Book of the Week

Okay, so after my last blog I really have gardens on the brain, more so than ever. In keeping with my latest obsession, here's some green reads. One for the grownups and one for the kids.

Keeping It Fun:
Do not miss out on this one! I just love Sharon Lovejoy's book "Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots". While it's written on how to keep gardening fun for kids,and how to get them involved, it is the most fun and one of the most informative books on gardening I've ever found. She explains things simply, like how to tell if your soil is acidic or starting compost. But the real reason why I love this book is that it's just sheer delight! The book is chock full of whimsical and imaginative gardening ideas to inspire gardeners of any age, and the projects are actually doable for the novice. While some of her garden designs take up more space then many of us have, they're adaptable, and her container ideas are equally enchanting. Personally, this year I'm planting her sunflower playhouse so that the boys have a place of their own to play in the garden. Others include the bean tunnel, the tepee of gourds, and the flower maze. She has great tips and activities to help kids explore and enjoy their gardens, and Lovejoy's beautiful watercolour illustrations make the book fun to read even if you don't have so much as a balcony to grow things. I should know- I signed this book out of the library so many times when we lived in a basement apartment that I finally just bought my own copy!

A Kid's Classic:
It's sad that so many people are unacquainted with classic children's literature. These days most people seem to content themselfves with the Hollywoodized version. What a pity. They don't know what they're missing, especially as Hollywood has a tendency to change, ater down or even politicize the story. What's wrong with keeping true to a story when adapting it onto the screen? I say there's a reason that some books continue to be loved by generations. But I digress.
One such book is "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I've loved this one since I was a kid, and even now I like to reread it every spring. This story has great appeal for kids; orphans, mystery, engaging characters I confess that one of my favourites is the robin!) and wonderful plot. "The Secret Garden" can be enjoyed by adults too. I remember how much Mum loved reading this one to us as kids. If you can, try to find the version illustrated by Tasha Tudor. Her iluustrations of this story are the best I've ever found.

Happy reading everybody!

Garden Fever

I'm sort of a late bloomer. Believe it or not, it took me quite awhile before I actually learned to read (ever since then I've been making up for lost time). It took me years to figure out the dating scene (first date:age 18), and it wasn't until only last year that I finally figured out that I love gardening. In retrospect, I should've caught on years ago- me weeding out the neighbours garden to see their daffodils grow is a dead giveaway. At any rate, when we lived in the top half of a house last summer with a big yard and enormous garden did I it finally dawn on me just how much I loved working in the dirt and watching things grow.
I spent a good deal of time in that garden patch everyday, my little munchkins tagging along behind me. We had fun watching the bees collect pollen, observing how tall the sunflowers grew and feasting on raspberries. I was sad to leave and lose my garden, but this summer, although we're living in an apartment, I get to garden an entire half acre with a friend this summer!
Currently, I'm happily plotting out what to grow in this wonderful vast amount of space. It's a great way to pass the time waiting for spring to arrive. Poor Jason, he has to endure my enthusiastic burblings about it quite a bit lately. One thing that I really love about perusing gardening books and seed cataloges is the wonderful names they give types of flowers and vegetables within it's species. They're just so enchanting. Here's some of my favourites;
Sunflowers-there's Teddy Bear, Russian Mammoth and even Ring of Fire (which always reminds me of Johnny Cash)
Poppies-Ladybird, The Clown, Mission Bells, tropical Punch
Nasturtiums-Amazon Jewel and Whirlybird
Roses-Cupcake, Lipstick, and even Fairy Tale
Then there's some vegetable favs:
Radishes-Easter Eggs, which come in shades of purple, pink and red.
Pumpkins- you can grow anything from Cinderella's Carriage to Munchkin.
Gardening is creative, albeit grubby, fun. Here's hoping that I can start planting soon!

