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Things I Loved When I Was Younger That I Dislike Now
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Exploring Southern Ontario – Become A Tourist In Your Own Backyard
Becoming A Tourist In Ontario
I didn’t grow up in Ontario. I grew up in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta. Part of my family now resides in British Columbia and my husband’s family is mostly in France. My husband and I have lived together in Nice (France), Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. Seeking novelty and variety in daily life, even in small ways is a good way to stimulate the brain and stay young at heart.
Exploring Southern Ontario – Become A Tourist In Your Own Backyard
Ann’s and Sherry’s weekend adventures inspired me to take some day trips this summer to discover more of what Ontario has to offer. We have lived in the Greater Toronto Area consecutively for over fifteen years apart from my husband’s recent two year stint living abroad in Hong Kong.
On the weekend we visited Sparta, a quaint historic farming village founded by Pennsylvania Quakers around 1820. The original founder was Jonathan Doan who fled the United States after the American Revolution and originally settled in the Niagara region. With the war of 1812 on the horizon, Mr. Doan feared losing his property and bought land around Sparta. He encouraged other Quakers to move to the area. He and his family set up a grist mill, a saw mill and a tannery in the community.
It’s around a two hour drive south-west from Mississauga, the GTA where we live, to Sparta.
We booked high tea at the historic Sparta Tea House so I wore an appropriate tea dress.
The comfy walking shoes by Clarks that I’ve had for over fifteen (maybe 20?) years now are a bit of an eyesore but I’m way past suffering for beauty.
The dress was shopped from my closet and has a funny story to go along with it. The sewers among us will shake their heads in dismay at this tale.
Sparta had an exhibit in the church museum with vintage sewing machines and recreated clothing from the 1800’s.
Robert found his dandy Doppelganger above in the Winter Wheat gardens.
Can you tell what the horse is made out of below?
The magical gardens at Winter Wheat in Sparta are filled with enchanting folk art sculptures created from discarded items.
Scattered throughout the forest we discovered gurgling fountains, bountiful blooms and hidden furnished huts. We took a seat in a couple of them and enjoyed the tranquility of the moment while admiring art mixed with nature.
I highly recommend visiting Winter Wheat if you get a chance. This isn’t a sponsored post, it’s just a very unique, cool spot to visit.
Robert bought a bird house by the artist that creates them when we were there.
Isn’t it cool that he used a real old car door handle on this?
I love it when we can support local artists and help the environment at the same time. #winning!
As we were only a ten minute drive to neighboring Port Stanley we popped over there for a bit as well.
*Warning!*
If you are adverse to seeing a woman over the age of fifty showing some serious chesticles (aka natural cleavage) please avert your eyes now.
Port Stanley boasts one of the prettiest sand beaches on the shores of Lake Eerie and the King George VI lift bridge, the oldest mechanical bridge in Ontario.
They also have an old railway that is still operational dating back to 1850’s.
We really enjoyed this little day trip. Next weekend we’re heading to Paris!
What did you do this past weekend?
Linking up with Visible Monday, Turning Heads Tuesday, Fancy Friday, and Spy Girl
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Things I Loved When I Was Younger That I Dislike Now
I would eat until the fear of exploding forced me to lay down.
Years ago, an eleven course tasting menu in Prince Edward Island was the apex of my overeating. The chefs were so impressed with our ability to eat that they offered us additional free late night sandwiches to take home with us after the almost five hour meal. We politely declined the offer while nursing our aching bellies. As practicing hedonists our affinity towards tasting menus was eclipsed only by our love of wine pairing menus which meant alcohol was paired with each course. Alcohol made the gluttony stomachache easier to endure but could make the challenge of rising from the table problematic.
Things I Loved When I was Younger That I Dislike Now
Overeating
If I overeat now I feel gross. The maximum size of tasting menu that would interest me now would be three courses but honestly we prefer to share two mains between us and one dessert.
Nowadays, after a day of overeating, the chubby food baby appears much faster and no longer leaves after a day or two. She overstays her welcome and can stick around for years. On top of the “Belly Food Baby” a couple of “Food Baby Twins” snuggle up around my hips and thighs while hanging out with the “Belly Baby”. They all steadfastly refuse to move on.
At the age of fifty-three just the thought of overeating to such extreme makes me turn a little green and begin to sweat, although almost anything can make me sweat now thanks to my erratic, raging hot flashes.
Over Drinking
I stopped all alcohol over four years ago due to allergies. My husband stopped drinking over three years ago. We don’t regret it.
In the past, at the age of twenty-one, when I briefly lived in Hawaii, I began my day with a couple of Bartles and Jaymes wine coolers. My friends and I would sleep on the beach till late afternoon and ease into Long Island Iced Teas at happy hour. I wouldn’t stumble home to the condo until around three in the morning after a full night of partying and dancing. I don’t know how my body survived the abuse.
Those days of eating and drinking binges are behind me. My body can no longer cope with such excess. In fact my overall joy of eating and drinking has eroded over the years. I’d far sooner spend money on a trip or an experience than a restaurant.
Over Shopping & Shopping Retail
I’m ashamed to say that in the past I was chronic retail shopper. I didn’t care where I shopped, I just wanted to find the coolest stuff at the best price. My closet was already full but that didn’t quench my desire to consume. After a full day of shopping, still intoxicated with the dopamine rush from buying, I’d pile the bags of just purchased clothing onto my bed so I could admire my bounty. I’d try on each piece, modeling it for my husband while gushing about my shopping prowess. He was happy I was happy but the thrills from shopping don’t last long and I’d be jonesing for my next purchase within days. It took me years to learn that it didn’t matter how much I bought, I’d always be seeking the next buyer’s high.
I’ve given up shopping retail except for some footwear, socks and underwear. If I have a gift card to spend I won’t let it go to waste but otherwise I steer clear of malls and shops. The thrill of acquiring new has been replaced by the guilt of turning the planet into a massive garbage dump. Unlike what Gordon Gekko stated, Greed Is Not Good. Greed is destroying our only home.
I no longer over shop for my own closet. I do shop used and thrift every couple of weeks to stock my Etsy store. It is true that sometimes the lines between my store and my closet blur but I now find that too much of anything makes me stressed. Keeping inventory for my shop has taught me how to value the pieces that make my heart sing and let go of so many others that were simply space holders until something better came along.
Living For Today Without Thinking About Tomorrow
In the past I never spent time worrying about what tomorrow would bring. I was living in the present. I didn’t make plans and I didn’t save money. I dropped out of university to travel and experience life while working odd jobs across Europe. I met my husband on one such excursion. This is the carefree mentality that youth allows.
I still like to live for today but we’ve had a few scary wake-up calls this past year regarding health and physical abilities. I discovered I can no longer continue assuming that everything will always be alright. Having adequate insurance in place is no longer an option, it is a necessity.
I still believe in living for today but I’ve come to realize that the older I get the more I need to plan for tomorrow.
To some it may seem like I have waited far too long to come to these realizations and to others it will seem like I’m overreacting. I can only base my decisions on my personal life experiences. We all arrive at our choices in our own time.
What things did you love when you were younger that you dislike now?
Linking up with Visible Monday, Turning Heads Tuesday, Fancy Friday, and Spy Girl
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