Happy PEI Third Anniversary!

It was three years ago today that Cooper and I arrived permanently on PEI . Lloyd had arrived a couple of days earlier. James and I had a lovely trip, and the weather was warm and sunny the whole way. Not at all like this morning - it's -2' and we're only going to reach 3' with a chance of flurries this morning and maybe some rain showers. The good news is it should warm up a little as the week goes on.

I often wonder, if we had known at the time, that it would be over three years before we would be back together living in the same house, would we have done it? I absolutely would have. The last three years have gone by quickly and for the most part have been pretty happy ones. There have been the odd trials and tribulations along the way but nothing I couldn't handle, either on my own, or with a little help from my friends (okay, a lot of help from my friends!).  But soon it will all just be a distant memory and we'll continue this adventure together. I'm looking forward to it.

So not such a busy weekend this time around. I even had to call Brenda last night to see if she remembered doing anything on Friday night. Turns out we didn't. It must have been a pretty quiet night for me as well because nothing came to mind, except maybe catching up on some TV  programs on line.

Saturday was kind of a dull day and it was brutally cold and windy. I was really surprised that so many people came into the dealership on such a miserable day, but I suppose it beat working outside. I had hoped to do some yard work on Saturday after work but it was just too cold. Besides I had to get ready for our "Widow's night".  Being as Brenda and Marlene are without spouses due to a bike trip, and Helena's is working out west for a little while longer, it seemed like the proper thing to do. We all convened at the Van Gaal house and each brought something to nibble on and something to drink. We had great music on the computer thanks to a benefit concert that Mat Anderson had organized for the folks in New Brunswick, that was being broadcast live. What more could we ask for?  Good food, good friends, good music, and alcohol!  Does it get any better?  We had a great evening just sitting around the kitchen table and chatting and before we knew it the evening was over. It was around 11:30 when I got home and headed straight to bed as I had to work in the morning.

It was a quiet morning at the restaurant but busy enough that the time didn't drag.  It was still quite chilly with a strong breeze and cool temperatures so bike riding was out of the question. I called Brenda on my way home and she was already started on her bike.  When I got there I worked quickly to catch up with the polishing and shining. Lucky for me I don't have as much chrome and my paint isn't in the greatest of shape so it doesn't take as long to do mine.

She doesn't look so bad for an old girl

When they were all clean and shiny, we headed into the house to finish off the left over stuff from the evening before. It was a win/win situation - it got Brenda's fridge cleaned out and neither of us had to cook any supper. By the time we finished up the veggies and dip, bruschetta,  phyllo tarts, and part of a bottle of wine,  we were full. Two chocolate bars (left over from our shopping trip a week ago) and a cup of tea rounded things out quite nicely, thank you very much.

Later I headed home to clean up a few dishes I'd left in the morning as well as to make some soup for my lunches during the week. I made a quick and really easy Tomato, Corn and Black Bean soup that will be a healthy and filling lunch at work. (click on the recipe name to be redirected). It's time to make the effort, again, to eat healthy and shed a few pounds.

Friday April 27th - the first bike ride of the season - albeit a short one

It's a chilly 5' this morning but it's not raining here as yet. It is supposed to rain most of the day and reach 13' so not such a great day, but we did need some rain.  I think I'll be needing to cut the grass by the beginning of the week.

Yesterday after work, I met Brenda, Will and Ethan at Papa Joe's for another Burger Love experience. Their  burger went something like this:

The Goddess 

"BOW DOWN AND REVEL IN THE GLORY OF THIS MEDITERRANEAN INFUSED ISLAND BEEF BURGER."


Mediterranean seasoned 100% Island Beef on a Toasted Zatar Ciabatta Bun with Garlic Sauce, Crumbled Feta, Banana Pepper Rings, Frisée Lettuce, Tomato and garnished with a Colossal Stuffed Olive, Pickled Turnip and Battered Banana Rings on top.


We really enjoyed this one. I loved the ciabetta bun and the breaded and deep fried banana peppers were divine. Never had those before but they were great. The meat had a similar flavour to the spicing in a Shwarma and it was pretty tasty. It was served with a choice of sides, which was really nice. Brenda had garden salad, I had Caesar salad, Ethan had the fries and Will had onion rings. It was a nice addition to have that choice. By all accounts it was a success.


When I got home I put my winter tires away (they were still in my trunk) and did a bit of puttering outside. Because it was so nice, and the next couple of days are going to be chilly and rainy, I thought, maybe this would be a good time to take my bike over to Brenda's. We plan to spend Sunday afternoon doing our annual clean and polish.  I called and she had just gotten home so I got my little beast out, suited up, and away I went. It felt good to get back on the road and I was much more comfortable than I was at the beginning of the season last year! That was pretty embarrassing actually. How I never fell off, I have no idea. But this year is already starting out great. I got to the VanGaals and Will had just arrived home so he put my bike up onto a stand so I can reach it easier. Now we're all ready to go on Sunday. 


Biker Update:

The boys made it safely to Laughlin, Nevada, their ultimate destination, and are now heading back home. They didn't plan to spend a lot of time there, it was just the excuse for the trip! They did go a little further, to the California border, so they could take a picture in front of the "Welcome to California" sign. They also managed to have breakfast at the Road Kill Cafe in Seligman, AZ, a spot Lloyd and I ate at during one of our trips. It sounds like they're having a good time in spite of  the heat. They're now headed north towards Colorado. 

