Our Family Web Log - Personal Notes

don't eat anything bigger than your head

nospam@example.com (Tim Middleton) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:07:35 -0500

Almost certainly Selena will post this to her face book, but I'm going to beat her this time and post it here for the few that visit here first! It's Michael Pollan talking about his new book, which is (or contains at least in part) a collection of "wisdom", folk and otherwise, about food. Here's some favorite quotes from me...

"If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, you're probably not hungry."

"The whiter the bread, the sooner you're dead!"

Another interesting one:

"Sweeten your food yourself" (He observes that in most cases it'd be better for kids to give unsweetened cereal and tell them to put on all the sugar they want, because they can put many many spoons of sugar on the cereal and still have less sugar then many sugary cereals. Maybe not so applicable around here... but still an interesting observation. Ditto for making ice tea or lemonade... no sane person would themselves put in as much sugar as is found in popular commercial drinks of that sort.)

When the rugrats away, the cats will...

nospam@example.com (Tim Middleton) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:48:56 -0500

Gramma took the kids for a few days again, so Selena could get some quality studying time in before her final exam next week. But it looks like all this freedom has once again gone to her head, and off she goes, hitting the streets and rallying against the prorogued government. Well, what can do when the Samba Squad calls?

Howdy New Year

nospam@example.com (Tim Middleton) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:54:43 -0500

Well, everyone missed a fantastic New Year's Eve party here at our place. Yes, it was awesome. It was awesome that you missed it, I mean. I mean, it's awesome you were somewhere else that is not here. So, I just want to extend a heart felt thanks to all who did not participate. Thank you. And Happy New Year, also.

Besides us not having to take you on an delightful evening walk around the neighbourhood through the rain/snow (including the icy and unlit Wytchwood Park hill --- whee!), under our big umbrella, it also meant we didn't have to share our crisped-to-perfection traditional home-made new year's egg rolls with you. Horray! Selena also whipped up some hot and sour soup, which turned out quite nice (though a lot more of the hot than the sour).

Conscience is starting to suggest my tone may be coming across a wee bit on the selfish side? Furthermore, I'm just starting to feel terribly sorry for all you poor unfortunates that were not here for such an awesomeness (the likes of which you can probably not even imagine). But, this was the first holiday evening of any kind that Selena and I have gotten to enjoy just by ourselves since... since I can't even remember. It was too nice. It was too good. So I hope you can somehow forgive us for ignoring your knocks (we may have been out) and rejecting your rings (our phone line must have been down)?

There are a few egg rolls and soup left over. But you better get over here fast if you want some, because they won't last long! And the kids will be back soon...

The Seven Stops of Christmas

nospam@example.com (Tim Middleton) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:59:35 -0500

We had an even busier than usual Christmas this year, largely due to my determination to connect with some extra relatives which had been out of the picture for a long time. (Ironically, I got hardly any pictures of these extras.) All told, we had a chunk 'o Christmas in seven different places over five or so days!

We started here at home on Christmas afternoon. We Quaker potlucked Christmas eve. We then headed to Ajax where we stayed over night. After Christmas morning breakfast and presents in Ajax, with Gramma (and a phone call to sing the Hippopotamus song to Auntie Anne), we headed out to Dundas to meet up with some odd Middleton's, we extremely rarely see (including one cousin I'd not yet ever met before, and a bathroom -- except for the seriously nostalgic drawing -- never seen before either), for Christmas dinner. We stayed over night in Hamilton and had a second Christmas morning there on Boxing day, with Grammie and Aunty Belle. In the afternoon we drove to Kitchener for a visit with Grampa. Coming back to Hamilton again to stay over night, the next day we congregated with Selena's family and family friends for a big Christmas brunch at the Suggitt's.

It was touch and go at times, but it all worked out quite nicely (I think). And it's continuing to work out nicely, now finally home again, just Selena and I. We left the kids, with their new toys, for a few days with Gramma. (And Grammie had them most of the week leading up to all this.)

So all is Merry until Happy New Year! (Here's all the xmas pics...)

Noel in Season

nospam@example.com (Tim Middleton) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:00:02 -0500

I was lucky to be able (with Anne and Sandro, no less) to get to the little gallery space where Noel, and other local artists, were opening a new exhibit. My pictures linked here are not very good quality, but some may be interested to see some of the people and scenes... there's also some more examples of some of the art work here.

Parading

nospam@example.com (Tim Middleton) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:29:31 -0500

A week or so ago I got a strange email from a friend whom I'd not heard from in many years. He was apparently tipping me off regarding the awesome bargains to be had at some chinese web site. I prompt wrote him back thanking him very much for the tip, and expressing my eagerness to accept any and all spam from the few old friends I have lingering out there somewhere. The fellow wrote me back and affirming that yes, this spam certainly has been more effective than even facebook at getting him in touch with everyone in his address book from many years ago. It turns out an old webmail account he used once upon a time was compromised and the spammer used it to send out messages to everyone in the address book. My friend reports about half of them responded in one way or another (if you follow).

