That was fun! Just got back from Le Creuset Canada

They will do their best to see how we can get the rack. Canada and USA do not include it.

Stay tuned...

We stripped another 2 pieces and the outside doorway into the Kitchen.

It's time consuming.

Oh, THANK-YOU, Solly!!!!!! What did they say about your bleu?

Well, yes, time flies like an arrow. But since you are merely the custodian of this house rather than a consumer of it, it's worth your effort.

My Blue is a fake, a fraud! :)

About 2 years ago, they changed from solid blue to a variegated "Cobalt Blue".

Mine is distinctly all one color. Silly me forgot to take the Brasier to compare and because she was closing the office, my focus was more on the Tempura Rack. I might bounce out right now to The Bay Dep't store and see if I can solve this Cobalt puzzle.

If I have 2 year old stock Blue, I'll dump it at Grove City and just wait until the nice Blue shows up.

Will report back later Chief!

BTW: Just made some real Brown rice to go with the leftover lentils from last night. What a relief.

OK take this!

Here is a link that might be useful: More Good News

Yes! REAL brown rice. I mean, how hard is it to cook rice?

Your blue is not a fraud! Either it's azure or it's another older blue. It says "Le Creuset" cast into the iron, doesn't it?

I know, just pulling your leg.

It's real but would like to see what is the new standard Cobalt.

Trip aborted, The Bay no longer carries the line. So much for listening to the Canadian Distributor. You would think they know at least the local Dealer situation. Strange.

That was probably a top of the head thing, like, of course, The Bay would have it. They had some at the grocery store and, yes, the current ones have the varied color.

I'm trying to get up the will to toast up some Chinese rice (cooked but redried out in the fridge). Sigh. Guess I should. And saute some veg. But then I'd have to cut it... I could do sliced. That only gets cut one direction...

LOL!!! Looks like we're both in Food mode. (boy my tummy's empty).

But here's some more good news! I just rolled in from Sobey's and this trip was far more climactic than lat night's fiasco.

As I strolled down toward the fish counter, I saw this magical sign that said Fresh WILD Chum Salmon .;;;;;;Gasp!

Yes, this is that one magical (as Steve would say) week of the year that we get Wild Chum Salmon in the supermarkets. I make it a point during that week, like a Bear, to fish those straight into my bag and then mouth every single day until the shelves run dry.

Salmon with Black Bean sauce, Salmon Teiyaki, Salmon Dill, Salmon anything!

It gets better...

I then turned the corner to the rice Dep't and after that sour experience last night, lunged forward to grasp a bag of nice, natural, fragrant, Indian Basmati.

And yes that was me doing cartwheels in the parking lot; shortly thereafter.

Plllog, steam that rice if it's dried. Naaah make some new stuff like me.

Ok off to play with my new Chum :)

No, no, it was for the enchiladas. Browned with spices, wine and vegetable juice. Hacked up the pepper and onion. Threw in a few petit pois. Didn't have the oomph to make the sauce, but had a can. Then I'm goopily making 'em finally and find out that they're half a dozen thick tortillas, where I thought they were a dozen thin ones! So I zapped one enchilada for dinner (the Le Creuset stoneware was excellent for that! Much better than on a plate). So now I've put the rest and the stuff all in the fridge until I can buy more tortillas. These are the ones that were supposed to be tacos with tamarind before the sauce got too sweet. The good news is that the one I had was tasty, at least. By the time I have enough done to freeze they'll all be gone. :)

giggle News at 11:00. Ontario man goes loony (not to be confused with looney) over waild salmon and starts turning cartwheels uncontrollably. Fish have last laugh. hee

BTW, there are all kinds of lovely things you can make from leftover rice! It's very tolerant. Only throw it away when it's that pre-cooked weird stuff.

LOL!! "pre-cooked weird stuff"

A.k.a Par Boiled Rice Syndrome

I made the 11 o'clock news! Yooo Hooo

And now?

Shamelessly licking my chops on the riverbank while bloated from the Salmon heist.

Say Polly, wouldn't it be funny if I actually camped out tonight in the Sobey's parking lot waiting for tomorrows's new Salmon shipment?

Wonder if a wife would believe a story like that.

Honey you'll never believe it but ...

Yorry tummy fully nowwy?

Minee toee :)

Toe?

Nah. A wife might believe you were camping for a new Star Trek movie, but not fish. Unless you took her with (complete with nice camping van inc. potty) and plied her with good wine and goodies.

Did you mean an emphatic non?

As in ne parle pas, ne parle point?

Not a step, not a toe?

Let me get this straight. In the middle of a supermarket parking lot, with a camper trailer, and a potty? A potty?

And chucking Ferrero Rocher wrappers out the window?

Sounds like a loooong night ahead.

