canoeing

August came with the shades of green and blue, with the quietness of Oak Lake and the simplicity of the rented cottage. Mornings that start with a glistering light over the water, early canoers, a swimming dog and a cup of dripping hot coffee in your hand. Days that are devoted to fishing and reading and evenings around the fire that celebrate the last gold and purple flecks of the sun's fading rays over the peaceful water's surface. Moments of solitude, harmony with nature and the pure joy of disconnect from ticking clocks, busyness, schedules and deadlines. Countless humbling reminders of man's place in the greater scheme of things. Passages of life when one easily gets lost in the rhythm of the natural world and the slowness of time. Life doesn't pass you so quickly rather it drifts along lazily with the current. Worry thoughts do not hunt the mind because you rejoice in the honesty of a simple world and going back to yourself. Minutes and hours do not slip through your grasp rather linger like the haunting beautiful wail of the loon adding more time and present days to life. Only to help you learn once again "what is obvious to a child. That life is simply a collection of little lives, each lived one day at a time. That each day should be spent finding beauty in flowers and poetry and talking to animals. That a day spent with dreaming and sunsets and refreshing breezes cannot be better." (Nicholas Sparks). 
That being completely absorbed by the enjoyment of simple pleasures with loved ones is where the meaning of life lies in.




I wish you beautiful and peaceful late summer days. 



August

August came with the shades of green and blue, with the quietness of Oak Lake and the simplicity of the rented cottage. Mornings that start with a glistering light over the water, early canoers, a swimming dog and a cup of dripping hot coffee in your hand. Days that are devoted to fishing and reading and evenings around the fire that celebrate the last gold and purple flecks of the sun's fading rays over the peaceful water's surface. Moments of solitude, harmony with nature and the pure joy of disconnect from ticking clocks, busyness, schedules and deadlines. Countless humbling reminders of man's place in the greater scheme of things. Passages of life when one easily gets lost in the rhythm of the natural world and the slowness of time. Life doesn't pass you so quickly rather it drifts along lazily with the current. Worry thoughts do not hunt the mind because you rejoice in the honesty of a simple world and going back to yourself. Minutes and hours do not slip through your grasp rather linger like the haunting beautiful wail of the loon adding more time and present days to life. Only to help you learn once again "what is obvious to a child. That life is simply a collection of little lives, each lived one day at a time. That each day should be spent finding beauty in flowers and poetry and talking to animals. That a day spent with dreaming and sunsets and refreshing breezes cannot be better." (Nicholas Sparks). 
That being completely absorbed by the enjoyment of simple pleasures with loved ones is where the meaning of life lies in.




I wish you beautiful and peaceful late summer days. 



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Feeling grateful, thankful and blessed...
Thanksgiving time arrived with the gift of family togetherness, home cooking, nature wandering, canoeing, hiking, laughter, music, reading, affection... and lots of food. 
Arrowhead wilderness in Muskoka was welcoming, cozy, beautiful and peaceful. The natural world as one of my greatest teachers always helps me cultivate my own voice of wonder, wisdom, humility, and gratitude. Every encounter with the absolute perfect silence, the fine reflection at calm water, the gorgeous leaves and their crunching sound under my boots, the fresh smell of autumn in the air make me thankful for all my senses, my body, my every breath. 
And then came the FOOD - planning it, cooking it, setting the table, serving the meal, eating it and sharing it with people who make you feel good inside and give you a bit of themselves when you are together. Turkey, stuffing, gravy, roasted veggies, cranberry sauce, and potatoes - the essential elements of our Thanksgiving dinner. Of course, the pumpkin pie was expected. But somehow this humble sweet strudel that my husband makes with so much love and care; this simple traditional Bulgarian pastry with phyllo dough and fresh pumpkin filling (called tikvenik) convinced me that this would be a perfect way to make this year's Thanksgiving celebration an extra special one.
As we relished in the softest, flavourful and utterly delicious taste of baked pumpkin, walnut nuts, and cinnamon, we gave thanks for all that we are and all that we have.   





