Thank You Meg, or Lenore, or maybe Rachel...

One of the privileges of being retired is the time to do something when you suddenly get an idea. I remember asking for a good pasta recipe a few months ago and either Meg or Lenore responded with the "You Won't Be Single Long Vodka Cream Pasta" recipe from Rachel Ray. So, tonite was the time to try it and it was great! I made it with butter-garlic shrimp and a green salad (had to look up what a shallot was). And wine. And some more wine....

It was so good that I'm really going to have to use the spell check after I finish this post, as my typing has gone all to h-e-double hockey sticks. Thanks Meg and Lenore.

First Day of Spring

So, just when does spring arrive in this part of the country? Most would say that spring is officially here on the vernal equinox (March 21st this year). If you said that, you'd be wrong. Others say spring coincides with the end of MLB's spring training, or the weekend of the Final Four in NCAA basketball. Wrong again.

My daughters know very well that not too much (aside from Ground Hog Day) excites their father and heralds the "official" arrival of spring than the heart-warming sight of the first crow of the season.



Yes, this morning around 11:41, there they were,two harbingers of spring, perched on the roof of LCHS, raising all manner of ruckus.

We did have a couple of false alarms. Yesterday, I chased after what I thought was a congregation of the rascals, only to discover that it was a flock of ravens, not a murder of crows.



There were even a couple of untimely photos in the entertainment section of yesterday's newspaper to refute.









So, Raymondo says you can now take it to the bank. Spring is here!

Gone and Done It!

I think that's the name of that Shania Twain song isn't it - "Gone and Done It"? As I have three of her CD's I could probably look it up. And yes, it might also surprise some of you to know that I admire more about Shania than just her lovely voice.

To get on with my story, it's tough being a sports fan in northern Alberta these days. The Oilers have just racked up eight straight losses, Kevin Martin lost out in the Brier, Singor Mobeley got released, and so on.

Well, one can seek remedies in rum, comfort in crying, solace in screaming, but that only lasts so long. At some point, one has to actually do something constructive.

A couple of month ago I told the nice lady from the Eskimos Football Club that I would not be renewing my season tickets unless I could get substantially better seating than my eagle's aerie in row 263. "Sorry", she said, "no can do. We're all sold out down there where the good seats are".

"Okee-dokee" or something like that sez me. "It's been great watching the Eskimos perform this year. Call me if you have something better to offer".

Well, damned if they didn't! This morning I renewed, but for two tickets in the lower bowl, covered seating, 35 yd line! Touchdown!! If the the Esks perform half as well as their ticket office staff, we should have another Grey Cup on the shelf come this November.

Which brings me to the next point. I expect that the Stamps and Riders will be fighting it out to see which one crosses over to the East playoffs this year. The Eskimo pass defense was their Achille's heel last year, so I figure all we have to do is go out and sign everyone else's best DB's and we'll be back in the game.

So, if there are any particular games that you would like to see, I've got two tickets. Give me a call.

Move along.... nothing to see.

Even after driving a stretch of Saskatchewan's Highway 16 for the umpteenth time, one can still be caught unawares. Returning home after visiting Grandma C in NB, somewhere about 20 km short of Lloyd, we ran across Saskatchewan Tourism's latest attempt at attracting the tourist dollar with their new roadside "comfort stations". With it's lovely coral hues and retro design, not to mention a great view, it proved too much for me to resist. As Grandma C would say, "What next?"



Speaking of our NB visit, Mom is well. She was recently awarded a lifetime membership (no dues to pay) in the NB Sr. Citizens Society. She is still playing bridge twice weekly, doing lots of reading, and busy watching the Briar. We helped clean up a few things and had a good visit, bringing her up to date on the doings of her children and grandchildren.

One thing that needs some attention is the roof on her house. The past couple of summers have seen leaks develop along the upstairs dormers leading to moisture damage in the living room and kitchen ceilings and walls. A tradesperson has been contacted to repair that first thing in the spring. The walls and ceilings need to be replastered and repainted, but first the water leaks have to be stopped. Right now there are large blisters in the ceiling and on the walls so it doesn't look so good. Plans are to repaint the kitchen, living room and front room as well as replastering the ceilings on all three rooms. Once completed, I'm sure it will be a much cheerier place for her to live.

Grandma C send a big "hi" to everyone.

Like Lambs to the Slaughter

Arriving home after a glorious month of a driving holiday, a nasty surprise awaits. Not only has Ryan Smyth (in my opinion, the ultimate hockey warrior) been traded to the backwater NY Islanders, but half of the remaining roster is unknown to me! Has not the Eskimos missing the playoffs been sufficient punishment for any misdeeds of the faithful? Apparently not. It is painfully obvious that the self-styled "City of Champions" will witness both their professional teams sitting out the post-season this year.

As the Oilers play out the string, last night they met the Anaheim Ducks. Now, more than a few of us have picked the Ducks to be Stanley Cup finalists this year. There would, however, be some small measure of redemption if the Oilers could upset these said Ducks. After all, anchoring their defense is the mighty Chris Pronger - the Oilers best hope for a repeat of last years Cup challenge, had he not fled the North Country for the charms of southern California. Alas, stud Chris is out with a broken ankle, so no consolation victory is even available there.

Doesn't matter. In addition to underperforming all season, five of the Oilers seven starting defensemen are in the injury bay, along with an additional five forwards. So, with 10 rookies in the lineup (you call that a lineup??) the chances for an upset are about as remote as all your kids remembering your birthday.

Sure enough, after watching episode 2 of season 5 of 24, (Sorry Meg - but everyone gets killed in this episode), I check in on the game, just in case.......

Like lambs to the slaughter, its 4-1 Ducks in the third. Ends up 5-1.

Sigh. But maybe there's hope for next year. I hear that the Oilers will be signing Joe Thornton, Alex Ovechkin, Jerome Iginla, Sidney Crosby, David Beckham and the Sedin Twins for next season.

Home Again

So ..... after 5 weeks of wandering southern climes, we're back home. And you know what - it's good to be home! Twice now, in two years, we've taken a holiday in excess of four weeks. After that amount of time, our enthusiasm and sense of adventure, discovery (call it what you will) is not the same as during the first week. I guess you could say that our attention span is 4 weeks.

Now, we're very aware that there are hundreds of awesome places just waiting to be discovered by us. Marvellous, exciting, beautiful places! And we'll hit as many as we can, just not all in one year. We're already looking forward to our next trip; the time and place yet to be determined.

Everyone tells us that we picked a good month to be away, as the weather here has been cold and snowy. Feels like spring today though with temperatures in the +5 to +10 range. Better get the Skidoo out or it will be too late.

We returned home to a small mountain of mail, and postponed jobs. Takes a lot of time to get through all that stuff! Good thing I'm no longer gainfully employed or I'd really be snowed under. As it is, we had time to watch episode 1 of season 5 of 24 last night. What..... David and Michelle both dead!!!! Man! What a shocker!

We're off to North Battleford tomorrow for a visit with mom. I'm the only son not in Mexico right now. At one point last week, all three of us were out of the country. How's that for planning?




Roni met this cultured gentleman on the streets of Cabo San Lucas, while Ray is much amused by this towel-puppy in our ships stateroom.




Enough for today. I'll add more soon. Check back later.