Nightee Nightee.

And no, I DO NOT wear those.

LOL! No, Sol, not a trailer. The potty has to be indoors. Difference between women and men. We demand indoor facilities.

Note the van on the left. See the breakfast bar! (Bad space plan but very amusing...)

{{gwi:1548454}}

{{gwi:1548455}}

Ha!

A "problem" every business wishes it had.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pre-order problems!

So silly!! I can hang loose. Stay away. Bide my time. And get 4.0 at the same time as the sheep. :) But first I need to make sure that the new one won't crash my computer and things like that.

BTW, that truck mounted motorhome in the middle looks like a great hang out in line type of vehicle. It's the same size as a regular truck, comfy sit down area, decent little kitchen area with a proper fridge, and the most important potty. :) You can even shower in a pinch. :)

I just wanted to get us first dibbs on the Chum Salmon but I see you've got the itch-to travel.

OK I'll cancel your Joburg reservation and put the chips on the camper.

It was actually freezing 2C in today's Brazil-Korea game. Go figure. Africa-freezing! Poor Lions.

Stripping!

Unglamorously.

A little cold weather would be nice here although the really hot weather has yet to arrive this summer. We've only hit 97oF/37oC for a high and not one triple digit yet. All in all we seem to be on track for a record cool summer after one of the coldest winters on record.

AT&T wants our cable/internet business but they can't make their commitments to Apple work. We'll keep shopping around.

Closed on the house sale this morning, celebrated by stopping in at the Le Creuset outlet. They had the black Tagine on display. I don't need a Tagine, but it is a beauty. Didn't buy anything this time either, I think I'll go back to W-S outlet.

So happy for you!

Steff,

Don't mind Plllog hiding. She's in the Kitchen baking your favorite cake. German Black Forest!

I hope you and DH did something special tonight to mark the moment of relief.

Nah ah!! It's a chicken!! And short ribs. And the enchiladas are in the freezer (got the tortillas). Much work to be done this week. Have to get all the fresh stuff cooked!

Sol, it's not about camping! It's about having the proper equipment for waiting in line! Those are urban vehicles, not meant for serious, long term on the roadishness.

Steff, CONGRATULATIONS!! Growing up in real estate (commercial), I learned at a young and tender age that escrow is not a sale. Closing with the money deposited is. It sounds like you did very well on that house. Good for you!

I'm so out of the loop! What commitments aren't AT&T keeping with Apple?

So, you want that tagine in Sonoma Green, huh? Did you know they actually make two sizes? I learned that when I was looking for the wok rack.

Pssst Steff,

Don't tell Plllog but I've gone shopping to pick out a very special gift for her.

Polly,

It's OK to open your eyes now!

Here is a link that might be useful: Plllog's New Vuvuzela

Cute, but this kind is more decorative.

What on earth is THAT!

Ya see, I got a nice authentic Vuvu from Joburg; just for you. I thought it would be music for your ears when I play it for you first thing in the morning. Kind of like an exotic wake up call.

Steff- I picked one up for you too.

That, dear sir, is an authentic Yemenite style shofar. The authentic, natural African ancestor of your plastic yard of tin. It is the contribution of an antelope called the kudu. As you say, it is the morning music, for the call to prayer. Nowadays it's only sounded for the month leading up Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year), every morning except the Sabbath. It's also sounded in daily services during the 10 days of the New Year period (except the Sabbath).

{{gwi:1548457}}

natural African ancestor of your plastic yard of tin :(

;;;;;; Sniff Sniff

But mine is Eco Wise, made from genuine 100% recycled Johannesburg tin!

And it's a collectors item! The defining symbol of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Steff- Was it the Round Rock store of Le C. ? Just wondering if you ended up seeing French Christophe.

Yeah that Tagine sure sounds nice. BTW quite a few Morrocan Restaurants in downtown TO.

Something nice about Black huh? In my Grove City store, they had a Red one that looked hot.

Nothing un-eco-wise about a horn horn. It's grown. I thought the article said the football ones were plastic?

Steff, is your cold related to the volcano? (Just curious about volcano weather...)

P.S. The yard of tin (like the bugles they play at racetracks) used to be used by the guard on a stagecoach (at least in England) to alert the ostlers to open the gate!

I did it guys. It's official!

I just bagged the last 30 inch tile edge White 3 hole Kohler sink in the United States of America. I hope your President will thank me for supporting your economy because mine won't be too pleased with me :)

So, the question is...what color sink strainer basket? I have NO idea. Stainless, White, Tuscan Bronze? Nickel?

thought the article said the football ones were plastic?

Umm, you're right.

Correction Eco Wise- made from genuine 100% recycled Johannesburg plastic!