 Pumpkin Strudel 

Ingredients:

1 (1 lb) package phyllo pastry
2 lb (1kg) sugar pie pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)
1 cup sunflower oil
1/2 cup of water
2-3 tbsp powdered sugar ( for sprinkling)


 Directions: 

 Bring the phyllo dough out of the refrigerator in advance. Cut pumpkin in half and remove the seeds. Remove the skin of the pumpkin, cut it into small pieces and shred.
In a large saucepan, sauté the pumpkin in 1/2 cup oil. Add 1 cup of brown sugar, half cup of water and cook by stirring constantly until water evaporates and pumpkin is tender (approximately 10 min). Add walnuts and cinnamon. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Heat oven to 350 °F.
Unfold the phyllo pastry. Take two single sheets and drizzle them with 1 tsp oil. Spread about 1/3 cup of the pumpkin filling across the width of the bottom side of the sheet. Roll the sheet loosely into a cylinder/cigar-like shape. Place into a greased baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the pastry.
If a rectangular baking dish is used, place the rolls parallel to each other. If it is a round baked dish, arrange rolls into a spiral from the edge to the center.
Bake the strudel until golden, approximately 40 minutes. When ready, remove from oven and cover with a clean cloth to soften.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with powder sugar if you wish.


Enjoy and share with someone you love.
I am sharing this post at Home Sweet Home/ Feathered Nest Friday



Thankful


Feeling grateful, thankful and blessed...
Thanksgiving time arrived with the gift of family togetherness, home cooking, nature wandering, canoeing, hiking, laughter, music, reading, affection... and lots of food. 
Arrowhead wilderness in Muskoka was welcoming, cozy, beautiful and peaceful. The natural world as one of my greatest teachers always helps me cultivate my own voice of wonder, wisdom, humility, and gratitude. Every encounter with the absolute perfect silence, the fine reflection at calm water, the gorgeous leaves and their crunching sound under my boots, the fresh smell of autumn in the air make me thankful for all my senses, my body, my every breath. 
And then came the FOOD - planning it, cooking it, setting the table, serving the meal, eating it and sharing it with people who make you feel good inside and give you a bit of themselves when you are together. Turkey, stuffing, gravy, roasted veggies, cranberry sauce, and potatoes - the essential elements of our Thanksgiving dinner. Of course, the pumpkin pie was expected. But somehow this humble sweet strudel that my husband makes with so much love and care; this simple traditional Bulgarian pastry with phyllo dough and fresh pumpkin filling (called tikvenik) convinced me that this would be a perfect way to make this year's Thanksgiving celebration an extra special one.
As we relished in the softest, flavourful and utterly delicious taste of baked pumpkin, walnut nuts, and cinnamon, we gave thanks for all that we are and all that we have.   





 Pumpkin Strudel 

Ingredients:

1 (1 lb) package phyllo pastry
2 lb (1kg) sugar pie pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)
1 cup sunflower oil
1/2 cup of water
2-3 tbsp powdered sugar ( for sprinkling)


 Directions: 

 Bring the phyllo dough out of the refrigerator in advance. Cut pumpkin in half and remove the seeds. Remove the skin of the pumpkin, cut it into small pieces and shred.
In a large saucepan, sauté the pumpkin in 1/2 cup oil. Add 1 cup of brown sugar, half cup of water and cook by stirring constantly until water evaporates and pumpkin is tender (approximately 10 min). Add walnuts and cinnamon. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Heat oven to 350 °F.
Unfold the phyllo pastry. Take two single sheets and drizzle them with 1 tsp oil. Spread about 1/3 cup of the pumpkin filling across the width of the bottom side of the sheet. Roll the sheet loosely into a cylinder/cigar-like shape. Place into a greased baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the pastry.
If a rectangular baking dish is used, place the rolls parallel to each other. If it is a round baked dish, arrange rolls into a spiral from the edge to the center.
Bake the strudel until golden, approximately 40 minutes. When ready, remove from oven and cover with a clean cloth to soften.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with powder sugar if you wish.


Enjoy and share with someone you love.
I am sharing this post at Home Sweet Home/ Feathered Nest Friday



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A summer lake,
tall spirited trees,
young sun's rays,
calm water, 
patches of blue sky,
wildflowers,
dragonflies,
canoe picnic,
mini pitas,
olives,
sun-dried tomatoes,
cherries,
sparkling lemonade,
swimming clouds,
the earth beneath your body...

