Daybook, Later February

Outside my window... there is fresh snow. Lots of it. Some people thought that spring was here, but I've lived in Michigan for over 30 years. Not in February, it's not spring. Not for another month yet, no matter how many nice days we may get.

I am thinking... how grateful I am that our kids bought us a snow-blower during the blizzard at the beginning of the month. And Roger is even more grateful!

I am thankful for... nowhere to go today. Our driveway may be clear (thanks again, kids!) but the roads are not. There was already no school today because of Presidents' Day, so the kids got cheated out of a snow day. Poor things.

From the kitchen... Enchilada Casserole. This is a lazy day meal which also uses up leftovers. I mix up any leftover taco or tamale meat, refried beans, chili, anything like that with some canned enchilada sauce. I put about 1/4 of the can of sauce in with the filling, pour another 1/4 into the bottom of a round casserole, and save the rest for the top. Then I make alternating layers of corn tortillas (10 to 12) and filling, ending with a tortilla. i dump the rest of the sauce over that, top with shredded cheese (some can also go in the filling), cover with foil, and bake at 350F for an hour or so, until hot through. Today I used a bag of seasoned meat and beans that I threw in the freezer some time in January. VERY lazy.

I am wearing... navy blue cotton pants, socks, and cable cardigan, with a bright raspberry turtleneck that Roger got me for Christmas.

I am creating... not much. I just finished the grocery list. I need to work on some stuff for choir, but since we don't have practice this week I will put it off until at least tomorrow and finish this daybook instead!

I am going... to Bible study tomorrow morning. And as few places as possible after that.

I am reading... well, I stayed up too late last night finishing Possession by A.S. Byatt. This is not my usual fare, and I've had it out from the library so long that when I return it tomorrow after Bible study I will owe nearly $1.50, even though I renewed it as much as I could. Miriel reviewed it here, and I'm not sorry I stuck it out and finished it, but I am ready to return to my preferred frothier stuff. Even though it had an acceptable ending. Apparently I am not quite as literary-nerdy as I want to believe.

I am hoping... that I can get to sleep at a reasonable hour tonight. 12:30 is too late for old ladies like me, even if I did sleep in until 8:15 or so.

I am hearing...classical music on Roger's computer. I almost never put on any music of my own, because the house is just too auditorily small, even though our desks are at opposite ends of it. Fortunately, I like his taste in music.

Around the house...everything is relatively tidy. This will last until Friday, when Arwen and Camilla and Blaise arrive. (The twins are coming too, but at this point they don't impact the organization of things. ;-D ) Bryan has a business trip, so we get their company.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Bible study, then on Thursday a concert at noon and lunch with a friend. We go out every year between our birthdays to celebrate. And yeah, I change decades on Sunday. (I was born in 1951. You do the math. Personally I am in deep denial that I could possibly be that old.)

Words I'm pondering :
"Hope not for minde in women; at their best
Sweetnesse and wit, they are but Mummy, Possest."

This is from John Donne's "Love's Alchemy", and the lines figure in the novel Possession, though I had heard them before. I am astounded that someone as wise about other things as Donne seems to me to be could be so wrong. But perhaps they are quoted out of context?

Here is a picture thought I am sharing.... This is from Brandon's blog, titled "Still Winter in Alaska." This is also pretty much what it looks like today in Michigan.

Word and Question 9 -- with updated link

Word and Question/ The Poetry Game was started by Enbretheliel at Shredded Cheddar.
This month's game is hosted by Dauvit at Crosses and Cradles.

And here's my entry.

Word -- iconic

Question -- What do you see in the light of day?

Morning. The sun rises over the hill.
Daybreak is misty and peaceful and still.
Sunbeams appear
Gilding the trees.
How could I not be contented with these
Phrases that make dawn an iconic thing?
(Even omitting the "birds on the wing"..)
But Reason cries
"Dawn is just day!
Multiple problems are found on the way
Forward to night, when things darken again:
Foolishness, work, anger, sorrow, and pain."
Hope interjects
"But, to be sure,
After the night the sun rises once more,
Showing you gently that though you may doubt
Who you are, how things work, what life's about;
Follow your heart
Trust what you knew --
Icons are windows to what's truly true."



