A Shopping we will go!
Rained most of the day yesterday, but we managed to get out late morning for our ravine walk in a light rain, just before it began to really descend with a vengeance. At the corner, just before entering the ravine, there was Janet with her 13-year-old twins, shaking up their old ornamental crab apple tree. They had spread large sheets under the tree (that wonderful old-type crab with its beautiful exfoliating bark) and the children were quite far up the tree having the time of their lives shaking the hell out of the branches to loose the apples. Mind, if they waited another few weeks the tiny crabapples would fall more readily but Janet has taken it into her head to try out their new juicer. I'd asked if she was going to make crabapple jelly, but she shrugged - too much work (she should try making gooseberries, what a pain in the arse, but what else can I do with the basketsful that one of our neighbours across the back gifts us with?). We don't think those tiny dry, still unripe crabapples will render down much, but don't disabuse her of her enthusiasm because, truth to tell, they're all having a good time.
Today when we went out after breakfast we could see that all of the crabapples, plus small bits of branches had been surrendered to the floor of the ravine. Janet had obviously changed her mind. Perhaps her venture had failed, perhaps when I casually mentioned the full bushel of Macintosh apples Irving had pulled down off our large apple tree, and the great pies I'd baked from the meagre offerings of the new apple trees in our backyard it turned her off her venture. In any event, it was really wet out there, the trees still steadily dripping, for the rain had continued all night. We like that, Irv and me, to hear the rain steadily pounding throught the night. The resident raccoon had been around, Irv told me, as we began our descent into the ravine, and had nibbled happily on a cob of corn, some leftover breakfast toast and the rind of breakfast melons. Because we've two composters sitting side by side, the raccoon likes to use the lid of the second (cooking) composter to hold his selections for the night.
Mushrooms have sprung up, it seems, overnight. And little wonder, given the dampness and the rain. A nice change, for our money, from the extreme heat we've had the past several months. It was cooler yesterday, but it's still nice and cool today under completely overcast skies. As we approach the old apple trees up on the heights the fragrance is almost overpowering. When Angie was really small and we carried her in a backpack daily through the ravine Irv would try out at least one apple from each of the trees and now he knows which tree hosts the tastiest apples, which the meanest. There are still thimbleberries turning ripe in the ravine and they're truly sweet. Here too in certain areas there is an overwhelming fragrance like fresh-made jam.
Hey, this was supposed to be about shopping, right? Oh, right. I forgot. I get carried away. You might have noticed. So, shopping. Well, we did a lot of that, sure enough. I'd forgotten to get a block of Mozzarella cheese when I did the food shopping yesterday afternoon.
We started out, though, at the video store. We hate Rogers, but it seems they're the only game in town. This town in any event. Irv bought a neat booklet from them months ago for $20 containing 'tickets' good for new releases, 7-day rentals, that type of thing. His $20 investment paid off handsomely, as we've seldom since paid for a rental, still using the booklet's tickets. Quite the bargoon. Anyway, we (he, and I acqiesced, what else is gnu) selected two foreign films and off we went. To a Jean Cotou pharmacy. What for? well, (blush, dammit) since I'm on antibiotics (because of that bloody spider bite that became infected) I've been plugged up and need help. We also needed large bandages which have to be changed daily as the pus is still discharging (nice, huh?). And I wanted a small pair of barber scissors because the old one (not so old) I've been using to cut Button's and Riley's hair is no longer as reliable as it had been.
Still with me? Not finding this interesting? Well, what can I say? This is my blog, after all, so go away. Next stop: bulk/health food shop, so I could replace our scaley polecat...to the uninitiated that is a crystal-type deodorant. Also got some black currants, and a huge bag of flax seeds which I use often when baking bread, and which I also crush and use daily as a food supplement, an aid to lowering cholesterol levels.
Then it's Irving's turn. He goes into the large Loblaws store, which I hate to enter. I can't stand those large supermarkets which feel they must offer non-food items to their shoppers. When I go shopping for food, it's food items I want to see, not clothing, not furniture, not electronics. Irv is more forgiving of these retailing failures, and in he goes. They've got cheese on sale, and, never one to stint, he buys up three large bars, one of cheddar, two of mozzarella, and we'll use them all quite handily, even though we still have a large bar of old cheddar. We love cheese. He got himself a big log of spreadable goat cheese. He also bagged some whole-grain rolls, and those light crusty ones he and Angie favour. Oh, and a bag of decaffeinated coffe. Yes, it's come to that; decaffeinated coffee.
Done, the shopping is done. Isn't that nice? We can go home, relax, read the papers, read novels, pamper ourselves. Until it's time to make our pizzas, watch a film. Hey, isn't Saturday night a proper treat?
Now how the hell did that photograph of a poppy get up there?
posted by Pieface @ Saturday, August 20, 2005
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