Through The Tulips Words of 'Wiz'dom

May 31, 2019

Leaning Into Local Seafood Species

Filed under: Food,Food for Thought,Seasons,Travel — gardener @ 7:52 am

Hundreds of thousands of tourists pass through Vancouver every year, eager for culinary experience as well as some outdoor fun. Well, visitors asked and the city answered, all with a bit of help from a few friends with fins. Vancouver is known worldwide for its fishing industry. With opened access to oceans and water ways, there is never a bad time to track down a popular catch like salmon. Fresh seafood is a great export but for residents, it is practically a way of life, in both diet and recreation. There is a “catch of the day” in nearly every restaurant along the coast but some people prefer to catch their dinner the old fashioned way.

Throughout Vancouver, there are whole markets dedicated to the sale and purchase of fresh fish, but it doesn’t get any fresher than with chartered fishing excursions. Booking one of these experiences means clients can safely catch their own fish while spending the day on opened water. Is there anything more satisfying than catching and cooking your own dinner?

Because fish is such a staple of the everyday diet in the British Columbia area, both residential and commercial kitchens needs to be able to work around this staple food. Fish, in all forms, is a versatile main course but cooking it does require a bit of skill and the right tools. Outdated or inconsistent tools and appliances only hinder results with seafood. Updated restaurant equipment can make or break meals from ceviche and grilled fish; to sea urchin and prawns. Any eatery looking to take advantage of local species and availability has to create a well-outfitted space in order to meet customer needs.

For those who are fans of fresh seafood, there is no better place to go than Vancouver. From the ocean to your table, both residents and visitors are able to be a part of this industry at every level.

April 25, 2018

Team Self

Filed under: 5k Training,Food for Thought,Gratitude,Health/ Fitness,Life — gardener @ 6:51 am

The title of this post may seem very self absorbed- but actually it’s more self- care than anything else.     This year- I have come to certain realizations that SO many things no longer work in my life-    Things I once loved no longer bring me joy-     Such is the ebb and flow of life-  but rather than become complacent in my journey- as I somewhat feel in many aspects I had-   I decided, after much thinking and contemplating- that I needed to switch things up a bit.

You only need to know me in my everyday life to know the kind of person I am.   I’m very social and love people.    Because of that there tends to be this assumption that people make that my life has this perfect rosy tint to it.    While I lead a very blessed life- it’s far from perfect and I struggle with myself from time to time as much as the next person.  Also, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss being back ‘home’ with those I love and care for there-   It’s the blessing and curse of living in a space other than what you grew up with.  It has afforded me many amazing opportunities and wonderful people, and I am so grateful for that-   but I also miss my family and friends ‘back’ home’.     It is one of those things I am used to- but it is always there.

During this process I’m currently in-   I’ve decided that I need to be able to think of my own needs first- before those of others-  so hence the title of this post-    also hence the decision to join the gym and to spend more time taking care of myself- albeit a little later in life than I should have started-   Better late than never right?

So this is where I want to write about that journey to self-  to finding a balance in a world that is constantly connected-   I know that living my best life possible is going to mean letting go of some things.    Some of which will be much easier to do than others..

 

Stay tuned if you are interested in the journey…

February 17, 2018

Golden Hour

Filed under: Food for Thought,Gratitude — gardener @ 9:31 am

IMG_8099Want to know what I love more than the weekend?    Weekends where I don’t have any specific plans or anything that ‘must’ be done, but rather can be filled with doing things that I ‘want’ or ‘like’ to do.

Had I kept to a stringent schedule- I may have missed out on one of those simple joys-    of seeing these gorgeous tulips Marcel gave me for Valentine’s day- basking in the afternoon light- also what I called Golden Hour.    It’s my favorite time of the day and even though I grabbed a couple of shots of them, I mostly sat and admired their beauty and how the light accentuated the shadows.   There is beauty in the everyday ‘little’ things if we take the time to notice.

What is something you noticed that many tend to overlook in the every day?

Tonight-  I’ll spend my evening home alone.   Some may think that’s a horrible thing, but me-  I use that as a time to relax and enjoy doing what I want to do without having to consider another.  There would be some who would consider that selfish.   I consider it self-care.   After all- If we can’t take care of ourselves- how can we expect to care for others?

Wherever you are and however you find yourself spending your Saturday afternoon/evening- I hope your golden hour is as magical as you are.  Yes, you.

January 14, 2018

New Year- The Hum of Life

Filed under: Food for Thought — gardener @ 9:06 am

My last post back in September talked about how I felt that I was on the cusp of something different- about how I wanted to make a change but was unsure to take the leap- Not long after that, I began to implement change- that only in reflection I realize.

First, I was bitten by a cat- Yes- a cat. Not my cat, mind you- but a cat at a car dealership where we were taking our car for maintenance work. That resulted in a tetanus shot, a round of antibiotics and a lot of lectures from well meaning people about petting cats I don’t know. I ignore that advice, because to know me is to know how much I love cats and since you can generally tell when they are agitated and avoid an attack- I don’t feel the need to ignore cats. This one- gave no warning, but I’m fairly certain it was in heat, but I digress. The bite was nasty, but thanks to modern medicine, I didn’t have any nasty infections to accompany the painful bite.

It was in the days of antibiotics that I took a trip to the Apple store and stood there for thirty minutes trying to decide if I wanted to spend the money and buy the latest Apple Watch. I had the cash in hand, from birthday and other money I had saved, and I have an iPhone and a couple of iPads- but the idea of spending that much money on a watch that wasn’t the Movado watch I’ve wanted since they came out or to udpate my vintage Gucci watch seemed quite crazy. So I stood there trying on watches- and thinking about the intention behind WHY I wanted that watch.

