People in my observation love to talk about food, even Canadians who seem to love to about the weather. In a group, a get-together, whatever you call it, food is likely to become the topic people share most easily.
My parents just returned from a trip to Saskatchewan. I called to ask them about their trip and my Mom talked about food, which made me smile. Fresh lake trout caught by my aunt Marlene, and Uncle Bert seems to have been the highlight of at least portion of the visit. This is especially since my relatives caught the fish themselves in Waskesui Lake (check out the link).
I admit the apple doesn’t fall far off the tree. Thinking about trips, and family memories invariably includes meals. I remember the fish I was so proud of catching when I was a whipper snapper fishing in the river with my Grandpa Folstad. I caught the single pike but it was a beauty and I was barely able to hold it up. (Iwas probably like 12 years old) Others in the family out caught me in volume but not in pride! We headed home and those fish were cleaned, scraped and pan fried and it was fabulous, no scrumptuous! The mind picture is still there though decades have slipped by.
I remember the fresh bread my mom baked in our little house in Quesnel, B.C. (check the link) and I suspect nothing beat fresh hot bread from the oven, melted butter and home made jam. Thanks Mom!
In a strange setting? meeting with a group of people you barely know? You can open the floodgates for a friendly discussion with this topic. Food memories, Favorite Food, favorite restaurant, what meal is their favorite ?(breakfast, lunch or dinner).
If you like to read blogs, then open your monitor to food blogs, some crazy fabulous cooks out there blogging who just love to share their passion, you are so blessed with a click of a mouse! Check out the High Heel Gourmet – awesome blogger!
Such a simple, effective, and powerful suggestion. Likely this is the best mood changer I use, I count my blessings when I begin to have a complaining attitude.
This post is to make you think! What have you done lately where you weren’t certain you would succeed? Is there something you would like to try but are holding yourself back? I think we all do that, so you’re human, but I encourage you to try anyway, and accomplish that much. If you haven’t failed anything lately, maybe you’re setting your own bar too low. Set it higher and surprise yourself. Best wishes!
Embarrassing moment
I admit to checking my blog stats and hope for high readership. Not to say that I consider myself a writer. Maybe I am a blogger now though. But everything is not measured by results, certainly a person’s life isn’t.
Is it the same for blogging? I have now done nearly 300 posts, mostly my own, and some reblogs. But if no one reads it, am I a blogger?
What does it sound like I am saying to you? I hope you are hearing me say I understand how a singer feels when they have a gold or platinum record, or an author when they have a book on the bestseller list. I understand that now because I check my own stats, and am more pleased to see lots of visits, and especially thankful to those people who sign up to follow my meandering thoughts. (Thank you)
I think I am pretty satisfied though about this blog, much better than my first one, and I have learned a great deal. I think I am a blogger or writer like I am a try-athlete. I try to do whatever I can. I ride my bike, I used to ride long distances quite regularly. I used to run and have done a few 10 km races so am pleased to have done that. I used to swim and swam regularly for a few years until I could swim a kilometre without stopping, more than 40 laps in my town pool.
I like to try to do all kinds of things, and I am satisfied with my own modest successes. I think I am glad that I am willing to try, from tai-chi to ashtanga yoga – I can say I have done it.
What does that say? Thinking it over I think it is a result of my upbringing. My Dad, bless him!, did everything himself that he could, and he taught me to be a DIY (do it yourselfer). A surprising amount can be done, if what? If you try. If you try. If you try.
When I was young little snapper my Dad built a garage door for our house and he also put a concrete floor in that garage.
He would do all kinds of things that I am sure he had never done before, but he thought about it, and asked questions and did it. He is still like that and impresses me even with what he can do on his computer.
He transferred that thought plan to me when I was young. When I wanted to fly a kite, my dad bought me balsa wood and showed me how to use newspaper, string, and balsa wood to make a kite.
When I wanted a slingshot he found bike tire tubes that were discarded and used and used the rubber to make the sides of a slingshot, and the rest came from a branch in a tree.
I was expected to do things, cut grass, cut boards or whatever so I never doubted whether I could, and it was the same about sports; I had the same equipment as others who do it; therefore I could do it also.
This is the point for myself, and for the reader. Assuming you have two arms, and the rest of the standard equipment God hands out when we are born, then you can do most things also.
