Who’s that rattlin’ at my door?

March 28, 2011April 15, 20116 Comments

I’m sitting here alone and I hear a rattling of the front door knob… it sounds like someone is trying to get in!!! My heart is pounding as I tiptoe down the hall. When I peak around the corner to see who might be there the dogs enter the living room, and taking a stance they stare at the door. Watching the door handle moving we are all transfixed. Bob just left for work and it’s just us at this early and dark hour of the morning! Who’s there?

Suddenly the would be intruder jumps into view!

And there at my picture window is Little Bit. She wants to be let in. The dogs begin to whine and wag their tails as I, recovering from my near heart attack, go to the door and oblige her.

What a cat!

You see, I put a little belled ornament on the inside of the door handle at Christmas time because I thought it would be cheerful when visitors came calling. I have since left it there, because she “rings” it to let us know she wants out. I never taught her that, it was a spontaneous thing. It happened once and we let her out and now she does it every time! In fact, if you hear the bells and ignore her she will ring them again and come sit to watch you till you do let her out.

Maybe I should put a bell on the outside too… I think it would be a little less frightening than hearing the doorknob rattle. Don’t you agree?

A very happy loaf of bread

March 4, 2011March 4, 20116 Comments

I don’t usually post twice in one day, but this just never happens, not in my kitchen anyway…

I baked a loaf of Gluten Free bread today from a mix by Bob’s Red Mill called “Homemade Wonderful Bread.” But, as per usual I doctored it up.

To the mix I added the following:

1/2 tsp. salt

3 tbs. pure honey

6 guinea hen eggs ~~~ (BTW, 2 GHE = 1 XLHE of course, you can use three hen’s eggs, but you won’t get the beautiful golden “egg bread” color)

1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free quick cooking oats

1/2 to 1 cup golden raisins (use to your taste)

Note: I subbed in organic soy milk per amount asked for in recipe

I followed the directions on the bag for preparation, but proofed my yeast in the warmed milk and honey.

The bread rose, and rose, AND ROSE! Here’s what happened!

It was supposed rise for a whole hour, but looked really fine in about 4o minutes. So I took it out of the oven and then heated to 375 degrees. I placed the loaf back into the heated oven, closed the door and came back to take a quick peek about one half hour later.

SHOCK! When baking bread you expect it to rise some more with baking, but this was doubling in size once again! The loaf finished baking in only 47 minutes so I removed it from the oven.

So here you see my VERY HAPPY LOAF of

GF Oatmeal Golden Raisin Bread

So how happy is homemade GF Oatmeal Golden Raisin Bread? Well I cut off a slice and found that it was…

THIS happy!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Letting Go

March 1, 2011March 1, 20116 Comments

I stand at the window and watch as bin after bin is loaded into the big panel truck. I tell myself it’s OK, that I don’t care…

But I do.

I feel the tears start and then I get angry at my inability to hold them back. I have held onto the contents of those bins for almost three years now and I finally find that I have the strength to let go of the past. Twenty-five Rubbermaid storage bins, crammed to the top with games, puzzles, musical instruments, books, flash cards, critter keepers, and more than I can name. All of it collected by me (or given to me by my students) loved and cherished by every class of children I ever taught.

We shared a journey wherein we learned together and had fun getting there!

I watch the truck pull out of the drive, roll on down the road, and know that the stuff of my career is finally gone.

I think: “Bob will have his garage back and we’ll have an empty spare room for company when they come to visit.”

All of my special things will be sold for far less than I paid for them, then trying to be pragmatic I tell myself, the proceeds will help those in need. Now in my mind’s eye I imagine a child holding her parent’s hand, looking at the things I once owned and I see the child smile on hearing the word “Yes.”

Does it hurt any less? Maybe just a little. It is a melancholy feeling. The task of getting rid of all of this has hung around my neck for so long…

I held out…

drowning with the weight of it.

After all, I tell myself, I have a new life here and my days are full with other tasks now. I feel myself smiling through my tears and know that my decision was a good one. I breathe in freedom and expel a sigh relief that I could let go.

It is freeing.

Things that need doin’ today

February 28, 20112 Comments

Image by bella lago via Flickr

Things to do today:

Make “Bone Soup” from the carcass and breast meat of last nights chicken. Today’s version will feature a Southwestern theme using Rotel, a bit of rice, a few black beans for color, some fresh cilantro from the hoop house, and a splash of fresh lemon juice in the bowl. But of course as we all know, this will be tomorrows dinner because soup always tastes better the next day… so why not wait?
Peruse my seeds to decide which need starting this week. I am very much looking forward to this year’s growing season!
Hunker down for a Tornado watch till about 2PM today. Funny what you can get used to. I grew up with earthquakes in California and never really thought much about them, they came and they went. “Hey, that was a good ride, Yee-Haa! Hang on folks!” Of course Alabama is not immune to them, they’ve had a few doosies . But tornadoes? They just get me all a quiver. They send my off the deep end. They’ve passed all around us in few short years we’ve lived here and so far we have been untouched. (Thank you God!)
Watch for HAWKS because they seem to like hunting my yard on gloomy days. Best scare tactic so far has been my trusty metal trash can lid. I have an old oak stirring paddle that I use to bang the lid as I point it in the direction of the hawks. This seems to aim the sound in their direction and they either turn around or keep on going without coming any closer to my girls! Whew!