Okay, I promise no vertigo with this movie. Also, there is a very fun soundtrack. Bonus!

We have robins raising their second family this spring on some wooden
poles just under our eaves. I got a nice shot of mom, then dad, then
the nestling stretching its stubby little wings. I reckon he must be a couple of days from fledging.

Yes, my window is dirty. But I figure that might be why they are so calm about my major intrusion into their lives. Enjoy!

I'm an on-again off-again vegetarian. I have spent intermittent years
of my life as a vegetarian, and probably will again. It's particularly
easy to do when you live near a large urban centre with fantastic
grocery stores that carry a full range of exotic Indian, Thai, Chinese,
Mexican and middle-eastern ingredients. I like to cook and have cooked
dishes from all of these cuisines.

Why have I dropped meat from my menu? I don't have any dearly held
moral or ethical reasons for doing so, although I don't like some of
what I hear about the industry that supports our meat-eating society.
Rather, I do it for health reasons. It's easier to keep the calories
down if you eliminate meat, and you are, perforce, going to eat more
stuff that's good for you. It's long since been proven easy to get
enough protein and other nutrition on a veggie diet. It also sparks
cooking creativity, and I love to try new things. Veggies are also cheaper than meat!

I thought that today I'd post the kind of recipe a person might try if
they would like to eat less meat but are not sure how to get started.
This is a tasty meatloaf substitute that I like to call neatloaf for
laughs. A slice of this (maybe with ketchup) and some green veggies,
such as steamed broccoli, is a great lunch. Because of its firm, even
consistency (when baked long enough), kids usually like it too.

CG's Tasty Neatloaf

1 19-oz (or up to 2 15-oz) cans brown (or green) lentils, drained
1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup wheat germ
1-1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. thyme, basil, or Italian seasoning
1/3 cup pureed tomatoes
1 tbsp. hot sauce (or to taste!)
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. ketchup
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella

1.    Preheat oven to 325F/165C.
2.    Mash lentils. Add everything else and mash/mix thoroughly.
3.    Scoop into loaf pan(s).
4.    Bake covered 1 hour.

It stores well, and for longer than meatloaf, of course. Just make sure it doesn't dry out and you're fine.


Let me know if you ever try it. Have a great Sunday.

So
I've tucked my diploma away and tidied up other papers, brochures and
so on related to my graduation. I looked over the photos and decided to
share with you a part of the ceremony that surprised me.

When I think of graduation, I always think of those mortarboard caps
with the tassels. You see pictures of graduates wearing them and
throwing them into the air after the ceremony. I thought I'd be wearing
one on my graduation day.

I was wrong in a very interesting way. In fact, when I graduated I was
provided with a distinctive hood, as you can see in the accompanying
photo. It's a ceremonial hood that cannot in any way function as a real
piece of clothing. It just hangs down your back and looks decorative,
and all you can see from the front is a V of fabric similar to a collar.

My program states, "Made of scarlet viyella, the hoods are lined with
navy blue and gold material. Three bars of navy blue are set against
the gold in a manner that suggests a dress uniform. The edge of each
hood is trimmed with velvet in the appropriate colour for the degree."

These hoods made a very showy display, and I thought they added an
element to the ceremony that hearkened back to all universities'
medieval roots. The professors' procession at the beginning was quite a
parade of gorgeous livery, in effect rather like a large flock of
variegated birds. Well, slightly ponderous birds.

Recorded
by my husband, he of the restless camera lens, swooping about like one of the flock!

The lories get a good
peer into the camera at the end though. He thinks they are too noisy. I
just love them.

Edit: Take motion-sickness pill before watching. *giggle* Forgive the quality of this little clip, it was an experiment to learn how to use YouTube!

Today is the birthdate of Frank Lloyd Wright,
who was born in 1869. I have had the pleasure of visiting a few of this
famous architect's buildings, including the Robie House and Unity
Temple in Chicago along with his home and studio in Oak Park. I found
them inspiringly beautiful and striking spaces to behold and be in.

FLW had quite a personality – like many geniuses and philosophers, you
would not necessarily find his thoughts and actions practical or
congenial. I have heard that he said, when clients complained about
building defects, "that's how you know it’s a roof – it leaks!" I have
always been fascinated with the human built environment though, and he
certainly had compelling ideas, not to mention a huge influence on the
design we see around us today.

I hope governments at all levels will decide to take more steps to
preserve heritage landmarks like FLW masterpieces from the depredations
of time and profit-taking redevelopers. My husband and I are currently
battling to save our historically significant and virtually intact
post-WWII neighbourhood from what’s called "infilling," an abomination
which involves the legalized theft of land formerly assigned to
community purposes, such as parks, church land, and schools with their
yards, and its private redevelopment into bleak blocks of substandard,
cheek-by-jowl townhouses. But that's a rant for another day.

Today,
I spent time on the web surfing around and taking a look at some
photographs of great FLW buildings. There's just so much to see. I
leave you with a photograph of the dreamlike, lily-pad interior of the Johnson Wax Building in Racine, Wisconsin. This is a good comprehensive FLW building site.

