We don't know how lucky we are.

For the last five years, up until yesterday, they were refugees. Yesterday, they became Canadian citizens.

Though I had only met them that morning, I could not contain my tears as Mark's two friends and their three children were sworn in. From 39 different countries, each of the 81 new Canadians have had unique and often difficult journeys to get to this point. Now they join a country where they can experience freedoms and rights that simply don't exist in many of their birth countries. I was emotional as Judge Thanh Hai Ngo spoke earnestly of these rights that we often take for granted: the right to vote and hold office, freedom of thought, belief, religion and speech, freedom to live and work anywhere in the country, apply for a passport, and enter and leave the country at will.

It makes me fiercely proud to live in a country with such freedoms, and I passionately welcome new citizens, and firmly believe that Canada's immigration policy is one of many things that makes our country great. 

Of the rights and freedoms we have, the one I try most not to take for granted is our right to vote; it is something I feel very strongly about. As flawed as the system can be ("first-past-the-post" vs "mixed-member-proportional" etc.), you have a choice and a way to have your voice heard. Something a lot of the world does not. It's bittersweet reading of the recent Tunisian election: the first fair election in the history of the country (sweet!), which experienced a 90% turnout in some areas. But it makes the disappointment of our pathetically low turnouts that much more bitter. In the recent provincial election, Ontario broke the record for the lowest turnout since Confederation. Well done, Ontario. Well done. My highschool Politics teacher often repeated the expression "you lose your right to bitch when you choose not to vote." So vote. Exercise your right. Don't take it for granted. And if you don't like the candidates in your area, then run as a candidate. As Gandhi said "be the change you want to see." You have the right.

And, if you have the chance to attend a swearing-in ceremony in the city you live in, I highly recommend it as a way to more fully appreciate what it means to be Canadian, and see what it means for new Canadians who have worked very hard for the honour. It is a humbling and joyful experience.

Lately...

Hubby's bday hike in the rain and spying a partridge on the trail

Happening upon a studio tour of beautiful paintings and then finding
this awesome quote among the artist's pastels:

To live in the present moment is a miracle.
The miracle is not to walk on water.
The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment,
to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.

 —Thich Nhat Hanh

 

Getting a surreal glimpse into the Cold War era at the Diefenbunker
and picking up some interesting literature from the time...

Orchard pickin's being inspected by kitty

Midnight garden raid armed with a flashlight and headlamp
to save the tomatoes from the frost

Feeling thankful for family

Blowing bubbles

The last dregs of the vegetable patch

A 35km bike ride around Ottawa on a blustery autumn day 

Apple Butter recipe

I became well-acquainted with this recipe when Mark and I made 80 jars of it (in one day) to give to our wedding guests four years ago. We've made it annually since, and it's so easy, and perfectly captures all those warm feelings of fall. It's thick, golden and oh-so-delicious!

I originally got the recipe from Michael Smith's Chef at Home (swoon!), but I know it by heart now. Plus, it's not a strict recipe, so there's lots of latitude for playing around (and we know I like that!).

In a big corn pot, simmer:

• apple juice, apple cider, or water (1/2 cup)
• brown sugar (1 cup)
• spices (galore: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cardamom, whatever floats your boat)
• vanilla (splash)
• apples (10-12ish chopped and cored, but not peeled — it's too time-consuming to peel, am I right?!)

Simmer gently on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples get very soft. Then cook a bit more until it's thick and most of the liquid has evaporated (makes the kitchen smell so cozy!). Then blend thoroughly to desired consistency. I like mine super smooth and silky — not so keen on texture; so depending upon how the skins blend, I may or may not strain. This most recent batch I did strain, and I've set aside the pulp to use in some muffins, pancakes, or soup.

It's delicious on pretty much anything: tea biscuits, toast, crackers (oooh, maybe with some sharp cheddar cheese?!). Yummers!

Enjoy!

Paper balloon animals

One for each of my nieces, using Japanese paper lanterns and embellishing with paint and ears/fins made of painted newsprint. Panda was inspired by this one.

Then let us drink a cup of tea.

