It's official. This is the home of the Ruesch Deer Camp. As you might guess, different members of this family have completely different views of that status. In fact, I only learned of the move from Ruesch farm or Ruesch home to Ruesch Deer Camp when Buck came in on Saturday evening to take a picture of Alyssa and me while we were sewing. "You girls and your sewing are all part of the Ruesch Deer Camp experience," he said as he clicked away. I guess it's true. They hunt. We create.
Since gun deer season falls at Thanksgiving time, it does coincide with other major events like JoAnn's super sale and Christmas gift project planning. Not much on the whole black Friday shopping thing, Alyssa and I headed up to Wausau to buy foam for the chair cushions she will make during their 50% foam sale. We took our time leaving, but knew we had to get there before noon to get the additional 20% coupon advantage. The parking lot was packed. We actually had to wait for someone to leave to get a spot. I was looking for some apron fabric and Insulbright, but was not smart enough to take a cutting number before finding the fabric I wanted, so had to wait and wait and wait. That turned out to be to Alyssa's advantage since she was smart enough to print out JoAnn's coupons before coming home (we'd probably still be waiting for them on the old dial up). She checked out with the 50% coupon two separate times while I waited and waited to have my things cut. Then I checked out another cushion for her and we were set. She decided to brave the dial up connection and print out one more coupon to take with her so that she could stop at JoAnn's in Woodbury for the final cushion. It took a lot longer than it should have, but our trip was worthwhile. Mission accomplished. (She did manage to buy the 4th cushion before we left Wausau after noticing that the clerk did not stamp her remaining 50% coupon as void. Score!)
We went next door to Barnes & Noble so that I could pick up a book on my Christmas shopping list. So far, so good. Then I suggested we stop for a coffee and some lunch and peruse the new craft magazines. We didn't find much until I picked up one more magazine after returning all the others to their places on the rack. There on one page the devil was lurking. We should know better by now, but obviously, we don't. Last year it was a mountain of coasters. A few years ago it was 40 ... yes 40 ... aprons. And we let it happen again. The devil himself jumps off the page and into our brains and we both say at the same time, "We could make those."
Our way home was filled with planning and scheming and figuring. We made lists and figured yardage and made more lists. Saturday morning saw us heading for Marshfield to get supplies. Then it was work, work, work as we set up the assembly line to get our projects done. We made fantastic progress as we cut and ironed and sewed and stitched and cut and ironed and sewed. In the end, we have beautiful projects nearly completed. Actually, all the tedious stuff is done, there is still some construction left. Alyssa left early Sunday morning to head back to Minneapolis with a nice neat stack of projects ready to complete at her convenience. She really does have too many friends. I have a little tiny stack of similar projects since my main gift creation session will not come for a couple of weeks yet. Really, why all this timely preparation when there is still plenty of panic time left before Christmas? It's the way I do things. The devil makes me.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
It's Thanksgiving Day. A day for giving thanks for having to do all the planning, preparation and cooking and baking so the men can do what they enjoy out in the woods. The pumpkin pie is made (the first time in history that there is only one pie in our family), the cranberry bread is cooling, the cranberry salad is cooling, the wild rice and broccoli casserole (a new offering that might throw someone of a bit) is ready to pop in the oven and the turkey is completely thawed (another family first). We might actually have a Thanksgiving dinner with everything done at once. It will be a year of firsts.
Even before all the culinary firsts -- OK, I'm using StoveTop (another first) stuffing, so "culinary" might be an overstatement -- I'm thinking of testing the wine. Heck, it might help to add a mellow glow to the whole cook and serve gala. And, it might make it necessary for Paul to keep his word and grill the turkey this year instead of just starting the grill and walking away until it's time to eat. Not that he's ever done that, of course. And, I'll admit that I've done it, too, which explains our occasional vegetarian Thanksgiving dinners.
