Ontario Corn Season

We happen to live in the best sweet corn growing region of all Canada. Southern Ontario not only grows sweet succulent mouth-watering corn on the cob, but it is the top grower of popping corn as well. But we'll wait for Fall to enjoy that salty buttery treat. Fresh, as in picked daily, corn is available at many road-side stands right now. It's cheap, delicious, and so-o-o-o good for you! Especially if you eat it my favorite way. Don't be shocked, but it only needs to be steamed for about 5 min. and then eaten naked (the corn, not me!). No butter, no salt, just fresh sweet corn. Local, seasonal, natural. We will enjoy it while we can. Also in abundance now, tomatoes! . . .peaches are coming on the scene, new potatoes. I really wanted to write about our blueberry picking experience with my sister-in-law Peetra, but I forgot the camera that day.

Feeding the chickens

Martin & I agreed to feed Willie & Tony's chickens for a couple of days while they headed up to the lake. A few days later, we went to the lake and Gerry came back and took over the care of the feathered ones. There are four hens and one very aggressive rooster. They eat cracked corn and vegetable scraps. In exchange, they lay eggs. A nice arrangement.

Chatham Library

One of the first things Martin & I like to do in a new community is to get a library card. Public libraries are such a great resource for books, magazines, and DVD's. We all support these institutions with our tax dollars, so why not enjoy them! Chatham has a very nice library. The first one was erected with the help of Andrew Carnegie's foundation, as were many libraries in the U.S. Chatham is the largest city in the county of Kent, hence the name Chatham-Kent Public Library. Mart & I enjoy the pleasant ambiance the coffee bar and homemade baked goods add (all at very reasonable prices). It's become a weekly outing for us. The church in the background in St. Joseph's Catholic Church, the oldest Catholic Church in Chatham. Remember, you can click on the pictures I post for a bigger look!

Getting started

Getting started is the hardest part. We organized all of our tools and supplies and began working right after breakfast. Martin was just as relieved as I was to finally begin. It took three hours to get everything primed. Martin rolled the second coat on the ceiling while I cut in the edges later in the afternoon.

The next morning I began the final coat on the walls and woodwork. No more averting our eyes when we pass this room. Instead, we stop and gaze happily.

In the Mood

Some home improvement projects overwhelm me, so I put them off until I'm in the mood. One of those projects was the painting of a bedroom in our dear little house on Elizabeth Street. This house was so nice, so clean, so well-maintained when we moved in. It has required none of the usual re-do's that often come with moving into an older home. But one room was not pretty. The turquoise room. Walls, woodwork, ceiling, dingy curtains. Too much of a good thing, and a lot of work to transform it into the light neutral palate we desire for our little home. "I'll just put it off til I'm in the mood," I decided. Every time I walked by the door to that room I looked the other way. Then I ran across a quote that nudged me into action.

"I don't wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work." Pearl S. Buck

Life in Chatham

I have a clothesline in my back yard. I was inspired by my sister-in-law, Willie, after seeing her hang clothes out in the fresh air when we stayed with them our first weeks in Canada. Mart & I went to a lovely lavender field with Peetra & Willie & Tony after church.

New Postal Code

It's been just three months since our last blog entry, but a lot has happened. After a year of prayer and planning, we are now settling into our new home in Chatham, Ontario. It may seem like a sudden move to those that haven't been close to us, but it's actually something Martin & I have talked about for many years. It has been 30 years since Mart moved from Canada to California, at the bidding of a professor he worked for at McMaster U. in Hamilton, Ont. He thought he would stay at UCSB for 5 years max, but it became 27 years. Then 3 years in Oklahoma near Mom & my side of the family. When Mom died, we decided to head north. So here we are. We found a very cosy retirement cottage, on a pretty street, one block over from Blessed Sacrament Church.