Book ~ "The Pregnant Pause" (2023) Jane Doucet

From Goodreads ~ Just before her thirty-seventh birthday, Rose Ainsworth has her first attack of baby fever. She adores children, especially her sister’s kids, but she’s facing a dilemma. Not only is her husband refusing to commit to becoming a parent but her friends are drowning in the joys of mothering. She feels cut off and, worst of all, she’s worried that maybe she isn’t motherhood material. 

Rose’s journey through the potential pitfalls and prospects of parenting is a roller coaster ride - a journey that many women travel as they work, play and listen to their biological clock ticking away. 

Rose and her husband, Jim, have been married for a few years and living in Toronto. Her 37th birthday is coming up (Jim is a couple years younger) and it seems like everyone around her is having babies. Since she's getting older, she knows she has to make a decision soon about whether she wants kids or not. Jim has made it clear that he doesn't want kids but she's not sure. She loves her sister's three kids and has seen how having kids has changed her friendships once her female friends have had kids. Throughout the story, she waffles back and forth about what the right decision for her and Jim.

This was a cute story and I liked it. The writing is in third person perspective with the focus on Rose. I've always known that I never wanted kids so it was interesting to read Rose's arguments to have or not have kids. The story takes place in Toronto so I knew the neighbourhoods Rose was talking about. I'm originally from Nova Scotia, as is Rose, so I knew the places where she was when she went "home" to visit her sister, Daisy. As a head's up, there is some swearing.

Book~ "No Crying in Baseball: The Inside Story of A League of Their Own" (2023) Erin Carlson

From Goodreads ~ The inside story of how "A League of Their Own" - one of the most beloved baseball movies of all time - developed from an unheralded piece of American history into a perennial cinematic favorite. Featuring exclusive interviews and behind the scenes memories from the original cast and creators, . "No Crying in Baseball"  is a rollicking, revelatory deep dive into a one‑of‑a‑kind film. Before "A League of Their Own", few American girls could imagine themselves playing professional ball (and doing it better than the boys). But Penny Marshall's genre outlier became an instant classic and significant aha moment for countless young women who saw that throwing like a girl was far from an insult. 

Part fly‑on‑the‑wall narrative, part immersive pop nostalgia, "No Crying in Baseball"  is for readers who love stories about subverting gender roles as well as fans of the film who remain passionate thirty years after its release. With key anecdotes from the cast, crew, and diehard fanatics, Carlson presents the definitive, first‑ever history of the making of the treasured film that inspired generations of Dottie Hinsons to dream bigger and aim for the sky.

I like reading books that give the inside scoop and behind the scenes happenings of movies and TV shows so that's why this book caught my eye. It gives very detailed information about how this movie came to be ... from the beginning right to the end. There is also background about Penny Marshall, the director, and the actors and actresses involved. It had been a while since I've seen the movie so I watched it a couple nights ago so it made more sense as I was reading the book as I now knew exactly what the author was describing ... I'd recommend you watch the movie before starting the book if you haven't seen it in a while.

It was an interesting read. It's obvious the author did a lot of research ... there are about 60 pages of source notes at the back of the book. I did find it confusing at times, though, because there is so much detail and I couldn't keep track sometimes of who was who ... org charts would have been handy. And it would have been nice to have some pictures.

Fan and feather pet blanket

I finished knitting a pet blanket this evening. It's a fan and feather pattern ... I've done this pattern many times over the years and like it.  It's 24 inches long and 24 inches wide.

I'll be donating to ElderDog Canada, which will be sold in their online shop, used directly as needed in ElderDog activities or included in special ElderDog fundraising.

I cast on 78  stitches (or a multiple of 18 plus 6)

Knit 3 rows of garter stitch for the border

Row 4: Knit

Row 5: K 3, P to last 3 stitches K3

Row 6: K3, *(K2 tog) 3 times, (yo, K1) 6 times, (K2 tog) 3 times, rep from * to last 3 sts K3

Row 7: Knit

Repeat Rows 4 - 7, keeping first and last 3 stitches in garter stitch, until piece measures desired length

Knit 3 more rows of garter stitch to make the bottom border

Cast off and darn in ends.

Medieval Times, Toronto, ON

Gord and I went to Medieval Times (at Exhibition Place) this afternoon.

Our pal, Dewey, is "Lord Cedric" and that's why we went. It's been a while since we've seen him and it was fun to catch up.

We were assigned to cheer for the green knight.

Beertown Public House, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had a late lunch today at Beertown Public House (Wellington Street/University Avenue) with our pal, Darlene. It was fun to catch up!

