Anti-Social Media
Something good, every day.
Hallowe’en Killjoy
I don’t really have anything against All Hallows’ Eve, I just can’t get into it anymore. Maybe it’s because I’m a crotchety old lady and don’t have kids. Maybe it’s because I have serious issues with the consumption of vast quantities of overly-packaged, mass-produced, poor-quality junk food (i.e. “treats”). Wait, maybe I do have something against Halloween…
It’s fun to dress up, but I don’t really enjoy parties. I hate spending money on plastic junk and things I don’t need like costumes, make-up and decorations.
We live in a house on a quiet street in a nice small town. Most of our neighbours have decorated their yards and houses for the occasion, and I’m pretty sure there will be kids out trick-or-treating on this block tonight.
I even caved last week and bought some candy to hand out in case they do come to the door. But I’m secretly hoping they won’t. I might even hide in the basement with the lights out and eat the candy myself (bad idea). Or maybe I’ll send it to work with Bee tomorrow (much better idea).
I don’t know why I feel bad about not wanting to participate in these so-called traditions, but I do.
UPDATE November 1, 2018
Guess what? I was worried about nothing (no surprise there)! I was ready with candy and loonies, I even dressed all in black (not difficult, considering my wardrobe), and although I didn’t exactly make the place inviting, I did not hide the fact that I was home. And… nothing.
Umm… Marsha? It’s not 1988. Parents don’t send their children out to run the roads and bother strangers, not even on Hallowe’en. You just moved here, you don’t know anyone with children, your house isn’t decorated and your outside lights don’t work. Not appealing to trick-or-treaters. If kids around here even do that anymore. After all, it’s not 1988.
So, once again, a tale of me overthinking something and getting anxious for no reason. Will I ever learn?
Coffee Talk – Just Us!
Eating local, shopping local and buying local is important to me. I try to be mindful in all of my spending habits, and I tend to prioritize local over things that “come from away.”
Although I must admit that I won’t necessarily go without something if I can’t get it locally, and my frugality tends to rear it’s thrifty head over certain things.
Sackville, NB does not have a local coffee roaster, at least not one that I’ve found so far (I just moved here this month). But the local grocers do sell Just Us! Coffee from Grand Pré, NS. It checks off the organic and fair trade boxes and is reasonably priced. While it’s not exactly “local,” it’s at least from the maritimes.
Bee and I are home brewers (there’s that frugality!) and make coffee in our french press or aeropress from fresh ground beans pretty much every morning. In the summer I love cold brew coffee, but cooler autumn mornings are upon us, so we’ve moved on to hot coffee.
Speaking of cold brew, I don’t think we will ever beat the fantastic beans that Kat from Meeting Waters Coffee in Tatamagouche, NS custom roasted for us for our very brief stint serving Cottage Cold Brew at the Pugwash, NS Farmers’ Market this summer. That was the best coffee ever. Unfortunately it’s a lot harder for us to get out to Tata since we moved to Sackville, NB.
We are on our third lb of whole bean coffee from Just Us! and we’ve had mixed results. Bee and I both like a dark roast, but we couldn’t resist trying one of the medium roasts because it smelled so good. I drink mine black; Bee usually adds homemade cashew cream and brown sugar.
My completely biased thoughts:
Atlantic Blend
Medium Roast
I really wanted to like this, but I just don’t. The name is just maritimey enough to appeal and the aroma from the air valve was heavenly, but the taste didn’t live up to the smell. Too bad!
My rating: 2 beans out of 5.
Rise Again
Dark Roast
This is a darker roast, but it still didn’t cut it for either of us. It’s not bad, just not good enough to make our regular brew.
My rating: 3 beans out of 5.
Breaking the Silence
Here we go! This I could get used to. It’s not perfect, but it’s perfectly adequate. Dark, not too acidic and a decent cup!
My rating: 4 beans out of 5.
original reviews accidentally deleted
because I am an idiot
I think the hunt for local(ish) coffee continues!
In the beginning…
there were words. And love.
A vote for hope
This post was imported from an old wordpress.com blog I used to have.
Today, from the other end of the country, I cast my absentee ballot (by mail) for the Canadian federal election. I did not vote for the candidate or party that I think will win. I did not vote against any candidate or party by voting “strategically.” Instead I voted with my head and my heart. I educated myself on the issues that matter to me, and did not allow myself to be persuaded by fear or anger or disgust. I voted with my conscience. I voted with love. Most importantly, I voted with hope.
Total Eclipse of the Supermoon
This post was imported from an old wordpress.com blog I used to have.
forever’s gonna start tonight
Last night we sat on the deck. It was chilly and windy, but not cold. We lit a fire in the Mexican chiminea. Mom toasted marshmallows and we made s’mores with caramilk bar and graham wafers. Dad popped popcorn for the main event: the lunar eclipse. Not exactly action packed, but better than most movies. We watched the Supermoon rise over the trees after dinner. Aldon fiddled with the high-tech gadget that is my father’s telescope (that he never uses). We chatted and laughed and pointed out every slight change in the sky. We passed a set of binoculars back and forth. We worried that the trees might block the view of the main event. We sat out on the deck lit only by the bright, bright moon and the orange-red mouth of the chiminea and enjoyed a shared experience, a celestial opportunity for family bonding.
Today
This post was imported from an old wordpress.com blog I used to have.
Today was as bright and sweet and cool and crisp as the apples growing in the yard. The laundry hung on the line soaking it up all day. The sheets and pillowcases still saturated by the breeze, the sun, the change in the air, and I know we’ll sleep well tonight.
In the beginning
This post was imported from an old wordpress.com blog I used to have.
There was one. She craved change. The desire finally got so strong that she did something about it.
And then he appeared. But he didn’t derail her desire, he only increased it.
So she asked him to adventure with her, and he agreed. Neither of them knew what would come next, where they would go, what they would do, but they knew they’d be together.