Wendy Bacon: Goodbye Grandpa

I know how very fortunate I am that I have had my grandfather and my grandmother in my life for 45 years.  My girls are all fortunate to have know them both as well. This knowledge, however does not make it any less painful to watch him go.

My grandpa has always been a do-it-yourself kind of guy.  I recall many weekends of my childhood watching and helping as the family put shingles on a roof, poured a concrete pad for a patio, built a garage, put up a shed or any other thing that needed doing.  Those were the big jobs, things for which Grandpa, Dad and a variety of aunts, uncles and cousins would all come together--many hands making light work. There were smaller projects too, things that could be done alone or with the help of one or two others: fixing a leaky pipe, laying linoleum, changing the oil in the car, or greasing up the tractor.  Grandpa could do anything!

Painful Twitching and No Answers

Let me be clear from the start, this article may be nothing more than a vent-session for my brain.  I’m hoping that it will be therapeutic for me. If my editor doesn’t think it will help others then it will probably never leave this file. But I’m hopeful that it will be helpful, for me at least.  

I began dealing with this strange medical nonsense in February of 2015. We had gone to a local U18 hockey game (we love hockey) and had just gotten home to warm up and rest for the evening. I was sitting in the corner of our dimly lit living room the kids were snuggled on the couch and the TV was on. Seemingly out of nowhere, my body began to ache all over. Every joint was on fire. It hurt to even wiggle my toes! I went to bed that night with tears trickling down my cheeks, afraid to move.  

Reminiscing: Picking Those Blackberries

A couple of weeks ago, I bemoaned the fact that I could not find any blackberries anymore. Thankfully there were a lot of suggestions about where I could find some, and a couple of phone calls from family friends who had some on their property. So, the last two weekends, we went berry picking.

Last Saturday, we took all four girls to a friend’s house who has acres and acres of land behind his house with trails running through it all. Along most of those trails, there were blackberry bushes burgeoning with the tasty treats. Of course, the kids complained that the thorns were too much for them. Meanwhile, Wendy and I pushed the thorns aside and made our way into the thickest part of the brambles. That’s where the best berries are often found.

What's Cookin'? When Life Happens and Plans Change

If you read my last article you may recall that two weeks ago I had planned to make quinoa with roasted squash and balsamic brussel sprouts.  However, there was a bit of a teen crisis that needed my attention.  I ended up running out of time to cook and ordered a pizza.  The benefit of meal planning and prepping is that when things like that happen it’s ok.  It’s not like we already ordered out three time that week.  The kids considered it a welcome surprise.  I like Pizza Oven too--once in a while.  

What's Cookin': Family Meal Planning

Standing in front of the refrigerator or pantry asking myself or worse yet, my children “what should I make for dinner?” is never a good feeling--at least not for me.  My crew is on the go with school, dance, play practice, etc so planning ahead is a must for me.  I began weekly meal planning with a reasonable amount of regularity a few years ago.  I was trying to regain my health (after 4 children and a minor bout of cancer), as well as some sense of organization and control over our daily routine.  So I looked to my friends and various internet sites for advice and ideas.  

My Imperfect Plot: From Garden to Table - If it Makes it That Far

A few weeks ago my garden LOOKED fantastic.  I was so excited.  The squash plants were huge, the peppers were just starting to form fruit, the tomatoes too had bulbous flowers just on the verge of resembling tomatoes, and the beans….the beans plants, were almost a foot tall with light purple buds beginning to unfurrow. It was beautiful!

My Imperfect Plot: The Planting

My dad always said “You want to have your plant in by Memorial Day.”

When we were kids, Dad took advantage of whatever good weather we had throughout the month of May to get the ground worked up, trying not to get the tractor stuck.  He even occasionally got his plants a week or so ahead of time.  But for the most part, Memorial Day Weekend was Planting Weekend.   And so, it continues.

My Imperfect Plot: A Time to Grow

Today I picked.  Rather I cut the first of the fruits of our labor from the little garden plot here in our yard.  I love gardening!  Well, in theory anyway.

In my utopia, it’s a family thing, a way to spend time together, to work together; it’s a way to teach the girls (our 4 crazy children) how to care for things, how to nurture a plant, and to appreciate nature.  What I tell them though is that it helps us eat healthier.  We know what is in our food if we grow and can it ourselves; we are not poisoning the earth with unnecessary chemicals.

Gardening Column to Appear on Sundays

Niagara's Watercooler, in that ever-present, self-serving need for more content, has once again resorted to nepotism. That's right, just when you thought you were getting all the content you could from either George or Craig, we've asked a member of our family to give you just a little bit more.