One last interesting thought for the day:

Thursday, April 26th

Right now it's a rainy 7' but it should clear later and become a sunny 15'.
Not much to report today. I'm amazed at the number of people from all over the USA that visited my blog yesterday. It would appear that the title showed up when they searched Happy Administrative Assistant's Day. Very cool!

I stopped in to see my friend Donna, in the hospital yesterday. She seems to be recovering nicely from her surgery and may be discharged at the beginning of the week, a little ahead of schedule. She was on her way out on a pass to go for supper when I arrived so I didn't stay too long. She still has a long recovery in front of her but she's much improved. She appreciated that I came with flowers on Admin Day because no one else in her family would understand how important the day is to us. Just to have it acknowledged was nice for her.

The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. Some supper, a little TV watching, a chat with Lloyd and off to bed.

I did notice on my way home how much greener everything is getting, thanks to the rain we've been receiving this week. I think I might have to cut the grass this weekend as it's starting to get a little long in places.

Tonight Brenda, Will and I are  off to check out the burger at Papa Joe's. Hopefully it won't be quite as busy as it was on Tuesday.

Wednesday, April 25th - Happy Administrative Professionals Day!

It's a foggy 9' this morning but we should reach 13' later with sun in the morning and some light rain in the afternoon. We expected rain all day yesterday but it was on and off.

I had the great pleasure of attending the first Administrative Professionals Appreciation Day at Red Shores yesterday. I really expected to see some of the the girls from our old IAAP chapter but none were there. After walking around the trade show I found an empty seat at a table with 3 other ladies and I asked if it was alright if I joined them. They were very welcoming and it turns out one of them is the sister of someone I worked with at Honda.We had a bit of fun with that as I texted him and said I was enjoying lunch with his sister. We had a lovely buffet lunch, of which I ate WAY too much, followed by two guest speakers and some prize draws. I didn't win any prizes but free lunch and 3 hours away from the office were prize enough for me.  Today is the official admin day so to all my old IAAP friends, have a really great day. I'm not sure Cambridge will be hosting an event today as they are preparing to host the Canadian Divisions Conference in June so I'm pretty sure they're really busy with that. So have a great day everyone, where ever you spend it!

I had an interesting experience when I got back to the office as well. I was sitting at my desk when an older gentleman and a younger one walked up to my desk and asked if I was Sandra. I confirmed that I was, and it turns out it was a professor and one of his students from King's College in Halifax. A while back I had been contacted by a student named Iris, for an article she was writing on the island. This professor was visiting the island and wanted a photo to give her to go with her article. He said it would be featured on the College's website and some of the articles would be published in a national college publication. I don't think I had anything very profound to say so I doubt it will make it that far but I'd still love to read it when it's done. I will have to email Iris to send me a link when it's finished.

After work, Brenda was in town so we went to Papa Joe's to try their burger. Unfortunately there was quite a line up so we opted to go to the Merchantman Pub instead for the Mayan Burger which went something like this:

The Mayan burger:


"A TEMPLE OF EXOTIC FLAVOURS FOUND WAY SOUTH OF THE BORDER."

Oaxacan glazed 100% Island Beef with Pickled Jalapeno, White Bean Puree, Roasted Corn and Cherry Tomato Salsa, Guacamole, 
Greens in a Lime Vinaigrette with
Crispy Tortillas on a Toasted Sesame Bun.


All in all a good burger. My first bite I wasn't sure I liked it. I suspect there may be a bit of cilantro in the guacamole and that may have been what I was getting. But the beef was juicy and flavourful and once I got into it I enjoyed it. We split this one along with a Greek salad. After the huge lunch I had there was no way I would have been able to finish a whole burger but in retrospect this one wasn't that big so it would have been okay.

Tuesday, April 24th - lunch out for me today!

It's a balmy 14' this morning, but not raining as expected. We should get quite a bit of rain in the next 24 hours along with some high winds but the temperature will remain pretty stable where it is. It was a quiet evening yesterday. After getting home I found the house chilly and damp so a fire was desperately needed.  I'd stopped at the store to pick up some basics - milk, eggs, etc and the headed home. I had planned to visit a friend who's in the hospital but I was just too tired to be much company. Mondays are always crazy busy so you never stop all day, and I think I was still a little tired from a busy weekend. I'll stop by tonight or tomorrow night.

Lloyd got me on to an older TV show that I've been watching on Netflix and I only had 2 episodes left to watch. I was keen to get to the end, which I did. Then I discovered the new season started on April 8th so after some research, I was able to download the first two episodes. Needless to say the evening was spent in front of the computer.  But now I'm all caught up so the urgency to get to the end is gone. Now I just have to wait for new episodes to turn up each week.

I didn't talk to Brenda last night. She had a meeting and I'm not sure what time it took place so I have no news on the whereabouts of the two hairy bikes. I will report more on that tomorrow.

Today I have a 3 hour luncheon in honour of Administrative Professionals week at Red Shores. In the past I was always involved in hosting such an event so it will be quite a treat to just sit and enjoy the speakers and the whole experience. It's being hosted by the track and it's really nice of them to do this, all free of charge. I'm quite looking forward to it. So, I'd best get going and dress up a bit today!

Monday. April 23rd - it was lots of work but a success

The weather network says it's 1' and raining in Charlottetown but I don't think it's quite that cold here and at the present time (5:30 am) it's not raining, and hasn't been for a while. But that could well change at a moments notice. It appears we're in for rain most of the week but milder temperatures.

The table all set for company

Saturday was our big dinner for the folks from Brenda's church. They bought the catered dinner at the silent auction quite a while ago. Friday Brenda met me after work so we could go grocery shopping. I had gone to the beer store at lunch time.  We had thought about a burger for supper but we opted instead to bring everything home and put it away and then have nachos.  We agreed to start early on Saturday morning.

