Author Archives: Marcia Mae Nelson Pedde

Eating Our Way Through Victoria!

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Greetings Gourmands!

Before I delve into the tantalizingly sweet and savoury tidbits of this month’s subject, let me guide you first with a wee bit of geography and history to lay the groundwork for today’s tasty treat of a food review.

Welcome to Victoria! Victoria is the capital city of the province of British Columbia in Canada. Located on the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island, it is a mere 1 1/2 hour ferry ride through the Gulf Islands taking you to the mainland and the city of Vancouver where the final days of the 2010 Winter Olympics are winding to a close. Go Canada! Check out the location here. (Click on the photos on this map and you’ll see some of our more famous buildings!)

The Empress Hotel – now the Fairmont Empress – is a world-renowned resort hotel. Often referred to as the ‘Grand Lady’ – a castle in her own right – she rules over our Inner Harbour and is a must see attraction for visitors from all parts of the globe. You can’t come to Victoria and not wander her halls, peruse her galleries, stop for a rest and take an appreciative look and deep breath or two in her incredible rose gardens.

The Empress Hotel is the journey we take today as we eat our way through Victoria. Of the many restaurant options The Empress has to offer, it is the Bengal Lounge that shall capture and satisfy our epicurean nature. Continue Reading →

Poetry Corner – Potential

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Hello Dear Ones!

Years ago I bought myself a small spiral notebook and pen to keep in my purse. (BTW: Today, the notebook in my purse is about the 25th such writing journal.) On the very back page of this notebook I began jotting down different topics as they came to me randomly – for use as poems, short stories, or as simple paragraphs that might, someday, find their way into a story. It’s a mere list that looks somewhat like this:

Grandmother
Thunderstorm
Mashed bananas
The scent of a baby
Fresh ground/fresh brewed coffee
Candles
Riding a bicycle
Driving a car
The first pickle in the jar
A hug

My list now has about 350 entries of topics I still might write about – someday. Many have already inspired me to write. Some I have written about and yet I have kept the topic on the list as there are so many ways to express the different facets of that same topic – such as thunderstorms! Each and every storm is unique and pulls emotions from within as varied as the storms themselves!

How do I use this Potential Writings list? Continue Reading →

Marcia’s Meanderings – Anything But The …

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Hello Dear Ones!

It’s well after noon on a sunny Monday as I sit myself down to write. I finally made it to the desk to type. It was truly a challenge for me to do so. And that has me laughing as I record these words!

Why a challenge? Were there other things happening in my life that precluded my time at the computer? No. Not unless you consider doing the dishes, sweeping and mopping the bathroom floor, reading, watching the Olympic Curling match – Canada vs. the United States – as being of more importance. Let’s see now … what else did I do this morning?

Maturity – my own – has helped me to understand one very major factor in my life. Procrastination – which for me is a major form of writer’s block – is never sitting down to write and facing a blank piece of paper or computer screen and finding nothing at all comes to my brain inspiring me to write. Procrastination is not forcing myself to sit and sit even though the brain is empty of ideas. Procrastination is not writing terrible material resulting in the frustrated scrunching up of balled and wasted paper (what Mike refers to as beginner’s origami!) nor is it the frequent use of the backspace or delete keys on my laptop.

Procrastination, for me, is simply doing anything but the very act of what it is I know I could/should do. It is plain and simple avoidance. Finding creative ways to avoid what I feel obliged to do. My creativity is momentarily misdirected to any activity other than writing. I can get very creative with things to accomplish – to the point of the ridiculous on occasion. If it weren’t for my periodic bouts of procrastination, that pile of papers building up in one drawer of the filing cabinet would never get sorted through (with most of it being recycled) and organized. The fact that it’s been building up for over 6 months now and there is no rush to get it done today or even tomorrow – and yet, for some reason, it has become the most pressing thing to do on a day when I have a book to finish or a post to write.

Sound familiar? Do you do that too? I’m not alone? Well, I’ll be …

As you may be able to envision, I’m smiling as I write all this. I give thanks to my writer’s block and my procrastination skills. They help me realize how truly human I am. They also help me get my filing cabinet kept up to date at least twice a year.

