Interviewed by Dana of Southern Gal Goes North

Clouds
May 8, 2007

There are so many creative ways bloggers are coming up with to stimulate their creativity. As you know I participate in Blog Your Blessings Sunday and have done a couple of Click & Comment posts. I did at least one Wordless Wednesday post but I like to talk so of course forgot about that last Wednesday. I was surfing on BlogExplosion and came across Southern Gal Goes North. The author had an interview where she answered questions from another blogger. This is a great way to get to know other bloggers and it is interactive. So I've joined the "Interview Me" bloggers.

If you would like to participate, leave a comment here saying "Interview me." Please leave your blog address so I can interview you in return. I will visit your blog, draft five questions for you and link back to your post. When someone leaves a comment indicating that they would like to be interviewed, you do the same thing. In this way we get to know a few things about the blogger that may not come out on their blog plus we get to read a lot of interesting blogs.

Dana author of Southern Gal Goes North asked the following questions for my interview:

1. I see you are selling your house. What are the top three things you’ll miss most about your garden? Are you taking any plants with you to your new house?
This garden was started from nothing, only an idea that was expanded upon based on necessity. The ground couldn't be easily tilled so I went to raised beds. I'll miss seeing the visual impact of my creativity. An aerial photographer was selling pictures he took to homeowners in the area. He took a beautiful aerial view of the house and garden last September. I don't think it really hit home how much I had accomplished until I saw that photo. It is a very organized almost formal layout that would be hard to duplicate so I will miss that as well. I will also miss most of the critters that visit the garden. When we moved here, I brought as much as possible which ended up being about 3 1/2 pick-up truck loads of plants. It was a "have garden will travel moment". I promised my husband I would not do that much for this move if we actually move. Plants in containers will be coming and I am now starting strawberries in containers. I'll be taking clumps of herbs and rooting them in the greenhouse to take with us. I will also be rooting cuttings of some of my favourite plants to take with me.
2. I read somewhere in your blog that you were writing a book. What is it about? Speaking of books, have you pre-ordered the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows yet? Which HP is your favorite?
My current book I'm writing is the story of my seventh great grandfather. He was rumoured to be the first white man in the area now known as Detroit, Michigan before Cadillac arrived. His story is quite an interesting one. The plan is to develop a series starting with him then following though each generation but really the story starts before him at his father and mother who was a Fille du Roi. So the first chapter does a little back tracking. I haven't pre-ordered Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows but not because I didn't want to. My birthday is close to the release date so I know one of my kids will think of that for a gift. I'm really looking forward of book 7. It should hopefully answer some of the questions that arise from the Harry Potter series. I think my favourite Harry Potter book would be Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. In this book all of the characters are maturing. Their strengths and weaknesses are more pronounced. There are subtle hints as to what they may do in the future after leaving Hogwarts. There are also more clues about how and why events have unfolded as they have along with a deeper understanding of the characters who have played a role through the series. The significance of certain events or items (Horocruxes) become clearer in book 6. After reading book 6, I went back and started re-reading the books. It was amazing how the perspective gained in book 6 changed the view of the other books. I suspect this will be the same for book 7.
3. How do you juggle your time between your housework, hobbies, blogging on your multiple blogs, and cooking? What works best for you?
That is a good question. First I follow the quadrant personal management based on Stephen R. Covey. I try to keep most of my activities in Quadrants I - III and avoid IV (quadrant of waste). For the most part I am quite organized and follow a daily schedule that includes a to-do list. Everything is given a priority rating based on the ABC method then further prioritized using the 123 method. That means something rated as A1 is the top priority. Monthly planning is done the second last day of the month for the following month. That's where I schedule in any appointments or events. Weekly planning is done every Sunday and since most homemaking chores are done on a schedule I know for example that Mondays and Wednesdays are clean the bathroom days, Wednesdays are the 27 Fling Boogie and etc. because I've just been doing it this way for so long. Then I have daily routines, specifically a morning routine and and evening routine. Each consist of five items meant to keeping things running smoothly when the unexpected comes up. My dayplanner is almost surgically attached to me and I do a lot of multi-tasking. Homemaking including family, cooking and gardening fall into QI (important, urgent) so they always take priority. My hobbies including blogging fill a creative need but fall into QII (important, non-urgent) so that means they can wait until my scheduled "me" time. Those are my "B" things. For the most part everything falls into place. I went for awhile several years back where scheduling and the schedule were the most important thing making home life very rigid. Then I discovered Covey's work and haven't looked back. For me, First Things First and the fundamental Covey principles of the 7 Habits work wonderfully allowing organization but with flexibility. I also think knowing myself helps a lot. I'm an early riser, likely one of those kids who was scared they were missing something when they slept. I don't sleep a lot unless I'm sick. At the same time I am very active so have to keep busy. Multi-tasking is just a normal part of my personality. My hands are busy even when watching television. I think the real reason is I want to pack as much life into my life as possible :)
4. What is your favorite thing to cook and why? What is your family’s favorite thing?
Hmm, that's a hard question because I love to cook. I think one of my favourite things to cook is roasted turkey. It always comes out perfect and gets rave reviews from my number one fan club aka my family. I rant that it likes to fall apart but my family loves it this way. Turkey is one of those very frugal dishes as well so I always look forward to making turkey stock from the carcass. My family's favourite thing to eat is a toss up between lasagne made with homemade spaghetti sauce (my offering) and homemade burgers (my husband's offering). Now, my lasagne likely has him beat especially during the cold months. The sauce is made from scratch using fresh ingredients, nice and meaty with lots of mushrooms and 9 cheeses. See where I'm going here? This is very, very good stuff! My husband makes these burgers to which I am only allowed to make the buns. He shoos me out of my kitchen, then makes these fabulous burgers he grills. They end up about 2 inches thick and about 5 inches in diameter. They are then placed in a toasted fresh baked (my job) bun and loaded with lettuce, mayo, tomatoes, dill pickles, cheese and hot peppers (for some) along with homemade relish, mustard and ketchup. I can't even finish one.
5. What kind of boat do you have? Pontoon, fishing, speed boat? What are your favorite things to do on your lake? Why would I like to visit there?
   
