Such a nice visit...

Just noticed that I have a fridge full of healthy foods; things like fresh lettuce, broccoli, celery, carrots. I deliberately purchased this stuff because I know that Jennifer enjoys good fresh veggies and she likes to ensure the boys have them too. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, when Jenn and the boys came to visit Timmins this week our only nod toward really serious meal-taking involved some fabulous New York strip loin steaks we had Wednesday. Jennifer also made a salad that was so good we all had seconds on the salad. But after that, I enjoyed going off the garden path and into the land of chocolate-cake-breakfast, chips & poutine at Gillies Lake, and BBQ ribs at Auntie Sue’s place. We also went through three packages of Reese’s cups, Oh Henry’s and Hershey bars, not to mention the amazing cheese & onion potato chips. There was also the choco-banana milkshakes where we threw chocolate cookies into the blender with the swirling ice cream, just for fun. Those were so good. Well, I just checked the fridge and noticed that all I have to eat for the next week is good wholesome food. All the good junk is gone. I sure miss those boys!

Amazing Westree weekend ...

It was nice to enjoy another long weekend in Westree with the Alexander family. The big difference this weekend was getting to enjoy the time with just about everyone else in the community. It was the official celebration of Westree’s 100th anniversary as a community. I really enjoyed it. Aside from the amazingly clean fresh air, and the incredible peace and quiet, it was nice to chat with people at the Texas Horseshoes tournament. Another nice part was the release of the 100 anniversary book put together by Roger Latour and Denise Alexander. Unfortunately Roger died several weeks back and could not enjoy the event. Everyone seemed to agree though that Roger was there in spirit. The other good part of course was spending time with the Alexander household and enjoying Don and Denise’s hospitality. It was like Christmas all over again. I liked getting up early in the morning and enjoying the coffee and Bailey’s for breakfast… and then within a couple of hours, Denise would cook up and huge country breakfast. Another nice part was the fact that Demetrios brought his family to Westree. It was so nice meeting Nick and Helena, who were on their first ever visit to Northern Ontario. They’ll be spending a couple of weeks in the bush camping and fishing and I know they will sure have something new to talk about with all their friends in downtown Toronto.

Beat the parking ticket! Uh huh!

A good thing happened this week when I went to court. I won the case against my parking ticket. Yep, got the ticket back in May when I went to lunch downtown. Came out an hour later and saw the ticket. Wait a minute, I put money in the meter.

Sure enough there was still time on the meter. But this was no ordinary parking ticket… apparently, even though I paid the meter, I was getting in the way of daytime street sweeping. This was a $50 fine. Whoa! 50 buckaroos is a lot of money. So I challenged it, did some research and the court agreed. It seems the no-parking sign the city posted was an incorrect no-parking sign. So I was pleased I didn’t have to pay the $50. So were the four other people in traffic court who had the same tickets I did. I wonder how many people just paid the fine?

Work is noble ... Grandma said so.

I was just driving home from work, when I spotted a fellow on Cedar North, going door to door. He had one of those name tags for direct home sales and a clipboard. For an instant, I thought, ... just a pesky door to door sales guy. Then it hit me, words from my Grandma... All work is noble! Suddenly I empathized with the guy. He's young, clean cut, shirt and tie and it's 29 degrees out there. As I drove by I noticed that he seemed determined. It is certainly not a glamour job. Maybe he's a kid putting himself through university or college. The important thing is, he is working. There's a lot of people out there who act loud and proud and wouldn't do the work. That's too bad. Like Grandma said, work is noble. There is a good friend of mine in this town who had a very posh job a few years back. Suddenly, through no fault of his own, the job was eliminated. Sometime later, I ran into him ... he was working as a stock boy at Wal Mart. He was as cheerful as ever. I had to admire that. The guy picked up and kept working. And now he has another posh position... A government job no less(Ka-ching). So I have to remember that, work is noble. If somebody is working, they're doing their part to carry their load. They have my respect.

Good job Gillette!

