episode 9: Mike's Credo

Over the last couple of years I have been interested in Canadian literature. Wether it be fiction or non, new books or old classics doesn't really matter, as long as the author is Canadian it fits the bill. Out of a stroke of chance (delayed flight) I had some spare time at YQQ and was able to browse the book rack outside the gift shop. There, after looking at every book in the smallish assortment was an epic classic of which I have never heard of. This book was a fiftieth anniversary edition, written and wholly based around the newly named Salish Sea. The same waters which I have spent my whole life around, fishing, working, admiring and as I write this from 1500 km away, longing for. Lovingly and beautifully created by author Muriel Wylie (Capi) Blanchet it is a chronicle of the summers spent touring the South Coastal waters of British Columbia in their pleasure craft the Caprice. A widow and her five children. This book is a window into the past beauty of this rugged, unforgiving land and has re-kindled a fire inside me to explore all it has to offer. This is a small excerpt from the book "The Curve of Time".
Mike's own Credo, as he called it, was simple. He had printed it in pencil on a piece of cardboard, and had it hanging on his wall. He had probably copied it word for word from some book--because it expressed for him how he had learned to think and live. I put it down exactly as he had it.
"Look well of today--for it is the Life of Life. In its brief course lie all the variations and realities of your life--the bliss of growth, the glory of action, the splendor of beauty. For yesterday is but a dream, and To-morrow a vision. But To-day well lived makes every Yesterday a dream of happiness, and every To-morrow a vision of hope. For time is but a scene in the eternal drama. So, look well of today, and let that be your resolution as you awake each morning and salute the New Dawn. Each day is born by the recurring miracle of Dawn, and each night reveals the celestial harmony of the stars. Seek not death in error of your life, and pull not upon yourself destruction by the work of your hands."
So far I have only read maybe a third of this book, and as I read on I am sure to find a few more paragraphs which I may share on my blog. This is such a captivating read for me and I highly recommend this book to anyone that has an interest in Canadian culture and history. Mike's Credo really jumped out at me because this is also how I have learned to live my life, and am constantly learning more.

episode 8: all this stuff and no time to use it

It has been a terrific year for this guy. I recently celebrated a very important milestone in my life, one year of sobriety. This new way of life has brought to me several gifts which although I worked hard to earn, I never could have afforded living how I used to. My problem now is finding balance between work and play. I often find myself not leaving enough time for leisure activities. My poor mountain bike has been hanging on the wall collecting dust for the past two months. The good news is we have a wicked pile of firewood for next season and some landscape projects are under way thanks to the Kubota, but with all the rain I have to be careful not to get it burried in the mud, already had to winch it out once. The 5th wheel is tarped up for the winter. We have alot of ideas for the house, but I am getting tired of setting up shop in the basement and having my tools spread out everywhere only breeds frustration. I guess my next project should be a dedicated workshop. Once I can get that done, all the other little jobs like trim and tiling will be much easier to handle. My point is, if I can somehow streamline my work tasks, maybe I will have a little more time for that bike. I guess this is turning out to be a rambler. I don't have a ton of time before Christmas is here to get much work done around the house, so I am focussing on some maintainance projects and getting rid of some junk. Right now all a guy can do is take it day by day. You will never get back the time you waste worrying about all the time you wasted.

recipe 1: lasagna, part two

Once again, a malfunction in the tech department has me all messed up so, please read part one first...carrying on now with the cheese filling. Also add some more garlic to this, one or two crushed cloves, salt and pepper of course, mix it all up, toss in the fridge and move on to the cheese topping. For this I use a mixture of mostly mozzarella, then marble cheddar and finally parmesean, add to the cheese some more garlic, salt and pepper and some whole fresh basil leaves. Now we can build our masterpiece. I preffer to use the ready to use type of noodle, but feel free to use whatever. In a Large casserole alternate meat sauce, noodle, cheese filling, etc until you run out of building material. Top it all with off the cheese topping and place in the oven @ 400f for about 45 minutes, cooking times will vary depending on your appliance. Keep an eye on it, it is done when the cheese is nice and golden. I usually place a cookie sheet on the bottom rack to catch any spill over. Once it is cooked remove from oven and let rest for ten minutes, this will help it set up a bit. I like to serve this with a fresh loaf of french bread and some seasoned butter. I hope you enjoy this variation of a classic dish that has so many faces. Try the recipe and let me know how it turned out. Stay tuned for a secret ceasar salad recipe, I just need to go home and make it so I can give some semi accurate measures as it can be a tricky one!

recipe 1: lasagna, part one.