Bright and early Brenda arrived and we set to work. I had some stuff done, but there was still lots to do- some cleaning and some prep. We made a list of tasks and slowly worked our way through it. By early afternoon we were in good shape. Brenda had things to check on and do at home, with Bernie away,  so she went home and I finished up the last few little tasks. Then I had a nice relaxing bath and  got dressed. She arrived back at 5:30 and we carried on. Our guests arrived promptly at 7:00 and we greeted them with phyllo cups with cream cheese filling and jalapeno pepper jelly while they enjoyed a drink.

Then we proceeded with the first course, a simple mixed green salad with a choice of 3 dressings - homemade creamy herb, mandarin orange and sesame, and Kraft Catalina. The Kraft dressing was the hands down most popular.

The main ready to be served

After the salad, we served a puff pastry tart with slice tomatoes and bread and fried goat cheese rounds on top. This dish was also well received. Our main course was  bœuf bourguignon (beef stew in red wine). It turned out well except I overestimated how tough the cut of meat was that I had so it was overcooked. Instead of keeping it's nice cubed shape, it fell apart into shreds, which is better than being undercooked. We served it over roasted garlic whipped potatoes. It was a hit as well.  For dessert we served Tarte Tatin. It looked great when it came out of the oven but the apples were very juicy so the pastry got soggy quickly. Some of the dessert came back but I think they may also have been a little too full - it was a lot of food.  But they seemed to enjoy it and I hope they had a nice time. The feedback Brenda received in church Sunday morning was positive so that's a good thing. We'll see what happens if we do it again next year.

Finally the chefs get a chance to sit down and eat

       It was a long day and they left at 10:00. Brenda and I cleaned up and she left at 10:30 - a pretty long day for the both of us.


Sunday I worked at the restaurant from 9:45 to 1:30. It started off really quiet then picked up a little around lunch. Not as busy as last week but the weather was kind of odd. It was windy and 15' when I left to go to work and when I went out to my car at 1:30 it was raining and 4'. Quite a shift. I had hoped to take my bike over to Brenda's in the afternoon so we could start polishing them but not in that weather. Too many memories of a similar trip through New Hampshire many years ago! 


Instead I watched a bit of TV and then called Brenda. She and Helena arrived to pick me and and we decided to try the burger in Montague, at Sir Isaac's -  one of last years winners. This year it's:


THE DUCHESS


"THE REGAL SUCCESSOR
TO THE THRONE OF 
ISLAND BEEF TASTINESS" 

100% Island Beef mixed with Sautéed Fresh Mushrooms in Garlic Butter and stuffed with Blue Cheese with Mustard, Ketchup Relish, Sautéed Onions, Pickled Banana Peppers, Grilled Parmesan, two slices of Bacon, Romaine Lettuce, Tomato and Butter Pickles on a toasted Kaiser.


It was a very tasty burger. The meat was really juicy and the melted Parmesan and hot peppers added lots of flavour. All in all, another great burger. Which brings me round to another problem. Both Brenda and I were discussing weight on Saturday and I'm a little disgusted with myself for having gained back most of the weight I had lost in the fall. And I know it's totally my poor eating habits. I'm also waking up with heart burn in the night and I know it's all food related. So, today I've set myself a goal. I'm going to try to lose 20 pounds before my 60th birthday, which is in little more than 3 months. I don't think that's an unrealistic goal but maybe if I have a specific date in mind I might be able to do it again.  Here's hoping. That doesn't mean I can't have any more burgers, it just  means I have to limit myself to eating just half of it - so either sharing or bringing half home for another meal.  But I need to do this. 






Biker Update: 


Saturday the boys were in St' Louis, Missouri and yesterday they were somewhere in Texas so they're making good progress. Apparently the early part of the trip was 40'F and rain but by yesterday it was 85'F so things had much improved.  Raymond had a bit of trouble with his bike so a stop at a Harley shop was needed but they were soon back on the road again. Otherwise all is going well.

Friday, April 20th - burger # 6

It's an overcast  1' this morning but we should reach a sunny 15' this afternoon. It was nice and sunny yesterday but only reached 8' - too chilly for me to contemplate going out on a motorcycle, but lots of people were.

After work last night I met Brenda and we went to Daniel Brennan Brickhouse to try their burger. It was a very tasty choice, albeit a messy one. The sauce on it was very nice but made for a bit of a drippy mess. It had a soft pretzel bun, similar to the Old Triangle but it was chewier in texture. All in all a very good burger but we would suggest they invest in some wet naps. It would improve the dining experience tremendously. It was my first visit to this particular restaurant and the atmosphere was very nice. It wasn't very busy so we pretty much had the place to ourselves except for one other table. They basically gutted the place right out to the brick walls and massive ceiling beams. It's very nice but I can imagine it might get noisy when it's full of people, but I suppose we would have to try it out again before we make that judgement!

Daniel Brennen Brickhouse - 
The Executive

"SHAKE HANDS WITH THE CHARMING AND DELICIOUS CEO OF FLAVOUR INC.!"

100% Island Beef with Double Smoked Bacon, Peppercorn Gouda, Leaf Lettuce, Spicy Aioli and Crispy Onions on a Homemade Buttermilk Pretzel Bun with a Deep Fried Gherkin Pickle.


