#|Grapefruit, #Peppers, and #Guppies

Texas. I’ve never been there, but there are many things I like about Texas. They say everything is big in Texas. I don’t know about that. When I was a teenager, I used to read Westerns. There was a series about Texas Rangers, which I especially loved. A Texas Ranger and his fast gun, taking on the outlaws. The stuff of legends and wonderful stories.

However, this is not about Texas and Rangers. This is about grapefruit. I know it’s not as exciting as reading about Texas Rangers, but we love the grapefruit from Texas. We don’t buy anything else. They are sweet and juicy. In fact, I’ve eaten oranges that were nothing like that. We’ve bought grapefruit from California but didn’t care much for them. They did not measure up. They were not nearly as sweet and juicy as the ones from Texas. I’m not saying California doesn’t have any good grapefruit. They may have, but the ones we’ve been buying at odd times in the stores weren’t that great. Maybe they don’t export the good ones, like the practice of winegrowers in other parts of the world. They keep the better stuff at home.

This year, we’ve been lucky again. Texas grapefruit were available for most of the season and we try to eat one every day. One is big enough for two people. After all, they are from Texas.

The snow is nearly all gone now…again. Let’s hope it stays away from now on. Today I saw many flocks of geese flying over our house. I love the honking of the geese. It surely heralds the arrival of springtime. Easter is in one week. Early this year. We don’t have any tulips growing yet, but the catkins on the willows are plentiful and beautiful. There is hope for winter to come to an end for good.

The peppers I seeded in my basement have all sprouted and are already a couple of inches tall. I keep them under a fluorescent light over my large aquarium and they’re doing okay. I put them close to the light in order to prevent them from becoming too leggy and I water them every day. The seed pots are small and dry out quickly. Once they are tall enough, I have to cull them to one plant per pot. I always find that difficult to do. I hate pulling out healthy looking plants and just throwing them into the garbage, but if I want tall plants, I have to do that. I’ll probably transplant some into other pots. There is always room for more pepper plants in my garden.

I have the same problem with my guppies. They multiply quickly and can overcrowd a tank in a very short time, but I cannot get myself to just kill them. Each guppy in my tank is precious to me, but if I don’t want them to die because the tank is becoming overcrowded and polluted, then I have to remove some of them. I try to give them away. One time I gave one of my friends 75 guppies. I just dipped the net into the tank and scooped them out, never counting them. He told me later how many he got. I still had plenty left. Of course, I could always sell them, but so far I’ve always found somebody who wanted some. Giving them away seems to make me happier,  because that way I now where they are.

Speaking of overcrowding. Our planet is in danger of becoming overcrowded. Unfortunately, the explosion of the human race is happening in parts of the world where it shouldn’t be happening. When I see pictures of children who are skeletal and obviously starving, I cannot understand why people who cannot feed themselves have so many children. It is cruel, stupid, and irresponsible.

And I don’t believe sending food and aid to these countries is going to be beneficial for the future of our planet. We are only adding to the problem. There may come a time when there won’t be enough food to feed all the people. What will we do then? There is a shortage of food already in some countries. Something needs to be done now. We can’t start killing people, even though the terrorists and other groups seem to make that their agenda. We can’t send the overflow to other planets, the way I solve my problem with an overcrowded guppy tank by transferring my guppies to another tank or give them to a friend. No, it must be done at the source…to limit the number of children being born worldwide. The birthrate needs to be controlled. They did that in China. If people are not smart or willing enough to do it for themselves, governments will have to force them to do it. Women need to either use methods to prevent becoming pregnant. If they refuse, they will be sterilized. Men need to use protection. Again, if they refuse, they will have to have a vasectomy or get castrated. Single women are not allowed to have children. Homosexual couples are not allowed to adopt children (the whole reason for homosexuals being born is to keep birthrates down.) Should people have more than one child, they will get government support for only one child. In fact, if they have more than one child, they will be penalized. Of course, if they can’t feed their children they are already punished. If couples cannot afford to properly feed and clothe their child but go ahead and have one anyway, they will be charged with a criminal offense: neglect to provide the necessary basic needs for a child.

