Morning Reflections

 

My Recipe Box - Spicy Thai Basil Pork

May 2026 - Toronto ON

We didn't bother with lettuce wraps with this, simply served it with salad. It would also be good in tortillas. I could also see it in rice paper, fried or not.

I also had some ground beef that I mixed with the pork.

 Ingredients

  

For the Pork

1 lb ground pork ideally 80/20 for a bit of fat and richness

4 cloves garlic minced

2 Thai bird’s eye chilies finely chopped (adjust for heat preference) OR jalapenos

1 shallot finely diced OR white onion

2 tablespoons neutral oil canola or vegetable

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon sugar - I omitted

1 tablespoon water

1 cup Thai basil leaves packed (don’t sub with Italian basil—Thai basil brings that peppery, anise kick)

For the Wraps/salad

1 head butter lettuce or romaine leaves separated and washed

1 small cucumber julienned

1 large carrot shredded or julienned

Tomatoes

Red onion

1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts optional but adds crunch

1 lime cut into wedges

Optional Add-Ins

Sriracha or chili garlic sauce for extra heat

Jasmine rice or vermicelli noodles if you want to bulk them up

Pickled Thai vegetables like carrots and daikon for tang

Cilantro

Instructions

 

Step 1: Prepare the Flavor Base

Start by heating oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic, chopped chilies, and shallots. Stir-fry quickly, about 30–45 seconds, until fragrant but not burned. This forms the base of that punchy, aromatic flavor that’s key in authentic thai recipes.

Step 2: Cook the Pork

Add the ground pork and use a spatula to break it up. Stir-fry for about 5–6 minutes, or until the pork is fully cooked and starting to get those delicious crispy bits.

Step 3: Add Sauces and Seasoning

Lower the heat slightly. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and a tablespoon of water. Stir to coat the pork evenly. Simmer for 1–2 minutes so the sauce thickens slightly and clings to the pork.

Step 4: Stir in Thai Basil

Turn off the heat and immediately add the Thai basil. Stir until the leaves wilt and become glossy. This last-minute addition preserves the herb’s bold, slightly spicy flavor. The pork should be glossy, rich, and deeply savory—a little sweet, a little salty, and full of heat.

Step 5: Assemble the Lettuce Wraps/salad

Place a spoonful or two of pork into each lettuce leaf. Top with julienned cucumber, shredded carrot, chopped peanuts, and a squeeze of lime. Add extra chili sauce if you like it fiery.

 

Tuesday Treasures

 May 2026 - Toronto ON

 Tom hosts Tuesday's Treasures.

Between 1880-83 - Looking north up Yonge St from Queen St in the Downtown Yonge area of Toronto.

Archive Photo Credit: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1478, Item 38 - F.W. Micklethwaite photographs

1938 looking north at Queen and Yonge

A major Bank of Montreal (BMO) branch operated at the northeast corner of Yonge and Queen for decades. Built in 1910, it featured classical Italianate architecture. The historic bank's facade was preserved and integrated into a modern glass office tower, which serves as a key access point to the Yonge subway line.

In fact, I had used that entrance a couple of weeks ago.

2026

The F. W. Woolworth building at 2 Queen Street West, located on the northwest corner of Yonge and Queen in Toronto, is a historic landmark designed in 1895 with a distinct curved facade. Woolworth's occupied this prominent site from 1913 until the 1960s, operating a popular "five-and-dime" store that served as a landmark near the Toronto Eaton Centre

You can see the five-and-dime in the 1938 photo.

 The building is famously known for its curved storefront at the northwest corner of Queen and Yonge, initially built for Philip E. Jamieson in 1895.

Woolworth's took over the space around 1913, following a brief tenure by S.H. Knox & Company. It remained a staple in downtown Toronto's retail scene for decades.

The site was later famous for having a lunch counter in the basement with a tunnel leading to the Eaton's store.

Following Woolworth's, the building served as a Tower Records and later an Atmosphere store, with the structure eventually undergoing extensive restoration and heritage preservation.

The building is still recognized as the F. W. Woolworth Building and acts as a preserved heritage component at 2 Queen Street West.

Signs

  Joining Tom at Signs2

May 2026 - Toronto ON

 Public art installation entitled Careful Infrastructures for Reassembled Lands located along the Toronto waterfront.

Created by artist Lisa Hirmer, this installation is part of a broader "poetic infrastructure" project inspired by the rebuilding of the Don River mouth.

The laser-cut metal signs are designed to encourage viewers to reconsider their relationship with the natural environment in the context of the climate emergency.

Morning Reflections

 

Monday Mural

 I'm linking up at Monday Mural

April 2026 - Toronto ON Part 3

Part 1             

There are more murals from this outing to come.

