It seems like that's about all we did this weekend: eat! The weather on Saturday was sleety/rainy/windy/not nice. I am ready for spring! The snow we have left on the ground is now the consistency of snowcones and very slippery. Ugh. We kept a fire going in the wood stove all day to take the damp chill off. It's hard to imagine that last year we had crocus coming up two weeks from now and we were driving around in Mia with the top down. I don't think that's going to happen this year. Even harder to imagine is swimming in the pool. Right now it's covered with a layer of slushy ice. 

While we were housebound on Saturday, Rick baked bread (above) and we made Coq au Vin. Well, it was really Poulet au Vin if you want to get technically correct. Good food for a still-winter day. Here is the chicken as it came out of its marinade of red wine before cooking, making it look like it has freckles.

We caught up on our TiVo'd shows and went through our closets. We now have bags and bags of clothes going to Goodwill. I went through my bookcase by the computer and took out all the manuals on outdated computer programs--they are scheduled for the recycle bin on Wednesday. It feels good to get rid of things that are just useless clutter. 

Sunday was a nicer day temperature-wise and we even managed a walk down the road with the dogs. Lunch was one of my all-time favorites: Salad Lyonnaise. We used to eat these all the time when we lived in France. The Lyonnaise part of its name comes from the city of Lyon which was close to where we lived. Rick has mastered the perfect poaching of the eggs. Delicious. (We used the homemade bread for the croutons.)

My first amaryllis to bloom is now on its second stalk of blooms. This one only has two huge flowers just like the last one. I am pleased to report that the second amaryllis, which is only two years old, has a hefty flower stalk and is also about to bloom as well (I suspect more than two flowers inside), and even more surprising, the oldest one has a bud poking up from the bulb. This will mark its sixth consecutive year of blooming. Wow, I am thrilled!

Alex, our oldest dog had minor surgery today to remove a nasty little tumor on his butt that looked like a hemorrhoid which was causing problems. According to the vet, this kind of tumor is widespread in older intact male dogs and most of them are benign. We decided to do a biopsy just for peace of mind but we are not expecting it to be anything other than what it appears to be. Poor dog is going to have a little trouble with sitting for a while. But we are glad to have it off since it was smelly and trying to keep him clean back there would cause the darned thing to bleed. I'm sure he's glad to be rid of it too. Be gone you nasty thing! He's resting comfortably at the vet's right now and I can pick him up just before dinner. Rick recently did a blog post with a video of Alex being silly and playing with his toys. You can check it out here. He's pretty cute if I must say so myself.

Well, that's all I have for you today. I hope your weekend was a good one!

Dave often makes coq au vin (with poulet, like you!) and salade Lyonnaise. It’s so funny to read about them here too!

I can’t believe how much farther along your amarylli are than ours—we have two with flower stalks and two with buds just coming out of the bulb. Even the one I continued to water through the winter is not as far along as yours are. Maybe just a different variety? I can’t believe you have much more sunlight than we do, though I suppose we are a bit farther north.

Steve, I am seriously thinking we need to get together for a dinner party! Rick and Dave can cook while you and I can be the sous chefs, yes? Also, you need to get to France and eat a Salad(e) Lyonnaise in the city of its birth: Lyon. You won’t be disappointed, in fact you’ll find yourself wishing you lived in that wonderful gastronomic city. Just talking about it makes me want to go back.

As for my amaryllis, they get wonderful light in the sun room window which is mostly east(ish). My Christmas Cactus love the light there as well and bloom their heads off and not just at Christmas either. I have one starting to bloom now for Easter. You are quite a bit further north too. Can’t wait to see what color yours are. Are they all the same?

The weather here was about like yours over the weekend - snow then rain then snow again.  Only an inch of accumulation and it melts as soon as the sun comes out.  Always fun to see Alex with his toys.  Love the new look on Rick’s blog!