Today my bathroom is now clean – top to bottom. It practically sparkles! Plus I got this post written. I would not have found a topic for this post if it hadn’t been for the very act of procrastinating, so I’m doubly blessed.

In Light and Laughter,

Marcia

Poetry Corner – Slam Poetry

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… slammed and proud of it!

Every Canadian that could be was glued to the television set and/or other modes of viewing options to take in the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. We did ourselves proud and it was a joy to share that skill and pride with the world. Kudos to all who put their heart, soul and talents to work in that highly technical and truly Canadian production. I loved it all. My very favourite part of the entire production was the whales floating along ‘under’ the concrete surface of the stadium floor and spouting water as they swam from one side to the other. WoW!

Yet in addition to that (plus seeing Donald Sutherland dressed so regally in white and proudly carrying our country’s flag), what I enjoyed most was the amazingly accurate description of Canadians and our gentle, loving, profound way of life as depicted by Canadian slam poet Shane Koyczan. Continue Reading →

Marcia’s Meanderings – A Taste

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Well, Dear Ones …

Ever had a taste of something new? Maybe you went out to a new restaurant and ordered the ‘sampler’ platter to try this and that to see which of the foods you might find yourself enjoying. Perhaps you accepted the little paper cup of some tiny morsel of a product they’re promoting at the grocery store this week. A friend may have made a new recipe and wanted you to be one of the first guinea pigs … I mean ‘fortunate recipients’ of her creative cooking skills.

When it comes to food, new can often be – yet is not always – a positive experience. Our taste buds over time, and with maturity, may add to the list of foods that we accept into our bodies. However, there may also be some things that your mouth just will not tolerate! It may be that the simple thought of oysters (or replace oysters with any food you may abhor) may have your nose twitching with disgust and your salivary glands racing in the opposite direction – causing a strong gagging reflex from the mere mention of the word – even as dramatic as nausea when the smell of it is nearby.

When it comes to any new life experience the same may apply. Some new experiences might get the adrenaline pumping and, once the challenge has been met and overcome, have you standing taller with pride and giggling from the headiness of the encounter. Other new opportunities and endeavours may have you fleeing back to a place of personal safety before you get a chance to even try them out! Continue Reading →

Poetry Corner – Positively Poetry

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Hello Dear Ones!

Poetry, for me, is a way of expressing amazement of, for and at life. There was a time when I was in my teens (a few years ago :o) when my life seemed filled with angst. My poetry reflected that time and pain in my life. I am so grateful it was only a short-lived phase.

Today my life is filled with love, joy, delight, hope, inspiration, insight, passion, pleasure, simplicity, playfulness … the list of positives is endless. No, my life is not perfect. Yet it needn’t be perfect for every moment to be savoured and enjoyed to the max! Continue Reading →

Marcia’s Meanderings

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See this world as a free world, and see everyone in it as trying “through their individual experiences” to find their way back to that calling, back to that Source Energy. And even though there are billions of them going about it in a way that is different than you would choose, there’s no right or wrong way. In other words, bless them all, and get on with the only thing you have any power about, which is opening or closing your vortex to your natural state of Well-Being.

— Abraham

Excerpted from the workshop in San Francisco, CA on Saturday, February 28th, 2004 #338

Hello Dear Ones!

An unusual day energy-wise. Have you ever had a day where someone you have to interact with is angry? You know the kind of anger that is so palpable the air is thick with it? I’ve been doing all I can to release, alter, fix, placate, remedy, mollify, modify, help, ignore … I come well armed with a history of rescuer behaviour – a lifetime pattern of it, in fact. Being a rescuer is labour intensive. It’s a lot of work. It’s emotionally and physically exhausting. For me it’s difficult, sometimes, to just let go and let that individual do whatever he or she needs to do to get through their own issue(s) while I get on with living my happy, Pollyanna life.

I’ve begun to recognize the pattern – that when I’m around angry people I get this knot of tension in my solar plexus and I translate it as fear. Not a comfortable feeling. I get antsy, restless, scared: little girl scared. So during those times of being in the same room or environment with an angry individual it is really important for me to find a way to acknowledge the source of the anger as originating outside of me. It is NOT my emotion and I do not need to hold any of it within the framework of my own body or etheric energy field.

