Inquiring Minds Want to Know ~ Tuesday 4

Hello!  You are so welcome here at Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.  

Let's inquire about stuff....

1. What gets your blood to boiling?

Hmm, not much makes my blood boil but I would have to say injustice and dishonesty together or apart are 2 things that can get me going.  Actually I was just thinking about this the other day when I was reminiscing about being so angry with an aunt of mine through marriage my uncle (mother's brother). 

I was very young at the time, a young teenager still in high school.  My aunt had taken advantage of my younger siblings and significantly underpaid them for babysitting.  My siblings were very hurt and I was livid over it.  Since my aunt and uncle lived very close, I  went to their home just across the way and had it out with her and laid down the law that there would be no more babysitting. I was a bit hot headed and actually usurped my parent's role. I had always jumped in to save my younger brother or my younger sister whenever they had issues with others treating them poorly so it was just an instinct to do the same in the baby sitting situation.  My siblings and I never did babysit for my aunt again. We were too busy babysitting for everyone else so it wasn't an issue of lack of opportunities.

Fortunately I never had to intervene in the same way again.  I didn't feel good about what happened to my siblings on that day but I also did not feel good about losing my cool or how I handled the situation. Nonetheless I'm still bothered by injustice and dishonesty more than other things. 

2. What does a really good day look like for you? What makes you say, "That was a great day"?

It doesn't take a lot to make me have a great day.  For example, I like it when I go out in the ordinary course of business and run into nice people and chit chat with strangers along the way. 

Just the other day I went to the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE).  I wasn't sure I wanted to go but decided to go because I had a bit of 'free' time and the entrance fee was reduced by about 60% for everyone on that day.  The weather was also not too hot and just the perfect kind of day for walking around.

I zoomed into this woman's hair because of the colour.

The fair wasn't terribly busy that day and everywhere I went people were friendly and wanted to chat. I was alone so I was quite up for the chatting. I enjoyed several lengthy chats with different people throughout the few hours I was at the fair. It made my time very pleasant. 

I also spent a bit of time checking out the farm animals but I didn't get too many photos.

I love this bison

Isn't the baby llama so cute?

3. Are you continuing to grow mentally, spiritually, talent wise or are you  just marking time?

Yes, I'm growing in all ways.  I'm always studying something though I don't spend so long on any one thing. I am constantly researching and reading both for pleasure and also for learning, every day things, things on the news, new developments in the world & spiritual matters. I love YouTube because you get access to so many people that you wouldn't ever have a chance to listen to live and in person.  You can also research people and topics on line in a jiffy.

I also continue to learn new things concerning household projects and hobbies.  Over the past year I completed many simple DIYs like painting, changing door knobs, putting up shelving, etc. I also like to keep busy with my hands by doing arts and crafts.  Though I don't have patience for tackling complicated crafting projects, I do try to learn a new aspect of a craft now and then.  My newest crafting projects relate to beaded embroidery.  I made beaded jewellery as a teenager but never did beaded embroidery.  It's more difficult than thread embroidery so it will take me more practice to make something I'm happy with.  I also want to learn to do some simple weaving projects and continue with knitting, crochet and sewing, possibly quilting.

4. Have you changed your hair style since high school?   Why or why not?

I always had long, shoulder length straight hair.  In my 2nd year of university I cut it much shorter and had it permed. I spent much of my adult and working life with alternating lengths of hair from very, very short (like about 1 inch long) to mid length hair (about chin length or a bit longer). 

I'm back to wearing long straight hair like I did in my late teens.  I like this length and will likely keep it  unless it becomes too difficult to manage.  I prefer to get a colour job at the salon.  That way I can get the highlighted strips such as in the photo below that I like.  But that is a splurge and I no longer have a dedicated stylist like I used to prior to the pandemic.

If you read this far, thank you so much for taking the time to visit. I hope you will come back again soon!

Nature's Beauty ~ Skywatch Friday, August 15, 2025

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

How are you all doing?  Welcome to my Skywatch Friday post.

