Soup: sautée onion, mushrooms, in butter/olive oil add H2O, bay leaves, cauliflower, spuds, carrots, bay leaves. Cook soft. Blender, season.

... and that answers the "does ping.fm's default setting send to blogger as well as twitter, plurk and facebook" question.

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.