Although A Very Capable Life is written by her son, the story maintains an autobiography feel as it is told from the first-person perspective of Zarah Petri. It is a warming story which leaves the reader feeling very involved throughout, as though you might be having tea or coffee with Zarah.
The story is an account of the very inspiring life of a women who was born in the early twentieth century. Living through a world war, the Great Depression, and even Alzheimer’s, Zarah manages to navigate her way through adversity time and time again, convincing the reader that she did in fact live a very capable life.
I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. I loved Zarah’s memories from the old country (at that time, Hungary). The tale of her early family life and immigration to Canada is fascinating; it presents an interesting dynamic to the story and culture of Canada which, while not necessarily unique to Eastern and Central European immigrants, is certainly overlooked. The measures Zarah takes to enable the survival of her family during desperate times is inspiring, and certainly reminds me of the value of hard work and determination.
Unfortunately, I didn’t find myself enjoying the latter part of the book. Shifting from a recount of her life, the story seems to become an account of her struggle with Alzheimer’s. And it seems to me that this section receives greater attention than other, more fascinating aspects of Zarah’s life. Of course, this may be because the author is more familiar with these years. I appreciate the addition of the often private experience of dealing with a debilitating syndrome like Alzheimer’s, I just wish it was somewhat condensed or shortened. Although the book ended on a positive note, the shadow cast by Zarah’s confusion really prohibited the reader finishing with any happy feelings. At least, that’s how I felt.
So, to conclude, I think that the autobiography gives a really interesting account of a diverse life. I would recommend it to anyone interested in immigration accounts of people coming to the new world, or anyone interested in reading about the life of a woman whose deeds, while not famous, are remarkable and provide a welcome relief from the celebrity obsessed memoirs we’re usually subjected to (I read Victoria Beckham’s Learning To Fly- NEVER AGAIN!). I also think that in fact any citizen of the Great North should read it as it’s a book about Canada, in a sense. But just be prepared for the existential/fear-of-turning-old crisis that you’ll likely face at the end. I recommend chocolate.
Enjoy!
xoxox Miranda
What type of memoirs/biographies do you like to read? I’ve always enjoyed accounts of immigration!
Facing the Guardian of Jasper: Climbing Jasper’s Highest Peak
Hey Everyone! Today we have the conclusion to last week’s Mountain Monday’s Post- Part I: The Long Way Up. Thanks again Bartek for this gripping account! PS I’m never going climbing with you :p
Although three of us started together early in the morning, by mid-afternoon, we had all split up during the long effort to reach the summit of Pyramid Mountain. By this time, I was the only one left high up on the summit ridge. Climbing all alone on the snow covered upper ridge of Pyramid Mountain for some time, I started up a steep snow slope in order to avoid some rugged rocks. As I was kicking steps into the snow, I decided to look back to make sure that I could climb down the same way. To my horror, I realised that I had unwittingly veered off too far to the left. I suddenly found myself held up by very questionable snow at an extremely steep angle, which may or may not have had solid rock below it. One small slip or one unfortunate structural failure in the snow would tear me off the mountain face and propel me down over 1000m (almost a mile) to my death below (I had wandered onto the snowy face near the summit to the left of the curving ridge shown on the photo above). Being too tired to panic, I slowly kicked my way toward the ridge. When I stopped for my final sip of water, I took a self portrait just meters below the summit. From that moment on, I no longer worried about whether or not I would make it. Instead, I started getting anxious about getting back down since most serious accidents occur on the descent (partly because the climber is fatigued from the ascent and partly because climbing down is trickier, more difficult, and, with gravity pulling in the same direction the climber is moving, more dangerous than climbing up).
Self-portrait just below the summit (open-mouthed smile due to breathlessness from the effort)
By the time I reached the false summit again and by the time I started climbing down it, I was beginning to feel the lack of water in my system as well as the fact that I had not refuelled my body since breakfast (which was 10 hours ago). I stumbled down the steep, snow-covered ridge as carefully as my tired body allowed. I remember slipping several times, a couple of which would have plunged me into the dark abyss had it not been for the sturdiness of my ice axe and the instinctual reaction of my body. I tried to follow my partner’s footsteps wherever I could find them. I did this for two reasons: (1) his steps helped me navigate my way down the mountain safely and (2) if anything had happened to him, I would be more likely to discover him if I followed his descent path. At one miserable point of the descent, I was so tired that I rested my head against an icy rock cliff and closed my eyes. I quickly caught my body trying to fall asleep and forced myself to keep moving. I bit into a chocolate bar I brought with me just for this occasion and almost cracked my teeth since it had frozen in my pocket.