This may sound cruel and heartless. They are not the conditions I would support with good conscience, but it is the future I see and we will have no choice, because the alternative will be even crueler. The Universe is a cruel, cold place without mercy and compassion. There will be much opposition. Certain interest groups will protest; they always do. Religious leaders will protest. The human rights group will protest. The governments of our world will have to become dictatorships.  Not an ideal future to look forward to.

Of course, Mother Nature may have things under control. If we refuse to do it voluntarily, it will be done by other methods. The human race may become decimated by deadly plagues, by destructive conflicts between nations, by natural disasters like floods, super storms and tornadoes, tsunamis, by a cosmic disaster, by women and men becoming sterile, by a worldwide spread of homosexuality (you need a male and a female to produce offspring!), or by other means I can’t think of. The Universe somehow seems to solve all the problems; unfortunately, it may not be in our best interest. The planet Earth will survive. Will the human race?

I have no idea how this blogpost ended up this way. I just wanted to write about grapefruit. But that’s how it usually goes with me. Till next time.

The Snow is gone

Amazing how things can change from one day to the next. Yesterday, we had a snowstorm; today, the sun is shining and most of the snow has melted. I bet the people who ended up in the ditch yesterday ask themselves how that could happen. They probably wish they had stayed home. We did, but we are in a position to do that. That is one of the perks we retired people have. There are not many, but that is one of them, to choose when to leave the house, unless there is some kind of emergency, like no beer in the fridge or playing the 6/49.

Speaking of the 6/49. When I play the lotteries, which doesn’t happen too frequently anymore, I usually play the Western. It costs only 2 bucks, which includes the EXTRA. Last week I played the regular 6/49 and paid 4 Dollars. That was probably the last time I play that one. The cost is too high for me; besides, I don’t need 30 million Dollars. One million is enough ☺. Strange, how people always go crazy buying lottery tickets when the prize is in the millions. The Max is the worst. 5 bucks for a ticket to win a huge jackpot, but the chances of winning are even worse than the regular 6/49. I believe it is 1 in 20 million chances. Most people wouldn’t even know what to do with 50 million Dollars. I know...I know...spend it, but that much money causes only headaches and usually doesn’t bring as much happiness as people believe.

The secret to happiness is still to be satisfied with what one has, but strive for more without going crazy. Sure, money can buy a lot of stuff and even some freedom, but it is not always about money. How many really rich people are there who have nothing but problems and they are not happy. Just look at all the movie stars. Most of them are not happy. They can’t even stay married to the same spouse for a long time. There are quite a few who have committed suicide because they had some kind of mental issue. All the money in the world did not help them to solve their problems.

We went to Tim Horton’s today. My wife claimed her big win...a free coffee. She was disappointed; the ‘Roll-up-the Rim’ is finished. Perhaps I should dance for joy. This means next time we go out for lunch it is my turn to choose where to go. Today, I had the Turkey/wild rice soup. They actually had it this time. I didn’t care much for it. Too thick, for one thing. That wild rice looks and tastes just like barley and I never cared for barley. The only soup I sort of like at Tim Horton’s is the broccoli cream soup, but there is a limit to how many times I want to eat it. I like my own soups much better.

The lion is still roaring

Mother Nature is still reminding us that  winter isn't over, not until she says so. We woke up to a small snowstorm this morning. The temperature is around minus 1 C and it is snowing with high winds. Perfect conditions to make the highways dangerous. Highways are on my mind, because we live outside the city. Listening to the road reports confirmed that it is indeed bad out there. Many cars in the ditch on different highways leading into the city. One semi jack knifed and then was hit by another one. A bus turned over and the list goes on. Hwy 75 going south toward the US border closed because of accidents. Many of these accidents could have been avoided, even with treacherous road conditions, if drivers would only use common sense and drive according to conditions; it means SLOW DOWN.

I had a doctor's appointment this morning but I cancelled it and postponed it until tomorrow. They squeezed me in. I was lucky, because the doctor's office is fully booked even next week.

