Book Review: Cook books from Robert Rose, Inc.

What else to do but cook
on the cold, winter days!

These are great books! Hubby has been having some digestive issues. We tried various strategies, and we have narrowed it down. We've cut out dairy products, and that has been good. I've had friends on various diets - not to lose weight, but to be careful about issues like gluten intolerances. It's all a guessing game, in many cases. Once you find the trigger, you have to find some good sources of help.

I was sent several cook books, and they look terrific. They are Canadian, and I like that, too.
Published by Robert Rose, each page shows the nutritional values per serving, which helps people like me who are counting or watching calories. They have a wide variety of books, all which will help us manage our nutritional needs better.

1. The 163 Best Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes: 100% Gluten-Free Judith Finlayson, Ontario 

The paleo eating plan is quite popular and with recipes like hearty soups, fish chowder, beef and veal, Pork Vindaloo, Braised beef nicoise, and other meal-in-a-pot recipes, I am anxious to try some of them! They are gluten free, as well.

The paleo diet is one of most popular diets being followed today and has been embraced by nearly 1.5 million people in North America. The recipes contain no grains or legumes (therefore making all of them gluten-free), no refined sugars and no refined oils or processed ingredients. What better way to create them than by using your convenient slow cooker!

2. The Healing Herbs Cookbook Pat Crocker, Ontario 

This one features some excellent meals, such as Winter Vegetable Lasagna, Jambalaya, condiments, pastas, salads and mains. 

There’s growing scientific evidence for the medicinal value of herbs and this, in turn, is bringing herbal remedies into mainstream consciousness. The recipes in this book are designed to give you many ways to incorporate wholesome, healthy food and fresh herbs into your everyday meals. Home cooks will discover how fresh herbs not only fill the flavor gap but also provide many healing and holistic benefits.

3. Easy Everyday Gluten-Free Cooking: Includes 250 Delicious Recipes Donna Washburn & Heather Butt, Ontario 

These recipes offer numerous ideas for healthy, tasty meals: everything from appetizers and family meals to baked goods and mouth-watering desserts. No more cooking separate meals for a friend or family member who has celiac disease or a wheat allergy — everyone will enjoy this fabulous food. Includes GF info and tips.

4. Great Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread Machine Recipes: Featuring 150 Delicious Recipes Donna Washburn & Heather Butt, Ontario 

This cookbook includes information about eating gluten-free, as well as typical and non-typical ones like school lunches, travelling gluten-free and thickeners and substitutions.

From the bestselling gluten-free author team of Donna Washburn and Heather Butt comes this all-new bread machine book that focuses on whole-grain breads and doughs. Many people who are intolerant to the gluten found in wheat, rye and barley don’t realize that there’s a wide variety of whole-grain gluten-free flours available. Tons of helpful hints, tips, baking and GF info.

Here is a sample recipe from #4, gluten-free cooked in a bread machine.

Also, below, Chicken Fingers from the 250-recipe gluten-free cookbook.

Auditing your website –user-friendly webpages

Photos should have Alternate Text:
i.e., caterpillar on leaf

Here is an interesting piece of Ontario legislation from 2005. It applies to businesses with a webpage and more than 50 employees.

I make numerous complaints to the newspapers to which I subscribe. Most I do not access on paper, most I pay for a subscription online, and most have crazy webpages with flashing images. There are too many with pop-up ads, which drive us all nuts.

These pages are totally user and disabled-unfriendly. As our financial advisor says: there is much mice-type on many pages. Also, many pages with images that are simply too large and take up too much time to upload.
Those with text-to-speech computers need to have information on graphics, alternate text that explains the image.

The complete regulation can be found
on the Ontario Government site.

When I am sent a newsletter from an organization, whether a link, or an email, I don't want to wade through enormous images, or content embedded in a graphic. Perhaps a small thumbnail, but not those large images that require me to scroll down forever to find the actual information.
This is true, too, for those with visual impairments. The mice-type should be convertible to a larger font, right on the header.