“The dark abyss” (the deadly drops awaiting my mistake)
Finally, after what seemed like a short lifetime, I reached the bottom. My knees where swollen from the effort and every step was agony. I could hardly lift my feet, but we were still 12km away from our vehicle. We hiked out as night fell. In the darkness, when you cannot measure your progress via landmarks, every meter lengthens and every minute lingers. After a couple of hours of torturous hiking, being able to finally sit down in the warm safety of the car made me burst out in giddy chuckles. By the time we made it back to Jasper, my knees were so swollen that I literally had to lift my feet with my hands to place them onto the curb as we crossed the street to buy the best pizza we have ever eaten (at an awesome local Jasper pizza joint aptly named North Face Pizza)!
After a day like we had, I'm pretty sure pizza was the best way to regain all the calories we'd burned. To say the least, it was certainly a memorable trip!
I've personally eaten at North Face Pizza, and Bartek is right that it's super good. They do a vegan pizza, though unfortunately not a gluten-free one!
Thanks again Bartek!
xoxox Miranda
What's your food reward after a long, strenuous activity/accomplishment? I think mine is pizza, like Bartek <3
1. Do you ever find a recipe that sounds sooo good when you read it and then when you try it, it’s a complete flop?? That happened to me yesterday night!
Introducing… Maple Salmon!!!
I came across this recipe on the back of the package, which means it should taste EXTRA good (but for some reason, package recipes usually don’t! Why is that?). It was quite simple: maple syrup+garlic+ginger
check.check.check.
It smelled really good while it was baking. But in the end… the result was just blah. There was no maple taste on the salmon, and the only garlic and ginger flavouring came when I ate a piece of the garlic of ginger. I could have just as easily eaten the salmon plain. Bleh!
2. I read an interesting article in Alive magazine (free from my local natural foods store!). It’s called Cleanse Your Grocery Cart. It discusses the importance of buying organic food from the grocery store. What I found really interesting is that it includes two lists: one of items you should try your best to buy organic (the most heavily sprayed crops) and one of items that, if you have to choose, are not as important to eat organic (meaning, they are more protected from the poisons). Of course, in a perfect world, it would be nice to eat everything organic. But myself, a poor grad student, appreciates these kind of lists!
Most Important To Buy Organic
apples
celery
strawberries
peaches
spinach
nectarines
grapes
sweet bell peppers
potatoes
blueberries
lettuce
kale and collard greens
Less Importance To Buy Organic (than the above list)
Pineapple
Avocado
Citrus fruit
Kiwi
3. I recently tried Bodyrock’s new Flow workout. It was great, I really enjoyed it! It’s basically a Bodyrock version of yoga which means that it’s super fun and short! It focuses on improving flexibility, strength, and (of course) toning. If you’re looking to change up your workout a bit, check it out! I like to pair it with the regular Bodyrock for a more well-rounded workout!
I’m off to class! Thursdays are my busiest day, but I don’t mind since tomorrow is Friday!! <3
I’m doing much better today thanks to all the love and support! I really appreciate it so much <3
Unfortunately, yesterday was so busy that I didn’t actually have time to eat much! I felt like I was running around all day, plus I had my first night class which kind of cut into my dinner time!
Something really fabulous did happen to me though! I met this beautiful girl. Meg and I have been planning on meeting up FOREVER since she’s a transplanted prairie girl like myself. And then she managed to fit me in for the few hours she was in town. She said she didn’t read my post from yesterday, so she must have just had great intuition to know that I needed to meet with a friend! It was brief but great and I can’t wait until we can meet again!
BTW we met at this really cute cafe called the Black Walnut Bakery Cafe! I just had a tea but I definitely want to go back and try some of their amazing food!
But for now I have to settle for my eats! Thanks Jenn for hosting!
London is a rainy city today. It’s cold, grey, and downright dreary.
How appropriate.
The city actually matches how I feel inside (well perhaps it would be raining more if it matched perfectly). You see, yesterday Bartek left to go back to Edmonton for 6 (maybe 8 ) weeks. He had no choice; he is teaching a course there which begins today. So already as it was, he really stayed here as long as he could. And don’t get me wrong, the 13 days he was here with me were fantastic! We got so much accomplished such as setting up our home, discovering our new city, and even taking care of a little kitten.
And I knew all along he’d be leaving soon. I knew long before we even got here. I know that ultimately it was my choice to move 3000 km across the country to go to grad school and that there would be consequences (someone has got to make the $!) But it doesn’t make it any easier, does it?