It was last September I posted a note here singing the praises of the Gillette Fusion razor. And rightfully so. Since last July I have been shaving with Fusion blades and I have to say they are the best. Not only that, they're the most economical. Even though it costs $18 for a four-blade package, each blade lasts longer that a month... Usually five weeks. That is amazing. I am a fussy shaver. Not fuzzy! Fussy! If I don't get a clean shave I change blades right away. I can't believe how the Fusion blades stay so sharp for so long. Anyway, my first Fusion was a free sample give-away when I was on vacation in Toronto. So I tried it and liked it. Since then I have purchased three packages of blades, which have lasted more than a year. So with birthdays and Christmas still far off in the future, everyone knows now... watch for the sales! LOL

This is NOT a complaint

Living in Timmins, one learns not to 'complain' about warm weather. It's just one of those things. Winter here can be long and weary for some, so when the warm weather arrives most people embrace it. I do not. I hide. The heat just drives me down. I have been spending most of my days in the living room, perched in front of the fan, enjoying a book and a beverage. As a whiskey drinker, I have not been faithful. I think I might have had two glasses of whiskey in the past ten days. I have downed at least two litres of lemonade, a few more litres of iced tea and roughly one beer a day for the past two weeks. Beer just manages to quench a thirst like no other beverage. I also wake up earlier these days, have a cooling shower and rush in to work at about 6:45 or 7:00 a.m. I do get more work done, but then when I leave to go home, the heat is sweltering around 3:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. Oh well, just so you know, I am NOT complaining. : )

Sawdust? really...

I picked up a different whiskey today. I bought a bottle of Wild Turkey bourbon. I like to read up on what some reviewers say about the whiskey and then compare it with my own tastes. I always like a smooth whiskey, but the "tasting notes" on one website told me to expect some interesting flavours. Things like caramel, honey, vanilla... even a touch of cinnamon. There might even be the faintest whiff of nutmeg. Okay, fine, I can close my eyes and almost taste those flavours. By the way, Wild Turkey smells very nice ... like opening the wrapper on a Kraft caramel candy. But the thing that really confused me and threw me off was what one taster suggested ... Sawdust! Nope, sorry I just can't figure that taste. But for the record, this is a very nice bourbon ... as they say in Kentucky, it's a sippin' whiskey.

Happy solstice

Warm weather is here for awhile in Timmins. I like it... well, not always. I find it hard to sleep when the temp is higher than 22. Today is summer solstice and national Aboriginal Day. It has been a good day. I was out at a sunrise ceremony with the local Aboriginals at 5:00 a.m. and it was nice, but I had very little idea of what was going on... but it appeared quite spiritual. It got me thinking about my own upbringing with the nuns and how they would teach us there were two types of people in the world, Catholics and non-Catholics. I bet if those Catholic nuns had acted more like Christians, we wouldn't have had all those abuses in residential schools. Anyway, it was a good day in another way. Ontario's new premier Kathleen Wynne dropped in to visit Timmins. I met her and she impressed me. I don't agree with all her politics, but personally, I like her style. Today was also Day Two for a little change for myself. I purchased a new bike yesterday... and I am enjoying it. I went to a hard ride last night, one hour, and I sure felt the pain this morning. I went for a ride tonight and it was easier. I went to the liquor store, so I think I was more motivated. Anyway, what I like so far is the style of the bike... It's an Opus Urbanista, sort of a retro European look. It sure is not a mountain bike. I am more for cruising the local streets and parks. I am not going to fling myself through the local bush trails. But I like the fact that I am now more motivated to exercise. Also, it has a lifetime warranty and lifetime maintenance. I was inspired by the fact that Jenn bought a bike for Scott for Father's Day. Also, this was Bike To Work week in Timmins. I was downtown this week snapping photos of the mayor riding to work. A local bike shop had a nice display set up, and I liked the look of this book, so I bought it. I already have my new helmet and tomorrow I am gonna get a little ringy-dingy bell!Here is a link to a YouTube video of a guy talking about the bike. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0GCIaqN4ws

I stole this!

