Car update

I had left a short note with my name and number on the windshield of the person who (apparently) hit my car on Thursday. I heard from the woman's son-in-law on Friday morning.

He was very polite and said that his MIL was very shaken up by the incident. And that she had no idea that she had hit me. He asked if he could come by and look at my car to make sure that it was in fact due to her, and indicated that depending on the estimate, they may choose to settle outside of the insurance. I told him that while I had already notified my insurance company, I'd give them the chance to settle that way. And that he'd better get in touch with the police because they were treating it as a "failure to remain".

He dropped by at noon on Saturday and (I think) was convinced that it was his MIL. He also told me that the officer at the Collision Reporting Centre said that the parking lot where I was hit is one of the highest incident locations in the GTA. Ooops. I had noticed that there was a lot of honking in the lot, and that cars were very tightly packed because snow removal had not been done properly and so the driving was very cramped.

I'll take it to the insurance-company-recommended body shop for an estimate on Monday and get back to my contact with the details. I'll run this by my insurance company as well.

Earth Hour festivities

Fun by candlelight last night.

Z took the lads snowboarding in the afternoon, although his back was too sore to join them on skiis. As soon as they got home we made some yummy pizzas with breadmaker pizza dough, organic salami, artichokes, feta cheese, black olives and mozzarella. By the time dinner was finished, it was time to kill the lights. We lit candles and played Scattergories for the hour. I had to take off my glasses and stick my nose right into my writing pad, and Z seemed to not be himself (ie., he lost badly), but fun was had by all.

Our street looked pretty dark except for the streetlights, so it looked like a good level of participation, at least in our neighborhood. Z and I crashed pretty soon after 9 and so I was up at 4:30 this morning, and threw a batch of egg bread into the machine for breakfast.

After having all the board games out last night, we decided to play a couple more this afternoon: Bioviva and Word Thief. I won the former and Michael won the latter.

Car update

I had left a short note with my name and number on the windshield of the person who (apparently) hit my car on Thursday. I heard from the woman's son-in-law on Friday morning.

He was very polite and said that his MIL was very shaken up by the incident. And that she had no idea that she had hit me. He asked if he could come by and look at my car to make sure that it was in fact due to her, and indicated that depending on the estimate, they may choose to settle outside of the insurance. I told him that while I had already notified my insurance company, I'd give them the chance to settle that way. And that he'd better get in touch with the police because they were treating it as a "failure to remain".

He dropped by at noon on Saturday and (I think) was convinced that it was his MIL. He also told me that the officer at the Collision Reporting Centre said that the parking lot where I was hit is one of the highest incident locations in the GTA. Ooops. I had noticed that there was a lot of honking in the lot, and that cars were very tightly packed because snow removal had not been done properly and so the driving was very cramped.

I'll take it to the insurance-company-recommended body shop for an estimate on Monday and get back to my contact with the details. I'll run this by my insurance company as well.

Earth Hour festivities

Fun by candlelight last night.

Z took the lads snowboarding in the afternoon, although his back was too sore to join them on skiis. As soon as they got home we made some yummy pizzas with breadmaker pizza dough, organic salami, artichokes, feta cheese, black olives and mozzarella. By the time dinner was finished, it was time to kill the lights. We lit candles and played Scattergories for the hour. I had to take off my glasses and stick my nose right into my writing pad, and Z seemed to not be himself (ie., he lost badly), but fun was had by all.

Our street looked pretty dark except for the streetlights, so it looked like a good level of participation, at least in our neighborhood. Z and I crashed pretty soon after 9 and so I was up at 4:30 this morning, and threw a batch of egg bread into the machine for breakfast.

After having all the board games out last night, we decided to play a couple more this afternoon: Bioviva and Word Thief. I won the former and Michael won the latter.

It's all about the vegetables.

You guys are gonna get totally bored reading about my adventures with vegetables, but I'm sure the thrill will wear off soon and I'll be back to whatever it is that I usually blog about.

I got a cabbage in my box this week. I can probably count on two hands number of cabbages I have bought in my life, so it was with some trepidation that I scoured allrecipes.com for some inspiration.

And voila....eggrolls! They were a big hit last night, and I had to pick up some more wrappers this morning to use up the rest of the filling. They used half my cabbage, some carrots, onion, celery, shrimp, and fried egg. I forgot to get bean sprouts so they were sprout-free. Seasoned with a little garlic powder and soy sauce, wrapped in store-bought wrappers and deep-fried. Yum-ola! There is just the slight issued of the frying smell that is now permeating our house, but, whatever. It will dissipate, right?