Growing up in Racine meant Thanksgiving dinners where people dressed up and acted as if the day was a holiday. Moving to the farm meant that Thanksgiving dinner was an added reward to hunters who designated nine days to manliness and guns and beer and such. Dressing for dinner simply meant leaving the blaze orange on a the floor somewhere because all the chairs were necessary around the table. The meal remains nearly the same, with the exception of the aforementioned boxed stuffing cheat and the omission of those awful sausage experiments in squash and stuffing. Squash should be a recognizable consistency and flavor. Stuffing should be bread and celery and onions and maybe mushrooms (mushrooms are still off limits for Evan, so there won't be any of those this year) mixed with broth. On every other Thanksgiving under my control, those basic ingredients were mixed with broth made by cooking up the turkey neck and gizzards even if it meant cutting up my hands digging them out of the frozen bird. But, in case you can't tell, I'm not in the mood for that this year. Betty Crocker or someone went to all the trouble of inventing StoveTop, so I'm feeling it's pretty darned American to scratch open the box and call it good.
We're a small group this year. Five of us: Alyssa, Evan, Ned, Paul and me. Karl is with Alissa Diane's family in Sheboygan and Kit and Violet headed to Tulsa to visit her family. Evan has to leave tonight to head back to Minneapolis for an early Friday appointment, so we'll have an even smaller group then. Weird.
Alyssa just arrived. That's already a boon to my spirits. Although I love them all, living in Barb's House O'Men can get to be just a little too manly. It's good to have my girl home. She doesn't care about guns or bucks or doe tags either. What a relief. I'm in a better mood already.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Even before all the culinary firsts -- OK, I'm using StoveTop (another first) stuffing, so "culinary" might be an overstatement -- I'm thinking of testing the wine. Heck, it might help to add a mellow glow to the whole cook and serve gala. And, it might make it necessary for Paul to keep his word and grill the turkey this year instead of just starting the grill and walking away until it's time to eat. Not that he's ever done that, of course. And, I'll admit that I've done it, too, which explains our occasional vegetarian Thanksgiving dinners.
Growing up in Racine meant Thanksgiving dinners where people dressed up and acted as if the day was a holiday. Moving to the farm meant that Thanksgiving dinner was an added reward to hunters who designated nine days to manliness and guns and beer and such. Dressing for dinner simply meant leaving the blaze orange on a the floor somewhere because all the chairs were necessary around the table. The meal remains nearly the same, with the exception of the aforementioned boxed stuffing cheat and the omission of those awful sausage experiments in squash and stuffing. Squash should be a recognizable consistency and flavor. Stuffing should be bread and celery and onions and maybe mushrooms (mushrooms are still off limits for Evan, so there won't be any of those this year) mixed with broth. On every other Thanksgiving under my control, those basic ingredients were mixed with broth made by cooking up the turkey neck and gizzards even if it meant cutting up my hands digging them out of the frozen bird. But, in case you can't tell, I'm not in the mood for that this year. Betty Crocker or someone went to all the trouble of inventing StoveTop, so I'm feeling it's pretty darned American to scratch open the box and call it good.
We're a small group this year. Five of us: Alyssa, Evan, Ned, Paul and me. Karl is with Alissa Diane's family in Sheboygan and Kit and Violet headed to Tulsa to visit her family. Evan has to leave tonight to head back to Minneapolis for an early Friday appointment, so we'll have an even smaller group then. Weird.
Alyssa just arrived. That's already a boon to my spirits. Although I love them all, living in Barb's House O'Men can get to be just a little too manly. It's good to have my girl home. She doesn't care about guns or bucks or doe tags either. What a relief. I'm in a better mood already.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
A fruitful opening day
Opening Day of deer hunting has been an exciting day for the men around here for as long as I can remember. When the kids were younger Alyssa got to do most of the chores so that the boys could hunt. She was always thrilled, as you might imagine. It's also been a day of constant cooking for me since the guys hunted at home, they were in and out all day and always hungry.
Alas, it is a new era. Kit, Ned and Karl slept in the shack last night which meant very little commotion around here this morning with just Paul and Evan in the house and Paul wasn't exactly moving very quickly (you can ask him to explain that sometime). There was a pre-dawn phone call letting Evan know that the bacon was ready and he'd have to cook his own eggs, but that was about it for early morning happenings. A far cry from historical opening days and I was prepared to take full advantage of it.
