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Friday, January 15, 2021 7 Brooklin Town Crier Our Brooklin Kids By Leanne Brown Hoodies, tobogganing and lockdown adventures For Christmas, I received a beaver light grey hoodie. Warm, comfy, and a little oversized, it's become my favourite lockdown wardrobe piece. But I've discovered that hoodies create a nasty hair mat at the base of my neck. This was an "ah ha" moment. You see, my daughter lives in hoodies. Her closet reveals that she owns 12 collected from various sports teams. It turns out the matted nest that seems to just appear in her hair is from the hoodies. Each night at bedtime, I have to carefully pull apart the mess as she winces. Evidently fleece containing polyester and long hair are incompatible. Where NOT to toboggan With sports and activities suspended, she and I have been in search of outdoor adventures. Tobogganing, which is one of the few allowable options, is our go-to and the region has a few fun places to sled. However, not all hills permit sledding. For instance, Winchester Golf Club is NOT a toboggan hill; it's private property. Aside from hazards on the hill, using it for sledding or cross country skiing is trespassing. These activities damage the course and delay golf season, costing the owners thousands for repairs. Please respect them as they provide a lovely little golf course, which is their property and livelihood. So where can you go tobogganing? The park beside Winchester Public school is awesome. It's a good size with lots of space to social distance and has smaller hills for the less adventurous. We've been going there for years. Here are some others to try: Hy Hope Farms has hills for everyone The hill behind Chris Hadfield Public School Small hill behind Henry Street High School Small hill at the end of St. Anne's Street South Small hill at Duggan Park Medium hill at the south end of Tremount St. Large hill at Otter Creek Park Medium hill at the East Side of Guthrie Park. Medium hill at Glen Hill Park Hill at Pringle Creek Park Farewell Street just south of Highway 2. This one is for thrillseekers. Uxbridge has a good hill behind the Uxbridge arena. And if you want to go for a drive, try Darlington Provincial Park. As for virtual learning and working, in our house, we each head to separate rooms to work. My husband takes the family room; I'm in the front room; and our daughter is in her room. We take lunch together. It's interesting though sometimes hard, but I try to be positive. I remind myself that we are healthy and safe. We play lots of board games, with Clue, Settlers of Catan, Jumanji and Pandemic being our favourites. We do training in the basement for soccer and hockey. It's especially hard on my daughter who has no siblings and can't see her friends. But I hear her reaching out to friends online and playing "Among Us" so I know she's making the best of it. As for me, since being downsized, I am freelancing and enjoying it. I learned that during the pandemic, the first job interviews at large companies are not done by humans. Computers conduct Zoom interviews which humans watch later only if the answers match the algorithms. Anyone know what the preferred personal pronoun is for the interviewing computer program….Sir, Miss, He, She, Them, It? Note: Provincial orders have changed since this was written. Please adhere to them. Plant-Based Eating by Sheree Nicholson Self-care begins with a tasty soup Happy New Year! While that may sound trite - after all, we're still in the middle of a pandemic - I live with the hope that 2021 will end with a reopened world. Having more time at home means you have more time to invest in yourself. Self-care doesn't always mean going to an expensive resort; it can also be how you live your daily life. Exercise and eating well are forms of self-care. Last March, my partner, Tom, and I started walking. We now walk five days out of seven and often twice a day on weekends. These strolls through our neighbourhood have led to some weight loss for both of us and some great talks. They also allow me more time to cook from scratch. For Christmas, I got the new cookbook "OH she glows for dinner" by Angela Liddon. So far, I've made vegan tacos and the following lentil soup, which is now my all-time favourite soup. It was easy to make and quite tasty. The recipe is from the blog at https://ohsheglows.com. Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup Pre time: 15 Minutes - Cook time: 20 Minutes Ingredients: 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 cups diced onion (1 medium/ large) 2 large garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons ground turmeric 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can diced tomatoes, with juices 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can full-fat coconut milk 3/4 cup uncooked red lentils, rinsed and drained 3 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste Freshly ground black pepper, to taste Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste (optional). 1 (5-ounce/140-gram) package baby spinach 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice. Directions: In a large pot, add the oil, onion, and garlic. Add a pinch of salt, stir, and sauté over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until the onion softens. Stir in the turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom until combined. Continue cooking for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), an entire can of coconut milk, red lentils, broth, salt, and plenty of pepper. Add red pepper flakes or cayenne, if desired, to taste. Stir to combine. Increase heat to high and bring to a low boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer, uncovered, for about 18 to 22 minutes, until the lentils are fluffy and tender. Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach until wilted. Add the lime juice to taste. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired. Note: While full fat coconut milk works better, you may use low- fat coconut milk, though the results will be a less creamy soup. Sheree's Hack: Farm Boy in Whitby carries inexpensive store brand coconut milk. Have a few cans on hand for recipes such as this. Brooklin Heritage Society When a Brooklin Bovine Made the Big Time By Jennifer Hudgins A Brooklin hometown girl hit the big time on April 9, 1954 when Canadian milk products distributor Borden Dairy chose to use her image in all their promotional materials. Elsie, a caramel blonde Jersey cow, became part of our kitchen culture and has been among the most recognizable product logos in Canada and the USA. The first Elsie came into being in 1936 when Borden Dairy was in a pricing war with dairy farmers and the company needed to keep public opinion on its side. A cartoon cow mascot symbolized the perfect dairy product and appeared in print ads, radio announcements and television. Her long-lashed gaze captivated people, many of whom were city dwellers and had never seen a real cow. She had such a strong following that she even had her own personal assistant! Brooklin's Elsie, Borden's third cow, was purchased from the W. F. Batty and Son farm. Her first appearance was sponsored by the Toronto Evening Telegram. She was the most publicized cow in Canada and her image could be found on billboards, cans and cartons of Borden products. She was displayed at the Toronto CNE and other large exhibitions such as the 1964 New York World's Fair. She also made an appearance in a musical revue by the Broadway composer Kay Swift. In 1980, the Ontario Borden Dairy operation was purchased by Silverwood Dairy. The new buyer did not own the rights to the logo. But in the USA, Elsie is still found on Borden condensed milk cans and celebrated at events nationwide.