happy birthday to me!

july theme song

And plenty more coming in the weeks and months ahead. Though I guess that's always the case...

purple

sangria peppers

eggplant flowers 

and ready to eat

creeping thyme

my very first blueberry!

june theme song

Living my country dream for two whole days. Oh, there will be car wheels on a gravel road.

birthdays

Took Ayva to Brush Fire yesterday for a very belated birthday date. Was way more fun than I expected and I now understand why painting ceramics was all the rage back in the what... 60s? 70s? My kitchen scrubby frog definitely seems of a 70s vintage. I painted a new water bowl for the cats, O painted a bulls eye dish and Ayva did a frog. But not a scrubby frog....

This was followed by a trip to Dairy Queen, so a pretty darn good evening. Looking forward to next week when we get to pick up our ceramic masterpieces. But in the meantime...

My beautiful sister and I are heading to our cabin at Crooked Mountain this weekend for some birthday celebrating of our own. We're about half way between each of our birthdays so we'll make some toasts, eat some birthday cookies and engage in some highly competitive Aggravation playing. Can't wait!!!

"spring" has sprung-ish

Since I've been bitching so much about the weather lately, I thought I'd post a few pics to show that all is not horrible (even if it isn't as awesome as it could be)...

Garlic I planted last fall is coming up!

Ditto the fancy heirloom rhubarb.

The kitchen window is open for business.

Oh ya.... and Cleo has shed about half her body weight in fur, so it must be spring!

may theme song

Feels totally wrong to use a commercial as my theme song but:

1. This is what I have in my head all the freakin' time these days and it is totally catchy;
2. A quick internet search reveals that I'm not the only person who wishes this was a real song and not a jingle;
3. I have been watching a ton of hockey this winter (and by watching I mean, knitting and listening, and then watching the replays when anything exciting happens). Go, Sens, Go!

H-O-C-K-E-Y!

more freakin' snow

I'm going to change the name of this blog to Catherine Complains About the Weather. Jeez, man. More snow!!! I can't take it!!!!

Maybe it should just be Catherine Complains.... leave things open for mosquito season, should it ever arrive.

In any case, we didn't get hit as bad as Dauphin. They had 20 cm as of 10 a.m. with snow continuing throughout the day and overnight.  Hehheh. Always some small joy in someone else having it worse than you.

Tomorrow (that's May 1st, folks) is the 5-year anniversary of O and I moving into our house. We celebrate every year by taking a picture of ourselves in front of our humble abode. The weather is supposed to be *sigh* snow and a high of -1. I'm going to try my very best not to look miserable. Don't want to give the impression that our home is anything but happy. Because it really, truly is the place where my heart is.

flowers

Flowers at Jumilla Stories. Flowers in my inbox from Kana. These are my poor flowers but I'm not complaining.

Dianthus, doing their best.

Oh wait.... yes I am.

Winnipeg has apparently set another weather record. We've never gone this far into April without hitting +5. Go Winnipeg!!! Forecast for tomorrow is +1 with snow overnight, turning to snow/rain on Wednesday. But after that things start to look up. Which is great because our community clean-up is on Saturday. And I'm getting mighty sick of looking out the window at this...

Lexi's little buddy, Linus, wondering WTF?!?

april theme song

Going to make you work for this one. Go to the Great Lakes Swimmers page on CBC Music, then click on the Albums tab, then scroll down to Bodies and Minds, then click on List Tracks, then on When It Flows. *phew* But it's worth the work, I promise.

What a crazy 9 days! Good things, bad things but overall loads of upheaval. O came home from three months of treading the boards in Alberta. I actually got a job (one-year, .8 EFT term but not complaining). Our sewer came this close to backing up but thankfully we caught it in time. Had a big blow-out with my dad. Not my finest moment perhaps but I firmly stand behind everything I said (er.... yelled). Tomorrow I'm taking O to his long awaited knee surgery.

AND the weather has been brutal. -19 going to work this morning. -26 if you count the wind chill, which I do since I was walking straight into it. Sometimes a song called When It Flows is just what's needed.

