My Flog for April 9

Home again home again, jiggity jog - that's good. The bus ride blessed me with a seat mate who reeked of garlic, and who decided to use me for a pillow as she slept her way to the sky train station. After a couple of jabs with my elbow she became a bit more alert, although unfortunately, not less garlicky. The fertilizer scent from the blueberry fields on Westminster Highway was most welcome, as were the bus fumes at the bus stop at 22nd Street.

There are a couple of eagle nests on the way, and I'm always pleased to see the eagle that lives in one. He (or she) is usually perching on one of the branches of the tree, guarding his (or her) home.  I wonder if there are any little eagle eggs in the nest, because that would be so cool. The other nest is a man-made aerie, and there usually isn't anybody at home there.

This link will take you to a site for a family of eagles residing near the river at the south end of #3 Road in Richmond. Not my eagle, but maybe a cousin. The pics are very cool.
http://www.hancockwildlife.org/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=1131
If you go to the You Tube link on this site, you will see some pics of the man-made nest at Lafarge - Lafarge is the one I pass every commute, and I guess it's named after the Lafarge Cement Plant that is in the area.

Riding to work in the morning is a lot nicer when it's daylight - especially with the cherry trees and daffodils in full bloom. In winter, it is really dark and I usually find myself nodding off on the way. Although I make sure I don't use anyone else for a pillow. And I really try not to stink.

Work was mostly good, really really busy, and only a few irritating customers. One person wanted help with a knitting pattern because she tried to knit the sweater several times, and couldn't get it figured out. However, she didn't bring her knitting with her, and there was no way to know what she was doing wrong, so she lucked out there.  Sometimes people think we are Pattern Psychics. Someone left a message on the answering machine on Sunday, when we closed, and asked us to put away 3 balls of purple yarn - she was smart enough to tell us the dye lot number. That's it. Last inventory, we carried over 70 different labels of yarn. And there are many shades of purple.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - It was Share-a-Soup-and-Sandwich Day, so I had half a bowl of Cream of Broccoli (so good) and half a Roast Beef Sandwich from my favourite bakery, and an Orange (which I didn't share at all)
• Dinner - A big bowl of green salad - half spring greens and half spinach - with Honey Dijon Dressing, and half a Sausage Roll, from the same bakery as Lunch, and a tiny teeny smidgeony piece of Lemon Meringue Pie
• Snacks - Hot Chocolate, Iced Mocha, Yogurt, and some Easter leftovers .... mmmmm

My Flog for April 8 - Happy Easter!

What a great day. The temp reached in the 20's, sunny, a bit of wind but it was warm. Did a bit of housework in the morning, and a bit of laundry during the day. Neil, Shannon and their boys came over after lunch to help us celebrate Easter, and it was so good to see everyone together just having 'a time.'

Neil and Dominik - they both have a talent for the drums

Now I know what to get Dom for Christmas. He can be a little drummer boy!

Steve wore the Chef's Hat today, even though we never had a real hat

Steve spent a lot of time in the kitchen, cooking and peeling and cutting and chopping and cleaning ..... and trying to be a smart ass - quite successfully, I may add. I really should be careful what is on the other end of the lens before I snap the picture.

I'm just hoping no one else notices anything strange- he thought it was bloody hilarious

Five kiddies and their baskets running around looking for Easter chocolate - oh, and Neil makes six! He never had a basket, because he has big big hands.

The Easter Egg hunt went over really well - some would say too well - but the kiddies did manage to find lots of candy

Here we have Lizzie, Chris, Dominik, Clayton, and Tanner - how cool are they?

Full of ham and chocolate - they look very calm, don't they?

... and now, more tunes from the garage ...

Listen at your own risk. I would advise ear plugs, a pillow strapped over each ear, and a distance of about 150 metres. If anyone wants to book this duo, give me a call. I'll pass on the message as long as your house is at least a mile away from ours. I hope nothing bad happens to Steve's new amp while he's at work one day. My ears are still going boing boing.