Tomorrow night, I will make Colcannon to use up the rest of the cabbage (along with the requisite potatoes). I found some organic nitrite-free bacon this morning so a smidge of that will go in to it as well! We'll serve it with a boneless pork loin roast, peas, and salad.

It's all about the vegetables.

You guys are gonna get totally bored reading about my adventures with vegetables, but I'm sure the thrill will wear off soon and I'll be back to whatever it is that I usually blog about.

I got a cabbage in my box this week. I can probably count on two hands number of cabbages I have bought in my life, so it was with some trepidation that I scoured allrecipes.com for some inspiration.

And voila....eggrolls! They were a big hit last night, and I had to pick up some more wrappers this morning to use up the rest of the filling. They used half my cabbage, some carrots, onion, celery, shrimp, and fried egg. I forgot to get bean sprouts so they were sprout-free. Seasoned with a little garlic powder and soy sauce, wrapped in store-bought wrappers and deep-fried. Yum-ola! There is just the slight issued of the frying smell that is now permeating our house, but, whatever. It will dissipate, right?

Tomorrow night, I will make Colcannon to use up the rest of the cabbage (along with the requisite potatoes). I found some organic nitrite-free bacon this morning so a smidge of that will go in to it as well! We'll serve it with a boneless pork loin roast, peas, and salad.

My car was dinged! And then the perp parked next to me.

Really.

I was parked in a shopping centre, mailing off our tax slips to our accountant and splurging on some new clothes. When I returned to the car and opened the door, I felt and heard a little "pop". I shut the door and noticed a bunch of scrapes and blue paint on my front fender and car door. And then I noticed the blue car parked next to me.

And then I noticed that his or her front bumper had scratches on it.

Yep. The guy or gal hit my car turning into the parking space and then just parked there.

So I jotted down the license, make and model and left a note on the car's windshield explaining the situation with my name and phone number. I totally forgot that I could have taken photos of the scene with my phone, including the scrapes on the other car. Oh well.

I decided to head home and call my insurance company for assistance. They directed me to my local Collision Reporting Centre where they took photos of my car. I told my story, wrote my story, chatted up the nice police officer, and left with the all-important accident report number. I called the info into my insurance company and they gave me the name of a good body shop near me and told me that my deductible was waived (because I got the police report within 24 hours, if I understood correctly.)

It's pretty minor stuff but annoying. I'll call the body shop in the morning and take my baby in for an estimate. I think that they deal directly with the insurance company so I won't have to deal with the financial side of things. But it's time away from other important things like house cleaning, reading, and knitting.

My car was dinged! And then the perp parked next to me.

Really.

I was parked in a shopping centre, mailing off our tax slips to our accountant and splurging on some new clothes. When I returned to the car and opened the door, I felt and heard a little "pop". I shut the door and noticed a bunch of scrapes and blue paint on my front fender and car door. And then I noticed the blue car parked next to me.

And then I noticed that his or her front bumper had scratches on it.

Yep. The guy or gal hit my car turning into the parking space and then just parked there.

So I jotted down the license, make and model and left a note on the car's windshield explaining the situation with my name and phone number. I totally forgot that I could have taken photos of the scene with my phone, including the scrapes on the other car. Oh well.

I decided to head home and call my insurance company for assistance. They directed me to my local Collision Reporting Centre where they took photos of my car. I told my story, wrote my story, chatted up the nice police officer, and left with the all-important accident report number. I called the info into my insurance company and they gave me the name of a good body shop near me and told me that my deductible was waived (because I got the police report within 24 hours, if I understood correctly.)

It's pretty minor stuff but annoying. I'll call the body shop in the morning and take my baby in for an estimate. I think that they deal directly with the insurance company so I won't have to deal with the financial side of things. But it's time away from other important things like house cleaning, reading, and knitting.

Veg-o-rama!

This first week of home-delivered organic veggies has been great! We've pretty much gone through everything except for the bok choy and an avocado. I boiled the beets last night and the boys loved them! Who knew? I'd never considered cooking beets for them, although I love beets. I just figured it would be a whine-fest. Not. The only disappointment were the Macintosh apples...they just weren't very tasty until cut up and made into apple crisp.

