A fluffy baked potato, smothered in butter, sour cream, chili, baked beans, vegan chili, shredded cheese and green onion. A perfect luncheon for a beautiful fall day. Great company, great food (all foods were donated), all for a great cause.

Sistema was founded way back in 1939, by a man named Jose Antonio Abreu. His vision “music has to be recognized as an agent of social development in the highest sense because it transmits the highest values – solidarity, harmony, mutual compassion – with the ability to unite an entire community and express sublime feelings.”

Sistema Huronia began in 2013. It’s vision; to instill a strong sense of community, self-respect, and mutual support in our children through the pursuit of musical excellence in order to prepare them for a better tomorrow.

On a more personal note, this day provided a first for me. Donating a crock pot of baked beans provided me with the opportunity to discover how to make baked beans from scratch. My husband didn’t say that they were as good as the baked beans his dad made, but he didn’t say they weren’t either. So I’m counting it at a win-win all around. and I was also provided with an idea for next years Halloween costume!

It’s been a couple of decades since the waters of Georgian Bay have submerged the shores of Wasaga and other area beaches. This summer the waters have been high and today the road is the beach.

I remember, years ago, dancing on the sandy floors of the Dardanella and the infamous Windjammer, to the tunes of Ram and the Mighty Pope, with my two cousins. The three of us walking in with identical ID. The waters were high and the sand was everywhere.

Since then the beaches have cycled through the highs and lows of the Bay several times, bringing pleasure or panic depending on your want.

When we were children we would run through the strawberry field, to the large sand dune carved into the side of a small hill. We would spend hours summer tobogganing, building tunnels and enjoying the sun.

Years later, my husband would bring a couple truck loads of this sand to our home, building a large sand dune for our children. They had made it clear that they would prefer a sand dune over a traditional sand box. The sand dune also served as a cushion should anyone fall from the tree house built in the tree shading the play area.

The kids have grown up, first the tree house fell down and then the tree itself succumbed to old age. The sand remains and has become a feature in my shade garden turned sunny spot. Still my favourite spot. The sand brings back so many happy memories.

The last time I was in Bala was a few years ago, when my eldest sister and I went to see the Canadian band, Crowbar, at The Kee to Bala.

Their most popular song ‘Oh, What a Feeling’ was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011.

Today, we traveled to Bala for the 35 Annual Cranberry Festival.

‘Oh, What a Feeling, What a Rush’, traveling north on hwy 400, during the peak of Ontario’s beautiful autumn season.

The colours are absolutely stunning this year and that shiny, red cranberry added just a little bit more.

Being a little older then on my last trip, ‘What a Rush’, this time around, was when we donned pairs of hip waders and did the Cranberry Plunge!

We moved to our Little Piece of Eden just over 38 years ago.

Then, our only trees were those that outlined the perimeter of our hectare of land. Plus a majestic white oak that still stands proudly near the entrance of our lane, and the walnut tree directly behind our house. Since then the tree population has risen to well over 200, some we planted and others that planted themselves.

Flower gardens dot the property, mostly perennials native to this area. We do have some non-native, invasive species, but when it come to our native, poison ivy, invasive species, I hope the periwinkle wins out. One tiny vegetable garden sits quietly at the edge of the lawn, waiting patiently for me to retire so that it can grow.

Thoughts of leaving our oasis have been very few and far between, thoughts that vanish more quickly than they appear.

A couple of years ago, I watched a CBC documentary about a teenage photographer whose goal it was to give a face to those experiencing homelessness. A large part of her inspiration came from her mom’s journey. At age three her mother was a homeless child wandering the streets of Calcutta, India. From there she moved to an orphanage run by Mother Teresa, at age 5 was adopted by a couple that lived in a small town not far from my home.

A quote from Bruce Rivers, Executive Director of Covenant House in Toronto says it best. “Amazing photography. It’s said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and that expression is exactly suited to describe Leah’s work. She poignantly captures the depth and humanity of the individual that she beholds in front of her lens.”

Last Saturday night, while enjoying the Collingwood Art Crawl, we came upon Leah and her work in the town’s Anglican Church. Her portraits hung on the walls and both volumes of her books were available to browse or purchase. Her work, in black and white, held a continuous flow of people captive.

It’s almost impossible to go through life without crossing paths with someone who is experiencing homelessness.

The next time you pass someone on the street, give a nod, a smile, a hello. That seemingly small gesture might just save a person’s life.

I love when materials, collected directly from the earth, become works of art.

This week, I researched the make up of cement and discovered some of it’s natural make up consisted of things like shale, clay and slate. When mixed with water and sand, many beautiful and practical works of art happen.

Like this bird bath, a Soul Sister creation from a few years ago. This spring a crack formed in the basin. My husband patched it , with more cement, turning the leaf pattern into a gentle seascape. The bottom is covered with sea shells, gathered from the Pacific coast when visiting our son in British Columbia.

And our little birds are happy again.

One of my favourite summer treats, when I was a little girl, was a ripe, red, tomato picked fresh from the garden, smashed in a bowl and sprinkled with sugar. Sugar was meant to balance the acidity of the tomato, but I just loved the taste.

Another favorite summer treat was the triple decker ice cream cone I would get when it was my turn to ride along delivering our cucumber crop to the grading station. We used to love finding the biggest cucumbers. At the grading station we would learn that the tiniest cucumbers were the most valuable. Those tiny cucumbers were destined to become that crunchy, sweet, gherkin pickle that we all love. Followed closely by the cool, crisp dill pickle.

I think those long ago trips to the grading station, triggered my love for canning, preserving, and dehydrating til, in late autumn, all the shelves are full.

I went to my grade 9 class reunion, today.

We have been getting together, the Saturday after Labour Day weekend, every year since our 50 anniversary 5 years ago. Not everyone shows up every year, and some people have yet to make an appearance. We have all changed a little bit in the past 50 plus years, but the eyes remain the same. That sparkle, that twinkle, that mischievous glance, they are all still there.

When I mention to people that I look forward to my yearly grade 9 reunion, the reactions are mixed. Eyes roll, comments like ‘what the heck for?’ and comments like ‘you are really lucky that this is something that you want to do,’ are made.

I believe I am very lucky to have spent most of my high school years with a group of people that I feel very attached to. I was a shy, quiet person back then, content to sit back and observe all the while feeling included and accepted.

Our old high school building still stands tall and proud but now houses a different population. It is now home to the David Busby Centre and CMHA, and hopefully soon a Safe Injection Site.

I work with some of the population who now frequent my old high school in search of family. In their eyes, just like in our grade 9 eyes, is a desire to see the best of what the world has to offer.

I made my first Amazon purchase today.

It’s just what you do when you ask your little granddaughter, who is about to turn 5 years old, what she would like for her birthday and she says ‘a Lady Bug super hero doll.’

First, you go to Toys R Us, believing that they carry every toy ever made, only to be told that they aren’t carrying them yet and probably won’t be for another couple of months. But the nice lady helping you searches on her IPad and directs you to Walmart.

So you head out to Walmart, where the nice gentleman helping you, kindly says that they only carry them on-line.

I don’t even do on-line banking, let alone on-line shopping. But being the best grandma ever, I head over to the closest store selling pre-paid Visa cards an make a purchase.

I take the card home, carefully follow all of the instructions and register the card on line and begin to shop.

Walmart is sold out of Lady Bug products.

EBay is mostly sold out.

Amazon has four items left. Now Amazon has three items left.

BEST GRANDMA EVER!