•  Breakfast - Toast and Coffee - and Bacon and a Fried Egg. Steve made breakfast (well, I helped, I made the toast, which was the hard bit, as I had to slice that wonderfully fresh Raisin Bread first.)
• Lunch - Soup. I was lucky enough to find some Beef/Veggie Soup hiding in the freezer, and it is still very tasty!
• Dinner - Ham. Mashed Potato. Rutabaga (Turnip on the East Coast). Carrots. Broccoli. Lemon Pie. Steve cooked dinner (well, I helped, I made the Lemon Pie, which was the hard bit, as I had to bake the pastry, cook the filling, and whip the meringue - which by the way, my grandkids didn't like.)
• Snacks - Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate etc etc etc. I wouldn't know where to stop.

My Flog for April 7

This was a beautiful spring day, sunshiney and blue-skied. The guys took a load of junk to the dump/transfer station this morning, and brought back a load of dirt. They had to pay to dump the truck, then they had to pay for a load of dirt. I could think of a lot better ways to spend that money, I think. However, we will all be glad when the growing season starts - and finishes. I know there is a Jigg's Dinner garden in the future.

Today I made White Raisin Bread, which turned out nicely, I must say.

http://tamargetsstuffed.blogspot.ca/2012/04/white-raisin-bread.html

 Howard made Stewed Fish for dinner -

http://tamargetsstuffed.blogspot.ca/2012/04/howards-amazing-stewed-fish.html

Steve can't wait to perform surgery on the bread - careful, it's still hot!

Not a very exciting day, I'm afraid. Downloaded some 60s and 70s memories - listening to Red Rubber Ball by Cyrkle now. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you must be a baby, but you can You Tube it if you'd like. 

I am also not so patiently waiting for the second season of William and Mary to download. I must admit, I have fallen in love with Martin Clunes, and he should feel lucky I'm married and living miles away from wherever he is. I know he's not in BC. I would know if he were. I just know I would.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Cheerios
• Dinner - Basa Fillets w/Potatoes and Onions
• Snacks - Cookies, Orange, Yogurt, Banana, Diet Pepsi (with Lime, my absolute favourite)

My Flog for April 6

I don't have the energy to use bullets tonight. It's not really night yet, I guess, it's still evening, still daylight, but that doesn't matter, Howard's in bed. He went in when I got up. And I'm going back in when I post this.

This morning we went shopping, then I came home and crashed. I feel the same way I felt on Monday when I blamed the Aleve for making me sick, so I guess it wasn't the Aleve. But at least today I was home, so I spent most of the day either sitting up in bed watching downloads, listening to music, or lying in bed dozing.

Here's my list for today, in no particular order, and of no particular benefit:

Coffee, Toast, Banana Cream Pie, Cookies, Chips, Yogurt and Diet Pepsi

I only ate the yogurt because it started to leak on the way home, I guess something else in the bag rubbed it the wrong way and the lid got pulled up a bit. It certainly wasn't my intention to eat anything healthy today. Although I would have eaten some Pea Soup if there were any left, but I guess Howard sucked the last drop from the pot last night - after complaining that you can't make good Pea Soup without a Ham Bone and/or Salt Beef, and you need more in it than just a Pork    Hock and some veggies, and wondering if I had put onions in it, which I did, of course, lots of them. 

My Flog for April 5

Lazy Day Off - Let's see, what did I do besides watch downloaded episodes of Monarch of the Glen and William and Mary? 

I took a picture of Nikkie's amazing Easter Cookies that she took to school for Chris's kindergarten class -

Don't they look great? And that's just the 4 on top, each one was different. And the cookies are double delicious too, which is why I'm linking the recipe for you, along with all our secrets to making the perfect Special Day treats! Best Ever Sugar Cookies

But that's not all I did today. I made a Banana Cream Pie, 6 loaves of White Bread, and a double batch of  Chocolate Chip Cookies -  http://tamargetsstuffed.blogspot.ca/2012/04/best-ever-chocolate-chip-cookies.html Yum Yum Yum. You don't have to believe me, you can click on the above link and make your own. 

It was Howard's idea to include the 'lassie box in the picture. Can't wait.

That's all I did today.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - ??? Pudding? 
• Dinner - Pea Soup, Fresh Yummy Bread, Cheddar Cheese, Banana Cream Pie (Double Delicious!).
• Snacks - 2 Cookies, Orange

My Flog for April 4

10 AM: First Day Off - Sunshine! Blue Skies! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGZDwxnjG1g - just hoping there will be 'nothing but blue skies from now on' ... we'll just have to wait and see I guess.