I have found many websites, created by amateurs, who fail to meet basic standards of webpage design. This means that potential customers will leave the site, rather than facing the frustration of navigating it, trying to find that crucial piece of information that eludes them.
[ Does Your Website Provide Easy Access To Your Best Content? video]

Principles of webpage design

I've done a lot of work in this field, back when I started teaching webpage design for my students. They loved the bells and whistles: huge graphics, music, animated gifs, too many colours and fonts, but these are not user-friendly for adults. Most of us want to get to the message right away, and find out the information we want immediately, perhaps printing it for later reference.

User options

I created a Mind Map, which illustrated the Principles of Design, for my workshops.

You want the right font for your readers (professional and crisp or casual). You want the right font for titles (sans serif), while using serif fonts for text to encourage the reader to move to the next word, and so that the TITLE will stand out. You want to repeat the font, having consistency, limit the number of colours, and have a standard header for each subpage.

Here is a good video to help
Also this one

Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation - PeopleAccess

A free PDF Guide on compliance with the Integrated Accessibility StandardsRegulation: the impact on your organization, how to comply and by when.

Websites and Web Content

• All Large and Public Sector organizations are required to make their Internet and intranet websites and web content conform to the World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.
• Government of Ontario and Legislative Assembly must conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA while public sector and large organizations are able to first conform to Level A and increase to Level AA in accordance to the schedule set out in the Regulation.

Want to know if your Website Measures Up?

www.accessibilityconsultants.ca

Accessible websites are easier for everyone to use, 
and are favored by the major search engines. 
Learn how to build websites to WCAG 2.0 AA standards

What I found amusing is that this website: Accessible Website Audit and Design - PeopleAccess, violates a number of basic principles.

It has a header that displays two separate headers, both very large and fairly meaningless, with one photo that looks like the generic iStock photos that are far too ubiquitous.

A voice-to-text computer
will not be able to read this

 

I've been drawing!

Inspired by some blog friends, I tend to do some sketching to relax while sitting with my clients.

Some are in a coma, others are not. Usually, if they sleep I will do some drawing.

It's lovely to sit, no pressure, just for fun to draw.
There is a lot of pressure for people my age to use their brains in this way: in a variety of activities, that makes you stretch. Theoretically it is supposed to "prevent" dementia. HAH!
It's amusing, and passes the time, and I tell my clients that my grandkids put my drawings on their fridges!

Dementia, for many is the least of our worries. Communication issues affect many.

My latest client has ALS and used a text-to-speech app on her iPad. It helps her to communicate since she is aphasic. It was something to do while we watched the news.

She wanted to give me an eraser, typing a message where it was in her cubby, but I declined, since I'm not allowed to take gifts! It's a bad precedent to set for paid and/or unpaid caregivers. You can also draw with this application. There are many on the market.
My client smiled when she saw my drawing. It was a good visit. This kind of application is terrific for special needs folks.

Here is more inspiration!

Sunday Sketches

Paint Party Friday: Week 44, Year 3 Check-In

 

Cat walkies in the forest –they're still keeners!

Daisy keeps up with me.
She's like a little dog.

It's awful walking in the forest. With several inches of frozen snow on top of the ice, you have to be careful with your footing. The cats trip along the top of the snow, as do the turkeys. The deer, not so much. It depends upon where you step.

Me, I found some spots where I can walk, or slide. It's treacherous on the side walk, which I have blocked. The driveway is a skating rink. Hubby fetches the paper using a walking stick.

The frog pond is frozen!

Frog pond in spring, for comparison!

When we finished our forest walk, back indoors for a good play in the warm living room!

Cat walkies in the forest on the snow from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
It's awful walking in the forest. With several inches of frozen snow on top of the ice, you have to be careful with your footing. The cats trip along the top of the snow, as do the turkeys. The deer, not so much. It depends upon where you step. Me, I found some spots where I can walk, or slide. It's treacherous on the side walk, which I have blocked. The driveway is a skating rink.

Time for Saturday's Critters, I hope you join in on the critter party.

Daisy, the deer, the wild turkeys

Can you see Daisy in video in the snow? Unfortunately, she under the play bar. The deer is staring at her.

Curiosity may have killed the cat,
but Daisy is simply non-pussed with the deer!

