You know you get those little key tags that the cashiers zap and you miraculously save money? Well, because I’m driving a rental car, I don’t carry my regular keys with me. The keys with the Save On tag. I didn’t even consider it until I was in line, and I looked desperately at the young man in front of me, hoping when I announced loudy to the cashier that “I HAVE A CARD IT’S JUST AT HOME” that the young man would offer me his card and I could reap the discounts and he could reap the points. Alas, he was obviously deaf and clueless, so did not offer and I had a storm cloud over my head when the cashier circled my potential savings of $5.10 had I carried my card. I grumbled something and the cashier happily offered that if I came back with the receipt and the card, I would get my money.

If you know me, you know I’m careful with my money, and the thought of getting back in the car, driving to Save On, spending $5.00 is gasoline to get my $5.10 back, just didn’t make economic sense. And the truth is, if I didn’t return on the first day, I wouldn’t go at all.

The problem was solved when we decided to walk the 14 blocks return to Save On for the money. Got the walk in. Got my money back. A win win. Of course, we promptly walked and additional 12 blocks to get over to Wild Earth Bakery for a tea-time treat and spent $7.45, but that’s beside the point!!

And I’d like to pay homage to my dinner last night. A simple dish – a homemade pasta sauce – my own version of a bolognese – that was out of this world. Amazing how melding the flavours of onion, carrot, peppers, celery, garlic, tomatoes, beef, spices and cheese can create on of the world’s most comforting dishes.

Which reminds me. If you want garlic. Proper garlic, not those little white balls of dust you buy at Safeway, but honest to god garlic bulbs, with cloves the size of my thumb, with amazing flavour… go to the Farmer’s Market. My Hutterites provide me with this garlic. It is extremely expensive, but I consider it an investment in flavour – besides it keeps forever and it won’t sprout little green horns like the Safeway variety does.  Do yourself the favour.