Aarturos and The Birthday Soup Blues: Tuesday, November 13th!

If your morals make you dreary, depend upon it they are wrong. -Robert Louis Stevenson, novelist, essayist, and poet (13 Nov 1850-1894) 

Thanks for the great photos from a great party. cheers, Chris and Walter Hi Chris! Lovely to meet you and Walter. Yes, it was a terrific party. Glad you enjoyed snaps. Stay well. Cheers, Patrizzio!

 

Hello Great White Hunter, aka Victor, The Better Mouse-trap Builder! Ayn flies in from LA tomorrow so we will be busy with her all weekend. She doesn't even want to go out for dinner but has already sent a list of her favourite meals, vetted by Chloë, to be prepared by Rosie-the-Riveter, Porcupine, (so-called as the meat is mixed with rice and some grains protrude), Meatballs being one of them! I will suggest substituting raccoon to The Sisterhood!

Although I take great pride in acting as if demented, [Too, too often, according to my short-leash minder!], I trust I have nor yet succumbed, involuntarily, to this insidious affliction. Although I am "recovered" from my two falls, [Not off my bike, I would remind your short-term memory!], whether it is a full recovery or not I cannot, in truth, say. I subscribe to the theory that as we age, the toll on our mortal coil is high enough that one, at least in my case, almost never returns to the same level of fitness or energy as one enjoyed pre-trauma. Hence my dipsy-doodling, a gradual build-up to longer, faster distances, but one baby-step or wheel rotation at a time. 
 

One very upsetting after-effect of my two falls is that any rheumatism that may have been present in both wrists seems to me to have been greatly exacerbated by the two falls I took. My poor wrists took the brunt of those crashes,a long with my snooz and my forehead and in fact when in hospital in Berlin I had to ask the nurses to open the screw tops on the mineral water bottles provided, so weak was my torque. So concerned was I that upon return I asked for x-rays as I feared I was suffering from a fracture of some sort. Nothing of the sort but dreaded rheumatism was the diagnosis. My right wrist is by far the weaker of the two and when I clench my fist it feels puffy and swollen although not noticeably so. What a drag but with all my other joint replacements and rheumatism there I guess I shouldn't be surprised. 

I know I'm looking at probably worse to come as even "normal" handshakes can be mildly painful. There you have it, fully recovered, with significant reservations! However, all is relative. Husband of very, very close friend of Corinne's sister just dropped dead, day before his 60th birthday, a week or so ago. Heavy smoker so perhaps not a surprise but nevertheless, pretty young. Onward!! Fight!!! Having a bone density test tomorrow so perhaps that will shed more light on my non-cooperative musculoskeletal system.

Was truly glad that I'd ridden this Monday as when we were out today wind was incredibly strong and bitterly cold, again howling out of the south! [Note to self: furl large patio umbrella before it Mary Poppins away!] As well, when we were running a few errands downtown, we popped into Petrasek's, new bakery on Main Street. [Funnily enough, at bridge that evening many of the gang were talking about this "artisan" enterprise. Reminded me of just how small Penticton is but this is precisely why we enjoy living here so much.]

The bakery, immediately reminded me of Katarina, the leader of the two bike tours I was on as she is from Slovakia as well. I sent her this article in the Penticton News: <https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton/241486/New-bakery-downtown#.W-s_f3qLsFY.email>

I chatted briefly with the wife who seems a lovely person. I was impressed with set-up, bright and cosy, and prices, java in particular, compared to Starbucks, per esempio! Place was full when we were there and we had to wait a few minutes to buy bred. Grand location so I trust they will do well.

In her recent message, Katarina attached one of her paintings. I was very impressed with her work! What a simply wonderful realization, the powerful profile, the vibrant colours and bold strokes. My goodness, she is a woman of so many incredible talents! I suggested she come and visit and we could make sandwiches from their bread for our cycling outings! You should join us and we might stop for you to snag a few plump quail that frequent the KVR. Glad you are back on the various mountain trails. I hope to start hiking again, now that my repaired hernias are a thing of the long-distant past!
 