I am so thankful that Bartek was able to come with me in the first place. He was so amazing setting everything up, solving any problems, and being an unfaltering source of strength throughout all my doubts (think: me, exhausted on the first night, facing nasty bugs, declaring that I wanted to go home!) I can’t imagine doing half the stuff we did on my own. Seriously, it wasn’t me who sprayed the bugs, hung curtains, or carried 4 kg of kitty litter up to the apartment!
But now he’s gone and I am all alone. I know no one in London, although I know this will change in a few short days (to be fair, I did meet some pretty amazing people, future BFFs, at my orientation on Friday). But it’s not so much the loneliness that’s a problem, it’s his absence that bothers me. Does that make sense?
The other day I fell on the closet runner (trying to drag Weasley out from my shoes) and ended up getting a nasty bruise on my knee. Bartek was there and teased me so I would feel better. I ended up smiling and he helped me up. Now, if I fall, there’ll be no one to help me up but myself.
And in some ways, I know this is a good thing. I know that I’ve gotten out of the habit of being independent and need to brush up on some of those skills. I know that I way rather prefer spending time with Bartek than trying new things, and so now is kind of ideal to get some new experiences (hot yoga, perhaps?).
But today, for a few more hours, I’m going to let myself be sad. But as my building manager told me (while I was bawling my eyes out in my apartment lobby), the 6 weeks will be up before I know it. And everything is going to be okay. No, rather everything IS okay. I am taking care of myself by eating good-for-me food and doing some gentle yoga.
le sigh. On the brightside, Weasley purred for me for the first time yesterday! I guess he knew his mama needed it <3
Thanks for listening. I know lots of people go through the same thing and are separated for way worse stretches of time!
Facing the Guardian of Jasper: Climbing Jasper’s Highest Peak
Happy Monday! Bartek is here to give us another thrilling account of the mountains. You can also check out the first installment of The Vertical World.
PART I: The Long Way Up
For this week’s Mountain Monday post, I want to revisit one of my very first real mountain adventures. Revisiting the entire 14 hour ordeal with the clarity of hindsight, I realise that death was literally just a misstep away on several occasions. I had attempted Pyramid Mountain before, but was forced back due to shortage of time. This time, on the ominous date of September 11, our group of three decided to get an earlier start. The approach to the base of the mountain alone is a 12km hike with constant elevation gain, which makes for a busy day of 24km of hiking in addition to a long mountain climb. To add to the difficulty of the day, it was a wet September that year and it rained all night, meaning that it snowed above 2000m (Pyramid Mountain is 2763m high). Consequently, the mountain was covered in snow and engulfed in a thick, foreboding fog. I should have turned back when I saw the first signs of snow on the long approach to Pyramid’s base, but I had become obsessed with this mountain, so I just focused on my goal, burying all my doubts beneath my determination.
Steep slopes up toward the ridge; summit engulfed in menacing clouds in the distance
We separated from our first companion while attempting to gain the ridge. The steep, slippery slope was quite treacherous, but, by yelling from above, through the wind, we concluded that the other two should continue up and that we would meet at the bottom. Once we reached the ridge, I realised that my remaining partner did not bring water, which meant that we would have to share the half a litre I rationed for myself, leaving each of us with 1/4L of water for the next 6-7 hours. As we started scrambling up the steep ridge, breaking trail through an untouched blanket of snow, carefully testing each step and handhold to make sure that the rock below the snow was stable (and more importantly, testing that there was a rock below the snow at all), the cold wind picked up and the cloud engulfing the summit started to spit out pellets of ice. The hail bombarded us, but since we needed our hands to climb, our faces were left exposed to the mountain’s abuses.
Climbing partner, James, about to gain the ridge; the steep summit ridge visible to the left
By the time we reached the false summit, my other climbing partner, gauging his energy reserves, chose to use his receding strength to start his descent, wisely reasoning that if he continues, he might run out of steam on the way down. We shook hands, decided on a meeting place by some cliffs near the base, and I proceeded toward my goal. Once I made it to a relatively secure spot, I turned back to see if my companion was still there. There was no one. I was completely alone. It suddenly dawned on me that from this point on, any uncorrected mistake was less likely to go unpunished. It’s certainly a strange feeling to be on a mountain all alone: the world falls silent, the mountain seems to awaken from its inanimate slumber and for the first time reveal its personality, which like any personality is moody and at times whimsical, and the climber turns inward for dialogue (with whom or with what, I do not know). After a while, when the wind picks up again and breaks the silence of the world, the dialogue seems genuine and a feeling of reality (true sober, wakeful, fully lucid reality) begins to dissolve the social scaffolding we all live with, leaving the climber totally bare and truly aware of his or her own fragile mortality, forcing one to embrace the only thing that truly belongs to him or her, namely one’s own mysterious and delicate existence.
