BEARS
I have never seen a bear.
I have been to Banff and Jasper and even Yellowstone National Parks. I have camped in Algonquin and Killarney Provincial Parks. I've driven the Trans Canada Highway from Toronto to Vancouver 2 times and to Winnipeg 3 times. I've seen salmon swimming upstream to spawn. But nary a bear. It seems almost un-Canadian.
It's probably for the best.
FOG
My best memories of Switzerland are in the fog. I know - what a waste of beautiful, amazing scenery, THE ALPS, in the fog! And yet, it was all so beautiful. To wake up in fog and watch it shift and move. To be on the train and feel that you are climbing up, up, up, until suddenly the fog lifts and the clouds part and you see... mountains. All around you. I think we entertained the other Swiss passengers on the train with our squeals of delight and racing from one side of the train to the other to drink in the views. My friend Denise was from Kansas and we were living in Holland, so the peaks of the alps were a wondrous sight after so much flatness. I don't think it would have been quite so exciting had we seen them all along. Or if every day weren't first enshrouded in fog so that we didn't know for sure if would ever see them again.
GRAPES
There are a lot of grapes near where I live. The Niagara Peninsula is the largest grape growing area in Canada. This means there are a lot of wineries, too. If you come to visit me, I will take you on a wine tour. We will drive down roads beside fields and fields of grapes. I will not be able to tell you what kind of grapes they are, but we can visit any number of wineries for tastings and ask. Driving around in September and October is the best time to see the vines laden with grapes before harvesting. And we can stop in at my favourite bakery, The Pie Plate for some grape pie. Quite possibly the most expensive pie I have ever bought. But I had to try it, and without asking the price, the last one in the shop was boxed up. You don't see grape pie very often, so the 14.99 was
TOENAILS
Most people don't seem to like their feet. I don't really think about whether I like mine or not, but I do like to take care of them. Having a pedicure is more than making your toes pretty and colourful, though if you don't like your feet, I say get a good polish. Polished toes will detract from the rest of your feet, because once there is some colour on your toenails, that's what everyone will be looking at. I have small toenails. So small, that there is barely anything on my baby toes. I figure I should get a discount for only needing eight toes polished.
KISSING
Not a day goes by without more news being written about H1N1 and how we should not only wash our hands every minute of the day, but stop that disease ridden practice of shaking hands. Trust me, no elbow bump will ever become a part of my greeting. So, I'm guessing that the kiss hello is definitely out forevermore. As uncomfortable as I can feel with the kiss hello, I sortof wish I didn't feel uncomfortable. I wish I knew exactly what to do - left cheek peck or right cheek peck or right, left, right, or air kiss... it is all so confusing. Unlike the handshake which is direct and formal and polite without invading anyones personal space. I was walking behind two little girls yesterday; they were holding hands and kicking the leaves on the sidewalk and laughing, when one of them spontaneously put her arm around the other's shoulder and gave her a kiss on the cheek. It was all so sweet. As all kisses should be.
So far, Meggie and Susan have also played from the first set of words. If you wish to check out their post, click on their names. And if you wish to play just ask for five words.
this was so sweet.. how you kind of just opened you thoughts, and let them come together..you are a good writer!
ReplyDeleteHey, where are my five words?
ReplyDeleteI used to take long morning walks in Switzerland in the fog - it was so beautiful and mysterious.
SAW- sorry, I sent yours by email last week and have sent them again.
ReplyDeleteEvery morning, someone would tell us it was good to wake up to fog, then the afternoon would be sunny.
Jan: thanks, what's fun is that you can go in any number of directions.
Elbow bumping? Isn't that even more dangerous than kissing or shaking hands considering we're all being indoctrinated to sneeze and cough into our elbow sleeves?
ReplyDeleteXUP: finally someone else has noticed that minor flaw (of many) in the Health Canada Guidelines!!
ReplyDeletenice take - yes, we're told not to cough into our hands either
ReplyDeleteGood grief! We all need to take antiseptic everywhere we go!
ReplyDeleteGom is a great advocate for a little dirt wont hurt. I hasten to add, I disagree.
Loved your second set of words.
Well, that was fun!
ReplyDeleteI like my feet. I never particularly cared for them until I'd waited tables for a few years and being on them all the time straightened out all my toes. And oh yes... a pedicure is less about the nail color than about the sheer luxurious comfort of the process!
Cool. Thanks for doing my words. I really love your fog memory. You painted a great fun picture.
ReplyDeleteGrape pie sounds crazy!
I laughed out loud at your toe discount theory.
And the little girls kissing - another great painting of a picture in words.
I'd like you to give me 5 words back. That would be fun. (elbow bump)
What a cool idea. i love the random words.
ReplyDeleteI also have partially no toenail on my baby toes. When I pain my toe nails it's like I've only painted for and forgotten to do the last one.
We also share the teeny-tiny baby toe thing! I usually just paint the skin a little, and it actually looks like there's a toenail!
ReplyDeleteGrape pie sounds very sweet...and why is it soooo expensive? It should be cheap because of the abundance of grapes in the region. Or are ALL the pies in that shop expensive? You could make it yourself and save some money.
Seeing bears is highly over-rated, IMO. We chanced upon twin bear cubs in a tree once and I couldn't get out of there fast enough, because guaranteed, if there are cubs, Mama Bear is around somewhere and will be very unhappy if you get too close to her babies!
Char: and I wonder if people do more laundry after coughing into their sleeves more often
ReplyDeleteMeggie: I'm actually with GOM, I think we might have built up more immunities by living a little less sterile
June: taking care of our feet is so important, and your feet feel like pillows after a good pedicure
Geewits: thanks (that little OCD part of me had to do this exactly one week later) I'll send you your words
ReplyDeleteLiss: this was fun to do. and luckily, my sandals cover the baby toe anyway, so you don't notice
Susan: all the pies are expensive but so worth it for their freshness and taste. the grape pie was very runny and was well over 1" thick with tiny grapes (champagne?)
Grape pie sounds delicious!
ReplyDeleteOliag: it was a special treat
ReplyDeleteInteresting and different. Where do you write your replies. (Arent I thick!)
ReplyDeleteKen: do you want to play? great - I'll send you an email
ReplyDelete