When it flows from the fingers

And turns to stone

It shatters with the touch

Feel the air, breathe it in

Turn the corner, take the bend

Give or take the bend

It's a spiralling cork-screw path towards you

It's a sinking, twisted path from me to you

For a second I saw you so clearly (clearly)

For a moment I knew you so dearly (dearly)

I looked into your eyes and into your mind

You were laughing like a statue come to life

The subtle piano raindrops

The creaking of the buildings and their cellos

The wind was our violin

The sky was a symphonic mural of stars

Hiding behind perfectly placed clouds

Because everything is the way it is

And everything is perfect in their imperfections

And everything is placed the best

And it is now, and it is here

And tomorrow is another now

Waiting to happen

The roar of an action silences all the words

The cry of an accomplishment

Drowns the whimper of ten thousand words

And we live in our actions and our reactions

And we live in our actions and our reactions

march theme song

Still on the job theme. Or lack of a job theme. With Spanish subtitles!

defying winter

Perhaps I'm taking the wrong attitude....

I'm just bitching whereas Canadian Granny says, "No mosquitos today!"

Trying to picture my mom doing this and failing. Trying to picture anyone I know doing this and failing.

vernal equinox

I'm stalling. It is gorgeously sunny and as long as I stay inside, drinking the amazing coffee my sister brought back from Costa Rica, I can pretend that it is actually a nice day. And not minus 33 with the wind chill. With a big pile of snow to shovel. *sigh*

I can only stall for so long because my pooch really does need a walk. *sigh*

I have so many things to do indoors that it is easy to stay in my jammies drinking coffee. Like applying for more jobs, putting together a feedback form for the workshop last Friday, cleaning the house, eating cookies (thanks Mama!), listening to Q and trying to figure out how the new Ikea bathroom cupboard goes together.

But then there is this....

takemeouttakemeouttakemeouttakemeout

One more cup of coffee, then I'll put on long johns, parka, scarf, big mitts, toque, Sorels and we'll go. Happy spring, everyone! *sigh*

classic prairie winter redux

Where's Catherine?

We definitely have more snow than ever in our backyard. It may not look like more than usual but trust me, it is. Apparently 10% more than average. Most of the patio is covered, the snow is piled up against the fence (rather than in a big heap that the dog can run around) and I have made a wee path to the compost bin. Nice of O to choose this winter to go away and leave me with the shoveling. :]

Currently dealing with an ice dam that is causing a leak onto my bed. Sleeping in the living room until it is sorted out. And guess what I'm dreaming of whilst sleeping on the sofa bed? Spring.

february theme song

Sort of - it's definitely my theme for the month but this isn't quite a song.... Good ol' NFB!

pros and cons

Five good things about the frigid temperatures:

1. Yesterday I arrived at my house at the exact same moment as the Jehovah Witnesses. But because I was wearing my burka - er - parka, I was able to walk right past them without them recognizing me.
2. It's sunny! It's sunny! Hurray!
3. I like sleeping in socks with lots of heavy blankets.
4. Coffee tastes even better than usual when I have my hands wrapped around the mug.
5. Lexi enjoys winter and it is nice to have an enthusiastic companion when I head out doors.

Five bad things about the frigid temperatures:

1. My poor chapped hands. :[
2. It is nearly impossible to get out of bed in the morning, what with all those blankets weighing me down.
3. The wind really does a number on my eyes. And the constant tearing really does a number on my cheeks. Bought facial oil today!
4. Despite my enthusiastic companion, I don't really want to go outside. But because of her, I have to.
5. Our heating bill will be through the roof.

Aforementioned enthusiastic companion...

january theme song - bonus edition

Two theme songs this month. Although the original speech given by Haile Selassie I at the United Nations in 1963 referred specifically to the exploitation of Africa and the nuclear arms crisis, his words are still incredibly relevant today. Feeling dispirited on several fronts this week and not sure that Bob Marley is helping. 50 years and nothing has fundamentally changed...

That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned; That until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained; And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been toppled and destroyed; Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will; Until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven; Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil.

But there is another part to the speech, which didn't make it into the song. And this is what I'm trying to keep in mind while I listen... to be a better person; to have courage; to stand up against prejudice; to be thoughtful and considerate.

And we must look into ourselves, into the depth of our souls. We must become something we have never been and for which our education and experience and environment have ill-prepared us. We must become bigger than we have been: more courageous, greater in spirit, larger in outlook. We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not to nations but to our fellow men within the human community.

it was a dark and stormy day

Not much snow yet but the wind is howling and the temperature is dropping. The sun never came out and I haven't been able to wake up properly today. I can't imagine living in Iqaluit or someplace colder and darker than Winnipeg. It is definitely one of those days to fill your belly with something hot. May I suggest roasted parsnip soup? If you have the ingredients on hand, of course. No sense heading out in this. I don't have the ingredients; I have something better...... leftovers!