Late getting started, but lots to be done - cookie dough for tomorrow's Easter cookies is probably the priority. First I have to clean the kitchen again- after cleaning everything from last night's supper - dinner, whatever - the other roomie cooked dinner for him and his gal, and left dirty dishes and food, on the table, on the counter, in the sink. Just gonna sweep it all to one side and continue with my stuff. At least the overpowering stench of tons of garlic has left the kitchen. I love garlic, but not enough to use it as a 2-room air freshener hours after dinner is gone.

Oh oh, the brightness has left my window - please please no rain today.

12:19 PM - Sunshiny stuff back again, a huge amount of sugar cookie dough chillin' in the fridge, now get ready, Walmart, here I come!

6:33 PM - It was nice to walk to Walmart with Sheila - here's the pic I promised her. There were so many black clouds surrounding my sky when I left, but they scooted away, and I had a sunny walk home.

 It's a long and winding road - not really! But how nice to have a walk where there's no cars, trucks, and most of all - no buses. Although, sometimes when I'm tugging or pushing a 50 lb buggy,  I wish I could pull the path straight ... it would cut out some metres.

 A bunch of wild daffodils, growing amongst some blackberry canes. a good example of look but don't touch
That could be a song title - Every Daffodil Has Its Thorn. Maybe not.

How lucky am I to live in such a beautiful place! As I was walking home, I watched a bald eagle glide way above me, and a scattering of dandelions by the path reminded me of this poem from a couple of years ago -

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Dandelion 

I'm glad they never told me

When I was just a seed

That I'd be growing up to be a weed.

For if I'd known my future

I might have hid my face

And now I wouldn't be here in this place.

A little bit of summer

And it's not even Spring

I'm glad of all the smiles and hopes I bring.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Spinach Salad (from Walmart, these are so yummy and I hadn't had one in ages.)
• Dinner - Chicken Drummies cooked in Hickory BBQ sauce, Oven Roasted Potatoes, and Broccoli
• Snacks - A few chocolate candy, Diet Pepsi, Pudding, and two cookies

My Flog for April 3

It was a pouring rain kind of day until about 2 o'clock, when we got beautiful sunshine and blue skies. I got off work two and a half hours early, which was really good, as I still am not feeling 100% better. Stop over at Zellers to pick up a prescription, and home before 6 o'clock, and early night indeed. However, just coming downstairs for a bit of R&R before bedtime - Steve and Nikkie were both out, so we were Babysitters and Chefs tonight. 

So, do you know how many elephants you can stuff in a Volkswagon? I don't, but I would think it's a much smaller number than the number of people you can stuff in a bus. The 410 in front of ours must have broken down, because when we caught up to it, it had purged an immense number of passengers, who were waiting to share our ride. The driver kept urging everyone to "MOVE BACK - TO THE BACK OF THE BUS ...", and even when the passengers were sucking in their breath (and their tummies) to squeeze in through the door, he was still letting people aboard. Until one loser tried to get a ride on a January pass - he stopped the bus and tried to evict him, but the guy wouldn't get off, so someone paid for him to get a ticket. Every bus stop offered us a few more pairs of legs, and somehow everybody found room. 

It was like this, just different people ...

..but I could see it looking like this if people kept coming 

When the bus stopped at 22nd Street Station, it must have looked like the parting of the Red Sea, when the waves of passengers poured of the bus and split in two directions, heading either to the Downtown Vancouver train, or the King George train.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Egg McMuffin, Yogurt
• Dinner - Scrambled Eggs, Muffin - the Muffin was McDonald's new Coffee Cake Muffin - and it was terrible. Dry, tough, and tasteless. If you haven't tried one yet, save your money.
• Snacks - Graham Wafer cracker, Pudding, Hot Chocolate (notice: no cookies today!)

My Flog for April 2

I picked up some Aleve before I went to work this morning, as my poor little finger and its neighbour, my poor little ring finger, were really sore. As I said before, early onset arthritis. However, one little blue pill (Aleve, not Viagra) and my whole body got sent somewhere it didn't want to go. I had taken Aleve before, and I found it worked really well at demolishing arthritis pain, and I never had any side-effects, so maybe it wasn't the Aleve, maybe I just took sick about half an hour after I took it. Shaky, all-over feeling of distress, weakness etc, and me stuck at work all day. Pauline was very kind to me, and made me sit about twenty times. She kept complaining that I kept getting up. I just felt guilty getting big bucks for doing nothing. (That last sentence is sarcasm, by the way.) Feel better now, though, and my fingers don't hurt at all. Just ultra tired and only a few minutes from dreamland.