Spring Dreaming

I have been craving the color green of late. I want warm weather, puddles blossoming everywhere, and the world in general to be "mud-licious". I am currently staying at the Skinners tonight as I wend the long way back home from a visit to Cardston. Originally, the trip to see Grandma and Grandpa Redd was to take place in January, but due to inclement weather, we postponed the trip until spring when it would be much warmer. Oh the irony!
I seemed to be racing a snowstorm all the way down to Cardston. I stopped along the way in Edmonton, and Calgary to see family. It was the same everywhere we've gone this week; it had been nice, but shortly upon our arrival it turned chilly. Followed by snow. It didn't even seem remotely springlike in Cardston. My potential for being a winter jinx seems possible.
Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy winter, but by the end of March I am fed up with it. want to start working in my garden, and splashing in puddles. Instead of the bleak drearyness of white etched across the landscape, I'm longing to see the light green haze encircle the trees like some gauzy veil as their buds begin to grow.
The "official" day of spring has always seemed like a cruel joke to me...up here in Canada we know that in regards to winter it ain't over yet. But hope springs eternal (no pun intended). There are tantalizing signs that spring may fianlly arrive, such as that it isn't as dark anymore, I actually spotted a robin for the first time in months, and the chocolate bunnies must have been bredding up a storm, as they seem to have infiltrated any and every grocerystore near you. These signs make me very hopeful indeed.
So while I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of spring (and the death of winter) I plan to unpack the rainboots, start plotting out my garden, and eating some of those chocolate rabbits before we are completly overrun by them.

More Good Reads

As I'm sure you've already noticed, I am quite evangelical when it comes to good books. But hey, why waste you time sorting through the drivel when others can help you find a good read that much faster? Here's my picks for this week.

Punctuation Perfection:

For all of you vigilantes, stickers, and for everybody else I recommend "Eats Shoots and Leaves" by Lynne Truss. I grudgingly started this one (aka Jaima forced it upon me), but it didn't take long to love it. It is about punctuation of all things, but it's witty, hilarious, and as an added bonus leaves you feeling oh so very clever! This book left me confident about punctuation, and ever vigilant for faulty examples which suddenly seemed to appear all over the place. Who knew that punctuation could be so fun? Not to mention given to violence now and then? Syntax is dramatically changed, all by the simple location of where you but your dots and dashes. Consider the following examples:

"A woman; without her man is nothing." OR "A woman, without her man, is nothing."

Enjoy!

A New Hero On the Block:

For anyone with a budding superhero, "Traction Man is Here!" by Mini Cooper is a real treat. To those of you who have already heard me burble enthusiastically about this one already, I make no excuse. If you had read it you would understand! This has become one of my all-time favourite picture books. It follows the adventures of the action figure Traction Man as he battles the evil pillows, guards the breakfast toast and fights the poisonous dishcloth. But will our brave hero be undone by the knitted green romper suit and matching bonnet, lovingly knit by Granny? Who will prevail?

Check it out, it's great fun.

German Goodies

So after a prolonged drive (due to storm warnings), the munchkins and I have arrived here in Calgary for a few days. The reason: I'm overdue for a dental check-up. As much as I love my Dad, I must admit that there are many other places that I'd rather visit with him other than in the dental chair at his office. 

Admist the ensuing whirlwind that inevitably ensues whenever I come into town, there is always one place that I love to go. No visit to Calgary is complete without a quick stop to the German deli. Since having lived in Germany as an exchange student, my heart has always owned up to two nationalities instead of just one. I first discovered the deli shortly after coming back to Canada from living in Germany and was getting a little homesick. It's a piece of Germany tucked into NW Calgary, and I've loved it ever since.

Nenz and I went this afternoon. Now that I live in a small town where our store selection is quite limited, I enjoy availing myself of the plethora that the city holds anytime I'm here. Anyways, I got to hear people speaking German (a rarity  in Northern Alberta), and but myself some European goodies. The Germans have the right idea about a few things.While nothing on this list is exclusively German, and most originate from other countries, I first really encountered these quality foods in Nuremburg. I've never looked back since, and while I can't always find specific types or brands of these foods at my local grocerystore, the deli will.Here's a list of some of my edible, deli favorites;

-Bread. Forget the stuff they stock at grocery stores here, it's utterly flavorless and has no real texture. Blech. I indulged in some real bread. Challah, a rich egg bread that's braided and garnished with poppy seeds. Beats the snot out of Wonderbread.

-Cheese. When Johanna, my exchange partner, was living with us she one looked at the block of cheddar in the firdge and asked quizzically "Do you have other kinds here in Canada?" Although, yes we do, cheddar's more tasty friends and relations aren't nearly as widespread. Happily, such delights such as smoked gouda, munter, and havarti can be found. What makes it tricky is that often I find they just come packed in groups of a mere few slices or so, not a good wedge of the stuff.

