Progress: #10. Do something active for 3 months straight

 Bayview Village Park, 2 hour, 15 minute walk total, but leisurely. This was probably my favourite solo place to walk with my daughter so far. It was sheltered and peaceful without being too secluded. Lots of trees, a creek, a bridge, but lined on both sides with houses (under thin tree cover). As a person whose existing leaving-the-house anxiety has worsened substantially post-partum and midst-pandemic, this reassures me.

I also happened upon this goldmine being given away for free, which made the day of my collector / reseller husband:

Also, my daughter happened to be crying at the time, so the man giving them away brought her out these toys:

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #12. Do more foraging

 For the past four or so years, wild river grapes have grown in our backyard. However, the wasps usually shred them in their infancy and none mature. I've read that this can happen when there are not enough sources of nectar. This spring, my husband dug a second vegetable garden with the help of my dad, and we've planted more vegetables than ever before. The garden has been constantly flowering and fruitful, so perhaps this has helped with the fact that a very tiny number of grapes matured for the first time ever.

I picked them and made a jam. It was literally enough for one slice of toast, but I think it was worth it to sample them. The seeds are very large, so most people opt for jelly, but I've always been more of a jam fan in general, so thought I'd give it a go with a Concord grape recipe I tried on this blog maybe five years ago. 

(Note that wild grapes have one poisonous lookalike: Moonseed. The leaves are entirely different, but if still unsure, the fruit of Moonseed has one crescent-shaped seed. Wild river grapes have many and they are kind of round.)

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #10. Do something active for 3 months straight

 A 2.5 hour walk around the neighbourhood with my husband and daughter. Surpassed 10000 steps by noonish. 

All shots from York Cemetery.

(Also I continue to be astounded that, as someone who often hit less than 20 minutes of deep sleep in 9 hours in the two years I've been tracking, I've not had less than an hour - and several times closer to 1.5 hours - since beginning to be more active.)

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #10. Do something active for 3 months straight

Toured an animal sanctuary with my family.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #12. Do more foraging

 I doubt I'll ever be a very avid mushroom forager. It's risk vs reward and there isn't a single meal I'd die for. That being said, there are about three foolproof "beginner" mushrooms (very identifiable features; no poisonous lookalikes) that I'd have no problem foraging for at present. 

I've picked and eaten Dryad's Saddle recently, but have never pickled it, so I thought that's what I'd try with today's forage. I vaguely followed this recipe, with many substitutions, based on what I had / didn't have on hand. (I don't have a mandolin, so I used a vegetable peeler. I didn't have shallots, so I used one large white onion. I didn't have jalapenos, so I used cayenne pepper powder. I didn't have fresh dill, so I used dried. I didn't have champagne vinegar, so I used half white and half apple cider.) What I tasted of what was left in the pot was amazing. I am hoping to put it on a nice veggie sandwich soon. 

Something to keep in mind about wild mushrooms, if you're pickling them. 99% of them - and I'm talking the ones considered to be edible - need to be cooked to eliminate the possibility of gastrointestinal problems, so even if you're pickling them, they still need to be cooked first.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #10. Do something active for 3 months straight

 I took a short walk to pick some Dryad's Saddle that I spied on our long walk yesterday. More on this later.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #10. Do something active for 3 months straight

 Took a nice 2-hour walk around the neighbourhood with my husband and daughter this morning. I'm about to hit my 10000 steps already.

(I also ended up out on a walk yesterday afternoon, caught in the rain, so my daughter could nap. She was fussy yesterday, and strolling is always a salve for her, still.)

Original goal list posted here