Sunday, October 05, 2025

My new marble shelf

A black shelf across a window with 13 little jam jars containing translucent marbles suspended from the shelf and arranged in order from smallest to largest.
close up shot of the four smallest jars hanging from the shelf
I have a new marble shelf in the window of my studio.

I've been wanting to make a lot of things in the past while and when I opened a box that had lots of old jam jars with marbles in them, I decided it was time to act on this project.

So I cut some old wood scraps to the right size, got out more jars and marbles from my jar and marble hordes, painted things, drilled holes, and stuck everything together.

Now we just have to figure out what will go on top of the new shelf.



 

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Microwaved egg with grape leafs and chili crisp

A small bowl with a dollop of chili crisp on a grape leaf next to a large egg and a container with some grape leafs
The bowl with the egg yolk and white on the first grape leaf
Bowl with the egg covered by a second grape leaf
A pretty, covered, red bowl in a microwave oven
A microwave oven with 45 on the timer
The cooked microwaved egg with grape leafs and chili crisp - and a bit of splattered egg white

I believe that I have invented a new food treat: microwaved egg with grape leafs and chili crisp

I tried Google, DuckDuckGo and Bing and did not find anything that described this treat. (Of course, someone else might have already invented it and posted it to the internet, but search engines have become so bad that it is not findable. Anyway...) 

Ingredients:

  • 2 steamed grape leafs
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon of chili crisp

Instructions:

  1. Put one of the steamed grape leafs on the bottom of a small bowl. (In advance, you will have picked a bunch of young, intact grape leafs from the grapevine outside your porch, removed the stems, rinsed the leafs, steamed them for a few minutes and then put them in a container in your fridge.)
  2. Dollop a teaspoon of chili crisp on the grape leaf. You can smear it around a bit, but you don't have to.  (Laoganma Spicy Chili Crisp will be fine if you don't have a jar you made yourself or one of the really exquisite brands.)
  3. Crack an egg and drop everything except the shell on top of the grape leaf and chili crisp.
  4. Either leave the yolk intact, or break it with a piece of egg shell. Your choice. 
  5. Cover the egg with a second grape leaf.
  6. Cover the small bowl with a small plate. (Coverage is important, the egg will splatter even with the top grape leaf.)
  7. Put the covered bowl in your microwave oven, set the timer and turn it on. (45 seconds is just right for me, but you might want to experiment to get the result that is perfect for you.)

Outcome - A delicious treat

I love having one of these with my breakfast savoury oatmeal mélange. I am confident that this treat would also be a great addition to toast, fried rice, hash browns and many other foods suitable for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a mid-meal snack.

Please let me know if you try this and what you ate it with! 

Monday, August 11, 2025

It's time to hang out the laundry...

With the unrelenting heat, it seemed like a good idea to put my wet laundry outside instead of running the drier.

It occurred to me that this is the first time since June 1986 when I left Ghana that my laundry has been hung outside to dry.

Laundry hanging on two clotheslines in a courtyard with palm leaves on trees outside the wall and a large bunch of bananas leaning against the wall
1984 - My housemate Ampofu's laundry hanging in the courtyard of our staff bungalow at Okuapemman Secondary School in Ghana, West Africa.
Golf shirts, underpants and a handkerchief hung on a rack next to a yellow solaire chair and a leafy plant.

2025 - My laundry hung on the patio of my home in Ottawa, Ontario.

You might notice that in neither set of outside laundry are there any socks. 

Saturday, August 09, 2025

The Stick Library is now on Google Maps

Did you know that it is really easy to put your organization on Google Maps?

Stick Library and Brancheothèque signs with a new QR code sign that says: Please Rate and Review Us; We value your feedback

I am eager to see any feedback the library patrons or their companions have for us.

Feel free to follow this Google Maps Link if you need directions to the library. (I really enjoy choosing "avoid highways" on road trips). 

The link also lets you check the opening hours or ask a question and confirms that the Stick Library is a safe space. 

Sunday, July 20, 2025

Two lesser known waterfalls of Ottawa - Princess Louise and Wateridge

The lovely Manon has been very indulgent with my affection for waterfalls and has been willing to accompany me to Hog's Back Falls, the Chaudière Falls and even the Rideau Falls.

And this past month, she agreed to visit two waterfalls that I only learned of very recently.

I must be clear that neither of these falls appear on lists with titles like Canada’s Most Breathtaking Waterfalls or The 14 Most Amazing Waterfalls in the World. However, the first one I will mention does appear on both the 15+ Waterfalls to Visit in and Around Ottawa and 8 Breathtaking Waterfalls You Need to See near Ottawa.

The Princess Louise Falls

The Princess Louise Falls might not actually be breathtaking, but they are pretty and are conveniently right next to St. Joseph Boulevard in Orleans. 

What to do there: You can get really close to the falls to enjoy them. It is a nice spot to go to have a snack or to do some thinking. There's also a path through the woods that would likely reward a little hiking. 

The Lovely Manon sitting on a rocky ledge in front of the Princess Louise Falls while eating a tasty apple fritter

Parking: We parked on Taylor Creek Drive and walked about 400 metres to get to the base of the falls, but it looks like you could park across the street at the Ottawa Uyghur Center and basically be right there.

More information: 

Wateridge Waterfall

The lovely Manon with the Wateridge Waterfall over her right shoulder behind a black chainlink fence.
The Wateridge Waterfall (also known as the Aviation Museum Waterfall) is across the Promenade Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier from the Aviation Museum.

It might be a dramatic waterfall in the spring, but it is definitely not dramatic in the middle of July. Especially because there is a big fence that prevents you from getting close.

I'm having trouble finding historical details about this waterfall, but it looks like it's part of municipal drainage from about a hundred years ago.  

What to do there: There are some unshaded benches along the pathway to the waterfall, so I suppose you could sit on one and read your new Louise Penny novel or jot your thoughts in your diary. 

Otherwise, it's take in the local wildlife (which in mid-July included lots of wild flowers, dragonflies and pretty yellow birds) and verify that water really is trickling down. 

Also you can pat yourself on the back for having seen Ottawa's fifth and most obscure waterfall.

The Wateridge Waterfall with a trickle of water running down its steps

Screenshot of an aerial view showing the paid parking, unpaid parking and dodgy parking areas with a yellow line showing the walking route that Dave and Manon took
Parking: The nearest unpaid and legal parking requires you to walk a kilometre each way. It is on C.H. Airport Marina Road by the entrance to a path that appears to be popular with dogs. The walk is probably very pleasant when you are not taking it in the middle of a heat wave.

The paid parking at the museum is about 300 metres closer but you have to walk next to the Promenade to get to the falls.

Google Maps 

A blocked off paved path from the Promenade leading to the waterfall where a car probably should not park.
It also looks like you can stop on the Promenade at the blocked off pathway entrance so you only have a short walk, but it might not be legal parking and doesn't look safe.


 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, May 06, 2025

Monday, May 05, 2025

Happy news for the Stick Library

A confidential source has informed me that because it is May 5 "Cinco de
Mayo", the Stick Library will be reopening today for the season.

As you can see, the stacks are in good shape.

A large pile of sticks on the left and a smaller pile of sticks on the right next to a concrete wall