What all has been going on since I last wrote?
On Thursday, the first, I packed up my split mittens and darning supplies, pinned my church keys to my pocket, and went to Ladies' Craft Night at the church. The church was dark and empty and the Fellowship Hall was set up for a small dinner party, but I'd come to darn a mitten, so I dragged an armchair to directly under one of the fluorescent lights and set to work. As usual, the hole was much larger than I thought when I cut the first thread thinking that I could do it all on one needleful. It took at least half a dozen needles of yarn, and just about an hour.
Working black on black with my second-finest yarn, it was just as well that I didn't have anybody to talk to while I was working.
On Friday, I drove to Big R for corncob litter, and stopped at Aldi on the way back. I forgot to buy frozen blueberries, but did buy a package of ground beef, forgetting that time to make meatloaf wasn't on my schedule. We had hamburgers every night, and Dave had hamburger steak and cottage cheese for breakfast.
We forgot all about First Friday until I was halfway through putting supper on the table. We decided that we didn't feel like going out.
Saturday, I had a ride of twenty-one miles circumnavigating Winona Lake. I stopped at The Crazy Egg for lunch. Alas, there is no motivation to do it again, because the half-order of biscuits and gravy was the only little-old-lady size dish on the menu.
Not to mention that riding through the country is boring now that the crops are in and the farmstands are closed for the season. But I heard half a dozen roosters crow, and passed a front yard with several hens and two ducks.
I wish chickens were allowed in town. Waterfowl are here in plenty, but there is something comfortable about fat, busily-scratching hens.
I stopped at Owen's Market and bought frozen blueberries, some ripe bananas and dented apples, and a box of "Wild Ones" tomatoes. I wanted a slicing tomato, but all the large tomatoes looked "Hey this is winter, you dope!", so I bought small ones that ship well.
Today, I was surprised not to be cold on the way to church (though it was colder on the way back).
In the evening, I chopped some vegetables, including the last two green onions and what may be the last of the mustard — I had some in the house, but don't know how it's doing under the snow out there. Put those, a heaping tablespoon of Malt-O-Meal, two eggs, and a bouillon cube into what was left of the hamburger, and baked it in one of my smaller iron skillets with a zapped marble-size potato and a radish.
There's a good reason we always eat radishes raw.
I imagine that it would be a good idea to dig up the remaining hill and a half of potatoes as soon as the snow melts.
I tried to find out whether the mustard plants will overwinter and bloom next spring, but all I could find on the Web was how to plant mustard and how to pick wild mustard, nothing about how to cultivate wild mustard.
I suspect that this is feral mustard; the leaves are purple on one side, and much wider than wild mustard is. I did plant mustard greens and let some of it go to seed several years ago. This spring, I found a few volunteers, and two or three of them set seed. Those plants weren't as leafy as what came up in the fall, and I don't think they were purple. I hope the seeds I allowed to scatter around included a lot of the little seeds in the end that can't sprout until the pods rot off.
I DuckDucked "Ladies Craft Night" and discovered that it's an updated Tupperware party. That explains the way the fellowship hall was set up, but not why nobody was around — or why it's on the church calendar next Thursday and the Thursday after that. I intend to go; if they are gluing cotton balls onto poodle outlines, I can retreat to the parlor or the prayer room and darn the other mitten.
The leak in the outdoor faucet became intolerable, and Dave set out to change the washer. After a prolonged struggle, he discovered that because it's a frostproof faucet, this is a job for a plumber, or at least someone who can crawl around under a sink.
In the meanwhile, he put the flow splitter back on and closed both valves. That splitter has been on all summer — why didn't *I* think of closing the splitter valve!
But this renders the faucet *not* frostproof, so we are going to have to get a plumber soon. Either that or a water bucket and a pint dipper, because shutting off the water to the outdoor faucet also shuts off the cold water in the sink.
Which is good; I'd been afraid that we'd have to shut the main valve to work on the faucet.
Caught the fridge making weird knocks and hisses last night. We hope that that was the defrost cycle. But you would think that switching it from freezer mode to refrigerator mode would turn off the defrost.
Washday. Two loads.
Two plumbers replaced the leaky faucet yesterday morning, and we checked our finances in the afternoon. Vern Gross inspected the bathtub we want removed this morning, and Dave saw Dr. Darr in the afternoon. (He *doesn't* have pneumonia, just bronchitis.) I think that that is the last of our inspections for the year. Of course, Vern has yet to submit his estimate, and sooner or later he will show up with a crew.
I dug the potatoes yesterday. The third hill was the most prolific of the three, but I'd been neglecting to pile more dirt on it and several of the potatoes are bright green.