You can be a Try – Athlete, or a Try-Do it Yourselfer, or a Try Blogger, Try Chef, or Try-Author and don’t worry about whether you can do it, just busy yourself getting it done.
More and more I believe that you live to taste of life, and that is the best results of all.
No regrets.
Thanks for reading, for visiting, for looking at my older posts, and especially for sharing your thoughts, and for making suggestions!
Perhaps you thought of a boss you had that demonstrated all the best qualities of leadership. (see my Toastmasters category for a post about a leader like that!)
Perhaps you had the opposite experience, where you had a leader who demonstrated the exact opposite of leadership.
Are you a leader? Do you shy away from the title but still see yourself taking that role in your social group, your home, or at work?
I remember taking a Behavior Management course at Kwantlen college in Richmond, B.C. – great course because the instructor was so knowledgeable, interesting, and he made the course fun. I suppose I looked at the course material differently also, unlike the young adults taking the course, I was already married, and had been working for different employers for at least a decade while they were full-time students almost all. Since I had my work experience, which included different bosses with different jobs I had held ~ I could relate to the examples in the course. The boss who is controlling, the boss who mentors you, the boss who tries to make you fear him or her, the “best friend” kind of boss, and I knew the kinds of reactions these role models generated, including which ones worked and which did not.
Now three decades into a career, and involved in Toastmasters where the motto is “where leaders are made” I have more insights than ever on positive leadership.
Toastmasters are all volunteers in every club, and the leaders in the clubs, the successful leaders in the over 50,000 clubs in dozens of nations around the world are the leaders who know the secret of real leadership.
Do leaders delegate? – you know they have to.
Do leaders motivate, encourage, set milestones, monitor progress, set action plans, and recognize accomplishment, and provide feedback? – they had better do all of these actions.
Leaders lead by example. – that’s the secret. The real successful ones are getting the job done and doing the job together with you, you with them provide the pieces to bring it all together. Work goals and results are almost like potluck dinners, and each member brings to the table the results of their hard work. As a result, when each member does their part, then there are appetizers, main courses, salads, dessert and drinks and every sees the results of their COMBINED contribution.
Leaders lead by example, they not only coordinate the buffet, they follow up to make sure everyone knows their part, so the meal isn’t all pickles and no main courses, and like a conductor keeps everyone on beat. But the leader also contributes to the main course, contributes to every buffet item, in some part because of involvement and actual involvement exceeding coordination, if there is a gap anywhere the leader fills it.
The leader’s motto could be “Follow me, I’m right behind you.” [That is what leaders do, lead by example, and unfailingly provide real material support, encouragement, and recognition every step of the way.]
That’s my thoughts on the secret of leadership. I know there are many secrets, ideas, and good examples of leadership and this is one more for my blog. Please feel free to share your comments, and suggestions. Big Thanks for reading!
Due to the overwhelming success of our recipe for the “Best Steak Marinade,” we have decided to follow-up on that recipe, and give our travelers our favorite chicken marinade recipes. Chicken is such a diverse protein that we couldn’t just divulge one of our favorite recipes — we gave up three great chicken marinade recipes that you can make from-scratch. These are three different recipes, with three very different tastes and results. We hope that you enjoy all of them, and we will be working hard to bring you more recipes, meals, and destinations you can enjoy…
Old Pub Chicken Marinade – $
This recipe is great for Budget Ingredients and tastes great.
We love it because it really makes any chicken taste like very Good Pub-Style Chicken.
Use as a Quick Marinade before applying a wet batter.
Suggested uses: Chicken Strips, Chicken Skewers, Grilled Chicken,
One of the benefits of blogging is that you learn about other bloggers, and read their writing. Today I read some posts of this blogger, and varied does not describe it.
Check it out, I liked it because I have never been to Korea and likely will not get the opportunity so his writing, and his photos are insightful and interesting to me.
Enjoy the trip to Korea, instant, no waiting at an airport!
Such a simple, effective, and powerful suggestion. Likely this is the best mood changer I use, I count my blessings when I begin to have a complaining attitude.
Check it out, I liked it because I have never been to Korea and likely will not get the opportunity so his writing, and his photos are insightful and interesting to me.
Life and Random Thinking 