There are things I can do… Continue Reading →

Poetry Corner – Description as Mood Food

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Hello Dear Ones!

Last week on Poetry Corner I wrote about each of us being the poem in our everyday lives. Expressing our individuality through our uniqueness. Taking pride in all that makes us special, allowing us to stand out in a crowd – even if only a crowd of one – ourselves.

I also touched briefly on my pleasure at reading quality description – stand alone paragraphs, phrases and poems that ignite the reader’s senses to flare into action. A well written piece can actually activate a physical response as though the body itself was experiencing the event first hand. Craftily complied phrases about food should have the mouth juices flowing. Expressions of tactile origin can have you scratching an itch or brushing an invisible spider from your shoulder or rubbing your fingers and thumb together as though that rose petal truly lay between them. Continue Reading →

Marcia’s Meanderings – Enthusiasm

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For those looking for the link to Timmy’s Anthem… click here!

Hello Dear Ones!

Today I am short on time and long on enthusiasm. With fabulous dinner guests arriving in a mere few hours, I still wanted to take the time to write a little something for those of you who so faithfully check this post. (Thank you to you all for doing so!)

My enthusiasm, in addition to being focused on my soon-to-be arriving company, is my pride and delight at the music my brother Brad Nelson wrote recently – and sang, with his son Robert, at a sold out concert – Folk Night at the Registry this past Saturday, January 30th, 2010 in Kitchener, Ontario. The song is a spoof, a ‘roast’, an honouring of the coffee shops of Tim Horton’s. Someone wisely video recorded their toe tapping, hand clapping, chorus joining, audience approved performance. Someone – likely that same someone – put the video on You-Tube. I saw it last night for the first time. I watched and laughed and cried with joy.

To take you back a few years – well, many years, if truth be told – my brother at the age of 10 taught himself to play the guitar. I, at the age of 14 then, loved to sing. So did he. We started to entertain audiences around our small community. Not certain if I recall the specifics, but I think our first show was at a local high school – probably mine! We were quite the hit and started getting invitations to clubs and events in town. Brad and I and our band were even blessed with the amazing and dynamic experience of being the warmup group for The Four Seasons when they came to our small town! Songs from the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkle, and Peter, Paul & Mary were part of our repertoire. My favourite, and the song that took me from the backdrop of harmonizing with my brother to standing at the front and belting out a tune, was The House of the Rising Sun. Love it to this day!

And so, to now see my brother on stage, with his son accompanying him so wonderfully … well, you can imagine how full is my heart … to the point of overflowing with love and pride!

Please, check them out: http://www.youtube.com/nelsonfolk Turn your volume up. Be prepared to laugh and to sing along to the Timmy’s Anthem ….

If you enjoy it as much as I, please feel free to share it with your friends and family. This video went from a mere 8 hits when I first saw it last evening to now over 245 hits in only 1 day. Let’s help this go viral!!!!!

In Light and Laughter,

Marcia

Poetry Corner – Poem or Poet?

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Hello Dear Ones!

What do you think of when someone mentions poetry? Love? Longing? Beauty? Pain? Maybe even humour – particularly if you think of limericks:

There once was a man from Tumeric
Who liked his stew spicy and very thick
He sprinkled in some hot pepper, then more
Took a swallow, then swore
What he said can’t be used in a limerick.

The use of words is the storyteller’s and the poet’s craft. The tools of the trade are a writing instrument and a source on which to write. No expensive purchases or overhead costs are needed. The heart, the brain and a goodly skilled ability to utilize language is fundamentally all that is required. That’s it.

A storyteller uses his or her skills to weave a tale that captures the reader/listener and hold them spellbound till the final word. Description and storyline are essential. Believable characters are mandatory. Dialogue is optional. There is a beginning, most often a climax and then an ending to each story.

A poet has two options: to tell a brief story using the same structure as the storyteller, but in fewer words; or to take one descriptive element – what would be a paragraph to a storyteller – and grant it the grace of standing alone. Continue Reading →