My Mother and I have both been watching for a copy of this cookbook. So far I have not found it where I can buy it at an affordable price for me. This one is going for $150, too much for me to fit into the budget even for this cookbook. Prices vary and most of the time it isn't available.

I first found this cookbook years ago when I was visiting my Aunt Emma (she was my Grandfather's sister, so my great-Aunt). She lived in British Columbia, Canada and I visited her a couple of summers when I travelled out on the Greyhound bus from Ontario. I had a lovely trip and one thing I very much remember still are all the great, traditional Ukrainian dishes we cooked. I wrote down some of the recipes and, when I was home again, I tried them myself. I had great success with one which was basically tomatoes cooked with butter, sour cream and cabbage. It was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten, not what I expected from a dish which featured cabbage.

Anyway, Aunt Emma is gone and I never saw her cookbook again. I don't know who got it, or if anyone actually did. So I have kept watching for it to turn up.

When I was asked to write about a cookbook for Squidoo my first thought was, of course, this old Traditional Ukrainian Cookbook. I found two on Amazon, but one is without the cover and both are pretty over my meagre budget. I'm not giving up hope on finding one for myself. More and more cookbooks are turning up in thrift stores as people are finding recipes online rather than using printed cookbooks. So, I'm sure my cookbook will come.

My favourite recipe...

Hard to pick between the cabbage rolls we have been making for as long as I can remember or the recipe from the cookbook with cabbage, tomatoes and sour cream - which I don't know the name of.

I like old fashioned things for young women. I'm also a history buff, a bit traditional with a cultural slant. So, charm bracelets are one of the things I have always liked. I have one.

My Mother bought me the bracelet and gave me the first few charms which I added to the chain. Later, my Dad brought me back a few more charms from his business travels. I have one which came as an oval picture frame and we had a photo of my sisters and myself inside the charm. But, that photo faded to almost nothing and now I can only see an outline of my sisters and I really. But, I know it's there.

That's another aspect to the charm bracelet. Each charm is a preserved memory. Something representing a moment in your life. An event, like a wedding or your first big trip overseas. A person, like the charm your Grandmother gave you one Christmas with the thistles of Scotland, her home country. Or, something just special to yourself, like a flying saucer charm because you really love science fiction and hope all your dreams of aliens from space aren't just wishful thinking.

Some Charming History

Charm bracelets may have started as an amulet to ward off bad luck or evil spirits.

In prehistoric times charms were made from clay, shells, and animal-bones. Gems, rocks and wood would have been used later, as tools evolved. As people and charms evolved they were also protection from spirits and in battle. Charms were also used to identify affiliation with religious and other types of groups.

The first charm bracelets (versus charms kept individually or worn in other ways) appeared 600 – 400 BC.with the Babylonians and some time later the Assyrians, Persians, and Hittites.

Queen Victoria brought new popularity to charm bracelets when she designed her own charm bracelet to mourn the death of her husband, Albert.

The Industrial Revolution brought changes all over but it meant items like jewelry became easier and cheaper to produce, thus they became available for the common people, not just those who were able to afford the more exclusive and valuable jewels.

In 1889, at the Paris Exposition, Tiffany & Co launched a chain link bracelet with a single dangling heart pendent. The charm bracelet became fashionable.

Soldiers from World War II brought charms/ trinkets home as souvenirs from local craftspeople in the areas they had visited during the fighting.

In the 1950's and 1960's charm bracelets were created to reflect life events. Movie stars, like Elizabeth Taylor, wore charm bracelets which brought more interest for teenagers to have charm bracelets of their own.

I have a real connection to dragons, more than enjoying dragons in fiction and role playing games... I AM a dragon. I was born in the year of the dragon. I don't especially care to mention which year at the moment, however. By the Chinese zodiac, every 12 years there is another year of the dragon. Dragons are the only sign in Chinese astrology which are not a "real" animal. If you think about it, most of them are farm animals, the dragon is the only magical creature in the group.

Dragons are mystical, mythical, magical, monsters... or are they? How do you play a dragon in a role play game (RPG)? Is your dragon a great gamer or on the sidelines? Have you ever designed your own dragon?