#Illegal killing of moose and other issues

Last week, Friday and Saturday, I was at a convention from the #MWF (Manitoba Wildlife Federation). I'm on the executive committee of the Seven Oaks Game and Fish Association and was chosen to be one of the executives representing our club. Actually, I am the membership chairman. It was a very interesting convention, some of the stuff a bit boring, like listening to the financial reports of the Federation and other business, but nevertheless, interesting in many ways and important to find out.

There were discussions about the state of the Big Game in Manitoba and it is a sad situation. White tailed deer, Elk, #Moose, and even Caribou numbers are declining at an alarming rate. There are many causes, one of them the winters we've had. Many animals starve over the winter if the snow conditions are not favorable and many become victims of predators for the same reason. Deep snow and crusty snow means they are easy prey.

However, there are also other factors involved in the rapid decline of the animals. One of them is the native hunting rights. #First Nation's people can hunt without licenses, they can kill females, even pregnant ones, fawns and calves without possession limits. They are allowed to hunt during the night with high-powered flashlights, which is a really dangerous practice. The animals have no chance at all and there is a good chance people can be fatally shot.

 A couple of years ago, our present provincial government signed a treaty with the #Metis, giving them the same hunting rights. That put additional hunting pressures on the already declining Big Game population.

I don't want to get into details here for fear of being called a racist. These days, if you bring up certain issues, there is the danger it will be called racial. A wonderful way to shut up people who mention delicate subjects. This is not a racial issue. It is just common sense to put an end to this. Uncontrolled and indiscriminate hunting is insane, especially in this century. The whole thing with hunting rights was fine two hundred years ago, even a hundred years, when animals were plenty and there were fewer people and fewer hunters and when people actually lived off the land. Now habitats have disappeared, there are more hunters and anglers. (Yes, over-fishing and possession limits are another problem). Besides, people living in the city, and that includes First Nation's people, do not live off the land. Neither do Metis.

Also, two hundred years ago, there were no high-powered rifles with scopes that give you the distance of the animals, there were no four-wheel trucks, no Quads, no two-million candles flashlights and many other modern gadgets. No roads leading to remote areas. The animals had a chance to breed and to survive.

There was  a posting on the CBC site yesterday about how poachers are killing Moose. Remains of 15 Moose, pregnant cows with 2 fetuses among them, were found. That is a senseless and criminal act and cannot be excused. The people responsible for that must be punished. This insanity must stop.
Check out the article here: Illegal killing of moose. You owe it to yourself. It will open your eyes.

I feel passionate about this, because I'm a hunter. I follow the regulations, I buy a license to hunt. My money helps to establish habitats for the animals, helps to finance surveys, helps the animals to survive.

Unfortunately, this is a political issue and no politician will want to touch it, especially not our current provincial government. They need the votes. In the end we will all lose because of this non-caring attitude. And it isn't only the licensed hunters who will lose, it will also be the First Nation's people, including the Metis. Hunting rights mean nothing if there is nothing to hunt. 

Oh, I did a bit of math who can call himself (herself) a Meti. Apparently, it goes back 8 generations, which means if a person had an ancestor who was a native (Indian) 200 years ago he/she is a Meti. Do the math. 1/256 part of this person is Native. Wow! Maybe I can call myself French. Apparently, my ancestors came from the south of France.

And the Lion roared

Two days ago the grass was bare. The only snow reminding us of winter were patches hiding in the shadows where the sun couldn’t reach them. That all changed. We had another snowfall Sunday night. Nothing huge but the grass was covered with a blanket of snow yesterday morning. That’s Mother Nature telling us that she is the boss and does what she wants. March came in like a lamb but leaves us roaring like a lion, albeit a small lion but still a lion. They predicted more bad weather for tomorrow.

We didn’t drive away until late, but listening to the road reports in the morning, there were plenty of idiots out on the road again. Don’t they ever learn? Don’t they know that you have to adjust your speed according to road conditions? How can you feel sorry for them when they end up in the ditch or, worse, have an accident? The sad thing is they always involve other, more careful drivers, in their mishaps.

