Dear Donnan,

I don't know who you are, except that you're a student at one of the schools in my neighbourhood. I saw you and your teacher and classmates sneaking up to mailboxes this morning and wondered what you were up to.

Thank you so much for the wonderful handmade holiday card in my mailbox.
I hope your holiday is great, too!

Creamless Cream of Cauliflower Soup

1 large head cauliflower
4 large carrots
2 large potatoes
2 large onions
4 bay leaves
2-4 cups water or stock, depending on how big your veggies are

Heat stock while you quarter the cauliflower, chop one of the quarters into chunks, chop the carrots and potatoes in large chunks, coarsely chop one onion and halve the other.

Toss the whole mess into the heated stock and cook until the cauliflower, carrots and potatoes are tender (5 minutes low pressure in pressure cooker. I haven't timed regular stovetop, oven or slow cooker).

Remove bay leaves. Whir the 3 large pieces of cauliflower, two onion halves and the liquid in the blender until smooth. If it is too thick, add a little water. If it is too thin, add a few pieces of the potato and whir again.

Add some salt and pepper or curry paste to taste if desired

Passport Canada's interactive passport application is awesome! Fill it in and print it. The information in stored in a barcode (not made up of bars) in the top right corner that the folx at Passport Canada can just scan. I was in and out in under 14 minutes. The only guy who left more quickly was picking up his passport. If all goes according to plan, I'll pick mine up on the 29th.

Note to self ...

... and anyone else who's working on this particular lesson

its just a ride from mccabe russell on Vimeo.

Earth's General Store to refill shampoo, blackbyrd myoozik for Sasquatch Gathering tix.

I'm not so sure about this microblogging thing. Especially with links.

Whiney Cocktail...

2 parts this car really isn't made for short peeps
1 part it's squishy and floppy to drive
1 part it's not fun to drive
1 part feeling sorry for myself 'cuz MY car was perfect boohoo
1 part why can't I just have a fucking transporter already
1 part what if
1 part horrible I can't breathe allergies making me cranky

Baking chocolate chip cookies without chocolate chips & oatmeal cookies without cinnamon for the mama for Mothers' Day, 'cuz that's how she likes them.

Important stuff ...

Dani's going walking again.
You can sponsor her here.
I have.

You can sponsor her in your own name,
in someone else's name,
anonymously,
in someone's memory.

For donations under $25, you can PayPal Dani (solasclAThotmailDOTcom) and she will add it to the total. Whatever you can do helps.

Thanks

Changing shoes (the snow has started to accumulate #yeg ... so much for my sunny afternoon predictions) and going familying for the day.

Quinoa for Lunch ...

1/2 cup quinoa boiled in 3/4 to 1 cup water for 12-15 minutes
Add a blob of curry paste,
a handful of chopped raw almonds,
a handful of chopped pineapple and
a handful of coconut
Makes enough for two or put the other half in the fridge in a jar for tomorrow.
Add a fried or poached egg,
a handful of chopped spinach and
some chopped cilantro.



One of my household rainbows got a trim.



We kept the trimmings to use as clown barf.

Heading Whyte-ward again shortly for breakfast at B's Diner with the Poppets and @MacheteSquad

Yay! It's Short Attention Span Day again!

It was Five Crowns by candlelight at our house for Earth Hour. I kicked nephoo's arse (he kicked mine soundly last time).
Testing posting via ping.fm

Melting Pots ...

Today was have a shower and do running around day, but I woke up to snow.
No problem!
I figured that instead of adding to the mayhem on the roads, I'd stay home and do laundry. I put a load in and went out to shovel.
When I came in and turned on the tap, nothing came out.
No problem!
I phoned Epcor and they told me there was a water main break and that the water should be back on by tonight or tomorrow morning.
No problem!
Sure, I could go to the store and buy water, go to the pool to shower, find the water tanker (that Epcor says will be somewhere in the neighbourhood) to get enough water to flush toilets.
Or I could have an adventure!
I'm feelin' all rustic, melting snow for water (on a gas stove in an electrically lit kitchen in a centrally heated house, and blogging about it).
I've been at it for five hours and have enough water to flush the toilet (twice if I have to), a gallon of filtred, boiled drinking water, and a tub full of snow and a little bit of water, to which I'll add some hot water when I have enough.
I'm spending the day thinking of the lunatics who settled this country and the people who live on the streets here or in places where they must haul water to live.

Lions and Lambs ...

If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb. Everyone knows that! Apparently, most everyone also knows that in like a lion means fierce and with a roar ... and that out like a lamb means quietly and gently. Seems reasonable, eh?

This, obviously (to me), is completely backwards. When I was very small, I pictured March coming like a lamb, all white and fluffy, and going out like a lion, all golden and warm. While I may talk about it in conventional terms, in my head, I know how it really works.

Unconscionable Perusal ...

Network issues not fixed, but more-than-passable bandaid solution found.
Another glorious sunny day on the prairies and it's not even that cold out.
Washed a load of laundry and hung it up to dry, carefully blocking the woolens, then noticed that it smelled funny.
And what's that on the floor?
Spiffy, a wet, eroded vitamin.
Laundry is rewashed, rehung and reblocked.
Now off to bake cake in jars because I'm curious.

title brought to you by Two Word-Of-The-Day Calendar Widgets