Thank God all of the ‘season’s greetings’ are behind us!  I had a large salad for lunch today and am slowly feeling my blood sugar levels return to normal.  There are still a few Quality Street chocolates and After Eight mints left, but I’m forcing myself to stay away from them.

Most people are wise to the old, ‘oh, here’s a few cookies I made for you’ gag after Christmas. They know you made them weeks ago, and that you’re now trying to pawn them off to avoid diabetes.  We also still have a few blubber-building cookies around but I  was quite fortunate to be able to unload a couple of dozen in Osoyoos.

I drove down last Wednesday and mom, Gerry and I met three other friends at the new Watermark Resort in Osoyoos.  We had lunch in their very upscale wine bar and all remarked that we felt as though we were in Manhattan.  The food was great, and the ambiance really unbelievable.

The next day I made one of Gerry’s favourite foods, steak tartar.  It’s really just raw hamburger, but that sounds so foul, doesn’t it?  I also made herring salad, which mom loves.  Try that out the next time you’re having someone over.  “We’re having raw hamburger and herring salad.  Would you like to come?”

Actually, the herring salad is quite good, but only if you like pickled herring.  The herring is chopped up and added to cooked potatoes, diced beets, chopped hard boiled eggs and pickles.  Then you add mayo to the whole thing.  Think potato salad with herring and beets.

I drove back to Kelowna on New Year’s Eve and did the usual: I was asleep by 9:00 PM.  Denis had had to greet the New Year on his own for the past 23 years, so is quite used to it.

One of my resolutions for this year is to stop being resistant to things I’m already committed to doing.  For example, I’ve told the whole world that I want to build a fruitcake business.  It is therefore both stupid and counter intuitive to fight with myself about going downstairs to start baking.

Plus the method for getting me to do things has got to change.  Every time I do something difficult I can’t go to Winners and buy something.  I’ve put myself on a strict austerity program, so there will be no more shopping going on around here.  There simply has got to be something I can do that’s as rewarding as buying useless stuff.

As soon as I find this magical thing I’m going to write a book and make a million dollars.  Or, should I perhaps just stop fooling around and write?