So, yesterday being 3.14 on the calendar (at least, as some read it), it was designated Pi Day. In addition to being Albert Einstein’s birthday, it’s also the day that a Google employee set a new record by calculating Pi (the ratio between the circumference and diameter of a circle) to 31.4 trillion digits.
 
There. Now that we’ve gotten all that science-y stuff out of the way, let me tell you about one of the most memorable presents Rob and I have ever received: pie. And the fact that it came from a most unexpected source makes it even more special.
 
Late in 2016, when we realized that we’d be picking up our lives and moving west, we found the perfect buyers for what was supposed to be our dream house on Lake Simcoe: Jennifer Jones, a local real estate agent, and her husband Keith. We skipped right past the listing and showing and all of that, made a tidy transaction and prepared to start our new lives on Vancouver Island.
 
Imagine our surprise when, upon arriving here, we found a gift basket awaiting us. Sent from a place very close to our new North Saanich home, it included preserves, cheeses, breads and crackers, two varieties of house-made ice wine and an envelope. Inside was a card on which were printed these four delectable words: The Gift of Pie.
 

 
The Roost is a local spot that offers dining in and a bakery, plus a well-stocked food counter for take out. Their popular menu of sandwiches, frittata, thin crust pizza and fresh salads makes for a parking lot so full that the chickens who wander about have to watch where they’re going (as do drivers, obviously). The Roost Farm Bakery and Vineyard Bistro also makes the most astounding pies you’ve ever encountered and I’m not talking berries (although they do have sweet pies for sale); I’m referring to their savoury pies.
 
On this card, which we’ve just this week exhausted, but are strangely reluctant to part with, each dot represents a glorious dinner: a main dish taken to a host’s house (as we did last weekend with a steak and potato variety) or a few nights of comfort food – tortière or chicken – when putting something frozen into the oven was about the extent of the labour we were ready to do.
 

 
I think what amazed us most about the pies (which retail in the $20 range) is just how thoughtful it was for someone who had bought something from us to actually give us a gift to help welcome us to our new life.
 
That sentiment, along with the light buttery perfection of a well-made crust and its farm-fresh contents, have warmed our hearts and tummies for some 27 months. We thought of Jennifer and Keith every time we enjoyed one. And we were sure to thank them (probably too many times) for the extremely thoughtful Gift of Pie.
 
Now, as you get set to embark on what for many is the gift of a weekend, I hope you will have some time to enjoy something that truly nourishes your soul and your tummy all in one. You’ve almost made it through another winter. That should be reason enough to celebrate, right?
 
Talk to you here Monday.