The main artist for this piece is Hungr, known for intricate lettering styles.
The mural features a prominent, stylized lettering design for "Hungr" with a distinctive green and pink color scheme.
The artwork also includes a small, detailed stencil of a raccoon, typical of work by artist Emily May Rose.

Also by Hungr.

D. Terra and more Emily May Rose

Jimmy Chiale.  Another Chiale.

Also Chiale.

 Christina Mazzulla, for the Golden Turtle Restaurant. I have many of her murals posted, click on her name in the tags/labels at the bottom of this post.

Morning Reflections

 

Foto Tunes

 Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme

Stompin' Tom Connors - TTC Skidaddler in 1973 at the Horseshoe Tavern

I'm a TTC Skedaddler

Get a socket from my big red rattler

Get a socket from my big red rattler

I've been a streetcar driver now about eleven years

And I know the old Toronto city well

There's a whole lot of people who wait along the track

For the signal from my clangin' trolley bell

I'm a TTC Skedaddler

Get a socket from my big red rattler

Get a socket from my big red rattler

Put the pole upon the wire now and open up the switch

It's time to get old rattler sparkin' through

She's red around the bottom and she's yellow on the top

And I drive her like a driver ought to do

I'm a TTC Skedaddler

Get a socket from my big red rattler

Get a socket from my big red rattler

.

I love my little wife at home, I love my couple kids

They often take the trolley to the park

They know their daddy's drivin' the people here and there

But I'll be back again to pick them up at dark

.

I'm a TTC Skedaddler

Get a socket from my big red rattler

Get a socket from my big red rattler

Don't forget your ticket when I open up the door

Kindly make your way along the aisle

I'll drive you down to work and I'll safely bring you back

And I'll try to render service with a smile

I'm a TTC Skedaddler

Get a socket from my big red rattler

Get a socket from my big red rattler

I've been a streetcar driver now about eleven years

And I know the old Toronto city well

There's a whole lot of people who wait along the track

For the signal from my clangin' trolley bell

I'm a TTC Skedaddler

Get a socket from my big red rattler

Get a socket from my big red rattler

Get a socket from my big red rattler

Get a socket from my big red rattler

Why I want Doug Ford Gone

 A "comprehensive" list of every political misstep, policy reversal, and broken promise by Ontario Premier Doug Ford is difficult to definitively compile due to the sheer volume of his administration's actions since taking office in 2018. 

However, his major controversies, policy reversals, and significant political "screw-ups" cluster around several key areas:

1. Ethical Scandals & "Cronyism" Allegations

• The Greenbelt Scandal: The Ford government attempted to open thousands of acres of protected Greenbelt land for housing development. After the Auditor General and Integrity Commissioner released scathing reports detailing how select developers were tipped off—increasing the land's value by billions—Ford cancelled the plan and apologized. 
• Ontario Place Redevelopment: The government committed billions in taxpayer subsidies to build a private European spa (Therme Canada) at Ontario Place. The Auditor General found the bidding process "not fair, transparent, or accountable". 
• Skills Development Fund: Auditor General reports raised alarms that the Minister of Labor and partisan staff interfered in grant rankings, funneling millions of dollars to lobbyists and consultants tied to the Progressive Conservative party. 

2. Labor & Wage Disputes

• Bill 124: The Ford government passed legislation limiting public sector wage increases (including nurses and teachers) to \(1\%\) per year. This legislation was eventually ruled unconstitutional and struck down by the courts for violating Charter rights. 
• Minimum Wage & Labor Laws: Ford cancelled a scheduled \(\$1\) minimum wage increase, repealed legislation requiring equal pay for part-time workers, and cut guaranteed paid sick days early in his tenure. 

3. Healthcare Management

• COVID-19 Long-Term Care Response: The government faced severe backlash over its handling of for-profit long-term care homes during the early days of the pandemic, where thousands of residents died and the military was eventually called in to assist. 
• Hospital Capacity & Hallway Medicine: Despite promises to end "hallway medicine," emergency room wait times have remained exceptionally high, and Ontario spends less per capita on hospitals than any other province. 

4. Democratic Norms & Transparency

• Freedom of Information (FOI) Changes: The government introduced sweeping changes that restricted access to internal government records and exempted cabinet ministers' offices from standard FOI requests, leading to widespread accusations of trying to hide public records. 
• Notwithstanding Clause: Ford has utilized the notwithstanding clause multiple times to override court rulings, including attempting to arbitrarily cap spending by interest groups during election years. 
• Strong Mayor Powers: The government expanded mayoral powers across numerous municipalities, overriding city council decisions to force through development plans and zoning overrides. 

