Chocolate Cookies and Thymes of Onions

I sit surrounded by onions and chocolate and resumes...
I know quite an odd combination.



Let me explain, so this morning began with sun... just kidding, actually, I blacked out my windows, so no sun. I did this intentionally to dupe my long-night of term papers and homework. With the recent time change, the sun soaks through the shutters with a persistent glare. Despite my efforts in sleeping longer, the farm has given me an internalized alarm clock.

A random wine glass full of rose petals, playing some Clair de Lune.

So, I began my morning with a challenge to cook a beef roast. I am not too familiar with cooking meats, so this is a rather new venture for me.




I am chopping onions, potatoes, thyme, 3 cloves of garlic and butternut squash, which I will be putting in a cast-iron pot. Oh and I forgot the pot roast, oh well I suppose that outta go in if we are indeed making pot roast ;).



Meanwhile, I'm prepping three dozen double-chocolate cookies, that admittedly are pretty darn good! I found the recipe in my Sweet Treats, William-Sonoma, cookbook that has a lot of really tasty recipes in it. My intention for creating these, of course, is to try for my bakery that will be opening come December, one month!


Recently, I was gifted a LODGE CAST IRON 12-inch cast iron skillet! I am very excited as this will be a skillet I can use for the rest of my life.  This skillet is going to be cooked in throughout my life.  When you get a gift like that, it really puts life in perspective, I think. Can you imagine this skillet is probably going to last longer than me?




Well, that's all, for now, folks, hope your day is a real winner!

Overheated Coffee and Books

This morning began with the urgent moans of the alarm clock at 5:00, which I was not very happy to hear. Last night I was a night nurse so I had a very late night! I did a brisk walk after silencing the alarm, I may or may not have thrown it at the wall...


Pour-over coffee is a hot thing in my house nowadays, which my family turns their nose up at which is fine by me, as I guzzle the pot dry :). Realistically speaking I only fill it half full, three or four cups is enough to make a girl sick!


Putting spices in your coffee is the best for pour over I think. Cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg are favorites of mine.
Note to reader: all spices should be very gingerly added (pun intended).



The pot that I use is a BODUM 4 cup pour over coffee maker. Which is fabulous!



Anyway, it is definitely flannel weather here on the farm. December in November. Cold weather is such a nice thing to have after the blazing hot Kansas summers. Winter on the farm is a wonderful time to read. Reading is such a wonderful way to expand your mind and experience vicariously what others write about. To write a book is a painting of the soul, that I endeavor to accomplish someday. Some books that are on my shelf this winter are "Two Years Before the Mast" by R. H. Dana JR., "Summa Theologica", Thomas Aquinas, "Three Methods of Prayer That Will Change Your Life", by Philip Kosloski- this is really good this is my second time reading.



I think I've got my work cut out for me!

A Morning of Cupcakes, Chickens and Planks

                                   Ok, so clearly there is a slight problem with being fit and being a baker. I have that under control though. Taste-testers for cupcakes are not hard to come by and its a great way to make people happy. Haha, and making cupcakes is sooo much fun! Next years sales will be off the charts I hope, haha fingers crossed.



This morning began with planks. So, one of my friends and I have a bet that he can out-plank me, which in all reality is probably true. I was quite elated this morning when I was able to plank for 1 minute though! I have been lifting as well which is so nice when the sun is just peeking over my Kansas horizon. I really enjoy talking to that friend he brings me into perspective and is rather witty!



My chickens were doing really clucky today they're not too fond of this cold weather though. They just have been slacking off incredibly, the egg production has almost been reduced to 1/2 of what is usually.

The chicken food container was tipped over.... I have thoughts on who the perpetrator was... possums, little baby possums. Baby possums getting into the chicken food is not good and will have to be taken care of. I had a friend over for dinner last night and as he was coming up the steps he almost tripped over a baby possum. Possum perpetrators! :)






















We have some wild cats that I've been feeding. They're kind of a mangy group, like a group of hardened fighters. Always showing up to the food bowl with different scratches and scars. We have a pair of brother cats, that when kitten played with each other and were besties. Then Frostnip, the princess showed up, she's kind of a drama queen cat! :) Now they absolutely hate each other and of course, Frostnip is sooo sought after. Haha, #farmcatenvy!

A Boo-tiful Morning

This morning was a boo!-tiful morning!

Happy Halloween to all my viewers.

It was a great morning to make skinny pumpkin spice lattes for my family, which I found on Pinterest from Inspired Table. They have a lot of great recipes including roasted pumpkin seeds and lemon blueberry layer cake. PASS ME A PIECE!!

Actually not now--fitness plans… urgh-- As my mom says, “Short-term sacrifice long-term gain.”

I woke this morning to the creaking of a door, I guess that happens in old houses; shifting houses… Darn creaks!

But I am so happy that the door creaked because it awoke me and I was ready to continue my new fitness journey. Same as always squat, squat, crunch, crunch... .no we’re not talking about cereal :).

This morning it was 27°. Another great day for training and making skinny pumpkin pie lattes... Haha, DIY-ing fun. My family greatly enjoyed the lattes too! Admittedly, I was a bit frightened when I heard something moving in the brush near our porch. I think it was just a cat, probably black…

The morning was so still and the wind hadn’t flinched one twig. A black masquerade opened my morning. As nature’s dance began, an owl hooted from a nearby branch. The darkness is chilly and somewhat spooky, great for a Halloween day.