Gotta love them! It's beyond me how a little white cat can cause the deer to focus such attention, but she does. Not only that, but the wild turkeys watch her like hawks.

The turkeys and deer were at the bird feeder and Daisy wanted to climb the white pine tree. So she did! Everyone scattered. She didn't even look at them. No eye contact. Totally unconcerned. They, of course, have survived by being flighty.

You know that animals are governed by the fours Fs:
Fight, flight, food, fornication.


Daisy, the deer, the wild turkeys from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Camera-Critters #301

There is a propane shortage in SE Ontario, Canada

Hooray - we're full again!

Right now, mostly in southeastern Ontario. It's a bit worrisome. That said, we had propane delivered yesterday, and they were filled to the top. We were only down to about 54% of our tanks. I was rather relieved, although we do have a wood insert in our fireplace and lots of wood. I've been religious about keeping a fire on those really cold days. It's darn fine exercise, too! An excellent plank in my weight loss resolution program. (I'm down 3k after eating my way through the fall!)

Hurray! A propane fill-up

When we bought the house, we had it converted from oil to propane, which is the only alternative in rural Ontario. Natural Gas isn't an option outside the city. I'm happy we did. There were horror stories about old oil tanks leaking, totally polluting the ground and groundwater, and homes being condemned.  I had my parent's home converted back in 2006. They had electric heat. It was an interesting process. Our 2nd hand tanks had a leak, at one point. The company in Bala replaced the tanks, but it wasn't easy in cottage country! I had fun making videos of the process.

Why the propane shortage?

EON News reports:
Prices will rise due to a shortage, and that many tanks will not be filled to capacity. The issue arose in the summer, when farmers in the US used propane to dry out their corn crops.

"Much of the crop was still wet and needed to be run through propane powered dryers to avoid spoilage, creating a surge in demand for the fuel."

Midwest propane prices rise as cold snap holds on | The Argus ... 

The 1,900-mile Cochin pipeline carries propane southeastward from Canada.

Another factor was that the Cochin Pipeline system had maintenance done, which reduced supplies in the summer. This press release in June: Propane Supply to Remain Secure after Refinery Closure certainly isn't comforting after the fact, which is obviously wrong!

There has been some CBC radio fuss about one company, Levac Propane, which told Ottawa radio station CFRA that they had shortages. I chalked it down to one customer, but it has hit the news elsewhere and the comments on news items are telling (see below). They found someone in Mallorytown, with MS, who was wrestling with Levac and was totally out of propane. (People with MS need to keep warm.) Sometimes you wonder if it's an outlier, what with Media and all! Finally, they have checked in with experts, who believe that the shortage is real and will last until March, especially if low temperatures continue.

gas delivery

Listening to Dan McTeague, an energy expert on gas prices, he confirmed this information. What irks some is that in the US companies must comply with posting propane reserve amounts, but Canada doesn't have a similar law. Perhaps due to the Back Off Government notion of some citizens and businesses in Canada.

The Canadian Propane Association issued a news release Friday, saying that "due to early and sustained colder than normal winter temperatures, some propane retailers in certain areas of Ontario and Quebec are experiencing delays."

Good old days

Comments on a news report:

