Widow's Endorphins: International Widows' Day

Widow's Endorphins: International Widows' Day: International Widows' Day is recognized by the United Nations as a day in honour of the world's 259 million widows.  It draw...

International Widows' Day

International Widows' Day is recognized by the United Nations as a day in honour of the world's 259 million widows.  It draws attention to the poverty, illiteracy, HIV/AIDS, sexual abuse, conflict, social injustice, and stigma faced by widows and their children.

It is a relatively new observance on the calendar.  It was launched in 2005, by the Loomba Foundation, at the British House of Lords in London, and takes place every June 23rd, the day Lord Loomba's mother became a widow.

Globally, HIV/AIDS, wars and armed conflicts, and poverty are the leading causes of widowhood. The United Nations reports that each year, hundreds of thousands of lives are lost due to conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, South Sudan, Central African Republic, and Syria; also by the Boko Haram insurgency, lives are lost in Northeastern Nigeria, Southeast Niger, West Chad and North Cameroon. The population of widows and orphans is rising significantly.  It is estimated that there are 844 million widows and orphans on the planet.

The Loomba Foundation reports that, "widows in developed countries face isolation and commonly live with severe insecurity and poverty due to lack of affordable health care and employment".  In North America, and Europe, a woman's pension can be 40 percent lower than a man's.

The Foundation says, "widowed women experience targeted murder, rape prostitution, forced marriage, property theft, eviction, social isolation, and physical abuse".  The Foundation reports that of the 38 million widows who live in extreme poverty, many are forced to engage in "exchange sex and survivor sex" to live.  Their children, "face horrors such as child marriage, illiteracy, loss of schooling, forced labour, human trafficking, homelessness, and sexual abuse".

The United Nations' Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, asks that we all, "pledge to make widows more visible in our societies, and to support them in living productive, equal and fulfilling lives."  He says the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, with its pledge to leave no one behind, "has a particular resonance for widows, who are among the most marginalised and isolated."

The Loomba Foundation raises funds to help widows change their lives for the better.  To date, the Foundation has, "educated over 10 thousand children of poor widows, and supported over 60 thousand of their family members", in India. They offer skills and equipment training, and business advice for widows who want to start their own businesses, or find employment.  They are currently looking for donations to purchase sewing machines, and sponsor more widows.

Photographs Copyright of:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.

Widow's Endorphins: First Day of Summer!

Widow's Endorphins: First Day of Summer!: (6:34pm EDT)  Welcome Summer, with your warm sunshine, fragrant flowers, long days at the beach, pretty outdoor weddings, sweet berrie...

First Day of Summer!

(6:34pm EDT)  Welcome Summer, with your warm sunshine, fragrant flowers, long days at the beach, pretty outdoor weddings, sweet berries with whipped cream, and refreshing lemonade.

The 2016 Summer Solstice shares a rare full moon.  For the first time since 1967, a Strawberry Moon takes place within hours of the arrival of Summer.  It is called Strawberry Moon, because June is strawberry time in our part of the world.  Get out those telephoto lenses, because the next full moon to arrive on the Summer Solstice is in 2062!

As for me, I'm enjoying the macro world of floral closeups.  This rose was photographed on my balcony a few hours ago. The Rosa Hybrid Royal Bonica shrub rose is described as a "vigorous grower", blooming from Summer to Autumn.  You'll be seeing more of this rose in the coming days!

In celebration of the arrival of Summer, and tonight's "once in a lifetime" Strawberry Moon, enjoy:

Strawberry Moon Shortcakes with Rose Whipped Cream

2 C all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 C Half and Half (also called Coffee Cream, or 10% cream)

3-4 C fresh strawberries, sliced

2 Tbsp sugar (optional)

2 C whipping cream 

1 tsp rosewater (or 1 tsp vanilla)

fresh rose petals (pesticide free roses!)

Preheat oven to 450F.  Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Cut in the chilled butter, coating the butter pieces in the flour mixture.  Cut until the mixture has the texture of breadcrumbs.  Add the Half and Half, and stir until the mixture is just moist.  Lightly flour your hands, and gently knead the dough.

Turn the dough onto a floured countertop, and pat it down to 3/4" thick.  Use a round cookie cutter, or glass to cut the dough into 3" rounds.  Resist the temptation to twist the cookie cutter, instead, use a straight down and up motion, so that the shortcakes will rise evenly.  Place the shortcakes on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.  At this point, the shortcakes may be cooled, or served warm out of the oven.

Add the sugar to the sliced strawberries.  Whip the chilled whipping cream into softly formed peaks. Add the rosewater, and give the cream a quick whip to blend in the rosewater.

