EASTER DAY

Our country home was hit with about two inches of snow today.  We had about that much all winter and now it is slippery, cold, and very white.  Pretty, but it is spring.  People are in the ditches on the highway our daughter reported to us after she called that she was safely home after her dinnertime here with us for Easter.

We had wonderful ham from Nueske's in Wittenberg, Wisconsin.  It is applewood smoked and so very good.  I made good potato salad, and some delicious corn bread from a recipe of Ina Garten's .  It has cheese and onions in it and it is also topped with cheese.  Rich and tall and moist corn bread, the best recipe ever I believe.  Leslie brought homemade lemon bars.  

The dogs played, having Dottie, Leslie's dog, here also as their company.  They like having her visit.  Roy took a nap and Leslie and I scrolled online sites and did a little shopping and also just looking, visiting, laughing, talking about life, jewelry, books, family, and our dogs also.  It was a good time and this almost 70 year old will treasure it.  It is always nice to have a pleasant time on a holiday, even if we are home.  I am grateful.  

Oh, I am the younger one....with the very white hair.   Silly me, my daughter is the young one, with the long pretty dark red hair, naturally curly and so pretty.

Hoping all of you had a good holiday also, Easter, Passover, or whatever your Sunday was for you.

Changes in the Neighborhood

Sometimes it is hard to put yourself in other's places.  Some people have a harder time with it then others.  It seems that I can do this, and maybe it is why I was a pretty good counselor, social worker, and Sunday School teacher for teens.  I listen, but I also care and both help to feel for others.  Thank you, GOD.

Today as I watched neighbors down the road working on taking down fence poles and wire across the road from our house, I could not help but hurt for them.  Three generations had been farming this land, but recently the dad sold it at a land auction.  It is a 65 acre plot that had been used by them for hay, cows, and then crops during my 25 years of living across the road from it.  I have enjoyed see the evolution of it, plus the evolution of dad on tractor, son on tractor, grandson herding the cattle with a four-wheeler, and lately a fourth generation also...that same grandson riding his daughter or son on the four-wheeler with their dogs following behind.  Lots of memories and I am only the observing neighbor.  

Somewhere it had to be decided to sell this land, told that he wanted to pay off all of his bills and build a new barn before he died....about 75 years old now.  But I so felt for the son and grandson as they worked hard on this nice spring day to cut wire, cut some trees, pull up poles and drag away trees they had cut down.  I am imagining that they made some deal with the businessman who purchased the land that they could pull up the poles and fencing and keep it.  They have been some of those Missouri farmers that have scrapped by with everything to hold things together so even used fence poles are a great treasure.  I know the son told my husband he was not too happy about the land being sold.  Division there between generations and yet he and his son had to be out there doing the hard work today.

The new owner is a business man who is buying up acres and then hires others to farm them.  He has had it surveyed and has claimed 1/2 of the abandoned county road so down comes fence on all sides, and he will bulldoze the edges to incorporate more land and also have it better to access with big equipment without a fence.  I am happy always to see progress.  I am glad he hired a local farmer to till the ground for crops.  I am glad for my neighbors that they got a very good price for the land.  But today, just today, I could not help but feel for the two guys working their land for the last time.  I could imagine them saying a little "goodbye" with each pole they took out.

Country life is wonderful, and it, like city life, can also be brutal at times.  It was a nice warm spring day to be outside working.  It was good to work with your child and dogs around, but I can just imagine the "heartache" of the day.  

BEAUTIFUL MORNING IN MY COUNTRY NEIGHBORHOOD

March 30, 2018, I was out in the backyard with my three little dogs, about 6:30 a.m..  It was warmer and peaceful.  As I turned to look West, I was graced with a beauty of a moon setting.  Moon was bright deep orange with some dark grey clouds in front of it.  What a beauty.  It made me think of a time long ago when driving across the country, and the Moon was speaking to us as it looked huge and wonderful.  We were going across South Dakota I believe.  My youngest child was in the backseat and piped up that the Moon was so pretty and looked like when I hang a picture on a wall with a nail.  She said that it looked like someone just hung it there for us to look at and it was a pretty picture.

