Stew, Snow, and History

My rare Sundays off are usually pretty quiet, and this one was no exception. I lay around for a little while after waking up, just reading and writing in my journal. I made Chocolate-Chip Whole Wheat Pancakes with home-made Cranberry Syrup for breakfast when I finally did drag my rear out of bed.

Had a nice, long chat with Mom after eating. She'd apparently just gotten up herself. She'd had a decent week and was in a fairly good mood. Keefe had also gotten up and was just plain tired. He'd gone to Lower Cape May Regional High's Winter Wonderland Dance the night before and seemed to have had a good time.

We talked for an hour, mostly about my sister Rose's pregnancy and how much I like living here, even though I feel a little out of place. My neighbors are really nice people, and there's so much to do here. Everything I need is right outside my door or a bike or train ride away.

My sister Rose will be having her first child in May. Her baby shower is next month. We talked about her gaining weight, about what I intend to give her for the shower, and about how she and her boyfriend are having differences about how to raise the child. We were raised eating whole grain food and fruits and vegetables; Craig wasn't. We never really went to church and weren't really raised with religion; Craig's family wants the baby to be Christian and that's it.

We talked for so long, a whole hour of the Brunch with the Beatles show went by without me even realizing it. The theme was "The Beatles in 1970 and 71." I'm glad I got to hear at least John Lennon's three '70 solo hits ("Instant Karma" is a favorite of mine), "Let It Be," "The Long and Winding Road," and Paul McCartney's two. I don't think I really heard George Harrison's.

I let the I Love the 70s Sunday afternoon show run while I prepared my second crock-pot recipe. While the Mediterranean soup Tina posted yesterday sounds nice, I'm not a fan of beer or olives and had none in the apartment. I opted for a simple beef stew instead. I first browned some beef chunks. While they were in the pan, I chopped two stalks of celery (leaves and all), a carrot, a quarter of a small onion, and some of the leftover broccoli from the other night. When the beef was done, I tossed them and the veggies into the crock pot with low-salt beef broth, no-salt-added tomato paste, and pinches of oregano, parsley, and pepper.

I went for a walk while the stew simmered. I didn't feel like a train ride this time, so I just walked down to Newton River Park. (Passed by Uncle Ken's on the way and chatted briefly with him while he got some fresh air on the porch.)

The park showed the effects of the more spring-like weather we've had recently. There were still patches of snow left on the ground, but they weren't as heavy or icy as even a few days ago. All but a very few patches of icy snow were gone from the sidewalks. The shady paths on the side of the park that passes several houses were still muddy and snowy, though, and likely will remain that way for another couple of weeks, or until it gets warm enough for the sun to get through there.

I stopped at the little bridge over the river to watch some ducks and Canadian geese playing on the river. About half of the river is still frozen, to the point where some gulls were standing on it, but most of it was waving softly in the cool breeze. The ducks seemed to be having a marvelous time, and I enjoyed watching their antics.

Headed back for the White Horse Pike after leaving the park. I had no idea what to have for lunch. I'd debated Taco Bell, but I didn't feel like fast food, and most of the other restaraunts in Oaklyn aren't open on Sundays. I finally opted for a hot roast beef hoagie and fountain Coke Zero with Chocolate and Raspberry syrups from WaWa.

I was greeted by the most delicious smell when I walked in the door of my apartment. The beef stew was simmering nicely, the broth and beef and tomato sauce turning a nice rust-red color. I decided to let it go a little longer and did some pilates.

After I finished, I turned off the crock-pot and let it cool a little before dinner. Besides, I wasn't that hungry yet. I decided to take the opportunity to finally do something I've meant to do since I got this laptop from my best friend Lauren last summer. I downloaded the pictures I've taken on my digital camera between Christmas 2008 (when I first got it) and two weeks ago, after the second blizzard. The downloading took mere minutes, a far cry from the hours it took on my old upright computer. I organized the pictures into four CDs - one for pictures from Christmas 2008 and 2009, one for pictures from last year's vacation with Lauren and the trip to Philadelphia with Linda and James, one for other family events, and one for shots of my porch and the area around my apartment during several snowstorms, including the recent one.

It's those snow pictures that I've included in my first Photobucket album! I may post more personal pictures someday, but for now, I just have the shots I took on Christmas Eve before Rose picked me up, between the February blizzards, and on the day of the second blizzard.

My Photobucket Account

(Why didn't I take any pictures on the day of the first February blizzard? I worked that day and didn't have the time to be running around with my camera. I was going to take it to work with me that morning, but forgot.)

Not everything I did today came out so well. I tried baking a Banana-Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Bread before dinner, but it refused to bake and came out more like bread pudding. Oh well, no more using parchment paper for the breads. I think it's preventing them from cooking.