Working away from home has taken me from my favourite household chore, cooking. To some, it truly is a task which they despise of or fear. I suppose my fondness of preparing food began at a young age, often watching chefs on television with my parents. We always had fun when the power was out in the winter and we were forced to cook on the wood stove. I was lucky to be raised by two good cooks. In my teenage years I spent much of my time working in various restaurants in the Comox Valley, including two years at the Kingfisher Inn. It was at the Kingfisher where I learned most of the cooking skills that I use today. For those without restuarant experience in can understand how cooking can be intimidating, and I would strongly recommend any young person to take a job in a kitchen. If you can survive working in a commercial kitchen, you will excel in any field that you chose. The experience gave me a great respect for those that prepare our meals. It is fast paced, hot, dirty work and it doesn't pay well. All this being said, most of my favourite meals are those prepared at home. Even with the skill and knowledge to prepare some pretty uptown dishes, I always find myself resorting to the foods that not only nourish your body, but also warm your heart. On a blustery west coast day nothing makes me feel better than the aroma of cheese, garlic and tomatoes permeating the farthest reaches of the house. The bubbling layers releasing a preview of the strata of flavour held beneath its golden crust. There are many variations of this wonderful dish, the one that is most often prepared in my kitchen is of the meat sauce family. This is not my mothers recipe, to be honest I rarely follow any recipe, using my imagination and ingredients on hand as a rule. I usually start off by frying one sliced yellow onion in a mix of olive oil and butter until golden. Once the onion is cooked, I remove it from the pan and brown the meat. To the meat is added half a bulb of garlic, crushed, freshly cracked black pepper, one small shredded carrot, one chopped celery stick, with the leaves preferably, oregano, thyme and basil, all dried, one large can of crushed tomatoes, one small can of tomato paste, re add the onions, a bay leaf and add a good half teaspoon of anchovy paste. Let all this bubble away on low to medium heat while you prep the cheese filling. For the cheese filling I use one large container of cottage cheese, half a cup of fresh parmesean, one package of frozen spinach, half a cup of fresh basil, thinly sliced, one sauted chalotte

episode 7: remembrance

Thank you to all members of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Canadian Army and Canadian Navy.and their families. I am eternally greatfull for the pride and dedication that you put into your work every day. Lest we forget the fallen, you are forever in our hearts. Your service to this great land will be forever remembered.

episode 6: ruts

Greetings y'all! I would like to thank all of you for participating in Eyes Wide Open, as the page recently surpassed 100 views! Seventy-three of which were myself but hey, a milestone is a milestone no matter how it is achieved. This week I put a call out for topics of discussion. Epic fail comes to mind. So instead of writing anything substantial or even mildly entertaining I will continue on with something off the bottom of my boot. You ever feel like you are stuck in a rut? Ya, me too. It kinda sucks your motivation eh? The worst part is you think about it constantly, like a black cloud over your head. People can tell to, which doesn't help much unless of course they are also in a rut at the same time and you have something in common to moan and whine about. I think it is important to share your problems with people in like situations as yourself. You will often be surprised at how some common ground will help you to start climbing out of the hole that you have dug. First of all you must realize that you have put yourself in the situation. Blame stops right there. I also find that some physical excersize works wonders, something about the endorphins that are released helps you wake up and see your problems in a different light. How do you release you woes? Well, for those of you who go to church, you know this answer. For the rest of us this is where it can get tricky. Many of us have grown up outside of religion. We have been taught scientificly, but not spiritually. We may lack a belief in god or even some force beyond our imagination, an unseen creator that cannot be explained merely on scientific terms alone. Some of us might even think that we are god, able to control things and beings, morphing
them into our view of what the world, and our lives should be. When things do not work out as we
planned, we begin to dig ourselfs back down into the rut. A downward spiral that can take a person the wrong way in a hurry. It is imperative, in my opinion, that as human beings we have a strong spiritual belief as well as a good education. Spirituallity teaches you humility. Humility helps you let go. It is not easy, it works. So, next time I feel a little bummed out or unmotivated I can shake those feelings by going on a hike to my favourite spot, or taking the kids to the park, or settling down to a good movie on a cold winters' night, but before I do I will give thanks