Nothing else is new this morning. I've noticed that past week that someone has been 'visiting' frequently from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I thought it might be Greg as he is away this week, but Patti texted me to advise he's in North Carolina, so I know it's not him. My only other suspects might be Judi and Gail, but doubt they would read this every day. So I have no idea who it might be, but who ever it is, Hi from PEI!

Biker Update:


Bernie called to advise they were crossing the border at Sarnia mid afternoon yesterday.

Thursday, April 19th - it's cold again!

I had thought I might be done with fires for this year. The house didn't feel too bad last night when I got home, in fact it was quite comfortable. So I cleaned all the ashes out of the stove and left it. Unfortunately I woke up at 4:30 this morning and I was VERY cold. Although the temperature in the house was 61' it still felt quite chilly lying in bed. What else could I do? Get up and light a fire.  The Weather Network says it's 2' but there's frost on everything so I think it might be just a touch colder here. We're only going up to 7' today, although the sun will be shining, so I suppose we're not quite done with wood yet.

Last night was spent tidying, dusting, and generally working on the list I made yesterday, of things that need to get done before Saturday. I talked to Brenda last night and she has a couple of things to do in town today and will be there until shortly after 5:00. Guess what that means? You've got it - an opportunity to try yet another burger. The remainder of my cleaning can wait  till a little later. I still have to make the shopping list so I've got the cookbooks loaded up in a bag and I'll do that at lunch time. If I take my lunch today I can use one of the tables in the lunch room to work on.

My lunch hour was recently switched from 11:45 to 1:30 and I'm totally loving it. Now when I got out at 1:30 all the lunch people have gone back to work. There are  no lineups, lots of parking spots, and it's just generally much easier to accomplish more things in a short time. Yesterday I had 4 stops I wanted to make while I was out and would usually have only gotten 2, maybe 3 if I was lucky, done in the hour. But I finished all 4 and still got back 10 minutes before my hour was up. And now, if I do use the lunch room, it's empty so I have the place all to myself. How selfish is that? Now I can read my book in peace and quiet.

I love this time of year. Each day when I get home, things are just a little greener. The green of the winter crops in starting to brighten the fields and the sides of the road are noticeably more colourful. The grass in my yard is slowly starting to turn green and if we get the rain forecast later in the week, it will explode with colour the first warm sunny day we get. It's so nice after looking at dead, brown grass for so long. The trees are still a long way from having leaves but soon they will be bursting open, as will the blossoms on the apple trees.

Apparently the bikers made it safely to Toronto, as reported by Meghan, and should be headed across the border from London, sometime today, I would imagine. Hopefully the weather there is slightly warmer than it is here or it might be a chilly start to their adventure. But they're headed south so the weather should get progressively better.

Wednesday, April 18th - back to more seasonable weather today

This morning it's 6' outside with a bit of cloud cover and it's only going up to 7' later but the sun will come out. I suppose this is more appropriate for this time of year. And yes, there is possible snow flurries by the weekend so we're not quite there yet.

Yesterday morning I stopped into the Van Gaals to drop off cookies and joined Brenda and Bernie for a quick coffee before I went to work. The truck and trailer were all loaded and ready to roll. Brenda told me last night they were on the road by 8:00 in the morning. They had a beautiful day for travelling.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate for the whole thing and they don't run into any of the tornadoes that have been plaguing the mid-west US states. They plan to travel as much of Route 66 as they can till they arrive at their destination in Nevada, somewhere about an hour and a half from Las Vegas. Should be a great trip.

Last night Brenda came over and we worked out a game plan for the rest of the week. I have the house switched around so the table and chairs are in the living room to provide our dinner guests with some privacy on Saturday. I have some cleaning to do that I will finish up this week. Then Friday we'll meet after work and pick up the groceries and perhaps find a burger on our way home. That way we will have all day Saturday to prepare without having to go back into town. I'm looking forward to it, although it will be a little strange hosting a group of people in my home that I don't know. But....

............that will be good practice because THE TV PEOPLE CALLED ME YESTERDAY!!!

They were supposed to be here at the end of February and since I hadn't heard anything,  I assumed I just didn't get chosen. But things took a little longer than they expected. They're coming to my house on Saturday, May 5th to do a video interview, check out the space to see if filming is possible and I have to cook something for them. It has to be something simple that can be completed in 30 minutes but at the same time show off my skills. It will be the first week of lobster season so I'll work with that. I do have a game plan.  It's a little intimidating but exciting at the same time.

Tuesday, April 17th - More gorgeous weather on the way

My internet connection is painfully slow this morning so this will be fairly brief. I woke up to 11' this morning with just a little  wind - what a beautiful morning all ready and the sun isn't even up yet. Yesterday it was a bit breezy but it was sunny and warm and lovely - 18' when I left work.  When I got home I spent time outside raking and tidying up around the yard. I still have a ton of work to do out there, but it's starting to shape up. We're expecting more of the same today - I can hardly wait. I dragged the BBQ out but I didn't try lighting yet to ensure it works. I did try starting the lawn mower and it started right away. I knew she wouldn't let me down. All I need now is the compressor to blow up the flat tire and I'll be ready to roll. The grass hasn't started to turn green yet, much less grow, so I think I'm safe for a little while yet. But with this warm weather it won't be long. Once we get a good rain it will probably turn green overnight.

This week our big project is getting ready for the dinner we donated to the silent auction at the church fundraiser. The lady who bought it works at Bulk Barn in town. I was in there the other day and she's very excited about it. They've decided they would like to come here instead of us going there and that's fine. But with the table in the kitchen we thought it might seem weird for us to be cooking and serving and then just hovering over them as they ate. So I've moved the furniture around in the living room and the table and chairs is now in front of the fireplace. I think it will work okay. Brenda is coming over to help get ready for it. I'm also quite looking forward to it as they are basic meat and potatoes kinds of people so we'll see what we can do to broaden their culinary experience a little bit - but nothing too severe. 