It is all you need for a perfect day 
of paddling with the safe current,
of entering the silence of your inner being...








"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order."
- John Burroughs



Thank you! 

Canoe Picnic



A summer lake,
tall spirited trees,
young sun's rays,
calm water, 
patches of blue sky,
wildflowers,
dragonflies,
canoe picnic,
mini pitas,
olives,
sun-dried tomatoes,
cherries,
sparkling lemonade,
swimming clouds,
the earth beneath your body...

It is all you need for a perfect day 
of paddling with the safe current,
of entering the silence of your inner being...








"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order."
- John Burroughs



Thank you! 
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I sat at the front of the canoe, simply staring at the calm water, not catching any thoughts in my head, letting my hair get blown in the warm breeze...
Our son was lying in the middle enjoying the moment quietly, while my husband navigated the course...
Actually, this time we didn't have any destination in mind; we just left the canoe in the middle of the wide lake allowing the flow of the water to lead us...Water has always been a part of human beings and I know we have an inherent part of us that is in tune with it. Every time I am on the canoe, I feel a deep connection with water and a great sense of where I am: I expand through the Universe. I feel alive and free. I observe the world but not as an outsider rather than as an inseparable part of it. I am seeing it through my eyes, hearing it through my ears, smelling it with every fiber of my body, touching it with my heart... I am in the center of the stillness when the only sound is my breath, leaves trembling and paddles gurgling. Nothing seems to matter at this moment. Everything fits together.  All my worries and questions seem to float away as the water gently slides the canoe and my loved ones, and me... Oh, yes - we are one... in balance






As I am writing, I am thinking to myself:
 Has it been too long as I have been paddling my canoe against the flow? How long can I keep my energy and strength to fight the current? Isn't it time for me to turn my canoe and go with the current and simply let the water lead me ...? What will I find upstream anyway? 
Perhaps it is time for me to change the direction and trust the flow and let the Creative Force of The Universe carry me wherever it wants me to go.




 "Voyager upon life's sea,
To yourself be true,
And whatever your lot may be,
Paddle your own canoe.
Never, though the winds may rave,
Falter or look back;
But upon the darkest wave
Leave a shining track.
Paddle your own canoe..."
                                                                                      - Paddle Your Own Canoe - Sarah Bolton, 1851

Paddle your own canoe



I sat at the front of the canoe, simply staring at the calm water, not catching any thoughts in my head, letting my hair get blown in the warm breeze...
Our son was lying in the middle enjoying the moment quietly, while my husband navigated the course...
Actually, this time we didn't have any destination in mind; we just left the canoe in the middle of the wide lake allowing the flow of the water to lead us...Water has always been a part of human beings and I know we have an inherent part of us that is in tune with it. Every time I am on the canoe, I feel a deep connection with water and a great sense of where I am: I expand through the Universe. I feel alive and free. I observe the world but not as an outsider rather than as an inseparable part of it. I am seeing it through my eyes, hearing it through my ears, smelling it with every fiber of my body, touching it with my heart... I am in the center of the stillness when the only sound is my breath, leaves trembling and paddles gurgling. Nothing seems to matter at this moment. Everything fits together.  All my worries and questions seem to float away as the water gently slides the canoe and my loved ones, and me... Oh, yes - we are one... in balance






As I am writing, I am thinking to myself:
 Has it been too long as I have been paddling my canoe against the flow? How long can I keep my energy and strength to fight the current? Isn't it time for me to turn my canoe and go with the current and simply let the water lead me ...? What will I find upstream anyway? 
Perhaps it is time for me to change the direction and trust the flow and let the Creative Force of The Universe carry me wherever it wants me to go.




 "Voyager upon life's sea,
To yourself be true,
And whatever your lot may be,
Paddle your own canoe.
Never, though the winds may rave,
Falter or look back;
But upon the darkest wave
Leave a shining track.
Paddle your own canoe..."
                                                                                      - Paddle Your Own Canoe - Sarah Bolton, 1851
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