I finally got my paycheck for some "forgotten to post" sub days - long story there - so I went to Wegman's (my favorite grocery store in upstate/central/western NY) and went crazy shopping through the "Nature's Marketplace" and organic veggies and fruits. A health food goal for this year is to try one new form of vegetarian cooking - this month is tofu. I've never actually cooked with it from scratch, so I picked up some "silken" for fruit smoothies (along with some yummy blueberries and raspberries) and "extra firm" for stir-fries. Any recipe suggestions are most welcome! I also treated myself to a nice new back brush for my frequent soaks in the whirlpool, along with a couple of new "music for relaxation" CD's, which I must admit, I broke into on the ride home.

Had a wonderful, but brief visit today with my grandfather, who resides in the local nursing home. I’ve made it a point to find something new for him to eat before I go there on Sundays, so I took advantage of the store made hummus (hommus?), which is quite good, picked up some rolls, and had a little snack with him before the church service at the home. He loved the hummus, and we had fun sharing some wonderful memories about his diner years and cooking for the family (he ran a very well known local restaurant for about 31 years - people still remember his pies!). One of my tofu experiments will be next on my list!

Other than that, things are cooking right along with TAW. I actually began the new year with a massive 2 day decluttering/organizing while listening to some new opera CD’s. My favs - the Futral/Alagna English version of Lucia and Anne Sophie von Otter’s Christmas album (My father: “Isn’t she the violin player?” I was thoroughly impressed that he even remembered Anne Sophie Mutter, whom we saw at Carnegie Hall about 5 years ago! He really is paying attention!) Even though the cleaning wasn’t what we usually think of for an artist’s date, it really recharged my batteries.