Winter is Waning

Apart from the few glitches, okay the many frustrating drawbacks winter presents us with, I'm still not done with it.  I still enjoy  outdoor skating at my favourite  Montreal park.  The pond at Parc la Fontaine is an excellent place to spend a late afternoon with the heavens turning from sunny and bright into night from Parish blue to indigo and the warm pinks and oranges streaking the oatmeal clouds in the winter sky. Unfortunately, like many aspects of Montreal, the city has failed to upkeep the pond after the last warm spell. The ice is bumpy and craggy and only half the pond has had snow removed and it appears that the Zamboni is on vacation and the classical radio station has been cancelled.  Why??  I thought after the groundhog went back under that we were in for another 6 weeks of it.

Don't get me wrong, I could use a vacation as much a the next person, but that ain't going to happen so I think the next best thing to do is to make the best of it. The entrances to places of worship just wouldn't appear the same in mid July or in the spring when the sweet rain is nourishing the earth and life is pooping out of each and every pore. Or during the stifling months of heat when event the urban landscape is lush and soft.  


Although I unhappy with the quality of the photographic reproduction of these drawings, I'll post them until I can replace them with an image shot under better natural light.

Johanne  2011 

Johanne 2011

Johanne 2011 

PHOTOS

                       NOT TO FORGET THE HIBISCII
              I can't hep myself when it comes to nature and it's beauty, complexity and symmetry

The Recipe

A lot of people may not believe this but we eat this at least once a week.  Spinach!

This is my very own version of Saag paneer or Palak paneer.  I've always adored this delicious Indian dish and one day attempted to wing it and this it what I came up with. 

1 medium onion

olive oil

1 t ground turmeric

salt and pepper

1 lb. baby spinach or other (washed)

1 cup sheep feta cubed or any cheese that melts easily such as cheddar.  

Dice onion finely and cook in olive oil and salt, in a skillet over a low heat until soft and glassy.  Add turmeric a and heat until it smokes.  Add chopped (optional) spinach and continue to cook over a low heat until spinach has turned dark green and soft.  I usually let the spinach sit on top of the onions without stirring  to ensure they are super tender.  Stir until the spinach and onions are well mixed together.  Spread the mixture evenly in the pan and poke the cubes of cheese into the surface. Continue cooking over low heat until cheese becomes soft and melty.  Pepper.  Additional oil can be added to taste.  Serve with rice and main dish.  

This dish can be used a  delicious pasta topping as well.

                                                           ENJOY

ONE MORE THING 

What in the world will happen?  I fear for the people of the middle east.  Will Egypt survive it's transition period?  So many are on the brink o f starvation and the Muslim brotherhood seems to gain power daily.....

Libya, Iran, Algeria, Yemen, are all in dire straits while their leaders hoard what could be national wealth.  The world as we know it is changing.  I believe some of these dictators will fall but Gaddafi won't  give up.  He, like Mubarak is worth billions  like 32 billion U.S.  That's power. Libya produces 11/6 of the world's oil.  Gas prices are rising because of the turmoil in Libya.  This is only the beginning.

http://english.aljazeera.net/

Then's there's Greece.  The wages will plummet as taxes are raised.  I'm no economist but how do the people in a country suffering from huge deficits t the rest of the world survive a situation like this?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/23/us-greece-strike-idUSTRE71M1VJ20110223

Food for thought:

This is really scary!!!

When you see something on CBC late night news and Peter Mansbridge is giving you the scoop like it's soup, you know the world is going mad.  Last night there was a piece on robotic warfare. How frightening is that.  War of the worlds but not in the form of aliens attacking the earth.  Man made beasts attacking the world.  Unimaginable. Just try for a moment to grok the outcome of a war waged with robots.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/02/23/technology-robots-war.html