Ahh! Home sweet home! After several weeks of vacation and work travel, the words “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home” have been ringing in my head this week. I reflect on the joys of staying home in week 33 of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a sustainable living tip for the week.

Also this week: understanding your risk of osteoporosis, cutting your household’s food waste, and a lesson in Swift-onomics.  

The Sunday Spark – Week 33

On my mind this week: There really is no place like home

As I sat down to write in my journal on August 31, the first thing that came to mind was “It can’t possibly be the end of August!” The summer of 2023 has been a little too hectic for my liking. July and August flew by in the blink of an eye—and now it’s September.

In addition to my daughter’s big move to British Columbia, a big part of the reason I feel so frazzled is the amount of time I’ve spent away from home in recent weeks. Between July 22 and August 24, I was away from home for 19 days on three separate trips. While I love a change of scenery and discovering new places, there’s something so satisfying about returning home!

When I got home from my work trip to Seattle last week, I was so excited at the prospect of sleeping in my own bed for a few weeks, catching up on mundane things around the house, and seeing family and friends who live locally. And to make my return home even more joyful, our deck and patio project was completed while I was gone, and our new outdoor furniture arrived a day later.

Here in southern Ontario, it has been a strange summer with a lot of heavy rainfall. In recent years, September and October have provided some of the best weather of the year. I’m counting on several more weeks of sunshine and warm temperatures so we can spend some time enjoying our new outdoor space.

Because…as the song says…there really is no place like home.

Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.

Three highlights of the week

It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:

• We got a close-up look at the Great Blue Heron at our local pond the other day. It usually hangs out on the other side of the pond from the trail, so it was great to get a closer view.
• After I returned home from my trip to Seattle, I learned that several people from the conference had tested positive for COVID. Thankfully, I didn’t get sick and did a few tests that were negative.
• On Thursday, I enjoyed a delicious sandwich for lunch with tomatoes from the garden and toasted homemade seed bread.

Three things I learned this week

Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:

Food waste

In these days of high inflation, making our grocery dollars go further is a must. I was surprised to learn that a Canadian family of four throws away about 10% of all the food they buy, and over 20% of the food waste in Canada occurs at the household level. That’s about 79 kilograms (176 pounds) of food every year—20 kilograms more per household than our American neighbours. (Source: MoneySense)

How common is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is more common than you might think. In Canadian women, osteoporosis-related fractures are more common than heart attack, stroke and breast cancer combined. And one in five men will break a bone due to osteoporosis over their lifetime.

To reduce your risk, ensure you get enough calcium and vitamin D. And a regular exercise program with walking, resistance training and balance exercises can also reduce your risk. (Source: Good Times)

A lesson in Swift-onomics

A couple of weeks ago, I lamented the woes of Taylor Swift fans who tried in vain to get tickets for the six Toronto shows on her Eras tour. On a positive note, Swift’s visit to Toronto will give the city, and our province’s, economy a big boost.

The Eras tour is predicted to be the highest grossing tour of all time. Moreover, the tour could generate $4.6 Billion dollars for the U.S. economy. Her two shows in Colorado boosted the state’s GDP by $187 Million. (Source: CBC News) Double that for the two Toronto weekends, and convert it to Canadian dollars, and we’re looking at over $500 Million of economic activity thank to the Eras tour. Yowza!  

Sustainable living tip: Ways to cut back on food waste

Cutting back on food waste can make a huge difference in your household budget. Second Harvest reports the average Canadian household wastes $2,000 of food each year.

This week, let’s make a conscious effort to avoid wasting food. Check out 12 practical ways you can cut food waste for tips on how to do that.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.