When we left to go to Winnipeg for a little bit of shopping at 11 AM yesterday, the streets were clear. Unfortunately, they were still wet and dirty, which didn’t make me happy. The 4 bucks I spent last week washing the car was wasted. Why is there always some jerk who has to pass me and splash my clean car when I’m already driving a little bit past the speed limit to prevent exactly that from happening? But no, there is always some idiot who needs to prove that his car is faster than mine.

Yesterday it was clear again to me why I hate going downtown Winnipeg to do shopping. I paid $10.00 parking for 3 ½ hours in The Bay parking lot. That’s more than $3.00 an hour. Why do we bother going downtown when there are shopping centers at the outskirts of the city with huge parking lots where you can park for free all day? And I don't care much for the beggars and bums on the streets. Winnipeg downtown needs a huge makeover. Free parking for one thing. Of course, the smart and wise people at City Hall decided to raise the price of metered parking on the streets in the downtown area. That’s no way to entice people to come there. The way to attract shoppers and other clients is to offer them an incentive, like lower prices and free parking. Maybe put a limit on the parking time, but still FREE.

I noticed many empty slots where small stores used to be on the ‘bridge’ that crosses Portage Ave and even in Portage Place. I can only guess at the reasons. Perhaps they can’t afford the high rent they have to pay and the high price of business licenses the city imposes on them. Maybe the people who hang out in Portage Place and downtown are not the type of people who can afford to pay the prices of merchandise in these stores.  I’m not making any accusations here, neither am I judgmental or biased. It’s just an observation. Like I said, I don’t want to be judgmental, but I hate going to the washrooms in Portage Place. I’m surprised some of those guys don’t strip and wash their whole body. Combing their hair might help to improve their appearance just a little bit. Just saying.

I remember forty, fifty years ago, downtown used to be the hub of the city, with Eatons and the Bay crowded with shoppers. Now Eatons is gone, The Bay is just a shadow of what it used to be. The shoppers have disappeared and the few times I go there I feel like I’m in a foreign country. Maybe some people call it a blend of different cultures, but I can’t get that feeling. I’m in Canada; I want to see Canadians. I don’t care about their color of skin, or even religion, but I care about the way they dress and the language they speak in public. I make no apologies, because many Canadians feel that way. Our politicians bent over backwards to please foreigners but, apparently, don’t care about the feelings of Canadians, the very people who put them into the high paying positions they hold.

Anyway, those are my thought for today.

On Sunday, I still managed to pick a couple of pails full of pussywillow branches. It's getting more difficult every year. I'm getting older and the trees taller. My wife will do her magic with them and replace the old ones from last year for Easter. Easter is early again this year. Pussywillows brighten up the season and give you that feeling of Spring.

Winning is more fun than loosing

 Whoopee! We’re on a roll. Last week my wife won $10.00 playing the Western 6/49. She won it with the EXTRA numbers. Two correct ones. Today it was my turn. I also won $10.00, but not with the EXTRA. I had three numbers right. My head is busting. What to do with that big win?

I’ve never had more than 4 numbers right. The most I ever won in the 6/49 was 40 bucks. The week before my win they were paying out $80.00. I think I’ve had 4 numbers correct about 3 times so far in all the years I’ve played. I used to play the 6/49 every week, but now I play it only on occasion. And I play only the Western. It still costs $2.00 for one line and the EXTRA. They used to give you two lines of numbers; even there they’ve cut down. It seems these days you get less and less for the same money.

I remember at Wal-Mart they used to charge $10.00 for 907 grams of cooked shrimp (71-90). Now you still pay $10.00 for a bag, but you get only 625 grams of shrimp. That’s how they try to fool you. They keep the price the same but give you less, hoping people won’t notice. I’ve seen that with many products.

What I hate is when stores change their supplier. We used to buy Smokies with less Sodium from Extra-Foods (President’s Choice). They tasted quite nice and were not super-expensive. Some time ago the people who run Extra-Foods decided to change their supplier; at least I assume it is a different supplier. The same package but the Smokies taste horrible.

