Yesterday in my creative writing group, we explored found poetry....this is a piece from from an original writing piece in Jan 2011

Drifting filling in my driveway, sidewalks, porches and railings,

Melting spots around the blue and white Christmas lights,

Invading spaces of neighbourhood sidewalks, urban freeways and back lanes,

Continually doing battle with shovels, plows, blowers, devices made to battle and conquer,

Walking crunch, crunch the sound of boots,

Dripping real icicles, not the tinsel with which we laden our Christmas trees,

Foraging chickadees beneath laden branches of spruce,

Slowly coagulating circular crystalline pans into larger masses, the precursors to the still frozen North Saskatchewan River:

Officially declared office closure by four government departments,

 Pre-arctic blizzard,

Rising temperatures from minus 30oC to a balmy 10-15 o C below and in the warmth, there is a lull, a calm in which large flakes scatter through the night and almost Christmas like in March.

That white stuff whatever we call it…. a blessing if we let it be!

SNOW

On the Thanksgiving weekend spent with family on Vancouver Island, beautiful weather and a field full of pumpkins from a local farm. Good fun making fruit and pumpkins pies and tarts totally from scratch and thought I would share some of my photos...even discovered if no rolling pin a wine bottle will do.

My pastry recipe..Granny's “No Fail” Pastry

Put one egg, 3T lemon juice and enough water to make one cup...mix and set aside in fridge. Sift together 1/2 t. baking soda, 5 cups flour, 2T sugar, 2 t. salt. slowly add 1 lb. of Tender Leaf lard, cutting into a consistency of oatmeal. Add egg mixture, mix lightly, form into a ball. Chill and use as needed. Makes 3 double pie crusts and extra dough can be frozen.
© Olga Payne

Source: http://www.pickyourown.org/pumpkinpie.php

Step 1 - Get your pie pumpkin

 "Pie pumpkins" are smaller, sweeter, less grainy textured pumpkins than the usual jack-o-lantern types.  Grocery stores usually carry them in late September through December in the U.S. In some parts of the country, they are also called sugar pumpkins or even "cheese pumpkins".  Go figure that one.  Note: the Libby's can of cooked pumpkin is just there for reference - it is the small can, so that gives you an idea of the size of a typical pie pumpkin.  They're only about 6 to 8 inches in diameter (about 20 to 24 inches in circumference).  TIP: If you're in a pinch and can't find a pie pumpkin, here's a tip: butternut squash taste almost the same! And many farmers will tell you that "Neck Squash", Jarradale Blue Hubbard, Cinderella and Long Island Cheese winter squashes are all considered to make a better tasting pumpkin pie.  Commercial canned pumpkin is from a variety of butternut, not true pumpkins! If you insist on using a regular Jack O' Lantern type pumpkin, you may need to add about 25% more sugar and run the cooked pumpkin through a blender or food processor to help smooth it out.

Just like selecting any squash, look for one that is firm, no bruises or soft spots, and a good orange color. One 6" pie pumpkin usually makes one 10 inch deep dish pie and a bit extra; or two 9 inch shallow pies! If you have extra goop, you can always pour it into greased baking pans and make a crustless mini pie with the excess (and the cooked pies do freeze well!)

If you live in the Far East (Thailand, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, etc.) and cannot get a pumpkin or a butternut squash, I'm told that Japanese pumpkins make a great substitute. Just cube the meat into small cubes and steam them for 35 minutes. The rest of the preparation is the same and I'm told the taste is great.

Step 2 - Prepare the pumpkin for cooking

Wash the exterior of the pumpkin in cool or warm water, no soap.

Cut the pumpkin in half.  A serrated knife and a sawing motion works best - a smooth knife is more likely to slip and hurt you!

Step 3 - Scoop out the seeds...

And scrape the insides.  You want to get out that stringy, dangly stuff that coats the inside surface.  I find a heavy ice cream scoop works great for this.

Note: SAVE THE SEEDS:

The seeds can be used either to plant pumpkins next year, or roasted to eat this year! Place them in a bowl of water and rub them between your hands.  then pick out the orange buts (throw that away) and drain off the water. Spread them out on a clean towel or paper towel to dry and they're ready to save for next year's planting or roast.  

Step 4 - Cooking the pumpkin

There are several ways to cook the pumpkin;  just choose use your preferred method.  Most people have microwaves and a stove, so I'll describe both of those methods here. But others make good arguments in favor of using a pressure cooker or baking in the oven. At the end of this document, I’ve included alternative instructions to replace step 4, if you’d rather use a different method.

Method 1 - Bake in the oven

You can also bake the prepared pumpkin in the oven, just like a butternut squash.  This method takes the longest. Basically, you cut and scoop out the pumpkin as for the other methods, place it cut side down into a covered oven container. Cover the ovenproof container (with a lid), and pop it in an 350 F (165 C) oven. It normally takes about 45 minutes to 90 minutes (it can vary a lot!); just test it periodically by sticking it with a fork to see if it is soft!

