afternoon snack

I saw the squirrel from the kitchen window, on the bridge railing, holding an apple. I was surprised at it; I see them with small things like nuts. Then he was gone, leaving the apple in his place.

Did he mean to come back to it? 

wrapped in glory bright

"During the first part of Advent we look not backward toward Jesus' first coming in Bethlehem but forward to Christ's return at the end of time in glory."

                                                   -  from Magnificat, November 2015

When thou shalt come, O Lord,

Wrapped in thy glory bright,

Then shall the earth in terror quake,

The sun withhold his light.

When thou shalt come, O Lord,

Then to thy judgment -bar,

E'en as a mighty stream, shall flow

The sons of men from far.

When thou shalt come, O Lord,

Then shall the books be spread,

And from their secrets thou shalt judge

The living and the dead.

When thou shalt come, O Lord,

Then save me by thy pow'r,

Let not the flames of wrath o'ertake

Thy servant in that hour.

When thou shalt come, O Lord,

In mercy let me stand -

No guilt upon my conscience laid -

Approved, at thy right hand. 

the Polish lady bakes again

My brother came home Wednesday with something baked by that Polish lady  - the one who could open a bakery, I'm sure.  I thought it might be that gingerbread she'd made the first time, but no.

Who's complaining?  She bakes everything to perfection.

little neighbors

Two little mice surprised me when I went to (finally) empty my composter for the garden; it's been so mild I felt no urgency. I'd disturbed their slumbers!

They were so cute, and seemed unafraid of me. Or, too paralyzed by fear. Either way, I actually ran in the house to get my camera and they were still there!

You can see that I was quite close, and I apologized profusely. I wanted to shoo them back in and wait till spring to use the compost, but then one jumped away and down the driveway, and the other followed.

Over at the garden I looked up and saw that I was being watched.

But he hadn't seen the mice.

October 3, 1789

"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor; and - whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me 'to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.'

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks for his kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of his providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner inwhich we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which he has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our national government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, and peace. and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best."

                                                              -   George Washington   from Magnificat, November 2015

A Happy Thanksgiving!

she's back

for another little visit.

leaf cookie template

I've been wanting to make these cookies; I have no leaf-shaped cookie cutter. I do have a pumpkin shape and I may use it, but I really like these as leaves.

I went outside and took the first flat-ish leaf I saw, which wasn't so simple because they're mostly dried up and curling. But this one - which was softer and flatter when I brought it in - got traced and lines drawn on it, and I hope to use it whenever I can get to it. The dough is made, and waiting.

a very long rise

I once heard Claus Meyer say - talking about bread - that you should let it rise for twenty four hours if you had to. I'm glad he said it and even gladder that it stuck with me.

Saturday I mixed up some dough for oat bread from Kneadlessly Simple. It was already afternoon, and without thinking, I used cold water which is what I usually do, but the night before. The dough, which contained just one teaspoon of yeast for two medium sized loaves, wasn't going anywhere. I knew I didn't want to end up having to bake it in the middle of the night, so into the fridge it went. I removed it before bed - between nine and ten o'clock, but in the morning it was still just like a lump. The thought came to me to toss it, but I said No! I had the three days off in a row - it had to rise sometime! I would just wait. Consequently, that first rise took all Sat. night and most of Sunday to happen. I then deflated it and put it in two loaf pans for the overnight.

This picture was taken maybe midday today. And I still waited a couple of hours more before baking. The total rising time for this bread not counting refrigerator time, was a day and a half!

In the midst of all this waiting and checking I realized the house was two degrees cooler than I thought, so I turned up the heat. So there were several factors involved there.

Meanwhile, I was so busy cleaning, etc., that I actually forgot I was baking bread and when the oven timer went off the loaves looked almost burnt. But I will tell you: they aren't burnt, and what with all that slow rising, so much flavor developed that it. is. truly. delicious.  And these are the things I find so fascinating about baking bread.

just a funny story

"If you read all the signs", said Dick at breakfast, which is the time we always take for leisurely conversation, "you realize they work the caretaker with rigid discipline."

Did he mean church, cattle, or children? We had been discussing all three. I waited while he drank the milk out of his glass, poured cream and then coffee into the glass.

"They don't want a lot of loud talk and conversation. They won't tolerate changes. They don't want to be driven; they just want to be served." The church, I decided.

"You try to get them in, and they'll stand in the doorway, blockin' the way...." Yes, the church certainly. His words exactly described the Maple Grove congregation pausing between the old stone wall and the front steps to talk plowing, tractors, crops, and beef prices, reluctant to break it up even when the old upright piano starts clanging: Bring them in, bring them in. Still, it might be the children; sometimes it's hard to get them in to meals.

"And if one of 'em has horns, she's got things her way. Now horses will go right in and kick the slats out of everything they don't like, but a cow will just stand there, lookin'..."