I finished the two autumn pillow covers I had been working on. Our couch (or sofa or davenport or whatever you want to call it) is green. I love it. It came with two green pillows that are a very nice size and shape, but plain green pillows in the exact fabric as the couch have always seemed pretty dorky to me. It has a lot to do with my preference for things that are not too matchy, I suppose. At any rate, it occurred to me in one of my recent Minneapolis travels that I could just make seasonal covers for those pillows and then I wouldn't have a pile of extra pillows to store since I have big plans for this seasonal thing. Pillow covers are pretty compact for storing and yes, I deemed myself brilliant. So, this morning I finished those pillow covers and they are pretty darned cute -- deep chocolate brown tweed appliqued with several different orange plaid pumpkins . I also finished a little runner -- appliqued acorns and oak leaves -- just in time for Thanksgiving. All this before noon without any interruptions because the guys are in and out of the shack instead of the house. This shack thing is great.
I did make some venison for sandwiches and invited my men to come in and eat. They didn't even linger. It was back out to hunt with their breaks in the shack. Great. I managed to attach the binding to one of my quilts do the binding on one for my sister, as well. It was like a regular sewing factory here today. I could actually learn to like this hunting season thing.
Getty stopped in to say hello on his way back to the woods and I've seen a few sets of headlights head back there, but other than that, it's been a very quiet day. It's even quiet hunting-wise. No deer and not much shooting around the neighborhood. (I caught a mouse, but I don't want to brag.) The deer harvest might not be much today, but the sewing accomplishments are record-breaking.
Evan just came in and reported that the loft in the shack sleeps pretty well. He's done quite a bit of napping out there today as he still fights off the nasty virus that is bothering him. He heads back to Minneapolis early tomorrow for a mid-morning appointment and will leave his brothers to try to beat his 2009 hunting record since he already shot two deer while bow-hunting before he went for the transplant. I don't know if any of them will match him, but I do know they're all enjoying the time together in the shack. And, yes, I am also thoroughly enjoying their time together in the shack.
Alas, it is a new era. Kit, Ned and Karl slept in the shack last night which meant very little commotion around here this morning with just Paul and Evan in the house and Paul wasn't exactly moving very quickly (you can ask him to explain that sometime). There was a pre-dawn phone call letting Evan know that the bacon was ready and he'd have to cook his own eggs, but that was about it for early morning happenings. A far cry from historical opening days and I was prepared to take full advantage of it.
I finished the two autumn pillow covers I had been working on. Our couch (or sofa or davenport or whatever you want to call it) is green. I love it. It came with two green pillows that are a very nice size and shape, but plain green pillows in the exact fabric as the couch have always seemed pretty dorky to me. It has a lot to do with my preference for things that are not too matchy, I suppose. At any rate, it occurred to me in one of my recent Minneapolis travels that I could just make seasonal covers for those pillows and then I wouldn't have a pile of extra pillows to store since I have big plans for this seasonal thing. Pillow covers are pretty compact for storing and yes, I deemed myself brilliant. So, this morning I finished those pillow covers and they are pretty darned cute -- deep chocolate brown tweed appliqued with several different orange plaid pumpkins . I also finished a little runner -- appliqued acorns and oak leaves -- just in time for Thanksgiving. All this before noon without any interruptions because the guys are in and out of the shack instead of the house. This shack thing is great.
I did make some venison for sandwiches and invited my men to come in and eat. They didn't even linger. It was back out to hunt with their breaks in the shack. Great. I managed to attach the binding to one of my quilts do the binding on one for my sister, as well. It was like a regular sewing factory here today. I could actually learn to like this hunting season thing.
Getty stopped in to say hello on his way back to the woods and I've seen a few sets of headlights head back there, but other than that, it's been a very quiet day. It's even quiet hunting-wise. No deer and not much shooting around the neighborhood. (I caught a mouse, but I don't want to brag.) The deer harvest might not be much today, but the sewing accomplishments are record-breaking.
Evan just came in and reported that the loft in the shack sleeps pretty well. He's done quite a bit of napping out there today as he still fights off the nasty virus that is bothering him. He heads back to Minneapolis early tomorrow for a mid-morning appointment and will leave his brothers to try to beat his 2009 hunting record since he already shot two deer while bow-hunting before he went for the transplant. I don't know if any of them will match him, but I do know they're all enjoying the time together in the shack. And, yes, I am also thoroughly enjoying their time together in the shack.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Running the course
Evan went back to Minneapolis on Sunday -- alone. His weekend home was spent trying to rest and feel normal. It wasn't all that successful. He's fighting off a virus that leaves him sleep deprived and uncomfortable. He had an appointment with this doctor yesterday and will go in again on Friday before heading home for the weekend again. His doctor told him the virus just needs to run its course. We're all hoping a change in his myriad of medications and a little time will help him jump back on the feel-good wagon.