Take that, facebook! You're not even as effective as random spammers, as much as you may try to encourage your own special brand of spam which had now addicted half of humanity.

Anyhow, that being said, this weekend we hooked up with someone Selena hadn't sen since high school, and has been in contact with via book-o-face. She and her husband and her daughter (around the same age as Istra, coincidentally) came down from Cambridge and met up with us at the Santa Claus Parade. After the parade (shoulder's aching), we grabbed some yummy food from Gazelle and took it up a block to a small leaf-strewn-park for a little leaf-strewn picnic.

Also, I took pictures of random people at the parade, for bonus points. More interesting (to me) than the floats, you see.

And, on the way home we went by a house right near Istra's school with two chickens running around in the fenced in front yard. Just like Selena's dream!

Holiday III: The Farm

nospam@example.com (Tim Middleton) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:38:06 -0500

I've finally put some more pictures from our holiday travels last August online. I hesitated on this particular set, probably because there's so much to say about it. It is hopeless to find the time to even begin to explain the background or describe the scenes portrayed.

In a nutshell, my grandfather bought this land to retire on to many years ago. Some say he was trying to recapture something of his youth, growing up on a farm. He built the farm house seen here, after the original burned down. My granddad died over a dozen years ago. and I hadn't been up to the farm since probably a few years before that. Owned now by an uncle, it has sat mostly unused all these years. The front yard, which I remember as a grassy hill leading down to a creek, is now a forest. The farmhouse, up on the edge of a hill, is barely visible from any direction anymore, ensconced in trees. Yet it remains deep in its grove, a hidden treasure box of memory and curiosity.

Then there's another reclusive uncle building himself a log house way in the far back of the property, barely accessible by anything half resembling a road. But that's yet another long and curious story.

The New Kitchen Help

nospam@example.com (Tim Middleton) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:16:01 -0400

She was here when I got home from work tonight. The kids seem to like her... i guess we'll keep her. (The funny thing is, she looks sort of almost exactly like Selena in her almost entirely regular clothes... but I'm told she's a gypsy or a pirate or something, all dressed up for something or other, which she rushed off to...)

Dragons

nospam@example.com (Tim Middleton) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:38:55 -0400

The dragon Istra got for her birthday, so many months ago, finally hatched this chilly, wet weekend. The winds lured it from its nest, and launched it... well... into trees... and Selena's face... the ground... oh, and also the sky! From there, it also appears to have swooped down in an attempt to snatch Emeth up in its claws and carry him away to its lair....! Watch out, Eme!!!!

It missed.

So we all survived. And got exercise. And even seemed to have a fair bit of fun, despite the terrible danger.

I found more mushrooms to coerce portraits out of. (Oh wait, have I even posted my vast array of mushroom pictures from our last holiday?) Anyhow, while stalking the "shaggy manes", I noticed the ground beneath my feet started to feel rather weird. I looked down and found myself treading across large clusters of what we've finally decided are "pear-shaped puffballs". Selena, in her amateur mycological lust, was so excited she quickly abandoned my lovely shaggy mane, and started maniacally harvesting.

Two meals later, we are still alive. We win, again!

There was also dinner guests. A gigantic wasp nest. Turning off of water, window plastic. Fresh beaver trails. A farmer's market. Munchkin measurements. Still water. Rough water. Fantastical vehicles. Braids. The lowering of a flag. GPS. The moon at noon. Puzzles (including some which may never be solved). Warm snuggles. Cold feet, and shoulders. Genealogical encouragements. Surprise recovered apple crisp. Popped corn.

And we've maybe survived all that, too! We shall see...

Healthcare reform

nospam@example.com (Tim Middleton) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 06:22:56 -0400

Aunty Belle says she's tired of looking at people falling out of houses every time she points her web browser in this direction. To be absolutely honest, I'm getting a tad bit weary of it myself. But what can I do? Evidently not much. It was a tired week ago the aforementioned comment was made... and still no update?

Well, how about a chipmunk?

Oh wait. Have to get Istra in here somewhere before leaving, right?

Well, there you go. Her gloriousness.

Actually, oddly enough, I have a little something for Whitney that I've been wanting to get out here for some time also.... enjoy the (audio) snack.

Sorry about the extreme lack of updates, family (& friends).