It was a relief, finally to know.

                                                        -   Rural Free, by Rachel Peden

the thinker

well....the napper, perhaps.

artisan bulb dibber

Yesterday was so unexpectedly mild - I ran outside to finally plant my crocus bulbs in the front bed, around the rhododendron. I know I should have done it two months ago - they're the earliest-blooming - I hope they'll have enough time underground. It's been so much warmer than usual, that I didn't know if they'd start growing under there before their time. We'll see.

My brother had been going to Agway when I yelled out, Get me a bulb dibber! Do you know, they didn't have one?  He brought me back a thing which will take a chunk of dirt up - you stick it in the ground and twist - and make a place for your plantings. But it's not a bulb dibber. I had to go online, and when I saw this on etsy, that was it!  A real beauty.

fresh dill

Debra gave me some of her dill plant a few months ago. I stuck it in the ground, but it didn't seem to go anywhere. Till recently, that is. And after a couple of hard frosts, too!  Spread over a good portion in one of the gardens, low to the ground and lush, like it must be springtime.

I decided if it wants to take over that much space, I'm not going to thwart it.

rest in peace

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord

Let perpetual light shine upon them,

May they rest in peace. Amen.

a simple button

Right before the warm weather arrived, I finished the Lily Linen dress pattern from Tessuti Fabrics. I made it in a light corduroy and so was only able to wear it once, until it recently got cool again.

It has a wide neckline and I have narrow shoulders, so it gaped and I didn't like it. I looked through my online pins, and saw this (the third photo). I love it. At first glance, you think she is wearing something way too big for her, and just found this overlarge safety pin which happens to make it all look fabulous. But the bottom seems to fit, so I guess it was made that way. It's terrific anyhow. And I wouldn't mind trying that idea out on a very large knit top of some kind, maybe. But, my dress. This kind of thing could work there! - but something more permanent than a pin.

I thought of tacking it down with an embroidery stitch or two, but the truth is, I'm not much at embroidery. A button!  Suddenly, it came to me. I dug around and found the one I had which looked best, but nothing special. And, voila!  I really like it.

excuse the clumsy selfie

I wore it today and no more gaping. And even though it's not in the center, nothing seemed lopsided. Yes!

affirmation for Val

I just was reading Val's post here, and then picked up my book, Rural Free by Rachel Peden.

"Do the winter fields look pretty to you? asked Dick (her husband) as we stood at the front window watching the children get on the school bus.  I thought the view of bare trees and snowy fields, through John Fielder's living room window, was just simply beautiful. John's window looks out on a faded red barn, a nice-sized creek, and a stony hillside with two dead elms at the foot of it. Actually, if the rain's not running down your neck, and your feet aren't cold, any winter day on the farm is beautiful, he added. "

This book was written in sixty-one, and was recently withdrawn from our library collection. Well, we have to buy new things, and we have to make room for them! But, I love these kinds of writings. This woman was no Gladys Taber, but any journal type book of farming or country life - from the past, especially - is so appealing.

[About Dick]: "A year at the Purdue University did not change his farm way of talking, any more than a comb could take the curl out of his dark hair. But a man can be poetic by nature and yet express himself in the handy, accurate language of farmers. 

He has prejudices and strong personal opinions. He is left-handed, tall, slightly stooped, and now wears bifocal glasses. He likes to read; prefers the sophisticated New Yorker magazine...to the farm magazines, which he finds depressing. "

remembering

The Pity of the Leaves

Vengeful across the cold November moors,

Loud with ancestral shame there came the bleak

Sad wind that shrieked, and answered with a shriek

Reverberant through lonely corridors.

The old man heard it; and he heard, perforce,

Words out of lips that were no more to speak -

Words of the past that shook the old man's cheek

Like dead, remembered footsteps on old floors.

And then there were the leaves that plagued him so!

The brown, thin leaves that on the stones outside

Skipped with a freezing whisper. Now and then

They stopped - and stayed there - just to let him know

How dead they were, but if the old man cried,

They fluttered off like withered souls of men.

-  Edwin Arlington Robinson

Here in the U.S. it's a day to honor veterans, but today I've been thinking about the first world war, and the armistice which is being remembered abroad.

more bread ruminations

I have spoken here about the bread-making method I usually use, but there's another. My usual  method is to mix up the yeast, water and some of the flour the night before, which is some kind of preferment, and then finish it up the next day. Of course, I'm doing this on my day off. But sometimes on my days off I can't seem to get to it - and I confess that I don't really want to eat store bought bread anymore.

Way back when, I tried the five minute artisan method, but it wasn't for me. I didn't want dough in the fridge all the time; I certainly didn't need to make one loaf per day; I did not really want all my bread to be similar, from the same base recipe. I did want to experiment with different bread recipes.
After poking through the bread books on Amazon, I settled on Kneadlessly Simple by Nancy Baggett. Yes, this was it!