Method 2 - Steam on the stovetop

You can also cook it on the stovetop; it takes about the same length of time in a steamer (20 to 30 minutes).  I use a double pot steamer, but you could use an ordinary large pot with a steamer basket inside it!:

 Put it in a microwaveable bowl

Remove the stem, and put the pumpkin into a microwaveable. You may need to cut the pumpkin further to make it fit.  The fewer the number of pieces, the easier it will to scoop out the cooked pumpkin afterwards.

Put a couple of inches of water in the bowl, cover it, and put in the microwave.  I cook it on high until it is soft.  That may take 20 minutes or more, so like anything else, try 15 minutes, see how much it is softened, then do 5 minute increments until it is soft

Cook the pumpkin until it is soft

Whichever method you use, cook the pumpkin until it is soft and will separate from the skin.

Step 5 - Scoop out the cooked pumpkin

Whether you cook the pumpkin on the stove, microwave, or even the oven, once it is cooked until it is soft, it is easy to scoop out the guts with a broad, smooth spoon, (such as a tablespoon).  Use the spoon to gently lift and scoop the cooked pumpkin out of the skin.  It should separate easily an in fairly large chucks, if the pumpkin is cooked enough.

Many times the skin or rind will simply lift off with your fingers (see the photo at left) .  I'll bet you didn't realize making your own pumpkin glop... err, "puree" was this easy!

Note: there are many varieties of pumpkin and some make better pies that other (due to sugar content, flavor, texture and water content.  Drier, sweeter, fine-grained pies; the small (8" across) ones called "pie pumpkins" are best. 

THIS is the best photo...drinking Alley Kat beer called PUMPKIN PIE!

It has been quite an emotional week. I am sharing the events of it here of a wedding and a death because I know many in the xanga community have also faced life and death situations, joys and challenges within their own families or close friends. It is my hope that you will find some encouragement, peace and solace in knowing that your own experiences are not isolated or solitary....the following is a combination of several friends and family.

Our family has been looking forward for many months to the celebration for our youngest daughter, Amelia, 29, as she wed her chosen Sean, last Friday and Saturday in Vancouver. Much anticipation of the joy and celebration as many came from near and far.

It was a fabulous wedding weekend including:

• After the makeup and hair  early in the afternoon family and the bridal party met at a coffee shop for a unique encounter between bride and groom.
• Friday night Nuptial High Mass with all the smell and bells...A great service followed by a reception with friends and family in the church hall.
• On Saturday, potluck with more friends and family took place in Port Moody Old Mill Boathouse where Amelia and 3 others from her WVU rowing team donned their spandex, borrowed a shell for 4, and went for a row.Amelia and former  rowing team mates went out for a row.. had WVU in Morgantown West Virginia on a rowing scholarship for 4 years....primarily on an 8 woman team (2005) Strong friendships were built and four of her team mates were able to come to the wedding....so they went rowing together again.

But with this joyous news, we also had to share some very sad news with the sudden passing of our oldest daughter, Shaunnie Rebecca, 31, on Sunday morning, the 23rd in her sleep. If you had ever met Rebecca, she had a vibrant, strong willed, and creative personality.  She has also lived with mental illness for at least 10 years, and this past summer was particularly difficult.  Her death was unexpected, and brings grieving to our family.

Only 25 months apart, Amelia  and Rebecca  were as younger siblings,  each other's constant companions, sometimes best buds and other times not. Both pursued sports ( one year between bingos and driving for soccer, swimming and downhill ski racing we were very busy!!) and university. Rebecca was very talented in fashion design, in Human Ecology, & on her own, putting on a modelling show several years ago at the Edmonton Armoury and when about 8, made Amelia lie down on brown paper to trace an outline for sewing a princess dress. Pioneer Ranch Camps has also played an important part with both young women from Amelia's involvement with Senior Girls to Rebeccas time as staff at Sundre, life guarding for junior camps. She was a focused hard worker, working to meet deadlines with her University and personal projects in the face of paralyzing adversity. Honest, she did not held back the embarrassing elements in her struggles to grapple with life’s issues...resource to youth and the inner city folk who found themselves in difficult circumstances.Words to describe her: Determined, Honest, Funny, Hurtin’ and Searching.

On Sunday the 30th, we had our second service, a Requiem Mass  for our eldest daughter Shaunnie Rebecca. We, friends and family, celebrated her life this afternoon; In this, we also remembered our eldest son and his young family.After the service, we did a typical Rebecca thing.... we went to a local pub by the church, had a couple of pitchers of beer, told stories, traded fond memories, and had some laughs before we went on our international and interprovincial ways.

Is the grieving and celebration process over? No it has really only just begun.

I personally struggle with my role as a mother of an adult daughter with mental illness and my professional role as a social worker who has worked in the field.Maintaining the boundaries between the personal and the professional is not easily done On both sides of the family, we each have a sister with a history of mental illness, who as adults were very dependent on their elderly mothers and this was a pattern I was determined to break. In recent months, I had to step back my involvement and contact with Rebecca while she was in treatment, and now she is gone! Was that the right decision? Did she know how much I loved her but could not cope with some of the other stresses?

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams was a favorite children's book and Amelia chose this passage to honour her sister...

" Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. " It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long.long tim, not just to play with,but REALY loves you then you become real".

" Does it hurt? " asked the Rabbit

" Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always being truthful. "when you are real you don't mind being hurt".