Our Earth Hour 2008

Coincidentally, Earth hour fell on my birthday this year and thankfully gave me a reason to get excited about it instead of that creeping dread I had been experiencing.

As it turned out, since it was my birthday, my dear husband, Roy, was taking care of the house, the kids, dinner, baking me a cake from scratch and even washing dishes, we hadn't eaten dinner before 8pm! So we had a candlelit dinner with the whole family. We talked and told stories and we ate really well too because we were all darned near starving.

We have family meals every night, but this one was a little different. With the glow of the candles and no background noises from televisions or radios or humming computers, we just enjoyed each other. We lingered in the glow of the candles. Had some extremely delicious carrot cake (with cream cheese frosting of course) and took a couple pictures of our night. No one asked to be excused. With no computer to run off to, or tv to return to...who would want to leave a table laden with candles and scrumptious home-made carrot cake (with cream cheese frosting of course.)

We've decided that candle-lit dinners will be a nice change of pace, so we're going to do them regularly. Life slowed down for an hour. We payed attention a little better for an hour. We listened a little better.

And every single one of us noted just how many things we had to turn off to plunge our home into darkness. It was a lot, actually. Nearly every light in the basement. Nearly every light on the main floor. Two computers. Two televisions. Clocks and the microwave.

We took a look outside and only one other house was completely dark. That was a tad disappointing, though our city did participate. The Standard reports that electricity usage was 9.2% lower than an average Saturday night in March for St. Catharines. I think that's significant, considering how many houses I could see ablaze. Good job, St. Kitt's. Let's see how we do next year.

Change begins with one, though, right? One change I think is appropriate in this case. If we could make one change...it could start a domino effect of singular changes for individuals around the world. When you add that all up...that's a difference.

Sure, one hour one night a year of darkness isn't going to halt whatever path we're on now. Noticing one's own unnecessary waste is the first step in reducing it.



As a bonus, it was an enjoyable time in this household. I doubt the kids will forget it. Should it become a weekly tradition, I know they never will.

Coming up next....all that yummy stuff I've been teasing you with for the past several days.

And maybe soon I'll share Roy's carrot cake recipe with you. It's delicious. And you know what, he doesn't even like carrot cake. But I love it! And I haven't made one in at least 10 years. (Go ahead, guess how long we've been married.)

Enjoy!

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Tonight's the Night

Everybody turn out their lights!

Tonight from 8pm to 9pm people all over the world will be turning out all their lights. I hope you will be, too.

Tonight we're going to unplug all passive power consuming appliances as well, and no, we're not going to just sit and watch tv in the dark. We're going to light some candles if they're needed and play games at the dining room table. I expect this will be fun for everyone.

If tonight's a success, we're going to do it once a week. Every Saturday we'll shut out the lights and disconnect the passive power suckers (microwave, clocks, computers, but not refrigerator & freezer) and have real, honest family time (i.e., not tv time.) I suspect we'll not only reduce our consumption and raise our awareness but also strengthen those bonds that can be weakened by hectic schedules and the busy-ness of day-to-day life.

I've already heard a few people comment that global warming is a sham. Interestingly, all the people who say this to me are American. The thing is, global warming itself is a fact. The debate is whether humans have caused it. It kills me that people are so willing to grab onto the tiniest tidbit that sounds best to them. They hear bits and snatches or read one opponent's opinion and grab onto it because it's the easiest path for them. It's the path that doesn't require them to do anything.

I understand that methodology. I just wish that people who so willingly and immediately discount humankind's impact on the environment would stop and think it through. So I'm going to ask the Doubting Thomases to read the following and just think about these things:

• What if global warming IS a result of human-created carbon dioxide emissions? (Carbon dioxide emissions come from car exhaust, power generation, rotting garbage, the burning of fossil fuels, and other sources.)
• What if global warming DOES result in the melting of a major ice shelf like the one covering Greenland? (The answer is that the world's water level will go up by 25% and we will lose places like Japan, Greenland, the Netherlands, Florida...4% of the world's land surface will be under water -- places where people now live will be under water.)

Another thing the Doubting Thomases could do is consider humankind's effect on the earth and on their own species' health and well-being. Do we not have enormous amounts of waste, unlike any other species on the planet? Yes, we do. Do our wastes cause ill-health and even death? Yes. We have been killing off other living beings and one another through toxic wastes, destruction of habitat, pollution, chemical pollution. Shouldn't we stop doing things like that just for our own well-being?

