Peaceful Weekends (With no Appliance Catastrophes)

Well, I managed to pass a perfectly fine weekend without having any major appliances break. Also, there were no more termites.

I consider this a success of a weekend unto itself. However, on top of it, we had our first nice, non-rainy weather in literally a week.

The pups and I took full advantage of the weather and we finally got to go on our long walk at the park that we've missed since March. It was an unusual walk. Due to the fact we've had over 13 inches of rain since April 1st, the park had flooded. Most of the flooding had abated when we walked but the signs were definitely there. There were dead fish all over the place from where the water had risen and then rescinded, leaving the poor fish behind. There were even some large shrimplike things that had died and shrivelled in the sun. I think these may have been crawfish but I'm not sure.

Either way, our walk was a wee bit stinky as recently flooded areas often are. We only ran into difficulty when we were headed towards the trail we normally take and found ourselves slipping on sliding on rather wet, slick mud that hadn't yet dried. Nevertheless we triumphed even though both Sookie and Rory needed a bath by the time we were done. There were parts of our walk that were also impossible to do- our normal lakeside path was still flooded over and there was no sign of the little road we take because it was still hidden under several feet of water.

It made for an interesting walk. For a beautiful day, it was also surprisingly secluded. There weren't many walkers out and about. I suspect many of them were in the garden, mowing their grass while the sun was shining.

The rest of our Saturday we spent outside and I finally wound up, reading a book, enjoying a glass of white wine while the sun set. It was a lovely way to end a beautiful day.

Sunday has not been so beautiful. It has been grey and gloomy and the rain is not far off. I think we're in for another wet week. It hasn't been a bad day as gloomy days go- my younger brother and his family came down to make a trip to Jungle Jim's. I'm always pleased to guide tours there since I know my way around a little better than I should. It was a good day for it, too. Most of the shelves were still stocked even though on a Sunday afternoon that often isn't the case. I've been a little disappointed with Jungle Jim's lately, to be honest. They failed to produce any ramps during April. I discovered ramps at Jungle Jim's last year and I missed them as soon as their short season was over. In case you don't know, they're a cross between a green onion and a leek and very delicious. I also haven't found any good mushrooms there. I was hoping to at least try some morels this year but even though its morel season, there's never a fresh morel to be found in the store.

Still, for all my griping, Jungle Jim's still manages to deliver to my gourmet needs or, at least, my aspirations to be a gourmet. After all, I found sunchokes there a couple of weeks ago and am now a big fan. They have the pea sprouts I've come to love as a garnish as well as all manner of unusual vegetables.

My trip with my brother and his family was a lot of fun. I got to show my brother the pigs head and lambs heads that always fascinate me and then I got to watch as he chased my niece with the lamb's head. I know, it's a little twisted but it's nice to know my brother and I share a sense of the same dark humour. I got to spend some time with my niece too which was fun. It's amazing that for as often as I go to Jungle Jim's, I still discover new things each time.

Now my brother and his family has gone, the house is quiet except for the sound of my washing machine which, so far, has not gone to join its life partner in the Great Beyond of Household Appliances. So far, its getting along with the new dryer just fine. I know there's an age difference there but, well, who knows...maybe they'll be together for many years to come. Of course, at this point, I'd settle for many months to come, rather than years- I'll take what I can get at this point.

Even though it's back to work tomorrow, it's nice to have a few more hours where I can curl up, enjoy the gloom and know that, until tomorrow when my alarm goes off, there's nothing but time to relax, enjoy "Game of Thrones" on HBO and be grateful that even though I had a dark week last week, the weekend provides some much needed light at the end of the tunnel.

Happy Monday!