I Am Uxorious!

My wife is wonderful. Proof? Well, on a recent Valentine's day I unwrapped a present with the following goodies inside:
- 2 jars of St. Dalfour jams
- 1 bottle of balsamic vinegar
- 1 package of stock cubes aux fines herbs
- 1 bottle of Ume Plum vinegar
- 1 package of smoked salmon mousse
- many small Toblerone chocolates
I rest my case!

Happy Valetines Day !

A Fascination With Tools

Last Christmas my parents gave me a generous gift certificate for a local hardware chain. I decided to use it to buy tools that wouldn't ordinarily ever find their way into my toolbox; pure indulgence, in other words.
The first was a pair of avation tin snips (yellow for straight cuts). Next I bought a fine toothed flush cut saw; this will cut any wood, like a dowel, without touching the surface it is potruding from (the teeth are set only one way). After that came a set of steel calipers. Then a small butane torch. Last, but not least, I bought a clear protective face sheild to be worn when using all of these tools. Have I used all these tools yet - no; will I - yes . Am I thrilled to have them - YES.

Tools. 

$10 CAD !! 

$10 CAD Goes To Market

Well, it's April here in Toronto. Nothing in the way of vegetables is growing here. So, what can one expect at the local corner fruit and vegetable store? A lot, as it turns out. For $10 CAD, I got the following:
- 4 300g Fuji apples from the USA
- 1 600g Butternut squash
- 2 600g giant carrots
- 4 200g red peppers
- 1 800g bunch of celery
- 1 50g bunch of fresh mint
Hey, that's incredible value!!

Saul Bellow 1915 - 2005

It was sad to read today of Saul Bellow's death. He was, without question, one of the greatest writers of the modern era.
Personally, my reading of his novels began in the summer of 1965, when I chanced upon a copy of "Seize the Day" while my mother and I were staying in New York for a few days waiting for our ship to depart for Sweden. Even though I was really impressed by this short novel, it would take another 34 years before I read him again. In 1999, I read his last book, "Ravelstein", based loosely on the life of his friend Allan Bloom. After reading this magnificent work, I decided to go back and read his previous novels. What an amazing body of work! I have not yet read all of his 16 novels, but I'm well on the way.

Our Family Expands

My daughter Rose is getting married this July to Dan, seen here in a family shot at the left. We are hoping for great weather in Victoria this summer for the outdoor ceremony!

Family 

Toronto April

Well, Toronto April weather is variable, but this looks more like January! As testimony to the variability, the predicted high for tomorrow is 9C !

April 3 

Painting Easter Eggs

It seems a trifle immodest , but, what the heck, here is my Easter egg for '05.

Easter Egg