5. High-Profile Policy Reversals

Due to massive public outcry, the government was forced to entirely reverse a number of major decisions: 

• The Greenbelt: Fully walked back after attempting to excise lands for development.
• Class Sizes & E-Learning: Abandoned plans to increase high school class sizes and mandate mandatory online courses.
• Municipal Boundaries & Peel Dissolution: Reversed plans to arbitrarily alter municipal urban boundaries and abandoned the controversial dissolution of the Peel Region. 

For more daily tracking of the current administration's missteps, visit the Ontario Federation of Labour cuts tracker or the Democracy Watch ethical actions registry

Morning Reflections

 

AI

 

 

Somewhere Espresso Cafe

 Linking up with Marg at The Intrepid Reader

Weekend Coffee Share

Sunday Salon

T Stands for Tuesday

29 May 2026

CHIANG MAI THAILAND

Last week's post.

SATURDAY

It was a dark and rainy day, we had really wanted to go to Doors Open. It turned out to be a 100% rainy day with many activities being cancelled, including the Bruno Mars concert.

John crushed all the boxes and brought them to the loading dock. And picked up yet another Amazon package which included new cushion covers, a cheap and cheerful way of redecorating.

It was a good day for poking about. John went to the locker and found a travelling golf bag he had forgotten about. He also brought up a portable safe (trash) and my old camera bag (can be gotten rid of with other camera stuff).

John's new golf bag arrived and he switched his old one out for Wednesday.

I changed around the living room cushions. I get antsy and like to change things up, just like my mother. 

I worked on some upcoming blogs. I created May's blogger header.

We started gathering things for our sojourn to PEI on Thursday. Golf clubs are packed.

We both read for a while. 

SUNDAY

Another miserable day!

Considering we slept in until 9!!!!! we had a productive morning.

We did laundry. We hung the new pictures.

So much nicer as canvas than framed.

Mamma's is in Toronto. Jerry's was taken in Gallup NM, Flame is Las Vegas and BBQ is Nashville TN

Japan is on the wall.

MONDAY

Monday Mural

Foto Tunes

Well, after a ghastly weather weekend, the sun was shining in all its glory. It was balmy walking to get pedi-manis.

I saved a hundred dollars today, by returning the pants I had ordered that didn't fit, and I don't really need them.

We then went to FCP for our covid boosters, we had received our government notification, advising persons of a "certain age" to get vaccinated.

FCP (Carol and Eric) didn't have any and offered to run to another pharmacy, which happened to be in Commerce Court, so we simply walked over there and got them from Karen, another great pharmacist.

We grabbed Starbucks as we waited for the bus, Iced Caramel Macchiato for me and Salted Caramel Cream Cold for John.

At Starbucks, showed my BFF the pic and she said she'd love some!

TUESDAY

Tuesday Treasures - Homeless Jesus

I went to Starbucks to grab some of the coffee grounds (it was heavy) for my BFF and also to Longo's for a couple of things, bacon on sale and ground pork. Five chicken quarters for $10, gives us two dinners and a lunch.

John used the simulator.

After lunch we took the streetcar to Kensington Market. it was a lovely day and it was crowded. There are a lot of Americans in town as it was a long weekend for them.

John said it was too hot for coffee!

We strolled back and picked up 3 sub buns ($1!!!) where we had bahn mi last week and custard tarts at a different bakery, we preferred last week's.

Our restaurant is advertising this.

WEDNESDAY

Signs

We spent to morning finishing packing and getting organized for a few days away. 

Pt laundry away, watered plants, froze what needed to be.

I checked in online, the weather isn't looking great so far, fingers crossed.

I took the old picture frames down to the dock.

 

John headed out to golf and I went for a haircut. went to the Eaton Centre.

I picked up a Starbucks mango cream matcha, meh, no taste of mango, did taste the matcha, foamy blah.

THURSDAY

We were in PEI in 1990 and 2014.  This time we are flying and are mainly here for John to golf at Crow Bush.

The season doesn't really start until July, so there is no theatre available.

Prince Edward Island (PEI) has been a favourite vacation destination for decades and has often been referred to as “The Gentle Island’.

This is a very detailed map. I found the map here, which also includes great details about visiting the province.

Prince Edward Island (PEI) is Canada’s smallest province, measuring about 224 km (140 mi) long and 6 to 64 km  (4 to 40 mi)wide. It covers a total area of 5,660 square kilometers (approx. 2,190 sq mi), and because of its unique geography, you are never more than 15 minutes from the beach.

We were up at 5:30 and our Uber arrived around 6:10. Easy check in and security, of course, my laptop had to be swabbed.

We grabbed coffees before boarding, we had great seats, exit row, two aisles, and no one in the middle seats. We were about #) minutes late taking off due to traffic.