Note: I seem to be ahead of the game (instead of behind like the last time) and there's no new post to link this to. I will update as soon as it's available.
The link for this month's entries is now working above.

Daybook from Canada

Outside my window... it is bright and sunny. And -20 degrees. But since I'm in Canada, those are Celsius degrees, so it's "only" negative 4 Fahrenheit. Brrrrr......

I am thinking... that I am almost rested, thanks to this wonderful vacation. Even on vacation the hot flashes still wake me up sometimes. But I haven't had to get up until I was ready since we got here. Awesome!

I am thankful for... God's provision of this time in Stratford. It's quality time with my husband, and relaxation, and an opportunity to realize again that heaven is going to be even more wonderful than I can imagine, since all the good things about this time are mere dim reflections of the greater good awaiting me.

From the kitchen... Well, I haven't been in one since last Thursday! And even on Wednesday night we had leftovers. Our room here at Bentley's * has a kitchenette, but cutting a hunk of cheese and peeling an apple aren't exactly cooking.

I am wearing... grey pants, a cream turtleneck, navy v-neck sweater and over-the-knee socks, and my new fuzzy slippers. When we went out for coffee earlier I had on my much-loved knee-high riding boots. Roger paid what seemed like a ridiculous amount of money for them one Christmas, but since that was in ( I believe) 1994, I'd say he got his money's worth!

I am creating...nothing right this minute. But I have been pondering what changes I want/need to make over my next decade (I turn 60 next month :-o) and more creative endeavors are on my list. More crocheting, relearning to knit, dusting off the guitar and the flute.... It may be an interesting 10 years.

I am going... to one of our favorite Italian places for dinner before very long. Bonus: It's literally just a few steps from the hotel door to the restaurant. A nice perk in this weather.

I am reading... A lot of random fiction, which is one of the pleasures of Stratford -- I average a book a day. But I am about to start unPlanned, by Abby Johnson. Arwen reviewed it here, and she and Bryan bought me a copy. Stay tuned.

I am hoping... that I can manage to keep my mind off the fact that in order to go home I must pack until it's actually time to pack. I have a bad habit of living in the past or the future and therefore not fully experiencing the present. I'm working on it...

I am hearing... Roger putting ice cubes into a glass. An interesting aspect of Stratford for me is that I consume a much greater proportion of each day's calories in liquid form -- decaf mochas at Balzac's, Oranginas, ginger beer, wine with dinner. At home it's tea, water, a glass of milk with dinner, and maybe orange juice if I don't have clementines or grapefruit on hand. But here there are so many good things to drink...

Around the house... we are extremely grateful that our friend Tom is house-sitting. Joe-dog and Lucas-kitty are even more grateful, since as far as I can tell he plays with them more than we ever do!

A few plans for the rest of the week: home tomorrow morning, blizzard predicted for Tuesday into Wednesday, and on Thursday -- if they can make it -- Branwen and the kiddos will be arriving to spend some time with us while Larry travels on business.

Words I'm pondering : "If I hear anymore Michigan residents crying about possible snow I will lose my mind. It's Michigan!" This on Twitter from a friend this morning. And my sympathy goes out to Brandon who is stuck in Alaska, where the forecast is rain. His current hometown has higher average winter temperatures than ours does!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...
These are "mint smoothies" from Rheo Thompson, and one of the delights of Stratford. And these I get to take home!










*Most of the pictures in the link are actually of this room, except the ones that show the two queen beds. This one has a king; we've gotten spoiled at home and now sort of "need" a bigger bed. And the room rates have actually come down as the Canadian dollar has gotten stronger, so this trip didn't cost as much as you'd think.

Word and Question 7/8

A month late and a rhyme scheme short... but here we go.

Word: capo

Question: How much is too much?

I need a new guitar.
That's what folks say, anyway.
My old one has pieces missing
And it won't stay in tune.

But then I don't play that much
Anymore. My finger calluses are gone.
The kids disassembled my capo,
Which is OK, because I never use it.

