EllenInEdmonton :mstdnca:

https://mstdn.ca/@EllenInEdmonton

Here for the last 4 years, but moved now to [email protected]

Location: ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ (amiskwacîwâskahikan) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Treaty 6

Public Key

npub12q0yh7n4vkgs050zlmq8egnnejdduck88lk4yazn9d99yzfdmrcs9el7za

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs9q8jtlf6ktyg86830asru5feuexk7vtrnlm2jw3fjkjjjpyka3ugpqqcf9826

Publishing to

Author Public Key

npub12q0yh7n4vkgs050zlmq8egnnejdduck88lk4yazn9d99yzfdmrcs9el7za

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Last Notes

2026-03-17 03:40:48 CET

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Thanks, that’s pretty much what I suspected. I don’t see myself biking down to the river and back to paddle solo there, and maintaining direction would probably be more challenging than I’d enjoy. I’m probably better off saving my money to rent canoes at lakes where that’s an option.

2026-03-15 21:47:22 CET

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How was the packraft for navigation? I can no longer manage hauling my own canoe or kayak on a car, and I'm curious about how a packraft compares for handling.
#canoeing

2026-03-15 21:41:02 CET

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Polenta in all its forms is SO good. I usually bring tubes of precooked polenta as a starchy staple when I go camping.

2026-02-20 17:11:13 CET

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I prefer a combo. I sketch out my map of where I want to go and the dates I'm working with. I create a spreadsheet with the dates and locations, and probable costs. I book accommodations for weekends or locations with a lot of visitors, and I have a checklist of potential activities and locations in that area. Beyond that, I like to adapt my actual activities to the weather, my mood, and whatever draws my attention in a particular location. I generally avoid paying for high-priced attractions, activities, and tours, preferring the local flavour. Cooking or art classes are an exception.
#roadtrip

2026-01-14 17:51:59 CET

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I loved Yeosu, along the southern shore of Korea, and I failed to explore the national park that's adjacent to Sokcho, accessible by public transit, of course!

2026-01-11 18:12:01 CET

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Arbutus? I have the pattern, but I didn't really want to use that much fabric for a garment I haven't felt the need to wear for years now. Maybe someday, with repurposed sheets.

2026-01-02 19:19:19 CET

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Yes, Edmonton has a relatively small population, but there are many immigrants here, and many open food stores soon after arrival. I've had a tendency to buy spices from everywhere when I can, and then, I rarely use many of them. Some, like cumin and coriander, are worth buying in bulk because I frequently use them for my everyday cooking. I bought a tortilla press this week, because I took a class, and I think it will help with making Indian flatbreads as well. However, I got it secondhand for $8, and I'll happily donate it back if I don't wind up using it much.
Since early COVID, I find that I bulk cook my main ingredient(s) at the start of the week, and then eat a similar meal for several days. It's less variety than I'd like, but also a LOT less waste, cost, and time.

2026-01-02 15:40:13 CET

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Those fires and their smoke are quite appalling, and we also have many more, and longer heatwaves than previously. I'm not sure why, but in my mind, you were in Alaska; must be someone else that I follow. I was mightily impressed with your international food adventures, wondering how you could purchase all of the necessary ingredients. I hope that you are able to achieve your goals this year, and that you have great joy in training towards those goals.

2026-01-02 02:43:40 CET

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Goal race?

2025-12-06 22:15:34 CET

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Wow. Very Stephen Harper of him!

2025-12-02 02:56:33 CET

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One of the women in my out of town sewing group gave me numerous rayon batik outfits that no longer work for her. I’m reworking several of those before returning to the Ashton top that I’ve started on.

2025-12-01 05:30:28 CET

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That looks super cute! And look at you, blending with your lovely curtains! My collars have lain quite flat. I used a sheet for the first version and a poly-cotton for the second, and I wear mine a LOT (lost the first in some café, it seems). I have assorted colours of linen to hopefully make another one sometime soon.
However, I've done a bit of an archaeological dig in my sewing supplies, and there are about 20 projects I have mapped out in my brain. Not only that, but a woman in my sewing group gave me her former wardrobe, all rayon batik. It's all quite wearable for me, but modifications are required for several garments (i.e. #pockets)
#sewing
#MossJacket

2025-11-13 02:46:16 CET

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Haha, I can answer that, since I did it years ago when my adult kids were in elementary school. On the way downhill, you can get a lovely bounce off the sand, as you sink a little and then gravity moves you forward. On the way up, it's like a stair-stepper where you drop 2/3s of every step as you slowly progress upwards. It's super cool.