The tea ritual:
such a precise repetition of the same gestures and the same tastes;
accesion to simple, authentic and refined sensations,
a license given to all, at little cost, to become aristocrats of taste,
because tea is the beverage of the wealthy and of the poor;
the tea ritual, therefore, has the extraordinary virtue
of introducing into the absurdity of our lives
an aperture of serene harmony.

Yes, the world may aspire to vacuousness,
lost souls mourn beauty, insignificance surrounds us.

Then let us drink a cup of tea.

Silence descends,
one hears the wind outside,
autumn leaves rustle and take flight,
the cat sleeps in a warm pool of light.
And, with each swallow, time is sublimed.

— Muriel Barbery The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Light up the sky

Free Burma

Sometimes you read a book, and you're reluctant to start another one, because you want to remember and keep fresh all the facts and details. Sometimes a book can change the way you think. Inspire you to action. Little Daughter: A Memoir of Survival in Burma and the West is one such book. It is the autobiography of Zoya Phan, a Karen refugee from Burma. I don't even know where to begin on this one, other than to quote Phan's summary of Burma:

"Burma is in Southest Asia, with Thailand and Laos to the east, Bangladesh to the west and India and China to the north. The population is estimated at around 50 million. There are eight main ethnic groups, and more than 100 subgroups, making it one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world.

It is a country rich in natural resources, but also one of the poorest in the world, as the dictatorship spends up to half its annual budget on the military.

Burma gained independence from Britain after the Second World War, but even under democratic rule the central government oppressed and discriminated against ethnic groups.

In 1962, General Ne Win took power in a military coup, and the country has been ruled by dictatorships ever since. A student-led pro-democracy uprising in 1988 was brutally suppressed by the regime, and a new dictatorship—the State Law and Order Restoration Council—took over. A combination of internal and international pressure led the regime to hold elections in 1990, which it expected to win. But instead the National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won 82 per cent of the seats in Parliament. The regime refused to accept the results, and instead arrested and tortured MPs and democracy activists. As of December 2008 there were more than 2,100 political prisoners in Burma, many of whom are tortured, kept in solitary confinement and denied medical treatment.

Aung San Suu Kyi is now in her third period of detention, and is the world's only Nobel Peace laureate in detention. She is denied visitors, her phone line is cut, and she is not allowed to send or receive post. She has grandchildren she has never been allowed to see.

Burma is a record-breaker for all the wrong reasons. It has the highest number of child soldiers, the longest-running civil war, one of the highest levels of infant mortality in the region and the lowest levels of spending on health and education. The regime has been accused by the United Nations of a crime against humanity for its use of slave labour, the highest in the world. It is engaged in ethnic cleansing in eastern Burma, is one of the few governments in the world that still uses landmines, and denies international aid to its own population. Burma also regularly comes top in tables on corruption and media censorship."

(Since this book was published, Aung San Suu Kyi has been released, some political prisoners are supposedly going to be released, though there it is still a long road to democracy.)

The ethnic cleansing Phan glances over in the summary is the primary subject of the book. The Karen being one of the ethnic groups that the government has been trying to annihilate for decades in brutal fashion. Phan spends the majority of her life running and hiding from attacks as her villages and refugee camps are attacked, burned, and her friends and neighbours are raped, shot, forced into slave labour, die from starvation or one of many treatable illnesses, blown up in bomb raids or by landmines. Any horror you can imagine, the Burmese army has been inflicting it on the Karen for years. What bothered me the most is how this was never on my radar until now, and how relatively mute it's been on the world stage, primarily because foreign investment has been a bigger priority. It's sickening. Also sickening is how long it took for the UN to get involved, because it was deemed as an internal problem and posed no threat to any other countries. And how difficult it was for Phan to claim refugee status.

I highly, highly recommend this book as a way to become familiar with the ongoing problems facing the Karen. I would lend you my copy, but better to buy it from the Phan Foundation where proceeds will go to support the Karen people of Burma as they struggle to fight poverty, provide education, protect their culture, and promote human rights.


UPDATE: I just watched The Lady, a phenomenal film about Aung San Suu Kyi and her years under house arrest. It's sad, frustrating, inspiring and enraging, and I highly recommend it. Here's the trailer: