Life In the Slow Lane

Last week I had the privilege of joining Marnie at the pool.  It was a fantastic experience for a myriad of reasons. All of which I will list below...

 

 It was really hot, and the pool was gloriously refreshing but not cold.

Marnie has a community of friends and acquaintances  that swim laps in the slow lane every day from 11:30 to 1.  Some are charming, some are funny, and all of them are inspiring and very friendly.  It's like walking into the bar in Cheers but instead of everyone crying out "Norm!", it's "Marn!".

 The pool sits in a park surrounded by conifer trees and is one of the most peaceful places I've ever had the luxury of being.

There's something very freeing about gliding through water slowly that drains every atom of frustration, resentment, stress,  and ill will from both your psyche  and your body.

Marnie even has the lifeguards wrapped around her finger, getting them to play the music she likes and having them pay special attention to swimmers she's concerned about.

It was such an honour to experience a community rite that refreshes, relaxes and produces such admiration for ones neighbors.  Swimming with Marnie's crew was a little like attending a master class on how to be a decent human being.  I found myself experiencing something truly spiritual and a whole heck of a lot of fun!

The Glory of a Homemade Burger

Inspired by Marnie's Dad, who loves a good BBQ burger, I found myself asking "what's summer without at least one BBQ burger?"  In fact our BBQ burger season runs from early April through to November.  My final burger of the season is called the Novemburger - pulling out all the stops just after Halloween, and then because it's way too cold to BBQ, swearing I'll never do it again... it's become a tradition.

There are a lot of burgers out there.  And many, many, many are delicious.  But my favourites are the ones made at home.  The one pictured above includes caramelized onions, spinach, Boursin soft cheese, mayo and ketchup.  Can I get a YUM?!

This is not hard to make. Seriously, super easy. All you need is some ground pork, some ground beef, a few spices, a BBQ or a grill pan and voila!  Homemade burgers can be yours.

I like to make mine in bulk.  The ground beef and pork are generally cheaper and then I have burgers ready at a moments notice.  And on occasion, when the kitchen is a sweltering 30 degrees in the summer , these are the perfect dinner choice.  (Nope, no air conditioning.  Good cross breezes  and lots of fans though.)

 So start with pork...

 Add in the beef...

Usually I do 2 parts beef to 1 part pork.  Mush it around with your fingers so all the meat is evenly mixed.  Then comes my favourite part, seasoning!

These are the seasonings I usually use...

Celery seed, onion powder, oregano and garlic plus (and you have to say "plus" with a French accent so it sounds like "pluuse". )  Lately I've also been throwing in a dash of seasoning salt.  Depending on how much meat you've got I use anywhere from 2 tablespoons to 1 teaspoon of each.  I've discovered a little oregano goes a long way.

Once I've formed patties, I package them up for later use.  This involves placing 4 to 8 patties between parchment paper and then putting them all into a zip lock freezer bag. These will keep for a long time.  We usually eat them all long before I see any sign of freezer burn.

 

Once you've finished packaging all your make ahead burgers, it's time to reward yourself  and your family with a few on the BBQ.  (The smallest one is for my youngest, who does not eat a lot in one sitting.)  If you are looking for a BBQ lesson, may I direct your attention to youtube.  My BBQ skills are all instinctual and either produce something fabulous or something pretty dry.  Luckily, I've cooked enough hamburgers that I usually deliver something delicious.  It just takes practice.  Lots and lots of practice.

 

Now, that's a burger!  Hopefully, I'll have the opportunity to share at least one BBQ burger with Marnie's Dad this summer.

Line Dried Laundry

I have fallen in love with a few appliances in my time.  When we went from a  hand-me-down, the best money could buy, 1989, 19 inch TV to a 50 inch plasma flat screen, I sat on the couch for two weeks straight watching every national geographic special in existence:  the colour and picture clarity blew my mind.  I am also grateful for our dishwasher.  I love that thing, and it is one of our home's busiest work horses.  I cannot rave enough about our water pic - it makes flossing a breeze.  I'm also mad for in-home laundry.   Having schlepped my clothes to a laundry mat for many years, I'll never take our washing machine for granted, never. 

And this summer I've discovered something equally wonderful:

Line dried laundry.  It's marvelous.  When it's dry it smells like the sun.  When I fold line dried clothing its crisper, as if I've starched it, which makes folding much easier.  To borrow one of Marnie's terms the whole experience is "beauteous".

I bought this bad boy five years ago from Lee Valley and it sat in storage until this summer.  The day my father in law mounted it onto our new deck I started hanging clothes to dry.  It sort of looks like a rocket launcher and when I pull the string it unfolds into this great laundry rack.  (I want to throw in a dirty joke here but I'll leave it to your imagination.)

The best part is how much it reminds me of my grandmother's cottage outdoor rotary clothesline.  All my cousins and I hung our bathing suits and towels to dry right after afternoon swim, just before five o'clock drinks.  It's funny how nostalgia will fuel you.

I just spent a blog post raving about line dried laundry.  I think I need to get out more...but it really does smell like sunshine.

Splashdown!

After conspiring for three years, Marnie and I finally managed to get ourselves to Cultus Lake Water Park.
 

It was so much fun!

 

So, so much fun!

Did I mention we had fun?

My kids love water slides and Marnie had wanted to come here for years. 

It was hot, which made the water refreshing, and no one got cold.  My kids are both 48" or taller so they could go on every ride.  We got here early which meant there weren't any real lineups for the first hour and half...

 

 

And my camera batteries were mostly charged so I got some great pictures. 

 

 

Did I mention how much fun it was watching Marnie have so much fun?