We've cooked up the left-overs from Easter over the past two days. Monday we had shepherd's pie with leftover lamb, gravy and mashed potatoes. With the addition of a side of red swiss chard (also a first) and some carrots in the pie, we had a great meal. Last night, I made lamb tikka masala and veggie biryani, and that finished up the lamb and carrots. Both boys are intrigued by the idea of using up leftover meat this way, and I explained that this was a way of life for my grandmother and her Sunday roast beef.

Michael has agreed to eat meat from Beretta Organic Farms since the animals are pastured, so I think I'll pick up a pork roast for next Sunday and cook it up with whatever yummy veggies arrive in our delivery tomorrow! These farms are supplying meat and cold cuts to my local Loblaws grocer so it is very convenient to eat this quality meat.

My computer finally died.

The screen, to be precise. And I've known it was coming.

I've owned this Dell Inspiron laptop for about five years and it's been great. I had to replace the motherboard (under warranty) just before I submitted my thesis (yak!) in 2004, and I'm on my second battery. It survived being in the trunk of my car when I was rear-ended outside of Charlotte, NC and came through with just a slight gap in the casing.

But a few months ago, the screen started to look pink at startup. Then one of the hinges on the top broke and I was only able to hold the lid in a couple of (open) positions, or else I had to lean it against the wall. Yesterday, my screen started going black 30-45 seconds after startup. Everytime. Plus my battery was wearing out. I.e., not worth repairing.

I had been toying with going back to Mac. Michael got one for Christmas and it's very sexy, but I have enough PC apps to make it a pain to switch, and there is always the possibility that I might go back to work, likely not into a Mac environment. So I pulled out the Consumer Reports back issue on laptops and sure enough, Dell is still near or at the top. I put in my order this morning and should have my new Spring Green satin-finish Inspiron 1720 (with matching soft case!) early next week.

I've been good about backing up all my files, and have made a list of all the software I will need to install when it arrives. I can still use my current machine if I plug it into Alex's monitor (which is what I'm doing now). So it should be straightforward to transfer all my data over our wireless network, right?

I'll keep you posted.

The end of a taxing effort

Yep...my taxes are done. Well, at least the part where you organize everything and fill out extensive online forms so that a professional can actually complete the return.

We have the services of an accounting firm, courtesy of Z's employer. Our taxes are complex, mainly due to our return to Canada from the US over the past year and a half. We have to file two returns, one for each country, and there are complexities that are beyond two mathematicians (Z and me) to handle.

On top of this, we neglected to update our address with our US mortgage company (for example), forgetting that they would need to send us a statement of mortgage interest for the year. Multiply that by 5 and I had to make a lot of calls.

Bottom line: the electronic files are submitted, the envelope of information slips is ready to courier to Vancouver, and the form disclosing all our Canadian bank and retirement accounts is ready to mail to the IRS (because, you understand, they need to know all this.)

This is the earliest we've had all this done in years, and I'm feeling pretty proud of it all. Taxes are one of those things that hang over your shoulders and play with your head until they're actually done. And being the domestic goddess that I am, I get to do it all!! Me! And my computer!

Veg-o-rama!

This first week of home-delivered organic veggies has been great! We've pretty much gone through everything except for the bok choy and an avocado. I boiled the beets last night and the boys loved them! Who knew? I'd never considered cooking beets for them, although I love beets. I just figured it would be a whine-fest. Not. The only disappointment were the Macintosh apples...they just weren't very tasty until cut up and made into apple crisp.

We've cooked up the left-overs from Easter over the past two days. Monday we had shepherd's pie with leftover lamb, gravy and mashed potatoes. With the addition of a side of red swiss chard (also a first) and some carrots in the pie, we had a great meal. Last night, I made lamb tikka masala and veggie biryani, and that finished up the lamb and carrots. Both boys are intrigued by the idea of using up leftover meat this way, and I explained that this was a way of life for my grandmother and her Sunday roast beef.

Michael has agreed to eat meat from Beretta Organic Farms since the animals are pastured, so I think I'll pick up a pork roast for next Sunday and cook it up with whatever yummy veggies arrive in our delivery tomorrow! These farms are supplying meat and cold cuts to my local Loblaws grocer so it is very convenient to eat this quality meat.

My computer finally died.