Assemble by slicing each shortcake in half.  Top the bottom layer with strawberries, place the top layer on top, add more berries, and a generous dollop of the whipped cream.  Sprinkle with a few rose petals.

I've made this several times over the years, using chocolate brownies or lemon loaf as a substitute for the shortcakes.  Go gentle on the rosewater, as it can be overpowering in the whipping cream.  Adjust it to your taste.

Happy Summer everyone!  For readers in the Southern Hemisphere, take heart that your days can only get longer!

P.S.

This lovely First Day of Summer Rose flare dress is now in my on-line shop!  Just go to: http://bit.do/flare-dress  Once you're in the shop, click on the dress for the full 3-D view, and give the dress a twirl!

Photograph copyright of:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.

Widow's Endorphins: Oscar Peterson Rose

Widow's Endorphins: Oscar Peterson Rose: Rosa Oscar Peterson, with petals the colour of piano ivory, and stamens the colour of candlelight, is the 2016 rose in the Canadian Ar...

Oscar Peterson Rose

Rosa Oscar Peterson, with petals the colour of piano ivory, and stamens the colour of candlelight, is the 2016 rose in the Canadian Artists Series.  Named in honour of Canadian jazz legend, and eight time Grammy Award winner, Oscar Peterson, the hardy, continually performing rose is bred for Canadian Winters.

Born August 15, 1925 in Montreal's St. Henri (Little Burgundy) neighbourhood, to parents from St. Kitts and British Virgin Islands, Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, was the fourth of five children. He played the trumpet, until tuberculosis forced him to take up piano at the age of seven.  His eldest brother, sixteen year old Fred, did not survive the disease.

Oscar's father, a porter with Canadian Pacific Railway, was his first music teacher.  Later, Oscar's sister, Daisy - a Montreal piano teacher - provided classical music training.  In 1940, he won a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation national music competition, and at the age of 14, dropped out of school to become a professional pianist, with a weekly radio show, and bookings in hotels and concert halls.

In his more than sixty-five years of performing, Oscar Peterson was, and is considered to be one of the greatest jazz pianists.  Louis Armstrong called him, "the man with four hands", and Duke Ellington called him, "Maharaja of the keyboard".  He released over 200 recordings, my personal favourite being his signature, Night Train.  Another Canadian, jazz pianist Diana Krall heard her destiny, listening to that recording.

The Oscar Peterson rose begins as a creamy apricot bud, tipped in deep coral pink.  It unfurls into a brilliant white, pink edged, semi-double flower, with a golden yellow centre, and glossy leaves.  The flowers are great performers.  They bloom from late Spring to late Autumn, without a "take five".

All of the roses in the Canadian Artists Series are bred for our bitterly cold Canadian Winters.  The Oscar Peterson is hardy in zone three, surviving temperatures as low as -35C (-31F).  It is described as being exceptionally disease resistant.  The plant itself has a strong root system, and grows upright, spreading slightly.  The flowers bloom in sprays, or clusters, much like an entourage or large family.

Oscar Peterson married four times, and had seven children.  The last decades of his life were spent in Toronto, where he taught piano, founded the Advanced School of Contemporary Music, mentored the York University jazz programme, and was Chancellor of York University for many years.

Peterson was also a gifted composer, writing for the piano, trio, quartet and big band.  Canadiana Suite, and Hymn to Freedom, inspired by the US civil rights movement, are his best-known compositions.  

He continued touring until 1993, when a stroke paralyzed him on his left side.  It is a testament to his strength and spirit, that two years later, he returned to public performances and recording studios.  It's said that he played better with one strong hand, than most played with two.  He performed right up until 2007.

In 1997, he received a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement, and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award.  Other awards included, the first Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award from Black Theatre Workshop (1986), The Governor General"s Performing Arts Award (1992), and the UNESCO Music Prize (2000).

Peterson's accolades went beyond music.  Peterson was made an Officer of the Order of Canada (1972), and twelve years later, given the Companion of the Order of Canada, our country's highest award for merit and humanity.  He received the Order of Ontario, the Chevalier of the National Order of Quebec, and was made an officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France.  He also received sixteen honorary degrees from fourteen universities in Canada and the USA.

Oscar Peterson died in Mississauga, Ontario just two days before Christmas, 2007.  He was 82.

The Oscar Peterson Rose bodycon dress is now available in my on-line shop:  http://bit.do/bodycon
Go to the shop, click on the dress, and give it a twirl in 3-D.

Photographs of roses copyright of:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Inc.

Photographs of Oscar Peterson:  Peterson with piano in background, photographer Patti Gower, The Toronto Star;  black and white image, photographer unknown;  Peterson leaning on the piano, photographer Al Gilbert.