I’ve been talking to my friend in Yellowknife. In fact, I’m going to call her now. Except, I have to write a blog entry before I can. It’s been too long since I made my last one–and I’m due.

We had a great chat the last time we talked. I think we talked for three hours. Now. How’s that for friendship?

In fact, that was the topic of the conversation (or that’s how we started off). We talked about friends and our friendships and what they mean to us. She laughed and said that saying was true…that one that says something about you know who your true friends are when they show up to help you move. She was relieved at how many of her friends showed up to help her move her stuff into her new place and she’s grateful for that. She was just grateful.

When I moved from Bush-Field last year, my friend Quebec-Martin showed up with his pickup and helped me move back to Healdsburg. AND I have to say that was quite a relief. He also helped me quite a bit once I was here. In fact, I believe I have a whole entire photo essay on building the composter. I didn’t have any furniture or kitchen supplies, but I knew the first thing I needed was a composter–and he and Humberto helped me make it.

Another thing we talked about last time was texture. One of her friends had given her a compliment (the day of her move) and said something about texture. That she was a person who had texture. My friend couldn’t have felt better. What a compliment!! I think so too. I like that.

I told what I’d told another friend of mine once when he asked me what I thought of Cobie Chaillet.

“I was thinking more about Colbie Chaillet on the way to Petaluma this morning as I was listening to Dianah Washington. I realized what I had described was mainstream was more like–lack of texture. That’s how I would describe it. Lack of texture.

I like music with depth, complexity, range, and texture…in fact. In fact, it turns out, that’s how I like my wine. And..now as I’m typing this, I realize I like people like that too. I like people who have depth, complexity, range, and texture.”

And that’s how I think my friend is–and I can only aspire to have those qualities too. I guess life is just a work-in-progress.

ON THAT NOTE….it’s time to publicly announce that we (my friend and I) have a goal. We are challenging ourselves to compete in the Yukon River Quest next summer. Isn’t that exciting? AND we have a whole year to prepare. When she told her dad, he said he thought he’d go too and he’d ask our former Outdoor Ed teacher Cliff Dunaski to go along with him.

I wonder what it’ll be like twenty years later? OMG!!!!!!!!Twenty years later!!!! We were part of the graduating class of ‘89.

Today, I can tell you a story about frustration and fun. During the summer, I was busy with my remodel and busy with work, and–well–just busy in general. I didn’t feel like I’d had a summer at all. I just wanted to have at least one day that felt like summer. I decided to plan a day on the river.

I’d originally been planning a bonfire at the coast–except I couldn’t find any beach that would let me have a fire–for fun. (I’ve now organized a camp out at Bodega Bay Dunes campground in September because they have fire pits and that’s the most I could do in between organizing my Lithuanian contractors–but I digress).

It turned out that Sunday, I’d finally organized a day out kayaking on the Russian River with a few friends. I went with a local river company in Healdsburg: Soar Inflatables (www.soar1.com). You can see in their pictures that their kayaks are two and three person rubber rafts. Not exactly what I’m used to, but I thought it would be fun just to paddle and float big rubber bumper boats down the river for a day.

There were six of us total: Quebec-Martin, Cindy, Marta, Pasquale, Humberto, and me. We divided up into the boats exactly like that. Martin and Cindy were relatively experienced paddlers. Pasquale and Marta were beginners. Humberto was a beginner and I was–stubborn.

The guide said: steering in the back and power in the front. So I took the back seat–because it doesn’t matter how much experience I have, I certainly don’t have the upper body of my friend Humberto. The other two guys in the other two boats took the back seats. We went along for a while, and I thought we were doing well. EXCEPT…Humberto (my boat partner) didn’t want to be “the guy in the front”. He wanted to be the guy and paddle the girl along the river…whatever–sigh.

We did eventually trade places (because that’s fair–don’t you think?). I took the front and he took the back. We struggled for a bit and I became frustrated at his inexperienced steering (zig zag back and forth, back and forth across the river). Also, I became frustrated at the amount of his effort he was making. He was taking three strokes for my one. I’m more than positive that he was frustrated at me too–but he was more gracious than I was about it all.

However, I remembered something Mike Hatfield (currently of cyanoptics.com) once told me about leadership: Have a plan. Communicate the plan. Let people make their own decisions on how to get there–because basically, if people have good information, they make good decisions. I eventually just let Humberto paddle. We would decide on the path down the river and I just let him figure out how. We got to where we needed to go with less frustration and more fun.

My lesson learned is just because I might know how, doesn’t mean I know best. And–effectively communicate the plan. We’ll get there eventually–with less frustration and more fun!

I’ve been depressed lately–ever since the middle of February actually. It started with eating too much chocolate the week of Valentine’s Day. Then, my friend Quebec-Martin bought me a completely decadent, no-flour, triple chocolate birthday cake the following week. So, I worked on that for a bit too. AND–I didn’t stop there. I also went shopping at Costco. What a mistake! I was hungry when I went in and I knew if I didn’t eat something, I was likely to need a half-ton truck to carry home my purchases. I bought muffins.