The screen, to be precise. And I've known it was coming.

I've owned this Dell Inspiron laptop for about five years and it's been great. I had to replace the motherboard (under warranty) just before I submitted my thesis (yak!) in 2004, and I'm on my second battery. It survived being in the trunk of my car when I was rear-ended outside of Charlotte, NC and came through with just a slight gap in the casing.

But a few months ago, the screen started to look pink at startup. Then one of the hinges on the top broke and I was only able to hold the lid in a couple of (open) positions, or else I had to lean it against the wall. Yesterday, my screen started going black 30-45 seconds after startup. Everytime. Plus my battery was wearing out. I.e., not worth repairing.

I had been toying with going back to Mac. Michael got one for Christmas and it's very sexy, but I have enough PC apps to make it a pain to switch, and there is always the possibility that I might go back to work, likely not into a Mac environment. So I pulled out the Consumer Reports back issue on laptops and sure enough, Dell is still near or at the top. I put in my order this morning and should have my new Spring Green satin-finish Inspiron 1720 (with matching soft case!) early next week.

I've been good about backing up all my files, and have made a list of all the software I will need to install when it arrives. I can still use my current machine if I plug it into Alex's monitor (which is what I'm doing now). So it should be straightforward to transfer all my data over our wireless network, right?

I'll keep you posted.

The end of a taxing effort

Yep...my taxes are done. Well, at least the part where you organize everything and fill out extensive online forms so that a professional can actually complete the return.

We have the services of an accounting firm, courtesy of Z's employer. Our taxes are complex, mainly due to our return to Canada from the US over the past year and a half. We have to file two returns, one for each country, and there are complexities that are beyond two mathematicians (Z and me) to handle.

On top of this, we neglected to update our address with our US mortgage company (for example), forgetting that they would need to send us a statement of mortgage interest for the year. Multiply that by 5 and I had to make a lot of calls.

Bottom line: the electronic files are submitted, the envelope of information slips is ready to courier to Vancouver, and the form disclosing all our Canadian bank and retirement accounts is ready to mail to the IRS (because, you understand, they need to know all this.)

This is the earliest we've had all this done in years, and I'm feeling pretty proud of it all. Taxes are one of those things that hang over your shoulders and play with your head until they're actually done. And being the domestic goddess that I am, I get to do it all!! Me! And my computer!

Easter Celebration

I sang at the Easter Vigil last night which was lovely. There was a good turnout from the choir and our cantor was magnificent. So I took myself off the roster for Easter Sunday mass so that I could prepare for our festive dinner at 1:30 today with Z's cousin and family, and our niece visiting from Montreal. The rest of my family went to the 8:30 mass this morning, and brought home some hot cross buns for a mid-morning snack to tide us over to our late midday feast.

Dinner was a lovely, relaxing meal, once all the prep was done. We couldn't fit all nine of us around our table, so we set up a separate table for the four teens in the family room.

We started with some proscuitto, salami, peppered pate, and salmon mousse with homemade crusty bread and a Pinot Grigio.

My first roast leg of lamb was a success. It was 3.5 kilos and I rubbed it with a mixture of seasoned salt, pepper, cardamon, dry mustard, and marjoram, stuffed a few slices of garlic into slits cut into the meat, and basted it with some melted butter and olive oil. Julia Child suggests sealing the roast by broiling it for 15-20 minutes, so I did that, and then roasted it for 2 hours at 350 degrees. We put some carrots, onions, and fennel around the roast and tossed them with Italian salad dressing. Other sides included creamy mashed potatoes and green beans sauted in butter. Gus and Elaine brought a Greek salad. We served this with a California Shiraz

For dessert, we had a traditional English trifle made with (homemade) pound cake spread with cherry jam and sprinkled with sherry, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, custard, whipped cream, and toasted almonds. And Nanaimo Bars. And Creme Caramel that Gus made and surprised us with.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon drinking tea and chatting, occasionally taking a stab washing a few dishes. Magali had to leave around 6 pm to catch her flight back to Montreal, and Gus and Elaine and their kids left about the same time. It was a very nice day, spent with family with some great food and conversation.

Easter Celebration

I sang at the Easter Vigil last night which was lovely. There was a good turnout from the choir and our cantor was magnificent. So I took myself off the roster for Easter Sunday mass so that I could prepare for our festive dinner at 1:30 today with Z's cousin and family, and our niece visiting from Montreal. The rest of my family went to the 8:30 mass this morning, and brought home some hot cross buns for a mid-morning snack to tide us over to our late midday feast.