They've chosen the French menu I prepared for them but have asked for a couple of substitutions. Tonight I'll work on the recipe part of things and make the shopping list. It should be fun - I hope it goes well. So the bulk of this week will be getting ready for Saturday evening for Dinner at Denny's!

Last night I got this  picture of Tristen in my email.  Who wouldn't be intimidated by such a fierce competitor on the lacrosse field?  

Patti says he's really happy because:   

A) his friend Charles is on his team and   

B) he doesn't have to skate! 

 

I think he'll probably really enjoy playing lacrosse because there's lots of running and he's a pretty energetic little boy. 

I talked to Brenda last night and it seems that everything has fallen into place and the guys are leaving on their bike trip this morning. I baked Bernie's cookies last night so I'll drop those off on my way to work this morning. I'm sure they'll get eaten on the road between here and Ontario.

Monday, April 16th - Welcome home Will !

After a nice sunny weekend, it's 6' this morning and heading for a sunny 18' later on.

It was a fairly quiet weekend. Brenda and Bernie were later in the evening getting back from Boston so I was on my own Friday night. A good time to get groceries, and look for a white shirt for my waitress job. Not so successful so I planned to look further on Saturday afternoon.

Saturday was warm and sunny and work was crazy busy. Good for them but not so good for me trying to get any work done.  When I was finished I continued my search for a white shirt and finally found a couple that will work. On my way home I stopped at the Van Gaals to see what our next plan of attack might be. Bernie was working on a motorcycle that was giving him a little grief so he decided it might be best to take a break from it. So a little later the three of us ventured back into town in search of a burger. We decided to try the restaurant at the Race Track. I have to say that so far, it's my favorite. I found it to be very flavourful and juicy and not too big that it was awkward to eat. I really enjoyed the kettle chips that you could order on the side as well as the panko crusted deep fried dill pickle on the top of the burger .

 100% Island Beef on a Homemade Kaiser toasted in Bacon Fat, Tomato Jam, Aged White Cheddar, Maple Cured Smoked Pork Belly, Battered Fried Green Tomato, Local Greens, Pickled Red Onion, Roasted Garlic, topped with a Deep Fried Panko-Crusted Pickle.

Sunday was a beautiful morning - very bright and sunny with no wind. A perfect day to work outside but I had to pass it up to start my new job. I was scheduled to work from 10:00 till 1:30 but I ended up being there until 2:30. I could have stayed longer but I chose to leave as Brenda and I had planned to go kayaking and we had limited time as she was going into town to pick Will up at the airport at 6:00.

So we've had our first kayak of the year. It wasn't that long or that far but it was far enough for the first trip out. We had to share the river with several other boats out for the first day of fishing season - we're not used to that.  We noticed something swimming in the water, you could just see a little bit of the top of it's head up ahead. So we followed it but whenever we got close it would dive down under the water. In one spot we followed one of the little alleys of water through the rushes but we could only go a little ways. On our way back out I was almost at the main stream when it swam by right in front of me. I'm fairly certain that it was a beaver. There are beaver dams along the river in numerous spots. Unfortunately it caught me by surprise so I didn't have time to get a photo.

We stayed out at late as we dared, and by the time we got back and Brenda dropped me off she only had a little bit of time to go home and change and get back into town.

Once I was home, I did a few things around the yard. I had planned to blow up the flat tire on the lawn mower but I couldn't find the compressor. It's normally in the shed and I looked everywhere. No sign of it. So I called Lloyd later to see where it might be and it turns out it's in the basement. Now that's a challenge. I might have to invite Will and Brenda over for supper one night and see if I can persuade him to help me get it out of there and back into the shed.

Friday, April 13th - Happy Triskaidekaphobia Day

 Well, it's a chilly 0' this morning, and overcast but at least the wind has died down. We're heading for 5' today but the possibility of snow flurries this morning. So pretty much the same as yesterday, although I don't think it got that warm, and we did get a few flakes in the afternoon.

So the interesting thing about July that I posted yesterday, was totally wrong. A reader left a comment that July 1st this year is actually a Sunday so that throws the whole thing out the window. Gee, I guess you can't believe everything you read on the Internet.  Who know?  That would have been  one fact I could have easily checked but I didn't. Guess I'll know to double check the next time. (I thought it was a pretty reliable source)

So another quiet night although I did go up to the restaurant in Morrell and chat with them. I'm going to do a couple of shifts serving tables in the next couple of weeks to see how it goes.  I can already see where we have a difference in philosophy that might be an issue so it might not work for either of us, but we'll see.  It's worth a shot. I expressed a possible interest in maybe working in the kitchen and they were very receptive to that but I suggested we take it one step at a time.

I was chatting with Patti yesterday via text messaging and it seems that James has himself a summer job. He passed his umpire course so he'll be working this summer at the little kids games. I haven't talked to him but I'm sure he's pretty excited to get paid some real money. I mentioned it to one of the salesmen at work who met him while he was here. Paul was impressed with the fact James chose to wear a suit and he looked so business like. Paul says he's quite the boy. He suspects that somewhere down the road he'll open up a website and there will be James as the CEO of some big company, and he'll be able to say "I knew him when he umpired baseball".  He did make quite an impression.