She has many recipes included - it is a cookbook, after all - and all the ones I've tried are very good tasting. (although I will say that her amounts of water seem like too much - I always end up adding much more flour; either that, or I just start out with half of her suggested water amounts.) But it's also a method, and at the end she explains how to adapt your other bread recipes to this method of hers.

Very basically, you are roughly mixing up her ingredients - and she uses a very small amount of yeast - with ice water, and then refrigerating the dough for three to ten hours. It's then put out at room temp for at least twelve hours, and maybe up to twenty four.  You then shape it, and let it rise the second time, which is usually two hours; then bake it.

This is very convenient if you're working. Yesterday afternoon I mixed up my dough, and it was in the fridge from 4:45 until ten-ish. Out on a kitchen shelf all night, and until I came home today after five. I immediately reshaped it into a loaf, and let it rise. It's very helpful to have different ways of baking your bread according to your schedule! Not to mention that the long rise in the cold is what develops the flavor. If you're interested in bread, check out this book.

a surprise of fresh air

Even though the pillowcase had dried nicely on the line the other day, I decided to iron it anyway. When I touched the hot iron to the cotton, the fresh air scent wafted right out!

Blessed through all eternity

I am like the pathetic sheep...

which strayed into inaccessible hills

and wandered in a daze among beastly demons

and fierce idols, without the slightest chance of

returning to the fold. Although my tongue was lost

for words to tell my anguish, and my hands

lacked the agility to communicate like the mute,

still you found me, you who alone

are praised from beginning to end

throughout the generations.

You found me, a sinner, lost in darkness

crying like the psalmist in prayer,

and because of your willing care

you were called Shepherd, for not only

did you care, but you sought,

not only did you find, O worker of miracles,

but with the goodness of your love,

a love that defies description,

you rescued me,

lifting me upon your shoulders,

to set down alongside your heavenly army,

the heirs to your fatherly legacy....

And forgiving my stubborn defiance,

O long-suffering, merciful, blessed one,

be truly generous and forgive me all at once,

wiping out my unrepayable debts

and the crushing interest which has accrued,

for you have no wrath in your heart, nor vexation,

nor deceit, nor traces of darkness,

for you wish only life and light....

So deliver me with your mercy,

O fount of loving kindness,

who alone are blessed through all eternity,

Amen.

                                                                    -  Saint Gregory of Narek  

crummy work

I've been whizzing cookies and crackers in the blender to make crumb crusts for cheesecakes. Thursday I made the low-fat cheesecake with graham cracker crust; today it was a pumpkin ginger cheesecake pie, from Gourmet magazine, nine years ago; it has a gingersnap crust.

My brother is the cheesecake lover and I will often make it for his birthday, coming up soon. So, the first one is now sliced up, wrapped in foil, and neatly in the freezer downstairs. He will be allowed to eat it all himself. The other is for tomorrow's dessert.  I was very happy a couple of years ago when I learned that mason jars will fit on the blender!  There are plenty of those here - the above is a jelly jar, which was closest to hand. I think making crumbs works better with smaller jars, but I will try it with a larger, since I did have to keep emptying and filling.


Tomorrow's menu:

• Chicken Tenders with Lemon
• Green Beans Gremolata
• cabbage or tossed salad (haven't decided yet)
• white and wild rice
• Pumpkin Ginger Cheesecake Pie

so cute

running stitch for decoration

I'm making my favorite dress pattern for the fourth time, and this image caught my attention.

borrowed from internet

So, this is my version:  a print dress with a wide, matching band at the bottom, with running stitches.

I'm content with mine, but can really appreciate the steady hand of whoever stitched the other one. Or should I say, steady eye!

The neck edge is next, then the sleeves. They're short, but I'm hoping I can make extensions on the sleeves with the gold fabric, and maybe more stitching.

pretty tree

along the main road.

thanks to Linda

Linda brought a big bag of chunky carrots to work - I guess she'd had all she could deal with from the garden. I took a few, and waited. Almost a week later, they were still in the fridge. Just as I expected. I grabbed 'em.  Tonight, carrot soup and BLTs.

the swamp maple

"In the evening,...we stopped to admire the swamp maple in the springlot. It is an old tree; its top is as big as the farmhouse. In spring it was bright satin. This fall it has colored earlier and more richly than the adjacent soft maples. Standing high against the bright blue evening sky, with the western sunlight full upon it, the swamp maple was genuinely spectacular. If there had been nothing else of beauty or goodness on the whole hundred acres, that one tree would have been enough."

                                      - Rural Free, a Farmwife's Almanac of Country Living,  by Rachel Peden