It has been a full week around here with plenty to keep me busy😊
The setting up of our “Terrific Tuesdays” template is going well and Mikaela has offered to adapt a game to be included with each post. This is great because some virtual day campers will not want to do the suggested crafts but might like to play a game instead and visa versa. Now we are just waiting until Jillian is free to record the songs and then I think the first post will be ready to upload. Come to think of it, I will need to make a sample of the craft for each post as some people do respond better to a photo than to written instructions, better put that on next week’s “to-do” list 😊
I’ve also been spending some time with the new CTM Treasurer, Mark, as he is setting up a different accounting system and I will need to be on board as part of my office work is to handle day-to-day banking. At the moment I have been sucked down the rabbit hole of Google Docs, as Mark wants to use that platform for storing accounting information. I just wish we were not still in the middle of the pandemic so someone could come over and show me how to save the documents and import them into a folder. Sigh.
It is hard to adjust to doing this type of work when usually at this time of year I am 100% focused on preparing for the Team training component of Day Camps. The committee will be meeting Monday and since we began meeting via Google Meet, we have included time on the agenda for general discussion of Day Camps. Over the past month I have been taking time to reflect on what Day Camps might look like post-pandemic because it is becoming increasingly evident to virtually everyone in the whole world that there will be a “new normal” and that it won’t look the same as pre-pandemic “normal”. Obviously Day Camps needs to consider what the impact of these changes will be on our program and, although no one yet knows the answers I think it is important to look at some possible scenarios rather than stick our heads in the sand and ignore the future. It is going to be hard for all of us but ultimately it is my hope that CTM Day Camps will be able to weather the storms of change and continue to uphold CTM’s motto of “Helping People of all Ages to Become Strong Disciples of Jesus Christ”.
Outside of office time I’ve spent many hours sweeping up maple seeds. 😊 The last two days we have had strong winds so there is hope that most of the seeds have fallen by now, which means it will take many more hours over the next week to pick them out of the flower beds and to sweep the last ones off lawns and pathways. Another important project was making my Godson, Tighe’s 8th birthday crown. 😊 His birthday is coming up later this month and fortunately his family lives quite nearby so I think they will be able to bike over and I will give it to him in person.
Thursday afternoon I enjoyed my first lunch together with a friend after 4 months when Jessica came to visit! It was so special to sit at the table with someone and share a meal and to chat afterwards as we both did some knitting. Even Thomason was well behaved and actually lay with his head on Jessica’s feet for a while. I know he too has missed personal contact over these past few months.
This afternoon, following another round of sweeping, the plan is to do some baking so I guess I had better wrap up this post and head out into the garden.
Last evening I made a yummy salad and thought I would share it here-:
Tuna in the Tunisian Style
- 1 tin safe catch tuna, drained and flaked
- 1 tin garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 miniature preserved lemons, pips removed and thinly sliced
- 1 bunch fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 2 Tbsps. olive oil
- 2 Tbsps. red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. sriracha
- 1 romaine lettuce
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and fold into the salad. Allow to sit for several hours for the flavours to meld. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a serving platter and fill with the salad. This is nice served with couscous-Boil 1 ¾ cups water. Dissolve 1 ½ tsps. bouillon crystals in the water and pour over 1 1/3cups couscous and 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Leave for 10 minutes then fluff with a fork before serving.
Serves 3-4