We met last night to work on the fundraiser. Raffle tickets are ready! Posters are going up in the area and we're ready to get this thing going. Actually, the generosity of donors is what is getting this thing going. Check out www.evanruesch.org and see the list of items we have on the raffle so far. It's pretty amazing.
I'm making breakfast while doing this --- yes, I know what they say about multi-tasking, but we have dial-up, so it doesn't apply to us. I left work yesterday just in time to get to Lynn and Bill's for our meeting, snacked on some cheese and crackers there, came home and went to bed and this morning I am hungry. I've got bacon and eggs going, which also got Paul stirring. It's almost like a Saturday. Actually it's my Friday. I'm taking off Thursday and Friday which is well-deserved after twelve hours on Monday and ten on Tuesday (I don't think my boss ever reads this, but just in case he might, I feel obligated to include the martyr details). Paul's taking over the breakfast, so I'd best get going, but rest assured, I'll be back another day with a little more time and fill you in on the exciting details of opening weekend of deer hunting. Kit, Karl and Evan will all join Ned and Paul in the new (finished? come on -- we're still Ruesches) hunting shack. My breakfast is ready. And that, folks, is how multi-tasking works. Someone else swoops in and takes over and two things really do get done at once!
We met last night to work on the fundraiser. Raffle tickets are ready! Posters are going up in the area and we're ready to get this thing going. Actually, the generosity of donors is what is getting this thing going. Check out www.evanruesch.org and see the list of items we have on the raffle so far. It's pretty amazing.
I'm making breakfast while doing this --- yes, I know what they say about multi-tasking, but we have dial-up, so it doesn't apply to us. I left work yesterday just in time to get to Lynn and Bill's for our meeting, snacked on some cheese and crackers there, came home and went to bed and this morning I am hungry. I've got bacon and eggs going, which also got Paul stirring. It's almost like a Saturday. Actually it's my Friday. I'm taking off Thursday and Friday which is well-deserved after twelve hours on Monday and ten on Tuesday (I don't think my boss ever reads this, but just in case he might, I feel obligated to include the martyr details). Paul's taking over the breakfast, so I'd best get going, but rest assured, I'll be back another day with a little more time and fill you in on the exciting details of opening weekend of deer hunting. Kit, Karl and Evan will all join Ned and Paul in the new (finished? come on -- we're still Ruesches) hunting shack. My breakfast is ready. And that, folks, is how multi-tasking works. Someone else swoops in and takes over and two things really do get done at once!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Home for the weekend
Evan is home for the weekend. I know. I'm surprised, too! He's been approved to drive again and to be home between appointments. At first I worried that it was too soon or too risky or too something. Then, I told my worry brain to shut up and accept the small miracles for what they are. So, it's safe to say the Evan's recovery from the transplant process is going well. He's not going out to split a load of wood today, but he's home for a couple of days, so that's big step in the right direction.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Good news week
Good news: As I talked Paul through making dinner for Alyssa and Evan last night, I learned that Evan's progress remains at its remarkable pace. He is scheduled for a scan on Thursday and then will haveFIVE days between appointments. It is absolutely wonderful.
More good news: Ned and friend traveled to Indiana last Saturday to pick up the new puppies. Two Leopard hound females who are the definition of cute. Poppy (I got to name her) is a little tiny bundle of spots. Belle is black with tan feet, muzzle and eyebrows. Older than Poppy, she has huge feet and looks like a gangly adolescent in comparison to the other dogs. She's very friendly and answered to her name as soon as Ned gave it to her. The new pups join Amos, Josie and Apollo, the other Leopard hounds. And, of course, Daisy, the all-American mutt who preceded all of them here at the Hawthorn Hill dog farm.
Still more good news: We will have two weddings in our family in 2010. Kit and Violet will be married in May and Karl and Alissa Diane will be married in September. Of course the most wonderful part of all of this is that we really get to say that Violet and Alissa are part of our family. We are thrilled!