I picked mustard today; the tender inner leaves are still good. I pulled up a few plants while trying to cut them off, and there was almost no root at all — I guess the mustard won't overwinter and bloom in the spring.
I have finally remembered that I want to burn the stuff in the outdoor fireplace at a time when I don't have a higher-priority chore in progress — and the wind sock is standing straight out.
Slept late, didn't get much done.
I went to the "night market" at The Heritage Room this afternoon. It was unpleasantly crowded, so I didn't stay long. Martha's booth appeared to be attracting attention; I didn't hang around long enough to see whether they were buying.
On the way out, I regretted not wearing my red coat instead of the thinner yellow one, but on the way back there was little wind and I was quite warm.
As the week wore on, the Saturday ride I plan to take tomorrow dropped from thirty miles to twenty to one point eight.
This morning, while sitting on the bed with my back to the scanner putting on my socks, I heard "Ramrod" calling "Mudflap". I said "I've never heard CB on this thing before" — but it turned out that "Mudflap" is our fleet of snowplow drivers; "Ramrod" was giving them a summary of the weather report and sketching out strategy.
I was tempted, during prayer time, to call for a prayer of thanks.
Lovely out, all frosted with snow, but the footing was none too great. My foot slipped once while walking to church and I was glad I was using my cane. Didn't slip much, but it was the back foot, that I'd thought was firmly planted. I was slightly concerned about walking downhill on the way back, but there was a fresh coat of snow on Sunday Lane, so it was no problem.
When nearly home, I realized that I hadn't shared the road even once in half a mile of walking, but two cars passed while I was opening the door.
I didn't, of course, use any walkways except the one between Sunday Lane and Chestnut. Some kind soul had shoveled it, but I think my boots could have handled the full thickness. When last measured, not long before sunset, there were six inches on the picnic table.
Knorr drops the ball: I've been trying to buy more Knorr Homestyle Beef Stock; tonight I went online to find out whether it's been discontinued. Seems that it's still being made, but not being distributed — comments on Web sites can be summarized "Great stuff but I can't buy it!"
But while searching, I realized that I like Aldi's beef bouillon better. It tastes as good, it comes in one-cup increments instead of one-quart increments, I can split off part of a cube and re-wrap the rest, and when I put it into my marble mortar and press lightly with the pestle, it turns into a powder that dissolves at least as well in soup and is *much* easier to work into a meat loaf.
Oo, err. </Dangermouse>
It got too dark to sew *before* it was time to prepare supper. And we eat at half-past five!
Except for two trips to the garbage pile, I haven't set foot outside the house today, and I was equally housebound yesterday.
Weather Underground says Tuesday is the first day that I can hope for clear streets.
I've mentioned that "Ladies Craft Night" is on the WLFMC calendar for the first three Thursdays in December, and was also on the bulletin for the Sundays before the first two Thursdays. It isn't on the current bulletin, but I've a mind to go tomorrow anyway — I need the walk.
Weather Underground says there is a low probability of more precipitation before then. It also says that sunset is 5:14 and it's going to be as cloudy as it was today. And that I'm going to need long johns and a heavy coat.
I walked this morning instead. Need to be able to see the ice on the road. I changed the ice trays as an excuse for the exercise; now the ice bin is level full. I also walked up some staircases.
Since I've been going barefoot all week, I needed to scrub my feet before putting on socks. It gives me great satisfaction that despite my age and various incidents, the easiest way to scrub my feet is to stand on one foot and wash the other one in the sink.
I got a pair of thick wool socks out of the drawer, then reflected that it's very cold, and put them back and put on thin cotton socks.
Thick socks won't fit inside my insulated boots.
I thought that after walking up a flight of steps, I'd have to walk up in reverse to get down again, but my boots didn't interfere with stepping down. Maybe I'm lacing them looser than I used to, or learning how to walk in boots. I'm sure the leather hasn't gotten less stiff.
Silk long johns under polyester "fleece-lined leggings" weren't quite enough; I think that tomorrow I'll wear my wind pants, rather than adding wool tights. Wind pants are easier to get off than underwear, and I'll be uncomfortable in the kitchen if I'm dressed for outside.
Three pairs of pants aren't all that comfortable to work in even when they're *not* too warm.
It was warmer today, so I didn't wear the wind pants. Probably will tomorrow.
Weather underground says that Monday and Tuesday are going to be bright and sunny, but with an inch of snow tomorrow, and highs of 8F on Monday and 26F on Tuesday, I don't think it's going to clear the streets much.