We’ve experienced the same problem with Costco. Sometimes, they just discontinue items. It seems it happens every time I get used to a product. We used to buy our tea there. No more. Can’t find it anymore at Costco. Discontinued. They used to carry alcohol free beer. The price was great. They discontinued that. The same happened with the yogurt we bought there. Now they push the Greek Yogurt. My wife likes it, I hate it. And it’s more expensive. I buy yogurt only on sale. Mostly at Wal-Mart now.

Costco doesn’t carry frozen orange juice anymore. Only juice in containers. We can buy it cheaper at Wal-Mart, and that’s what we do. They don’t carry the European type Rye bread we bought there anymore, either. And on and on it goes. Everything for profit. Never mind the customer.

Today, we went to Tim Horton’s for lunch. I ordered the Turkey/rice soup. They didn’t have it. This is the third time in a row they didn’t have it. Why advertise it then. So I ended up with my usual cream-of-broccoli soup. I’m getting tired of it. I’m only going there because my wife wants to go and ‘roll-up-the-rim’. She calls me fussy when in fact I would be quite happy to go to A&W for a hamburger. They always have some kind of deal going; usually 2 meals for $10.00 these days. But my wife doesn’t care much for hamburgers. Yet I’m the fussy one. Figure that one out. In reality, I’m just a basic guy who likes basic food. NO sweet and sour meat, no pineapple on my pizza, no tomato sauce on my spaghetti, no gravy on my fries (no salt, either!), no sushi, no jelly on my lettuce. None of that for me. No red beets, except in Borscht. Is that really so odd?

I will eat frog legs, snails, mussels, oysters (not raw!), shrimp, lobster, crab legs, venison, ostrich (had it once), lamb, rabbit (wild and domesticated). I would eat rattle snake, alligator, kangaroo steaks, and other exotic meat like that if I had the chance. When I was a kid I ate a crow (that’s right, I ate crow!) I also ate a sparrow. Cooked it in a small aluminum pot I still have. I also ate bird’s eggs. There wasn’t much to eat after the war in Germany. You’d be surprised what a person will eat when they’re hungry. Anyone watch the TV show ‘Survivors’?

I remember when they played ‘The Bickersons’ on the radio in the seventies. She used to cook an elaborate breakfast for him every morning. One morning he complained. “All I want is a basic breakfast, Blanche. Just some eggs.” Nothing unusual about that, but then he ‘spoiled’ it with saying, “There are plenty of Ducks walking around.” I miss shows like that. They were just basic fun. However, these days even that has changed. Now you have to think twice about everything you say or write. You might just offend someone. Nobody can take a joke. People seem to have lost the ability to laugh at themselves and their shortcomings. We have to worry about offending newcomers to our country, but if they offend us, that's okay.

Since I’m in a complaining mood. I got gas at Co-op today. Our car has the gas-fill-up on the driver’s side. Some cars have to be filled up from the passenger’s side. I have no idea why that is. Anyway, while I’m filling up, a woman pulls up to the pumps from the opposite direction...in my lane. Why didn’t she drive in the direction everyone else was driving? She could have gone to the other side of the pumps. The spot was empty. Now she blocked my way. Stupid broad! (I hope I’m not offending somebody with that remark. But that’s the way I feel about it).

There is good news. My wife won another free cup of coffee from Tim Horton’s. Hurray! Now I have to go to Tim Horton’s again.

The pussy willows have catkins already. A month earlier than last year. Amazing. Tomorrow is the first day of Spring. Let’s hope March doesn’t go out like a lion with snow storms and other winter stuff. We’ve had enough of winter. I feel bad for the people on the east coast. They are getting more than anyone ever wants, needs or deserves. We are just plain lucky here in the Prairies, getting as little snow as we have. Sure, it's cold, but we can take the cold.

Spring is coming

#Tom Jones, #Rod Stewart, #Cher

My wife and I had a wonderful afternoon today. We went to the Casino on Regent Ave in Winnipeg and watched a concert. It was free. A tribute to Tom Jones, Rod Steward, and Cher.