No news, but maybe you'll care: Yesterday morning was a bust. I spilled my breakfast smoothie while making it, left late for work, screwed up a report I was working on and had a rotten headache. This morning my smoothie is smooth, I'm already ready for work, I got in a few minutes of knitting and I'm looking forward to a successful day of reporting. None of it compares to any of the above, but all of the above certainly attributes to a great day!
More good news: Ned and friend traveled to Indiana last Saturday to pick up the new puppies. Two Leopard hound females who are the definition of cute. Poppy (I got to name her) is a little tiny bundle of spots. Belle is black with tan feet, muzzle and eyebrows. Older than Poppy, she has huge feet and looks like a gangly adolescent in comparison to the other dogs. She's very friendly and answered to her name as soon as Ned gave it to her. The new pups join Amos, Josie and Apollo, the other Leopard hounds. And, of course, Daisy, the all-American mutt who preceded all of them here at the Hawthorn Hill dog farm.
Still more good news: We will have two weddings in our family in 2010. Kit and Violet will be married in May and Karl and Alissa Diane will be married in September. Of course the most wonderful part of all of this is that we really get to say that Violet and Alissa are part of our family. We are thrilled!
No news, but maybe you'll care: Yesterday morning was a bust. I spilled my breakfast smoothie while making it, left late for work, screwed up a report I was working on and had a rotten headache. This morning my smoothie is smooth, I'm already ready for work, I got in a few minutes of knitting and I'm looking forward to a successful day of reporting. None of it compares to any of the above, but all of the above certainly attributes to a great day!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
The Switch
I left Minneapolis around 10:30 Friday morning; just after Evan finished baking cookies for some of his little friends back in Milladore and I finished vacuuming. His friend Getty was due to arrive by noon and Kit was scheduled to show up in the evening. The apartment could almost use a turnstyle at the front door. Alyssa had a conference to attend this weekend, which means the crowd wasn't likely to bother her much.
Although I always look forward to getting home again, it's still hard to leave even though Evan doesn't need much caregiving. He's looking pretty good and in positive spirits. The only thing that gives any indication of something going on is the constant high-noon-in-the-Sahara temperature he likes to maintain in the apartment. Even that isn't such a big deal. The rest of us can wear short sleeves.
My drive home was uneventful except for a rather disturbing personalized plate on a vehicle ahead of me. Minnesota plates reading WILD4PUK. It took me a minute to realize this license plate probably belongs to a hockey fan. My first reading lead me to believe it was probably the vehicle of a bulimic. Naturally, that lead me to think of other equally unappetizing plates: IHURL4U; PUKE4FUN, VOMIT etc., etc. Lucky for me that vehicle turned off in St Paul, leaving my mind to wander to more pleasant places. More pleasant always seems to arrive when crossing the state line. It takes just 30 minutes to travel from Alyssa's apartment to the state of Wisconsin; yet the next 3 hours always seem like the short part of the ride. I did manage 3 stops in that 3 hours. Coffee; quilt shop (found the flannel I needed) and another quilt shop just for kicks. Throw in a couple of book stores on the way and I'd never make it home.
Today was spent, in large part, preparing for the switch. Paul will go up on Monday, so as I unpack, I think of what he'll need; as I shop for our empty larder here, I think of what we need there; as I cook here, I think of what I'll send along up there as we all prepare for another week.
Although I always look forward to getting home again, it's still hard to leave even though Evan doesn't need much caregiving. He's looking pretty good and in positive spirits. The only thing that gives any indication of something going on is the constant high-noon-in-the-Sahara temperature he likes to maintain in the apartment. Even that isn't such a big deal. The rest of us can wear short sleeves.
My drive home was uneventful except for a rather disturbing personalized plate on a vehicle ahead of me. Minnesota plates reading WILD4PUK. It took me a minute to realize this license plate probably belongs to a hockey fan. My first reading lead me to believe it was probably the vehicle of a bulimic. Naturally, that lead me to think of other equally unappetizing plates: IHURL4U; PUKE4FUN, VOMIT etc., etc. Lucky for me that vehicle turned off in St Paul, leaving my mind to wander to more pleasant places. More pleasant always seems to arrive when crossing the state line. It takes just 30 minutes to travel from Alyssa's apartment to the state of Wisconsin; yet the next 3 hours always seem like the short part of the ride. I did manage 3 stops in that 3 hours. Coffee; quilt shop (found the flannel I needed) and another quilt shop just for kicks. Throw in a couple of book stores on the way and I'd never make it home.