I think I stood too much while setting up tomorrow's dinner. I should buy the church a kitchen stool.
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I was wrong — I don't have to be at the church at nine tomorrow — it's *eight*. So the alarm is set for seven.
I think I have all my clothes laid out, in the order I'll put them on, with the pockets filled. And my sandals are in my bag, to put on when I take my boots off. I've pinned up my hair and put my comb in my bag, to re-comb when I get there. Or here, if I'm awake enough. I even remembered to put my pills on the table — right next to the chair with my outdoor clothes on it — and I found my cane and hung it on the chair with my coat.
I've got the wind pants laid out on top of the coat. At seven, it's going to be 16F. And 16F again at eight, having dipped slightly in between.
And laundry day is on tomorrow after all. I intended to postpone it, because I blame washing clothes while still sore for the incident at Easter, and I really, really want my new rolling walker to be a waste of money and house room.
But I didn't get exhausted at all. Perhaps that's because I listened to most of the service while lying on a pew in the hallway outside the kitchen.
And I've gotten better at washing clothes without putting stress on my back than I was last spring.
I made ham and beans and baking-powder cornbread for supper — only one cup of dry beans because I didn't have a lot of smoked pork loin and wanted it to predominate.
I've boiled up some fruit to make into "chinese five-spice" cakes in the morning. While they are baking, I plan to boil up fruit for black-pepper cakes to bake in the afternoon. And sometime I need to make traditional cinnamon-and-clove cakes.
I hope that I find time to buy figs to make figgy pudding. I have everything for the yeast cornbread and devilled eggs. I think I'll make cornbread mix in a bag and keep it in the freezer until Saturday.
One of the batches of devilled eggs at yesterday's dinner had sweet-pickle relish in them. I don't think I'd go that far, but I might garnish some with slices of sweet midget.
I fiddle-faddled around about greeting cards until it was too late to take a file to Staples to print a proof, take it home and correct it, and go back again to get the cards printed. I'm seriously considering putting the picture I planned to use on one of my Web sites.
If I find time to edit it.
I went out this afternoon for the sole purpose of buying figs — and not only couldn't find figs, I couldn't find dried fruit! I know Owen's has dried fruit because I bought apricots there last week, but dried fruit wasn't in any of the places it might conceivably be. I was frustrated enough to hiss. Luckily, the checkout forgot to say "Did you find everything" so I didn't have to choose between lying and being late for supper.
I did find Barilla's whole-wheat spaghetti, and we had it for supper. I forgot that we had no Romano, so I served feta, blue, and sharp cheddar. Blue cheese is *terrible* on spaghetti. The other two were good.
Hmmm . . . there's about enough arrabiata sauce left to make a pizza.
I also got two loaves of bread: Dave had eaten the last slice for his lunch. (I had warmed-over cornbread with guacamole.)
The five-spice cakes are in the freezer, and the black-pepper cakes are on the cooling rack. While licking the pan, I couldn't taste the black pepper, but I noticed it afterward!
Reminds me of Panda Express black-pepper chicken, which is very good at keeping you hydrated after lunch.
When I took home the apron I'd been wearing on Sunday, I was thinking "I'm washing clothes tomorrow; throwing this in won't be any extra trouble."
Which was correct. *Returning* the apron, on the other hand …
Today I baked, wrapped, and froze six blueberry fruitcakes, made syrup for gingerbread fruitcakes, and laid the eggs out to get warm.
Tomorrow I want to bake the gingerbread fruitcakes, devil the eggs, make syrup for figgy pudding, and make cornbread dough to rise overnight in the garage, aka walk-in refrigerator. I think I can mix it Friday evening and wait until Saturday evening to bake it. The glossary on Encyclopizza says that bread dough that is chilled for a long time develops a more-complex flavor.
Saturday, I want to bake figgy pudding, walk to the church to deliver it and return the apron, and bake cornbread to take to the party on Sunday.
I hope I remember to climb some stairs while I'm at the church; I've been very sedentary ever since the weather turned cold.
Whoosh, I bought *exactly* enough butter — after I make the figgy pudding, there will be only one stick left.
I should have melted hard butter to fry my breakfast — there isn't enough soft butter to butter all the pans.
So the pans for the gingerbread fruitcake were rather thickly buttered.
There's a puddle outside the bedroom door. The ice on the lake appears to be holding, but I'm sure it won't make it through Monday, when 56F and rain are predicted. The snow protecting the garden probably won't last either.
Dave managed to tip over the rain barrel that we left too long — he had to detach the downspout hose at the top, since the bottom is embedded in ice. I think that the ice in the barrel would fall out, if the embedded hose didn't prevent us from turning it upside down. And if we could lift a barrel filled with ice! But Monday should take care of it.
