Musings on a Small Life

On Sunday I watched the old musical, "Top Hat," starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Oh, I know Ginger Rogers certainly wasn't his best dance partner, not by a long shot, but still, I loved watching the dance numbers. (The storyline is too trite to mention.) CBC Television used to show the old musicals years ago, on weekend afternoons and they'd always put a smile on my face, put me in my "happy place." So after watching the movie, I Googled for Fred Astaire videos and had a wonderful time watching several old movie clips. For the best tap dancing ever , Google Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell and watch a few of the videos. And don't forget Gene Kelly--another fabulous , incredibly talented dancer. There's a clip of him tap dancing on roller skates. The first time I watched it, my jaw hung slack for the entire number. Who dances like this anymore? No one, more's the pity. I suppose our society is too "sophisticated" now for that sort...

From a downtown walk this morning. :-)

I was doing my usual early Saturday AM errand run via bus/foot, and because I thought I was too early for Global Pet Foods to be open, I got off the bus at Chapters/Starbucks, with the intent that I'd have a chai (okay, and maybe a cookie or a piece of pumpkin loaf too). I know, I know I have to stop over-dosing on sugar, both for my physical and mental health, but I just so love chai. And life is so short. But as I walked over from the bus stop, I couldn't see any lights on in Starbucks at all. Nothing. In fact, from the appearance of the place, it looks like they are either undergoing renovations or closing up shop. I didn't go close enough to read the print on the paper taped up to the windows. Hmm . . . I took that as a universal sign that I've exceeded my chai quota for the month -- long past exceeded it, actually -- and grabbed the next bus heading downtown. As it turns out, Global Pet Foods opens at 9AM, not 9:30AM as I thought, so I wouldn't have been too...

Rupert Penry-Jones. Yummy, yummy British actor, who starred in the recent version of Jane Austen's Persuasion . Also starred in "Spooks," a Brit television show, though I believe his character is no longer on the program. I normally don't go for blondes, but boy oh, boy, would I make an exception in his case. His wife is a very lucky woman...at least from the eye candy standpoint! How he is as a person and partner is another matter. No matter, I just want to drool over him. ;-)

I rolled out of bed just before 5AM today, almost an hour later than usual. I didn't have time for my usual morning play session with the cats, but I did manage to throw supper into the crock pot to cook all day: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I had 6 small ones on hand) 1 cup sour cream (I used the lite kind of course) 1 cup of white wine (or water, but I used wine) 1 can of cream of mushroom soup (regular or reduced fat) dried onion (can't remember how much; I don't have any so just tossed in a chopped onion) salt and pepper to taste It should be obvious that you combine the sauce ingredients, onion and any spices you want, then pour it all over the chicken breasts. So simple even I can manage it. :-) Serve over rice or couscous or with pasta, whatever you wish.

I was walking to work this morning, in the pitch dark (at least the impending time change will help with that for a little while!), when I saw a large McDonald's cup littering the street. I started to walk past, automatically thinking, "It's not mine, so it's not my problem," but I stopped, backtracked a couple of steps and picked it up. Carried it the ten minutes it took to get to a garbage can. I used to pick up litter in the mornings while waiting at the bus stop, but haven't done that in a while because I walk most of the time, at least part way to the office. And because it's impossible to pick up every scrap of garbage that disrespectful, ignorant people toss away without a moment's hesitation or thought. But if I don't stop and pick up a stray cup, who will? If it's not my problem, whose is it? It is my problem. I'm living on this planet and if I'm not doing something to help Her, however small and inconsequential, I'm contr...

Dinner's in the oven: roast chicken, potatoes, yams, will cook some peas. If there's enough fat in the roaster, I'll even attempt gravy. I can't believe it. LOL. But Loblaws had a special on little roasting chickens yesterday and I couldn't pass it up. Oh, by the way...Don't make your apple crisp while yakking to your mother on the phone, otherwise you could forget one simple yet key ingredient: the flour to combine with the apples, sugar and lemon juice. So yesterday's apple crisp came out more like sliced, baked apples. Oops. Still good, just not apple "crisp." Oh, well! I did venture out this morning, with the idea that I'd walk to Starbucks at Chapters and have a chai. Huh. I got as far as the train station and turned around; it was freezing! A cold northeast wind was blowing and though I was dressed warmly, I just didn't have the motivation or energy to continue on. I did notice that the beavers have dammed up another part of the swamp...