It's a wine list by an expert who was on CBC Radio last week. It is a list of the best wines available at the LCBO for LESS THAN TEN DOLLARS! Enjoy.
1. Aveleda Vinho Verde Fonte 2012 ($8.95, score 88+) is a blended wine from northeastern Portugal. It’s pale green-tinged straw coloured with a gentle fizz. It sports acacia flower, rich ripe tangerine, mango and peach fruit aromas and is sweetly green, very slightly off-dry, and mildly fizzy on the palate with very tasty citrus pith flavours. The rich and fresh mouthful lingers with a gently tangy long finish. It would work chilled as an aperitif, with fish, or poured over fresh melon balls.
2. Cono Sur Bicicleta Viognier 2012, Colchagua, Chile ($9.95, score 89) is a pale straw gold wine with attractive ripe lemon pulp, apricot and peach fruit and sweet spicy and vanilla aromas. It’s is bone dry with a refreshing bitterness through creamy crisp lemon pulp through a rich lemon curd finish. It would be a yummy snappy companion to roast fowl.
3. Torrontes La Puerta Vineyard, Estate Grown and Bottled 2012 ($7.95, score 89+) demonstrates nicely what this Argentinian varietal can do. Straw coloured, the wine flaunts intensely mouthwatering sweet ripe lychee fruit aromas with elegant mineral notes. It’s creamy and ripely fruited with lemon and grapefruit, joined by snappy citrus pith on the palate. The long grapefruit-lemon pith bitter note hangs on through a long persistence. This white would stand up to sausages or grilled seafood.
4. Fonseca Periquita Original 2010, Vinho Regional Peninsula de Setubal ($7.95, score 90) is the current vintage of a perennial Portuguese favourite. A lovely black cherry-ruby colour, it’s sweetly spicy and ripe with focused cherry fruit and fills your head with vanilla/balsamic notes. Soft in the mouth with bitter grippy pillowy tannins, it’s long, mouth-watering, and refreshingly astringent. This wine would show well with barbecued red or white meat.
5. Sogrape Grao Vasco Dao 2009 ($7.95, score 88+) is a garnet wine with very attractive rich ripe focused huckleberry and loganberry fruit with earthy and volatile flavour notes. It’s elegant and deep in the mouth with bitter red cherry fruit, grippy velvet tannins and fresh acidity for good definition, and a pretty strong finish. This wine would stand up to all kinds of fare and spoil none of them.
6. Beso De Vino Seleccion Do Cariñena 2011 ($9.95, score 89+) is a Syrah/Garnacha blend from this region in northeastern Spain is a very deep and dark black cherry/ruby coloured wine with a sweet enchanting very Spanish nose. Ripe dried and sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit are framed in dusty new-sawn plank and sweet spice elements. It’s got grippy gritty ripe tannins and fresh acidity through a long fruit and tannin finish. You’ll enjoy this with roast lamb or a beef rib roast.
7. Castillo de Monseran Garnacha Cariñena 2011 ($8.95, score 90-) is another winner from the Cariñena region. Medium deep dark purple, it exudes raspberry and blackberry and blueberry pie aromas. It’s rich and ripe, very dry and built around mixed black berry pie filling fruit, fresh and buttoned down, with a long deeply tannic well-fruited finish. Think those roast quadrupeds and add your richer birds—or even a nice burger or pizza!
8. Luccarelli Primitivo Puglia IGT 2012 ($9.95, score 89+) can be seen as a poor-man’s Zin with a southern Italian accent. (It’s one of the “go to” wines in Bobby Panchu’s cellar.) Medium deep dark purple, the show starts with rich ripe mixed red berry fruit with a subtle Zinnish metallic mineral note. Fresh mouth-watering acidity and astringent fine rich ripe tannins carry the fresh and preserved fruit flavours along for a good while. This wine will elevate and enrich burgers as if it was
9. Argeato Bonarda 2012 Mendoza ($9.95, score 89). Bonarda is sometimes blended with Barbera in Piedmont. In this Argentinian incarnation it performs solo with vital focused but ultimately weird black cherry and sweet spicy aromas and flavours which become deep, rich and ripe on the palate. It’s a velvety grippy wine with fresh acidity. This would be a fine base wine for a summer sangria.
10. Caliterra Riserva Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Grown 2011 ($9.95, score 90) is made from fruit grown on a single estate in Chile’s Colchagua Valley. It’s an opaque red with powerful and luscious blackcurrant, blackberry and blueberry fruit dressed up in intense sweet spice, vanilla, clove, nutmeg and allspice notes dancing with buttery toasty smoky notes. It makes for a grippy velvety mouthful with oak-inflected rich ripe deep mixed black berry fruit. Fresh acidity keeps it aloft through a long well-fruited smoky spicy oak finish Try this with any roasted meat or game, sausages, or even Buffalo wings. It was made to please.
11. Fuzion Alta Reserve Malbec 2011 ($9.95, score 90). It made me blush to assign a 90-point score to a Fuzion, but honesty is more important than pride in the wine writing business. This “reserve” bottling from Argentina’s home-run-hitting winery originated in the Mendoza Valley and comes to us as an opaque purple wine with very vibrant mixed black berry fruits and nice earthy dusty notes. It’s soft but grippy, with balanced acidity to carry the very deep rich ripe fruit through a long grippy ripe finish.
12. Deakin Estate Shiraz 2012 ($9.95, score 90+) came from Victoria in Australia and trumpets its origin with everything from its deep dark purpleness through aromas of rich ripe blackberry and dark cherry fruit, sweet spices and wood violet notes with a hint of smoke. It’s plush on the palate with pillowy tannins and fresh acidity to structure all that black berry fruit with a buttery note emerging on the finish. This will dance divinely with anything that isn’t white, delicate or subtle.