I found out today I am one of 1500 applicants for the Richmond Food blogger position. Howard said I may get cut down to one of 100, assuming the first cut is to 100. That is a huge compliment coming from my husband.

• Breakfast - Raisin Bread Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Roast Beef Sandwich, half a bowl of Chicken Gumbo soup - a tad spicy, but nice
• Dinner - Sausage Roll, Yogurt
• Snacks - Hot Chocolate, Scone, Pudding, cookies - we aren't going to say how many as we don't want to shock anybody

My Flog for April 1

I hope everyone had a good April Fool's Day. I had to work, of course, so that took away a lot of enjoyment. Poor me. I'm home now though - poor me. I am doing laundry in between words.

Spring has finally dug in for real, the fruit trees are pinking and whiting all over, and leaves are opening, freshly green. I saw dandelions yesterday, the first ones I've noticed this year. A few days of sun and a few days of rain do wonders for the growing stuff.

This is a picture of the Pedestrian Scramble at the main intersection in Steveston. Here you can press buttons, and either walk across the street in the usual way, or cross diagonally following the rope map. I think it's just the city's way of cutting down on tourists - a sort of survival of the fittest thingie. However, there is a beautiful cherry tree all a-blossom on the other side of the street, and a beautiful April sky overhead.

Yesterday was the last day for applying to the most wanted job on the planet, as VIB (Very Important Blogger) for Richmond and its many restaurants. I would be quite honoured to make the Top Ten, but like all the American Idol wannabees, I am one of thousands who are trying out for it. I have decided if I don't slip through, I am going to haul out my Clothesline Wars and try to plump that out for - dare I say it? - a book. The skeleton is already there, that part happened without me really trying, which is sort of magic, I must say. 

On a totally different subject - a terrible thing has happened. The day after I mangled kidneys and baked them in a Steak and Kidney Pie, Howard tried it - and actually liked it. Does that mean I'll have to make this recipe again? Oh my. 

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Egg Sandwich
• Dinner - 2 slices of Raisin Bread
• Snacks - Eccles Cake (which is really a pastry and not a cake) 

My New Number for April 1

159.5

I hate extra long months. Yesterday I weighed in a pound less. In this instance, less isn't more, and more just sucks.
Now if I can lay off all the Junk Food I've been eating, I might have a nicer number for May 1. Only 2 more months and I'll have a year logged in on this flog - can you believe that? And even though it's only 20 pounds, they stayed off and if I hadn't been doing this? I have no doubt I would have found them along the way, probably with some company!

My Flog for March 31

This is a close-up of my poor poor little pinkie, the one I need for typing and knitting - it used to be my only tension finger, now I have to rely on my ring finger to do that job, and it's just not the same. Not only is my pinkie knuckle all swollen due to early-onset arthritis (believe that if you will,) yesterday I jammed it between the bathroom sink and the mop. I did learn my lesson, though, I'll stay away from mops in the future. It was a mop I was using when I tripped over my kitchen stool a couple of years ago and broke my poor little toe.

This is a truly weird picture, if I hadn't told you up front what it was, you probably would be thinking all sorts of strange things by now.In fact, I shouldn't even leave it here, as I know how some of you think. But I will, because I am innocent in my flogging.

• Breakfast - Toasted Raisin Bread and Coffee
• Lunch - downtown Vancouver, at Ricky's Diner - 2 Egg Cheese Omelet and 2 Pancakes. Definitely not worth the money, but at least I didn't have to clean up after. Howard had Fish 'n' Chips, and was so disappointed they used Fish Plant fish - he would never buy it from a store. Nothing like Dave's Fish and Chips or Pajo's in Steveston, where they get 'real' unprocessed fish
• Dinner- leftovers, of course. Chicken Pie and veggies for me. The Steak and Kidney Pie is free on request, just come and get it. Please. 
• Snacks - Reese's Peanut Butter Crispy bar, diet Coke, a Lemon Tart

My Flog for March 30

What is the stinkiest thing in the world?