I love fruit crisps, like apple or apple/cranberry, wild berry, etc. I have a good recipe for crisps, but the topping part takes 1/2 cup of butter, which is kind of scary. It's yummy, but far too fattening. However, I also have a recipe for fruit crisp in a cook book called "The Healthy Way." I've had this book for a long time, usually haul it out when I want to make the topping for a fruit crisp. Here's the recipe, which takes considerably less butter than others: 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I use Splenda brown sugar, which is half brown sugar and half Splenda. You measure half the normal amount, so in this case, 1/4 cup.) 1/2 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 TBSP melted butter/margarine (I find the topping dry with 2 and so normally melt about 3 TBSP instead, which works well and still is far better than half a cup) 1 tsp maple or vanilla extract 1 tsp cinnamon Just combine the topping ingredients and use it with your favourite fruit crisp recipe. Yum...

Two of my co-workers and I went to a slide show talk/presentation yesterday at lunch time, given by a local woman who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro last year, to raise money for a school in Tanzania. And as I was sitting in the cosy, crowded, over-heated room, all I could think was how very, very small my own life has been and always will be. Which led me to wonder what it takes to live a "large" life. Partly it's money, definitely. This woman spent about $10,000 in total on gear and on the trip. At the time she owned two retail businesses and had the financial resources to spend (and she also raised over $50,000 for this school for orphans). A single mother struggling to feed and clothe her children isn't going to be able to travel the world on a whim; nor is someone working a minimum wage job just to keep a roof over their heads. So I do believe it takes a certain standard of living to be able to follow your dreams, unless you are very lucky. Partly it's having the ...

Perfect for Thanksgiving Sunday! 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/2 tsp finely shredded orange peel 1/2 cup orange juice 1 TBSP molasses or brown sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp all spice In a large skillet (or pot), boil and cook sweet potatoes till done. Drain well. Return to skillet/pot. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over drained sweet potatoes and cook, stirring gently, till bubbly.Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until potatoes are glazed, spooning sauce over occasionally.

And other critters, in the conservation area. I literally was hounded almost the entire hike by chickadees and even jays, demanding food. Unfortunately for them, I didn't think to bring any seed or peanuts. Must put those on my grocery list. I was lucky enough to see a couple of does. Two women, who couldn't stop yapping, were walking on a nearby path and startled the deer into moving a bit closer in my direction. I couldn't get super close-ups with the 12x zoom camera, but I was satisfied. Next year another camera, I think. (Could have had one this year, Dad offered, but I wanted to wait and see where the ultra zoom cameras are going to go in 2010.) And happily, the skies cleared about half way through my jaunt, so I got some shots of the fall foliage against the blue backdrop. All in all, a great walk!                

I'm not cooking a turkey this year, though I have done in a few past years. But even a small turkey leaves too much leftover -- I'm sick of turkey before I'm at the end of the soup and casserole, etc. And actually I prefer the taste of chicken to that of turkey. I did a roast chicken one year, maybe last year. Instead, I have chicken in the crock pot for tonight. Extremely easy recipe, supposed to be baked, but I'm sure the crock pot will be just fine. Oh, the recipe! It's just a can of cranberry sauce (I made my own last night, because it's so easy to do, takes about 10 minutes and tastes SO much better than the canned stuff), 1 cup of French dressing (I used low cal), 1 cup of water and 1 package of the ubiquitous dry onion soup mix. Just mix that up, pour it over the cut of chicken of your choice (good for 6 - 8 legs) and either bake for an hour or an hour and a half or like me, dump it into your slow cooker and go to work. Think I'll cook up a bit...

So-so work day, grey and dismal weather, but a fairly decent evening meal, aided by a shot of rye. LOL. Ginger Soy Pork Stir-Fry Half 227g package PC (or whatever brand) Thai Rice Stick Noodles (okay, they don't call them "stick" noodles for nothing...and make the whole package--half the package would feed two, IMO, not four people) 1TBSP safflower oil 1/4 cup sliced almonds 2 TBSP safflower oil 8 oz. boneless pork loin chips, sliced across the grain in 1/2 inch thick slices (yeah, whatever) 1 onion, cut in wedges 4 cups broccoli florets 1/2 cup PC (or whatever brand) ginger soy stir-fry sauce (I used the whole bottle, which would be perfect if you use the entire package of noodles) Place rice stick noodles in large bowl, add boiling water to cover, let stand for 7 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold running water, drain well, return to bowl and toss with 1 tsp oil. Set aside. Place almonds on rimmed baking sheet; bake for 5 minutes or until golden. Set aside. In wok or larg...

Oh, par for the course: I sent off a "strongly worded email reply" to someone in our HR department ("strongly worded" being my boss's phrase, because I CCd it to him) about a particular reporting issue that I found to be the "height of absurdity." Only to find out that I had misinterpreted their memo to begin with. That banging noise you hear? That would be me, pounding my head on my desk. For the record, I'd like to state that someone in another department (with which we share the cube farm) also interpreted the memo as I did. She just didn't send an email to a middle-manager at HR in reply. No, I did that all on my own. Probably the only person, organization-wide, to misinterpret their directive. Some days you just shouldn't get out of bed. Some lives you should just take a pass on.