2025-11-08 23:21:51 CET

Lovely morning today, visiting the Town of Stony Plain, where I mostly raised my kids. I volunteered for the local land trust, which manages multiple parcels of land around #YEG, the city where I currently live. I was saying bad words about getting ready on a dark and snowy morning to go out to the farmer's market. However, this was where I shopped a couple of times/month for years, and it didn't disappoint. The local veggies were very high quality, especially the ones that are grown in a "vertical garden" in the city. I walked some of the trails where years of dog-walking, running, and cycling occurred, and then grabbed a bowl of Wor Wonton soup, one of the many Canadian Chinese restaurants that make Western Canada a great place to grab lunch. The Mayor wasn't cooking today, just his family members. The snow always changes the look of a place!
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2025-09-13 08:28:35 CEST

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Actually, that episode of #BeyondTheBar dealt with the issue in a fair amount of detail because assisted death is completely illegal in Korea, even if it happens outside the country, and the other party merely accompanies the soon-to-be deceased.
I find the Korean legal dramas to be especially interesting because they highlight the ways that Korean laws and moral beliefs are different. For example, until recently, adultery was illegal in South Korea, and the wronged party can sue and seek damages from both their cheating spouse, as well as the person that they cheated with. It doesn't seem to matter whether or not the third party knew that their partner was already married.
Joint custody doesn't seem to be a thing in Korea, and the mom I hung out with tonight received NO child support of any sort when she left her cheating spouse with a young child. He finally volunteered to provide support when that child entered university 2 years ago.

2025-09-08 05:25:10 CEST

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The more that I watch the historical #kdrama shows, the more I can see that it's very challenging to be a "good" monarch in a system that is very broken, which it generally seemed to have been.

2025-08-24 02:16:15 CEST

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My fermenting sensei who taught us last Saturday said 1 teaspoon of salt for a pound of cabbage and he rounds down. Most of our cabbages were 2-3 pounds.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much the cabbage "sweated", once I started pounding it into submission. My sensie actually sells a wood tool for pounting, like a toy baseball bat, but with a foodsafe finish, I assume. @npub1n9h…4xgf uses her stand mixer or a potato masher to achieve the same goal. My early kraut used a water brine. It's important that the water be unchlorinated (I use a water filter) because chlorine will kill all of our healthy bacteria. Also, the instructions I've seen say to use non-iodized salt, which includes many options like sea salt and kosher salt.
It's surprisingly simple. Just begin the process and then you can modify as you go along.

2025-08-18 15:34:04 CEST

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It will be sauerkraut, not kimchi. I didn't initially have a glass weight for that jar, so all of the shredded cabbage floated to the top. I scooped off that layer that was exposed to air, and weighted down the remainder. I took a fermentation class on Saturday night and the guy said, "below the brine, it will be fine". Also, don't touch a sauerkraut ferment for 3 weeks. So, I have to wait at least 2 more weeks to check that out. I think my #kimchi is ready to refrigerate and to gift. The whole #fermentation process is very interesting. However, I have a limited amount of fridge space.

2025-08-15 21:14:28 CEST

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The problem with Canadian road travel is the massive scale of the country. I think I’ll go north next year.

2025-08-15 18:05:03 CEST

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I always count my camping expenses against hotel costs. $50 is 1/3 or even 1/4 of a night’s costs. I’m trying to imagine where to go on a 4-week #roadtrip next year. No USA for a while, but Canada has plenty of options.

2025-08-15 01:29:41 CEST

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It was a series that totally captivated me while I was watching it. However, I was far more invested in the part of the series that happened in North Korea. It was less interesting once they were in Seoul. Still, there were a couple of plot elements near the end that I totally loved!
#kdrama

2025-08-15 01:17:37 CEST

I really love my Napier tent that I've used for the last 4 years, using it as my primary accommodation for 3 4-week roadtrips. However, there were 2 poles that were split last year, so I took it to Totem Outfitters to have the poles replaced. Sadly, it seems like the replacement poles were each about an inch shorter than the originals, leading to the lopsided look of my tent. This will be especially problematic when it gets really windy. I decided to call Napier today to find out about replacement poles. Turns out, they still make the model I use, and you can order replacement sets of poles. 2 full sets and shipping are only $50 CAD, since it's a Canadian company! Ordered!
Today was a pretty cold summer morning, but the light was lovely in Glenora, and so was the mocha and corn, cheddar, and jalapeño muffin at The Colombian.
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2025-08-13 22:16:13 CEST

After canning freezer jam on Monday, I needed more jars (and pectin), and I still wanted to get some #fermentation done. Luckily, @npub1agl…6ctj was willing to do a #BodyDouble work session today, so she shredded unnecessary documents, while I shredded veggies to make #kimchi and #sauerkraut. I added jalapeño peppers and an onion to the sauerkraut, so I'm curious about how it will turn out. I didn't brine the cabbage for long to make the kimchi, but I still hope to make fermented pickles with that brine.
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2025-08-05 03:20:14 CEST

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I've experimented with it a lot. I made a couple using the full width of fabric for the skirt. They look awesome on the hanger (to me). However, looking at photos of me wearing those. They add too much bulk to an already large frame. I'll probably downsize to the default width on my next make. I also added patch pockets, easiest for around home. I don't love the look, but I greatly appreciate the convenience, so I'll probably keep them. I've also added phone-width patch pockets to lengthened Asthon Tops, and those work out perfectly. I just want #AllThePockets!