Today was spent, in large part, preparing for the switch. Paul will go up on Monday, so as I unpack, I think of what he'll need; as I shop for our empty larder here, I think of what we need there; as I cook here, I think of what I'll send along up there as we all prepare for another week.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Broadening horizons
Today is Evan's birthday. He started out the day with an 8:00 a.m. clinic appointment for lab work and a magnesium infusion. We left there around 10:00 and headed back to Ruesch West, Alyssa's apartment.
Today seemed much better than yesterday, which was bill-paying day for Evan; he was in a foul mood all day after bartering with the clinic on his expected monthly payment. Can't say as I blame him for getting down on that. I gave him a little space by walking to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for a while in the afternoon. It's a beautiful place; the current special exhibit is Masterpieces from the Louvre, which I really wanted to see. The $14 admission fee prevented that since I went with only Kleenex and the apartment key in my pocket. It will still be here when I return, so I'll head over again then. In fact, I only toured the 2nd floor yesterday, so I'll have to go back for the 3rd floor and the Louvre exhibit.
After returning from the clinic this morning, Evan told me he'd like a poppy seed cake for his birthday. Actually, he said, "I think Alyssa really wants a poppy seed cake for my birthday." A quick check for ingredients told me I was going to go out into the city streets again. No poppy seed. As it turns out, I did a little internet searching yesterday for places close enough to go on my own without fear of getting frightfully lost (it doesn't take much).
I found a quilt shop that is midway between here and the Seward Coop. Eureka! I did a mapquest and recognized all street names. When I mentioned this to Alyssa last night, she told me of an even quicker (and straighter) route to the shop. So, I left Evan this morning to find Glad Creations Quilt Shop. Nice little shop, lots of fabrics (no flannels though and that's what I need for my newest secret project), very friendly, tons of samples and the best part of all -- the fusible web I can no longer find close to home. What a great find! I left there knowing where I was heading next and how to get there. I even made a left turn from a corner without a traffic signal and made a u-turn when a truck was blocking another intersection.
That u-turn put me down a street that ended across from the Native American center, which has a beautiful parquet wood design on the side of the building that I had never noticed before. It also took me past a meat market which remains nameless, but its driveway was filled with a meat truck bearing the slogan, "We'll never give you a bum steer" Good one, eh?! At any rate, it was then that I realized that making that daring left turn and u-turn put me down paths I would have been afraid to travel if Alyssa didn't keep encouraging me to explore a bit more. Granted this was not uncharted expedition, but it did get me places I hadn't dared to go before. That's good.
And now, back to the poppy seed cake. I couldn't find Grandma's recipe in Alyssa's recipe box, so found one in a saved email from my friend Karen. The topping called for white sugar instead of Grandma's brown sugar and I figured, what the heck, I'll try it. The cake looks great. Alyssa and Evan should be back any minute with the Juicy Lucy burgers Evan requested for his birthday treat (another new adventure for me) and we'll all celebrate Evan's birthday knowing that next year the horizons will be even greater.
Today seemed much better than yesterday, which was bill-paying day for Evan; he was in a foul mood all day after bartering with the clinic on his expected monthly payment. Can't say as I blame him for getting down on that. I gave him a little space by walking to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for a while in the afternoon. It's a beautiful place; the current special exhibit is Masterpieces from the Louvre, which I really wanted to see. The $14 admission fee prevented that since I went with only Kleenex and the apartment key in my pocket. It will still be here when I return, so I'll head over again then. In fact, I only toured the 2nd floor yesterday, so I'll have to go back for the 3rd floor and the Louvre exhibit.
After returning from the clinic this morning, Evan told me he'd like a poppy seed cake for his birthday. Actually, he said, "I think Alyssa really wants a poppy seed cake for my birthday." A quick check for ingredients told me I was going to go out into the city streets again. No poppy seed. As it turns out, I did a little internet searching yesterday for places close enough to go on my own without fear of getting frightfully lost (it doesn't take much).