I put the muffins in my cart. I thought, “If I eat a muffin, it will curb my appetite and I likely won’t buy other stuff I don’t need.” So, while shopping and waiting for new tires to be installed on my Honda, I ate a muffin. And you know how big those huge Costco muffins are. It didn’t help that I’d skipped lunch and we were close to dinner. I was hungry. I ate two Costco muffins (before I even got the checkout!). TWO Costco muffins. That’s like eating an entire loaf of bread in one sitting.

I’ve been on a budget since I’ve been on sabbatical. I’m pretty good with it too I think. I’m on my seventh month and I’m just starting to look for another job. But I’m just starting so I don’t know how it’s going yet. I do know, however, that I don’t have many months of savings left so I’d better find one.

I’m on a budget and that’s why I was shopping at Costco. You know you get good things for your money at Costco and you usually get a lot of it. When you are in Costco, because the place is so huge and the carts are huge, you put something in your cart and it looks normal–like a box of cereal or some muffins. When you get it home though, the cereal box takes up the entire cupboard (if it fits) and your refridgerator itself looks obese with all the food you try to stuff in it. And you realize that everything has a context. You have to be very aware when you are buying at Costco, because when you get it home, it’s out-of-context and it becomes some sort of super-sized monster.

Regardless of the context issue, I also bought bagels. Wholly cow! Each bagel is a half a loaf of bread. When I got home, I cut all the bagels and all the muffins in half and put them in the freezer. My plan was to eat only half of a muffin or half of a bagel in the morning. EXCEPT, they were too good. And when it came down to it, I ate either a whole muffin or a whole bagel. Also, it doesn’t help that you get good cheese for great prices at Costco either. I’ve been eating creamy Harvarti cheese with a crisp fresh tomato on an open-faced bagel once or twice a day. Yum!

And now–only two weeks later–my pants are too tight. Ugh! Definitely the cause of the Costo-size muffins and bagels (and a bit of stress I’ve been experiencing lately). If I don’t do something about it, I’ll become Costco-sized Jen! With a Costco-sized butt to boot! More ugh!

Today, I went shopping at Safeway–a somewhat easier store to judge quantities in: normal-sized portions for normal-sized people. I bought only protein and fiber (fruits, vegetables, yoghurt, chicken, and cereal). I also bought a case of beer, but I do need to get carbs somehow. My new rule of thumb is: Don’t Buy It, Don’t Diet. Or–as this blog entry is so aptly named: The Don’t Buy It Diet.

Now I know where my weaknesses are, I can just plan around them. We’ll see how I feel after two weeks of protein and fiber.

I spent all day yesterday making Christmas gifts. Mainly, I made Quebec-Martin’s famous Mango-Cranberry Chutney. My idea was to make small jars of preserves for gifts. I bought the jars, but I didn’t have the faintest clue how to make the preserves so I phoned my Dad for advice. Here is what he said:

1. Boil a big pot of water.
2. Turn off the burner and put the jars and the rims in the hot water.
3. Don’t heat the lids with the rubber seal–they’ll melt.
4. Put the hot jam, jelly, chutney (whatever) in the hot jars.
5. Smooth out the air bubbles with a spatula.
6. Put the lid with the rubber seal on the top of the jar and hold down with your fingers.
7. Tap the jar firmly on the counter top four or five times (to get rid of the air).
8. Put the rims on–as tight as you can. Then, tighten them more.

That’s it. Let them cool.

Wow. It was that easy. I now have eight little jars of Mango-Cranberry Chutney. I hope people like them.

MMMMMmmmm…This is my Christmas tradition. I made it last year. I’m now making it this year. Thank you to my colleague and friend: Quebec-Martin. He made this recipe one year for his Thanksgiving. I wasn’t at his Thanksgiving, but somehow, I got this recipe. It is simply fabulous!! (Oh. On a side note, it is best to open a bottle of red wine while you are making this recipe. Preferably, a bottle from my neighbour’s personal cellar: Bluenose Petit Syrah.)

3 teaspoons peanut oil
1 small (sweet) onion, chopped
pinch of salt.
1 teaspoon of curry powder
1 cinnamon stick, broken
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup of lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of cider vinegar
2 large under-ripe mangoes, peeled and diced
1 pound of cranberries
1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of peanut oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and salt and cooked over moderately low heat, stirring until the onion softens (about 8 minutes).

2. Add the curry powered and cinnamon stick and cook for one minute.

3. Stir in the sugars and vinegar and bring to a boil.

4. Add the mangoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 35 to 40 minutes).

5. Add the cranberries and cook over moderate heat for 40 more minutes, crushing them against the sides of the pan.

6. In a separate saucepan, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil. Add the mustard seeds and cook until they begin to pop. Then, add them to the chutney.

7. Stir the chutney. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

By this time, the bottle of wine should be imbibed. You could be typing a blog, calling friends and family long distance, or hopefully, doing something else far more interesting. Merry Christmas to all: especially our friends and families.

Much love,

Jennifer, Dorothy, and Ken.