I think so.

I know it won't happen overnight. I'm not one of those enviro-nazis, either. I wouldn't think of throwing Molotov cocktails on a car lot full of Hummers to protest their wastefulness. That's just stupid. I simply try to do better. I recycle paper, plastic, glass, organics, and aluminum as well as household goods. I don't use chemicals in my yard or garden and I have eliminated household chemicals almost completely. I try to purchase items that leave the least waste. I'm not always successful. I still have a lot of trash. Hell, I still smoke. (I will be quitting for good this year.) I consciously try to reduce my family's consumption, including energy use. I try. That's all. I just try.

I hope that what's going on with the climate will not result in an ice age. I hope that humankind can reverse what's going on and prevent an ice age. I don't know if we can. I really don't. I do know we have impacted our environment negatively and I want not to do that anymore.

Please post comments and let me know what you're doing for Earth Hour 2008. I'd love to know.

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Cats...We've Known a Few

Cats and kittens grace our home regularly. Since we foster them to get them ready for adoption (through the local Animal Assistance Society), we have had the pleasure of caring for nearly 30 different cats and kittens in the past few years.

I thought I'd share some with you.


Our first batch of kittens were the "steel kitties" (in reference to their colouring) who were, coincidentally, rescued from a steel mill. They were very sick when I got them. They had eye issues, upper respiratory infections, and funny poops. They had to be given lots of meds every day, eye ointment and cleaning twice daily, a couple nutritional supplements, and yes, I had to pay attention to their poops. That's right. I think I've seen every make & model of kitty poop in the past few years. As a foster, I got the trial by fire routine. No other kitties have been as needy since. I never minded, though.

We named two of them tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum, these two were constant companions. Due to the ongoing brain damage I suffer as a side-effect of long-term parenting, I cannot recall the other three kitty's names.



One day, Tweedle Dee broke one of her legs. I don't know how it happened. She was an awfully curious lil bugger (as you can see above) and I suspect she climbed into the drop ceiling downstairs and then fell from it. It was a nasty break and I thought they were going to euthanise her because the surgery would have been a couple thousand dollars. Instead, they put her in a high cage (so she wouldn't stand to look at her people) and kept her there for a month. She returned to me perfectly healthy but no longer attached to Tweedle Dum. She was adopted within weeks of her return as were all of her siblings.

Can you see Tweedle Dee? (This is post recovery, by the way.)



There she is!


I'll tell you about more of our kitties in future posts.

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On What Grounds Would You End an Imaginary Friendship

Little break from cleaning here to share this story with the world.

My seven year old gained an imaginary friend when he was 4. I don't blame him. His mom went in hospital for an extended time, his family split up for 3 months before everyone moved to a different country, his baby brother was born 2 months premature, and then just after he gets settled into his new home in a whole different country, his Pappap died. So, several enormous life events in a row and here came a slew of imaginary friends. One was around for awhile, then he was twins, then it was twins and their buddy.

We didn't make a big deal of this. It was obviously a coping mechanism and an outlet for a VERY active imagination. Our son would tell us tales of how he and his imaginary friends went out joy riding in a moving truck, working on farm equipment, driving a train. Harmless fun really.

Stories about the imaginary friend(s) started tapering off a year or so ago. They'd come once a month, then every several months, and until the other day I hadn't heard about "Kyle" or his twin in about six months. Well, my little guy informed me that he has given up his imaginary friend.

"Oh?" I said, "And how did you come to that decision?" Fully expecting he'd tell me he's growing up and doesn't need any imaginary friends.

"He was mean, so I don't want him to be my friend anymore." Dear son tells me. I ask him to explain.

"Well, I was falling to sleep and Kyle asked me if I was thinking about Kiara" Kiara's a pretty girl from school "and I told him 'no.' So he said, 'I'm gonna te-ell, I'm gonna te-ell, I'm gonna te-ell Kiara that you weren't thinking about her!' So I decided that I'm not his friend anymore because that was mean!"

Now you know what exactly is grounds for ending an imaginary friendship.

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Apple Puff Pancake

We almost didn't get to have this tonight. My daughter was taken to the hospital from school with chest pains and we didn't get home til almost 7PM! Turns out my daughter is fine, a little stressed apparently, but otherwise fine. It's March break next week so she'll have a chance to unwind from the rigors of the seventh grade!

