Black beans, a birthday, and birds

It was a relatively quiet week, if one doesn't consider the time I spent with my daughter and grandson. It is anything but quiet in their home. More on that later, but first a tale of a slightly different kind.

My younger brother found a recipe for black bean burgers a few weeks ago. He made up the full amount (which included two cans of black beans). He enjoyed them so much that he ate three burgers in one sitting. Apparently the following day was rather noisy. I decided they sounded good and knowing the potential outcome chose to make a half batch (three burgers in total). I've been wanting to have one meatless meal a week though my son is not vegetable friendly.

So Monday I made up the burgers and baked them for dinner that evening. While they looked, in my son's words, like something a dog had heaved up, they smelled very good. However, neither of us cared for them and neither of us ate the leftover burger. They were very dry and despite the spices tasted like dusty beans. Not good. What I will say, is the beans did their job, and I didn't leave the house until late morning on Tuesday. I've tossed the last burger the freezer, in case I'm feeling backed up in the future - though I think I'll only eat half of it at a time.

I did a few errands on Tuesday - one to the bank that turned out to be rather frustrating. When Eli was born, I set up an account for him and I've been putting away a little money every couple of months into the account for his future education or some other important purpose in his life. The bank has decided that these children's accounts are no longer profitable (my words, not theirs), so I've been advised that I must open another account by April 3, or the funds will be refunded to me.

Sounds pretty simple, right? Open a new account, transfer the funds and close the old one. Ha! First off, I could not open the account at the counter - I would need to speak to another representative. Back to the front reception, where I learned that in order to keep the account registered as Eli's account, I would need to bring him into the branch. I explained he is only 6 years old and lives out of the city. Didn't matter...okay, so can I close the account and set up one in my name only. Yes, I can do that - which means I can close the account when he isn't there but not open one unless he is. Of course, opening the new account means fees, unlike the old one. Then the conversation took an even more frustrating turn - could I open the account that day - no I had to make an appointment to meet with someone in the branch. Earliest appointment - 2 p.m. on March 16th!!! I accepted the appointment as I had no other choice, but I must admit there have been thoughts of finding another, more customer service driven institution. Is there such a thing anymore? I would note, I worked at this bank back in the 1980's and as a teller/customer service rep, I would have handled all of these tasks at my wicket in a short amount of time. 

Thankfully, I had made plans to meet with my friend C for a coffee that afternoon. She is continuing to struggle with her grief and needs the company. We did a dollar store run for fun, and then went for coffee and a donut. She's considering seeing a grief counsellor - which I think is a great idea, and will be starting a new full-time job on Monday. If nothing else, the work will keep her mind off things for a bit and make life seem a bit more normal. 

Travel day was Wednesday, but first up was stitch and chat. However, no one else showed up, so I headed out earlier than I had originally planned. I was there in time, for his mom and I to pick up Eli at school. There was some very exciting news: His birthday was announced over the intercom that morning. Although his birthday was Thursday, he didn't have school that day.

School days are tiring for him, so the evening was rather tame, dinner and some cartoons on the television. He, as always, chose to sleep with me and didn't even want any bed time stories. Instead he showed me some photos he had taken on his camera and then we tucked and went to sleep. When he woke the following morning, I asked him what day it was, and immediately he said,"my birthday!". 

His mom had been up much earlier and put his gifts on the couch for him. He opened one, a set of Nerf gun "sniper" rifles and was done for a bit. Later he opened the last couple gifts - including new swim trunks, Mario socks, and a couple of books from G'ma and Uncle C. He had a wonderful day, stayed in his pj's all day, watched cartoons and played his video games (recall my comment about the noise), enjoyed a dinner of his choice, and ended it all with a sparkler on a cupcake his mother baked. 

While he was doing his thing, his mom and I did some organizing and cleaning in the house. We also got her tax return completed and submitted. That made her very happy. Since I had my laptop, I was able to putter on it too, putting in some time on Ancestry and reading blogs. Bedtime came early that night, and I read Eli the books he'd received and again, he was out like a light. 

I got away shortly after lunch the following day, and spent the afternoon relaxing on my couch. I don't particularly sleep well with a wriggling child in the same bed. My daughter doesn't sleep well either, and if often up in the middle of the night and/or early in the morning, so my sleep is often disturbed. I watched the first draw of Brier curling in bed that evening, and was asleep soon after it was completed. 

Today, I've cleaned cat litter, fed the birds and started the laundry. The next curling draw starts at 1 p.m. so I think I'll settle in on the couch with some crocheting and watch a couple of PVR'ed television programs. I've pulled out a UFO (unfinished object) from a year or so ago, and will use some additional yarn I've bought from the thrift store to (perhaps) complete it. Eli's sweater needs a bit more finishing, but I've set that aside for now. I still need to buy a zipper to complete it, but I'm happy to say it is big on him so as long as it is ready by fall, all is good.

I'll leave you with a photo taken from out the front window this morning of two Hungarian partridges settled in by the everygreen. I'm seeing them in pairs now, not the gaggle of six or eight I'm accustomed to. Do I dare hope this is a sign of spring?