Flying time is 2 hours and 20 minutes. Charlottetown is exactly 1 hour ahead of Toronto. When it is 12:00 PM in Toronto, it is 1:00 PM in Charlottetown.

Toronto observes Eastern Time, while Charlottetown observes Atlantic Time.

We landed in pouring rain, and waited for my suitcase, which arrived sopping wet.

We got a cab for the $100 fare to the resort. We are at Crowbush Cove, right on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It will still be cheaper taking taxis than renting a car. We are here for golf and relaxation.

The Links at Crowbush Cove is located on the scenic north shore of Prince Edward Island. The course is located at 710 Lakeside Rd, Morell, PE C0A 1S0, sitting roughly a 25-minute drive northeast of the capital city of Charlottetown. It is widely celebrated as one of Canada's premier public courses, weaving through coastal sand dunes, spruce woodlands, and interior wetlands with sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean.

The resort is quite nice. They will ferry you around by golf cart to the Crow's Nest restaurant on the 5th hole.

The rain did not let up.

Lunch menu, but we both opted for fish and chips and a beer.

They should get rid of their Miller advertising.

The Government of Prince Edward Island sells off its remaining inventory of U.S.-made wine and spirits to raise funds for local food banks. American alcohol was originally pulled from provincial shelves in response to tariffs, but the province is selling off the stockpile throughout 2026 before phasing out U.S. products permanently.

I wish Ontario would do the same with its US inventory.

The room is a suite, overlooking the course.

We did some Netflix and then had a nap before dinner.

John HAD to have PEI mussels, he thought the broth was rather bland.

I had salmon.

We were shocked to find out the Claude Lemieux had died at 60. I was more saddened to learn that he had taken his own life.

FRIDAY

I got up at what I thought was my usual 7 AM, then decided to go back to bed. It turned out the clock was wrong (an hour off) and we got up at 9:08!!

Headed down for breakfast, bacon and eggs for John, and smoked salmon, cream cheese and bagel for me. 

If I am in the Maritimes, I will have fish!!

NO RAIN! John headed over to the clubhouse at 10:45.

I did something I don't usually do, I put on some music. We had been commenting that Starbucks always has great music playing. It turns out there are dedicated Starbucks Spotify playlists. I googled coffeehouse pops and found that sound.

I did my usual morning reading and blogging.

John played as a solo and messaged me when he reached the water hole in front of our room.

John took some photos.

He came in frozen to the bone!

We went to the bar for a drink and ordered dinner to go, Caesar salad, steak with fries and caramel cheesecake, to share in our room. Delicious!

COOKING

Click here for more recipes.

MENU

Saturday - chicken curry, peppers, onions. John fell in love with Japanese curry when we were on Harbord St. a couple of weeks ago.

This is my first time making Japanese curry and I used Golden Curry brand. We found it way too salty so I added a potato which helped.

I found an article comparing the various brands and will be looking for some of those.

Sunday - spicy Thai pork with salad. Delicious. Will be added to Recipe Box

Monday - chips and eggs with mushrooms and fried tomatoes (for me)

Tuesday - BBQ chicken quarters and salad

Wednesday - mushroom omelet and salad

Thursday - away

Friday - away

WATCHING

Disclaimer- we watched a lot of foreign films. 

We finished season 2 of the Chestnut Man. 

We finished season 1 of Capitani, a Luxembourgish crime drama series. We started season 2.

Four years after the events of Season 1, Capitani, who had been fired from the police force and convicted as an accessory to the murder of a drug dealer, has been released from prison due to inadequate evidence and is now living in a run-down area of Luxembourg City. He is hired by a sex worker to find a friend who has disappeared. Subsequently, he goes undercover for the prosecutor to investigate, and break up, the drug trade in the city.

READING

Spadina and College Toronto ON

I finished a 7-day loan of The Book Club for Troublesome Women. In Virginia, in the early 60s, four women start a book club where they read a feminist book, The Feminine Mystique, that would change their lives forever. 

These women are only 20 years older than I am, I read that book when I was about 16, I can only imagine the impact it had on them! I smiled at Viv putting on her first pair of pantyhose!!!

I was so annoyed that Margaret couldn't open up her own bank account without her husband's signature!! And so proud when she forged his signature!

I finished Anon Pls  From the creator behind @DeuxMoi, the popular - and infamous - celebrity gossip Instagram account, comes a fun, charming debut novel that's a perfect combination of Devil Wears Prada, Gossip Girl, and Smile and Look Pretty. Anon Pls. is for those looking for a fun escape and anyone who wonders, "What's it really like to be DeuxMoi?"

I wasn't going to read this, but then got hooked. It is a bit of a fluff piece, but it is a world I don't know a lot about.

I couldn't find the book Lists of Note that Jinjer mentioned, but I did find this to flip through.