   We have a 22' SeaRay Overnighter and am considering going larger this year depending on the house but not bigger than 30'. Of our boating group we are likely the smallest or getting close but it has a cuddy for sleeping as well as washroom. She's a real sweet thing with a lot of power, perfect for water skiing or tubing. All my kids as well as myself fish by my husband does not and I know he grits his teeth when we haul our catch in. He takes me out a couple of times a month or until we have enough fish in the freezer usually by about mid July. Our favourite thing to do on the water is putzing watching other boats and just being out on the boat. But on hot days we boat to our favourite swimming hole, drop anchor and spend the day. I'll pack a picnic lunch and if it runs late we sometimes stop at a favourite marina with a gorgeous view of the sunset. It's lovely travelling back to the light of the moon when the water is nice and smooth. We spend about six weekends a year on the boat as well.
   
   We like to enjoy all aspects of the water from sunrises to sunsets, swimming and sometimes we just sit and float. We are lucky to be on the Great Lakes waterway so have ready access to three of the Great Lakes. These are Lakes Erie, St. Clair and Huron with their connecting waterways and rivers or smaller tributaries draining into the lakes. The area is absolutely gorgeous. We do have four seasons but it is just as beautiful in the winter as in the summer. It's all about the water but there is more to the area than that. There are a lot of small marinas to stop for a bite to eat or enjoy the quaint little harbour towns. The whole area is peaceful, soothing both the soul and body. Quite often there special events in the harbour towns like re-enactments or local celebrations (almost must go to's) and a lot of county fairs. The area is studded abundantly with farmers' markets, vegetable or fruit stands, orchards, wineries, beaches and campgrounds. There are wonderful down home cooking restaurants with some of the best food you will ever taste but there are also some nice highend restaurants for an elegant evening out. There are several museums in the area as well. It is like a recreational mecca with always something to do surrounded by some of the friendliest people you will ever meet!
   
   

Thanks for interviewing me Dana. If you are ever in our area, drop me a line so I can point you to some must see attractions. I'm looking forward to reading other blogs and interviewing the authors.