There's hardly any freezing predicted for the rest of the year.
The figgy puddings are on the cooling rack. Alas, I forgot to make a quality-control cake, so I don't know how they taste. I plan to wrap them after my nap, and walk to the church to leave them under the tree for the praise team. The theme for tomorrow's service is "birthday party", so leaving gifts is a way I can participate even though I'm not there.
Then in the evening I'll bring the bread dough in from the garage and bake it, and that's all that's on my schedule.
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I think that when I doubled the recipe for the cornbread, I forgot to double the salt.
And I may have put in too much ascorbic acid.
I cut a corner off one of the figgy-pudding cakes. They are presentable.
I did remember to climb a couple of staircases before leaving the church.
The snow is almost entirely gone. The parsley in the raised bed looks fit to pick. It's raining, so I haven't been out to check on the garden.
The flattened parsley completely covers the italian oregano. Perhaps this time it will survive the winter. I think the italian oregano was in the other bed, which is more exposed, last year.
I definitely didn't let the corn bread rise long enough.
Two loads of wash today, and the whites were only half a load. I think that the coloreds will be about the same.
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The puddle by the bedroom door went away before the rain stopped.
There's a large patch of open water where the creek flows in, but most of the ice did survive Monday. Today is predicted to me "much cooler".
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It was, but I took my mittens off before I got back from the grocery. On the other hand, I didn't worry much about my frozen food.
There are large patches of open water at the north end of the lake, but there is also a lot of ice.
For several days, we have been plagued by mysterious beeps. Dave changed the batteries in all the smoke detectors, including one very expensive non-standard battery, and just now. while I was in the kitchen eating a slice of sweet-potato pie with sour cream, I heard the beep again.
He has a new smoke/carbon-monoxide detector on order. This one *speaks* when its battery is low.
When he ordered the detector, he got a price break on a Snapware egg carrier. The box containing both came yesterday.
I think I'm going to like the egg carrier: it holds two dozen where the old one holds only twenty, and the two three-by-four trays are stacked one above the other, so that the carrier fits into the cooler instead of requiring accommodation all its own. The two tray containers are deep enough that I can freeze a layer of water in them to keep the eggs cold on the serving table. And I can remove the trays before putting greens casserole into the egg carrier!
I've found a delicious way to re-heat gravy.
The last time I was at Aldi, I bought a box of fresh mushrooms, but it turned out that making pizza wasn't on my schedule. I put them in this and that, then a few days ago I got rid of what was left by making mushroom gravy on toast for my breakfast. Half was left over.
This morning I mixed up a scant quarter cup of corn flour, a scant quarter cup of whole-wheat flour, half a teaspoon of baking powder, half a teaspoon of Sara Lee's seasoned salt, a minced slice of aged white cheddar, and half a cup of milk. I scraped it into a well-buttered six-inch iron skillet, covered tightly, and steamed for ten minutes. Then I set the timer for five minutes, turned the cake over, piled the cold gravy on top, covered tightly, and forgot to start the timer. It was probably more than ten minutes; the gravy had melted and was bubbling around the edges, and the bottom of the cake was golden brown.
Yum!
You'll notice that I didn't specify "red" or "white" on the wheat flour. When I was making the last batch of cakes, I emptied the white-wheat cannister into the measuring cup. Oh, bummer, I have to refill the cannister, which involves a major re-arrangement of the freezer. Then I remembered that I'd intended to use red wheat for this cake. Instead of putting the white wheat back into the cannister, I filled the cup with flour from the red-wheat cannister — and found that it wasn't the teensiest bit darker in color.
I must have refilled the red-wheat cannister from the wrong bag when I was making the next-to-the-last batch of cakes. But I'm not sure, and I'm not going to dig down to the red-wheat bag to compare. I'll just use this flour exclusively until it's gone, then refill both cannisters.
And, I hope, put the right lid on the right canister.
We got a dusting of snow in the night. Not enough to protect the garden, but on the other hand, not enough to mess up the streets.
I saw a heron yesterday or the day before.
Today is fridge-cleaning day. It's *way* overdue, so we intend to move all the food in it to the cold garage while we scrub and scour.
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What do you mean "we", white man? There is only room for one to work at a time. So I put one shelf of food in the garage, washed that shelf, put another shelf of food on that shelf, and washed another shelf. I gave out before cleaning the crisper trays, but they have been cleaned more recently than the rest of the fridge.
There is a *lot* more open water than there was this time yesterday. Getting up to forty degrees tomorrow won't help any.