We started the week off in Regina...I HAD to get my hair cut. Friends of ours, Jaclyn, Blake and their little one, met us in Wascana Park for a fall picnic of cheese, bread, and cous cous salad. The day was gorgeous with blue skies and crunchy leaves underfoot. We sat and chatted for a bit and enjoyed each other's company. It was good we got outside when we did as Father Winter was about to pay us a visit.
The first snow came on Monday with wind, grey skies, and colder temperatures. While I was running in shorts and a long-sleeved t-shirt the week before, we were now hit with snow that blew sideways, across the road, and sent frozen, icy shards into your face. I sat in the comfort of the home office watching sideways gusts of wind tear at the last few shreds of fall that still clung to the trees. Needless to say, while some were dismayed to find the roads covered and frosty windowpanes, I was in heaven. I love fall and winter and when I get the two combined in one week, it just makes my day! As a result of the snow and icy roads, Dave and I were confined to the base gym for our workouts and I am discovering that I am going to have to find some way to combat cabin fever once winter really gets into full gear. Moving from indoor space to indoor space is not a normal mode of operation for me and I will need to discover a way to get outdoors when it gets nasty out...personal heated bubble of warmth anyone?
In addition to celebrating the snow, I also celebrated my birthday. Throughout the day, I enjoyed phone calls and good wishes from friends and family. Dave brought a little of Chicago home to me Thursday evening with a recreation of one of my favo(u)rite meals from Hopleaf. We picked out the mussels by hand, grabbed some good wheat beer, added our own flourishes, and voila! An amazing meal with crusty bread and even their aioli sauce for dipping our homemade sweet potato fries in. To top everything off, we made a Pumpkin Bread Pudding...oh my goodness. SO good. Such a perfect topper to the saltiness of our seafood. It was the perfect way to spend a chilly October 28.
Moose Jaw (also in celebration of my birthday, ahem) decided this would be the week they put up their holiday decorations. No, I'm not kidding. "Christmas in October" is a big deal here and Jack the Pumpkin King literally goes head to head with Santa on Main Street as they duke it out in store windows and advertisements for super sales. It did make the snowfall on Monday and Tuesday that much more magical, but even I, a self-proclaimed lover-of-all-things-holiday was taken aback! Here, they don't have Thanksgiving in November to look forward to...it's a long haul from Halloween to the holidays, so why not get a jump-start? And, where in Canada is there a better place to kick off the festive season than Moose Jaw?
While we love the merriment of Moose Jaw, Regina was calling our name for a dinner out on Friday. We stopped in at Selam's, a dive-y little place that serves up great Ethiopian coffee and tea alongside their traditional dishes. It had been a while since we went on a real date and Dave and I were happy to get out of town for bit, eat some good food, have good conversation, and hit up Chapters. If you are ever in the Regina area, check Selam's out...it's good stuff. The vegetarian platter had some of the best gomeh I've ever tried!
On All Hallow's Eve, Dave and I spent the day prepping for our Halloween Potluck. Friends were coming over to share their ghoulish grub. We cooked and scrubbed and cleaned the place making Creepy Cornbread and Bloody Finger Surprise pasta to share. Friends came and went and we spent the evening chatting, eating everything from black and orange jellybeans to homemade sushi (YUM!). It was the perfect way to spend a fall evening...
SNOW!
Happy Birthday to me...
Happy Holidays, from Moose Jaw.
Yummy Ethiopian in Regina
Happy Halloween!
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