An update from the great North.
Hello everyone,
It's been some time since I've written an update, so be prepared. It may be lengty.
I'll start with the beginning of the summer since I'm not sure when I wrote last. I started working as a summer student in June, which was another excellent experience for me. This summer job was ten weeks short. I can't believe I'm done as of Friday of this week. As I keep telling my supervisor, they can't get rid of me that easily though. LOL. I'm still going to volunteer there while doing my schooling. I thought last year worked out perfectly. i had just the right balance between school, volunteering and time for me.
As a summer student, I got to plan lots of events for the centre. I also got to co-facilitate two groups which will continue for a few weeks after I'm done my summer position. The groups are going well, and the events seem to be running as planned. I'm still doing the crisis work as well, which is always an adventure. Also as a summer student, I got to attend a four-day retreat in Elk Lake since I sat on the planning committee all year. That retreat was a blast.
After this busy summer, you'd think I'd want to take a break before starting my school work on September 7th. Not me. I'm still going to volunteer every day. I would normally go on a week's holidays to visit my other Grandparents, but this year, my Grandma is going in for a hip replacement.
Earlier this summer, my poor Newmar had a wart-like mass removed from his ear. Sorry if any of this is old news to you. LOL. He is doing a lot better now, but for about a week, he had to wear the dreaded cone so he wouldn't scratch it. The vet said that the mass wasn't cancerous. However, there were a few bad cells in it that, if it had been left too long, it may have spread.
Today has got to be one of the best days I have had all summer. I felt completely care-free; one with nature as I love to be. My Grandparents and I went blueberry picking this morning. We weren't sure if it was still going to happen because it was calling for rain. However, my mind must have known that we were still going because I drempt about it last night. LOL. I drempt that I was picking berries when all of a sudden, I felt this big, furry warm thing on my shoulder. Before I could turn my head to look, I heard this loud "Gurrrrrrrrrrruffffff" sound. I looked over, and a big black bear stared me in the face. Now, I must have reacted pretty violently in my sleep because I woke up on the floor. LOLLOLLOL.
When I woke up this morning, I saw the beautiful sunshine coming through the window. I was so glad to see that. We were all packed up and in the RAV4 by 9:30. We had to leave the dogs at home of course. I wouldn't want Newmar to crush all the blueberries before I could pick them. My Grandpa went his own way because he saw some really big berries. My Grandma put me in my own area where the berries were luscious and plentiful. She wasn't far away from me, so when I needed to find a new spot, she just kept talking so that I could follow her voice and find another spot near her. I couldn't believe how far in the bush I had gone. There was one point when the blueberries were so big that I could actually see them!!! I was like a kid in a candy store. So was my Grandma. Whenever she found a big cluster of berries, she would say, "Ooh look at these ones!!!" This may sound silly, but Grandma had a 3 litre basket, Grandpa had a 1 litre can, and I just used a large Tim Hortons cup. Since I had to pick them by feel, it took me a lot longer to fill it up than it took them. I didn't mind though. I was having fun. I didn't feel rushed either, which was nice. We left the first spot at around noon. My Grandpa took a scenic route and saw some even bigger berries. You should have heard Grandma in the vehicle, "Oh, Dennis, look at these ones. They're huge!!! Let's get out here and pick more!!!" She said that about five times before Grandpa finally stopped and let us get out and pick some more alongside the road. After we were all done, we went to Tim Hortons for another coffee before heading home. By that time, it was 2:30. We picked 5 and a half litres of blueberries, most of which are already in my freezer.
This summer, I have further discovered a passion of mine. I knew I enjoyed cooking and trying new dishes before, but I have really established that over the summer. Since I have been working, I bring a lunch to work most days. There was no way I was about to bring those frozen dinners. I did that last year and wasn't too fond of them. Every Saturday morning this summer, I would cook enough meals to last me for two weeks worth of Lunches. One time, I made mini pizzas, cwakamoli, vegetable curry, bean and rice casserole, etc. Part of the reason I just noticed the spark in my passion for cooking is because of the new epicure products I now have. Epicure is a company that makes all natural seasonings, dips, teas, etc. They are so easy to use. For example, I made a salad today with Epicure's Italian Dressing Mix. It calls for 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar, 2/3 cu pvegetable oil and 1 to 2 tablespoons of the dressing mix. You shake it all up in a bottle that they give you and oh is it ever good. That's what I had for supper tonight.
Anyways, I've rambled on enough. For those who read this far, thanks. I hope you've enjoyed it.