My bathroom sparkles.

I keep telling my colleagues in the news business there is more news to be reported in Timmins than they can imagine. Often they roll their eyes and smile at me. This past week was an example. Just after the flood threat was subsiding, we got word that a man near Cochrane was attacked by a black bear. I mean this was a really serious attack. The bear ripped off the man's scalp and chewed up some serious damage to the man's shoulder and back. The amazing part was that the man survived thanks to a couple of women from Timmins who were out camping for a Mothers Day getaway and they came upon the attack. They literally saved the mans life. I was pleased to get the first interview with the victim in his hospital room and then we followed up with an interview with the women. The first interview ended up in the Toronto Sun, so the story was picked up by the national media.

Mom had boyfriends?

Our favourite Leafs seem to be nicely avoiding their tee off times this spring by staying in the playoffs.  Like all the leaf fans I know I am holding my breath and hoping for the best. Boston is a tough team, but we have to have faith. So let’s hope for a nice Mother’s Day treat on Sunday.

I enjoyed covering the Mine Rescue competitions this week. It was nice to see the fellows from Xstrata Kidd Mine, my old workplace, win the bragging rights for another year. I got a kick out of seeing a lot of the older mine rescue fellows show up to watch the competition. It was nice talking with them. Then I realized, I am one of the old fellows too.

A lot of folks do not realize it, but mine rescue in Ontario began right here in Timmins after the terrible mine fire in 1928. Somebody in government decided that it was not a good idea to have 39 miners die in the span of a few hours and so a royal commission was held and the government ordered that a mine rescue agency be created.

Had a quick chat with Melissa this week. She is planning a trip out west next week and says she plans to drop in to see her cousin Neil. So that will be nice for them.

Funny how things happen, but I was reminded of my mother twice this week. First thing,  I was getting some old clothes ready for the charity bin. I haven’t worn them in more than a year, so I went to the closet and my dresser to pull things out. Of course, I had to wash them again. That is exactly what my mom would have done.  Second thing was that the local navy cadets celebrated the anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. That reminded me of the many photos Mom had of her days in Halifax during World War II.  When we were kids we would look at the photos of Mom and all the people she hung out with back then. Of course, there were lots of pictures of Mom with sailors. It was funny because as kids we would say, hey Mom, that guy isn’t Dad, who is it? Mom always laughed and said she didn’t remember.