• This is our second winter with Levac after changing from oil to propane after so much pressure from our insurance company...we were used to having very good service from MacEwan's so we were pretty shocked and pissed off to be the victims of such shoddy service from Levacs. We ALWAYS have to call for a fill-up..the last time we were waiting for 2 or 3 days and our tanks were getting VERY low. My husband SAW the truck drive right by..he's more mild mannered than me and said they'd probably come back shortly. I was convinced they wouldn't so I got on the phone and demanded an explanation. The person I spoke to said she call and tell him to come back..and 2 hours or so later, he did. Lucky for them! Our tanks aren't as low yet as that time but we already have a call in ...let's hope they show up ..the funny thing is that 3 weeks ago or so, my sister ran out of propane and was left in the cold for 2 days. The explanation they gave her was that they were short on drivers?? Nothing mentioned about a propane shortage..It's starting to smell pretty bad and fishy...so many excuses ..and so many unhappy customers...
• I can understand a shortage,but your people on the phones are rude & need a coarse (sic) in manners. My father is 86 years old. When he told the supplier he could not stand this kind of stress. The man said he did not care even if he was 106. What on earth is wrong with your customer service??? This may have cost you at least 10 other people that I know of, to switch to a different company. My household included. A supply shortage will not be the only reason you are loosing business.
• It's funny that Levac is the only company having problems with delivery. Their customer service is beyond horrible and they have left numerous people without heat. This is them trying to cover themselves. Maybe this story should be investigated a bit more.
• Well I have been without Propane since noon yesterday. I continue to get promises of delivery from Levac which never comes. I am normally on automatic delivery and have always paid my bill when I receive it on delivery day. I have spoken to another supplier who has NO SHORTAGE because they purchased their annual quota's some time ago. I will survive this cold right now but Levac's may not! I am switching as soon as possible and I encourage others to do the same. It is the only recourse for such poor service.
• We have been out of propane for 4 days now. Luckily we have a woodstove. What bothers me is that for 4 days we have tried to reach Levac to no avail. We have tried every Phone number available . Even calling their partner company in Maxville Ont for answers. They tried to reach them too and nothing. I also sent faxes that were not even acknowledged. That is the part that left a bitter taste in my mouth. We have another company coming to remove their tank and install new ones. Thanks for the horrible customer service Levac. You certainly have handled this CRISIS and that is what it is to people with no heat very POORLY......

This is an amazing video of a multicar crash: slow down out there!

It's hard to imagine, but these kinds of incidents are becoming more and more common. Stay in your car or get the heck out!

Post by ‎شبكة شبير عليه السلام المرئية‎.

The red squirrels have been estivating

They are so pretty. Wicked tempers, and bullies, even with larger squirrels! But that lovely red fur!
They are busy little beavers. Red squirrels estivate, they do not hibernate. They go into a torpor over the winter, a dormant state, arising to eat, from time-to-time. You can tell how hungry they are by whether they eat found food on the spot, or take it home to store it.
The video (below) shows how frantic they are: up, down, across, over. The cats love chasing them, but they're too quick for my feline buddies.

Red squirrel videos: the sound draws the cats

This is how I start each morning: preparing my blog for the day, checking in on Facebook friends.  Hubby was near-by and grabbed the videocam.
 I
Red squirrel delight from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
I was playing an older video of the red squirrels, preparing today's blog post, when the troops came over to look for it. The cats have been stuck indoors in the cold.

This one has woken up to grab a bit of bird seed! Can you spot it?! It's 17 seconds of run, climb, change course. All designed to protect it from predators.

Red squirrel from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
You can hear its sound in this older video. As I replayed it today, Buster Brown came running over to the computer to look for it! He's so stressed out with the double-digit negative temperatures, although he did bring home a mouse two days ago.

Book Review: Advanced Genealogy Research Techniques

By George Morgan, Drew Smith

This is an excellent book. I was sent a copy to review and began reading it when I was researching my family. Now, being adopted, it is a whole different situation.
That said, this is a great tool for those who are keen to dig back into their family history.

It's become quite popular in this day and age, of internet access. I created a family tree many years ago, when my adoptive mother was still alive. This REALLY helped, as birth and death dates are crucial.

As with the Internet, which has been called the great garage sale in cyberspace, you can find information that may or may not be correct.

I created this family tree many years ago

This book helps you narrow search. It gives you places to find clues (census data, birth and death certificates, obits, tomb stones, photographs, newspapers) that you might miss. The photographic evidence is excellent, as there are details in photos that will send you off on previously skipped over clues.

For example, it points out details you might have missed in census data, such as the official enumeration date vs. the actual enumeration date and the place it was done, vs. the actual

On-line you can find
people who lived on your street!
Mom and dad lived here 55 years!

location. There are figures showing birth and death certificates, which highlight the specific details that will steer you in the right direction.
The book explores collecting the data, organizing it, how to interview friends and family, using crowdsourcing, DNA testing, and reviewing your information. It is an easy read; clear, friendly and professional!

It's a great book. I would heartily recommend it for those digging into the past for work or pleasure. It is available as an e-book, as well as hard copy.

The Book Review Club (January 2014)