On top of the 25cm of snow that fell on Monday, and which we managed to clear up for the most part, we were met with another 5cm yesterday which we didn't manage to clear up, figuring it was just a few inches and clearing it away could wait. It waited for today, when Irving went out to do just that. No sense firing up the snow thrower, so shovelling did the trick. The weather wasn't quite pleasant, in that it was -12C, with a brisk wind, and even shovelling didn't compensate for the wind tearing into bare faces, despite the energy being expended.

 

With that level of cold, we decided to butter up a few slices of bread, cut them into squares and put them out at the side door, along with peanuts. It's not only the neighbourhood squirrels and rabbits that have learned to come around regularly, now repeated visits by crows make quick work of whatever's put out, as well. Deposits made three times daily.

 

 

As for us, I most often decide the night before or early the next morning what our menu for the day will be. Sometimes it seems more vexingly troublesome to think of what to prepare for dinner than the actual preparation, which is a pleasure by comparison. On Monday we had a roasted Cornish hen accompanied by green beans, a noodle pudding and plums for dessert. We usually alternate between dairy and meat meals, so searching my memory files for recipes yesterday I realized I hadn't made a French onion soup in a while. A fresh garden salad went well with the soup, with raspberries for dessert.

 

It's a meal that doesn't take long to put together; basically preparing the onion soup itself, but earlier in the day toasting croutons with butter, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese to complement the old Cheddar I invariably use with these soups. We'd gone out to do the food shopping earlier in the day and even driving to the supermarket after our ravine hike felt like an Everest-type adventure. We're in a cold snap. This time, at least, unlike last week, we were able to manoeuvre the shopping cart over to our car in the parking lot.

 

If anything reflects comfort on the dinner table on cold and windy days it's any kind of soup.  Last night the temperature fell to -16C, and it'll go even lower tonight. But tonight there'll be a meat pie. What I think of as an entire meal in a casserole type of thing. Along with the ground beef in the pie filling there's also chopped garlic and onion, mushrooms and green peas. So other than fresh, sliced Bosc pears for dessert, that's the meal. Oh, and Irving asked for extra gravy to go with the pie.

 

 

It was colder temperature-wise when we went out with Jackie and Jillie to the ravine this afternoon, but since the wind had died down by then, we managed fine, though we had almost convinced ourselves that anything colder than -10C would be a good enough reason, allied with a whipping wind, to miss our daily hike through the forest. So far this winter we haven't had any daytime highs of -20C, but I'm sure they're yet to arrive.

 

Jackie and Jillie had a good time as usual, coming across some of their friends, and catching up with the neighbourhood canine gossip. By the time we arrive back home after our forest jaunt, their legs are well encrusted with icy snow. First thing is to remove their boots, then their jackets, then brush the snow off their legs and then they're free to romp through the house in happy anticipation of their routine afternoon salad.