Helpful people

May is always a busy month in Timmins for the news. Last year it was the forest fires that dominated the local issues and this year it is flooding.  Porcupine Lake and the Mattagami River are both running higher, wayyyyy higher, than normal.

So of course it means that most of my time is taken up chasing fresh stories on how the flood is impacting on the city. I think the best part was seeing how people come out to help their neighbours. I was so impressed with the sandbag filling stations set up at several places in town. People who were not in the flood zones showed up to grab a shovel and fill sandbags. Then they helped lug those heavy sandbags into different places where they could stop the rising water.

In any event the flood waters are now easing as the snowmelt is almost done. But there are still many areas around Timmins that still have snow and so the spring runoff will continue for several days.

Also had a nice chat with Jennifer Saturday and things are good at Chez Alexander in Val Caron. Her report card marks had just been posted and Jenn was pleased to report a perfect 4.0 GPA.  The boys are enjoying their new three-on-three hockey league too. It’s a new thing in Sudbury and quite popular I am told.

Grandma had it right ...

So today is April 30^th and it is one of those dates I sure try not to forget. This is Neil’s birthday. I was able to send him a text that he got right around midnight, while he was working.  The only reason I was able to do that is that I was awakened at about 3:00 a.m. today because I had to pee. So I got up and noticed the clock said 3:00. That prompted me to remember that Vancouver time is three hours off from Timmins time. So I sent Neil a quick and cheerful birthday note. I didn’t read his answer until about 9:00 a.m. today.  So that was cool and fun. Holy Jeez Neil! 33 already eh. Wow.

Hmmm… one of these days, I may get more grandchildren. OMG I can hear Jennifer laughing from here! Just kidding Neil.

Speaking of babies, I was at the Timmins and District hospital today where they announced a “new” form of infant care.  It’s called the Mother-Baby Dyad Program. The idea is to have the newborn spend more time with the mother, live in the hospital room with the mom, instead of being kept in another room; all to promote a greater sense of closeness and well-being.

The chief nurse explaining the program asked the reporters if they had any questions. I looked at the other media folks who didn’t seem to be ready to say anything, so I asked, “Isn’t this the sort of thing my Grandma did when she had her babies?”

The nurse said yes, that’s exactly what the program does. It seems as more and more moms went to have their babies in hospitals over the years, the protocol of care created a situation where mom and baby were given care in separate places. Well, some wise person discovered that having mom and baby spend more time together is a better way of doing things. There will be exceptions of course, if mom or the baby develops any sort of a serious illness that requires special treatment.

So I felt good to learn that change does not always mean doing something new.

It’s busier than usual in Timmins these days. All that snow we got this winter has NOT melted yet, but it is melting very fast. That means flooding in local lakes and rivers. So it will be a tense time for folks living near water in the next week or so. 

 

WESTREE CODFISH ...

Oh by the way I enjoyed a few days of excellent seafood last week. I cooked up a batch of Westree cod. Betcha didn't know you can get cod in Westree, eh? I breaded it and cooked it so nicely in the cast iron frying pan. Oh yeah, it was good. I had a big feed one night with potatoes, and then had cod sandwiches for a few days after that... with lettuce, tomato, Miracle Whip and pepper sauce. 

The good news about cancer ...

I was thinking a lot of about Jennifer this week when I met with Martin Kabat, the CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario division. He is on a tour to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the cancer society, so he was a news story. What impressed me was meeting with some local cancer survivors, who had incredible stories. Of course, my mind wandered back to the days when Jennifer had her own struggle. And her own incredible story.

