Oh dear, I seem to have lost sight of things! While sitting quietly at the computer, minding the world's business in my own invisible and ineffective way, a lens in my glasses popped out, fell on the floor and rolled under my desk. It reminded me instantly of Popeye, that ancient mariner of the mass media; I deemed myself a pop eye too.

I retrieved the lens and this morning Attila brought up his set of small screw drivers. The performance of surgery on a pair of glasses, by an individual who needs the glasses in question to view the objects during repair, is painful to behold. I was in a cold sweat of concentration by the time I gave the tiny, almost invisible, screw that holds the lense in place, the very last turn.

I did it!

A small victory of independence. You take success where you can find it.

Last week, after roasting the those wonderful beef ribs, I poured off the fat and then deglazed the pan. The resulting broth was wonderful. I took it out of the refrigerator this morning and there was a thick crust of beef fat on it. A graphic reminder of the stuff that clogs our arteries.

After removing the fat, I poured the broth into the crockpot and began to add vegetables. I added a chopped onion, a bit of chopped garlic and frozen corn niblets. I experimented with a potato by washing it thoroughly, piercing it with a fork and microwaving it on high for two and half minutes. After sitting for 30 minutes it was easy to cube and add it to the soup. I tried this with a large carrot as well, but the tapered end overcooked and the large end undercooked.

The pressure cooker was pressed into service to cook some beets. I will add the beet broth to the soup and cube several of the cooked beets for the soup as well. The soup smells delicious, has no added salt and only a trace of fat.

It seems that some of the "local" employers are exhibiting some peckishness towards their employees, which may be attributable to the economic downturn and related fear and stress. I do hope this is not a trend, as we all face these difficult times. It would be a shame if business people chose to gratuitously claw at employees, trying to maintain their own status quo. We are all feeling the times. The economic times are beyond their control, but the way in which people choose to treat one another is entirely their own decision. So far, so bad.

It would be much worse however, without any labour and human rights laws at all.