Archives for the month of: May, 2009

Charlottetown Farmers’ Market

May 26, 09 //

The Charlottetown Farmers’ Market is often talked about in our circles.

I guess this is because we like:

free events;

shopping locally;

eating organically;

and all that good stuff.

Well, every time I heard tell of the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market I’d frown and say, “Oh, well, wait a minute, I’ve never been there, so… um… uh. Sorry. I just don’t quite get what you’re talking about…”

They’d say, “What? You have to go!”

I’d frown and say, in a very sad voice, “I know.”

But this past Saturday we finally made it to the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market!

The Charlottetown Farmers’ Market is a year-round market that stays set up inside this lovely green building on Belvedere Street, in Charlottetown, PE.

There are many vendors inside and out.

What a place!

There was organic produce, plants, handmade jewelry, pottery, clothing, and more…

But, best of all, there was an abundance of amazing ready-to-eat food. In fact, there was so much selection we just wandered like confused chickens wanting to peck as much as possible.

After purchasing a few items, including fresh crispy rhubarb, our thoughts turned to lunch.

We considered homemade spicy mushroom soup, smoothies, handmade sandwiches, African food, Indian food, Asian food, and more. Finally we each chose our Saturday lunch…

Now, the very sad news is that my gourmet vegetarian sandwich with havarti and carrot-bread was gobbled up by me before I even thought of stopping to take a photo of it.

Cameron finally settled on a delicious falafel wrap, which was also gobbled up before any cameras could be unleashed.

But unfortunately I do have much evidence of us having consumed mini-donuts.

Not healthy.

Not organic.

But yet, so…delicious.

So now when someone starts chatting to me about the Farmers’ Market I can grin and say, “I know!”

For any die-hard farmers market people, here’s 22-minutes of Charlottetown Farmers’ Market goodness, courtesy of CBC Land and Sea:

Plants – Not Enough Light

May 25, 09 //

About a month ago we thought we were so smart and special when we started our vegetable garden indoors from seed. Our seedlings were very cute. They looked like this:

But then things started to go bad.

Oh, the writing was on the wall when I received an email from someone whose agricultural advice I respect; the writer was alarmed by the state of our seedlings. The writer kindly drew our attention to the fact that the seedlings looked too tall and skinny, which meant that they were looking for more light.

“Too tall?” I said. “Not enough light? Pshaw, my seedlings are perfect. I can do no wrong when it comes to country living. Just because I don’t know how to do laundry and I’m pretty much incompetent in most other farm spheres, I’ll show you, just you wait. My seedlings are perfect and will continue to be perfect. Just you wait!”

…A week or two goes by…

They weren’t getting enough light, and I think I forgot to water them, too.

In case you can’t quite tell what’s going on in that picture, I killed all our seedlings. They are d-e-a-d.

But I think it’s only natural. Plants weren’t meant to be started indoors, right?

Feeling Carefree

May 17, 09 //

Feeling carefree is something I am striving for. I want to stretch out, open my mind, and feel as carefree as a cat on warm grass.

Instead I feel that there are brambles and things never quite fit.

But in life there are always hurdles, and it’s how we guide ourselves through them that is important.

The only way to feeling carefree is making your way through the brambles, which leads you out to the other side.

If you turn back when you hit the hard part you’ll never get there.

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

May 10, 09 //

Stepping out of your comfort zone feels scary. Let’s face it; stepping out of your comfort zone feels bad.

It’s awkward. You don’t know what you’re doing. You feel uncomfortable. You just want to retreat to where you feel safe.

But we all have to step out of our comfort zones in one way or another. Sometimes they’re major steps and sometimes they’re minor steps, but the principles stay the same.

Let’s take Cameron and horses as an example. He’s an animal lover, but he’ll be the first to admit that he sometimes prefers admiring animals from afar. (Especially when they are large and have big tongues.) Here’ s Cameron stepping out of his horse comfort zone. Let it be a lesson to us all!