Dinner was a lovely, relaxing meal, once all the prep was done. We couldn't fit all nine of us around our table, so we set up a separate table for the four teens in the family room.

We started with some proscuitto, salami, peppered pate, and salmon mousse with homemade crusty bread and a Pinot Grigio.

My first roast leg of lamb was a success. It was 3.5 kilos and I rubbed it with a mixture of seasoned salt, pepper, cardamon, dry mustard, and marjoram, stuffed a few slices of garlic into slits cut into the meat, and basted it with some melted butter and olive oil. Julia Child suggests sealing the roast by broiling it for 15-20 minutes, so I did that, and then roasted it for 2 hours at 350 degrees. We put some carrots, onions, and fennel around the roast and tossed them with Italian salad dressing. Other sides included creamy mashed potatoes and green beans sauted in butter. Gus and Elaine brought a Greek salad. We served this with a California Shiraz

For dessert, we had a traditional English trifle made with (homemade) pound cake spread with cherry jam and sprinkled with sherry, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, custard, whipped cream, and toasted almonds. And Nanaimo Bars. And Creme Caramel that Gus made and surprised us with.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon drinking tea and chatting, occasionally taking a stab washing a few dishes. Magali had to leave around 6 pm to catch her flight back to Montreal, and Gus and Elaine and their kids left about the same time. It was a very nice day, spent with family with some great food and conversation.

Easter Plans

My niece Magali has come from Montreal to spend the weekend with us. She's gone skiing with Z and the boys today, leaving me with lots of time to do some Easter cooking.

So far today, I've made

Granola (still in the slow-cooker)
Granola bars
Nanaimo bars (for Easter dinner)
Cream of asparagus soup (for today's fasting meals)

Still to go:

Pound cake for trifle (Easter dinner)
Pack up goodies from Easter bunny for Sunday morning

Tomorrow I need to buy the lamb and a few other things for dinner prep. We are having Z's cousin Ghassan ("Gus") and his wife and two teens for Easter dinner at midday on Sunday as Magali flies back to Montreal late Sunday afternoon. Our menu will be:

Antipasto (proscuitto with pears, pate, salmon mousse, homemade crusty bread)

Roast lamb, mashed potato casserole, green beans, beets(?), green salad (brought by Gus)

Traditional English trifle (made with pound cake, sherry, fruit, custard, whipped cream, toasted almonds.)
Nanaimo bars.

Fridge o' plenty!

We got our first delivery from Green Earth Organics (GEO) yesterday. During the winter, the pickings are pretty slim and (obviously) not so local. But this is what we got in our big plastic tote box:

4 honey tangerines
5 macintosh apples (ON)
2 grapefruit
blueberries
fennel
zucchini
baby bok choy
beets (QC)
carrots (QC)
avocado
yellow onions
green leaf lettuce
russet potatoes (ON)
broccoli
red chard

It's not enough produce for our family for a week, but we can easily supplement as we need to on our regular grocery runs. I am looking forward to experimenting with vegetables that I don't typically (or ever) buy. We put some of the fennel in our salad last night. I'm going to make the chard with Parmesan cheese and garlic as part of our Good Friday fasting meal. I have no idea what to do with the bok choy!

GEO posts the weekly list of produce on their website, so I can plan ahead. They also permit substitutions of up to four items so I may try to up the fruit-veg-ratio to satisfy my hungry teens.

Maundy Thursday: Mass Report

Choir call was at 7:00 for the mass at 8:00. I've been away the last few Sundays so haven't had the benefit of much rehearsal for the Triduum music, and we were only 9 (plus the organist) singing last night. But because most of our music was a capella, coupled with lovely acoustics in the church, I think we sounded okay.

The processonal hymn was When I Behold the Wondrous Cross. (I'm not sure why the title was changed from "When I Survey....". Maybe it's a Catholic thing?).

Father Larry gave an excellent homily that refreshed our memory on the significance of the day, particularly for priests. He also tied Jewish customs based on the reading from Exodus to the Eucharist.

During the liturgy of the washing of the feet, we chanted Mandatum novum do vobis ("a new commandment I give unto you) from whence comes the word "maundy". The was followed by an Ubi Caritas medly: the first verse arranged by Durufle for four voices (see it at YouTube), and the remaining verses from The Catholic Book of Worship III.