Tonight's meal was so worth the wait! This is SO good! I have tried many recipes for this, but this is the one that is best! My kids were so pleased with tonight's meal. My 2-year-old was the quietest at the table he's ever been...so busy taking one bite after another!

You need:
2 T stick margarine or butter (I used soft and it was fine!)
2T brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup flour (I use 1/4 whole wheat, 1/4 all purpose)
1/2 c milk
1/4 tsp salt
1-2 baking apples (I used McIntosh)Peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Set the oven to 400F. Put the margarine in a 9" pie plate and set it inside the oven to melt the margarine. Remove the pie plate and spread the margarine over the sides and bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon on the bottom of the pan. Spread the apple slices over the bottom of the pan.

Beat the eggs slightly in a medium bowl with a wire whisk. Beat in the rest of the ingredients until just mixed. Pour the mixture over the apples. Bake 30 minutes or until pancake is puffy and a golden brown colour.

Immediately loosen the edge of the pancake from the pan with a thin knife. Set a plate on top of the pie pan and carefully flip the pan and plate over. The pancake will come out onto the plate upside down. That's how you want it. If you don't flip it, you'll never get apples onto each person's plate without a struggle. Flipped, the apples and caramelized sugar mixture is on the top when served. Also, the puff deflates soon as you cut it.

Serve it as is. The kids will add syrup to it if I put syrup on the table. But they'll eat it without, too! I like it as is!

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Green Goodness Smoothie

It's a HIT! WOW! I was hesitant to try this recipe since I have a child who won't eat green things. He saw the spinach leaves go into the blender and I was sure I'd lost him at that point. Wrong! He LOVED it! It's quite sweet and refreshing. Everyone loved it. It has a fibrous texture, but no one seemed to mind that at all. They have renamed it to "Monster Mash" and asked that we have some floating eyeballs (grapes) next time.

This served the five of us with some to spare! The two youngest got 6 ounces each and the rest of us had 8 ounces.

• 2 bananas sliced if fresh (I used frozen bananas)
• 2 cups fresh grapes, washed
• 3 cups fresh spinach, washed
• 1 whole apple cored, peeled and sliced
• 12 ounces plain yogurt

Add the yogurt and banana first, then all other ingredients. Blend until smooth. You'll need to push things down a couple times to get it all blended, but it all will.

Pour and serve!

I'm making this again tomorrow at the kids' request. How's that for getting the green leafies into them? Works for me!

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Chicken Vegetable Cobbler

Yet another frequent flyer on my menu. This is wonderful in the winter for a one dish meal as it's hearty, warm and flavourful. This one's also an original of mine. I have several variations, but this is how I prepared it tonight:

2c cut up cooked chicken
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 can evaporated fat-free milk
3 c frozen mixed vegetables
1 batch drop biscuit dough (recipe below)

I cooked two 2-quart baking dishes of this tonight. I'll freeze one for another day.

First I place the chicken, cream soups, and milk in the baking dish and stir to get the soup thinned out and fairly distributed. Then I add the mixed vegetables and stir again. It seems like a dry mixture, but the water from the frozen vegetables will moisten the mixture more as it cooks. For the biscuits:

1/2 c shortening
2 cups flour (I use 1 cup whole wheat, 1 cup all purpose)
1 T sugar (I use Splenda and nobody knows!)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c milk

Cut the shortening into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender until it resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the milk. It will be a sticky mixture. Using a tablespoon, spread one table spoon of biscuit dough at a time onto the top of the vegetable-chicken mixture. I thin these out as I've found if they're very thick used this way, they don't cook all the way through. These will not completely cover the mixture -- you'll have spaces between each biscuit.

When my husband makes this recipe, he reduces the milk to 3/4 cup and rolls out the biscuit dough to about 1/4" thickness and then places it directly over the mixture. We know I'm a lazy cook so I don't make that particular extra effort.

I bake this at 350 for 35-45 minutes until the biscuits are cooked all the way through and no longer doughy on the undersides. Allow the pan to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

If you halve this recipe, your choice of cream soup will be fine. You don't need two different ones for a good flavour. You'll have extra biscuit dough, so just drop the leftovers by spoonful onto a baking sheet and allow them to bake next to the cobbler. They'll be done in about 20 minutes when they're a nice golden brown on the outside.

Prep time is 20 minutes. Not bad for an entire meal in one dish!

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