When you can transpose everything
Into D or G, mostly you do,
Even when it makes it harder to sing,
And my voice is half-shot anyway.

Still, I'd like a new guitar.
I've been looking at prices.
The old one was $100 -- a fortune back then --
But worth it, when I played a lot.

But now? What can I afford?
I could come up with the money, I guess....
But I'd "need" to put in more time...
Would the investment be worth it?

She's Baaaack -- with a Daybook

Outside my window... it is dark. Earlier it was light, but all of today was in shades of gray. Even the snow looked grayish, and not because it was dirty. We've been getting fresh snow every night.

I am thinking... that while Christmas with the family was WONDERFUL, it is nice to have "normal" days again.

I am thankful for... Roger's determination that we can afford to go to Stratford again later this month! He is always a little more skittish about affording it than I am, but this year even I wasn't sure. But we can. Thank You, God! I'm relaxing a little just thinking about it.

From the kitchen...Lentil Sausage Soup leftovers. It's a struggle for me to go from cooking for the whole family back to cooking for just the two of us. This is the third night in a row we've had leftover something.

I am wearing... brown and white and greenish-gray houndstooth slacks and a brown turtleneck. And my OLD fuzzy slippers. I got new ones for Christmas, but the stitching started to rip on only the fifth day. So back to LLBean they went. I'm awaiting the replacements!

I am creating...a US Postal Service online identity so that I can print the postage to mail a package to Brandon. He needed some new uniform parts, and I volunteered to sew the name tapes on. But he had to leave before they arrived here. So there will be a package waiting for him when he arrives at his new duty station.

I am going...as few places as possible for the rest of the week. But one of those places will be the Barnes and Noble Cafe.

I am reading... In the Company of Others by Jan Karon. It's the latest Father Tim book, set in Ireland not Mitford, and although I've barely started I'm sure it will be a delight.

I am hoping... that I finish this blog post before Roger finishes the letter he is writing. Then we can go to bed at the same time.

I am hearing... the furnace blower. In this weather, I hear it a lot! Also the clicking of my keys, which I don't usually notice... Does this mean something???

Around the house... the outdoor decorations are still up, but almost everything is back to normal after a great Christmas. Today I changed 7 beds (we had 16 people here sleeping on the fullest night) and the only thing left is to tidy the basement kids' play area/ teen hangout. The indoor decorations came down on (traditional) Epiphany and the day after.

A few plans for the rest of the week: grocery shopping and laundry. And then we will have Camilla and Blaise for a couple of nights while Arwen and Bryan go to Stratford. We set a good example for our kids! ;-D

Words I'm pondering :

¹ My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
² turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
³ indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴ and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:1-5 (NIV)
This came up in my women's Bible study group this morning AND in my (unrelated) daily readings, so I figure that means I should probably pay attention!


Here is a picture thought I am sharing.... This is the town in Alaska where Brandon will be living as of next Monday. I already am thinking about saving for a couple of tickets so that Roger and I can visit!

Daybook Placeholder

Just so you all know I didn't quit after NaBloP.....



Outside my window... it is dark. At this time of year it's dark a lot. Especially when I have free time to blog.

I am thinking... that it would be nice to have the Christmas shopping done, but I don't. At least I'm over half way.....

I am thankful for... the fact that my choir notebook was actually in my van all the time. I had shoved my tote bag behind the seat because I was giving a couple of people a ride, and it must have fallen out and not been noticed by anybody

From the kitchen... tamales! It was "tamale day" and a sadder and lonelier one, since my friend with whom it's been a tradition now lives in Ohio. But they turned out OK, which was in question since she always seasoned the meat.

I am wearing... my blue fleece bathrobe and fuzzy slippers. Do you see a pattern here?

I am creating...lists of things that need to be done before Christmas. Tomorrow, butter cookie trees. Yes, they're dyed green.

I am going...all over town in the next two days, and then to Virginia and Pennsylvania with Brandon. I'm looking forward to this trip!

I am reading... Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander. It's the fifth in the And Only to Deceive series. Also Expecting Twins by Elizabeth Noble. I might be a little excited about Arwen's babies....