Thanks for the congrats Solly and plllog. We waited up to check the account for the wire transfer and also verified the amount before going to bed and sleeping nearly nine hours. Banks have gone from one extreme to the other on mortgages, so it was definitely not over until the money transferred. I did know someone who backed out of a home purchase during the closing so it does happen. We met the buyer on the way out and they are quite nice and looking forward to enjoying the house. They loved the kitchen especially.

The LeC outlet I visited this time is in Cypress, TX near Houston. Not a lot different from the other two, but we were in the area. Round Rock is a location that I don't often visit, but it does have the draw of being across from Ikea.

I don't think the volcano is affecting our weather yet or at least I haven't heard anything on the local forecast about it. It's about five degrees cooler in the day and then about the same amount warmer at night than average. Not exactly what most people would call cool since we are near 95o most days.

We were living in Wyoming when Mt. St. Helens erupted and I remember the dark cloud going over for days. You can see forever there and we could see it curve and follow the wind patterns. It also left a yellow sulphur film on everything.

I heard those horns on the news first thing this morning. Talk about a wake up call, really noisy.

Today is a day to relax and then back to focusing on this house.

Steff! what a cross post! I was sending while you were typing.

Glad the Morning After feels good. Wow, sounds like it was a real on the edge of your seat thriller this house closing.

Hence the saying "until the money's in the bank".

We got sun today, but quite warm blazing into 25 and 29 on Friday.

LOL!!! on Plllog's new plastic Vuvuzela. Can you just imagine one of those blown into your ear...first thing in the morning? I guess it certainly sets the tone for the rest of the day-pardon the pun. BTW. the teams called FIFA to ban them. On Monday FIFA ruled that melodic hum of the Vuvuzela is a cultural attribute to this World Cup. And I wholly agree.

Just imagine 100,000 of them blowing in synch for 90 continuous minutes :)

Ouch. Plllog's poor head.

I think she might prefer Kruger National Park.

Glad it's warmed up for you up there and you are enjoying the noise from the World Cup.

Plllog asked about the AT&T issue. They were trying to take upgrade preorders for the new iPhone online but the AT&T systems overloaded and they couldn't access the existing customer info. Apparently there are also a lot of user complaints about the current AT&T iPhone service.

CNBC just interviewed an AT&T executive and he outlined planned updates to their systems. He also said that their voice quality is much improved now. Since I don't use the iPhone, I can only go by these types of stories.

Thanks, Steff. I was just curious being out of the loop as I am. I've given up on newspapers out of exasperation but now I never see the news because I forget to look. The NTTimes app on said iPhone is quite good, but one has to actually read it! I did hear about the pre-order problem, but didn't realize it was AT&T that bogged down. As to service, when I bought my iPhone they first did a very specific search because they weren't allowed to sell it to anyone who didn't have good AT&T service at their homes. It works really well in the parts of California where I've been and in Phoenix. I'll take their word for it about the voice quality. The device itself isn't that great a phone, but I don't use it for voice enough to notice the improvement on voice. What is nice about the AT&T plan is that it's monthly pricing: Unlimited voice, fees, service, phone, etc., for price X per month, add unlimited data for price Y, add unlimited text for price Z. I have voice and data. There's no nickel and dimeing, no minutes to count, no billing to review. The only thing that changes, and only by a few cents at a time, is the tax. LOVE that. (Little things give me great pleasure.)

And, Sol? Good for all of the PTB for keeping their heads and not taking away a whole country's horns! I remember when everyong got weird about the thundersticks here, and they were only a fad, not a cultural icon.

Oh-Glad you don't mind me blowing you with your new vuvu. I promise to practice until I get it down pat.

OK neat story to share. Mexican.

Just got off the phone with my good friend there and he said why don't I go to Mexico to visit instead of him coming here. My answer, violencia.

He then laughed! Only to remind me that I was the King of Fearlessness. I thought, "man you got the wrong sucker in a NYPD suspect line."

So I inquired. He then recounted an incident 15 years ago in Varadero Cuba in a Hotel Lobby when a BIG fight broke out between an Italian tourist and a Cuban, police arrived, began shooting guns, everyone went down, my friend and another ran behind the front desk, while me and the other remaining friend of our group of 4 stood right in the open (no one else in sight) between the fighting Italian-Cuban and the shooting Police!

I kid you not, I had absolutely NO recollection of this Hollywood style movie. What a shame!

Hence he was surprised that I would be worried by a few stray bullets from a Drug Cartel war with police in Mexico.

He's asked me if my uncle was German Mr. Alzheimer :(

Wow, amazing you don't remember that incident. I remember being in Nuevo Laredo with friends at the Cadillac Bar during the revolution back in the '70's and wondering what all the machine guns were for. Didn't even see any shooting.