Other than that, not much new to report. To better support the service counter and their customers, my lunch hour has been changed from 11:45 to start instead at 1:30 which suits me just fine, thank you very much. I get back to my desk at 2:30 and the afternoon is really short. I love that. Hopefully it will work and it stays that way.

Triskaidekaphobia (from Greek tris meaning "3", kai meaning "and", deka meaning "10" and phobia meaning "fear" or "morbid fear") is fear of the number 13; it is a superstition and related to a specific fear of Friday the 13th, called paraskevidekatriaphobia orfriggatriskaidekaphobia.. 


One time, many years ago we were at Trivia at the Pub in Fergus. The question being asked was "What is Triscadecaphobia" After several responses mine was "The fear of crackers" ie Triscuits. Well, Peter, the quiz master, never forgot that and occasionally mentioned it over the years and I will always think of him on Friday the 13th . So Peter, if you read this,  Happy Cracker Day.

Thursday, April 12th - what a difference in a day

Yesterday was sunny and very mild - a beautiful spring day. Today we will reach a high of 5' and we may receive up to 3 cms of snow before morning. The weather says it's 2' right now at 5:30 but it feels milder than that. Of course there is sometimes quite a difference in temperatures between here and town.

It's tricky this time of year to keep the temperature inside moderated. Some days you need and fire going, and some days you don't.  I didn't light it yesterday morning as it was going to be mild and sunny and it was fine last night when I got home. I didn't light it last night either, although I did have the fireplace in the living room on for a bit. I fully expected it to be quite chilly inside this morning and I was surprised to find it's once again quite comfortable. But with it only going up to 5' today I've lit it this morning to get ahead of the cold. When Patti and the kids were here, the weather was also up and down and we had to re-light the stove each day. At one point,  as I was crumpling up paper to put in to get it started, Meghan asked, "Do you have to do that every day?" It must have looked like a lot of bother to her to have to do that every time you wanted some heat. I assured her that in the dead of winter, when it's cold all the time, you just kept feeding it wood and it kept going. I suppose it must seem pretty primitive to the kids, who only know that flicking a switch makes the house warm. They helped bring in some wood when they were here so now they have a bit of a connection to how it stays warm inside. I'm sure in their minds, they think they are visiting pioneer days when they come to Grandma's house. And I don't think that's a bad thing.

It's pretty quiet around here this week as Brenda is gone to Boston with Bernie. It's kind of sad to know that there will be no more tulips. Last week we received 4 bunches and they've lasted the longest of any I've received so far. They are still quite beautiful after almost a week.  I'd forgotten that she was going with Bernie this week and tried her house phone and cell yesterday  and when I didn't get an answer on either one, I figured it out.

So last night when I got home I searched the fridge for something to eat. I had taken a ball of pizza dough out of the freezer in the morning and I had some mozzarella cheese, but that was about it. What to do? So I rolled out the dough, spread salsa on top, chopped one lonely jalapeno pepper that was sitting in the crisper drawer, a slice of red onion and grated some cheese, piled it all on top and called it done. After baking for a few minutes, it came out looking not too bad. In fact it was quite tasty. I cooked a minute longer than it needed so the crust was a little crisp but it was tasty and easy to eat as I read my book at the table.

I'm giving some serious thought to taking myself out for a burger tonight but then that wouldn't be fair to my tasting partners, so I guess I'll just have to be patient and wait. There are a couple I'd like to try before the end of the month. One in particular that we should have tried when Lloyd was here - sorry but I just read about it yesterday. The burger at the Delta has a real piece of lobster on top so I would like to try that one and the one at Red Shores also intrigues me. Obviously more research is necessary.

Wednesday, April 11th - it's going to be a beautiful morning

It's already shaping up to be a gorgeous morning. The sky is clear and there is no wind. It's only 1' but we should reach 12' later. Yesterday was much better than predicted with sun for a large part of the day and 15' temperatures - we'll take it.  Bernie should have nice weather for his last drive in the Tulip Truck.

Not much to report today. I made a list when I got home last night and was able to cross a couple of those things off. I called a sick friend (she wasn't home so that's a good sign), wrote a letter to another friend and posted a recipe for yet another.  Fran had asked for a recipe for Red Cabbage and it can now be found on the other website - www.atourislandtable.blogspot.com

Once those things were done, I felt justified in watching some TV - the newest episode of Mad Men - one of my favorites.

While checking my email I came across this:
I don't forward chain emails but just to be safe I've posted it here so everyone can see it!
(I actually put it here because it's an interesting tidbit of information.)

 THIS IS THE ONLY TIME WE WILL SEE AND LIVE THIS EVENT 

Calendar for July 2012 

July

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

This year, July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. This happens
once every 823 years. This is called money bags. So, forward this to
your friends and money will arrive within 4 days. Based on Chinese
Feng Shui. The one who does not forward.....will be without money.

Tuesday, April 10th - everything should be back to normal today

After our snowy Easter weekend, yesterday turned into not too bad of a day. It was a mild 7' and sunny for a large part of it - not what had been predicted. Today should be more of the same with a mix of sun and cloud and a high of 10'.

I talked to Lloyd last night around 7:15 and he was about 50 km from Brockville so he was making good time. He anticipated arriving home sometime around midnight. Hopefully that was the case. It would give him a chance to catch a few hours of much needed sleep before he heads back to work this morning.

