Well, we're into the doldrums of winter and I am definitely feeling the usual February blues. Every year about this time I'm ready to murder someone. This light deficiency thing is weird and real. That being said am I one of those who are more susceptible? I have always been affected by the moon's cycle and if the air pressure changes my head wants to explode. Interesting thing to ponder. Maybe not while I'm wallowing in a slight case of depression though. Let's wait 'til summer to pursue this topic, lol. I'm sure it's just one more sign of genious.
I wanted to write about a project I'm contemplating, that of doing a Julia/Julia type blog where I wander through my myriad cookie recipes and test every one of the ones I've collected over the years. The few times I've posted my latest baking experiment on FB I get asked for my recipes. I'm thinking I'll do this with cookies. The family has given me a big thumbs up for the project. I'm sure the prospect of having fresh baked cookies every week is not a deciding factor at all. So, I need to organise my recipes into categories and gather the ingredients. There's more than enough recipes to keep this going, once a week, for more than two years. I guess I can blitz a number of them for Christmas. Keep an eye here for the beginning of the project. I might have to subject you to my sad photography skills but I'll really work on making them at least recognizable. Now that this is down in writing I'm committed to getting started.
I'm sitting here listening to the latest report on a resurgence of measles in the GTA. Maybe I'm naive and gullible but I have always believed in the importance of vaccinations. I grew up in the first main wave of children who routinely received vaccinations and I don't know of anyone who had severe complications from them. For the main part we went through school healthy except for colds and flu and never worried that anything horrible might infect us. My mother lived through scarlet fever but she knew people who didn't. Are we now being faced with a return to the early twentieth century? Polio, mumps and measles are reappearing in North America. There's no reason for this to be happening, we already came up with the deterrent. My children also received all of their vaccinations and, as adults, are keeping them up to date themselves. We went through chicken pox when Jess hit kindergarten and other than that rarely even had a cold go through the house. In my mind this all stems from everyone around us being vaccinated as well as us. The barriers were up in the neighbourhood. Basically, I am a liberal who believes live and let live but when there is a simple solution to vast spreading of debilitating diseases I think that we all have an obligation to the greater good to protect everyone from them. There, enough said, I'll step off my soapbox now.
Painting has finally been happening here in Cambridge. The front hall and living room are lovely shades of aqua and lavender and I've started the kitchen and back hall in my pale yellow/green. Trust me, these colours all work beautifully together. I'm stalling on the green because there's so many itty bitty areas to work with. I don't know about you but I hate edging. Give me a long wall where I can just load the roller and go. This has less wall area but I'll be lucky if I can use the roller in 10 sq ft. Oh well, must soldier on. The few spots I've completed look great and I can't wait for the last of the gawd-awful beige to be gone. Once this is done I'll be tackling my bedroom. Another version of purple. My favourite colour because I was a queen in some past life, clearly not this life. If I can take some half decent pics I'll share them next entry. I'm working on my vision of Shabby Chic, slightly romantic, definitely comfortable but with colour. I love the look of those white rooms but I know I'd be stir crazy if I had no colour around me so I'm using soft versions of my three favourite colours. Once sping arrives enough I'm going to tackle the kitchen cabinets. I need to be able to work outside on the doors. I've changed my colour plans there and again, if good photos happen I'll share.
So, there you have it! I guess my year is planned. The baking will start before March, I promise, and the painting can be reported on once it's complete. I wish I could share the cookies with all of you. Muskoka Brownie and Baking isn't dead. The dream always lives on. Missing the great white north this year but things are good here and opportunities for all of us are definitely more readily available. I still haven't finished knitting a pair of socks I'm happy with, I persevere.
