#320 Seasonal PrecipitaShawn AppreciaShawn

Brace yourselves, my excitement is increasing!

I woke up this morning to Marcel smiling at my face...

"There's snow on the ground...", he said.

And... I was W*I*D*E  A*W*A*K*E!

Still no blizzard, no tempête de neige, but we woke up to the white stuff. 

In the coming weeks as the daytime highs stay below 0'C, the ground will freeze and when snow falls, it will stay.  And then... my cup of Joy will runneth over.

... until then...

 I'll take these moments, with appreciation.

#254 Hometime AppreciaShawn

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE vacation… and I LOVE being at the cottage on PEI, but we are creatures of habit and there are some of our creature comforts here at home that I’m happy to be back with on a daily basis:

• Air Conditioning
• Dish Washer
• 45” flat screen TV
• PVR (NO MORE COMMERCIALS!)
• The Bed

Honestly, if we had these at the cottage, I would have had a very difficult time returning to Montréal (job or no job)

#196 QuotaShawn

"Every moment we are thinking about the end, we are robbing our pets and ourselves of the now. Live in the now."

~Me.

#139 Seasonal AppreciaShawn

If Summer could be like this weekend, then maybe I'll become a Summer Lover.

It was sunny, with a lovely breeze, and temperatures in the high teens to low twenties. 

Perfection.

No high heat, or humidity.

Excellent conditions for a long dag walk... the sidewalks and roads were not too hot for their feet. 

Windows and patio door wide open to catch the breeze. 

But we are realistic and know these beautiful days are all too few, so we will enjoy them as they come.

In other news... 216 days to Winter.

#124 Baked Goods AppreciaShawn

Marcel baked me some Blackberry Muffins on Friday, so today I am baking him some Lemon Blondies.

As they say, one (baked)good turn, deserves another. 

#099 Simple Food AppreciaShawn

Sometimes the simplest things are best.

One of our favourites is a mega-delicious masterpiece:

Caramelized Onion, Apple and Blue Cheese Naan Pizzas.

They are almost ready, and the smells wafting through the house are driving me crazy!  My mouth is watering...

There's just a touch of Balsamic Vinegar in the onions, and a light dusting of Thyme. 

Around her, we love our food, we take pleasure in our food and we dive in without hesitation.

*DING*  The over just announced dinner is ready.

Bon Appetit. 

#043 Delicious IngestShawn

As a standard rule I am not a fan of Brussels Sprouts*. 

I have never voluntarily consumed them.  I have only, 5 prior occasions eaten a few, to appease my Mother-in-law, because I'm a very good Son-in-law. Generally there are 4-5 on my plate at Thanksgiving or Christmas and that's about it. That's as far as I'll go.  

That all changed tonight because I not only ate Brussels Sprouts of my own volition, but it was basically because I found a recipe on Buzzfeed that contained them, and the pics looked so good I insisted Marcel make the dish. 

Not only was it delicious, but he's going to make it again this weekend! And next time he's going to make it spicier!

I can't say that I will become a lover of B.S. but I'm willing to continue to give them the benefit of the doubt that they can be a part of a delicious meal. 

Mushrooms however remain on my Do Not Eat List, and I do not foresee any change where they're concerned...

---

* Is it just me?  I always thought they were called Brussel Sprouts... or at the very least, Brussel's Sprouts. Who knew?! Eat a great meal and learn something at the same time! Win - win I say.

#011 AppreciaShawn

Say what you want about social media, it makes the world we live in seem a little smaller and brings people from a distance seem closer.

Case in point, the friendships I've made on Facebook. A quarter of all the people on my Friend's List are people I've not met in person. But what's interesting is that these are to a great extent the primary people that I interact with. Some I'd even consider part of my extended family.

Through the years some a closer connection has grown, and the exchange of Christmas Cards, and Christmas and Birthday gifts have evolved. Not that gifts equate to value per se, but does indicate at least to, me an intimacy of connection and relationship.  It really says something when you have closer relationships with these people than some family. But then again, you can pick your friends, not your family, so...

One particular friendship that has developed is with a couple in Atlanta, GA. Aside from Marcel and I, and they being gay, we all share a love and fondness for our pets. All rescued dogs, all Chihuahua or Chihuahua cross. 

As I've said, while it's not expected, there has been an exchange of Christmas gifts between us in the past few years. They are at once one of my most firm defenders (and suppliers) of all things Leopard and of Chihuahua Christmas Ornaments. Sometimes both combined! It is the Chihuahua Christmas Ornaments that I cherish the most because they combine two of favourite things, AND they've helped me be able to add to my collection to ensure I have a new ornament for each year I've had my 3.5 pound furry bundle of joy, Santiago de Montreal. I don't know that they even know this, but on those years I've not been able to locate such an ornament they have sent me one. 

It's such a small and yet significant gesture that is deeply appreciated and cherished. And one that would not have existed save for a little web interface known as Facebook.

So I say thank you to Facebook, and to John and Carl as well.