Colourful Threads

I really like Amazon. I use it frequently. Not so much to buy books, although I do that, but to order books online from our local library. Amazon allows me to peruse the books before I order them and have them sent to our local branch. Generally I have found Amazon to be a reputable company, one which provides me with lots of browsing, and when I make purchases, with good prices and free shipping.

When I sign up for accounts at such places as Amazon, I usually opt out of all mailings and marketing. I do not need the extra spam filling my inbox. However Amazon has occasionally mailed me offers based on my previous purchases. I simply deleted them and moved on. Until today.

Today I felt sure the Amazon email in my inbox must be a spam. It cheerfully announced that others who had purchased a certain relationship self help book had purchased the author’s new novel. The title looked extremely suspect. I went to Amazon and searched for the title. I was greeted by a trashy p*rn novel.

My darling husband checked the email code to ensure it was from Amazon. It was. I quickly removed myself from all future Amazon mailings (I hope) and then proceeded to fill in a Customer Service form at Amazon.

The world is an evil place, and my computer is an open window to it. We’ve tried to put safe guards in place. We’ve tried to use this tool wisely, but every once in a while I just want to cry.

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Overview
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I am a born and bred Canadian, raised by a proud Scotsman who is passionately in love with both his homelands – the one of his birth, and the one of his choosing.

So it only seems natural that I spell like a Brit (‘Honour thy neighbour.’), make a good cup o’ tea, judge the warmth of a day in Celsius, and measure my runs in kilometers.

I find it most amusing then, that I still judge my height in feet, estimate small measurements in inches and cook in cups and ounces. This dichotomy represents something deep in the Canadian culture, which I have neither the time, nor the inclination to discover.

What sparked this whole insight, though, was the recipe I posted yesterday. I have listed:
2 – 540ml cans of black beans, rinsed
and
1 – 28oz can diced tomatoes

Now packaging in Canada, because it often comes from down south, generally lists both measurements. Why I chose metric for one and imperial for the other, I cannot fathom.

I worry about this, you see, because honestly, I’m functionally illiterate in both. I mix and match the systems randomly and don’t understand whole sections of either. For sewing, I measure in inches and meters. I use ounces fairly regularly, but have no idea about pints or quarts. I know a fever is 100F, but don’t know if 68F is warm or cool. I know that 25C is a pleasantly warm day, but is 39C a fever?

Perhaps things will clear up when it comes time to teach these things to my children. I love homeschooling. I love that every day I get to relive my education, to fill in the holes, to study things I never even dreamed of. I love that by the time I’m done, I’ll be some well rounded intellectual that six years of university couldn’t make me.

I’m so thankful for this wonderful opportunity. I am thankful for a daily adventure that allows me to learn and study; thankful for the time to share with my children all about why one is measured in ounces and one in milliliters.

So here’s to the mixing of the old and new, the British and the American, the best of both worlds, and the opportunity to share it all with my precious blessings!

Cheers

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In my never-ending quest to ease the meal time rush, I have created the following recipe. It’s simple, quick, low fat and vegetarian.

Speedy Gonzales Soup
serves 8

2 cups frozen corn
2 – 540ml cans of black beans, rinsed
1 cup salsa
1 – 28oz can diced tomatoes
5 cups water or stock
1/2 tsp cumin
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp Italian herbs

Toppings
1 cup no-fat cheese
1 cup no-fat sour cream
2 cups low-fat, baked tortilla chips, crushed

Place all ingredients, except toppings in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
Serve in bowls and top with a couple of tablespoons of cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.

If time and energy permit, serve with cornbread and a fresh fruit salad!

Enjoy!

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Well, this is my first post at the new site! My husband has down a wonderful job of creating a family blog!

I’m so excited about the potential of Wonderful Pages but I also want to remind myself that this site is for me and my family – words to remind myself about the important things, and to remind my children, when they’re older, about the journey.

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My sweetie is away on business this week.

We miss him terribly (it’s only been thirty six hours) but I am surprised at the condolences that I have been receiving. Somehow a few people think that I am going to have a very difficult week.

I am a little bothered by this pitying. I mean, I do expect to be tired. I am certainly lonely in that short hour after the children are in bed and I must face a quiet, empty house. The bed does seem much bigger, and certainly not as cosy.

But honestly, it is only seven days!

Susannah Moodie, great Canadian pioneer woman and writer, was without her dearest for almost two years, in the back bush of Canada with no money, no idea of when or if he would return and no one to help her out. Their home burned to the ground and she singlehandedly rescued her children and household goods. She survived.

I am not in the back bush. I am not without money. I am not without hope of his return and most of all, I am not without help. (The phone has already rung several times today with dear friends checking in on me.)

This pity seems an insult to so many women who have and continue to parent alone. Single parenting is hard, whatever the reason, whatever the length of time. But such women do not deserve our pity. They deserve our praise, our encouragement, and most of our help.

So as I embark on my week, I am thoughtful and a little trepidatious, but also rather calm. For you see, I know that I’ll get through my week. I’ve got help.

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