My goodness, here we are with the last post for January. Normally this month seems to be so long but strangely, this year, the end has crept up on me unexpectedly!
The week began on Sunday with the disturbing news that one of my Godsons along with all of his immediate family members had all tested positive for COVID. Of course prayer support was requested and (being of a “Martha-ish” persuasion) I immediately rushed around pulling together a care package.
Fortunately I had a couple of containers of Leek and Potato Soup in the freezer so that along with a loaf of homemade bread and a package of gingerbread cookies went into the box. Since there are three sick kiddos I also added some books and jigsaw puzzles I had on hand. The box was picked up and delivered that evening and I had a call Monday to say it was very much appreciated. Prayers, of course are continuing.
Once again the past week brought a fair amount of snow so that long bouts of shovelling have been added to my daily schedule. Thomason tends to suffer from separation anxiety so before heading outside for extended periods I need to “batten down the hatches” in the house, making sure there are no valuable or important objects within his reach otherwise I will come back indoors to find them shredded. I also need to be sure that he does not have the ability to catch Mandu in my absence. He only wants to play but 70 lbs. of exuberant Labrador jumping on a very small 18 year-old cat, is not recommended. I am pleased to report we all managed to survive the week due to taking the necessary precautions.
As is usual in pandemic times, there have been several FaceTime and Zoom meetings. Monday morning Gillian and I met to discuss ideas for the Lenten Day Retreat we are planning. This event will be held on a Saturday in late March and will be open to all Team Alumni. We made great progress on pulling together a draft schedule and I have since secured our top choice of Speaker to lead an opening reflection that day. Yay!!!
Tuesday morning Anna and I FaceTimed together. Her family moved house just before Christmas so she was able to give me a “tour” of their new home while I updated her on the world of Day Camps. Anna is our amazing Puppet Video creator and a former DC committee member so I like to keep her informed on all the current activities.
In between the various online meetings there have been a number of other tasks, from office duties, such as assisting the CTM Treasurer as he sends out Tax Receipts, to seeing that various invoices are paid and agendas sent out.
Thursday I had a Zoom meeting with Jessica about a side project unrelated to Day Camps. Jessica’s “day job” is with Innovation Jeunes and she is responsible for coordinating their inner city food basket distribution program. They need someone to help with a phone survey of clients as they update their database and I have been approached to assist. I’m slightly overwhelmed by the number of calls that need to be made but am willing to at least make start and hope I can be helpful in accomplishing their goals.
Afternoons I’ve been putting my borrowed sewing machine to good use, first finishing up some birthday gifts for a dear friend and even squeezing in the sewing of a new pair of overalls for myself!
Evenings I have been knitting another bunny, this one will most likely be a gift for the soon to arrive baby of a dear friend. When the bunny is done I’m hoping to make a pair of beaded wrist warmers for myself as Jillian gave me a lovely ball of fine merino yarn as part of my Christmas gift.
I need to switch gears now and get the bread into the oven, as well as making some more survey calls so we had better close off with a recipe.
One night this week I had Shakshuka for dinner. It is a delicious Middle Eastern favourite and makes a great winter supper dish.
Shakshuka
- 6 eggs
- 1 28oz. tin diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 3 Tbsps. olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 1 tsp. each cumin & smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. each salt, sugar, cayenne pepper& black pepper
- Cilantro, chopped (optional)
Heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion, garlic and peppers until soft and lightly browned. Stir in the spices then add the tomatoes. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
At this point you can either transfer the mixture into 3 single serving-sized frying pans or continue with one large skillet. Make 2 (or 6) indentations in the skillet(s) and carefully crack an egg into each space. Place a lid (or plate) over the skillet(s) and poach the eggs until the whites are opaque but the yolks are still runny, about 5-7 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired.
Serve immediately accompanied by crusty bread or toast.
Serves 3.