I am hoping... that the weather report is correct and we beat the snow to Virginia. I have driven on the PA and Ohio Turnpikes in heavy snow a couple of times, and I'd rather not repeat the experience.

I am hearing... the dryer going around.

Around the house... the outdoor decorations are up, but I'm not going to do any indoor decorating until we get back, because the cat will attempt to undo whatever I did while I'm not looking.

A few plans for the rest of the week: butter cookie trees, finish the Christmas shopping (please, God!), do laundry, buy some groceries so Roger can eat while we're gone, pack, and hit the road. Oh, yeah, and choir practice Thursday night,

Words I'm pondering : Pearl Harbor Day. The day when my dad, and my uncles, and many like them, turned from boys into men overnight.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing.... This is what I would like for Christmas, but only after everybody is safely home.

NaBloPoMo Fail

So I didn't get a post up yesterday (and Thursday's was pre-scheduled.) And I've already backdated once (I won't tell you when...) So I've decided that since I'm only doing NaBloP for me, and I refuse to "cheat" that much, that I'm going to declare this a blogging "pulled muscle" and drop out of the race.

But don't worry. I intend to keep posting. I just am not going to beat myself up about enjoying my family instead of sitting at the computer. And that is all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I am cooking, eating, and enjoying family, and I hope you are doing the same!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Whew! Wednesday

I am in the middle of making nine pies (three pecan, three pumpkin, and three double-crust apple). From scratch. I cooked the pumpkin last week, and peeled the apples with my handy-dandy apple peeler. I am not reading anything today but recipes!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Tasty Tuesday -- Pennsylvania "Filling"

I always have to laugh when I see the discussions that pop up around this time of year about whether that bread mixture that goes in the turkey is called "stuffing" or "dressing"! Because if you grew up where I did, the answer is "neither!" We did, however, (and I still do) accompany our Thanksgiving turkey with this very tasty "filling."

Pennsylvania Filling

A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, go out and buy a loaf of the cheapest, most generic white bread you can find. (The proportions given here assume a one-pound loaf.) Shove it in the refrigerator to get good and stale without spoiling. (If you don't have extra refrigerator space, a cool cupboard will do.) Monday of Thanksgiving week, take the bread out of the fridge, trim the crusts, and cut into small cubes. Place the cubes in a good-sized bowl and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Leave the bowl sitting at room temperature and, a couple of times a day, gently toss the cubes so that they all dry out. (If you must cover the bowl, do so with a thin, loosely woven towel, so that the bread can continue to dry.)

The day before Thanksgiving, melt 1 to 1 1/2 sticks of butter and drizzle over the bread cubes, tossing repeatedly. Remind yourself that the filling is so delicious that it will be your loss if you taste all the bread cubes now.

Thanksgiving noontime (or about 1 1/2 hours before the turkey will be done) beat together 4 eggs and 1 1/2 cups of milk. Stir together with the bread cubes. Place in a greased casserole. I use a two quart flat casserole (about 8" square.) The next time you baste the turkey, squirt a couple of baster-fuls of broth/drippings onto the top pf the bread in the casserole. (You can, of course use a spoon! The object is for all of the filling to have a pretty brown broth tinge.) Bake at 350F for about one hour, until golden and puffy. Serve with gravy.


To be perfectly honest, I would be completely happy with just filling and gravy for Thanksgiving. Oh, and some sauerkraut. That PA Dutch side dish always appears on my Thanksgiving table, to the bewilderment of my husband and many of my children. But don't let that scare you away from the filling. It's GOOD!

Full disclosure -- Roger, who cooks the turkey, also makes his traditional seasoned crouton mixture to stuff the turkey. I like it just fine, but not for Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Music

I'm already into the pre-prep for Thursday's dinner, so here are some links to Thanksgiving music.

Come, Ye Thankful People Come

Now Thank We all Our God -- on handbells
-- on organ
-- and sung (with an introductory riff)

And just for a bonus, a different tune, a cappella and in German.

Praise and Thanksgiving (words below)

1. Praise and thanksgiving,
Father, we offer,
For all things living
You have made good;
Harvest of sown fields,
Fruits of the orchard,
Hay from the mown fields,
blossom and wood.

