pirate pei's birthday

the kiddies attended special birthday last week...

pirate theme!!!

 the invitation noted that costume wasn't required,

but c'mon!  a dress-up birthday?  the best thing ever!

edgar decided to be a skeleton pirate,

while esther sported the scurvy knave look.

don't let the gentle gaze fool you;

she is brandishing a sword, after all!

blackberries

well, i broke down today and purchased a tablet computer "for my husband".  truth is, i knew i would be hooked.  line and sinker, baby.  such a reasonable price, this one; i even voluntarily entered the big box store (we all know the one...) and approached a hunching bunch of post teen associates to enlist service...ugh.  i felt like such a maroon. 

and yet here i am, attempting a post on this new (to me) tech-gadget, and rather enjoying it.
 reel me in. 

sunshine slaw

my favourite winter vegetable may just be the simple carrot.  

sure, it is a veg'n'dip staple, but carrots also add sweetness to a simmering stew,

crunch to a stir-fry, hidden goodness to a muffin, and noses to snowmen.

(not to mention googly eyes for children in the kitchen!)

i don't often use them in salads, though...

perhaps put off by the memory of

vinegary shredded-carrot/bloated-raisin salad once served by via-rail

in the complementary snack pack...

well call me crazy, but my carrot salad days may have returned.

i challenge anyone to shred a firm carrot, pile it into a stark white bowl, and not think of sunshine.

~

in fact, into that bowl:

 shred four carrots,

mince one scallion

toast 3 T sesame seeds

and toss the whole mix with a dressing of:

1T tamari

1 T roasted sesame oil

1 T rice vinegar

1 t miso paste

1 t finely grated gingerroot

dig in, or chill to mingle flavours.

tonight, a side for brown rice and salmon,

but it would sing in a sandwich,

or serve as a fresh topping for baby spinach, or other tasty greens.....

i think i'll make eight carrots worth next time.

record

we have been enjoying the more bittercold days by cranking up the ol' victrola...

a dance party inevitably ensues.

we bought it years ago, with an eye for lovely furniture, and an ear for musical history.

a few 78s came with it, and my dad found some more for us; operas, jazz, big band...

this disc is one of campfire songs...like blow the man down, charlie is my darlin', and clementine.

the kids connect immediately with the magic of the scratchy, strident sound,

the magic of how a crank of the handle

brings voices of the last century back from the dead,

and how those voices enliven the limbs of our dancing children.

an archive of a taste of spring...these pics are from tulip festival, may, 2007.

 a teeny tiny esther.

blooming.

snow business

after a very long and patient wait, snow has come to town.

snowman sentries were finally raised in the back yard,

and the street (directly in front of our driveway) was transformed overnight into
an himalayan base camp.

 

icicles were served at the canteen,

and our intrepid neighbour was among the first who braved ice-burn

on the swift slide down.

it has started to attract the on-the-way-home-from-school crowd;
daily, at 3:20 p.m., they scramble and chitter over the mound like squirrells.

~

with an estimated 15cm of more snow arriving today, the mountain-of-fun

isn't going anywhere soon!

~
the question is no longer "where to play?" but instead, "where to park??!!"

go ahead...

make my day.

the first thing i saw when i returned from a gruelling grocery run.

thanks, girl...i love you too!