I feel as though I should be out in the laneway, hammering away at my ark. The amount of rain and the number of Severe Thunderstorm Warnings over the past four days has been staggering. I only hope my little grass seeds are able to weather these torrential downpours.

I don't feel quite as put out as the many, many (many) campers who booked their sites when holiday wreaths and twinkly lights still adorned their homes. With most of the conservation areas and campgrounds alcohol-free, it's doubtful they were even snapped enough not to notice. Shame, that.

My calendar today reads one thing: Bbq at the brother and sister in-law's. I am on the dessert committee (hell, I AM the dessert committee), so yesterday was spent poring over my many cookbooks and the scraps of paper in my Recipe Box. I finally decided on two offerings at opposite ends of the sugar spectrum:

Heavenly Pineapple Torte with Raspberry Sauce
and
Chocolate Fudge Cake with Chocolate-Frangelico Icing

In my attempts to please everyone, I suspect in the end everyone will try a sliver of both. I should have just made one honkin' great platter of Nanaimo bars and been done with it.

Also in the tote at the door, well away from the nosey doggies, is a ramekin of homemade hummus and some pita chips I made late last night. It's my first attempt, and for some reason it didn't do it for me like the hummus at the Lebanese place at the market. I'm going to have to fiddle with it, I guess. I'm taking it today to get overall impressions and comments. And let's face it, there's nothing wrong with there being more food at a gathering!