Enjoyed celebrating good friend's 67th birthday yesterday. Josinta, Aarturos' wife, had invited about twenty of their friends so it was a most pleasant afternoon with many from the hiking gang. However, a number of others we had not met so it was most interesting to chat with them. Back home to ready ingredients for rhubarb chutney. While Rosita was here I wanted to use up all the rhubarb we had frozen over the summer. Recipe called for garlic and raisins so I was able to supply these from what we'd grown/dehydrated. Even grated in two Golden Delicious for good measure. Didn't put it on to boil until this morning and after about two hours worth of cooking, mélange was ready. 

Must say that Rosie and I were very, very pleased with result. Had a smidgen, (tad left over from the twenty-four small jam jars we were able to fill!), with my brunch and it was fabulous, if I do say so myself! [Funnily enough Marian and Tim Dunn just popped by to deliver a folding table Lady Dar requires for Caroling for a Cause, next week. A Grandmothers for Africa fund-raiser. They are the ones who gave us a huge rhubarb root two years ago and it has produced copious stalks ever since.]

Another good friend, Pamela, supporting The Bombers in their bid to play for the Grey Cup. [Her son was on the winning Argos team last year!] Rosita is delighted and my Mom would have been chuffed as well, although she was also a Saskatchewan Rough Riders fan as her younger brother, Walter, lived in Melville Saskatchewan. We still have a Bombers' Booster blanket so I suggested Pam should borrow it when watching their games! I can still remember The Grey Cup being played at the stadium, in Polo Park, but a few blocks from where we lived and my Dad had a small corner store. I would listen to the game on radio as I had to work on weekends. Edmonton Eskimos were the "hated" rivals in those days! Must away as I am preparing last of remaining Golden Delicious for the dehydrator. Happy Hiking and Mouse Hunting, Ross, The Pied Piper of West Van! Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Hot-water Bottle Cats! Lady Dar's delish butterfly pork chops, stuffed with cream cheese and walnuts, from René Goldman's yard, in Summerland, local author whose book we are reading for our next book club gathering, December 6th, my birthday, in case you wish to ship me a container of venison! Aarturos with "Fender" cutting board guitar, our present to him. He was tickled pink as he could never afford a real Fender! Well-used/well-washed, early '60's Blue Bombers Rooter Rug!

Hi Patrick. I thought this open house was Wednesday but it is tonight..in case you are interested. Thanks. Dianne <https://www.greatestatesokanagan.com/Visit-Us/Wine-Experience-Centre/Tastings-Experiences> Hi Dianne! Thanks for sending along link but we had already planned our evening. Cheers, Patrizzio!
 

Hello Ulrike and Thomas! Trust you are both well and enjoying life. How goes/went your thesis? Should I call you Dottore now? Chloë, our youngest daughter, forwarded the link below and I immediately thought of you, Ulrike, as you were returning from Poland where you were conducting research having to do with storks, when you "bumped" into me. You may well have seen this already but if not I think you would truly enjoy this remarkable story. Simply search for it on either Google or YouTube: <Man Does Everything For His Rescued Stork - KLEPETAN & MALENA | The Dodo>  Must away as I am charged with making a salad for dinner. Fondestos from Lady Dar, to you Ulrike, and Thomas! Stay well. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi all, I said I would get back soon with info about breakfast, and here I am. It has been a while since we gathered for breakfast; it’s time! We will meet at 0800 on Friday, November 23rd at the Second Home Café and Grill in Summerland. It is at 13229 Henry Ave. If you’ve never heard of it, perhaps you knew it as Santorini’s. They can accommodate lots of us, but I still would like to give them an idea of numbers. Breakfast will be from the menu although, if we get a large number, we may have to switch to a buffet (which will cost $12 per person). 

Remember that we welcome not only you, but your significant other as well. So, please get back to me in the next 3 or 4 days to let me know if you are coming and how many you are. And, if there is a need to eat buffet-style because of large numbers, I will let you know. And I remind you again of Thursday’s hike, the date for our Christmas picnic, and the availability of tickets to the Tune Agers Christmas concert. I’ve got them! Aart’s got them! And, if they aren’t sold out by then, you can get them at the door! Cheers, Jim Hi James: I will join the Breakfast Club, thanks. Unfortunately, Lady Dar will be in Vancouver so it'll just be me. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Okay, Beautiful People, I haven’t watched this YET but am forwarding it anyway, posthaste, to my favourite liberrians. To unsubscribe from these messages call up any time and tell me to bugger off. -Ross A librarian's case against overdue book fines (Dawn Wacek | TEDxUWLaCrosse)

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