I found a quilt shop that is midway between here and the Seward Coop. Eureka! I did a mapquest and recognized all street names. When I mentioned this to Alyssa last night, she told me of an even quicker (and straighter) route to the shop. So, I left Evan this morning to find Glad Creations Quilt Shop. Nice little shop, lots of fabrics (no flannels though and that's what I need for my newest secret project), very friendly, tons of samples and the best part of all -- the fusible web I can no longer find close to home. What a great find! I left there knowing where I was heading next and how to get there. I even made a left turn from a corner without a traffic signal and made a u-turn when a truck was blocking another intersection.
That u-turn put me down a street that ended across from the Native American center, which has a beautiful parquet wood design on the side of the building that I had never noticed before. It also took me past a meat market which remains nameless, but its driveway was filled with a meat truck bearing the slogan, "We'll never give you a bum steer" Good one, eh?! At any rate, it was then that I realized that making that daring left turn and u-turn put me down paths I would have been afraid to travel if Alyssa didn't keep encouraging me to explore a bit more. Granted this was not uncharted expedition, but it did get me places I hadn't dared to go before. That's good.
And now, back to the poppy seed cake. I couldn't find Grandma's recipe in Alyssa's recipe box, so found one in a saved email from my friend Karen. The topping called for white sugar instead of Grandma's brown sugar and I figured, what the heck, I'll try it. The cake looks great. Alyssa and Evan should be back any minute with the Juicy Lucy burgers Evan requested for his birthday treat (another new adventure for me) and we'll all celebrate Evan's birthday knowing that next year the horizons will be even greater.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Cooking with gas
The owner of my former favorite yarn shop used the line, "cooking with gas" when the needles were flying and the stitches were smooth and orderly. Unfortunately, she had to close her lovely little shop, but left me with great lines and a plentiful yarn stash. And now, here I am, away from home, knitting a new project for a special loved one with beautiful yarn procured from my favorite Minneapolis yarn shop and cooking with gas. Really. After years of electric cooking on the farm, the gas stove is almost as much a treat as a really good yarn. When it's on, it's on. When it's not, it's not. (Is that a Cole Porter song?) At any rate, I have a hearty venison stew simmering on the stove while Evan is shaping the rye loaves to bake for our late dinner. He used Grandma's Wonderful Rye Bread recipe, so our expectations are high. Oh, and for dessert, we still have last night's apple pie.
Alyssa is working out after work and plans to be home around 7:00. Since she's such a gracious hostess, waiting dinner for her is the least we can do. It's not like we're so busy all day that we can't adjust our schedules.
Evan had an 8:00 appointment this morning for lab work and to see the doctor. All is well. We left the BMT Clinic by 9:30 and headed back here where he made himself a little brunch. His morning meds give him a bit of an upset stomach, so waiting to eat makes good sense. After deciding on our day's menu, I left to go to the yarn shop -- it really is wonderful -- and to the coop for a few necessities. (And yes, I do have a yarn stash, but not always the perfect yarn for a certain project. It's just the way it works.) The coop is always busy, which surprises me. Guess that's just the small town coming out. I was looking for popcorn. Plain old popcorn. Evan doesn't like the stuff Alyssa has here, so I thought replacing it would be a pretty easy order to fill. Wrong. The snack section had Paul Newman's microwave popcorn, which is useless here, (Since Alyssa's Barbie's Dream House kitchen will not offer up the space for a microwave and a cutting board, the cutting board wins.), lots of pre-popped, bagged popcorn (organic, of course), but no plain old popcorn in a jar. I suppose I could have found some in the bulk foods aisle, but since the stuff that's here is from the Amish bulk foods store on Blueberry Rd, I figured another bulk popcorn could very well be another bust. So, no popcorn. But the Guacamole organic tortilla chips I bought in error, turned out to be pretty good, so don't worry about anyone fading away up here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes from lack of snacks.
A few years ago, Paul and Karl and I traveled to visit Alyssa in Denver: I kept a journal of that trip. Karl was, at the time, reading an account of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Each time I asked him for a contribution for the journal, he said, "rations are adequate and morale is high." That holds true here as well.