Emeth, our cute little vector

nospam@example.com (Tim Middleton) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:26:24 -0500

So, the nose did not stop running. It ran onto Istra, who's nose started running. It ran onto mommy, who's head nearly exploded. And finally it ran into me, too stuffed up to sleep. Sigh!

Speaking of Emeth though, perhaps he is trying to make it up to us. He peed on the potty for the first time a few days ago. It seems it was more of an accident than an intentional act, he hasn't done it since, but we'll happily take whatever we can get in that area!

Speaking of Emeth speaking: he still refuses! Apparently he has better things to do. Well, the only two words he uses regularly are "car" (kaw), and "hot" (haw). Oh, and i guess maybe "ball" (baw).

The radiators in our apartment run along the base of the walls. They are fairly big. In the bedroom our window reaches almost to the floor. It has a wide sill just above the radiator. Emeth often goes to lean on the sill to look out. He often has nothing on when he does this. When he does this his penis often rests on the radiator. Selena reports that after a while he will return from that pointing at his own crotch and proclaiming "hot! hot! hot!" (haw! haw! haw!).

In Istra-land, Istra and mommy had a frank conversation the other day about where broccoli comes from. Istra patiently listened as mommy explained how the farmer grows it, then picks it, then trucks take it to the store where we buy it. Three and three-quarters year old Istra, however, suddenly proclaimed that "NO! THAT IS NOT HOW THE WORLD WORKS! GOD PICKS THE BROCCOLI AND TAKES IT TO THE STORE!" (I didn't personally hear this conversation, but there is no doubt in my mind Istra did indeed speak in all caps.) Where does she get this stuff? We know not. But her faith is not weak, that is for darn-diddly-darn sure.

Just another weekend...

nospam@example.com (Tim Middleton) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:55:15 -0500

Ever try, after a significant snowfall (the snow in fact still falling), to lug two mysteriously identical 20 pound suitcases across downtown, with two little kids and a stroller, with just a transit day-pass for assistance? Welcome to our weekend. If this journey does not sound wacky enough, let it be known that on the way significant time was spent under an old desk in a Quaker library. (More photographic evidence is available on the previous link.)

Post-Christmas Round-up

nospam@example.com (Selena Middleton) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:03:45 -0500

The main event this year was in Orillia--specifically, in Grammie's new kitchen. Having lived for the first 18 years of my life in a house with a kitchen in various states of renovation, it was quite a shock to walk into this kitchen for the first time since the demolition this summer. I must say, Grammie's new kitchen was a beautiful place to congregate with family this holiday.

We arrived in Orillia in the afternoon on Christmas Eve day, slightly ahead of Gigi and Auntie Belle. Presents were unpacked and stacked under Grammie's modest Christmas tree, ready to be ripped into the next morning. One good thing about Istra and Emeth's age (among many good things, of course) is that they do not yet anticipate Christmas with trembling, sleep-depriving excitement; so, we all got to sleep in on Christmas morning... at least a little bit. Though I will add that by the time Poppy got up, Istra had already ripped into a few things and started to dismantle her stocking.

Most Christmas traditions around here are food traditions and one of my favourites is stollen on Christmas morning. For the past couple of years I've been responsible for baking the stollen; last year I went with the traditional recipe, but this year I couldn't resist an experiment. A month or so before Christmas I bought the book Wild Fermentation and started playing around with making sauerkraut, pickles, kimchee and sourdough bread. When I searched online to see if anyone had ever done a sourdough stollen, I found that (apparently, according to the Internet) stollen in Dresden is done this way. So I tried it. I modified the recipe a little bit further to include dried cherries; our traditional stollen always included red and green candied cherries, but I thought the dried natural variety might go better with sourdough.

The stollen baked to brown, round perfection and on Christmas morning I iced it with a lime frosting. This is not traditional (the recipe called for a dusting of icing sugar on top), but I always loved the icing my mom made for the stollen and couldn't bear to change it. The experimental stollen was enjoyed by all--the addition of dried cherries especially--but next year, unless my sourdough improves with practice--I think we'll be sticking to yeasted bread.

Anyhow, the tale of our Christmas is best told in pictures: the kids opening their presents, a foray out onto the frozen lake, certain members of the family dancing naked to Dan Zanes, and a cottage keys-locked-in-car adventure. Sounds wild, doesn't it? Take a look.