• a litter box that's gone uncleaned for a year
• a jug of milk left out in the sun for a month
• 100 farts in a closet
• beef kidneys

If you chose the last, then you are definitely correct. I did everything I was supposed to, I think - soaked 'em in salted water for a few hours, rinsed, rinsed and rinsed some more, and still they stank.

I mean - how disgusting is that?

Even fried up with steak, mushrooms, and tons of onions, they still reeked - although I'm sure the mushrooms didn't help. Oh my. I didn't even know if there was enough seasoning in it, as I couldn't bring myself to test taste it, and certainly asking Nikkie to was just a waste of breath. She won't test taste anything unless it's Brownies, Kraft Dinner, or French Fries. 

The last time I saw my big brother, which was a few years ago, he mentioned how much he'd like to sink his teeth into a Steak and Kidney Pie, and I made sure this visit he would have one. Well, he got one, but I couldn't imagine him eating it. Blech. 

I did make a Chicken Pot Pie, and that was one delicious pie, even though I was worried about my attempt at pastry. I just hoped it would stretch to feed everyone once the Steak and Kidney Pie went down the toilet.

Yummy chicken - it looks yummy and it smells yummy and it tastes yummy.

Also on the menu: Mashed Potatoes, Turnip, Broccoli, Coleslaw, and Corn Bread. I had to have lots of sides in case we somehow lost a Pie down the toilet. Then for dessert, Cherry Tarts, Lemon Meringue Tarts (frozen tart shells, what a cheater) and Strawberry No-Bake Cheese Cake, which was delicious. Too bad it didn't set well. Oh well. I'm not a chef.

It's been a long and busy day, and of course not much turned out the way it was supposed to (according to the recipes.) The pies bubbled over and drowned half the pastry. The Cheese Cake didn't set, thanks a lot, Rachel Ray. I overcooked the carrots. As I said, I'm not a chef - I guess I'm just a Tryer.

• Breakfast - Raisin Bread, toasted on the ring. Now that was good, in fact that was just plain delicious, and of course, Coffee
• Lunch - Raisin Bread of course, and a Yogurt
• Dinner - Some of the above, but no Steak and Kidney Pie. I don't even like to think about it.
• Snacks - No time for snacks today, busy busy busy

Now the evening is over. David almost swooned (do people still swoon? Did men ever swoon?) when he realized there was a Steak and Kidney pie on the table with all the other food. I still couldn't bring myself to eat it, but everyone else had some - well, everyone had some on their plate, but Steve wasn't a big fan of it. If everyone else was being honest, it was a fine pie. I'll never know for sure. Everything else was fine - I just waited until everyone had lots of wine before I brought out the runny cheesecake, and then that went over great, too - it was truly a really delicious dessert, just a tad runny. As in, "Would you like a glass of Cheesecake?" 

However, it was a great night of reminiscing and story-telling. I so wish my family lived closer together, but we are separated over the width of this big country, and we rarely see each other. I guess that makes the rare times we do get together even more special.

Howard and David

Syl, Nikkie and Steve

David and Darleen

Howard, Steve, Syl, Darleen, David, and Tamar

Steve, Nikkie, Syl, Darleen, David, and Tamar

My Flog for March 29

Yawn, yawn, double yawn. Just waiting for the Raisin Bread I baked to cool down so I can bag it and freeze most of it, then it's Sack Time for me. I've been on the go all day, it seems.

I decided to get my Stereo Cassette Player out of mothballs, and take it to Walmart with me this afternoon. I stuck in a Willie Nelson tape, but it sounded as if I were playing a 45 rpm at an LP speed. Wasn't sure if it was poor old Willie, or the pre-MP3 artifact. So I popped in Paul Simon's The Rhythm of the Saints tape, and lo and behold, the beat was right on. And the first song was very suitable
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaMtWc_zulQ&feature=fvst
as Paul sang "I can't run but I can walk much faster than this" into my ears. I thought to myself, 'Well, that's too bad, Paul, because I can't walk any faster than I'm going, sorry buddy.'

We did finally make it to Walmart though, and on the way home, pushing $100 worth of groceries in my buggy, as it was too heavy to haul it behind me, I had the answer to this one down pat -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS9_ipu9GKw
and the answer was 'YES, damn it, I have, in fact I am seeing it RIGHT NOW, bloody big drops of it, and my feet are getting wet.'