Last year, they finished building an addition to the Casino. Part of the addition is a theater. I don’t know how many seats it has, but more than a thousand, possibly even two thousand. I don’t want to make a guess. It is a beautiful theater with stadium seating, which means they rise toward the back, away from the stage. Even if you sit far back, you have a good view of the stage.

The place was packed. Mostly seniors. Who else has time to watch a performance in the afternoon? And it was free. Seniors love free stuff. We sat in row 22. I was lucky to still get some tickets, because I didn’t find out about the free performance until late. The seats were great. The acoustics was excellent. I would have liked to be closer to the stage, but, what the heck, it was free. I’m not complaining.

What a great performance! Obviously, these were not the original stars but impersonators, but they were very talented and brought the music of the era to life. They sounded authentic and even looked like Tom Jones, Rod Steward, and Cher. Cher wore a sexy costume, just like Cher used to, and she had the same, throaty voice. Same goes for the guy who sang the songs of Tom Jones. I can still hear in my mind “I’ll never fall in love again.” To notch. The guy had the same great voice as Tom Jones.

I was never a real Rod Steward Fan, but I must say, I liked what I heard today.

The show brought back memories of days gone by. Even though my hearing isn’t the best anymore, I could understand the lyrics, which I can’t say when I try to listen to modern music. So much for always blaming my hearing for not understanding the words. I think, performers these days don’t make an effort to pronounce the words clearly. Swallowing the words seems to be the thing to do.

I’m going to make it a point to go to another performance again to the casino. A paid one this time. The prices are reasonable. Much better than in other theaters. And everything is modern. The seats were comfortable with plenty of legroom.

We went to see Cabaret in the Manitoba Theater Center a while back, but didn’t enjoy is as much as this one. And we paid good money to see it. The theater is old and has bad air circulation. And the performance itself was disappointing. Not as enjoyable as the same show we saw about twenty years ago in the same place.

#Carrot/Ginger Soup

If you are new to my blog or accidentally landed on it, my blog is not about recipes. It’s not about fishing or hunting, not about making beer and wine, either. It is neither about health advice, smoking fish, nor is it about poetry or writing books. It is about all those things and more. I also write about politics and news items and things that bug me. Sometimes I get carried away a little.

They intercepted three young guys, who wanted to join #ISIS. What’s wrong with these teenagers? Don’t they have a brain in their head? Joining a group of bloodthirsty religious extremists is nothing short of committing suicide. How about those three teenage girls? By now they must be screaming and whimpering and calling for there ‘mommies’. I have not doubt they’ve already been raped and brutalized many times. What were they thinking? Joining terrorists, like ISIS, a bunch of homicidal maniacs, is not a picnic; it’s not some fantasy romance. It’s a trip to Hell from which there is no return.

Anyway, enough of that. Yesterday I made a #Carrot/Ginger soup that tasted delicious. In fact, as soon as I’m done writing this, I will have another bowl. On top of it, it is extremely healthy. There are many Carrot/Ginger soup recipes on the internet; some are just copies of recipes from other blogs or websites. The ingredients are different from mine. Some of them use butter instead of oil; some even add milk. If you have an allergy toward dairy products, you may like this one. No milk or cream.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients (makes about 6 servings, depending how much you fill into your soup dish -:)

• 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ lb carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 stalks of Celery, washed and chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated or minced
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon clear honey
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• Possibly salt and pepper

Directions

• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Sauté the onions for about 5 minutes or until translucent.  Add the carrots and celery and sauté for another 2 minutes.

• Add the ginger, garlic, turmeric, curry powder, paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes, honey, and cayenne pepper into the pot of vegetables. Stir the whole mixture and sauté for two minutes.

• Slowly, pour 4 cups of vegetable/chicken broth into the pot. After bringing it to a boil, turn the heat down to a low setting. Cover the pot and simmer for about 40 or 50 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.

• Blend the soup in a food processor or blender. Before you blend it, let the mixture cool down. Don’t blend the whole pot full at one time. If the soup is too thick, add additional broth.

• Add salt and black pepper to taste and serve.