As summer draws to a close the weather temperatures have also skyrocketed. However cooler temperatures are supposed to be back by the weekend.  Just in time for Vancouver's Pacific National Exhibition (PNE).  I haven't been to the PNE for a few years so I might go this year.  The PNE closes on Labour Day weekend, September 1, 2025. Once it's over I usually notice a distinct chill in the air reminding us that the autumn season will soon be upon us.

The garden needs a lot of water during the hottest times of the summer.

Your Reading Opinions ~ Tuesday 4

Tuesday 4 welcomes you and hopes that you are enjoying the questions we ask each week. In spite of movies and television, reading is still a popular way to spend time for many people all over the world.

All kinds of people read all kinds of books.   I thought maybe we could talk about it a bit this week and get your personal opinions on the subject.

1. What are some essential classic books that everyone should read at least once in their lifetime?

Books by Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy and Margaret Atwood (new classic ?). There are many more wonderful authors who have written terrific classic books but I'll limit my list.

2.  Monday September 22 is the first day of Autumn.  Would you make up a list for us of books that you think would make great Autumn reading?

The Dutch House by Ann Pathchett, September by Rosamunde Picher, The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See.

3  What genre will we find most in your library? Sci Fi, Romance, adventure, biography, non fiction, mystery?  What do you like most about the genre?

Historical fiction. I like history but have limited patience for reading detailed historical non-fiction books. Most of them are too dull. I like a good story tied into fact based history. One can't rely on the history shared in a novel but it gives a good starting point for more research if interested in digging deeper.

4  What book would you like to see made into a movie? Any idea on who should be cast in the roles?

September by Rosamunde Pilcher. I have no idea about the casting but it should be British actors and it should be a big budget film not a cheaply produced television series or made for television movie.  I'd also l like to see a movie based on The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane.

Summer Delight

Hello friends,

There is nothing that gives me so much pleasure as the beauty of a flower or really any growing thing.  In this case, I'm sharing some flowers currently blooming in my garden. I like to enjoy them in the early morning hours before the sun rises but this day I captured their beauty a little bit later after the sun was out.

I didn't plan my 2025 garden because I was behind in all the things that needed to be done as summer approached. I threw a bunch of different seeds in the garden and hoped for the best. Next year it will probably look a bit different.

Thanks for stopping by!

Skywatch Friday ~ August 7, 2025

As we leave the month of July and enter into August our hot temperatures have cooled a bit and our skies have become more cloudy.  These photos were taken before daybreak.  I find it's often cloudy just before daybreak.

We've had cool temperatures and a bit of rain but by Friday and over the weekend it's supposed to get hot again.

Thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post.

The Art of Living ~ Tuesday 4

Welcome once again to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where the idea is to promote blogging and friendships.

The art of living can be tricky and you need to know how it's done.  Life gives you lessons if you are paying attention.  Part of the art is knowing  how to see things as they really are.... 

Let's talk about your view on life..... 

1.  What gives your life meaning or purpose?    Why does it do that for you?

My faith in God and eternal life as a gift gives me purpose and meaning.  My faith helps me get through each day especially the hardest days.  The moral aspect of my faith is my moral compass that provides a direction in how I live my life and the ethics that go along with it.  

2.  How do you define success and happiness for yourself?  

Success and happiness is being able to do the things that give you joy and contentment. I also believe it's important to have good relationships with family and/or friends depending on your circumstances and to help others when you can.

3.  What lessons have your biggest challenges taught you?  

It's best not to worry too much. I say too much because though we're told in scripture not to worry, I think it's human nature to spend time worrying.  Some people worry more than others but the believer must try to cast their worries and cares upon our Heavenly Father.

4.  How do you want to impact the world or those around you?

I want to be remembered as someone who lived out her faith and inspired others to a life of faith. I also wish to be remembered as someone who brought joy to those around me and hope to others when they needed it most. I also wish to be remembered as someone who loved family and did her utmost to support them throughout life.