Wow, this morning brought back that happy memory and it also brought a lovely view to me which I needed.  It seems when I have had a difficult day, GOD blesses me in some way the next day with a great natural thing like the Moon setting, or a Sun rise, or a magnificent Eagle soaring over my head.  Life is good even in down times.  Just enjoy each moment.  

It was all so dynamic that I did not even rush inside to get my camera.  I savored the moments while my dogs enjoyed being outside for their morning needs.  Birds were singing to me.  Yes, just me, or at least I can think that.  

Sewing Day

Today I cut out 15 one loop cloth scarves and also some napkins and an apron.  It was a fun and relaxing time.  I actually stayed in my pjs all day as it was cold and rainy here, and a great sewing day.  Now that I finished my first quilt of 2018, I want to do some smaller projects for awhile, along with my other crafts of knitting, crocheting, painting, etc.  

The one loop cloth scarves are easy and then I cut to fringe them.  They are less work and cheaper to make then the two loop scarves I have made and I think I will like the flannel ones with denium jackets and my denium dress.  Of course I will just keep one of each print and the rest are for gifts.  What a nice inexpensive gift.  I can get four scarves from one yard of fabric.  The gauze fabric I only was able to cut three from.  It is the bee fabric and so pretty.

My cherry apron is a great addition to my many homemade aprons.  I do have a couple of purchased aprons from friends who know I like aprons.  I also purchased one while in FRANCE.  

The napkins are left for another day.  Yes, we do use cloth napkins at all of our meals.  Such a nice touch to everyday life and actually economical also.

I just could not decide if I was going to machine stitch hems or do rolled handstitched hems or stitch around the napkin and ravel edges.  The fabric is lovely homespun.  So another day I will have it decided.  No hurry.

MY SANDWICH BREAD................DELICIOUS

The sandwich bread recipe and pan worked so well.  I enjoyed the process and the product afterward was wonderful.  My daughter was here for overnight and we all enjoyed it with our casserole of Tatter Tots, meat, corn, which is also delicious.  Then we had some for toast for breakfast and with our next evening meal of steak and baked potato for my husband's birthday.  After that, other people came for cake, which was cheese cake.  My 20 year old grandson does not like cheese but he opted for a couple of slices of my wonderful sandwich bread.  Actually he asked if I had any homemade bread and he would eat that as he loved my homemade breads.  Nice compliment from him and I do agree I have become a good bread maker.  I actually have baked bread for years now, but I enjoy the time to do more and always have homemade and fresh breads, muffins, English muffins and even bagels.

OUR NEEDED RAIN HAS COME.

It has been so nice to have lots of rain as we really needed it here in NE Missouri.  Of course, there was some flooding of roads and yards.  Ours got very muddy and wet as usual and my dogs loved playing in it all.  Especially my little so called Phoo Phoo dog, Vincent vG who is a Maltese Poodle mix.  He loves the outdoors and likes getting dirty.  I always apologize to him when I have to give him yet another bath, but I also tell him that GOD made him a little white hairy dog and not me.  I do adore him but just take a look at this dirty face.

His legs and even belly were like this also.  And we were getting company for dinner and more afterward for my husband's birthday.  So I let it dry and lots just fell off but had to bath for the rest.  I did not bother to clean the floors, only sweep them as my company all  know about dogs, and especially my dogs ruling the world.  Clean but dog prints on my nice wooden floors is nothing new.

And yes, it has begun to rain again today.  Positive is that the pond is full and the grass is greening.

EXCITED ABOUT A BREAD PAN

Yes, I am a country person, but I believe anyone who likes to make breads, gets excited about new recipes, products, and even bread pans.  Today I received my pullman, 13 inch, covered bread pan which I had ordered from King Arthur Flour in Vermont.  I was so excited to hold it.  It is heavy and "beautiful".  So tonight I downloaded a few recipes and will get at experimenting with sandwich breads.

Sometimes it is just small things but things that interest me that get me happy.  Bread does this, not only to eat it, but to make it.  Some days I just "feel the need to knead".

If you have not enjoyed making breads, just keep trying.  How delicious it can be with good butter.  I like it toasted, broiled, grilled, or just fresh out of the oven.  I like sandwiches with homemade bread also.  Just enjoy.