I feel as though I haven't been accomplishing much lately. The snow we've gotten is very welcome (boy, does it feel like a real winter this year), but it also brings with it the sometimes daily task of moving it whether by snow plow, snow blower or shovel. Or using all of them. And that takes time.
We've had some cold weather. Minus seventeen yesterday morning, up to a balmy -2° this morning. When one heats with wood as we do, to keep it comfy-cozy inside, we go through a good amount of wood. This wood needs to be brought from the wood shed up to the house via wheelbarrow, stacked in the wood box on our unheated enclosed porch, then brought into the wood racks near each stove. And that takes time.
I still have my Christmas decorations up. (Am I the only one?) I truly was going to take them down last Friday, but something (which I can't remember) kept me from doing it. Then the Arctic cold hit and I've put the task off as all my boxes, totes, etc. are stored back in our big shed and I can't seem to make myself get out the garden cart and make several trips from there to here with the empty storage boxes, then back to the shed after they are refilled, then here again with my boxes of "winter" decorations, then back to put the empty winter boxes away. See my dilemma?
Today I've had laundry and ironing to do. I put it off yesterday which is my usual laundry day. (I can't remember why I did that either.)
I'm in the process of finishing up three good sized pots of stewed chicken. I'll save and use the meat, of course, but the rich bone broth is what I need most of all. Papa Pea is having a bit of trouble with a knee he injured years ago so I've been making hearty bone broth soup which is reportedly good for helping bones, ligaments, joints, etc. get stronger even after damage. He downs a bowl of it every morning before our regular breakfast. And you know what? It seems to be helping!
Squeezing in some time for handwork lately, I've almost finished this piece. It was a pattern in an old Leisure Arts book, and I almost tossed the project into the trash more than once because I found six (yes, SIX) mistakes in the pattern. A couple of them I could go back and fix but others would have been almost impossible to rectify. I'm sure you can spot the oopsies if you want to waste time looking for them.
Off now to finish straining and freezing the chicken bone broth. An easy dinner tonight is on the menu. Hamburgers on homemade buns with all the fixings. A choice of either chocolate or vanilla pudding for dessert. Hey, now I remember that was one thing I did yesterday!
16 comments:
All that walking back and forth and toting wood is what keeps you so young! It sure sounds like you get a lot done, regardless. It's cold here, too. I may buy a back-up heat bulb for the chicken coop, just in case the one that's there burns out. I wouldn't want them to be without a heat source right now. -Jenn
I love the cross stitch! What are you going to do with it?
You sound like me. I walk from one room to the next and forget where I’m going 🙄. It’s up to 19 here this morning and we have the pellet stove roaring. We do have gas heat but run the stove in the family room so we set the whole house heat lower.
I want to make a sweet something today. I just need to pick something…maybe olive oil cake? The bananas got out of control again but I’m going to make banana bread for a neighbor that can’t handle dairy. They give me some almond milk and I return with bread. My diet to lose the holiday weight seems to have gone out the window with the cold.
There's something about being cold that decreases motivation(!) Even so, it sounds like you're using your time productively.
After barn chores, I pretty much stay in the house until after lunch, when temps are more tolerable. I've taken to doing my laundry over two days. I pick two sunny days and hang laundry out in the afternoon. I leave it on the line overnight and take it down the following afternoon. Saves frozen fingers!
So here's a technical question from an old guy on his own: Do you cut your hamburger buns or hand form the dough? I only appear to be patient, so I've been using a round cookie cutter my wife had to cut the dough for my homemade buns. Seems to work for me, but I'm always open for improvement. One suggestion I read used two thin circles one on top of the other. Input welcomed! I just don't have the time to bother hand patting out dough balls. They're all bread though, and so much better than Wally World's Finest. Cheers!
Jenn - Never hurts to have a back-up spare of anything. I've been lax on reading my favorite blogs (like yours) so that's something I need to catch up on!
Katie - Before I had the trouble with so many errors in this piece, I was going to have it framed with glass and all, but now I think I'll just put a border on it as I would on a quilted wall hanging and use it as part of my winter decorations . . . on a small wall space somewhere. You're so kind to bake for your neighbor with the diet restrictions. You be a nice person! And, yes, the cold weather sure does cause my appetite to ramp up. ;o)
Leigh - I've tried hanging my wash out during these frigid months up here in the northland and they do freeze dry on the lines, but then I have the problem of where to put everything after bringing them in frozen stiff until they thaw enough to be really dry and put away! In the years before we had an automatic dryer I tried all kinds of hand coverings to keep my hands from becoming icicles while trying to hang outside. None worked!
