It’s Mojo’s ninth birthday today!  We got her when she was eleven weeks old and she was the cutest puppy ever.  Unfortunately, she turned out to have the IQ of a small soap dish, so we endured a thousand dollars worth of damage in her first year.

I still think fondly of the designer jeans she chewed.  Actually, now that I think of all the carpets that were replaced it was probably a few thousand dollars’ worth of damage.  Oh well.  I try to think of all the joy she’s brought us.

I’m also trying to put a positive spin on the almost daily visits to the grocery store.  For example, I’m telling myself that daily shopping is very cosmopolitan.  Unfortunately, hauling Chinese-grown vegetables home from the Superstore doesn’t quite have the cache of browsing a farmers’ market in Paris.

But shop I must.  I have two people living at home who use mixing bowls for their cereal.  Even the regular toaster is too small – the four slicer must be employed.  They nicknamed it ‘the quad’ several years ago.  Nicky will decide to make sandwiches, and turns to Luke, “I think this calls for the quad.”  He should have his hands on hips and be wearing a cape when he says it.

The other day Nicky put five eggs into a bowl, added a heap of creamo, then poured this into a frying pan that held a quarter of a pound of butter.  He accompanied his scrambled eggs with toast thickly spread with butter.  Although I raised my eyebrows a smidge, I’ve learned that if I say anything it leads to no good, so I keep my comments to myself.

In any case, I prefer to concentrate on the nice bit of business generated by the Minding your own Business column in the March 30th Province newspaper.  I hope you saw it.  If not, here it is: http://www.theprovince.com/Life/Turning+fruitcake+haters+into+lovers/1443414/story.html

I received both telephone and on-line orders, and hopefully these people will become regular customers.  As a result of the heightened adrenalin that day, I sent assertive e mails to the local winery store managers.  I pointed out that I know there’s a ‘buy local’ push on everywhere, I am local, hence…..

Thankfully it remains sub-arctic out, so I haven’t done a thing in the yard.  See how this ‘make lemons out of lemonade’ attitude is working?  No, really, I’m happy not to be able to garden because it gives me so much more time to buy groceries and make dinner.