Spring Snow

The frog wasn't impressed with the over 6" of snow we got in about 12 hours...

and the primroses were whining "Where's spring? Where's spring?"

Silly girls - it IS spring!!!

Lovin' from the oven...

Pillsbury Doughboy, get out your tanning lotion. Sorry, you'll just never measure up to these brown beauties!

With an investment in some dough additives like lecithin and gluten, freshly ground flax seed, and a quality yeast like SAS - you, too, can experience the heady aroma of yeasty whole wheat bread wafting through your home!

These voluptuous rolls are made from Becky's "tweaked" recipe for whole wheat bread. Moist, a good "crumb" with a chewy mouth feel, and most of all - humongous flavor. The additions are critical, and so worth the few extra dollars.

We usually make the recipe, which is super simple and fast, into small loaves. This particular day I was having some young LDS missionaries join us for lunch - soup and rolls sounded good. So I made part of the batch into these rolls. Inspiration, for sure! Along with Mom's yummy strawberry jam and creamy Tillamook butter, they were quickly GONE!

Next time maybe YOU will be on my "come on over for lunch" list! The soup pot is almost always on the stove, and chances are, the bread or rolls will be coming out of the oven!

White Beans 'n Kale

This is my favorite really quick winter (and spring, and summer, and fall) warm lunch or dinner dish! So easy, no recipe - it's one of those "about this much" type cooking.

I start with a medium fry pan with enough water to cover the bottom about 1/4" deep. This is my sautee' liquid, rather than oil. Add some seasonings, like my favorite Bragg's Organic Sprinkle which has lots of herbs and spices, including rosemary and thyme which go so well with beans. You can adjust seasonings at the end, too.

One onion, and several cloves garlic. Use the amounts that you like - heavy on the garlic if you like garlic, which I do! Put in the pan and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium.

Rough chop kale (or chard leaves), a couple of handfuls or so, and toss into the pan with the onions and garlic when they've sauteed for a few minutes. You can lid or not; I just sort of stir-fry at this point, so I can keep testing the kale. I like it a bit al dente' but cook it until you like whatever tenderness suits you. Just don't cook it until it loses it's bright green! Not only not appetizing, but by then all the nutrients are compromised - just sayin'. May have to add a bit more water, don't let the pan go dry.

My quick meal involves canned beans - usually white beans, but I like black beans in it, too. Dump the beans into a sieve and rinse, then into the pan and toss gently until the beans are heated. Taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed. I don't salt it.

This whole process takes about 6-8 minutes, if you have everything ready to rock 'n roll. That includes chopping! So you can tell the cooking time is pretty short...

Scoop your serving (this made two) into a lovely bowl, then drizzle some (about 1 T.) good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon over. Dig into heaven in a bowl!

Mom had a nice bowlful along with me for lunch. She opted to have a small bit of Bragg's Liquid Aminos added to her bowl, which is yummy too.

This is soul food, for sure! Heavenly flavor, nutritious, pretty! So satisfying in texture and taste.

Especially if the kale was just picked from your winter garden...

Lovin' from the February Garden

Today's harvest: sweet kale kissed by winter frosts and cold rain, and even sweeter carrots over-wintered in their cozy raised bed!

The long skinny carrots are Imperators, which demand a deep bed - the raised beds are really ideal for this old-time favorite. The shorter chunky carrots are one of three Nantes varieties in another part of the raised bed. Nantes are more triangular and easier to pull, even when the soil is soaking wet from a hail/snow/sleet burst.

My morning chores today included emptying the compost pail onto the pallet-fenced compost bin, which is right next to the carrots and kale beds. That was intentionally planned, by the way. The compost bins and two raised beds are on the garden edge. No slogging through ankle-deep mud to reach those treasures during the winter! A layer of free sawdust on the borders and paths between beds keeps footing solid and relatively clean.

Our garden area always holds a LOT of water during the winter and spring due to an underground run-off from the hillside above us. The raised beds are helping to solve that challenge. Makes weeding minimal, and harvesting a joy, all year!

Now we have steamed FRESH carrots and a kale/onion/garlic/white bean saute' on the lunch menu - yum! Love our winter veggies!

Is there a Cat Union?

"Voodoo Bunny, on the job. We've been making Companion Quilts for OHSU terminal patients, and you know it would never get done without ME!"

"Oh, puh-leeze! Like you are important or something. Now me, I definately am the mover on this project. There is nothing more important than quality control and eyes-on-the-job!"

