You say Toronto, I say tomato

Tom arrived in Toronto on Saturday, and I arrived Sunday morning. He flew back first thing Monday, while my flight was scheduled for the evening. It seems like kind of a convoluted plan, but we figured as long as we were paying for airfare, we might as well get a visit in, even if we had to split it up a bit on account of limited child care.

So Monday was my day in Toronto. And, I dunno. I'm not sure I get it completely. People had told me great things, but it seems like a city that was glorious 10 years ago but hasn't been able to keep up appearances. I was impressed with how bike-friendly it was—I can only dream that our neck of the woods ever gets that progressive. But it was dirty. And kinda smelly. And I know that's how big cities are and I was only there for 24 hours with limited knowledge, but I never really found myself in a neighborhood that excited me. I kept trying, but ultimately gave up and headed to the Royal Ontario Museum. Neko would have been in complete heaven to have been in the presence of so many dinosaurs bones. I tried to take photos for her, but it's just not the same as standing at the feet of a t-rex or an allosaurus.

By mid-day, I found myself calling the airline and trying to get an earlier flight home. Although I loved being away, I found myself missing the familiar.

In the last few days I finally picked up Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which Kate N. recommended to me at least a year ago. It's a look into the author's life as she and her family try to live for one year eating only foods they raise or buy from local farmers. It's an amazing look at the journey that our food takes before it comes to sit on our table, and the impact it has on our environment and economy.

By the end of day, thunderstorms rolled in and as I sat trapped in a remote airport terminal for four hours as I waited for my delayed flight. I found myself reading, surrounded by sandwiches enclosed in air-tight plastic boxes, which made me dive even deeper into my book.

While I'm far from being able (or inclined) to jump off the grid, I'm fairly certain there are some changes we can make around here to be more responsible about our choices. First up? I'm diving headlong in strawberry jam. By late summer I'd like to gather tomatoes and basil from our garden and make and can our own sauce. Somewhere in the middle of all this crazy, I'd like to find time for these things.