Last night Brenda came over and she was on a roll! Her intention was to just sort through her stuff and get organized again. But she got inspired and was working like a house on fire. Every now and again the inspiration hits and you have to do it right now or it's gone. Good for her for getting so much done. I, on the other hand, sorted some pictures, and found paper for them but I still have to think about them for a bit. The right idea hasn't quite come to me me yet but now that the basics are there I can continue on next time. I need to visit the scrap book store and get some motivation.

So, as promised, here's the burger we had on Saturday at the Globe.

The Kaiser Von Burger at the Globe 

"THIS ISLAND BEEF MONARCH RULES WITH TRADITIONAL GERMAN FLAVOURS."
Two 100% Island Beef Patties, Caramelized Onions and Sauerkraut, Double Smoked Bacon, Romaine Lettuce, Tomato, Whole Grain Mustard, Emmental Cheese all on a Toasted Sesame Kaiser with a Gherkin on top.

While it was a tasty burger, it probably wasn't our first place choice. I liked the idea of the sauerkraut on the burger but it seemed a bit bland. I like sauerkraut with a bit more tang. It also made the burger difficult to eat as the layers tended to slide around. But still a good effort. I do love their fries though - thin and very crispy, just the way I like them.

Tonight I plan to catch up on some overdue stuff. I have some emails that desperately need replying to, a sick friend I need to call, and a couple of letters to write. If it's nice out when I get home I think I'll spend a bit of time outside picking up branches and then I'll tackle the 'list' when I get back indoors. So if you're on that list, I haven't forgotten you.

Monday, April 9th - it's a calmer day today

This morning it's 1' and just a slight breeze and heading for 7' with a mix of sun and cloud. Nothing like yesterday.

Lloyd had planned to leave around noon yesterday to drive back with the car and trailer. Just as he was literally  getting ready to leave - the car was packed and he had his coat on, we received a message that the bridge was closed to high sided vehicles and cars towing trailers. I called the bridge people to see if that included little trailers like ours and it did. So much for that plan. It had snowed some overnight (about 5 cms) but not as much as was predicted (15 cms) but it was VERY windy. The decision had to made and he decided to leave early this morning. So as I write this, he's sitting at the table having tea and something to eat before heading out. It will make him a little later getting there but I'm glad he waited - it was a pretty miserable day out there yesterday.

As far as an Easter Sunday goes, it was pretty quiet. We went out to brunch in Morrell in the morning, mostly to see what the roads were like,  and then once we got home - and he wasn't going anywhere, I put some pasta sauce in the slow cooker for supper. I decided to make spaghetti - one of Lloyd's favorite meals, with lemon meringue pie for dessert. I hadn't planned a meal as I wasn't expecting him to be there but it worked out fine.

Brenda and Meghan came over to finish cutting out items for her friend's scrapbook pages and that took most of the afternoon. We worked on those while Lloyd went over and visited with Bernie, who was doing some work on his motorcycle in preparation for their upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon. That should be a lot of fun.

Let's see, how was the rest of our long weekend? Friday I was off and it was a bit busy. Richard came over in the morning and had some stuff for Lloyd to help him with on his laptop, in preparation for their upcoming vacation as well. Then Brenda and Meghan came over to start on the scrapbook pages while I prepped our supper for Friday night. We were having one of the previous owners over for supper - Edwin Walsh. He arrived at 4:30 and what a pleasant evening we had. He had all kinds of memories about the house and how it used to be laid out. Turns out what is now the living room was once two rooms, a small bedroom at the back and the parlour at the front. What is now the kitchen was also two rooms, a small bedroom at he back and a small kitchen at the front. The sun porch at the side used to be twice as big and was once the dining room and the back porch was also bigger and was once the summer kitchen. There used to be another set of stairs to go up and the one set that is there now used to face the other direction before the bathroom was there.  All in all a lot of really interesting information. He thinks his sister may have some old photos but her health isn't great and a lot of things are packed away in boxes. Hopefully one day they will be found. He also has a married daughter with 3 kids who would love to come out sometime so I suggested he give her my number and we can get together. What a great evening, I'm so glad to have met him.

Saturday turned out to be a pretty quiet morning. Lloyd went to Bernie's to assist with a bike (or at least provide some moral support) and go into town to pick up another bike, and have breakfast. I stayed at home and filled up my wood box, puttered around a little outside, had breakfast, a hot bath and read a book. Not a bad way to spend the morning. It was very sunny but still chilly. I washed out wine bottles to take to town to fill. By the time Lloyd got home it was time to head into town. We were sorely disappointed to learn that they were all out of bottle your own wine at the liquor store and won't have any until the end of the month. What a bummer!  
So off to the Globe for some drinks and some Blues with Meghan (1) and Brenda. Bernie was going to join us later.  The Saturday afternoon live music program has become extremely popular. We did have a reservation and it was a good thing as the place fills up to capacity very quickly. We had their burger and it was tasty, but not the tastiest we've had so far. I will have more on that tomorrow.

After a coffee at Timothy's Meghan left to join up with some friends and we gave Brenda a ride home. (Meghan had her car and Bernie got delayed with a customer and didn't make it to town).

All in all, it was a pretty good weekend, but alas, itss Monday morning so back to work for me, and back to Ontario for Lloyd (and Meghan (1), who flies out this morning as well).