The drug war in Mexico claimed an additional 96 victims in 24 hours from Monday into Tuesday this week. The total is nearly 23,000 in three years. There are no statistics on tourists, but things seem to be out of control and spreading around the country. More and more Mexican families are buying homes in Texas for safety. We have always enjoyed Mexico, but would not go there again until things settle down.

Stef-After my first letter that I posted a couple days ago, I replied to my friend with the words "Is it really true?"

I then got this reply!

"Not only it is true but it was even worse yesterday with 102 casualties in Mexico ,a lot more than Irak and Afganistan together,world governements are keeping it very quiet, because they are all interested in petroleos mexicanos ,and other mexican bussinesses ,but it is really too big now to hide what is a real civil war ,in the last two years almost one thousand children have been killed ."

This is very sad for Mexico.

Unfortunately, America must bare blame. This is the sentiment of even the Academics in Mexico.

Drugs have forever been an integral part of Mexican society. The Cartels have been virtually transparent with government "co-operation". Everybody is happy. Gov't makes a little cash. The Cartels have a flowing business. The general public remains safe and lives in harmony.

Then Uncle Sam, to whom Mexico is DEEPLY indebted to; and to this day, is financially supporting Mexico (since the PESO collapse crisis 1995) steps in with a little Blackmail of "shut down your Cartels" or else no more Dinero from us.

American Puppet Fellipe Calderon, mindlessly, takes the dare from Washington and sacrifices his own innocent people to please Washington.

And how long is this going to continue to appease America? Will it be another Iraq where 1.5 million Iraqi lives were lost since the invasion. For what? For political aspirations.

Mexico is much closer to home for me and really you in bordering American states. But to think that one day one of my many dear and good Mexican friends, along with the now tens of thousands already killed, could also become casualties is extremely disturbing.

In the name of Mexico, I hope Felipe Calderon will stop being a Washington Puppet and honor and respect the lives of the people whom he was elected to serve.

Sad.

Mind you Steff, I have always wondered why I had some missing flesh off my deltoids. Maybe it wasn't the scrubbing too hard with my loofah :)

Just kidding. I have always maintained that it was the most enjoyable 21 days of my entire life, bar none. And I guess, so much good happened; that somehow, that cowboy style wild west incident was erased from my hard drive.

The Mexican friendship was so funny in how it emerged. Ya see I arrived in CUBA where not a word of English was spoken. Only your Tour Rep, whom you can see for 1 hour each morning in the Hotel.

So, it got lonely-fast! I couldn't even talk to uhummm.... So one morning, at the beach, while bronzing, one of this group of 3 Mexican Boys approached me for the time in English. Shocked I asked where they were from and being Mexican this was not only my new private translation team but what developed into the Fab 4 and a lifetime friendship to this day.

Needless to say, as of that day, the Cuban holiday went into overdrive. :)
It also didn't hurt that Cubans love Mexicans.

One week upon return to TO, I immediately began Spanish Language Lessons and the rest as they say, is history.

I definitely don't agree that the situation has been kept quiet as we have been seeing this violence on our news almost every night for years. Talk about blackmail! There are Drug Cartel kidnappings and murders here and we should just look the other way and pay off the Mexican government? For how long? We are already deep in serious debt here and the 1995 Peso collapse was just one of many in my lifetime and surely will not be the last unless they can get a handle on this problem. To continue to fund corruption in Mexico would be to ignore the thousands of shattered lives and deaths caused by drugs on both sides of the border.

Interesting story about Cuba, that you would travel there without a word of Spanish. At least you have taken the time to learn a little to help with your travel. Spanish is required in our schools for six years and is not considered a foreign language. Of course, I wish I had worked harder at it now.

Mind you Steff, I have always wondered why I had some missing flesh off my deltoids. Maybe it wasn't the scrubbing too hard with my loofah :)

Just kidding. I have always maintained that it was the most enjoyable 21 days of my entire life, bar none. And I guess, so much good happened; that somehow, that cowboy style wild west incident was erased from my hard drive.

The Mexican friendship was so funny in how it emerged. Ya see I arrived in CUBA where not a word of English was spoken. Only your Tour Rep, whom you can see for 1 hour each morning in the Hotel.

So, it got lonely-fast! I couldn't even talk to uhummm.... So one morning, at the beach, while bronzing, one of this group of 3 Mexican Boys approached me for the time in English. Shocked I asked where they were from and being Mexican this was not only my new private translation team but what developed into the Fab 4 and a lifetime friendship to this day.

Needless to say, as of that day, the Cuban holiday went into overdrive. :)
It also didn't hurt that Cubans love Mexicans.

One week upon return to TO, I immediately began Spanish Language Lessons and the rest as they say, is history.