Bartek gaining the ridge
To be continued…
Look for the conclusion on next week’s Mountain Monday post!
Just a quick post for today… I’m headed off to my orientation bright and early!
But first a recap: Bartek and I spent the day at UWO yesterday taking care of some school business. It was the first time either of us saw the campus. Needless to say, we were pretty enchanted with the view!
These pics probably don’t do it justice, but it was beautiful!
Anyways, here is my fitness plan for the next few days. I’m not sure how much I’ll stick to it considering that my schedule is crazy right now, but here goes!
Friday: Yoga and a hike (the hike will likely be one around campus during orientation :p)
Saturday: Bodyrock
Sunday: hike
Monday: Yoga
Tuesday: Bodyrock
Wednesday: Jog and stairs on campus
Thursday: rest
It’s not really as much fitness as I’d like, but I’m easing into things right now! Plus if I have more energy, I’ll do more
Have a great day!
xoxo Miranda
Which type of workout is your fav? ie. gym, HIIT, jog, etc.
Happy Thursday! Today Bartek and I are going to check out the University of Western Ontario (aka Western- an incredibly deceiving name). I have orientation tomorrow for the Library program, but B has some things he needs to do today so I’m going to tag along and try to familiarize myself a bit!
Now let’s get to the three things!
1. Check out the difference in weather between London and Edmonton! London is way more south than Edmonton (or even Alberta), so it naturally has a warmer climate. Now, Edmonton can get very hot (and very, very cold), but the warm temperatures occur in a period shorter than in London. For example, when we moved to London last week, everything here is green and the flowers are in bloom, while Edmonton was brown with no signs of life (I’m told the grass has turned green since then).
…+27 (81F) feels like 33 (91F)!! Quite the difference! The humidity in London is what’s boosting the feels like and generally Edmonton isn’t that humid! But anyways I love the hot weather, so I’m not complaining!
B on the other hand…
2. In yesterday’s WIAW, I mentioned I found this great bakery in London that was gluten free! I thought I’d share some more about it! The place is called Organic Works Bakery- 278 Talbot Street (according to the website, their bread and cafes can be found all over Ontario). When I walked in, I was greeted with a great selection of packaged gluten free pantry products for baking, cooking, etc. There was also a cafe where you could order gluten free sandwiches and desserts, as well as coffee. However, I came for the bread so I shimmied over the the shelves of fresh loaves!
There were so many! Realizing I was going to need some advice, I asked a store clerk if she could recommend a loaf or two. Lucky for me, she was incredible knowledgeable! For a fluffy, white loaf, she recommended the Quinoa & Honey bread.
SO GOOD! This bread doesn’t taste like cardboard like many other gluten free breads. It’s fluffy and tastes very nice. Even Bartek said it was good, and he hasn’t been subjected to other gluten free bread tasting! I like it so much, I’m going to send a loaf home to my sister!
For a more denser loaf, the woman recommended Buckwheat Oat and Flax bread. I haven’t tried this one yet, but I have big hopes for it too!
Please excuse the frost… I froze it for when I’m done the other loaf!
I also wanted to try something sweet (of course!). They had these amazing lemon tarts for sampling which I tried, and I also bought a mini brownie!
The brownie was very good, but the lemon tarts stole the show! They were gluten free and vegan so probably a great dessert to give to anyone (or nearly anyone)! Next time I go, I’m going to get some more of those lemony babies! I’m really happy I found this place because before I was eating the Silver Hills sprouted wheat bread, but my stomach has felt loads better from the gluten free bread (and I don’t think they have the Silver Hills bread here anyways because I haven’t been able to find it at the store!)
3. I think Weasley going to have a bit of an ego after all the nice comments you left for him! Just joking, he’s just a baby, he can’t read yet! (obvs)
He’s kind of a pumpkin <3
Yesterday he completely warmed up to us! He was cuddly and playful and we were so happy. At night, we didn’t know if we should move his kitty bed into our bedroom because he hadn’t really explored the area too much, so we decided to leave it in the living room. However, I guess he missed us because some time in the night he came into the bedroom and curled up on one of Bartek’s shirts in the closet! So cute! (Tonight we’ll move his bed into the room)
But this morning, he’s afraid of us once again! He was hissing at me and although he cries when I’m not around, he really doesn’t like it when I try to pet him. Such a tricky little pumpkin! But I’m hopeful that things will improve some more over the next few days. I really can’t wait until he purrs for us! (I hope it’s soon)
Okay, time to go get ready! Have a great day today, Darlings!
xoxox Miranda
Do you buy your bread from a bakery or from the supermarket?
