Snowdog on a Walk

Kona and I went on a walk today. I just had to share some pictures, since the sun is so bright and cheery. Imagine the snow crunching crisply under foot while doggy finds treasures in the snow.

Following some rodent tracks on the frozen marsh:

"I smelled a shrew...I'm sure I smelled a shrew..."

On the lookout:

Christmas decorations on our house!

Paperwhites too soon

The thermometer read -23 degrees C this morning. Not bad. It's clear and sunny and RLM is out in the shed, spending quality time with the snowmobile for the first time this season. Snowmobilers and floatplanes (on skis) are now using the lake to get around.

I bought paperwhite bulbs last month and followed the instructions to pot them up 6 weeks before Christmas. It seems that mine will be done before then. Oh well. I still have an orchid preparing to make a big show for Christmas.

Here are some pretty frost patterns on our window yesterday afternoon. While the patterns are pretty, the significant condensation and mildew in the wooden frames around the windows are why we are going to replace these windows soon.

Vegetables at northern grocery stores

It's a good thing that resident-lawnmower-man doesn't read this blog, for he would be sure to get worked up about this next story.

I stopped in at the main local grocery store for some potting soil. Of course, I left with a bag full of various items. No, five bags full. Anyhow, I spotted some Belgian endive in my wanderings. I read about this vegetable in a cookbook last night. They recommended cutting it lengthwise and dipping it in a nice herbed dip. I'd never had this before, so I picked some up. Out of interest, I also checked out how much the red peppers were selling for this week: $4.49/lb. I think they even get more expensive later on in the season. I scanned around to see if this was the most expensive vegetable there. No, it wasn't. Belgian endive was the most costly at $4.99/lb. It was tied with strawberries.

I told RLM to buy a red pepper a few days ago and I made a nice couscous and vegetable salad out of it. He told me it better be worth it for the price he paid. Well, I told him that he really should appreciate the Belgian endive with spinach dip for lunch today. I didn't tell him how much I paid for it, but I thought it tasted nice (and besides, endive is rather light compared to heavy items like strawberries and therefore kind-of a bargain when bought by the pound, right?). I may even buy Belgian endive again, that is, until RLM figures out I'm buying the most expensive item in the vegetable section...