Stepping out of your comfort zone

1. Assess the challenge:

What are you about to do? Can you do research so that you know what you’re in for? Prepare yourself mentally and physically as best as you can. Don’t go in blindly. Talk yourself through it.

Example: Cameron’s assessing this great beast. He’s asking himself, “What am I doing here? Am I going to be OK? Do I really want to touch this giant animal?” And he’s remembering what it’s like to touch a horse. He’s remembering what to do. He’s psyching himself up!

2. Start slowly if you can:

Can you practice first? Can you bring in someone to support you? Can you do a trial run? Can you dip your toe in before plunging in head first?

Example: “See, it’s not so bad, is it? Maybe I can handle the big leagues?”

3. Take the plunge:

At some point you have to step out of your comfort zone for real. If you’ve prepared well, started slow, and if you know that it’s going to feel a bit awkward, you’re ready to take the plunge.

Example: “Oh man, this feels weird! I hate this! What am I doing??????? I want to get out!!”

4. Adjust:

You plunged in. You persevered through the discomfort and anxiety, and you didn’t give up. Guess what? Now you’re starting to adjust.

Example: “Ooh, wait now, maybe it’s not so bad after all. You know what? I kind of like this. You’re a nice horsey!”

5. Succeed:

It was awkward. You wanted to get out but you didn’t. You persevered and now it’s over. Beaming faces and proud smiles and big sighs of relief commence.

Example: “I petted a horse and I’m OK!”

In many ways, stepping out of your comfort zone is a lot like what I wrote about bothering to love and attain happiness. It’s hard and it hurts and it’d be easier not to. But it is so worth it.

Greenwich National Park, PEI

May 4, 09 //

Greenwich National Park, PEI, is as good a place as any to talk about your future. The park extends 40 km from Cavendish to Dalvay, and includes 6 km along the western tip of the Greenwich Peninsula, along the north shore of Prince Edward Island.

We didn’t plan to spend the afternoon talking about the meaning of life. But when you’re walking on the beach on your 30th birthday (Cameron’s, not mine!) the meaning of life just can’t help but come up.

We took turns answering the question, “When you’re 90 years old and are looking back on your life, what do you want to see?”

If we all knew the answer to that question, then I suppose life decisions would be easy.

But the trouble is that we can all envision a thousand different paths–in our future or–as a 90-year-old–in our past. What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want to be known for? How do you want to spend your time?

We’ve all met people who say, “Oh, I’ve always wanted to have seven children and be the best mother to my children. That’s what I’ve always wanted!” And we’ve all known people driven to become a professor or a doctor or a musician. They just know.

But what about the rest of us?

What about those of us who bumble along, find ourselves in one job or another, in one relationship or another…just “going with the flow.” People like us let these random chains of events guide our lives.

To some degree these chains of events guide us all and influence all of our decisions. It starts to get really mind-boggling when you stop to think about it. Where were you when you met your spouse? What if your parents hadn’t moved the family to XYZ? And on it goes. What if?

I am a bumbler.

I go with the flow, and the waves and rocks that wash over me make me who I am. And maybe that’s OK.

Maybe I don’t need to know where I want to go or what my destiny holds.

Maybe that’s my destiny. To be affected by those around me who know where they’re going.

Do Animals Worry Like We Do?

May 2, 09 //

Do animals worry like we do, or do they just live in the moment?

Looking at this calm face and expression, I find it hard to believe that animals live anywhere other than in the moment.

Does this guy worry about mistakes, futures, family, love, finances, time-management, responsibilities and all the other topics that irk us all from time to time?

Or do you think he just stands there thinking, “Here I am. This is me. Who are you? Let’s stare at one another.”

When this cow looks at me, he’s giving me his full attention. There are no distractions. It’s a totally authentic moment.

He’s not thinking of a thousand things that need to be done. He’s not thinking about all the things he should be doing. He’s just taking me in with all his attention.

I need to create more moments like this in my life. These days I’m doing too much and not giving anyone cow-intensity attention.

My name is Laura-Jane, and staring into the eyes of a cow changed my life.