Waiting for Supper

Waiting for Supper

The raccoon’s nails click

on the wooden stairs

as she climbs the darkness

to the deck.

She waddles across

to the round white table

and crumb-mines

for bits of dropped burger

and chunks of strawberry

from tonight’s alfresco meal.

I watch her front paws dig

at the cracks in the deck,

search for fallen food.

I watch her lick

under the barbecue,

hungry for grease drippings.

She looks at the house.

Does she see me?

Or does she see

her own reflection

in the patio door?

Does she see

her mask and dense fur

and city-fed bulk?

She feels no danger,

no threat as

I unlock the door

and slide it open.

Still, she searches

for stolen feast.

Not until I open

the screen does

she hiss and clatter off,

clicking down

the wooden stairs

and across

the flagstones below.

I sense she is there,

there hidden

in the night woods

at the edge of the ravine.

I can’t see her

but her wild eyes

can see me.

Intelligent and patient,

she will wait

until my light goes out

and I climb to my bed.

She will click-clack

up the wooden stairs,

return

to explore and feast.

I feel her

watching,

waiting and watching

in the night woods.

The photo of the table is mine.

Roses and Dinner

Roses and Dinner

This week, we celebrated my brother-in-law’s birthday.  We invited them for dinner, and gave him a Montreux Rose bush from John’s Garden Centre, in Riverview.

He is a gourmet cook himself, so hosting him for supper is always slightly worrisome, though he is content to have someone else cook a meal and is generally accepting of any menu.  We tend to cook  simple, plain food, well prepared and lovingly served; he seems to appreciate those efforts.

We ate baked-brie with spiced cranberries and toasted almonds, along with crisply browned crostini, sliced apple and pear.

Gary barbecued butterfly pork chops.  I made a spinach salad with homemade dressing, mashed potatoes and green beans.  The recipe for “Carmel’s Superb Salad Dressing” --a marvellous maple vinaigrette is at the end of this blog.  Try it!

They brought desserts from Nanna’s Bakery on Mountain Road, Moncton—a golden butterscotch pie and still warm, a tart lemon pie.  The butterscotch pie was a bit too sweet but the lemon pie was excellent.  We’ll buy that one again, as Gary’s favourite desserts always involve lemon!

Since our birthday guest is also an avid gardener, we hope he will enjoy the rose bush, a hardy rose that should overwinter well in this climate.  

I think that everyone should have a bright yellow rose bush blooming cheerfully in their garden.

Roses are one of the world’s most beloved flowers.  Hardy roses are as easy to grow as any other shrubs, but they bloom for longer periods, so are well worth the effort.

We enjoyed the visit and the simple supper and anticipate enjoying the Montreux roses blooming yellow-gold in his garden.

Carmel’s Superb Salad Dressing:

Maple Vinaigrette

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup orange juice

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 clove crushed garlic

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Pepper

Blend all of these together in a blender

and slowly add ½ cup olive oil. 

This goes well with almost any salad.

The photo is mine.