However, I did get home eventually, after saving two worms from drowning. Have you ever tried to pick up wet worms from rain-covered pavement? It's extremely difficult. I had passed so many bloated drowned wormy carcasses on the path, when I came across some wriggly ones that looked like they may not make it across the watery way, I thought I would rescue them by tossing them back on the grass, where they may have a chance to eat and poop some more wonderful soil. After realizing how hard it was to pick them up, I quit after two. (Hmm...I hope I remembered to wash my hands before I started to make the bread .... )

So home it was then, to start a stew for dinner, and knead up some Raisin Bread for a Real Treat, then some Beer Bread for a side dish, as I was too tired to do veggies. And then, a bus trip to The Great Canadian Super Store for some Beef Kidneys. Yech. Steve came to my rescue and brought me home, as by the time I found everything I needed and stood in line behind a lady buying over $400 of groceries, it was dark.

And that is why my blog is late tonight.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Pea Soup
• Dinner - Beef Stew and Beer Bread
• Snacks - Pudding, 2 cookies, Diet Pepsi

And last, but not least - A huge THANK YOU to Barb for sending me a copy of the March Downhome. 

It was so cool to see this in print!

My Flog for March 28

What an extraordinary busy day I had! I got up around 5:30 and made toast and drank coffee. Then I watched the last episode of Coronation Street, so now I'm all caught up until next Sunday. Then, wondering what was going to happen with Carla and  Frank, I went on an English site, and spent the rest of the day reading daily updates - as we in Canada are lagging behind by about 3 months, now I know a heck of a lot more than the average Canadian viewer. If you'd like to join me in my vast knowledge of things to come, just click this - Coronation Street Updates

I did make a pot of really good Split Pea Soup, even though I didn't have all the stuff I needed. I had purchased a Pork H.... a Pig Leg yesterday, so I threw that in the pot with about three cups of yellow split peas, three chopped-up onions, salt and pepper, and let it boil, then simmer, until it thickened up nicely and started to stick to the bottom of the pot - about three hours. Then I transferred it to another pot, and added a whack of my frozen Veggies - corn, peas, carrots, and green beans. I usually put carrots and turnip in - the real ones you grow in the garden (or buy at the produce department), and wash and chop, but the frozen variety did well, and the soup is really good. Even Steve, who doesn't really like Pea Soup, ate some of this and didn't complain (much.) Howard didn't have any soup - unlike me, he's not a Soup Lover - but he did eat all the meat off the Pork Ho .... Pig Leg.

I don't think I did anything else, besides making the Salmon Cakes and cleaning up after dinner. What a wonderful day! However, tomorrow I will have to make up for it, as I have very special people coming to visit on Friday! So excited!

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Sausage Roll, and Pea Soup
• Dinner - 2 Salmon Cakes
• Snacks - 2 cookies, vanilla pudding and an orange ... and yes, a few candy.

Reading comments on the Richmond Tourism facebook page regarding the bog position for 365 days of eating in Richmond restaurants is a bit depressing, as there are so many established food bloggers vying for this super job, so I have decided not to go there any more, reading their wonderful recipes, drooling over their wonderful pictures of mouth-watering food, and seeing all their fans insist their food heroes get the job. Makes me feel a tad under qualified, to say the least. Thank goodness I have my own little fan club to read my nightly ramblings!

My Flog for March 27

Glad the day is over, glad the work week is over, and now my extended weekend begins. Nice

The ride home was horrid. We had an overflowing bus, tip to toe full of people, when a huge scooter came on. The gal had no idea how to steer it, and came on front-wise, and tried to turn it around on board. It would have been comparable to turning a transport trailer in your kitchen. (I assume none of you have huge kitchens.) Anyway, after several tries, which included bumping into people's knees and causing feet to seek refuge under our benches, she backed off, whacking everything in sight, got on the sidewalk, turned around and backed on the bus, again bumping into each side of the bus as she zigzagged her way toward the handicap area. Bus driver was saying, "Straighten up your wheels," and "Just back up straight," and she would turn her wheels until she ran into the side, then turn her wheels the other way, and so on and so on. Finally, she got strapped in and we were on our way, about twenty minutes later.