Notes: I used Chicken broth. After blending it, I found it too thick, so I added 2 cups of broth, which I made from a vegetable cube. I used Knorr. I didn’t add any salt or pepper. It was spicy enough for me, in fact it was a bit too spicy. Next time I’ll go easy on the red pepper flakes, but that is a matter of taste. Some people like it hot and spicy.

It tasted great.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEVvFcHAdV8GkAPWglnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTB0dmRibmhwBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1lIUzAwMV8x?_adv_prop=image&fr=yhs-mozilla-003&va=guten+appetit&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-003

#The Geese are back

March, Friday the 13th. If you are superstitious be careful. It’s probably best you stay home today. Last month, February, we also had a Friday, 13th. In fact, March and February have identical days and dates. Just a little fact not everybody is probably aware of...or cares to know.

This morning, I saw a flock of #Canada geese flying over our property. Apparently, geese have already been spotted a few days ago in Manitoba, but these are the first ones I’ve heard and seen. When I hear the honking of geese for the first time in spring I always feel a bit melancholic. It brings back memories of years gone by, but it also gives me a happy feeling. Winter if almost over.

The snow is melting. There are many bald spots where the grass shows on our property. The way things develop, we won’t have to worry about flooding...unless we get heavy rains and, let’s not even think about it, a late season snowstorm.

For me, this winter has gone by fast. I was looking forward to going ice-fishing this winter, but it didn’t happen. Our club, the Seven Oaks Game and Fish Association, had our yearly ice-fishing event in February, but I couldn’t go. My van is in storage for the winter, I don’t have any use for it during the winter months. There really is no sense in paying those high monthly vehicle registration fees to have the van sitting idle. Even in the summer, I use it only to go fishing or take garbage to the dump. I have to rely on my son to come and pick me up with his truck, but he had other obligations and didn’t go, either. I could have taken our car, but you never know how deep the snow is and how many ridges are on the ice, so that was out.

Some of the members from my club went ice-fishing last weekend on Lake Winnipeg and they were quite lucky. Apparently, they caught many huge Walleye. My son caught one 28 inches long as soon as he started fishing. And more big ones after that. Everyone who was out fishing that Sunday caught big fish. I wasn’t there, so I can’t really say how the action was, but it sounds like everyone had a blast. Wish I could have been there. Maybe next year.

Already now, it is dangerous to go on the ice. It is breaking down quickly with these warm temperatures we’re having. Sunday it is supposed to go up to plus 14 C. That is warm. Last year at this time we were in a deep freeze.

The summer fishing season starts middle of May and I’m already looking forward to it. I can’t wait to go out with my friend Rudi and my cousin Manfried to the Big Whiteshell Lake for the first Walleye. And later on in the season I go to Lockport for Sauger and Goldeye. Lockport is only five minutes away from our place and I don’t have to rely on anyone to take me along and I don’t need a boat for that, either. I have a boat with a fish finder. It sits idle in my yard. I don’t have a trailer or hitch on my van.

It sort of brings back memories of when I was young and before I had a car. In those days, you needed a car to pick up girls. Some of the other guys I knew had cars and I asked them to come and take me along once in a while, but that didn’t happen. I finally bought me own car. Of course, that didn’t mean girls came flocking to me now, but it gave me more confidence to ask a girl for a date. After all, now I had a car. The big thing was to drive to the A & W drive-in for a hamburger and root beer. You needed a car for that.

It seems I’ve come full circle. Except now it isn’t girls I’m after; now it’s fish and, maybe, mushrooms. By the way, the mushrooms I found last year growing in my yard in such abundance in the fall? We ate a few and froze the rest. They were never one of the most desirable species of mushrooms in the first place; kind of soft and mushy. We threw the frozen ones away when we defrosted our freezer. Should I find some again growing this year, I will not even bother picking them. They’ll go into the composter immediately.

So, have a great weekend and be careful out there, after all, today is Friday the 13th.

#Signs of Spring

Yesterday was the first time this year we had lunch and supper in our sun-room. Actually, that is early, because last year it was April 1 when we sat for the first time in the sun-room. We have a three-season sun-room, which means it can’t be used in the winter. Although I installed a heater in the wall, the single-glass panes have no insulation value.

