The past several weeks have been an emotional roller coaster.  The first – and saddest – event was the loss of my grandfather…my godfather…my Pepere.  He was an amazing man.  Everyone who was lucky enough to meet him couldn’t help but love him – family and friends, of course, but even waitresses, bank tellers, and whoever else he dealt with on a daily basis.  None of us was ready to let him go just yet.  His illness came on so suddenly, and within a couple of weeks…he was gone.

While I was coping with the loss of my grandfather, I noticed one of my cats wasn’t behaving like himself.  I took him to the vet to find out was wrong.  After many tests that didn’t give us any concrete diagnosis, I took him to a specialist.  It turns out he has carcinoma in his lymph nodes, and it’s effected his entire system.  He’s on a special diet and medication to help with the swelling of his organs.  Other than that, all we can do is wait.  When it gets to the point where he’s suffering and his quality of life is diminished, we’ll have to have him put down.  The change in food and meds seems to have made an immediate difference, but I know that won’t last.  The vet predicted he’ll be gone within a matter of weeks.

My life hasn’t been all doom and gloom these days, however.  After 2 years of trying, including three IUI’s (intrauterine insemination) and five attempts at in-vitro fertilization, my husband and I are finally having a baby.  I like to think that my Pepere put in a good word for me with the Big Guy upstairs.

I’ve started working on our family tree once again. So if you’re lucky enough to be one of the nuts growing on it, click the link in the blue box on the right.

Most of the research for the Leduc/Dubois branches was done by my uncle. I worked mostly on the Starbird branch. I’ve now begun adding information about my husband’s family so our children will have the benefit of knowing their family history.

I can’t make any guarantees to its accuracy. I’m no professional when it comes to genealogy. I did it because it’s fun. If we’re related and there’s a mistake you want me to correct, or if you have some additional info you think could be concluded, I’d love to hear from you.  You most likely have my email address, so that would be the best way to send me the information.

I have a confession to make.  I’m a Mac bundle addict.  Yup.  Whenever MacHeist or MacUpdate has a new bundle for sale I feel like I’ve one the lottery.  Okay, maybe not a huge lottery, but at least the payoff is guaranteed.  I think I’ve only passed on a bundle once, and that was because I already had all the programs included in it.  Sadly, there’s no support group for my addiction.

I’m not sure how many of my readers are Mac users, but that’s not going to stop me from telling you about the bundle MacUpdate has going right now.   13 apps for $49.99. That’s 11 apps plus 2 more if you’re one of the first 15,000 buyers.  Yay!  One of those apps, Parallels, is $79 by itself.

I was a big Parallels fan when I first made the switch from Mac to PC, because I wasn’t ready to give up all my Windows apps.  Eventually I stopped using it altogether…until yesterday when I had a sudden urge to play an old PC game.  My first thought was that I should upgrade Parallels to the latest version, but then I decided 3.0 was good enough for the amount of times I’ll actually use it.  So I was happy to see 4.0 included in the bundle released today.  (It’s like they read my mind!)

So, if you’re curious about what else is contained in the bundle, here’s a pretty, flashy image you can click on:

Gibbet Hill Grill is one of my favorite restaurants. The grounds are gorgeous, the food is out of this world, they have a fantastic wine collection, and the servers are beyond friendly. Every now and then they hold special wine events. Last night I went to my second of these, the Spring Wine Dinner. This was a smaller event than the Farm to Fork Wine Dinner they held last August, but it was just as enjoyable.  I just love the way they display the wines at these functions.

The evening started out on the deck of the barn where we served the first of the wines, the Basa Blanco.

Telmo Roderiguez Basa, Rueda, Spain 2007

“This blend of Verdejo, Viura and Sauvignon Blanc from Spain is the ultimate introduction to summer. The wine has bright aromas of steely citrus and fresh cut grass and flavors of pear, apple, and orchard fruit. Graceful throughout, Basa finishes clean and refreshing.”

Appetizers passed around included Spring Pea and Tarragon Soup, Pancetta on Brioche, and Deviled Eggs with Tuna Tartare and Chilis. I can’t decide which appetizer was better, the brioche or the deviled eggs. Thank goodness they came around again and again so I’d have a chance to decide! (Not that it helped any!)

We then moved on the the mezzanine level of the restaurant for the remainder of the evening.

The first course was Local Day Boat Scallops with Parisian gnocchi, Meyer lemon, frisée and smoked onion soubise. I love scallops, especially pan-seared as these were. They were served with a Chardonnay.

Alma Rosa Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County, California 2006

“This wine brings out the best in Chardonnay with expressive flavors of honey, apricots, apples and vanilla. Complemented with notes of almonds and smooth butter, the wine remains rich and fluid while still keeping a fresh structure.”

A “surprise” course was served at this point, but I don’t have a good description of it since it was not on the menu.  It was a pâté infused with black truffle oil and…yum!

On to the second course – Pastrami-Spiced Muscovy Duck en Roulade with napa cabbage, boudin noir, baby turnips and foie gras jus. Out. Of. This. World. This was accompanied by a Pinot Noir.

Alma Rosa Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, California 2005

“This wine brings both the ripe flavors of berries, cherries, and plumbs along with the complexity of spice, smoke, and the rich earthiness that makes Pinot Noir so unique. More powerful than most Pinots, the Alma Rosa balances all that fruit and complexity with a smooth elegance.”

The third course was a Painted Hill Farms Sirloin with spring garlic, glazed carrots, and baby French horn mushrooms. Anything with mushrooms gets a vote from me. The wine for this course was a Shiraz.

Mitolo “Jester” Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia 2007

“Seductive and smoky, this wine has all the dark berries, pepper, licorice, and candied cherries that we love in Shiraz. The upfront fruit gives the Jester a forward personality, which continues on to layers of spice and a smooth, supple finish.”

And finally dessert – Bitter Chocolate Genoise with espress gelèe, candied kumquats, liquid almond sable and fumée de sel. Wow. I’m not much of a cake fan, but since the genoise was so thin and covered with all that delicious chocolate I enjoyed every bite! With dessert we were served a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mitolo “Serpico” Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale, Australia 2007

“You’ve never had a Cabernet like this. Made from partially dried grapes (perfect for dessert), Serpico is full of black currant raspberries, chocolate, blackberries and coffee. This wine is crazy huge in flavor and structure and has been called “one of the finest Cabernet Sauvignons to ever emerge from South Australia.”

The folks at GHG are thinking of having another wine event in August, so you know I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed!

Woohoo!!! I’m so happy! I don’t watch a lot of shows, but I am addicted to both House and Fringe.  House has been around for a while now, so I don’t see it falling by the wayside any time soon.  Fringe, on the other hand, is a new series, so I was worried it wouldn’t make it to a second season.

Fringe

Yesterday FOX announced that Fringe was renewed for a second season.  Yippeeeee!!  I just can’t get enough crazy Denethor!  For those of you who don’t know, Dr. Walter Bishop is played by John Noble, the same actor who played Denethor in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Walter Bishop is crazy, but lovable in his own way; Denethor is crazy too, but also kind of a cranky-pants.

Denethor (left) and Walter Bishop (right)