Then as we neared the skytrain station, she kept telling the people who were standing in front of the bus to back up, back up - she wanted the front section all clear before the bus stopped so she could be first one off. I don't know where she expected the people to go - some were standing for almost an hour on the bus, and it wasn't because they wanted to, but she was there with her hands in the air trying to herd people back, and pouting because they wouldn't try to squeeze into the other standees behind them. 

Sometimes, grown ups just need to act grown up.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Soup, a slice of Lemon Loaf
• Dinner - Ham, Cheese and Lettuce Sandwich on a Portuguese Bun
• Snacks - Hot Chocolate, Peanut Butter Cookies, Iced Mocha, Orange

My Flog for March 26

Got off work and headed for the bus stop, where one 410 was a'waiting and another one pulling in behind. First driver said, "The other one's going first." Second driver said, "I didn't think so, but I guess I am." So we all got on the second driver's bus. And that's when the next (and third) 410 came zooming along, slowing down enough to let us know he was actually the 'going first' bus ... there he was, going going gone, and there we were, waiting ten more minutes to start our long commute. Kinda sucks, don't it, now?

However - not a bad day at work. At least I only had one ruffle yarn demo, unfortunately it was for a customer who had just ingested a meal of garlic, so it was done very quickly and with the least amount of oxygen necessary to stay standing. I hope so much to get this Richmond Tourism Blogger gig, so the garlicky person could be me. However, since they are trolling the whole word wide web, my chances are very slim. Even if I'm not (thanks partially to my strict QC testing.)

A lot of applicants for this job have great blogs, but they are only about food - restaurant dishes and recipes. I, however, can write about absolutely anything, and as this flog proves, I can also write about absolutely nothing. Which should count for something.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Soup and Sandwich share-time
• Dinner - Cheerios w/Milk, and a Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Snacks - Orange, and Day Three of Quality Control testing - still delicious - this QC stuff is really fine, I must say- just a wee bit of Brownie and a skinny slice of Lemon Loaf

My Flog for March 25

Work. Enough said about that. One thing I do love about Sunday mornings is the view from the Alex Fraser Bridge as the big blue truck takes me to Steveston. This morning the sun was shining on the snow covered mountains, and my phone-camera really really tried to captivate the image for you all. The colours aren't as brilliant, and the city viewscape is lost altogether, but at least you can see the mountains. Just colour the sky a deeper blue, and draw in hundreds of city stuffs, like houses, and you'll have it. 

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee - but not just any toast, Barely Molasses and Raisin Toast, toasted on the ring, and I'm glad to say, it was DELICIOUS!
• Lunch - Soup (still working my way through my frozen supply - I'm sure a new one pops up when I take one out of the freezer), 3 Cookies
• Dinner - Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes and Veggie mix - another deja vu moment from last week, but still really yummy. I'm not cooking after work, so sorry - it was still after 8 o'clock by the time I heated that stuff up, and ate it, and cleaned up after everyone - and I mean everyone. Steve helped, so thanks Steve!
• Snacks - Jello, and part 2 of Quality Control Operations: Is everything just as good on the second day as the first? Yes, it is, and some of it is even better. QCO will probably remain in place until the platters, cookie jars, and Saran Wraps are wiped clean.

My Flog for March 24

Breakfast seems so long ago, but I finally get to sit down and relax. I spent the day baking, mostly disasters, but at least they look good. Especially with frosting on top. And the burned stuff in the garbage. I HATE this new stove, I'll never get used to the stupid oven. I took the bread out, and wondered if the first loaf was cooked - then tipped out the second one, and it was burned. Miserable miserly landlord getting a stove at the Dollar Store.

However, first things I baked were the Lemon Loaves, as I had promised Son #2 one, and he never lets me forget promises.

You may notice one has been cut, just so you could see the beautiful texture and colour. Also so Steve and I could do some Quality Control testing. Neil's remains intact, and will be in no danger until the first one is all gone. Burp.

Next was a walk to Walmart, as I had run out of eggs, butter, vanilla, raisins, yeast and milk. Hard to bake without these. I was pretty tired even before I got there, but the day was so beautiful and sunny - a gift.

... a hydro lady reaching into the blue sky - the kids call them Power Towers ...

I was so tired, whenever I stopped walking, my shadow lay down for a while. Lucky shadow.

Back home to some soup and Diet Pepsi - I put a Toonie in the slot at the $2 Pepsi machine at Walmart and got a Diet Pepsi and 4 quarters back. Another gift. Or, knowing I got the pop for only a dollar, was it stealing? Nah. It was another gift.

