Second Sunday in Lent: whingeing

Lent would be a lot more fun if it weren't so long. And penitential. And guilt-inducing. And rainy.

OK, I've been spending too much on groceries. Though I now have lots and lots of exciting canned beans that will keep us putting along indefinitely. And onions, and potatoes, and corn meal.

If I could turn stones into bread or earn the kingdoms of this world with a simple miracle, I probably would. I don't even need all those kingdoms. I'd be satisfied with the simple assurance that Social Security, Medicare, and our retirement funds will still be available in roughly five years. World peace would be nice too.

But on a brighter note, we had a pleasant lunch of risotto flavored with onion, garlic, carrot, and halibut; fresh asparagus, and tomato slices. And then after lunch we visited the grocery store our friends have been raving about--Valli Produce in Glendale Heights. If God makes it and anybody has ever cooked with it, they stock it at a very reasonable price.