Speaking of Halloween. Tonight I will be volunteering at the Halloween hayrack ride and soup dinner in the Great Land of OZ… Haha, my hometown is pretty amazing, and I have been called Dorothy one too many times.

It’s the small things that bring people together with laughter, costumes, and lots of hot chocolate that make Halloween such a great time!  

Fitness day #3, Thank goodness for that creaking door!

Traveling

Slushies, sticky fingers, and pumpkins

The bus pulled in

Children scurried into a line.

The teachers check for sleeping children on the bus.

Spot, the cat curls herself on the wooden bench outside.

Suspecting nothing.

A flurry of activity soon conspires.

My hand stretches out the window with a little plastic tray.

Full of sticky cider slushies.

That dribble down children's mouths.

They watch intently as pumpkins are dropped one by one

Into a tank of water.

"They float!", A child exclaims.

Awed by this natural phenomenon the children begin whispering in shock. 

Teachers come and go to the window 

Picking up tray after tray of slushies.

Towels, napkins pumpkins, jelly

The cat has found refuge among the empty boxes.

As the bus pulls away I feel a sense of success. 

Cider slushies aren't so sticky after all.

The Wind and Whistle Operator

The wind swept through the bricks.
It swept up my stairs.
Beneath my closed door, it whispered its cold call.
Like an operator
An operator of wind and whistle
That scoot under my door and through my window.

It's cold outside
Cold enough to ice skate, no
The pumpkins look like giant crystallized candies.
The cow bucket had a sheet of frosty ice.
A Rain gage is no measure in times like these.

The sun sheepishly peaks through the clouds
On this bitterly cold morning.
Like a tardy student quietly coming into a classroom.
The sky is baby blue like freshly pulled taffy.
Straight from the candy creators.

The night wind sweeps its thanks through the trees.
Like a silently kept night vigil. 

A Ghost Echo

A ghost echo
Rings through the air.
A coyote howls
His last farewell to his true love
The moon.

A ghost echo
Rings through the air.
Now cows pick up the tune.
A screeching redtail
Whizzes by.
The cat's tails look long brushes.

A ghost echo
Rings through the air.
A young fawn mews his awakening.
The crickets play their chortling song.
The rising sun
Beckons the floating cloud.

A ghost echo
Rings through the air.
And all is silent.

The White House on the Beach

Wishing thoughts of a far off land I can see you standing in the sand
There's a colored striped ball by your feet.
Your feet covered in small crystals of sand.

She is laughing
Her bright red lipstick
Perfectly carved
Onto her laughing lips.

She can see the gulls swooping ahead.
Bombing into the ocean
After squirming fish that struggle in their craws.

A crab wanders across the beach
it legs scratching the seashore
Leaving little-scuffling imprints.

A white house is overlooking the sea.
It has a tower with a light.
That shines into the sea at night.

The air seems light with a brisk salty breeze.
It smells of waves and sun kisses.

Then,
I realize I'm home.

The Rain Fell in Sheets

The rain is pummeling the house I lived in. Sheets of rain slide down the roof like tears falling from the sky. A bird's cry echoes across the lawn. High up he perches watching the streaks of green grass fade against the rain. The rain reminds me of a cleansing of nature; a renewing of sorts. Like a baptism.

The rain fell in sheets around us. Dripping from our red and white striped umbrella soaking the memories of our confusion, love, and fear, that rippled down the streets.

The Tree

I look at the tree
Covered in snow
Its arms outstretched
As if it knew me.

Delphiniums and Roses

Have you ever arranged a bouquet?

Its easy

All you need is a mason jar, scissors, flowers and water.

These flowers above are delphiniums and roses.

If you'd like to grow your own flowers you will need to find the sun exposure of the flowers you'd like to plant including the pH of the soil needed. The pH stands for potential of Hydrogen.  pH is calculated on a basic to acidic scale. The scale is from 0 acidic to 14 basic , 7 is neutral. Hydrochloric acid has a pH of 0. This may seem rather foreign but in fact you are around pH levels all day. For instance, according to chemtotor.com, coffee can have anywhere from the pH of 4 to 4.6 and beer has a pH of 3. Whole milk is also somewhat acidic at 6.9.
The pH also applies to vegetables and fruits you consume.

When arranging a bouquet the colors can be varied, however, sticking to to 2-4 color schemes is what is most commonly done.

The mason jars can be found at local thrift or antique stores. You're relatives might have a couple too.

I hope this post has been informative to your Springtime planting.

Cheers!

A Beautiful Day

Blue jays flit across my visage. The grass is crisp and green. The Baptisa is blooming and the garden smells beautiful! How richly we are blessed!

Echinacea purpurea

To thine own self be true.
-Shakespeare

Anecdote of Spring

                A flower never looked so new and fresh on such a bitter cold morning. Its white petals sticking out paralyzed with the frozen grass. The apple is blushing a reddish-pink hue. Dried pine needles scatter across the earth carpeting what's left of the dried and broken grass. This is winter in the coldest month of January. Winter is a time of rest for country folk and for nature's bounty. Winter is silence, rest and family. A time when the earth is cold and barren. But, these flowers rest as small anecdotes of the sweet smell of spring's green hills flowing with bright dandelions and periwinkle clover.

Farmer.Writer.Goodlife: Natures Orchestra

Farmer.Writer.Goodlife: Natures Orchestra: The trees whisper in the wind their bark is healthy and brown'd The birds chirp in the trees their happy resound Nature plays its qu...