First things first! The Prompt!

What are you eating this weekend and why

This one actually goes along with the greater Weekend Experiences post for me this weekend. Actually, I might have chosen the prompt related to what I do to keep myself mentally and physically healthy but, as you can see, this is probably not a healthy meal! ;) This is a Panzerotti from Milos Beer Pub in London Ontario. It is like a pizza that is folded in half, sealed up then fried. Though I prefer the baked version which is usually called a calzone, this will do! You will have to read on for the occasion but it was delicious with pepperoni, pickled mushrooms, provolone cheese and a nice marinara sauce I spread over top. I might take you on a proper tour of this place in a future post because it is a great place! Comfort food like this on a special occasion is maybe not good for physical health but mental health for sure.

Now Back to the Weekend

Despite a moderation of the negative double digit temperatures the last month, it is still looking rather wintery up here. Seasoned hosers know you cannot expect spring in Feb up here but I can sense the fatigue of winter setting in with many people. Like crypto winter, when it is upon you, it can feel like forever but the bull run in temperatures will swing to spring in a while. Til then, a light dusting of snow and temps just below freezing were on tap for the weekend.

Speaking of winter, this fella was photographed locally by a friend who wants to remain nameless and is not my picture. Snowy owls are native here obviously and are out hunting the rodents poking their noses up early. So awesome looking.

Brewing!

Newer followers/friends might not know that I am a self-designated #beerologist because of my lifelong obsession with beer, work in the industry of supporting breweries with their marketing and technology, an fact that we brew 15 gallons per week of our own beer. You may have to look back on past #beersaturday posts for the story or I may revisit in a future post. A brew session takes about 5 hours from clean/prep to grinding of the grain, boiling, hopping, cooling and transfer to the fermenter with yeast for a couple weeks of fermenting before it is ready to drink. This weekend, we caught up on a slow brew period with our trademark Cream Ale, Amber Ale, and this New England IPA. We were out of wheat which makes for the hazy NEIPA so I decided to switch out the Amarillo hops for a tropical and citrussy Nelson/Sauvin hop. I will let you know how this experiment turns out in approx 3 weeks.

Live Music!

Back to the meal! The reason for the outing was a trip to London to see a group I started following decades ago. Big Sugar caught my ear maybe in the late 90s because of their wonderful fusion of heavy blues rock with a healthy sprinkling of reggae beats. I saw them live back in the day but learned they were performing fairly close to home for a 30-year tribute to the album I bought back in the day.

I see other parents sharing experiences of taking their kids to see concerts so they can not only experience live music, but develop a love for it. As a parent, I often feel I am not doing as good a job as I should, that I have let too much time slip by already, and working hard to build a business and afford life prevents me from creating enough experiences for my kids. So, I took the plunge on these tickets and such because money comes and goes but what we do with our time is the real value in life.

So, it was great to see these guys from my youth again, and share the experience with my little one to further her passion for music.