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If I Were a Carpenter… #DreamJob #DailyPrompt

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What’s your dream job?

Other than becoming a world-famous author (still working on that one 😁), or a National Geographic photographer (camera equipment is EXPENSIVE!), I used to fantasize about carpentry- I know, strange, right?

Photo by Caroline Cagnin on Pexels.com

I’ve always been a fan of captivating architecture, whether it’s a twenty-story post-modern building, the arching silhouette of a grand cathedral, the steel girders of an awe-inspiring bridge, or the humblest cottage.

Photo by Ertabbt on Pexels.com

There’s something about the flow and symmetry of these works of art that pleases the eye and gives birth to the imagination. I think it takes a romantic at heart to create these marvelous structures. Someone who dreams their building will live on for future generations to appreciate, fall in love with, and create lasting memories buoyed by the beauty and grace surrounding them.

That’s the power of architecture.

Photo by Adrienne Andersen on Pexels.com

Carpentry, on the other hand, is personal. A carpenter puts his love of wood into every piece he designs. Hours of labor go into sizing, shaping, sanding, and sweating over his work before the final result is revealed.

My grandfather wasn’t a master carpenter but enjoyed working with wood. He made Mom a bedstand that she uses to this day. It has waves and swirls decorating the dropdown edging and a handy bookshelf built into the bottom like a secret hideaway. I can feel the joy and tenderness that went into its creation and it’s like he’s right here with us, though he’s been gone almost forty years now.

Hand-hewn furniture is timeless. It tells a story. It has a history.

This song encapsulates my fascination and love of carpentry and by extension, architecture. It’s a love story all of its own. A legacy to pass on to future generations to dream and even start their own long-lasting impact on our culture.

I have a Pinterest board I created for architecture if you’re interested- https://www.pinterest.ca/jacqbiggar/amazing-architecture/

And here is one of my favorite buildings here in Victoria.

What is your dream job?

A Walk Down Memory Lane- #Anniversary #Romance @jacqbiggar #mgtab

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Photo by George Dolgikh @ Giftpundits.com on Pexels.com

DH and I have been together for forty years- hard to believe!

We met July 9, 1982, on his eighteenth birthday. It was also our high school’s graduation party. There was a huge after-dance party out at a friend’s farm with at least half of the grads attending. So many people, loud music, alcohol (the parents at the farm took the keys of everyone attending for safekeeping), and a bonfire at least ten feet high- in a word, chaotic.

All of that, yet the moment we bumped into each other it was as though no one else was there. Corny, I know, but true.

We spent every available minute together for the next six months, then moved into a tiny little holiday trailer on his oldest sister’s land ( he’s the baby out of six kids) until we could afford something better.

Here’s a couple of photos from the early days:

Me at the Edmonton, Alberta Museum and DH with my little brother, Michael. (I’m the oldest of three).

Two years later, on June 16th, 1984 we were married under a beautiful blue sky with puffy white clouds.

And four years after that, we became parents of a beautiful baby girl.

If you think I look scared, you’re right! lol

We’ve had many ups and downs during our marriage, but one thing remains true- we loved each other then, and we love each other now.

Today, we plan to visit the beach and generally spend the day together. We may be older, but the romance is still there 🙂

It’s National #LoveYourPetDay #Cats @Jacqbiggar @mgtab

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Pets are a staple in nine out of ten households, and while dogs and cats are popular choices many families cherish a variety of other creatures such as chickens, llamas, bunnies, birds, gerbils, and even mice!

Above is a photo of Harley, our nine-year-old calico. She grew up with a German Shepherd for company and consequently thinks she’s our protector. We had to put a sign out front, Beware of Cat, lol.

People get a kick out of seeing Harley going for a walk by leash. She enjoys the time out of the yard and a good back scratch on the rocks!

Summers are spent outside soaking up the sun and watching the hummingbirds flit around our yard.

Lately, she’s taken to sitting in this odd way- funny girl 🙂

In response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ See more responses here.

And finally, this is our sweet Annie.

The man who owned her was going to have her put down because she was the rut of the litter and was extremely skittish. Bob couldn’t let that happen, so he brought her home and spent two days laying under our lilac tree in the backyard trying to gain her trust. She was just six months old, skinny, and frightened, but slowly, he won her over and she became his shadow for the next eight years.

We lost her near Christmas in 2019.

#Thanksgiving Memories and a failsafe #Recipe @jacqbiggar

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Thanksgiving is October 11th in Canada!

Thanksgiving dinner is serious business. Most other nights you can get away with anything from Hamburger Helper to Spaghetti and your family won’t complain. They don’t dare.

However, tonight is all about family. It’s special, and the meal you serve needs to portray this.

A lot of houses will be serving ham, turkey, scalloped potatoes, Brussel sprouts :), and while this sounds great, at our house we do things a little differently.

When my daughter was young there wasn’t a lot of money, so I began cooking lunches at our local Farmer’s Market to help with bills. This way she could go to ‘work’ with me.

Needless to say, she was a hit with both the other venders and the buying public. Who can say no to a cute little two-year-old?

 

Brandy and her big cousins

One of my most popular dishes was something we called Lazy Man Cabbage Rolls, served up with potato and cheddar pirogues covered in fried onions, sour cream, and bacon bits.

We usually sold out long before market ended. 🙂

My daughter developed a taste for these and throughout the years, regularly pestered me to make them up for her.

That’s how it became our Thanksgiving Tradition.

I thought I’d share my recipe here, and maybe it will become a tradition in your home also.

2 pounds of med ground hamburger
2 med heads of green cabbage
Approx. 4 cups of uncooked long grain rice (no minute rice)
3 cans of a good brand of Tomato soup (I use Heinz)
Salt and Pepper

Start by mixing in a large bowl your hamburger, rice, and a small handful each of salt and then pepper. Mix until the rice has mostly been integrated into the beef.
Wash hands thoroughly.
Cut the cabbage up into slivers similar to what you’d use for coleslaw.
Using a good-sized Dutch oven, start with a thin layer of cabbage, about an inch thick, in the bottom of pot.
Spread a layer of rice-beef mixture loosely on top of this.
Repeat procedure until you reach the top of pot. You want to end with cabbage on top.
Open two cans of soup into the bowl you used for beef mix, (it’ll pick up residual spices) then take each can and half fill with water and swish before dumping into bowl. Stir until mixed.
Slowly pour this mixture over the pot of cabbage rolls, spreading it across the top.
Put a lid on and cook in pre-heated 350 oven for 2.5 hours.
Remove lid and spread last can of soup undiluted over the top of your casserole.
Leaving lid off, replace in oven for half an hour longer.

Remove and enjoy. 🙂

Hope you give this a try one day. Let me know how it turned out for you.
Any special traditions you do in your homes that you’d like to share? We’d love to hear about them.