I know it's difficult to believe that I've just cooked another meal, with leftovers. I can hardly believe it myself. And without the accompanying beer. But I have pics as proof -- otherwise, no one who knows me would take my word for it. Recipe below the pics. Easy to make and quite yummy, but I think I had too much garlic. I'm sure I'll be a joy to sit beside tomorrow, in the cube farm. Heh! Easy Weeknight Broccoli Pasta Prep time: 15 minutes/Cook time: 15 minutes 1 head broccoli 450 gram spaghetti (or pasta of your choice, of course) 3 TBSP olive oil 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved 1 TBSP chopped garlic (I used 2 tsp of minced garlic from a jar, which was a lot of garlic) freshly ground black pepper (I don't have freshly ground black pepper, big deal) 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (I just sprinkled some on top) Trim end from broccoli stem and discard. Cut broccoli crown off and divide into bite-sized florets. Peel stem, slice thinly. Set aside. Yo...

Yeah, me. I know, you're stunned. I'm stunned too. Up at 4Am (agghhh!), and I'd like to credit one of my co-worker's for this: I actually pulled out my stove and cleaned behind it. By the way, just for the record? That's something that should be done more often than every five years. Just saying. And while I was tackling that, at oh, about 5AM, I was thinking of my co-worker, who told me yesterday that she spent six hours cleaning her kitchen last weekend. Six hours! I figured if she could do that, I could at least haul out the stove and scrub up the disgusting mess. No need to describe it. *Shudder* Then I decided I'd cook up the remaining apples and make another batch of applesauce. And make a shepherd's pie. I know, I know, I can hardly believe it, but my grocery budget is out of hand, buying pre-prepared food. For the record, I'd like to show you why I so loathe cooking. See the pics below. Mess, mess, mess! Who is going to clean it all up, now th...

Back to the reality of the work routine today. The fur kids are back to their routine, i.e. sleeping all day. Maybe getting into a bit of trouble. Right, Nicki? Okay, I blame Nicki for a lot of things that I'm sure the other two get into. Poor Nicki. Like the one human sibling who's really good, but who bears the brunt of the blame for the others. Anyway, I've been making good headway through the mound of paper on my desk, plugging away at my Excel spreadsheet. Still battling the head cold, but the drugs (decongestant) I picked up at lunch time certainly help. I can breathe; it's a miracle! Well, actually, when you think about it, breathing is rather miraculous, but I was being tongue-in-cheek. Still, I'm glad tomorrow is Friday; it's a good way to ease back into the work routine. I'm not sure anything can ease me back into leaving the house at 6AM, though. If it didn't take so long to get to work (and home again) via public transit or on foot, I'd ...

Aren't there song lyrics from the 70s, or maybe even 60s, that go "alone again...naturally?" Well, they apply! Dad left just after 1PM, pretty much on time. In spite of a leak under the sink, not from the faucet change, but from something else. I need a little plumbing advice from my co-worker's hubby, will send her a pic showing the problem. It's temporarily fixed. Very temporarily, I expect. But it was a productive morning: bus pass for October, stocked up on cat food, did a grocery run (and Dad didn't tell me he was going to go ahead in the line and pay for my cart-full, otherwise I would not have filled it up!), then a pick up of my ice-pik doohickies from Sears catalogue (the stretchy rubber things that fit over your winter boots and grip the ice--studded tires for your feet, they call them) and a couple of things from Zellers. Oh, and a quick run into Costco for some rosemary ham and some light Swiss cheese. Then it was back to the house for a sandwich, ...

Today Dad and I went to Bellevue House (one of the many that Sir John A. MacDonald lived in in this area. I had been back in April, but didn't do a guided tour, wandered around by myself after talking with the young woman on "duty." We did a tour today, and since it was pouring rain, it was just Dad and me, and it was quite informative. Dad said he hadn't been before, but I thought he had. Then we had lunch at Montana's and after, picked up a couple of things at Wal-Mart. I hope I don't have to go back there till the new year. LOL. Probably too much to hope for, though. My cold is hanging on, so I don't sound great with all the coughing and sniffling and sneezing. Still, it's a pretty mild "bug," which I attribute to all the echinacea and vitamin C. Tomorrow I have a bit of running around to do (it's payday) while I still have use of Dad's rental car. Dad plans to leave around 1PM, so he can get to Ottawa and return the vehicle (downt...

A bit of running around this morning, just to have a look around: Canadian Tire, the outlet centre Dad was at last week. He found a few items of clothing, but I didn't get anything, except litter on sale from Crappy Tire. We poked around downtown before lunch (I wanted to take him to a nice spot for an early birthday meal), and Dad found something nice for his wife. Lunch was fabulous--local food as much as possible, very well prepared, and a to-die-for dessert: warm chocolate bread pudding. Best I've ever eaten!