2. Lord, bless the labour
We bring to serve you,
That with our neighbour
we may be fed.
Sowing or tilling,
We would work with you;
Harvesting, milling,
For daily bread.

3. Father, providing
Food for your children,
Your wisdom guiding
Teaches us share
One with another,
So that, rejoicing
With us, our brother
May know your care.

4. Then will your blessing
Reach every people;
Each one confessing
Your gracious hand.
When you are reigning
No one will hunger:
Your love sustaining
Fruitful the land.

And that's it for today; a tasty recipe tomorrow!

Gaps

Since I moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio in my twenties, and then to Michigan the fall before I turned 30, I still make a point of going "home" on a regular basis. Sometimes when I was still single I rode the bus, but since I've married and had kids it's been a driving visit. The quickest route (though not the cheapest or most scenic) is to head south on I-94/I-75 and then head east on the Ohio Turnpike. If you've never driven on the Turnpike, let me explain that on the entrance ramp you are issued a ticket stamped with the time and date, and the point of entry. When you exit this ticket is used to determine your toll, based (roughly) on the distance you have driven.

Many, even perhaps most, people get on at one city in Ohio and exit at another. But since my destination is Pennsylvania, my experience is different, since the Ohio Turnpike feeds directly into the Pennsylvania Turnpike (with similar toll policies). I don't take an exit, I merely pass through a toll plaza. (LOTR fans will appreciate that it's called Eastgate.) Then, for a distance of about 5 miles, I am in what my kids dubbed "no man's land." I've paid my Ohio toll (but I'm still in Ohio), I haven't yet hit the Pennsylvania toll plaza or even the state line, but there is literally nowhere to go but straight ahead, since there are no exits in this stretch. ("We cannot get out!") But since my destination lies a number of hours ahead in Pennsylvania, I don't want to exit. I keep going, cross the state line, stop at the Pennsylvania plaza, and eventually finish my trip.

All this is by way of introduction to the real point of this post, my feelings during this next week. Today we "pass" Christ the King Sunday, the endpoint of the liturgical year. Advent, the start of a new year,doesn't begin until next Sunday. So I often feel adrift in a calendar no-man's-land. True, there is Thanksgiving to celebrate, but it's not a liturgical holiday. (Black Friday, the secular celebration of consumption, is something I avoid if at all possible.) But there are no exits from the expressway of life in this world, so all I really need to do is "stay on the road", keep passing landmarks, and eventually I will get to my final goal!

Heirlooms

I find it ironic that I actually have more of a post today than I did yesterday. I chose "sloppy Saturday" as a category so that I wouldn't have to think so hard on the weekend, but yesterday I thought and thought and came up with nothing, and today's post just fell into my lap...

For all of you married women out there, I'd love to have my curiosity satisfied on something: Do you still have your wedding dress? I have mine, hanging in a closet. I made it myself, of cotton dotted-swiss, and it's not in bad condition if you don't count the dead elastic in the sleeve cuffs and that one spot where a small child got at it with a magic marker. I wanted to keep it for sentimental reasons, but I simply washed and ironed it and hung it in an old dry-cleaner bag.

This came up because I was talking to a somewhat younger friend tonight, and she mentioned that she opened the box in which the the cleaners "preserved" hers (satin and lace) and discovered that the plastic combs from her veil had leached color onto the sleeves. We couldn't decide if this was a tragedy, or just the nature of things..

I do know that it's not necessary to have a well-preserved dress to have a good marriage. But I wonder if it says anything about a family to know that if necessary I could produce four generations of wedding dresses -- my grandmother's (1911), my mother's (1948), mine (1981), and either Arwen's (2002) or Branwen's (2005). And I don't expect that any of these will have gone missing by the time Camilla or Lauren get married.

So does having five generations of wedding dresses make us stable? Or odd? Or quirky? Or just pack-rats? Opinions, please!

Inane Rambling

It's Friday evening. I'm tired. I don't have a post idea. I started a "Seven Quick Takes" and deleted it. (I went and played games instead.) By rights this should be a "Sloppy Saturday" post, so maybe I'm just ahead of the game. Or maybe I'm that far behind.... Anyway, I am going to go and finish my novel now.