(Mostly) Free Games for Dragons to Play Online

There are web-based games with a lot of players. Dragon Fable and Dungeons & Dragons being two I know and have played. Dragon Fable comes from the Adventure Quest series of games. If you are on Steam, you can find the new Adventure Quest 3D, dragons included.

I have not played Istaria, but the game is active and updates about servers are posted to their Twitter account (which you can find on the main page of the site).

Legend of the Green Dragon is quiet but not gone.

If you want something simple and text-based try Dragon Hearts.

I'm listing these smaller (less well known) games in hopes they will be found and gain new players. Free games need fresh players to keep them active and actively in development with new features and better gameplay. Without players they tend to wind down and fade away.

Things to consider if you want to be a dragon in a role playing game:

• Colour, patterns or textures
• Scales or other armour
• Age and wisdom
• Hatchling or elder
• Hoard of something: gold, books, etc.
• Curiosity
• Love of conversation and riddles
• Seeker of knowledge
• Tend to be loners
• Magic
• Wings/ Flight
• Fire breathing or some other type of substance/ energy
• Element: Fire, Water, Air, Earth
• Shapeshifting or were-dragon or dragon/ human hybrid
• good or evil or something in between

Making a Dragon Character

Dragon Looks

Look at patterns on other scaled animals like lizards and snakes. See which colours and designs your dragon could (or should) have. Keep in mind the type of climate your dragon lives in and how much time they spend outdoors versus inside a cave or house. An outdoor dragon is going to look far more rugged and weathered than a dragon living softer, gentler life.

You might want a pretty dragon, based on fantasy more than a realistic looking dragon. Scales can be a rainbow of colours or patterns. Some dragons have horns and some don't. Some dragons have extremely long tails and huge wing-spans, some are more compact.

Dragon Abilities

Dragon characters must have both strength and weaknesses. No dragon should be all powerful. The weaknesses make the character more interesting in game play.

Consider the sort of armour your dragon has. Maybe your dragon even wears extra armour created by a blacksmith or wizard. A dragon may have thick scales which mean it will be heavier and less able to fly high or for long distances. Or, a dragon who flies far and well is likely to have thinner scales and huge wings which will not be so great for hand to hand combat situations.

Dragon Size

Dragons can be so many sizes, mammoth, larger than life Godzillas or teensy little dainty butterflies, or even smaller. When you create a dragon as a character keep in mind the practical aspects of the game. You don't want a character that will be too big or too small for the other gamers. If your character is exploring caves your dragon will be pretty bored sitting outside, alone, waiting.

A huge dragon will be mighty and intimidating. A smaller dragon will interact better with the other characters in the role play game. For one thing, they won't have to tone their voice down from a massive boom to a gentle whisper. A teeny dragon who lives in flowers may be too timid to speak to anyone at all but they could be excellent at dodging when in combat, if they have to fight.

Currently Metropolitan Toronto includes a lot of other small cities and towns. Metropolitan Toronto now reaches out to areas beyond the original borders and far beyond it's own city limits. This large mass of area has become known as The Greater Toronto Area - the GTA for short.

I grew up in a small town which was on the edge of the big city of Toronto. When I was still a kid the town was called Port Union. By the time I was in high school our town of Port Union had become part of Scarborough, absorbed into the suburbs of the city of Toronto. Scarborough is the eastern suburbs of Toronto. People sometimes refer to it as Scarberia because it is over an hour's drive from downtown Toronto to the edges of Scarborough.

I never quite liked the loss of identity from our smaller town, forgotten in history. Port Union lost it's place on the map and become a non-town. If you drive out there you can still find one long street named Port Union Road, but that's all you will find remaining from the early days of the area being independent from the suburbs of Toronto.

However, that's how big cities grow. Toronto has grown a lot from the days of being known as York (Muddy York) over 100 years ago.

The GTA combines the regions of the City of Toronto, York, Durham, Peel and Halton.

I don't live in the GTA now. I moved farther north and I live in Simcoe region, just outside the reaches of the northern part of the GTA. Someday this may become absorbed too, but I'm pretty sure that will be far into the future. Not everyone is eager to move farther north after all. Most of the population density seems to be heading east and west of the Toronto area.