Here we are ...

Darlene, me and Gord

Gord had Pad Thai (red peppers, bean sprouts, julienne carrots, fried egg, rice noodles, sweet + sour peanut sauce, scallions and spiced peanuts)

Darlene had plant-based nachos (fresh cooked corn tortilla chips, diced tomatoes, peppers, marble sheeze, scallions, sour kreem, cilantro and salsa roja).

Black Bull Tavern, Toronto, ON

I had a late lunch on the patio at the Black Bull Tavern (Queen Street W/John Street) with Gord today.

On the door of the ladies' washroom

On the door of the men's washroom

I ordered chicken fingers. They were okay ... nothing fancy.

Book ~ "Catch Me If You Candy" (2023) Ellie Alexander

From Goodreads ~ Halloween has arrived in picturesque Ashland, Oregon, and all of the ghouls and goblins have descended on Main Street for the annual parade. It’s a giant street party and Torte is right in the mix.

Jules Capshaw and her team have been baking up autumn delights and trick-or-Torte bags filled with sugar cookie cutouts, spiced cider and mummy munch. It’s the end of the season at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which means that the costumes for the parade are going to be out of this world. The elaborate guises even extend to pets. The grand marshal of this year’s parade is no other than a regal pug aptly named King George. Jules is delighted to get to share the experience with Carlos and Ramiro but things take a dark turn when she discovers a dragon slumped in front of the bakeshop.

Jules is distraught when she realizes the dragon is dead. She’s also shaken because a few days before the parade, her mother's Mahjong partner, Helen, discovered a warning note about a dragon in an antique game set. Jules hopes it’s just a random coincidence but as the clues begin to unfold it becomes evident that there’s been a murder on All Hallow’s Eve. Can Juliet sift out the truth before the killer comes after her?

Juliet (aka Jules) was raised in small town Ashland, OR, which has a Shakespearean theme. She grew up helping her parents in their bakery and went on to culinary school. After working for many years on a cruise line, where she met her Italian husband, Carlos, she moved back home to take over the family bakery, Torte. Though she shares ownership of it with her mother, who is married the local head of police, Jules does the day-to-day running of it. Carlos runs the winery they own. Ramiro, Carlos' son from a previous relationship, is in high school and spending a year with them.

Jules' mother and her friends play mahjong on a regular basis. One of the friends had recently bought an antique set and found a note inside saying a dragon would soon be killed. It's the Halloween season and Ashland has a big fun parade where revellers dress up. Coincidentally, someone dressed as a dragon ends up dead in front of Jules' bakery, which sets Jules off to find out what happened and if the death and message are connected.

This is the seventeenth in the Bakeshop Mystery series (I've read them all). It works as a stand alone but I found there wasn't as much background included as others in the past. While it started out okay, I found it got draggy ... I've like others of hers more.  I love dogs but thought Jax's obsession with her dog, Pippa, was way over the top. It's written in first person perspective in Jules' voice. It was a quick light read and is a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity.

Fan and feather pet blanket

I finished knitting a pet blanket this evening. It's a fan and feather pattern ... I've done this pattern many times over the years and like it.  It's 24 inches long and 20 inches wide.

I'll be donating to ElderDog Canada, which will be sold in their online shop, used directly as needed in ElderDog activities or included in special ElderDog fundraising.

I used Bernat Wool-up Bulky yarn and an 8mm circular needle.

I cast on 60  stitches (or a multiple of 18 plus 6)

Knit 3 rows of garter stitch for the border

Row 4: Knit

Row 5: K 3, P to last 3 stitches K3

Row 6: K3, *(K2 tog) 3 times, (yo, K1) 6 times, (K2 tog) 3 times, rep from * to last 3 sts K3

Row 7: Knit

Repeat Rows 4 - 7, keeping first and last 3 stitches in garter stitch, until piece measures desired length

Knit 3 more rows of garter stitch to make the bottom border

Cast off and darn in ends.

Hurricanes Roadhouse, Toronto, ON

I had a late lunch this afternoon at Hurricanes Roadhouse (on Bloor Street W, just east of Dovercourt Road). 

I ordered grilled wings with Buffalo sauce and fries. I ate a couple wings and they were too charred. 

Book ~ "Recipe for a Good Life" (2023) Lesley Crewe

From Goodreads ~ On paper, Kitty’s life is perfect. She lives in Montreal, so vibrant in the 1950s; she married her childhood sweetheart, who happens to also be a handsome movie star; and her detective novels, written under a plausibly male nom de plume, are bestsellers. 

