The Taste Emporium!

I've been meaning to mention that the "Taste Emporium" is back in business on main street Renfrew, for about a month now. Iain and I have stopped there for lunch a few times already, and we certainly recommend it highly. It's a lunch place - open from 10-4 - and the food is great. They also serve excellent teas and coffees, and the atmosphere is comfortable. So good to have them back!

Remember Halloween?

...and I promised to post a video of some of the goings-on? Well, I've finally done it. You can view the video here.

Snow What's New?

In honour of the fact that it is snowing yet again, I'm posting this pic taken when we are at the cottage for New Years. Iain and I were walking ahead of Dodie and Myles, when she snapped it.

Muffets are a treat

Today, some praise for the lowly Muffet. Canadians of a certain age remember the Johnny Bower ads, but when did you last see any advertising for this cereal? There are probably a lot of people out there who don't know about it - and that is a shame, because it is one of the most natural cereals available. Know what's in it? Whole wheat. That's it. No added anything, except some BHT in the paper wrap to keep it fresh. I don't know exactly what they do to the wheat to make it edible, mind you, but the result is lots of fibre and iron, and very little fat. Heat some water and pour it on to soften and warm the cereal, add a bit of milk and sugar (yeah, I know, but I like sugar!), and enjoy.
It's hard to find any info on Muffets. Quakeroats.ca has nothing about it. And yet, I found this bit of info on the web:
"Curiously, the most successful ready-to-eat breakfast cereal in 2006 is neither new nor reformulated, and its only front-panel health messages are “100-per-cent natural,” and “100-
per-cent whole grain.” And according to Jeff Schoo, director of Food for Mississauga, Ont.-based Pepsi-QTG Canada, sales of Muffets Shredded Wheat have grown without any incremental
consumer support."
It seems Muffets are prospering by all the attention given to whole-grain cereals in ads for their competitors. I'm just happy I spied the box on the shelf last time we shopped, because I'd never have thought of them otherwise.

Morning Nosh

Thank goodness for mourning doves. If it weren't for this guy, my feeder would be seeing very little action. Every morning, though, there he/she is, getting breakfast.

Home town eccentrics

Do you remember Hawkeye in M*A*S*H reading aloud from his hometown paper, and the items were quaintly humourous, or perhaps small-town weird? I was reminded of that today when I read the local Mercury. Renfrew is home to some interesting people.
One item was a 4x6 ad announcing the upcoming federal candidacy of a man who believes he is on a mission from God (and no, his name wasn't Jake or Elwood). I've been told he was involved in the last election as well, but didn't win, so I guess he's trying again. His campaign slogan is "I Am The Way", and this campaign is to fulfil a promise he made to God as a child. He's giving a speech later this month, and tickets are available at a local convenience store. I'm tempted to go, just out of curiosity - but I won't.
The other thing that caught my eye was an article about an erstwhile chef (and he really did make the most awesome carrot soup) who believes he has invented a perpetual motion machine he calls a Perepiteia. He doesn't actually live in Renfrew anymore, but has ties to the area, so they interviewed him for the local paper. He was also interviewed by The Toronto Star, and you can read it here. Personally, I can't follow any of the mechanics or science involved, and trying to watch the video made me very sleepy after two minutes.
But they are interesting people, for certain.

Hurling demo

Well, just in case you haven't ever seen hurling being played, here is a little instructional video!

Odds and ends from the holidays

Just going through my Christmas pics, and although it is a bit out of focus just had to post this one of my mom in her new leather jacket. She's 90+ years, and looks terrific.

We were at the cottage for a few days after Christmas, for a very relaxing time thanks to Dodie and Myles who invited us to stay with them. Jigsaw puzzling, reading, and board games with the New Years Eve crew filled most of our time - and of course hurling, the combination horseshoes/curling game I think I've mentioned before.

Another fun thing was taking pictures of the birds on the bottle feeder. The blue jays were heavy, so they had to hang on for dear life as the bottle spun whenever they landed. The chickadees were agile, as usual, and happy to pose, but the red-breasted nuthatch was impossible to get on film; this is the best shot I got!