Take time to appreciate some of the buildings around you. We owe so many of them to brilliant minds like Frank Lloyd Wright's!

I'm off to get the diploma I've
worked to complete over the last year. Of course, I have to go back
next year to upgrade from pass BA to honours BA, but this will feel
fabulous nonetheless!

Drink a toast to me! Talk to you all soon.


Update: It's late at night, and
I'm home and exhausted. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to
congratulate me on this milestone. A prominent Canadian champion of the
arts, Peter Herrndorf,
got an honorary Ph.D. and gave us a rousing convocation address. A
couple of students I got to know and wub gave me hugs and smiles. There
were some photos... I'll see if I like any of them enough to post one.
Night night!

Another major fun thing for me in the summer is going to the zoo.

We live not far from the Metro Toronto Zoo, and so of course we have memberships. Being members gives us two
good feelings: first, while we aren’t around, we know that we have
helped a bit to look after all the great animals and programs at the
zoo; secondly, when we do go there, we get free parking and can just
wander in and see the exhibits we like for that day – no need to get
exhausted trying to see the whole colossal thing. I get tired feet just
thinking about that.

Think of supporting your local zoo. [Edit: at the MTZ, 2 adults / 4 kids costs CDN$130/yr. Free parking!] Guaranteed they aren’t getting enough funding (or even as much
funding) as they were getting a decade or two decades ago. Meanwhile,
there are more and more worthwhile projects for zoos to get involved
in, as wild species dwindle and zoos start what they call Species
Survival Plans. For instance, our zoo has just had a baby orangutan
named Budi. He is cute, but more importantly, he brings to 92 the total number of Sumatran orangs
in zoos. There are less than 7,000 in the wild, and within 10 years
they may be extinct out there. Our recent mailing from the zoo adds,

Another conservation program involving the interesting Vancouver Island marmot is here. There are only 30 VIMs left in the wild! Zoos are doing important work of this kind around the world.

I’m going to try to get a video of Budi one of these days, so I can Xangafy him for the world.

Some other zoo pics to whet your appetite until you can get to the zoo!

From the incredible wrap-around cichlid tank!

Exotic plant life!

Silly, noisy lorikeets eating fruit!

Have a great day, all.

Holy moly! It’s my summer vacation!

I’m still a bit dazed. An essay and a Saturday-morning exam in quick succession will do that to you. *crosses eyes*

I’m so glad to be sitting in my actual kitchen, looking at recipes and writing a grocery list. This summer, I plan to make major use of my nice BBQ. Hands up who hates BBQ! Nobody? Thought so!

I have a giant file of recipe printouts, cutouts, and scribble-outs,
and in it I’ve found this tasty way to make grilled potatoes to go with
your steaks or burgers. Healthier and more grown-up than French fries.
I thought I’d share.


Summery challenge: If you have a favourite BBQ recipe, post it so that we can all try it. I’m game!
Bribe: If I try your recipe, I’ll post a photo and review.


Potato Wedges

1-1/2 lbs. potatoes
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 rosemary sprigs or dried rosemary to taste
2 garlic cloves
salt, pepper

1.    Wash potatoes, cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half into three wedges.
2.    Place in shallow dish, pour olive oil over.
3.    Chop rosemary and mince garlic, add to potatoes
with some salt and pepper. Toss and marinate for half an hour.
4.    Remove potatoes from oil and arrange on a tray or
in one of those grill baskets, or try lining them up on metal skewers
if they are chunky enough.
5.    Grill 15 to 20 minutes, turning often and brushing with extra oil, until perfect.

Yay! Going around to visit you all soon.

Edit: Wow, you guys sure have been busy! I'm glad to be back in the world of Xanga.

Yep, I gotta take off, eh? It's a beauty way to go.

Just for a few days. I am super-busy with (a) essay, (b) exam, (c)
moving back home for the summer, and (d) graduation -- just the little
graduation, mind -- pass BA. The four-year honours BA is next June.

So I have to stop posting here for about a week. Might manage an update, but no guarantees.

This is how my husband has mostly been seeing me for aaaages. Won't it be nice to cohabitate again! It's all been so worth it, though. I've had the time of my life at school this year.

Enjoy life, take pics, and post them, so I can get thoroughly caught up when I check in with you all again. Cheers!

Check out my gorgeous garden! Hubby was kind enough to send some pics
to console me while I write Essay #2 and prepare for my exam on
Saturday. He has such a green thumb!

Edit:
Yep, this is the actual garden I get to go home to when I'm done
classes. I love flowers so much. Don't those alliums just look like
floral fireworks? Whee!

Later Edit:
For some unknown reason, I have appeared on featured content. It's
funny that this has happened while I am too busy to enjoy all the
visiting. I recommend you press "next" at the bottom of the page if you
are a new visitor and would like to read posts with more content to
them. Also, I have an archive of help for mature students on the left.
Cheers!