During the offering of the gifts, we sang I am the Bread of Life unaccompanied.

At the end of mass, during the procession with the exposed eucharist, we sang Tantum Ergo arranged by Durufle for four voices:

Tantum ergo sacramentum
Veneremur cernui,
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui;
Praestet fides supplementum
Sensuum defectui.

Genitori Genitoque
Laus et jubilatio,
Salus, honor, virtus quoque
Sit et benedictio;
Procedenti ab utroque
Compar sit laudatio.

Amen.

or, in English:

So let us devoutly revere this great sacrament, and the old covenant may give way to the new rite. May faith grant assistance to the deficiency of our senses.

Jubilant praise, glory, laud, honor, and benediction be to the Father and the Son. Equal praise be to Him that proceeds from the two.

The procession was beautiful and the Blessed Sacrament was exposed at the St. John altar in the church. Oddly, at least for me, our parish appears not to have a monstrance. In our previous parish in Atlanta, we had a beautiful gold cross shaped monstrance in which the Blessed Sacrament was actually exposed. We also had a 24 hour period of adoration each week. Last night, the Body of Christ was in a chalice-type vessel with a lacy cloth laid over top. Considering that our parish is actually called "Blessed Sacrament", the apparent lack of a monstrance and the fact that the tabernacle is outside the sanctuary to the side of the altar, is all very sad.

Easter Plans

My niece Magali has come from Montreal to spend the weekend with us. She's gone skiing with Z and the boys today, leaving me with lots of time to do some Easter cooking.

So far today, I've made

Granola (still in the slow-cooker)
Granola bars
Nanaimo bars (for Easter dinner)
Cream of asparagus soup (for today's fasting meals)

Still to go:

Pound cake for trifle (Easter dinner)
Pack up goodies from Easter bunny for Sunday morning

Tomorrow I need to buy the lamb and a few other things for dinner prep. We are having Z's cousin Ghassan ("Gus") and his wife and two teens for Easter dinner at midday on Sunday as Magali flies back to Montreal late Sunday afternoon. Our menu will be:

Antipasto (proscuitto with pears, pate, salmon mousse, homemade crusty bread)

Roast lamb, mashed potato casserole, green beans, beets(?), green salad (brought by Gus)

Traditional English trifle (made with pound cake, sherry, fruit, custard, whipped cream, toasted almonds.)
Nanaimo bars.

Fridge o' plenty!

We got our first delivery from Green Earth Organics (GEO) yesterday. During the winter, the pickings are pretty slim and (obviously) not so local. But this is what we got in our big plastic tote box:

4 honey tangerines
5 macintosh apples (ON)
2 grapefruit
blueberries
fennel
zucchini
baby bok choy
beets (QC)
carrots (QC)
avocado
yellow onions
green leaf lettuce
russet potatoes (ON)
broccoli
red chard

It's not enough produce for our family for a week, but we can easily supplement as we need to on our regular grocery runs. I am looking forward to experimenting with vegetables that I don't typically (or ever) buy. We put some of the fennel in our salad last night. I'm going to make the chard with Parmesan cheese and garlic as part of our Good Friday fasting meal. I have no idea what to do with the bok choy!

GEO posts the weekly list of produce on their website, so I can plan ahead. They also permit substitutions of up to four items so I may try to up the fruit-veg-ratio to satisfy my hungry teens.

Maundy Thursday: Mass Report

Choir call was at 7:00 for the mass at 8:00. I've been away the last few Sundays so haven't had the benefit of much rehearsal for the Triduum music, and we were only 9 (plus the organist) singing last night. But because most of our music was a capella, coupled with lovely acoustics in the church, I think we sounded okay.

The processonal hymn was When I Behold the Wondrous Cross. (I'm not sure why the title was changed from "When I Survey....". Maybe it's a Catholic thing?).

Father Larry gave an excellent homily that refreshed our memory on the significance of the day, particularly for priests. He also tied Jewish customs based on the reading from Exodus to the Eucharist.

During the liturgy of the washing of the feet, we chanted Mandatum novum do vobis ("a new commandment I give unto you) from whence comes the word "maundy". The was followed by an Ubi Caritas medly: the first verse arranged by Durufle for four voices (see it at YouTube), and the remaining verses from The Catholic Book of Worship III.