Tim - I've learned something new (again) from you. I never thought of using a cookie cutter of the appropriate size to cut the dough into buns. I do cut pieces off the big chunk of dough, and weigh them to get some kind of consistent size to my buns. And, yes, I pat them down on the baking sheets to flatten them out. I may have to give your method a try! (I don't think I have a big enough cookie cutter though, come to think of it.) :o(
Lovely to have all that snow. It feels warmer with a good layer of white stuff. Sounds like you are getting your exercise moving wood, and will get more, putting all those decorations away! That is a pretty little, wintery X-stitch. Do you make your buns from your regular bread dough, or are they a separate recipe?
Rosalea - Oy! Changing the house decorations (either putting up or taking down) at Christmas time takes the most time of any of the others. (But it's worth it.) I make my buns with a recipe called "Cheesy Onion Burger Buns." I blogged about them and wrote out the recipe in 1996. (My, how time does fly.) If you're interested in seeing it, go down on my right hand side bar (way down) to my Search box. Enter Cheesy Onion Burger Buns and it should take you to the February 10, 1996 post.
My Christmas tree (only inside decoration this year) is still up, and we still have Christmas lights on the gate to the property outside, so you're not alone. Serious case of difficulty getting things done here, too. This, too, shall pass – I hope!
I thought you had posted a recipe, but searched for burger buns and came up empty. Thank you.
Michelle - I remember the picture of the lights on your gate and think you could leave those up until spring!
Rosalea - First off, I said I posted the recipe in 1996. Where was my brain? (Please don't answer that.) The correct date is February 10, 2016. But still by searching for Cheesy Onion Burger Buns, you should have gotten to the post and recipe. I tried it this morning and was taken right to that post. I also entered Recipe for Burger Buns which was the title of the post. That brought up another bun-related post but by scrolling down, the very next post shown was the one containing the Cheesy Onion Burger Bun recipe. If none of this works for you, let me know, okay?
Thank you. Got it, copied and going to try it. Read some of your old posts. There is one called "I've been thinking". (Feb. 16, 2016) Worth another read, especially the last paragraph.
Rosalea - Oh, good, glad you did find the recipe. Hope you like them as much as we do if you get a chance to make them. Thanks for your kind words regarding the (old) post, "I've Been Thinking." I don't feel like I'm writing as well right now as I was previously. Don't know what to blame it on. Perhaps the shape the world is in now? We've all been forced to operate under difficult circumstances and I do believe it's caused an underlying depression of one sort or another for all of us. :o\ Maybe I need to have that paragraph you spoke of made into large signs and hang one in each of our rooms!
OK, I'll tell you the truth. I'm from Iowa - southwest Iowa to be even more pointed. We're 'economical' out here. I actually use a baked bean can to cut my buns. Joyce had a ton of cookie cutters, which I still have. As you point out, none of them are big enough. For the Whopper Size, a chow mien veggie can works a dream! Dip it in flour before cutting. Cheers
Hello, Mr. Economical - I'm gonna be sizing up (pun intended) every can I open for a while now until I find the perfect bun sized one to try!
First time commenting on your blog :) I didn't know that about bone broth! I might have to make some to help our joint aches (mainly because we are getting old lol :) Lovely stitch work you did! I couldn't spot any mistakes and really a few mistakes makes it more personal, know what I mean? Kind of like my hubby when he plays something on his guitar. He aims for perfection, but its okay if that occasional "flub" comes through. Still sounds great and your stitch work still looks wonderful!
betty
betty - Hello and thanks for commenting! For sure, do try making and consuming some bone broth. I put a blub of vinegar into each pot (not so much that it comes through in the broth) to help draw the good stuff out of the bones. The bones from a turkey, chicken, roast, soup bone, etc. are simmered for three days to get all of the goodness out of them. Then I cool and strain the mixture (I always add herbs, salt, pepper and carrots, onions and celery for a boost of flavor as it's simmering) and we're ready to go. You're right about all of us not striving for perfection as it's impossible to achieve. Apparently, these particular pattern makers felt the same way! ;o)
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