I was pleased to spend some time with a close friend, who is in her 50s. Her name is Judi.  Her grandmother died of ovarian cancer. Her mother died of ovarian cancer.  A couple of years ago, Judi was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. But now,  Judi is a survivor. Her hair is growing back and she looks great. There is a photo of her on my news website.  Thank goodness there are more and more stories of people who survive. Part of Judi’s story is that the cancer focused her life in a way she never expected. Suddenly she knew what was important and what was not. And it brought her family closer together. I know that has happened in our family. Anyway I was happy to write about Judi. She is a nice lady with a wonderful family. And we were both happy to see each other. I hope we see each other for a long, long time.

Nice Easter weekend...

Had a nice time in Westree this weekend with Jenn and her men and visiting Denise and Don Alexander. As usual the hospitality and food was fabulous. But if you know Denise, you will have to ask her the story of how the spatula broke cutting the chocolate cream cake. I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes.  Oh by the way, the cake was for Tyler and myself as we celebrated our birthdays. Mine is March 31 and Tyler’s is April 1. So it was a great time. Jennifer said I am a difficult person to buy for in terms of gifts. So she opted for buying a bottle of whiskey. But WOW, what a bottle … A Glen Breton Rare 10-year old single malt Scotch.  It’s the only single malt made in Canada. It’s a special craft whisky. The bottles are filled by hand, not by machine. So this is a saver… I plan to crack it open on Christmas Eve. I can’t wait.

A well-known reviewer gave it a very nice recommendation on YouTube. 87 out of 100!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLOyNGiDg6U

The boys had more fun that you can imagine on the weekend, thanks in part to the amazing sunny weather. Tyler and Nathan got up on top of Granddad’s woodshed to enjoy the view and ended up tossing the football with Scott down below. The boys had a great time … especially when they missed the ball and had to jump off the roof into the waist deep snow.

The week was good in another way. I was told I have won a couple of national journalism awards. One is the top prize for a spot news photo and the other is the top prize for our coverage of the Timmins forest fire.  Competed against 250 other papers across Canada. Pleased

More political television ... love it!

There was an excellent TV show running a few years back, a drama that documented life behind the scenes at The White House. The show was called The West Wing, starring Martin Sheen. The show won all kinds of awards but the corporate folks canned it because it did not have high enough ratings. I hate it when they dumb-down television. It's one of the reasons I don't usually watch regular television. I do have Netflix though and this week I began watching a new political drama about the White House, starring Kevin Spacey. It's called House of Cards.

Oh yeah. It's good. As expected Spacey is excellent.  If you get the chance, sit down, pour yourself a drink or get some popcorn, and enjoy some good television.

She's kinda good lookin' if you ask me...

Feminine beauty. Okay, so this is something purely subjective, but over the years it seems feminine beauty has become manufactured.  For some of our lady Hollywood types, if you can’t buy it in a cosmetics shop or  get it from a doctor’s office, you just aren’t beautiful enough to make the grade. I noticed this on Saturday night when I was watching a movie… starring Ingrid Bergman, a true beauty who was also a fine actor. She won three Academy Awards during her acting career.

 I was watching the Hollywood version of For Whom The Bell Tolls and was amazed at Bergman’s beauty, even as she was presented in a plain jane fashion opposite Gary Cooper. It was 1943. She was 28. She even made the cover of TIME magazine that year. 

Reading Hemingway ... what a treat.

Okay, so I bought too many books this month for the e-reader. Not a big deal, except I imposed my own personal spending limit.   I looked through the Internet and was pleased to see there are several ‘classic’ books out there that are free, or cost only 49-cents or so. I downloaded Ernest Hemingway’s classic For Whom The Bell Tolls. I haven’t seen that book in like 40 years, but Wow! It is so much better to read it a second time.  I can’t tell you what a treat it is to read that kind of literature. It’s an amazing story about the Spanish Civil War, and members of the International Brigades who fought the fascists. Hemingway brings it totally to life as the guerrillas struggle day to day. You can feel the sweat dripping into your eyes as you trudge through the mountains and endure the cold fear of fighting against incredible odds. I am learning that it pays to be a bit discerning when seeking out something to read.