This soup seems complicated but it's really not. Roast the veggies, warm broth and cream (I used milk), blend. I found the immersion blender didn't work very effectively so I used a regular blender. And the parsley oil was really pretty but it didn't add much flavour. You can definitely skip it.

Yukon Gold Potato, Parsnip & Roasted Garlic Soup with Parsley Oil

Parsley Oil:

1/2    cup (125 mL) Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2    cup (125 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt

Roasted Garlic:

2    heads of garlic, tops sliced off
Olive oil
Sea salt

Potato & Parsnip Soup:

1    tbsp (15 mL) melted butter
1    tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
2    lbs (1 kg) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
3    parsnips, peeled and cubed
2    onions, peeled, stemmed and quartered
4    cups (1 L) vegetable broth
1/2    cup (125 mL) heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Parsley Oil:

Combine parsley leaves with olive oil in a food processor. Process until puréed and bright green. Let steep for about 1 hour then strain oil through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding solids and reserving oil. Season with a little sea salt then transfer oil to a jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Roasted Garlic:

Drizzle garlic heads with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil.

Potato & Parsnip Soup:

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). In a large bowl, combine butter and olive oil, whisking to mix. Add next 3 ingredients and toss to coat. Place mixture and wrapped garlic in a baking dish; season vegetables with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for about 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring the vegetables halfway through the cooking time. Remove baking dish from oven. Place vegetable mixture into a large pot set over low heat along with broth and cream. Using an immersion blender, process until mixture is smooth, adding more broth if soup is too thick. When garlic is cool to the touch, squeeze cloves into soup. Using an immersion blender, process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste; cover and cook until soup is warmed through.

To Assemble:

Spoon soup into bowls then drizzle with Parsley Oil and some fresh cracked pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

january theme song

I miss O. On Skype, there are no debates over the correct meaning of the word 'fey' or how tight Lexi's collar should be. Even the purchase of a new duvet cover happened without any wrangling. *sigh*

We used to leave the blue lights on and there was a beat
Ever since you have been gone it's all caffeine-free

Hmmmm mmmm hmmmm....
None of them want to fight me

Combat baby come back baby 
Fight off the lethargy
Don't go quietly
Combat baby
Said you would never give up easy
Combat baby come back

Get back in town I wanna paint it black
I want to be wrong but

La la la la....
No one here wants to fight me like you do

I try to be so nice 
Compromise
Something something.... seventies child 

Do doo doo doo Do da doo doo

Combat baby come back baby 
Combat baby come back
Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye baby
Combat baby come back

How I miss your ranting
Do you miss my all time lows?

i hereby resolve to....

Looking back at previous years, it is clear that I don't have a great record of success. *sigh* The two main resolutions that keep showing up are fitness and finances. I do okay for a while and then something happens, I falter and then try again the next January.

My 2009 resolution was actually accomplished. When I turned 40 a year and a half later I was in great shape. Very fit, felt fantastic.... and then..... grad school, followed by a midlife crisis, followed by bronchitis, followed by more grad school, followed by meningitis. First on the list...

1. Exercise daily. With no specific goals in terms of losing weight, shrinking a size or anything like that. Just want that fit, fantastic feeling back.

1b. Eat properly. This is really only for the next three months. I usually have a good diet but when I'm on my own I tend to get lazy. No popcorn for dinner.

Finances are okay. Not saving but not going deeper into debt. Just need to maintain the status quo. The monetary problem I've had the last year is my lack of employment. I don't need a job while I have a scholarship but not being able to find a job has been incredibly distracting and caused a great deal of anxiety. So...

2. Quit stressing about lack of work. It isn't helpful and it is taking up brain space that should be used for school.

Which brings me to number three...

3. Buckle down! O. is gone until the beginning of April. How much of my thesis can I get done between now and then?

And finally...

4. Brush Lexi's teeth daily. I was doing this in the fall for about 6 weeks and her breath improved noticeably. Then I went away for three weeks and didn't really get back into it when I returned. It would benefit both of us if I take up this task again. :]