Alyssa is working out after work and plans to be home around 7:00. Since she's such a gracious hostess, waiting dinner for her is the least we can do. It's not like we're so busy all day that we can't adjust our schedules.
Evan had an 8:00 appointment this morning for lab work and to see the doctor. All is well. We left the BMT Clinic by 9:30 and headed back here where he made himself a little brunch. His morning meds give him a bit of an upset stomach, so waiting to eat makes good sense. After deciding on our day's menu, I left to go to the yarn shop -- it really is wonderful -- and to the coop for a few necessities. (And yes, I do have a yarn stash, but not always the perfect yarn for a certain project. It's just the way it works.) The coop is always busy, which surprises me. Guess that's just the small town coming out. I was looking for popcorn. Plain old popcorn. Evan doesn't like the stuff Alyssa has here, so I thought replacing it would be a pretty easy order to fill. Wrong. The snack section had Paul Newman's microwave popcorn, which is useless here, (Since Alyssa's Barbie's Dream House kitchen will not offer up the space for a microwave and a cutting board, the cutting board wins.), lots of pre-popped, bagged popcorn (organic, of course), but no plain old popcorn in a jar. I suppose I could have found some in the bulk foods aisle, but since the stuff that's here is from the Amish bulk foods store on Blueberry Rd, I figured another bulk popcorn could very well be another bust. So, no popcorn. But the Guacamole organic tortilla chips I bought in error, turned out to be pretty good, so don't worry about anyone fading away up here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes from lack of snacks.
A few years ago, Paul and Karl and I traveled to visit Alyssa in Denver: I kept a journal of that trip. Karl was, at the time, reading an account of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Each time I asked him for a contribution for the journal, he said, "rations are adequate and morale is high." That holds true here as well.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Great Apple Pie
I arrived today at about 2:00 p.m. after an uneventful drive and nice stop at the Quilt Yard in Osseo. The only slightly unusual sighting was that of several very large motorhomes decked out in purple and yellow. Viking fans heading home from Green Bay on our otherwise scenic Wisconsin highways. While football doesn't much interest me, the one minivan painted purple with Viking logos on all sides and sporting Viking flags and rude little cartoon characters doing something distasteful to Green Bay helmets did strike me as a bit over the tasteful fan threshold, but I left in in the dust and thought that was enough of a statement.
I brought apples along, not knowing that there were already plenty of apples here. To take care of that situation, Evan suggested a pie. We made a great Apple Pie with Oatmeal Cookie crust from the Enchanted Broccoli Forest cookbook. After a dinner of salmon and green beans sauteed in sesame oil, garlic and onion, Alyssa beckoned her neighbors who joined us for dessert. They brought the ice cream. Vanilla and Cinnamon. A scoop of cinnamon on a piece of apple pie was great. Evan is apparently impressing the neighbors with his baking abilities. I heard talk of delicious ginger snaps last week and promises of bread this week. Since he can't really go anywhere, he is using his time to hone his domestic skills. Alyssa and her friends are very appreciative of his efforts.
Tomorrow morning is a doctor appointment. I'm thinking the afternoon may demand a yarn shop run. I finished a knitted item for a loved one this evening (clever how I don't spill any Christmas beans, isn't it?) and think it may be improved upon with a more exciting yarn choice or pattern choice or both. We shall see.
I brought apples along, not knowing that there were already plenty of apples here. To take care of that situation, Evan suggested a pie. We made a great Apple Pie with Oatmeal Cookie crust from the Enchanted Broccoli Forest cookbook. After a dinner of salmon and green beans sauteed in sesame oil, garlic and onion, Alyssa beckoned her neighbors who joined us for dessert. They brought the ice cream. Vanilla and Cinnamon. A scoop of cinnamon on a piece of apple pie was great. Evan is apparently impressing the neighbors with his baking abilities. I heard talk of delicious ginger snaps last week and promises of bread this week. Since he can't really go anywhere, he is using his time to hone his domestic skills. Alyssa and her friends are very appreciative of his efforts.
Tomorrow morning is a doctor appointment. I'm thinking the afternoon may demand a yarn shop run. I finished a knitted item for a loved one this evening (clever how I don't spill any Christmas beans, isn't it?) and think it may be improved upon with a more exciting yarn choice or pattern choice or both. We shall see.
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