Take Notice Thursday - On Reflection

In an effort to notice more of the ordinary in my life, I have decided to share what I have noticed this week in Take Notice Thursday.   The idea is to take photos that are linked some how; by theme, by colour, by date, by moment,  by points of view. There is no formal link in but please feel free to join in.    What have you noticed this week?


This week my noticings are reflections taken on a recent wandering.  The water was still, the sun shining & the light combined was perfect.  The water isn't dirty, there is a lot of iron clay in the ground.  The water was very clear.

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”   Søren Kierkegaard 

The Salad Days of Summer - Two Shares

I'm sharing a few cold salads that I regularly make during the summer months, both are on the menu plan this week.  I've shared as I received & noted where & what I've changed.   Bon appetit - buen provecho - buona mangiata

#1 Tropical Chicken Mango Salad
DRESSING:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp preserved ginger (finely chopped) I used fresh
1 tbsp orange juice concentrate
finely grated peel of 1 orange

SALAD:
4 cooked chicken breast, skinned & boned (I use only 1 for Mr Man)
1/2 small English cucumber - coarsely chopped (I've used regular cucumbers, but I must admit English are better)
1 medium red pepper coarsely chopped (actually any colour of sweet would be fine)
1 medium mango, peeled
1/2 head of leaf lettuce (I've used Romaine & I've used Iceberg)
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts or roasted peanuts (I used honey roasted peanuts & once slivered almonds)

In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients together until blended. Cut chicken into 1" cubes & place in bowl with cucumber & red pepper.  Cut mango into 1" pieces & add.  Toss with dressing. Spoon chicken mixture into a lettuce lined platter  - sprinkle with nuts.


#2 Where's Waldorf? (from Looney Spoons cookbook)
DRESSING:
3/4 cup low fat vanilla yoghurt (I've used full fat yoghurt)
2 tsp honey mustard
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

SALAD:
4 cups of rotini pasta (2 cups dry) (I've used corkscrew & I've used elbow) (my latest is Quinoa pasta)
3 cups chopped unpeeled but washed apple (any type will do, I've often blended Granny Smith & Fuji apples)
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts (I've used pecans, I've used slivered almonds)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion (I use sweet white)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I always forget this)

Mix dressing ingredients,  mix salad ingredients, mix together, serve chilled.

TGIF

Thank you to Dr Brene Brown for this meme ...

Trusting:  That my excellent intentions regarding my scrapbooking of each month's numbers will get caught up very soon.  I have the numbers, I just need to get them onto the page.

Grateful: Truly grateful for all the medical help there has been for Mr Man's eye problem.  He had quite an upset a few weeks back when it seemed his good eye was struggling.  Turns out he has a condition in that eye of extreme dryness, which turns out can affect your vision. The good eye has been working hard to compensate for the bad eye (the one that had 3 surgeries to it & monthly eye injections).   A good eye drop prescription  & some simple things like warm compresses twice a day are helping - this week doctor & Mr Man are pleased with the improvements.

Inspired: by so many talented scrappers, card makers & blog writers.  While not necessarily a woman's domain, it seems that the majority of those that I follow or read, are women.  I am thankful for an online tribe of woman that inspire me.  I'm inspired by the raising up of women by women to develop & share with the world, our gifts.

Fun: the continuation of our wandering as a Summer Manifesto.  We found a truly delightful back roads way to my favourite scrapping store & discovered a charming little cafe for tea & cakes.  We live in such a rich farming area & with all spring's rain, everything is still green & lush looking.

Take Notice Thursday - The Badlands Were Good

In an effort to notice more of the ordinary in my life, I have decided to share what I have noticed this week in Take Notice Thursday.   The idea is to take photos that are linked some how; by theme, by colour, by date, by moment,  by points of view. There is no formal link in but please feel free to join in.  What have you noticed this week?

We have known about the The Badlands for years, but it is only recently that it has installed a parking lot, a boardwalk & a viewing platform.  Prior to this, the area has been fenced off with security keeping watch.  So as part of our Summer Manifesto of wandering, we wandered over recently to take a closer look at some good examples of bad land ...  "let us wander where the WIFI is weak"

The exposed bedrock at the Cheltenham Badlands is Queenston Shale, and this iron-rich shale was deposited over 400 million years ago, when the area was part of sea bed. The shale has eroded into a series of hummocks and gullies, producing the distinctive landscape due to the removal of vegetation during land clearing and livestock grazing in the early 1900s.

The striking landscape of the Cheltenham Badlands is one of Ontario’s geological treasures and is one of the best examples of badland topography in the province. Today, the Cheltenham Badlands is recognized as a provincially significant Earth Science Area of Natural and Scientific Interest. It is owned by Ontario Heritage Trust and managed by Credit Valley Conservation Authority.  Wikipedia.Badlands
 

TGIF -

Thank you to Dr Brene Brown for this meme.
 
Trusting: that the new OFF Backyard & Patio mosquito repellent works!  The mosquitoes are awful this year - large & far too many.

Source: Internet

Grateful: For the shade of the trees 

Inspired:  by the quote from JRR Tolkien; "not all who wander are lost" which prompted me for this year's theme for our Summer Manifesto.  We had purchased a book "Back Roads of Ontario", which has given us 1-2 day out drives but also got me searching for some places that we can wander about in/at.  I think it's going to be a good summer.

Fun:  Mr Man & I recently had a wandering adventure day off the patio & at this particular conservation park, there was a swing bridge over the river .  Neither of us are good with heights, but we dared each other to be brave & walk across & back again. Sometimes pushing each other to do things out of our own mutual comfort zones is fun, but it's still a hard no from both of us to zip line across!!

Take Three Thursday - Grumpy Pants

In an effort to notice more of the ordinary in my life, I have decided to share what I have noticed this week in Take Three Thursday.   The idea is to take 1 - 3 photos that are linked some how; by theme, by colour, by date, by moment,  by points of view. There is no formal link in but please feel free to join in.  Happy Independence Day to my American blog friends.

What I noticed this week are three things that annoy me, none of which I seem to have any control over, so maybe there's the rub.  I know the saying, when you can't change something, change how you think about it or respond to it. I also know that none of these are life altering, but still ... they do annoy me.

This is our outdoor storage cupboard.  This is not our cat.  She looks very sweet & she is quite beautiful,  but what she is doing from this vantage point is hunting my chipmunks.  Go home cat!

This is only one of the several rude neighbours who cuts their lawn & blows all the grass clippings all over the sidewalk. There is a by-law but no one seems to take notice.  It's very messy to walk through & it can get quite slippery when wet - the little kids on their bikes have been known to wipe out in this mess.  Sweep up or bag it!

 Man buns - in my opinion, this is not a good look for any of the men I've seen up close & in person.  Sorry Boss Man, you aren't rocking the look,  you need to cut it!

Source: Internet.  Not Boss Man

OK now that I have those little annoyances off my chest, what is some little thing annoying you that you cannot change? 

July 1st, Canada Day

Source: Internet

Source: Internet