- Gummy bears. The German ones  require more chewing, but they actually come in discernible flavours. Anytime we go to the deli, neither Jason nor I can pass up these little critters.

-Chocolate. My German family the Hammersens had a big drawer in their kitchen filled with chocolate-not the melted down crayons that they try to pass off for chocolate around here- but the real thing for us to nibble whenever we were hungry (I did really like that chocolate drawer!). Big slabs of rich, delectable chocolatey goodness. Luckily for us here in North America, we seem to be coming to our senses about quality over quantity. Lindt chocolate can easily be found here these days, much to my delight!

After some happy shopping, Nenz and I left the store with a bulging bag of German goodies. I even got a bag of gummybears for Jason. I've tucked them into my purse for safe keeping, but they may not survive the trip back home, they are very tasty...

Angst in Munchkinland

Last night proved to be much more exciting than I'd anticipated! Settling into a cozy evening at home, it ended up with Jason taking Ben to the emergency room.
While I figured that it was only a matter of time before that would happen (Ben is the personification of perpetual motion), my guess would be that he'd need either a cast or stitches. What did happen was that over the course of two hours he couldn't walk because his legs became too sore, combined with a fever. Brigham and I were left for four anxious hours to imagine the worst (hey I'm a mom, of course my mind started playing out worst case scenarios!). They finally came home, with Ben now walking on his own without discomfort. Diagnosis? Viral infection. Nothing serious, I just need to keep him indoors (sigh) and give him his medication today. Now that is interesting: medicine time slowly escalates into a wrestling match!
Just another day on the frontlines of parenting. All I can say is, motherhood ain't for wimps!

Book of the Week

(Cue the happy singing midgets),"We welcome you to Munchkinland, la la la la, la la la, la la la!" Okay, okay, so I just posted earlier today, but I'm pretty excited about htis new blog! I've decided to post a weekly feature called Book of the Week (hey, as a bibliophile, it ain't surprising).
I'll do one for the grownups, and one for the little people too.

Delicious dining:
I love experimenting with new recipes, and always enjoy cookbooks. My very favorite one is "Eat, Shrink and Be Merry". Not only does it contain fun recipes (like Grill of My Dreams, Darth Tater, and Wowie Maui Meatballs) but it's filled with pertinent info on diet and nutrition. It's chock full of goofy cartoons too, which are always worth a laugh. Did I mention that the recipes themselfves create truly delectable, healthy recipes? Try Jerk Chicken with Tropical Fruit Salsa, (healthy) Butter Chicken, and Lime and Cilantro Salmon Skewers. The book has been on the Best Seller List, and might still be I think. I use this one at least once a week. Definently worth checking out .(Ask Mum, I call her often to recommend yet another of the recipes in her copy of this one!)

Bedtime Bedlam:
Some of you may recall "Bread and Jam for Frances" by Russell Hoban (if you don't, read it too-you're missing out). While this is Frances' most famous adventure, I also love "Bedtime for Frances". Anyone with kids will recognize her stalling techniques. Frances is sheer delight as she grapples with giants, creppy crawlies and the usual songs she sings to herself as she must do the odious task all kids dread: actually going to sleep. The illustrations beautifully compliment the text.

Greetings from Munchkinland!

Wishing to branch out to friends and family everywhere (exile will do that to you!), I've finally succombed in starting a blog.
It's "Munchkinland" due to the two little munchkins who run riot around this apartment, and depending on the day I'm either Glinda the Witch of the North or the Wicked Witch of the West (personally, she was always my favorite-she got all the good lines).
Life in Slave Lake is interesting right now, as the two munchkins have pink eye. As such, we've been watchingtheir latest movie crush "101 Dalmations" a lot more than I'd prefer.Incredibly, that one has replaced the longtime favorite "Cars". Maybe I'll have to get my hands on the "Wizard of Oz"-if only to break the movie tedium.
Well, welcome to Munchkinland, and today I wishto close in the words of my esteemed green alter-ego:
"I'll get you my pretty-and your little dog too!" (Evil cackles)