Good Friday, April 6th - Happy Easter Everyone

It's o' outside but the almost full moon is shining brightly in the sky,heading for sun and 5',  my sweetie is asleep upstairs and I have 3 days off work. Does it get any better than that???
So, Wednesday afternoon, Lloyd calls to tell me that he didn't get on the flight he hoped to get on and was in Montreal. The good news (or so he thought) was that he knew he could get on a flight to Moncton. So his plan was to fly there (arriving at 11:25 at night), stay overnight at a hotel and then take the bus over in the morning. Great plan, except for one little glitch - there are no buses - they've been out since the fall due to a work stoppage.
So it appears there is only one solution - ROAD TRIP! I agreed to drive over after work and pick him up. So after I called Brenda and told her what was going on, as our evening plans depended on whether or not he got here, she offered to go with me.
After driving home, changing into jeans, switching cars and grabbing something to snack on, I picked her up and we headed down the road. The trip was uneventful, fortunately and we arrived in rainy Moncton with about 1/2 an hour to visit the mall. After touring around there a bit and window shopping some after everything closed at 9:00 we headed into downtown to find something to eat. The lady at Eddy Bauer had suggested The Pumphouse and the name rang a bell with me. I was pretty certain that was the place some of my IAAP cohorts frequent when in town on conferences. Wasn't that the place with the blueberry beer? The Eddy Bauer lady confirmed, yes indeed, it was. Brenda had a vague idea of where it was and we found it with no problems.

Once inside we ordered two wood fired pizzas - a garlic finger one and a BBQ chicken one washed down with two small blueberry beers. Not a bad way to pass a bit of time! I really enjoyed the crust on the pizza and was impressed with how it came out of the wood fired oven. Got to get me one of those!!!

After leaving we toured the City of Moncton. I've only really been there a couple of times and haven't really seen the city so we drove all around and Brenda pointed out places she was familiar with.

Eventually it was almost time to go to the airport so we stopped first at a Tim Horton's and managed to close that place too. Turns out they close at 11:00 so we were able to get our coffee and tea just in time. From there we went to the airport and picked up Lloyd who arrived right on time.

Once we got headed back onto the road, Brenda attempted to catch a bit of sleep in the back while we sat up front. It must be difficult for someone to try  to sleep in a car with me and the deaf guy trying to have a conversation. Not only does everything have to be repeated several times, each time it's repeated the volume is increased. Not conducive to sleeping, I'm afraid.  We had a safe trip although at one point we passed a brightly lit transport truck parked on the other side of the road and while I didn't see it as I was busy watching where I was going, Lloyd noticed some debris on the road that looked like chunks of meat so I suspect the truck may have hit some kind of animal. We didn't stop as I didn't want to create any more hazard by being in the way but it appeared to be under control as the driver was walking in front of his truck so it appears he wasn't hurt and there didn't appear to be damage to the vehicle.  It's a scary thought that you might 'run into' a moose on that stretch of road. Having lived in Northern Ontario for many years I am all too familiar with that risk.

I always breathe such a big sigh of relief once I've made it to the bridge. Then I know the remainder of the trip will be without incident  - or at least that kind of incident.

All in all a pretty good trip, and after dropping Brenda off at her house we were home by 2:15. Needless to say it was a short night but I did sleep in till 6:30 instead of my usual 5:00 but it was a long day.

SO now I'm getting through the day, a little sleep deprived but looking forward to lunch with Lloyd at the restaurant that is right next to my place of employment. We had a meeting with a lady to go over some investment/banking/financial stuff and she suggested we meet there as it was most convenient for me. So I arrive at the restaurant at 12:03 and she arrived a couple of minutes later. The waitress eventually came and asked what we wanted to drink and I ordered a club soda. Not an option, so I chose water instead, not a problem. We waited a while for her to come and take our order, but we were busy talking so I didn't notice how late it was getting. Lloyd and I ordered the sea food chowder and Margaret ordered a salad. We continued on with our conversation and at one point I did think, gosh, it's taking a while for the soup. Finally she came back and announced that there was no sea food chowder, Did I wish to order something else?  I looked at my watch and realized that it was 12:55. My lunch hour is pretty much over. I told her it was too late, I didn't have time to wait. If she had told me that 20 minutes earlier I could have made another choice. So I was finishing up my conversation and getting my coat on to leave and the waitress comes back and announces it's okay, they have some now. Again I explain as I finish putting on my coat, that my lunch hour is now over. Then just as I'm saying good bye she arrives with the salad and chowder for Lloyd.
I wandered back to work, tired AND hungry!

Not to worry. We will make up for it after work with a burger downtown, and make up for it we did. We chose the Old Triangle for our Burger Love and I wasn't disappointed. I think so far it's my favorite. I really liked the bun - the same dough as a soft pretzel ( one of my most favorite snack foods) and the meat was juicy but not so juicy that it ran all over and the bacon was extra crispy, just the way I like it.. The only criticism I had, and the waitress says most people say the same thing - was the lobster fritter on top of the meat. While I liked the crispy fritter it didn't contain much lobster. In fact I would not have known it had lobster in it if the menu didn't say so. SO for that I think they may have missed out on having a top winning burger but on the whole, I really liked it. We chose to buy one burger and split it which is actually a great idea. Then you can order something else to try as well. In this case it was the chicken dip that Brenda and I had eaten before and we both really liked it. We probably could have done without dessert but the rich warm brownie with chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream was a pretty good end to our meal.

"FISHERS + FARMERS = THE ULTIMATE TEAM. 
A SUPERBLY BALANCED BURGEr EXPERIENCE." - the Surf and Turf

100% Island Beef topped with Caramelized Mayo, Butter Lettuce, Tomato, Double Smoked Bacon, and homemade Lobster Fritter on
a Pretzel Kaiser with a Dill Pickle and Lemon garnish.

On our way home we stopped into the liquor store and picked up a bottle of white wine for tonight's dinner and then headed home.

Needless to say it was an early night for me.