Thank You Stranger

Shortly before Christmas, I opened our mailbox, one of a group next to our building's entry and therefor accessible to anyone walking by, and pulled out a small, blank envelope. Walking up the stairs to our apartment, I lifted the flap and found a €30 gift certificate to the Greek restaurant Olympia, located down the street here in town. That's all there was, no names (our's or anyone else's) and no note. The amount and the valid dates were the only things there. Since Mike's a popular teacher and it's not a big secret where we live, we had to assume that some generous, but shy, family from school wanted to gift him with a treat.

Whatever the reason, we surely appreciated that gift last night as we tucked into our orders. Olympia is a good Greek restaurant and most nights sees it full of patrons. As you are seated, you are also supplied with a shot of Ouzo each and friendly service. We were both more than satisfied with our choices, but I have to say, we both agreed with the waiter, who stated I'd made a "good choice" when I ordered the garlic and honey chicken. Wow, wow, wow, it was delicious, and that's no exaggeration. Mike ordered the grilled lamb and gyros and was happy with his choice also, but didn't say no whenever I'd offer him a bite of mine! I need to stop by and write down the Greek name for my dish, so that I can see if I can find a similar recipe to make at home. If by any chance the kind person who slipped that envelope into our mailbox last month reads this, please know that we truly appreciate it and send you our thanks!

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It's cold again, the temps have been below freezing the past couple of nights and this morning, there is another skin of ice on the canal next to our apartment (the ice that I skated on a couple of weeks ago having completely melted). Our friend Hans told us that he checked the historical data for temperature predictions and that we can expect more cold weather in February. Apparently, when it's been really cold in January, it cycles through again in February. There could be more outdoor skating yet.

However, I am not waiting for that, I have actually committed to going to an ice rink tonight with our friend Todd. Todd's preferred exercise is skating, and so after hearing that I'd braved the canals, he invited me to the rink he skates at in The Hague. My first inclination was to decline, but then I thought about seizing opportunities (the remnants of seeing Yes Man earlier this month) and decided to give it a chance. So tonight, I will cycle down to Todd's house and from there we will hop on the tram and head off to a new experience for me: public ice-skating. My primary hope is that I don't end up prone on the ice and hurting in ways that will prevent me from a) biking home again, b) running, and c) riding Maroz on Friday! Wish me luck.

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On a final note, I'd like to wish my parents, Deb and Jerry Pegg, a very happy 47th anniversary yesterday. We received an email from them where they are wintering in a tent trailer with the dog and cat, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and they sound just great. They did apologize for the 80 degree F (High 20s C) weather they are enjoying and it would seem they are not missing the snow that they would otherwise be shovelling in Idaho!