MARIE'S MUSES

“Travel is wonderful, but if you do very much of it, the places all become a blur. But the people -- when you get wherever you’re going and begin to meet the people, you come alive again. People are wonderful. Each one has a story, each something to give, each knows something interesting, something that can make your life richer.” ~Marjorie Pay Hinckley

I didn’t realize it when I was younger, but I’m a people person. I always thought I was quite shy, but it has come to me in my later years, that I love people and I love meeting new people. It’s all so very exciting and everyone is so interesting. Each person comes with a story to tell and something unique to share. I think it’s all very wonderful.

I’ve long been a people watcher. It’s a wonderful way to while away the time when you are waiting around and doing nothing, like in the Doctor’s office or something like that. People are so very interesting. I don’t just sit and stare at them, for that would be rude, but I quietly observe, or at least try to, without letting them know that I am watching them. Oftimes when I am watching young mothers and their children, I am taken back in my mind to those same days when I was a young mother myself, struggling with some of the same issues. It’s not easy to keep a child occupied and happy in a Doctor’s office, especially when it ends up being an overly long wait. I can remember waiting with two small children in a foot specialists office in Calgary, Alberta, back in the late 1970’s for a 9 a.m. appointment, and not getting in to see the actual specialist until almost 4 o’clock in the afternoon. That was absolutely a horrible day, and age and experience has taught me that I need never do that, and to be perfectly honest, I would never do that . . . again. But when I was younger, I was a rule follower to the extreme and thought I had to. In my later years, I am becoming a bit of a rebel. ;-)

You can tell a lot about a person by how they handle waiting. Some people sit there patiently, reading a magazine or book, while other’s fret. You see them, glancing time and time again at their watch, as their fidgeting gets more and more noticeable. Some of them even start pacing. I am a bit more patient than that, although to be sure at my age, I would never again wait for 7 hours for an appointment, especially with small children in tow, but I do expect that there will be somewhat of a wait each time and so I accept that. It seems to be the rule of the day, whether it is right or wrong, we might as well accept it and make the best of the situation . . . and I do that by watching people.

A lot of our lives are spent waiting. When we go on holiday and have to catch a plane, we spent hours waiting in the airport. Sometimes when we are on the motorway in our cars, we can spend minutes or hours waiting in tail backs. At the grocery store on a particularly busy day (such as Christmas Eve), we can spend quite a while waiting in the queue at the checkouts. Sometimes when we go out to dinner, we have to wait to get a table. In short, we wait often and what we decided to do with that time is up to us. We can make it as painful or as painless as possible. I choose the latter and how I do that is by people watching. You’ll be surprised at how quickly time passes when you are watching others.

I like to make up little stories in my head about the people I watch and observe. That helps to while away the time, and the stories and lives that I think up can be very entertaining and amusing, well, to me at any rate! I picture their homes and their families and invent whole lives based on how they are dressed or how they are behaving. Some of the stories are sad and some of them are quite happy. All of them are interesting and fodder for my very active brain.

I make up stories about homes too. When I was younger I used to love to take the kiddies on walks through the neighbourhood in the early evening after dinner, and watch people in their gardens and peek (from the roadway of course!) at little glimpses inside lit windows, that I could see from the pathways that rolled by their homes. A lit window always looks so inviting, and the homes inside so cosy. I’d often pick up an idea or two on how to decorate from doing that, and even sometimes how NOT to decorate! J

When we lived in Chester, I would often take the bus into town and that was always a wonderful opportunity to meet a few new friends while I was waiting for it to arrive at my stop. There were generally a few other ladies waiting as well, and a conversation about the weather would generally ensue. One thing I have discovered here in England, is that the ever changing weather is always a great opportunity for opening a conversation, and we all have opinions on it!

My Canadian accent has also been a great conversation opener and provided wonderful opportunities to speak with and meet other people. At first I used to get tired of being asked the same question over and over again . . . “ Which part of America do you come from?” Now I get all excited to be asked that question, for it gives me a wonderful opportunity to introduce the listener to Canada, and not just Canada, but the best part, the East Coast! J

It’s hard to believe sometimes that I am the same girl that used to pay her brother to go to the store with her because I couldn’t face going there all on my own. Oh what joys I missed in life, by being so shy, and what wonderful opportunities lost to meet and greet new people and friends. I have determined to make up for those early years now in my later life, and so far I’m having a ball doing it. Y’all are so fascinating and wonderful. In fact, I now count meeting new people as one of the great joys in my life, and who on earth can’t use a little extra joy!

I had a wonderful afternoon yesterday visiting here with a friend I had not seen in a while. After she left it was getting close on to suppertime and Todd had meetings to go to last night so I quickly threw this supper dish together that I often used to make when my kids were growing up. The original recipe came from a Company’s Coming cookbook on pasta, but as you know I cannot leave well enough alone so I have changed it somewhat and I like to think that I have actually improved it! Pasta is not Todd’s favourite, but he does enjoy this with a bit of buttered toast on the side.

Serves 4

This recipe is a real timesaver and unique in that the pasta actually cooks in the sauce on top of the stove. You get a delicious smoky flavour from the wieners, which goes very well with the rich, cheesy and slightly spicy tomato sauce. Kids really love this!

2 (295g) tins of Campbells condensed tomato soup (must be the condensed type of soup)

2 ½ cups water

1 (420g) tin of cooked red kidney beans, drained well and rinsed

1 pound of frankfurters, sliced into bite sized pieces

8 ounces of farfelle pasta

2 tsp mild chilli powder

1 TBS parsley flakes

2 cups of grated cheese (medium cheddar, edam or gouda)

Salt and pepper to taste

Spray cooking oil spray on the bottom of a large skillet that has a lid. Heat over medium high heat until hot and add the cut up frankfurters. Cook stirring until nicely browned. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the cheese, stirring well and then reduce the heat to medium low and pop the lid on. Let cook and simmer until the pasta is cooked and tender, about 15 to 17 minutes. Add the cheese and stir it in until it is melted into the sauce. Taste and add some salt and pepper, if needed. (I never add any) Serve hot, in bowls, with slices of buttered toast on the side.

PS - the photo at the top of this entry is one I took of this old oak tree that stands next to the Manor house. They call it the doomsday oak and it dates back to before the 1500’s. People and historical societies from all over the country come to look at it. It really is quite amazing. I bet it could tell a tale if only we could hear it.