First Sky in August ~ Skywatch Friday

Hello everyone, 

So glad you could visit my Skywatch Friday post. These photos were taken at daybreak.  I'm always happy to see the pink in the sky in the early morning hours.  I hope you enjoy them.

 Enjoy the weekend. See you soon.

Shall We Cook? ~ Tuesday 4

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 kept in memory of her.

Let's talk about food this week shall we?

Most people enjoy eating good food after all.

1.  What is/are your favorite foods to eat ?

I don't think I have one favourite. There are just so many good foods out there.  But if I really have to choose, I would say roasted Greek potatoes and toasted pita bread with tzatziki sauce. 

2.   How often do you cook at home and what kind of  meals do you make? 

I cook at home most days.  I cook a variety of things.  I'm not a fancy cook and I would call my cooking style old fashioned home style cooking. In fact, I came to cooking rather late. I only really started cooking on a regular basis after I stopped working. 

My mother was a fabulous cook and she loved to do it. She would often come and visit me for extended periods and do all my cooking, shopping and other jobs I just didn't have time for working very long hours. Once I stopped working I had time to learn how to cook some things. The two main things I wanted to learn were how to bake bread and how to cook beans from scratch. I already knew how to cook basis meals because my mom raised all of her children to have basic skills in cooking, cleaning and even sewing.

Even though I cook regularly, I can't say it's my most favourite thing. I think it's because it just takes so much time with all the thinking about meals, buying and prepping food, cooking and then cleaning. I'd rather be reading, lol.  But I'm grateful I can cook and I'm grateful to have food to cook.

Here are the few meals I made over the past week.

Sausages with onions & apple, pasta with beans & onions, Caesar salad

Ground beef & veggies in gravy over boiled red potatoes

Spaghettini with meat & lentil sauce, garlic toast

Chicken wings, chips & coleslaw

Roasted chicken served with roasted root vegetables

Spaghettini with meat sauce, green salad & garlic bread

Air fried pork chop, pasta with spaghetti sauce & cucumber salad

I also made a large Blueberry Upside Down cake with some blueberries that were starting to go soft. We ate some and I froze the rest for when we (I) have a sweet tooth.

I didn't make any whipped cream topping

I go through periods of time where I eat out more than others,  anywhere from once a week to once a month.  Even a simple restaurant meal is very expensive so I've cut way back on eating out over the past several years.

A meal for one costs a minimum of $20 (Canadian) without a beverage.  Of course you need to double that if you are eating out with your spouse or a friend. If you add drinks, I would say a simple meal costs no less than $60 for 2 people not including the tip. That's a lot and I'd rather spend that kind of money on other things I need.

3. When you go out to eat what foods do you find yourself ordering most?

I mostly go for Vietnamese food (Shrimp Salad rolls and a combination meal in a bowl are favourites) or Japanese food (usually a bento box).  There are both Vietnamese and Japanese options aplenty in my neighborhood. I also like western foods (Clubhouse sandwich with fries, pork chops and mashed potatoes, Baron of Beef Dip) and Greek foods, especially Chicken Souvlakia platter (Greek salad, rice pilaf, chicken kebab, lemon herb potatoes, pita bread and tzatziki sauce. Greek food is a big treat and I have it once or twice a year.

The combo bowl I like to eat

Beef Pho Soup & Shrimp Salad Rolls

4. Can you recommend a restaurant in your area?  Why do you like it?

I would recommend 3 restaurants where I eat my favourite foods (Thai Son Restaurant, Sushi Kaido and Helen's Grill).  It just depends on what you like. There are many restaurants in my neighbourhood and most are within walking distance. In fact, 2 of them have Michelin stars (Published on Main & Burdock & Co.). I've never eaten at them because they are both incredibly expensive. But the menus do look very interesting and they seem well patronised.  Perhaps I will have a chance to experience one or both of them in future.