Fryin' pan man

It’s the simplest thing you can imagine, but I am feeling good about my latest purchase. I try to not to speak of things I buy because I would like to think I am not materialistic. I think I get things I know I will actually use. If I don’t use, or cannot use, something I throw it away or give it away. My parents were of that generation that saved everything, threw nothing away, thinking ‘I will need this someday’. I am at the point where if I don’t have what I need for that moment, I will do without. I have discovered that I usually manage to survive that terrible moment. As for getting rid of things I don’t need, I am lucky to live in a building that has a unique way to get rid of things. Bring ‘em to the laundry room.  In the laundry room you can leave books, teacups, pots, pans, sweatshirts and magazines … and voila, next day, they’re gone. Somebody can use whatever some one else has left. Just last month I felt smug satisfaction with myself as I delivered my last computer and a television set to the local homeless shelter. Imagine my surprise at seeing their TV was better than my NEW TV.

Anyway, getting back to my original thought… I have a new frying pan. A friend recently raved about cast iron frying pans on Facebook and attached a video, produced the by the Lodge company, which makes cast iron cookware in Tennessee. So I purchased a nice big Lodge cast iron fry pan.

Now I remember Mom and Dad singing the praises of cast iron years ago. But when I was a teenager, I was always the one doing the dishes and always got stuck doing the pots and pans. I remember having the scrub the big black frying pan. Well it turns out I was doing things wrong. One does not scrub a cast iron frying pan, or use things like SOS and Comet … like I used to do. Take a stiff brush, some hot water and clean the pan out and then wipe it dry with a paper towel. Apply a bit of new vegetable oil, a bit of heat, a dash of salt,  and the pan is ready to use again. That’s what YouTube has taught me. So from this point forward I plan to use my new pan for a variety of meals including an apple dessert recipe. 

It’s almost as big as a Dutch oven. Research tells me that cooking on low heat for longer periods is what makes the cast iron produce great results.

So I am planning stews, steaks and spaghetti sauces. Look out Gordon Ramsay!

Good things...

March has been good so far. Way better than I expected. For starters, Jennifer is advancing in her nursing studies… thanks of course to her smarts and hard work. There are only a limited number of students that can move forward in the program and Jenn is one of them. I’m happy for her, and proud too.

I found some new Miles Davis music… what I am saying, Miles has been dead for more than 20 years, but I discovered some of his amazing jazz albums that I had not heard before. So that’s good. Jazz makes me happy. I wish I knew more about it when I was younger, but it just evokes good emotions. I just watched a move that had Miles Davis and Bob Dylan on the soundtrack. Doesn’t get much better than that. By the way, if you feel like watching a 90s movie again, Jerry Maguire is a good choice.

Had a nice chat with Neil last weekend. Actually I waited until 2:00 p.m. to call him because it was 11:00 a.m. in Vancouver, and he works late. I felt a tiny bit guilty because I think my phone call woke him up.  He answered with a combined grunt, sigh and groan that sounded like "Hlo..hlooo." 
Anyway, he is liking the new pub he works in and he is happy. This week he is off to L.A. to spend time with friends. I always worry when he travels (Dads always worry about their kids) but he was telling me he and his friends know Los Angeles pretty well and they know how to be safe.
Wow, things don't get too much better eh. Both of my children are happy and healthy. I am blessed.

Work is good. I am lucky that I don’t find it be like, y’know, Work. Some mornings I have actually been getting up earlier because I want to get to work earlier.

The e-reader is amazing. I have been reading so much that the battery died today. The book said the battery is supposed to be good for two months before a re-charge. Not quite!

And next weekend is St. Paddy’s Day…. Some of the media gang reminded me that last year’s St. Paddy’s Day party, which I hosted,  was so good we should do it again. Hmmm… for some reason my memory of that wonderful event is still a bit blurry.  I think if somebody donates a bottle of whiskey I can be convinced to cook the dinner. We will let you know.