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).