It's hard to find a piece of good roast that's a decently small size for two people. So there's always leftovers. And the sirloin tip roast we had on Monday was just far too large. I refrigerated the slices we couldn't eat, and yesterday cut them into strips. I decided I'd stir-fry them, and began with garlic cloves, onion and shallots chopped and stir-fried in olive oil. When they were translucent and slightly browned I added cubed Yukon Gold potatoes and stir-fried them, then added the beef strips. The combination made a pretty good meal, served with green beans. But the truth is I don't really favour leftovers and to avoid them I try to cook meals that will serve two, once only.

I decided to change the comforter on our bed and today was as opportune a time as any, since all the bed linen was destined for the laundry. So I exchanged the medium-weight comforter for the winter one and that was a whole lot of fun. Takes quite a bit of energy to shuck a comforter out of its cover, and to do the same in reverse with a new one. But it's done, and it's just in time to greet an oncoming winter storm.

We're expecting between 15 and 20 centimetres overnight and into tomorrow. Not an awful lot of snow, but enough to finally put down a permanent snowpack for the duration of the winter. If it turns out to be too windy, along with the falling snow we might not even get out into the ravine tomorrow for our daily hike through the forest trails with Jackie and Jillie.

With that in mind, we took an extra long circuit both yesterday and today. Sunny yesterday, but the sky today was packed densely with those pewter-shaded snow clouds that always seem to promise an imminent snow event. We had a moderate temperature in an afternoon high of -2C, but it was also damp and windy. We didn't feel we had to really bundle up today, it almost felt balmy despite the wind.

The little snow we did have down has gradually worn away, so the coming snowstorm will be a timely event. Hard to believe, but we've had a deficit of precipitation so far for the past month and the current one. We were more than a little surprised, descending the first hill leading into the ravine, where close to the bottom two fair-sized trees lay across the trail. 

 We had noticed a few months ago that a large poplar had fallen partially over, its weight suspended on a companion tree a little smaller than its own size. Now, it's evident that the younger, slightly smaller in circumference tree could no longer sustain the dead weight of the fallen tree. The smaller of the two cracked about twenty feet up its trunk and both had fallen over, onto the trail. Glad that no one was about when that happened!

It was awkward and a bit of a challenge clambering over the tree trunks. Jackie and Jillie found them a surprising impediment; after all, trees are not supposed to be horizontal, and hesitated to duck under them, so Irving picked them up and dumped them on the opposite side. We had a good ramble through the trails. People we came across were of the opinion that it was a good idea to get out, mightn't be possible tomorrow. A thought that brought a happy grin to everyone's face.

Crossing the second bridge and ascending another hill we came across a regular hiker and he was carrying a smallish-looking, battery-powered saw. Powerful enough, he said happily, to make quick work cutting the trees to haul the trunks off the trail. That was halfway through our circuit. An hour later, on our return, the trail was cleared, the shorter pieces of the downed trunks dragged off the trail. 

This community treasure, held in gratitude by a good many people, has any number of regular users prepared to do what they can as joint stewards of this urban forest. By the time we returned to the 'scene of the crime' on our way back home, it was pretty dark, but more than light enough to take note of the gift of care that a community member left behind.