Looking for Alternatives

Having largely given up on finding movies worth the money they cost to go see, we've been looking for other places to go, other things to see. And we've found a couple of alternatives.

First, we bought season's tickets to The Valley Concert Society; an organiztion that brings professional classical type music groups into town for concerts. There are six concerts: a piano trio; a pipe organ concert (I know someone out there who'd love that); and a Grammy and JUNO award winning violinist as well as three others. The first concert is in a couple of weeks.

Second, we're planning to buy season's tickets to a local theatre company. It's a Christian based group. so they choose worthwhile plays. This year they're performing Huck Finn, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and two  comedies.

Third, we'll go to The Messiah again in December.

Fourth, maybe we'll go the the local university's production of Hamlet in the spring. I think it's Hamlet. Either that or King Lear. They do Shakepseare every spring.  For the most part the rest of their plays aren't reliable. But we did take the kids to a wonderful production of The Wind in the Willows years back.

Everything (except Hamlet, but it's only a half hour away)is local - at the most five minutes from my doorstep. We have friends who are buying the same tickets and as often as possible we'll attend together. And also as often as possible we'll start with a co-op dinner here first. And we have other friends who can maybe get tickets for individual performances and join us. We've spoken to one set, but have two or three others in mind as well.

So with eleven or maybe twelve events, plus two church dances (there's one scheduled for Dec. 5 btw Mike), church talent night,  a staff Christmas banquet, the church adult Christmas party, the Reformation Day party, maybe a trip to Moscow to hear the kids perform in the choir,  a 3 day scrapbooking retreat, a trip to Kelowna to see family over the holidays, a visit from an old friend in a couple of weeks, a tenth anniversary church banquet, and all the regular birthday and anniversary celebrations as well, we've got an interesting few months ahead.

Ooh, and the real biggie (after the church anniversary) is that Vic and I have first dibs on a European River Cruise that the store is probably going to generate enough sales to win. I think it's in May.

By the time all this is finishing up, Fraser and Claire will be home for the summer. Sometimes when you look at a year this way it can seem very short.

Weathery Stuff

Fall is definitely here at last. Trees are finally taking their responsibility  to change colour seriously. It's beginning to look quite beautiful. There was frost outside again today. This time though  we had ground frost, not just roof frost.

I caught a National weather forecast this morning  and they were talking about a cold front moving up through Idaho into Canada    So I checked, and sure enough, it may snow a little bit in Moscow tomorrow.

Next I checked the road report. No snow on the mountain pass they'll be taking to come home. That's good

And Claire, believe it or not, sounds as if she might be looking forward to the rain that's in next week's local forecast. Guess she's had enough dry weather to last her awhile.

It did rain in Moscow a couple of days ago though. She walked to school, got her feet good and wet and squelched around the student lounge.

This Week's Leftovers

A friend of mine and I have an arrangement we fall back on every now and then. If it's been too long since our families have shared a meal, I'll say "We haven't had lunch in quite a while" and she'll say "I'll get my house ready" and I'll say " I'll make lunch" and there we go, Sunday lunch plans. We had that conversation about two weeks ago. This past Sunday I took soup, breads and meats and cheeses over to her place. We had simple fare because there was an event happening at two and time was very tight. One of those eat and run occasions.

Sue and I cleaned up after everyone else had left. It was an easy thing to do - mostly put the lids back on things and stack them up, bread back in the bag etc. There were ten of us, but with six out of the ten being children - well, let' just say I had plenty leftover. Except for the white buns. As I expected that's what the kids ate. 

So we've been having soup with breads and deli meats for lunch this week. Yesterday Vic went into the bread bag and pulled out a half of a bun. Then he had a laugh.

Seems someone had second thoughts. It looks like a Jessica sized bite to me. The same little girl who came back later in the afternoon and asked if she could  have four (grape) tomatoes please.

And because it's zucchini and squash season I'll share the soup recipe I made. I happened to have a giant zucchini and a butternut squash sitting around, both given to me from someone's abundant garden.

Summer Squash Soup

6 cups each cut up zucchini and butternut squash

1 1/2 cups cut up celery

As much onion as you like. The recipe says scallions, but I got muddled and bought shallots instead. I used about seven.

4 cloves garlic

4 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 tsp salt

Brown the shallots and garlic if you want or just throw them straight into the pot with everything else and cook till soft. Puree it.

Just before serving add 3/4 tsp white pepper and  the same of basil. You can add 3/4 cup sour cream at this point  or some milk. I usually put the sour cream on the table and let people add a dollop if they want.

This made a very thick soup which I chose to thin down a little bit. I'd never made it before, but the two families I served it to both enjoyed it and the ladies both asked for the recipe

All for the Best

I'm quite surprising myself. Both Fraser and Claire are gone and it feels absolutley normal. Not that I don't miss having them around, but I've just slipped into this stage of life with no difficulty at all.  They're there and we're here and that's the way it should be and it's all right and good.

And even not having Fraser here for his birthday wasn't difficult. It  felt a little odd back when I first saw the school calendar for this year and realized he wouldn't be home. I remember thinking " Well, the year had to come when it would happen and this is the year." I guess I just roll with things pretty easily. These things anyway.

And seeing as how I was not well all day yesterday, it's a good thing he was there and not here. I don't know what I could have done to make the day special for him. I didn't do a thing all day except lay around trying not to move my head.

So here's to Fraser and life moving on the way it should and being ready for what comes your way when it gets here.

Missing Someone

Today is Fraser's 21st birthday. It's the first time he hasn't been at home for a birthday. The ties keep getting cut in one way or another don't they?

But he'll be home on Saturday.

Claire, bless her heart, is doing for him what I can't.  She's making him a birthday dinner complete with cake.