2025-07-13 22:12:57 CEST

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I've muted it and a number of other hashtags that keep mysteriously reappearing!

2025-06-18 01:37:45 CEST

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Rainy holidays always seem like they should get a do-over, especially when you've gone somewhere to enjoy the great outdoors. I'm happy to have the odd rainy day when I can change pace, but not a steady dose of it. Hope you have good reading material and other distractions and that the weather is tolerable for outdoor activities, at least some of the time.

2025-05-20 02:39:24 CEST

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The Merlin app is great for identifying bird calls. When I camped in Osoyoos, it identified 10 or more within seconds.

2025-05-20 02:33:59 CEST

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I can only handle BC weather for about a week and I usually visit Victoria where it’s better! I’ll happily take our brutal winters since they come with so many blue-sky days.

2025-04-24 08:37:50 CEST

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Those facings turned out to be one of my favourite aspects of the Studio Tunic. There are a lot of things I’d change if I made it again, though.

2025-04-21 14:43:45 CEST

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Yeah. I really like how that story looped back.

2025-04-01 06:58:11 CEST

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I don't know if this is the case but when we get to a certain age, most of us develop arthritis in one or more joints. I was quite excited to be reviving my running career 7 years ago, only to learn that I had knee arthritis. It rarely bothers me but I haven't tried running again since then.

2025-03-13 18:05:59 CET

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Just give yourself a LOT of time and money for that adventure! The Greyhound bus stopped connecting cities and the train can get very delayed. So many breweries, though! And a surprising number of hot springs.

2025-03-09 03:58:15 CET

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Oh, so fun!! I LOVE French seams, even with the extra work. I liked a lot of the design aspects of the Studio Tunic and I also made it with thrifted fabric (a sheet). However, none of the fit really worked for me when it was complete. I'd like the centre seam and yoke, biggish pockets but I'd like it to fit more like a dress than a tunic, personally. I may rework or I may just make dozens of #HinterlandDress iterations!
#sewing

2025-02-28 20:31:45 CET

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It's trickling through.

2025-02-04 02:12:02 CET

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I love the concept of that tunic as well as several of the design features. However, I really don't like the way it sits on my body, nor the size and location of the pockets. I'd like to rework the shape of it to better suit me for a future make.
The #SewLiberated patterns are very user-friendly, with lots of clear instructions.
#sewing

2025-02-03 05:15:18 CET

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Yes! I've pinned several locations in and around Gyeongju so far. Everything is still pretty tentative so far but I hope to loop around the peninsula and catch a number of rural and coastal locations.

2025-01-08 16:28:45 CET

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Trudeau has been busy resigning.

2024-12-11 02:35:25 CET

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Not sure what happened but her smiles and tears never had the ring of authenticity, which I found quite annoying/distracting.

2024-11-29 08:15:55 CET

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It's interesting isn't it? Glad I watched it but it's true that it makes you doubt reality.

2024-11-21 23:23:18 CET

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And a vote here for #Duolingo as a language-learning tool. It needs to be combined with listening, conversation, and grammar to really need to fluency but you can learn a great deal about a language in 15 minutes a day with the owl, especially with a paid subscription that allows unlimited practice.

2024-10-15 01:49:48 CEST

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Oh, the author is very correct!! Every book has an ISBN barcode on the back cover. If you open GR on your phone, you can "search"; in the search window, it offers the choice to scan the ISBN. If you click, the camera opens and you can whiz through a big stack of books, scanning them all like a grocery store clerk with your apples and bananas. Just glance to see that the book was correctly entered. After that, you can return the books to shelves and they're entered.

2024-08-24 21:43:32 CEST

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Hope you can still figure out the right fold! I bought a sari as a visiting 11-year-old but I never was able to figure out the appropriate wrap, nor could I find someone who could do it. Now, it would just feel like cultural appropriation for me. Those are lovely.

2024-08-24 15:55:31 CEST

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Yes, I did pool running as well as lake running when I was trying to stay trained for triathlon and longer distance runs, especially after breaking bones. It was quite effective although it was a boring way to train. You do it for time, versus distance.