The End

Thursday Daybook Again

Outside my window... it is chilly and damp. And dark. I can't believe I'm up this late, but then it's been dark since suppertime.

I am thinking... that I wish I knew where my choir notebook is. All the Christmas music is in there... and only 10 days until Advent.

I am thankful for... people in choir who share their music with me when I show up for rehearsal and discover my notebook is not in my bag.

From the kitchen... it was leftovers night. I am still cooking for more than two people, apparently.

I am wearing... my blue fleece bathrobe and fuzzy slippers, which was what I had on when I last did a daybook two weeks ago. But that was morning, and this is nearly bedtime. As soon as I finish this post.

I am creating...nothing right this minute. But I need to start Lauren's Christmas stocking very soon.

I am going... nowhere tomorrow. This will be the first time all week. I am excited! (Oh, wait; I just realized that two of the possible lurking places for the choir notebook require going to the church. Sigh.)

I am reading... catalogs (for Christmas ideas) and magazines (because the new issues just came) and books (10 checked out, 5 on request/hold) and blogs (because I have to keep up with all of you)..... It's a good thing I like to read. And let's not mention Twitter and Facebook.

I am hoping... that my turkey thaws before Thanksgiving. I moved it from the freezer to the refrigerator today, but if my track record is any indication I will need to hasten it along with water even so.

I am hearing... the refrigerator running, and my key-click, which I don't usually notice. Even the animals are asleep.

Around the house... the cat has knocked the miniature pumpkins off the table again. I would be more upset by this if it wasn't for the fact that when he's batting the pumpkins, he leaves the salt shakers and the toothpick holder alone.

A few plans for the rest of the week: make homemade pumpkin puree, and cook and mash the sweet potatoes for the casserole. The cooking countdown begins!

Words I'm pondering :" It is eleven PM. Why am I not in bed??"

Here is a picture thought I am sharing....
just in case you haven't clicked over there yourself....

Whatcha Readin' Wednesday -- 11/17/10

So, I am still plowing (OK, plodding) through The Little Book of String Theory. The author uses really creative example, and I ought to get it, but, well..... Maybe I will try to read it over once I finish, to see if it makes more sense the second time through. Or maybe I will assume it's like Till We Have Faces and I'm just somehow not equipped to understand.

My other current non-fiction reading is way more fun: When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads by Dr Barbara Luke and Tamara Eberlein. Several of Arwen's commenters recommended it, and since my library had it, I checked it out. Great stuff! (And the English geek in me is thrilled that the title has the "Oxford comma".) I need to confirm that Arwen hasn't bought a copy of this yet, and then I'll send it to her!

On the fiction front: more mind-candy. The Chocolate Pirate Plot by JoAnna Carl. To be immediately followed by The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree by Susan Wittig Albert, and The Charming Quirks of Others by Alexander McCall Smith (of Number One Ladies Detective Agency fame.) This is the latest in his Isabel Dalhousie series.

And now I'm going to stop blogging and read for the half-hour before dinner, because all of them are due back at the library two weeks from yesterday.

Tasty Tuesday -- Basic White Bread

A member of my ladies' Bibly study group was recently diagnosed with a severe egg allergy, and she has been avoiding bread, since apparently some of the commercial loaves have egg-derived ingredients. I'm going to give her a loaf of this and the recipe.


Basic White Bread (adapted from James Beard)

Sprinkle 1T active dry yeast over 1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees F.) Stir in 2t. sugar or honey.

In a larger bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups warm water and 1 T salt. Slowly stir in 1 cup all-purpose flour. Once the yeast has bubbled and foamed, add the yeast mixture. Stir in an additional 2 cups flour.

Sprinkle about 1/2 cup flour on the counter top, and turn the dough out onto the floured surface. With floured hands, knead the dough by pushing down and away with the heels of your hands. Fold the back of the dough over the front, turn the whole thing 1//4 turn (90 degrees) and repeat. Knead until the dough no longer feels sticky, adding more flour if needed, up to 1/2 cup additional. (This will take about 5 minutes.)