Next came cookies. Bloody oven. Same cookie dough, same batch on same cookie tray (of course) and some of them were burnt on the bottom, others were just about perfect. What the heck? Filled my cookie jars with the best of the good, and partially filled my garbage can with the worst of the bad.

Chocolate Chip Cookie, anyone?

Or would you prefer a Peanut Butter Cookie?

A wee break for dinner, and here come the Brownies - again, oven troubles. The edges cooked first, the middle took forever to cook. So to even things out and at least get them to look good, I covered them with Chocolate Frosting. They are still warm, so there has been no test tasting yet ...

 Guess I spoke too soon - I knew Howard had a bit of a bedtime lunch, but thought he had got into the cookies ...

No complaints, no choking, and no clutching mid-section and flailing on the floor. So I guess they passed the taste test.

Last but not least, the bread got a chance to go in the oven. Now this is made from scratch, my mom's recipe, for Molasses Raisin Bread. I call mine Barely Molasses Raisin Bread, as Molasses was the one thing I forgot to check before I went to the store, and when the yeast was rising and everything else was waiting, I realized I only had half enough molasses. I certainly couldn't take the time then to walk back to the store, so  I just made do with what I had. It didn't rise very much, but I was so tired by the time I put it in the oven, I didn't really care. Not sure what the test taste for this will discover, but I'm not too enthusiastic or optimistic about it. But it does look good - if you don't look at the burned side.

And that's about it, folks. Tomorrow is back to work, and once again, I'll be glad for the rest. However, I am still looking forward to my next 4-day weekend!

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Soup, some canned Oranges
• Dinner - Chicken Breast, Fries
• Snacks - Quality Control testing, Orange, Diet Pepsi

My Flog for March 23

- thinking of our mom on her birthday -

Even though it was one of the nicest days of the year so far, I still didn`t go out anywhere, just stayed in and this`n`thatted, which included, but was not limited to, knitting, watching downloaded Doc Martin, and cooking a nice fattening dinner.

One more day off - this 3-day work week is starting to wear me out. Especially since this past week I only worked 2 days, due to this wicked spell of something I picked up. Seems the virus comes quickly and leaves slowly - now I have a horrid cough that makes me feel I`m going to expel part of my lungs. My asthma inhaler is back by my side, after a really long hiatus. However, other than that - I`m fine!

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Spaghetti (left overs from a couple of nights ago, just call me the human recycling bin)
• Dinner - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Veggies, and Raisin Pudding with Dream Whip - pure comfort foods all the way. 
• Snacks - a slice of Nikkie`s yummy Banana Bread

If you`d like to know what was happening to us on this day last year, check this link - http://tamarsdayoff.blogspot.ca/2011/03/xrays-sperm-and-granny-pantiesgotta.html - needless to say, lots of things are better than then. My knee ended up self-healing, and my cane has been on vacation since last October.  Howard`s wrist was fixed with a magic injection from the specialist he was seeing, although he has to be careful about how he moves it sometimes. For example, he can`t put weight on it when he`s crawling. Thank heavens he learned to walk at a really young age.

So even though you may hear us complain from time to time, don`t pay any heed. We`re both in pretty good shape - for the shape that we`re in!

My flog for March 22

In some people's minds, I would have had a very boring day - knitted dolls' clothes, helped put together 24 and 48 piece puzzles (I'm getting better at them), watched downloaded Monarch of the Glen, swept (we were missing a puzzle piece, so I moved all the living room furniture and swept the whole damn floor looking for it - found it at the foot of the stairs, guess it fell out of the box when I brought it upstairs for the kids), and made dinner. I wasn't bored at all.

I did want to walk to the store in the morning, but just didn't feel up to it. How I wish I could wake up one morning and be full of zip - I really want a Skip-a-Dee-Do-Da Day. Oh well, maybe that will happen soon. Til then I'll absolutely bore everyone with my little mundane life.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Beans and Bread
• Dinner - Pepper Steak w/Rice and Potato Salad (can't throw out these mashed potatoes from two nights ago, now, can we?, and Fruit Crisp (found some strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and rhubarb lying in the bottom of the freezer - got to make room for the new crops, eh?)
• Snacks - a bit of this, a bit of that - nothing big and nothing plentiful