Coalition family mostly attends coalition rally...

nospam@example.com (Tim Middleton) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:52:58 -0500

Here we are. At it again. Rallying. Protesting. Demonstrating. Trying to place our bodies where some people think it may do some good: a body count somehow correlating (usually) to media attention, to get a message out. That's the simplified theory. More or less. Anyhow, you can see Selena here happy and gung-go to be arriving at this rally, supporting what may be a historic political maneuver. I slipped around the crowd a while to do my photographer thing. When I finally managed to work my way back to Selena, the stiff and cringing Selena on the left is what I found. It was coooooold! It was freezing. My shutter fingers were pretty frosty too. We cut out on the rally early to find warmth, as did many others. It was kind of sad, because when we left the music was heating up. The ever artistically entertaining Bob Wiseman was finishing up, and Broken Social Scene (an interesting band name to have at a political rally) was coming on, joined apparently by Feist. But, was Emeth sleeping peacefully as he appeared bundled in his stroller bag, or was he frozen solid? We had to go find out...

It was the latter. We ended up (as did many others) in the nearby Eaton's Centre. It was already packed with Xmas shoppers before we packed it further. We grabbed some food, but there was no place to sit. We wandered until we finally found a bench. The bench turned out to be a front row seat in front of a scene of (Christmas?) debauchery. Strangely, they have left the "... for tomorrow we die" part off of their "Eat, drink, and be merry" slogan. Anyhow, we sat pondering the scene as we anxiously unwrapped our Harvey's veggie burgers, eagre to gorge ourselves on some fast food warmth, and decadent Harvey's pickles.

Here's the whole photo set if you're interested in lots of pictures of signs and (mostly) human heads...

Nana, poster girl...

nospam@example.com (Tim Middleton) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:19:08 -0500

Nana holding Gramma, back in the days before they were so famous.

Though something tells me she'd be mortified, mostly by the state of her hair...

I often rarely check my actual personal email these days (yes, "often rarely"). I check mail various other places even less, if at all. But tonight I clicked into my flickr inbox. Noticed a "new" message there from a month and a half ago. Turned out to be someone notifying me that they're using one of my photos on their web site. That's nice of them, the license used on flicker does not require them to notify me.

So I was curious anyhow. They provided me a link to the page where the photo was to appear, but after loading that link I couldn't see any photos of mine there. The web site is entirely Spanish. It seems to be some Spanish newspaper?

My next clue was a link they provided in the message to the photo license which had the photo ID in it. So I clicked that to find out what photo they are actually using. That worked. It was a ruffled (but nice) picture of Nana! Well i had noticed the photo of an elderly woman on the link they gave me. Perhaps they had decided against using my photo in the end? Finally i resorted to doing a google search for my name and the spanish web site... and sure enough google provided me a link...

Scroll down to the bottom and there is Nana, attached to a short article having something to do with the Prime Minister of Spain and Alzheimer's. I'll bet Nana never guessed a picture of her would end up on a Spanish newspaper web site. Well, I have to admit, neither did I, to be fair.

Searching a bit more I found another link to apparently a science news site with another short article on Alzheimer's, again using this same picture.

Then, yet another, this time a polish site with an english language description of Alzheimer's. The same picture. The site name translates to "Herbs Online: A guide to herbs and herbal cosmetics". Nana's there.

It seems I must have mentioned Alzheimer's in the photo description, and now Nana is an Alzheimer's poster girl... crazy hair and all. (It really is a nice picture though... a moment in which she was ironically looking the least Alzheimer's-afflicted of that entire visit.)

Anyhow, that got me searching. And next i found.... Selena breastfeeding. Look, here she is nursing Istra in "Mommies Magazine". And here she is again, on some woman's personal blog who seems to be a bit obsessed with strollers.

I always wondered why that first photo got so many clicks on flickr. I just figured flickr was teeming with weirdos. But it turns out Mommies Magazine linked back to the flickr photo page. It was a bunch of mommies looking at that picture, not perverts after all! Who would have guessed that?

Extending my search still further I found some of my apple picking pictures being used out there. Here's a picture featuring Gramma with Istra in an article called "Fun to the Core" on Grandparents.com! And another accompanying someone excited about apple picking season on a site called "All Over Albany".

I found this picture of Istra crying on mommy's shoulder stuck in what appears to be a novel (?) someone was writing online, entitled "The Price of Love". They converted the photo to black and white, and the only indication that it's my photo is the filename which they've changed to "a-last-tear-by-tim-selena-middleton.jpg". Fair enough! Rather sappy paragraph it's attached to though! It reads: "I cried. I cried in pain – cried for all those memories, those beginnings, those endings, and for all those times together at the church. Cried for a long time, maybe a quarter of an hour. Then I settled the kids in the car, and I went back for a minute or two more and I cried on my own, all over again." Istra captures these sentiments, apparently.

Ha. Well, too much time searching... but it was kind of interesting. Kind of fun to see a few of one's photos somehow getting around in the wild, without the owner's knowledge or any particular effort to make the things known. Makes me realise (not for the first time) that i really should be taking the time to more carefully tag and embed descriptions of many of my posted photos. (If i had time...)