I’m a firm believer that intention behind every choice we make says a lot- and my only intent was to use it as a tool to motivate me to move more- I am very visual and those Red, Green and Blue rings, plus the gentle reminders motivate me, or that was my intention when I finally decided to make the purchase.

Since then- I have closed every single ring- with the exception for the first couple of days when I was still on antibiotics and one day when I missed my activity ring by 2 minutes simply because I got so tied up in a project I was working on that I forgot- which was a lesson to me to make sure I get my activity done first thing in the morning- so I can’t forget.

SO that is how change started- I would love to say that I’ve made massive changes, but I haven’t as of yet- I spent the entire holiday season with family indulging a lot, but I kept on moving.

I signed up to be part of a 5k mud run for breast cancer awareness with friends in September of this year- so that’s another motivator for me- Its a step outside of my comfort zone, but at the same time- it’s also something to work towards.

This space- which has been unused or hap-hazardly used will be a space where I write about things I love in regards to my health and well being. One of the things I missed most last year- was writing. It fell to the wayside when life kept me so busy, but it’s time to get back to that.

So expect to see a lot more from me and I hope you’ll follow along on the journey.

March 8, 2017

Spring Cometh

Filed under: Food for Thought,Life,Seasons — gardener @ 10:18 am

Even though there is still quite a chill to the air, and with today’s rain it’s downright cold- I can see signs of Spring everywhere.  I’ve been getting out a lot to try to get in more daily exercise and the crocus are starting to bloom, daffodils are blooming, plus I’m seeing life in the forms of new growth on the trees and shrubs that have been bare for quite some time.   It brings me joy.    Something I hear people asking quite a lot is what a persons favorite season is.

I am someone who fully loves each season for all that it has to share.  I see each one as a gift and when they start to ‘unwrap’, it is always a great source of joy for me.

The daylight hours are getting longer each day and that in itself brings me a lot of joy.   It seems like a time of new beginnings, change, and possibilities.

What brings you joy?

September 11, 2016

Wondering About

Filed under: Food for Thought,Life — gardener @ 10:29 am

I was looking through some of the old comments on this blog and I came across a few from an old online friend whom I haven’t heard from in many years now. I often wonder what happened to her and have tried on several occasions to look for her but with no avail. The few mutual friends we have also don’t seem to have any idea what happened to her.

“Sunny” Nelson- if you happen to see this- know that you are being thought of and you are missed. I hope you are well.

Sounds of Silence

Filed under: Food for Thought,Life — gardener @ 10:15 am

There are some days when I crave silence and noise of any type literally tosses my train of thought off the rails. Other days, I can’t wait to check out one of my favorite music places and follow the click here to get to my favorite play list. Music soothes me, but at the same time- sometimes I prefer silence. My husband, on the other hand always needs to ‘hear’ something. What about you? Which do you prefer?

Have a great week!

Reaching Within

Filed under: Food for Thought,In the Neighborhood,Life — gardener @ 10:08 am

The last few weeks I’ve had this discombobulated feeling. I have SO many projects and thoughts happening- that I am finding it difficult to wade through them all and actually feel as though I am making any sort of headway. I’ve tried various methods- and I still can’t seem to get ‘still’ with myself, so I’m going to try yet something else.

I believe a full disconnect from everything is in order- with a focus purely on myself and what I need to do- in order to gain balance and structure again in my life. Don’t get me wrong, I have a great life, but things are off balance and I recognize that, so it’s time to do something about it before it becomes too far out of whack.

What do you do to balance yourself?

June 30, 2016

Color on Grey Days

Filed under: Food for Thought,Gratitude,Inspiration,Life — gardener @ 12:29 pm

Today was one of those days where when I woke up I could hear the rain falling. IMG_5992 It wasn’t stormy, but a constant and steady flow of rain.   Some moments were harder than others, but it never really stopped.    It’s one of those days where you really would prefer to spend it in bed curled up with Netflix or a good book, both of which I happened to have on hand, but at the same time- I decided to get up and do something on my never ending ‘to do’ list.

My big project this week is to get my work supply room completely organized, but today didn’t seem like that kind of day either, so even though I had decided I wasn’t getting out today-  I changed my mind (as us women tend to do) and ran a few errands that needed to be done.   (That actually worked out well, because a package I was waiting on is going to be delivered tomorrow.)  Yay for good timing!

While we were out, we popped in to the local garden center so I could pick up a few things.   I saw this Cosmos in the store and even though I could hear the rain pouring on the metal roof of the garden center, the color made me smile.

It reminds me of life-   how even when we have days that seems dark and dreary- that if we open our eyes and look around, there is always something that can bring a smile to our face.

 

 

June 29, 2016

The Last of the 40’s

Filed under: Food for Thought,Gratitude,Life,Women — gardener @ 6:42 am

It’s hard to believe that in a few days my birthday month begins. One month long celebration of the month I was born. Also, this year will mark the last one in my 40’s. Nine years that have taught me so much, given me so many gifts, wonderful friendships & also hasn’t been without it’s heartache. I’ve lost people who I’ve loved dearly and deeply- been betrayed by people I would have never guessed would have done so, but through it all, I’m grateful for the opportunity to have known them, and also for the lessons that each experience has taught me.

This final year before I enter into the 5th decade of my life- I am going to honor myself in ways that I’ve learned over the past decades and enter my 50th with open eyes and a grateful heart. Life is good and I’m planning on making this last year of my 40’s amazing. Join me on the journey if you will. I’m always grateful for fellow travelers.

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