The History of the GTA - The MegaCity of Toronto

In 1998 the sprawling suburbs of Toronto: York, North York, East York, Scarborough and Etobicoke became part of the municipality of the city of Toronto. The megacity, The Greater Toronto Area came into being. Toronto became the largest city in Canada and the fifth largest in North America.

The addition of Halton, Peel, York and Durham is unofficial, as far as I can tell. Sometime after the forming of the megacity people began referring to locations by how far they were from Toronto. For instance, if you were thinking to drive out to Richmond Hill from Toronto you decide it's not too far because it's still in the GTA. But, if someone is thinking to drive out to Barrie, they might rethink it. Barrie is outside the GTA, at least another half hour drive.

The whole GTA thing is usually a way of measuring the distance of any place from Toronto. "How far is it, is it still in the GTA?" When you meet people online and think about getting together there is an imaginary line around the GTA and few people want to cross it. If you are in the GTA you think anything outside of the area is too far. If you are outside of the GTA you think about driving through the GTA traffic and usually look elsewhere to meet people.

Barrie is a small city in Ontario, Canada. I'm the webmaster for the Barrie Historical Society. (The Barrie Society has closed/merged with Simcoe County Historical Society). I've just taken on the job, as a volunteer so the site is not quite ready for prime time yet. But, I wanted to share the historical photos/ postcards I have found of Barrie, so far. (It's also a good way to keep another back up copy of the images as I do find more to add).

The Barrie motto is on the coat of arms: People are the City.

A Bit About the City of Barrie's History

Barrie is a city on Kempenfelt Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario. Former and merged community names include Nine Mile Portage and Kempenfeldt. Allandale and Innisfil are not officially merged with Barrie but they share some resources and public services.

First Nations People used the western shores of Kempenfelt Bay to rest and stop over before continuing on the portage which linked Kempenfelt Bay through Willow Creek, connecting Lake Simcoe to the Nottawasaga River which flows (eventually) to Lake Huron.

Barrie's Military and Industrial Heritage

Barrie became a settlement with houses and warehouses in 1812. Barrie was a military outpost, an important supply depot for the British forces. The old portage route was used for communication, military personal, supplies and equipment to and from Fort Willow and Georgian Bay / Lake Huron.

In 1833 the community was named for British Admiral Sir Robert Barrie, in command of the naval forces in Canada and a frequent traveler along the portage route.

After the war Barrie thrived on industry. Huge trees were logged and shipped out to become masts for British ships and railway ties across Canada. During the winters massive blocks of ice were cut from Kempenfelt Bay then shipped down to Toronto, Buffalo and New York for refrigeration use. There were three warehouses to store the ice so it could continued to be kept and shipped out during the rest of the year.

In 1865 the railway connected Barrie to the City of York and all the growing industry the young Toronto.

The Barrie Tanning Company was the oldest industry and stood until being demolished in 1979.

Modern Barrie History

In the 19th century Barrie was a final stop in the underground railway, allowing slaves from the US to build new lives in Canada. Shanty Bay was named and developed from this.

In 1950 Highway 400 became an express route for commercial, business and personal travel between Barrie and the rest of central Ontario.

Minets Point (a popular beach and picnic area in the 1950's) had a dance hall which burned to the ground in the 1960's.

On 31 May 1985, one of the most violent and deadliest tornadoes in Canadian history, an F4, struck Barrie.

In June 1987 the sculpture, Spirit Catcher by Ron Baird, came to Barrie from Vancouver, B.C. where it had been part of Expo '86.

Barrie hosted Live 8 Canada in July 2005 at what was Molson Park and is now known as Park Place. Most of the site (stage, buildings and trees) has since been destroyed for commercial development.

Well-known residents have included Jeff Buttle, Olympics bronze medal winner for men's figure skating in 2006.

Fire has been a problem for Barrie's historical buildings in the past and has still been the cause of loss as recently as 2007 when the Wellington Hotel was lost due to arson. (The case is still ongoing).

In 2011, Barrie was the 34th largest city in Canada.

Barrie Places and People

• City of Barrie
• Tourism Barrie
• Barrie Public Library
• MacLaren Art Centre
• Simcoe County Historical Association
• Barrie Historical Newspaper Archive - Our Ontario
• Simcoe County Postcards
• Urbex Barrie