The initial shock of the outsourcing news is largely over, and things are back on track at work. The timelines involved are not immediate, ranging from three to six months, with severance for all regular employees, which has helped to return things to normal functioning, albeit with far less enthusiasm and conscientiousness.
My homeless kitty remains stubbornly uncatchable. He has eluded cat traps, clever maneuvers to catch it, and offers of cod liver. He still comes by every day for food and water though, and has finally deigned to sit on a yoga mat provided for him to keep his furry orange butt off cold concrete. I decided if I can’t trap him, so be it, and ordered an outdoor pet heating pad, which has gotten rave reviews on Amazon. I figure if he takes to the heating pad, (and he’d have to be sick in the head not to), perhaps we can work towards some other shelter, like a styrofoam cooler and a plastic bin? We can hope.
Image from plupetstore.com
Bread baking has progressed to sourdough which turned out wonderfully, and now I have a bowl of bubbly starter in my fridge which I feed regularly. For some reason I find this hilarious and call him Bubba. Bubba the starter has to be fed the night before you bake bread, so the two day process remains unchanged. I also bought some rye flour at the local health food store, since a good rye bread is one of life’s greatest pleasures.
And speaking of great pleasures, one of the largest and best traditions of eastern Europe is sauerkraut. The crunchy fermented cabbage is full of natural probiotics and is one of the healthiest winter stored foods, not to mention utterly delicious. Our family often puts some up in the fall and gleefully consumes it in soups, sides and stews until it’s gone. From bratwurst and kraut to adding a zing to borscht, it’s absolutely fantastic. And one of the best bowls of this soup in Calgary was found in a wee little restaurant called Praga Cafe across from Chinook Mall.
Their version of the soup was thick with potatoes, golden from paprika and so addictive that I could have kept eating it until I burst. I had to stop as we ordered a main dish too, but that soup was something else, and I’ve kept craving it since. I really should see if they’ll part with a recipe and I’ll share it with the world.
That’s about the exicement of the week, and my next post will take you back to the summer, cause I could sure use a break from winter. Happy December y’all!