Gratitude and Glimmers #110

Welcome to my post of glimmers (of joy and wonder) and gratitude for the month of August. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

Not all storms come to disrupt your life; some come to clear your path. 

--Anonymous

1. We enjoyed a two-hour cruise on the Detroit River with Windsor Premier Cruises this month. It was one of the offerings during Windsor's Prohibition Week. During the 13 years of prohibition in the US, Windsor became a major site for rum-running, as it was a short boat ride across the water, or, in winter, car ride across the ice (though many fell through) from Windsor in Canada to Detroit in America. As much as 75-80% of the alcohol smuggled into the States went through this corridor! (source: Tourism Windsor Essex) Rather disappointingly, there was only a few minutes of information given at the Hiram Walker distillery in Windsor. The largest distillery in North America, it is currently owned by Pernod Ricard, a French company. "They produce 170 different brands under the Pernod Ricard, Hiram Walker, and Corby labels." (Windsor Star)

downtown Windsor as seen from the boat

2. I liked sailing under the Gordie Howe bridge, something we've witnessed being built over the past approximate ten years.

One half of it

Yes, I live in the Windsor Essex area, and so this former deal, now broken by a mob-government who has ripped us off makes me seethe. Canadian taxpayers paid 100% of the costs of building this bridge. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT. The deal negotiated in good faith (something that no longer exists in the US) between then Prime Minister Harper and Governor Schneider stipulated that we would pay 100% of the construction costs, and thus we would keep 100% of the tolls until we'd recouped our money, at which time Canada and the US would split the tolls 50-50. Pretty fair deal. Not so this new one. As our Prime Minister stated earlier this week when Canada walked away from the lying bullies, "At times America's signature is written in pencil." Ain't that the truth. See the opening quote, and you may see Canada's thinking...

3. I like that we've successfully overwintered our agapanthus again, and what a glimmer each time I see it this year, as it has bloomed, huge gorgeous purple flowers! The white ones in the pot also bloomed earlier.

4. Zora hopping in her pool every morning after her walk never gets old. She walks around in a circle in it, nose snuffling under the water, and then plops down, soaking her belly, then one side and then the other, and sometimes, as is the case here, just relaxing stretched out!

5. I hung this quilt in place of a piece of artwork that didn't really 'go' in our living room/dining area, and seeing it each day makes me happy.

I also just love the seashell runner I made several years ago, with the beach glass from Seacliff Beach, Lake Erie dish, in the centre, and inside of said dish, coasters I made years ago when I was the Henry Glass Fabrics designer of the month. I also get a kick out of Bella photobombing in the corner of the porch!

6. I spend less and less time on Instagram these days; there are days where I don't even go on it, and I've even been getting messages,"Get back on Instagram, mmmquilts", lol. I really like Tod Maffin. Check him out; I've mentioned him before, he’s on YouTube and Instagram, he writes a weekly newsletter, and now he’s on…

I joined Gander ("the social network that will make you smile") this week, though it had already launched on (love this!) Canada Day, July 1 this year. It's kind of like Instagram crossed with Twitter/X (I think—I never was a Twitter person), and I'm still figuring it out, but I want to be connected more with quilters and booklovers and animal lovers, as I used to be on Instagram. It's built by Canadians, for Canadians. No toxic behaviour is tolerated, and if you want to comment, you have to do a one-time identity check through Canada Post, where you upload your driver's license, take a selfie, and confirm you are a human. Easy, and they don't keep your information. As for the data on Gander, "Canadian users' data stays in Canada, under Canadian law." Marketing News Canada has a good explanatory article here. It's lovely *not to see rage-farming posts, and know that there are no bots. Here is a good post from their blog explaining the 'triple-entendre', as they say, if there is such a thing, in the name, Gander. From that post:

It’s about building social media on a foundation of decency and cooperation, starting here at home. Creating a space where belonging is defined by behaviour, not by birthplace.

It just makes me smile and smile. Heck, I even added some comments on a guy's post asking for thoughts on EVs, and no one called me woke or lefty (or worse) names. Intelligent discussion, wow. As they say, a breath of fresh air. Gander actually sent Tod to Gander last weekend, where he met amazing kind-hearted people. He did some exclusive to Gander content, but he’s also posting some on his regular social media feeds too. The town with one Uber! Driven by none other than…the mayor! I love it. 

For my sister and fellow quilters, I am @sandrajanequilts, @sandrajane.gander.social I hope you will check out this app or on your browser. It's built for everyone, not just for Canadians. You can browse without joining, but if you want to comment or post, you need to do that identity check.

7. I'm on my fourth book of this month, another from my U of A book club, one from the last quarter (for which I've been on the hold list for months), Custodians of Wonder by Eliot Stein. I do believe I will be buying this book! It is about those incredible humans who are virtually the last  of their line, or one of a very select few, who know how to make something, whether it's a suspension bridge across a gorge in Peru made entirely of q'oya ichu, a grass, a bridge that has been remade every year since its origins in the Inca Empire (a massive empire that operated without money, but rather, community service on multiple levels), or being a djeli, a human library who can recite history of the Mali Empire (which was massive, one of the wealthiest in history, and reached its height in the 1320s) for days. Of the 54 countries in Africa, 16 practice this djeli tradition of memorizing history. Humans can do such wondrous things! If you've read any Henning Mankell, you'll recognize the town of Ystad, where his Wallander mysteries are set. Well, there is an actual watchman, still doing his nightly job of keeping watch in the watchtower, the last one in Scandinavia. I'm currently on chapter 4, reading about the world's rarest pasta, made on Sardinia. There are ten chapters in total. I also really enjoyed Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung, was a fun read though not as up to snuff imho as the Gamache books. This quarter's U of A book club book which I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend was The Glass Château by Stephen P. Kiernan.

8. I'm late to the watch party as per usual, but I've started Orphan Black on CBC Gem, a Canadian/British production and oof! it's good, a science-fiction thriller. I've just finished season 1--a shocking cliffhanger of course. What an incredible actress Saskatchewan-born Tatiana Maslany is! One thing about being late to the party is that I can watch episode 1 of season 2 right after, or, in this case, the next day! Segue; anyone else dying for season 2 of Severance?! Another that MacGyver and I enjoyed this month was Prey on Britbox, and I just finished The Hardacres series 1 as well. Honestly, I'm feeling at times with TV shows as I do with books: there's too many and not enough time! I also thoroughly enjoyed the re-broadcast of The Tragically Hip's farewell concert of their farewell tour. I cannot believe it was the tenth anniversary! I watched it live then. Gord would die of a brain tumour two months after that concert. One incredible human and Canadian he was.

One last 'watch' is Angela Walters' The Midnight Quilter. She is such a hoot with her 'piecing potion' and quips. Her short videos always make me smile. Glimmers of pure joy indeed.

9. Speaking of concerts, I am looking forward to yet another free one at the amphitheatre at Seacliff Beach in Leamington this Saturday. We've seen some great ones—oh! We drove to Blenheim earlier this month to see Fiddlestix, and wow, did we both enjoy that concert from a very talented band. If you ever get the chance, go see them! You will not be disappointed! MacGyver said it was the best we've seen of all the free concerts and he's a tough cookie to impress. Thank you to my friend Cathy in Port Perry, for recommending them!