Down Time

    Freezing rain forecast overnight and into tomorrow, so we're not done with Winter yet! I don't think I will be stepping out of the house any time soon.

    This last week has been a quiet one for me as there were no classes at the Seniors' Centre. I did find a fitness class at a local church on Wednesday so got a bit of a workout. And there was Bridge on a couple of afternoons which broke up the week. Things will be considerably busier in the coming days.

   Today I was busy in the kitchen basically because I had overstocked the fridge and had a bunch of wilting vegetables to use up. I made a gigantic lasagna which will make at least six servings for the freezer. Also made imitation cabbage rolls which will make 4 meals, one of which I will have tonight with bread from a loaf I baked in the bread machine yesterday. My freezer will be jammed!

Spring Equinox

     Yesterday I ate lunch outside in short sleeves and bare feet. Today it's snowing! Typical Canadian Spring weather.

St. Patrick's Day

    This weekend is traditionally the time to celebrate with the Irish when all things are green (including beer!). On Friday I attended a revue called "Lilt, Laughter and Song" put on by our local Theatre group. Very entertaining with lots of jokes, skits and, of course, plenty of Irish songs. It was very entertaining and concluded with a lively sing-a-long. Beer (not green, just the regular shade) was on tap but I indulged in a glass of wine, just because.

   Spring is definitely arriving with a vengeance and, after some rain this morning, the snowbanks are shrinking and the sidewalks losing their grubby appearance. We will likely have the odd day or night of lower temperatures but the end is in sight. I even spotted some bright green shoots in the vegetable patch against a sunny wall, my early garlic which I planted last Fall. Can't wait to see some Spring flowers poking their heads up but, so far they are still dormant. One good thing, it will be some time until I have to start cutting the grass!

Some Gifts and Freebies

     Nobody doesn't like getting something for free and this month one of our coffee chains has a promotion on that is always very popular. It's called "Roll Up the Rim". The coffee chain is Tim Hortons or "Timmies" if you are local. The idea is that certain of their paper cups hide a surprise under the rim which you roll up once you have finished your beverage.

   We get a 12-cup container for refreshments at our knitting group and this week I managed to snag two cups that offered a free coffee. So, today I got a large decaf cappucino, more than I usually buy, and it was delicious. I dutifully rolled up the rim of that cup and found I had won a donut - the Timmies donuts are seriously yummy. So, on Thursday, along with my second winning coffee I will have a sour cream glazed donut, my favourite. Not a bad haul considering I didn't have to pay for the initial coffee!

   It was oldest grandson's 19th birthday on the weekend and he received a rather unusual gift from his mother. Next year he is moving out of residence into a shared apartment so she gave him a miniature crockpot which will be just right for easy meal preparation once he is living on his own. It just holds enough for one meal and she will stock him up with frozen meals to pop in the crockpot before he leaves for his classes and it will be ready when he gets home from school. I think it's a brilliant idea and much more economical than take out. He is not a bad cook but pre-planning and shopping for groceries is not his forte. At least we know he will now be able to have a nutritious, healthy meal.

Finally Lebanon

    After three aborted attempts to sample the food of Lebanon, we finally made it to Paramount restaurant for lunch today. I have to say the food was delicious but now I am feeling rather overstuffed as it was very rich. I think a little goes a long way with Lebanese food.

   Several people ordered the chicken shawarma but I chose the Veggie Lovers option which included hummus, falafels, an eggplant dip, roasted cauliflower and some other pickled and fried vegetables. Also arriving at the table were huge "balloons" of bread to share and use for scooping up the dip. Quite a novel way of eating. The meal ended with halvah brownies.

    Just a bowl of soup and half a sandwich for dinner tonight!

Shrove Tuesday

    Not sure if I got the date right but we celebrated today with a Pancake Breakfast at the Senior's Centre. The weather has been deplorable recently and was raining today (first rain of Spring) so only hardy souls turned up, around 40 or 50. Still, in my opinion, it was worth braving the elements for a tasty meal of pancakes, sausages, orange juice and coffee for $5! And I made some new friends which is always a bonus.

    I just managed to squeeze it in between a grocery shop, charging my car and making it down to Bridge by 12:15. Cards were OK and I had good partners but wasn't in the money this time around. Next week the community centre is busy with children's programs as it is March Break so we plan to relocate to a nearby pub which will be an interesting change.

   The piles of snow are lingering on and the weather seems to fluctuate between icy winds and snow pellets so we are still some way away from Spring-like weather. Maybe today's rain will signal the start of more clement weather. We can but hope!