Vroom Vroom

A quick note to say I'm going offline for a few days. I got a little energy back and plan to make the best use of it. Which, much as I wish it were, sitting at my desk playing at the computer half the day is not the best use. I'm going to give my friend, Lori, credit where it's due. We speak occasionally and yesterday we did. She made me feel so much better. Oh, I went to Costco this morning. It's the first time I have been there since February 2020. I've ordered online when I need something. I'm going to make it a scheduled trip every six weeks. I even walked out of there under $300!

A little smile. Frieda has a plastic obsession. Not chewing but licking and laying on it. Don't judge her too much, she is a tortie after all.

Ho-Hum

It's cold. It's windy. It's dreary. No, not my heart, although.....outside. I've spent these cold days in the kitchen, which, honestly, is where I spend my days in general. I made Denise's (the English Girl) soda bread. It is a favorite for me and it's very good.

I made soup, which yielded three lunches.

Then last evening I made fish for dinner. I guess fish is the focus here as the rest is out of focus.

I am not feeling holly-jolly. I'm grateful there is no need for me to pretend. It will be Mark and yours truly for the holly-jolly day. I plan to have osso buco. Perhaps Julia Child's Gateau au Chocolate. Might as well mix cultures, besides the Italians taught the French to cook. Before you yell at me, look it up. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Matthew and his wife will come for lunch on Saturday. She was advised by her doctor to end her vegan diet due to some health issues, so she is once again vegetarian and much easier to cook for. We will have a vegetable lasagna with a white sauce, an Italian salad and, I think, a blueberry clafoutis. Mixing food culture once again.

Forget Caturday. It's Gattoday.

Sorrow

 

I hope you can see this if you are not on Instagram/Threads. I've felt like this for days, ever since I heard those comments. I wanted to cry.

https://www.threads.com/@lady_star_gem/post/DSWVnjUEQXU?xmt=AQF05YtUM8icsBoZdgxAhT152kjp-ijhKVF4ePE-HQCHnhUIYJyBVoRscSlRJyskRKhWBZ8&slof=1

Baking and Eating

I will just say, baby it's been cold outside. 

Mark just now went to put the horses out. There will be some rodeo moves by some known culprits. Too bad geriatric me doesn't have the moves of geriatric them. I did bake zucchini/carrot bread. I could get used to these cake breads. Sweet never tasted so good.

I had a long conversation with my recently reconnected old friend. She brought up how long we've known one another. There was a large gap, but we met and became fast friends in 1976. A move on her part, then a move on mine, along with time, got in the way. It happens often. I figured why not say hi last year, so I did. It's like no time passed. How weird. How nice.

I did make lasagna for last evenings dinner. Mark said it was the best lasagna he's ever had. I think the prompt was a full pound of Italian sausage in a small lasagna. He was in food heaven. I didn't make enough béchamel so it was light on that. Which meant nothing to him. I told him there is enough for two more dinners. I thought he would actually float on air. 

 

Cats Day

What the cats did yesterday.

The Black

Tabby

Gatto

Jigs

Frieda

Of course, it's the same as any other day.

It's currently -3 F/-19 C. With the wind factored in it feels like 

-23 F/-31 C. Because of the wind factor the equines will stay tucked into the barn. I will stay tucked into the house and dear Mark will venture forth with hay. 

I plan to make a lasagna for tonight's dinner. It is comfort food weather, after all. Osso buco is on the menu in the coming week. I love it but haven't thought to make it for awhile now. I use beef or pork shank instead of veal. I brought shredded zucchini and carrot up from the freezer which I plan to turn into zucchini bread. The carrot will add a little something. The cold is inspiring me.

This is as far as I have got with decorating. I'm not going to put up my fake tree this year. Instead I'll take the tree lights and string them around windows. I'm just not feeling it.

Cold With Snow

Good Morning

We've had a few snowy days, one which was a storm because of wind. Very happy to be able to stay safe and warm at home. I still haven't done one bit of decorating. I spoke to my longtime young friend yesterday who said she hasn't either and she's a decorating ninja. So.....it's not all about me.

I did manage to bake bread and sandwich rolls yesterday. We are now covered for a few days. I told Mark with the high cost of seemingly everything I may need to start cooking like his mother did. He gave me a look of horror. This is not criticizing her abilities. Mark grew up on a dairy farm in SW Minnesota in a family of ten children. His mother grew up on a farm in the same area in a family of fourteen children. She knew how to stretch the food supply. He was never hungry but let's just say one can of tuna was stretched to feed them all. We had completely different lives.

 

Just Stuff

Happy cold December morning. I told Mark we forgot it's winter, having had such a mild November. The two part time house cats are officially snuggling in for the winter. Their sister, Mona, still, after all these years, refuses to come inside. The tripod kitty and her three siblings were born to a stray older kitten in the barn Mother's Day 2015. Jigs became a full-time house kitty years ago after the injury which left her a tripod. She got her name because her coat pattern looked like a jigsaw puzzle. The two boys got names based on color and coat pattern. The Black and Tabby. I know, so original. After naming what seems millions of animals I just gave in and went for the obvious.

Today being Monday, the washing machine is doing its thing in the room next to my office. My one constant, Monday laundry. Fascinating, right? I stopped decorating for Christmas after I developed debilitating back pain. Last year I did decorate, more than I had when I was still doing it. I am thinking of doing at least some. It is only the two of us now but I like all the sparkles so why not do what I can, if I want to. I'll see if the spirit moves me.

 I used two leftovers for dinner. Pork chop and pearled emmer. 

Not Much

We are 31 degrees F warmer this morning than we were yesterday morning. Downright balmy! I finally got the wood pellet stove working yesterday. Gatto is quite pleased. It has not consistently worked since he has been in residence. It does a lot to warm the openness of the space. One thing that made a difference is the pellets. I've always used softwood because it burns hotter. The auger kept jamming after the initial fix, which can be a problem with softwood, I learned. My dear man went to Fleet Farm, not a quick drive, to buy one bag of hardwood pellets. I didn't want to buy a pallet and find it wasn't the problem. So far, it's not jamming.

I did get around to making rhubarb bread yesterday, although this recipe is more cake-like. Regardless, it's good. One for now, one for the freezer. 

brrrrr

Another snowscape from the farm. We're currently 10 F/-12.2 C, dropping to -10 F/ -23.4 C. Hello winter! I hope the ICE Agents zooming in on Minneapolis are all from the hot climate states. Please let it be so. 

I made turkey stock a few days ago and turned nearly all the rest of the turkey into soup with my stock. I have lunch for two more days. Yippee!! I don't like coming up with lunch everyday. Bah.

See how it is around here? We are here to serve, make no mistake. They get very cranky if they are moved from the chairs. We can eat on the floor. People say cats are easier than dogs. I beg to differ. My dogs stayed off the chairs and were grateful for every little thing they got from me. A pat on the head, a big wag of the tail and a doggy smile. Cats, well..... 

I think I may warm up the kitchen with a little baking. I have a LOT of rhubarb in the freezer so maybe some rhubarb bread. It's been like forever since I made popovers so we'll see if that happens, too.

It's beginning to look a Lot Like Winter

Zing enjoying the hay.

Saturday was an all day snowfall. We got about five inches of the fluff. It's so much prettier than the bleakness of November. So, now here we are, the last month of 2025. How can time move so quickly by? If I could place time in a bottle. Don't I wish.

Place Time in a Bottle