During the offering of the gifts, we sang I am the Bread of Life unaccompanied.

At the end of mass, during the procession with the exposed eucharist, we sang Tantum Ergo arranged by Durufle for four voices:

Tantum ergo sacramentum
Veneremur cernui,
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui;
Praestet fides supplementum
Sensuum defectui.

Genitori Genitoque
Laus et jubilatio,
Salus, honor, virtus quoque
Sit et benedictio;
Procedenti ab utroque
Compar sit laudatio.

Amen.

or, in English:

So let us devoutly revere this great sacrament, and the old covenant may give way to the new rite. May faith grant assistance to the deficiency of our senses.

Jubilant praise, glory, laud, honor, and benediction be to the Father and the Son. Equal praise be to Him that proceeds from the two.

The procession was beautiful and the Blessed Sacrament was exposed at the St. John altar in the church. Oddly, at least for me, our parish appears not to have a monstrance. In our previous parish in Atlanta, we had a beautiful gold cross shaped monstrance in which the Blessed Sacrament was actually exposed. We also had a 24 hour period of adoration each week. Last night, the Body of Christ was in a chalice-type vessel with a lacy cloth laid over top. Considering that our parish is actually called "Blessed Sacrament", the apparent lack of a monstrance and the fact that the tabernacle is outside the sanctuary to the side of the altar, is all very sad.

Dinos and Darwin

The boys and I headed downtown to the Royal Ontario Museum today. Z and I had purchased a membership a few months ago but had never been back. With the boys off on March break and the dull grey rainy day, it was a perfect opportunity to take advantage of our free admission. We left the car at a park 'n ride lot and took the subway to avoid paying downtown parking.

The fabulous ROM dinosaurs have recently been re-exhibited after the mega-reno that the museum recently underwent. It's a wonderful collection and a very impressive display that moves smoothly from dinosaurs through modern plant and animal life.

The other exhibit we saw was called Darwin: The Evolution Revolution. It was an interesting amalgam of his scientific pursuits and personal history of his life and times.

Michael also spent some time in the Asian galleries. He is a Japanophile, and is studying Japanese on Saturday mornings at a downtown school.

It has been challenging to find outings (like this) that engage our (now) teenage boys, and today the ROM delivered.

Dinos and Darwin

The boys and I headed downtown to the Royal Ontario Museum today. Z and I had purchased a membership a few months ago but had never been back. With the boys off on March break and the dull grey rainy day, it was a perfect opportunity to take advantage of our free admission. We left the car at a park 'n ride lot and took the subway to avoid paying downtown parking.

The fabulous ROM dinosaurs have recently been re-exhibited after the mega-reno that the museum recently underwent. It's a wonderful collection and a very impressive display that moves smoothly from dinosaurs through modern plant and animal life.

The other exhibit we saw was called Darwin: The Evolution Revolution. It was an interesting amalgam of his scientific pursuits and personal history of his life and times.

Michael also spent some time in the Asian galleries. He is a Japanophile, and is studying Japanese on Saturday mornings at a downtown school.

It has been challenging to find outings (like this) that engage our (now) teenage boys, and today the ROM delivered.

Food, glorious food.

I've been on a steady path to more healthy family eating, really since I left the work force when we moved to Atlanta. I have been progressively cooking more from scratch, and wasting a lot less food by menu planning and creative management of the fridge and pantry. All our bread is homemade, and has become a staple at every meal, helping to fill the bottomless pits that are teeneage boys.

After reading Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, my relationship with food has taken yet another spin. It is a convincing argument for local, organic, small-farm sourcing of as much of one's food as possible. I had been considering joining a CSA for a couple of years while we were in Atlanta, but never got around to it. Today I signed up with Green Earth Organics and will get a box of (to the extent possible in each season) local/organic produce delivered to my home on a weekly basis.

I just picked up a copy of Pollan's most recent book In Defence of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. Whereas The Omnivore's Dilemma focussed on food production practices, this one looks at nutrition fads/fallacies/claims and proposes a rational approach to deciding what and how to eat. He is a great writer and very inspiring. And he wants me to switch back to butter! (This is one area that I have flipped back and forth on a half a dozen times over my adult life: butter-Becel-butter-Becel.)