Hello Everyone! Welcome to another What I Ate Wednesday!
Thanks Jenn for hosting! This week I’m happy to be able to join the party
And in fact, someone else is happy to join the party too… (even if he doesn’t look it!)
This is our new kitten, Weasley. And yes, he is named for the gingers in Harry Potter
So far he’s pretty shy, but hopefully he’ll warm up to us soon! I hope he’ll be useful in catching those nasty bugs.
He didn’t seem too interested in my food; hopefully you all will give me a better response!
Breakfast:
Quinoa & honey bread with crunchy almond butter and banana
I learned about this really great bakery that’s within walking distance (!) of my house. Oh, and did I mention it’s gluten free!! Bartek and I went to check it out a few days ago and it is amazing!! I’m going to do some more research and then maybe do a post about it
Snack:
Perfect little snack to grab for the road! Gala Apple
Lunch:
Just a simple salad: lettuce, red pepper, cucumber. Hummus and spicy mustard to top.
I’m not a huge, huge fan of lettuce. Sometimes I’ll be really feeling it, but most days not. But if I top lettuce with my mustard and hummus topping, I can hardly resist!
Snack:
Love Grown granola in Sweet Cranberry Coconut Pecan, strawberries, and Oikos Greek yogurt in plain
I’ve been obsessed with this Clubhouse spice called Indian Masala (from the website):
An aromatic blend of garam masala spices, including coriander and cumin with mild heat that can be used to create any full flavoured Indian dish.
This spice has zero heat, but it tastes really good on top of roasted veggies!
I also made spicy honey mustard chicken- all I did was add equal parts honey and mustard, plus a considerable amount of sriracha (until it was spicy enough). I roasted the chicken with the sauce on and it was great! Definitely recommend!
Dessert:
Here are two maple cookies and one of the Stash teas from my foodie penpal!
It was a delicious day!
Now off to play with the kitten! He had his shots yesterday, so he had a bit of a rough night, but he seems to be feeling better today. At least I get that impression when he hisses at me!
Restoration was written by Iceland’s Olaf Olafsson who has written other novels such as The Journey Home and Absolution. But as I had never read any of his books before, this was my first time encountering Olafsson’s literary style.
And what a style it is. Right from the beginning, the reader is drawn into the stories of two very different women living in war-torn Italy. Their stories interweave and slowly reveal piece by piece the mystery behind the painting which Alice is hiding on behalf of the Germans. While the book is filled with suspense, it’s not the plot that you should read it for (although the plot is interesting). Rather, the characters, their human flaws, and their development is what truly makes this a great read.
As the title suggests, restoration plays a major theme in the lives of the characters in the book. Alice is in the midst of a restoring a villa when her son dies and subsequently her husband withdraws. Her character is marvelously formed with so much hope and pain that at times I felt I had to cry for her. Likewise, Kristin is a promising young artist who earns money by restoring centuries-old masterpieces. Kristin’s character is very different from Alice’s and is written in a style that truly gives her the composition one would expect from a unique individual. Additionally, Olafsson’s examination of the relationship between a young woman and her older male mentor is masterfully constructed.
The book wasn’t extremely long, lasting only 313 pages. But each one of those pages was used for the story; I never felt bored at any point along the way. In fact, I had a hard time setting it down. If I had one criticism for the novel, it would be that some of the more climatic areas were not as detailed as I would have liked, which resulted in the need to read a section twice to grasp exactly what was happening. But I didn’t mind, it was a pleasure to read twice!
In the same way that the different components of Kristin’s restorations come together to reveal the masterpiece hidden within, Olafsson constructs Restoration in a similar fashion to create one great read. I highly recommend it!
Check it out!
xoxox Miranda
Have you ever been to Iceland or Italy? Which would you rather visit? I’m drawn on this! I’d like to go to both, but likely Italy more :p
*Please note that the link above directs you to my Amazon store. I do receive a very small percentage of any purchase made through it.
Hello! Welcome to Miranda's Munchies. This is where I post about my journey towards achieving a healthy lifestyle, composed of good food, challenging fitness, and a positive mentality. The journey is a long and hard one, but so important! Why don't you join in?
Self-portrait just below the summit (open-mouthed smile due to breathlessness from the effort)
“The dark abyss” (the deadly drops awaiting my mistake)