But Kitty is suffocating under the truth of her life: Montreal feels chaotic and lonely without her mother, and with her father all but estranged. Her husband is a glib Lothario. And she never, ever wants to write another detective novel. When she says as much to her publishers, they panic. She’s their golden goose. And so they convince her to go on a writing retreat to a beautiful remote island, Cape Breton, where with solitude and a luxurious change of scenery, she’ll be able to whip up her next book. At least, that was the plan.

Kitty arrives in Cape Breton to a leaky, drafty shack and a cast of characters unlike anyone she’s ever met. There’s Edith, who listens in on everyone’s party line calls and never keeps good gossip to herself; generous Bertha and her enormous family ... and Bertha’s son, Wallace - Walrus, to all his nieces and nephews. A gentle giant who always has half a dozen children hanging off him. Soon Kitty’s writing retreat turns her life upside down and she has to face which parts of her life are non-negotiable and which she must cut loose. 

Can she preserve what she loves in Montreal now that Cape Breton is calling? If she frees herself from the weight of her past, will she float away altogether?

It's 1955 and Kitty is a successful author in her thirties living in Montreal. She's married to a philandering actor who is away working more than he is home. Her mother passed away when she was seven and her father is distant. Kitty has written a series of detective books under an assumed male name and doesn't think she can write any more. Knowing she needs a break, her publisher rents a cabin for her in rural Cape Breton as a writing retreat to get away. She knows nothing about Cape Breton but she and her dog head out for a few months. When she arrives at the cabin, it's basically a  rundown shack in the middle of nowhere. But as she gets used to the rustic cabin and meets her friendly neighbours, it's hard for her to leave. Back in Montreal, she realizes how unfulfilling her life there is and sets out for fix it.

I liked this story and the characters.  I enjoyed the writing style ... it's written in third person perspective in various voices including Kitty's, depending on where the focus was.  The story is set in Homeville (where the author settled and raised a family), not far from Glace Bay, where my maternal family is from. Some of the last names of the characters are in my family tree ... Ferguson, Murrant, Peach, Wadden, etc. I spent my teen years in Cape Breton and it was nice to read a book about people from "back home" with their sayings, foods, mannerisms, etc.

Eyelet rows knitted pet blanket

I finished knitting a pet blanket this evening ... it's an eyelet rows pattern.  It's 26 inches long and 24 inches wide.

I'll be donating to ElderDog Canada, which will be sold in their online shop, used directly as needed in ElderDog activities or included in special ElderDog fundraising.

I used Bernat Blanket yarn and an 8mm circular needle.

I cast on 49 stitches (you need multiples of 4 stitches plus one).

• Row 1 and 2 - Knit
• Row 3 - 5 - Knit
• Row 6 - K1, *yo, skp* repeat to the end
• Repeat rows 3 to 6 until desired length 
• Knit two rows 
• Bind off and weave in the ends

Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Etobicoke, ON

It was warm and sunny and I felt like being outside so I drove to Colonel Samuel Smith Park (about a 20 minute drive west) for a walk this afternoon. 

Colonel Samuel Smith Park is an urban park and a former weekend get-away destination for Victorian Torontonians. The park has a variety of attractions, including a children's playground located only steps from Lake Ontario. The park is named for Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Smith and lands were part of his property in the 1800s. The park was developed from the 1970s onwards and opened in 1996.

A scenic hiking trail along a peninsula on Lake Ontario provides access to the waterfron, and to several rocky beaches with views of the lake or for birdwatching. A nearby yacht club provides opportunities for boat watching. The park offers a panoramic view of the city, with the iconic CN Tower visible on a clear day, as well as prime fishing spots and other outdoor activities.

Throughout the park are observation decks, from which visitors may spot wildlife engaged in various activities, such as turtles sunning themselves on the rocks, groups of baby ducks and swans, beaver dams and even the beavers themselves. Over one hundred bird species nest in the area.

I took the path that eventually took me to the water.

I headed to the beach

Book ~ "I Was Told It Would Get Easier" (2020) Abbi Waxman

From Goodreads ~ Jessica and Emily Burnstein have very different ideas of how this college tour should go.

For Emily, it's a preview of freedom, exploring the possibility of her new and more exciting future. Not that she's sure she even wants to go to college but let's ignore that for now. And maybe the other kids on the tour will like her more than the ones at school. They have to, right?

For Jessica, it's a chance to bond with the daughter she seems to have lost. They used to be so close, but then Goldfish crackers and Play-Doh were no longer enough of a draw. She isn't even sure if Emily likes her anymore. To be honest, Jessica isn't sure she likes herself.