"Of course I have to lend a hand - er, paw - to keep things moving along. You wouldn't believe what slackers I have to work with...act like they've never seen a needle before."

"Schmoozing will get you no where, back to work!"

"This supervision gig is just plain tiring. Last quilt for today."

We are SO grateful when the little wretch finally vacates a quilt and finds a softer place to grab her naps. Even if it IS on my bed, on my special soft nap blanket - that's mine and MAX's nap blanket, if you don't mind.

She rotates from Mom doing the tying in the dining room, to me cutting and sewing in the sewing/guest room. It's an obsession - she HAS to be right in the middle of whatever we are doing. She is an artist at sneaky pin-pulling on a quilt all ready to sew, steals thread spools, slithers under whatever fabric is on the cutting table - in general, a PEST!

Voodoo Bunny is a saint. Never says a word about the antics of disruption of our job.

Arizona - Homeschooler's Playday

Large homeschooling groups usually plan a lot of social structure and physical activities into their combined outings. The Estrella Hills group invited their member families to a playday at this beautiful park, complete with a lake, playground, picnic pavilions, tennis court and gorgeous views.
Parents can participate as instructors for various activities. The tennis court was divided into age groups of younger kids. One half had Max's group, the other had Jayden's group. The tennis instructors and several helpers had the kids all looking pretty good and enjoying a fun sport!

Max is ready... (note the ball, just above his head)

... to slam the ball a good one! And he did! The other kids were in awe, since a number of them were still trying to make contact...

"And that's how it's done!"

The playground area catered to all ages, which is a good thing since the Wright guys are spread across every age!
Carrie and Brent took on the fishing gear, making sure any kids interested had help with hooks, poles, and safety notes. My pole made the trip from Wisconsin to Arizona, so I was a happy participant!

The lake has a HUGE coot population, I've never seen so many in one place. This pretty little gal came prepared, with her bread bag. The boys were fascinated by the lobed feet - like chicken feet that have walked to many miles and swelled up.

Makes them good swimmers and good hikers. Ever watch a duck walk? Definately more of a water bird!

It was sunny Arizona alright, but a really cold wind was making itself felt for the first several days I was there. Fishing was almost as cold as on the coast!

It was catch-and-release, but we didn't have to worry - no one caught anything! The smaller kids from other families weren't impressed, and their short attention spans had them off to the playground again. We stuck it out. Beautiful scenery, sunshine - kinda peaceful. Oh, and the bantering and jokes, as usual with fishermen!

From a couple of dead floaters, we think there were carp and maybe a panfish like a Bluegill or something, stocked in the lake. At the other end.

The big guys decided tennis looked like their game, they've swatted a few balls before. So they commandeered some rackets and balls and took over the basketball court. It was a rousing game, all hands on deck!

At one point, Collin played "sports commentator" with a running patter on the court action. The players had a hard time concentrating, for laughing so hard!

It was a super day. Having Brent home on a Friday is still a novelty for them, to be enjoyed to the fullest. Nothing like a family playing and laughing together. The best of times!

Arizona - the rest of the hike!

Horseplay is their middle name! It takes very little to prompt a round of shenanigans and laughter with these guys. And the leader of the pack? Well, let's just say the punks inherited their sense of humor honestly!

As we left the "river" area, some comment led to Than and Collin proving they could hoist their dad, and practice some Scout rescue techniques at the same time...

Of course that segued into "gotta make it real, what if it was a REAL emergency"! Like I said - hams!

Not to be left out, the younger punks wanted in on the fun, seeing who could lift them - good thing laughter doesn't weigh anything, they would have never been able to do it. THEN they decided they could just finish the hike this way...

Real limp bodies there, like sacks of oats...they are nothing if not thorough in their role playing. Comes from all those plays they were in...

Fortunately, they draw the line at getting gramma's feet off the ground. Their mama taught them the hazards of that move...so I was safe laughing on the sidelines, enjoying the fun! I was also the repository for all the water bottles. Kangaroo pouch sweatshirt.

(And can I just say DESERT? That ain't beach sand! And thorny bushes are very rude...)

So off they went - Than and Col made it back to the car. I think Brent lost his load, which was the heftiest (sorry, Lee) thanks to a distraction a little farther up the trail.

Me? I lagged behind to locate a pesky little singing bird flitting and hiding in a big thorn bush.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Had nothing to do with being slow...