However, yesterday the sun was shining and the temperature was plus 4 in the sun-room in the morning, so I decided it was time to enjoy it again. I turned on the heaters (One stationary in the wall and one movable electric oil-heater. By 11 o’clock it was 20 C in there, warm enough to put our canary Eddie into the sun-room. He loves it in there and he began singing immediately. He has the view of the yard and can watch the wild birds in the feeders, which gets him excited and causes him to burst out into a loud song. Who knows what goes on in his little birdbrain. Maybe he’s happy to be inside a warm room instead of freezing off his tail outside.

At lunch time we also sat out there, enjoying a glass of wine and the warmth of the sun and the view. There is nothing better to soothe the soul than looking at nature’s beauty, even if it is just snow on the ground. We noticed that some of our cedars are getting brown tips from the sun’s reflection on the snow. I’ll go out later and cover them with burlap. We still had supper out there, but after supper the temperature began to drop and we had to close everything down. Eddie wasn't happy and neither were we. But this was only the first day. Many more to come.

Yesterday we had to change our clocks to Daylight Savings Time. I’m not sure if that whole idea about this back and forth with the clock in Spring and in the Fall is a good idea. I, like many people, see no advantage in it. It’s confusing and, apparently, causes many accidents on the first Monday after the change.

On March 6th I seeded some Leeks, Bunch Onions, and Sweet Basil into containers to get a head start for my garden. In a couple of weeks I will seed my peppers.

Anyway, the signs of Spring are in the air.

#Smoking Pork Loins Update

Well...well...well...

I hope nobody was eager to follow my recipe on smoking pork loins.

We just finished eating them. Not the gourmet experience I expected. They were too tough, too salty, and a bit too smoky. We ate only half of them. The rest I will eat as thin slices on my bread for lunch with an egg or avocado slathering the meat to mask the salt and smoke. But I'm not giving up.I will try smoking them again maybe next week. With a few changes.

Less salt.
Less time in the brine.
Less smoking time.
Different wood for smoking.

I have a lot of respect for butchers and people who have perfected smoking meats and other foods.

Perhaps next time I put an untried recipe on my blog I should add: 'Don't try this at home!' or 'Do so at your own risk'.

#Smoking Pork Loin Chops

I smoked Pork loin chops today. I've never smoked anything else but fish before this. This was new territory for me. I checked out the internet and found different information. So I sort of made my own method, hoping it would work out.

This is what I did:

2 – loin chops about ¾ inch thick.

Brine:

1 – cup water

1 – cup apple juice

1/3 cup coarse salt

Cracked pepper

Garlic powder

Juice from part of a lime

Put thawed chops into the brine and then into the fridge at around midnight. Left overnight in fridge.

10:00 AM next morning: Removed chops from fridge, washed, dried and put on a bit of pork/chicken spice. Put them back into the fridge until Electric Smoker was ready.

Turned on the Smoker (Used oak-wood chips, which I soaked overnight )

Programmed Smoker: Temperature 225 F, Time: 2 1/2 hours.

After 20 minutes temperature had reached 250F

After opening Smoker temperature dropped to around 200F

Added more wood. (Apple and Hickory) Adjusted temperature control to 210F

Put chops on rack

Added wood after 30 minutes. Adjusted temperature to 225 F (added more wood 30 minutes later)

After 1 hour 15 minutes: Checked internal temperature of chops with probe. It was 140F. It was supposed to be 155F.

All the smoke escaped. Put on some more chips.

Left chops for another 10 minutes.

Removed chops after 10 minutes.

They were brown. They had shrunk a little.

Notes:

Take chops out after 1 hour 15 minutes. They were a bit dried out. They also tasted a bit salty but not bad.

Use water pan in Smoker for moisture.

Use less salt in brine

Use a spice without salt.

No need to soak wood chips in water over night.

We will eat the smoked loin chops for supper tonight, cold, with potatoes.

They didn't turn out too badly for the first time. Next time I will cut them thicker than 3/4 inch.