It isn't fair!

My complaint is going straight to upper management. This is an issue that needs to be addressed.

Friday night the temperature dipped to -17 C. Saturday morning I killed a mosquito in the bathroom. The little monster was out and ready for a satisfying meal! It isn't fair!

Saturday was sunny and beautiful. We took advantage of the good roads to get Attila to a flu clinic, where he got his annual flu shot. It was quick, it was easy and it was painless. I had already had my flu shot at my GP's office, right after my annual physical checkup. Seems I'm in passable shape for an old girl. Hurrah!

We bought a few groceries, taking note that prices are significantly higher than they were on our last visit to the store. We stocked up on a few of the ingredients we rely on, like brown sugar and walnuts. These items aren't on everyone's must-have list, but they are key ingredients at our house. We rely heavily on the sugar and the nuts to enhance the taste and texture of the other raw ingredients that make up the bulk of our diet. It is the little things that make a big difference.

The drive was lovely, as there is still a lot of snow hanging on the tree branches,even after a week. Sun sparkled trees lined the roads, making the journey almost magical.

Actually, the trip to the grocery store is the first time I've stepped outside the door since a week ago Friday. How time flies. It is so easy to fall into complete isolation without even noticing it. Without noticing it at first that is; after a few weeks the negative effects of this kind of isolation start to kick in and one does begin to notice the onset of "cabin fever".

I've finished the first draft of the genealogy book for friends; this version will be donated to the library. It has been a long time in the works and I'll be glad to get closure on it. A few more edits are needed, and the formatting needs some tweaking as well. Then it will be time to print.

The new food mixer is making very good bread. I do like making two loaves at once because I only have to bake twice a week. Attila eats a lot of bread.

I am continuing to find food in the freezer that has been there a little too long and needs to be eaten as soon as possible. I've been taking special care cooking these items, as they are no longer visually appealing. They are quite sound though, and provide us with excellent nutritional value.

So far I've baked half an organic chicken, it was delicious. Also, we have had a few meals based on vegetarian burgers. These have been quite nice baked with a very spicy BBQ sauce and served with fresh cooked beets and carrots.

I discovered a new way to eat beets and carrots, new to me anyway. I dip them in a hot & sweet mustard. Wow. Zing. The best part of this is that the mustard is low in salt and has no fat, making it an excellent alternative to the butter and salt I would normally add to my vegetables.

Snowing this morning, Sunday, so I guess we will be staying close to home on Attila's day off work. The winter season has arrived.

Addendum: We do notice the economic crisis settling over the known world. We watch, we wait, we hope...
The loss of large investments does not affect us directly, we have no large investments to lose. We do have our teeny, tiny bits of material wealth though and a mortgage and debts to pay. We worry just as much as the big players about losing everything. Most of what we hear on the news concerns the interests of the few but powerful "haves". There is not a lot of focus on the effects felt by the majority of the earth's population. Since I don't think anyone really knows how all this will affect most of us, there may not be much to say anyway.