Pour a little oil (1 to 2 T.) into the mixing bowl, form the dough into a ball, and place it in the bowl, turning it over so that all sides are coated with oil. Set in a warm place to rise. (Our oven can be set to 100 degrees F., so we usually preheat it and turn it off. The only reason to cover a bowl of rising dough is to protect it from critters or drafts, which are not an issue in the oven.)

In 1 1/2 hours or so, check if the dough is risen by poking it with two fingers. If the dents stay, it's ready! Turn the dough out onto the counter (we don't wash it in between; add a tiny bit of flour if you need it for other things in the meantime) and knead again for a few minutes.

Allow the dough to rest on the counter while you grease the pan(s). This will make one large loaf in a 9 x 5 inch pan, or two smaller loaves in 8 x 4 pans. And if you have no bread pans, it will make a nice free-form loaf baked on a cookie sheet.. Next, form the dough into (a) smooth round or oval shape(s) and place in the pan(s). Allow to rise for about 45 minutes. Don't poke the dough this time; if it's obviously risen above the edge of the pans (or spread some on the cookie sheet) it's ready.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. (If your oven tends to be slow or fast, adjust the temperature accordingly.) Bake the bread in the lower third of the oven for 35 to 50 minutes, checking after 35. It's done when it sounds hollow when you knock on the top. If the bottom is not yet golden but the loaf sounds hollow, place the bread directly on the oven rack (no pan) for about 5 minutes, but watch it carefully!

Cool the finished bread on a rack until you can't wait any longer. We like to brush ours with melted butter, which gives a slightly more tender crust. If you do cut into a hot loaf, cool the uneaten part cut-side down so that the rest of the loaf doesn't dry out.


This bread freezes well. We (actually Roger, who taught me to make bread) often make 18 loaves -- 3 triple batches -- in one day. We freeze it in half loaves, and often give it away, since "Dad's bread" toast is one of the things both Arwen and Branwen can eat in early pregnancy. We also cut a slice or two on the end of each half loaf before freezing, so that it can be popped into the toaster straight from the freezer if "thaw bread" doesn't make it to the top of the priority list!

I Changed My Blog Header Again..

I finished a major project for choir today, and I thought I might write about that (since I usually do Musical Monday....)

But I'm just so gobsmacked (in an absolutely wonderful way) that I'm just going to send you over and let you read Arwen's post from today.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee! (Also Whewwwwww!)

Sometimes Sundays are a Mixed Bag

So did you guys know that "a mixed bag" is actually a British hunting term? You might "bag a brace(pair) of pheasants," or if you shot a pheasant and a quail and a grouse, that would be a "mixed bag." Get it?

I got up early this morning (well, early for a Sunday, anyway) and made a cherry pie and a chicken pot-pie for Roger's birthday dinner. His birthday is actually tomorrow, but we celebrated today because it's more fun to have more than two people at a birthday party, and Branwen and her family were here.

Larry made his famous hash-browns for breakfast as a birthday treat, because most Sundays cooking breakfast is Roger's job. They were, as usual, awesome! Then choir sang at 11:30 mass, and unfortunately we were not in best form. Our best soprano AND main tenor had laryngitis and didn't come, some of us (me included) spaced out on just how we had "arranged" the communion hymn, and I at least felt like we couldn't really hear each other. Kind of like a big blob of fog had descended on our ears. The family assures me it "wasn't that bad," but it wasn't that good, either.

While we were waiting for the pot-pie to bake we played some bridge, which was somewhat interrupted because baby Lauren had gas and needed to be held. And then we had dinner and pie, and Branwen's family went home. And now I'm sitting at my computer writing a post, and while I'm not sure what all I have in the "bag" that's today, I know it's certainly mixed! See you all here tomorrow......

Sloppy Saturday -- Ooooooops!

So all day Saturday I am/have been/did totally enjoying having Branwen and her family here. Making beanbags and hairbows, playing computer games with the boys and bridge with the grownups (with some gurgles and such contributed by Lauren.) Doing all of that? Yes. Writing an actual blog post? Um, not so much.