The vegetarian in the household has okayed the occasional ingestion of pasture-raised meat and my local Loblaws is now carrying meat from Beretta Organic Farms which fits the bill for him. So I'm looking forward to a home cooked roast or steak every once in a while. Not to mention a leg of organic lamb for Easter Sunday dinner (although I'll need to go to a butcher to get a fresh one.)

It's been five weeks...

...of distraction and confusion. So no blogging.

The lads are in their second and final week of their spring break. We did a little circuit of Kingston, Montreal, and Ottawa over the past week. In particular, we wanted to visit Queen's University, a potential destination for Alex in a year and a half. It's the school where Z and I met, and we both remember it with immense fondness. He invited his former thesis supervisor out for a drink and caught up on all the department comings and goings.

Alex really likes the campus and town and Queen's is very high on his list of potential schools. He had been heading for Mathematics (like his ma and pa) but is now considering the Math and Engineering program that is unique to Queen's (in Canada).

We spent some time in Old Montreal, and visited our niece Magali who has come to Montreal from France to work for a (French) company. She lives in Boucherville and will spend the Easter weekend with us here in Toronto.

We also visited Saad, a cousin of Z's, along with his wife Dima and two young sons Phillip and Andrew, who I hadn't seen for years.

In Ottawa, we stayed with my mother and spent time with my sister and her family. Even though her children are younger than mine, it's great for them to spend some time together. My mom has a pool in her condo building and it's a great way for them to hang out together. My sister and I got some time to chat in the hot tub while the men-folk managed the children in the pool.

We got home last night, picking up Wilson from the kennel on our way in to town. So today's been laundry and groceries and taxes.

But it's good to be home.

Food, glorious food.

I've been on a steady path to more healthy family eating, really since I left the work force when we moved to Atlanta. I have been progressively cooking more from scratch, and wasting a lot less food by menu planning and creative management of the fridge and pantry. All our bread is homemade, and has become a staple at every meal, helping to fill the bottomless pits that are teeneage boys.

After reading Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, my relationship with food has taken yet another spin. It is a convincing argument for local, organic, small-farm sourcing of as much of one's food as possible. I had been considering joining a CSA for a couple of years while we were in Atlanta, but never got around to it. Today I signed up with Green Earth Organics and will get a box of (to the extent possible in each season) local/organic produce delivered to my home on a weekly basis.

I just picked up a copy of Pollan's most recent book In Defence of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. Whereas The Omnivore's Dilemma focussed on food production practices, this one looks at nutrition fads/fallacies/claims and proposes a rational approach to deciding what and how to eat. He is a great writer and very inspiring. And he wants me to switch back to butter! (This is one area that I have flipped back and forth on a half a dozen times over my adult life: butter-Becel-butter-Becel.)

The vegetarian in the household has okayed the occasional ingestion of pasture-raised meat and my local Loblaws is now carrying meat from Beretta Organic Farms which fits the bill for him. So I'm looking forward to a home cooked roast or steak every once in a while. Not to mention a leg of organic lamb for Easter Sunday dinner (although I'll need to go to a butcher to get a fresh one.)

It's been five weeks...

...of distraction and confusion. So no blogging.

The lads are in their second and final week of their spring break. We did a little circuit of Kingston, Montreal, and Ottawa over the past week. In particular, we wanted to visit Queen's University, a potential destination for Alex in a year and a half. It's the school where Z and I met, and we both remember it with immense fondness. He invited his former thesis supervisor out for a drink and caught up on all the department comings and goings.

Alex really likes the campus and town and Queen's is very high on his list of potential schools. He had been heading for Mathematics (like his ma and pa) but is now considering the Math and Engineering program that is unique to Queen's (in Canada).

We spent some time in Old Montreal, and visited our niece Magali who has come to Montreal from France to work for a (French) company. She lives in Boucherville and will spend the Easter weekend with us here in Toronto.

We also visited Saad, a cousin of Z's, along with his wife Dima and two young sons Phillip and Andrew, who I hadn't seen for years.

In Ottawa, we stayed with my mother and spent time with my sister and her family. Even though her children are younger than mine, it's great for them to spend some time together. My mom has a pool in her condo building and it's a great way for them to hang out together. My sister and I got some time to chat in the hot tub while the men-folk managed the children in the pool.

We got home last night, picking up Wilson from the kennel on our way in to town. So today's been laundry and groceries and taxes.

But it's good to be home.