Together with a dozen strangers - and two familiar enemies - Jessica and Emily travel the East Coast, meeting up with family and old friends along the way. Surprises and secrets threaten their relationship and, in the end, change it forever.

Jessica is a busy partner in a law firm. She is also the single mother of Emily, her sixteen-year-old daughter. Jessica only wants what's best for Emily and that means going to college, getting an education so she can get a good job. Emily isn't sure what she wants to do with her life or even if she wants to go to university but doesn't know how to tell her mother. Jessica books them on an organized weeklong tour of eastern U.S. universities. Because of how busy she is, Jessica doesn't get to spend a lot of time with Emily, she's looking forward to their week together. Emily, though, is resentful and jealous of the time her mother spends with her work colleagues and isn't going to make it an easy week.

I wasn't crazy about this book. I found both Jessica and Emily annoying and unlikable. Jessica works a lot so has a nanny to take care of the household. As soon as her work phone rings, regardless of where she is, what she's doing or who she is with, she answers it. No wonder Emily feels neglected and is pissed at her. Jessica works hard as a single mother to provide the best for Emily ... private schools, the latest iPhone, apparently Uber on demand ... but Emily seemed unappreciative, a spoiled brat and disrespectful. Their constant bickering was tiresome.

It was written in first person perspective in Jessica and Emily's voices ... it switches back and forth often and is labeled. It was written during or after the college cheating scandal and this is included in the story, though I could have done with out it as I didn't think it added much.

"Truck", Theatre Centre, Toronto, ON

SummerWorks Performance Festival runs from August 3 to 13. Tickets start at $15 (you pay what you want).

Join us for 11 days of diverse encounters and curious collaborations with artists, audiences and creative partners from across Canada and around the world.

Curated by and in conversation with our six Guest Curators, the 2023 Festival asks crucial questions about our relationship to our senses, and heightens our embodied awareness of the world around us. You’ll experience a diverse mix of innovative and sensorial performance experiences combined with unique and thought-provoking creative exchanges.

If you’ve attended in the past or you are just now encountering the Festival for the first time - welcome! There is so much rich potential in the moment of meeting; between two people and between artist and audience. There’s a sensation that’s palpable; there’s a spark that ignites when we share space in intimacy and in proximity with one another. There’s an endless array of possibilities.

Whether it’s in the theatre, at the Market, or on the dance floor, we look forward to meeting you and sharing space with you!

Though not recently, over the years, Gord and I have seen many SummerWorks productions and have enjoyed them.  We like them because you never know what to expect.

This evening we saw Truck at the Theatre Centre, which is in our 'hood, and it was excellent! Interesting story with talented actors. Alas, this evening was the only performance.

It’s 2038 and tech-giant Edison is set to introduce a line of self-driving trucks. The vehicles will make ninety-nine percent of long-haul trucking autonomous, putting thousands out of work. Tonight, you’re invited to a retirement speech for the last truck driver in America.

Presented as a staged reading, ‘Truck’ is a new play about technology, work and the challenges of the near future.

Graham Isador – Playwright, Director
Adam Lazarus – Performer
Ellie Moon – Performer
Tim Walker – Performer

Happy Simcoe Day!

It's Simoe Day, a holiday, here in Ontario.

It is named for Col. John Graves Simcoe ...

• Hero of the American Revolution
• Commanding officer of the Queen's York Rangers
• Founder of Toronto
• First Lt. Governor of Upper Canada
• Builder of Yonge Street
• Abolished slavery in what's now Ontario 30 years before the rest of the British Empire did it and 60 years before Abe Lincoln did it

Something in the Water Brewing Guided Beer Tasting, Toronto, ON

Today buy a beer and get a free hot dog at Something in the Water Brewing in Liberty Village.

Thanks to Jamie for BBQing the hot dogs and V for the beer (my Raspberry Fields Forever raspberry wheat beer was yummy!). 

Gotta love a dog friendly patio!

Northern Maverick Brewing Co., Toronto, ON

After the Blue Jays game was over, Gord and I had supper at Northern Maverick Brewing Co. this evening (on Bathurst Street just north of King Street W).

Gord built a charcuterie board with two cheeses and two meats. He likes charcuterie boards lately ... that's what he got the last time we were there.

I ordered Buttermilk Fried Chicken and fries.  I really like it ... it seems like that's all I every order there.

Jordan and Ann were our servers ... they was friendly and chatty and took good care of us.