatoes! It was inevitable that they would be named Garden Star 🌟 of the Week.
The waterfall at Camping Chutes Fraser near La Malbaie, Quebec
There’s a waterfall across the laneway from our campsite. After our tent is set up, we cross the little road to have a look.
Wooden stairs lead down to to the flat rocks at the top of the waterfall. We stand on the rocks and admire the scene.
“We’ll probably get a better view from the bottom of the waterfall,” I say.
My husband Phil says, “Do you want to take that trail we saw when we came in?” I agree and we head down the path.
We quickly realize that the path we’re walking on is also a roadway. We squeeze onto the shoulder to let cars pass. We bend our knees generously as we make our way down the steep path through the woods.
At the bottom of the hill, there is a parking lot. A family in a pickup truck wants to park where my son is currently walking. They reach their arms out of the open windows and bang on the metal sides of the truck, making a loud, booming sound.
Not wanting him to get run over, I pull my son out of the way, but the truck is taking up the entire parking lot. Pedestrians scatter as the driver maneuvers around the small parking lot.
We get away from that mess and onto the trail. There is a wooden bridge crossing the river and a foot path leading us closer to the waterfall. I snap several pictures and take some videos from the bridge and from the path.
We find a picnic table near the base of the waterfall and sit down to enjoy its beauty. The cool mist tickles our hot faces, relieving us from the humidity that has been clinging to us all day.
Phil decides that it’s a good time for him to get some photographs as well. He takes out his phone and uses the camera to frame the waterfall. He is about to tap the button when the family from the pickup truck walks into his shot.
They’re wearing bathing suits, tank tops, and flip flops. A guy with a mop of white-blond hair and neon pink swim shorts takes his shirt off and poses in front of the waterfall.
He bares his teeth and sticks his tongue out as far as it will go. He sticks his pointer and pinky fingers up while holding the middle fingers down with his thumb. He poses with his right hand up and his left hand in front of his belly, with his left hand up and his right hand down, and with both hands in front of his hips.
When he is done having his picture taken, he puts his shirt back on.
When Phil sees the guy walk back to his family, he thinks that this is his chance. He takes his phone out again, but the other family members also want their pictures taken.
We notice rain drops and decide to walk back to the campsite. As we walk over the bridge, we see the guy climbing up the waterfall. His shorts are blazing like a neon sign in front of the white water and the grey rocks.
A few days later, we’re at home sitting on the couch. I ask Phil what his favourite part of the road trip was.
“I liked it when we were sitting on the picnic table and laughing at that guy,” he says. “You know, the one who was throwing horns in front of the waterfall while his girlfriend or whoever took his picture.”
I was on a road trip with my family this week, which is why the video is late. It also contains scenes from our trip. There will be more posts about this road trip coming soon, and there are already some photos and videos on my Instagram.
It would probably make more sense to give butternut squash the distinction of being Garden Star of the Week at harvest time when we can actually eat it, but look at how cute it is!
This is also the farthest I’ve ever gotten when growing squash and it is very exciting. I’ve had lots of big, beautiful, orangeish-yellow flowers, and then nothing. On the advice of several gardening books I have even used a paintbrush to help with pollination but it still did not work. I meant to try that again this year, but I didn’t get around to it yet, and look at what happened! Sometimes all you have to do is nothing.
My little baby butternut squashes will be delicious eventually. I like them roasted in the oven with some butter, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. I also like them roasted in the oven and then made into a comforting and creamy soup. Fall is going to be tasty this year, all because of my butternut squash, which is why it is the garden star 🌟 of the week. Congrats, cuties!
The door is open and my mother has one foot inside and one foot outside in the cold, October rain. The raindrops make tip-tapping noises on the fire escape.
“Please,” I beg, sobbing. “Please don’t leave.” I’m kneeling on the linoleum floor and clinging to her pant leg. My eyes are red from crying and I’m still in my pyjamas.
“I have to,” she insists. “I have to go back to work.”
“But I don’t know how to take care of a baby!” I cry some more. My week-old son sighs in his sleep in the other room. My mother gently pries my fingers open and drives back to Ontario.
Raccoon Brontosaurus 