Stone Soup

Four bottles of fine wine, a holiday gift from my boss, were delivered by couier today. What a nice surprise. I decided to look them up on the internet before opening and I am glad I did. The Ascheri won't be at its best for a couple of years but is best decanted if served now. I think I will put it away. The other three are good now. . . and I will try one soon, very soon! I am sharing the tasting notes here.

I am so tired of shopping I couldn't care less about getting out to do more in the Boxing Day sales. Today is cleanup day and recovery...hope to relax this afternoon and see a movie after dinner.

Here is my happy couple, Glenn and Grace. They came for dinner yesterday, her mom, dad, sister and brother in law came also with the baby. I had forgotten what it is like to have a 1-year old around.

And here are a couple of shots of her ring. They are so happy and I am so pleased they are to be married. She is a lovely girl.

I usually drop by the Dorval Deli for a smoked meat sandwich, when I am in Monteal, at least once and sometimes more than once. Can't get the same taste here. I didn't get a chance to do that this time so I brought it home. Montreal smoked meat sandwiches, right from my kitchen. Mmmm!

You start with some good very fresh rye bread and spread it thinly with mustard. . . just regular yellow mustard.

Pile the bread high with thinly sliced hot Montreal smoked meat. Only old fashioned Montreal smoked meat has the correct seasoning, the best texture. It is simply excellent. Unique. Don't be stingy with the meat, pile it high, so high you can hardly get your mouth over the sandwich. Cut the sandwich in half and enjoy! A nice dill pickle on the side goes well with this.

and emotional eating.

These cookies were in the cupboard when I came home from Montreal today...they have been there for weeks. I finished the package in a short time.

and then I saw these sitting on the chair in the dining room....they came home with me from Costco last week. They will be opened when I am not so sick from the cookies.

The auxilliary caregiver called my sister's home yesterday morning when she could not get inside, because my mom could not get to the door to open it. We left for her home right away, my brother in law brought a bag of tools to remove the door but didn't need them after all; she had crawled to the door. We got her settled, cleaned up and comfortable. I talked to her about going to a nursing home; this is too hard and it hurts so much to see her struggling like this, looking uncared for, looking unloved.

When I arrived back in Toronto today I called her but the line was buy all afternoon. Called my sister who wasn't home. I eventually called 911 and was directed to emergency services in Montreal. They sent the police to check in on her...she is in the hospital now but I am sure they will have her back home, alone, by bedtime.

She needs full time nursing care but will not allow it...we will have to go to court to make it happen. She is not safe alone in her home but she doesn't want to leave.

Aren't they cute?

I finished wrapping almost all my Christmas gifts yesterday but ran out of gift bags. These fellows are sitting on the couch waiting for their bags, which I will buy tomorrow when I can get out to the stores. They are plush Christmas/Winter animals holding ultra-soft fluffy micro-fibre throws. . . so nice to snuggle up with while watching the television or reading a book. Don't they look nice?

I am keeping the reindeer, or is it a moose?

This was my front doorstep December 24, 2006.

It was warm outstide, comfortable to go out in a light sweater.

What a different Christmas we will have this year. The snow will continue here through the night, and some days next week call for snown and freezing rain.

I am on vacation as of Monday evening and was planning a drive to Montreal to visit my family and deliver gifts. Craig is coming with me, possibly Glenn too. What scares me is remembering the time I hit ice and spun around 360 twice on the 401 before we landed in the ditch. My car was never right after, the boys in the back seat were shouting, "Mom, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!" We sat in the car stunned at the bottom of the ditch for a few moments then they got out and pushed the car up on the highway again (we were 10 feet down) and two tires were flat as pancakes. Rims ruined too. But we were safe and uninjured.

After the tow to a garage in a nearby town where the car was repaired, I was so shaken my youngest son drove the rest of the way to Montreal, his brother beside him and me in the back seat. They didn't trust me to drive...and they were quite right.

When we returned to Toronto, I began to have trouble with the engine of my car, a lovely Grandprix that I loved. I always wondered if it was the trip to the ditch that started the trouble. The car eventually went to a scrap yard, looking beautiful but way too expensive to repair. It was a five years old. I am sure the accident did it.

So, now I am careful about what kind of weather I travel to Montreal in.

A storm is ripping through southern Ontario and Quebec. Usually Toronto doesn't get hit very hard...just enough to make road travel pure hell but that isn't saying much for this area. Road travel is bad in any weather. Today the city is at a standstill...I wonder if they will call in the army this time. Toronto just cannot handle snow.

I sat warm and comfy in my home, watching the progress through my windows, camera in hand. My son came over this afternoon, in his brother's car because it was blocking his in the driveway. He got stuck on the roads a few times (most people in this city do not have snowtires, I don't either) and finally reached my visitor parking lot where he got stuck permanently. Glenn was restless while he was here, worried about getting back home. He left and after a while was back at my door, the car was hopelessly stuck. He walked home and will be back later with his brother to push the car out.

It is snowing again, pretty if you don't have to drive to work. It snowed all night, there are squalls all over the area and the city of Toronto didn't get the ploughs out; they wait until the last flake falls then hope the sun will come out and melt it all. It is called saving money. No wonder insurance rates in this city are the highest in the country. I am feeling ugly about it all.

Oh well, I'm off to Tim's to grab a coffee for the drive...think I will make it an extra large this morning, I am going to be on the road a long time.

And The Drive In, This Morning:

It is an icy morning on the roads after a storm yesterday. The skies are dark but the city of Toronto is waiting for the sun to come out and melt the ice. (saves money you know) So, wary of black ice, I got on the highway behind another Honda, as we began to pick up speed his back bumper dropped on the road in front of me. The whole thing just dropped and spun around on the road. Traffic was moving at a good clip. I kept going but swerved over to the shoulder escaping the spinning bumper which was on it’s way over to the middle lane, where it eventually stopped as far as I could make out in my rear view mirror. The bumperless car pulled over to the shoulder. I think he was going to try to retrieve his bumper. Fat chance in that traffic! Cars were swerving right and left to avoid the bumper but barely slowing down.

Sorry, I didn't get a camera shot of all this! I was busy.