Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Things that are done

Sinkhole in driveway paved over!

Grass seed

 


1. Sinkhole repair

No trees removed after all!  It took them 5 weeks to do what was a rather complicated procedure, involving digging up the street (sometimes with manual labor, sometimes with giant diggers), putting a new storm sewer pipe in, plus engineering two new storm sewer grates, and filling in the old pipe that collapsed under our yard.  Now we are just waiting for that psychedelic-colored grass seed to sprout.


Good thing we didn’t have to have the trees removed, because deciding on what new trees to plant would have been too hard.  Decision-making: done for.





2.  Daylight Saving Time 

On Nov 3 it’s done, for this year, but I wish it would go away forever.  Note that my calendar says it is also the Day of the Dead.





3.  Dishes.

The dishes are done.  Or they were when this photo was taken.



Pumpkin muffins in the thought stage

4.  Baking

Since the Common Household Husband went on a low-carb regime, I have done almost no baking.  But a few days ago I decided to rage-bake half a batch of pumpkin muffins.  


Pumpkin mufffins, NOT done

This is the second time these muffins have been baked on this blog, but this time, because of my rage, I added ginger and cloves for an extra kick, SO THERE.  I like the more complex flavor. Most of these muffins went in the freezer for me to rage-eat later.


Pumpkin muffins, done


5.  Canvassing

My final and last day of canvassing will be on Sunday, unless my ankle gives out before then.  

It feels so good to actually
complete a canvassing list.



6.  Democracy?  Is democracy done?  We will find out.  

Dead mole (seen while canvassing):
accurate metaphor for
US democracy?  



Pumpkin Bread, HALF RECIPE

 

Makes 1 large loaf, or 12-14 muffins

 

Dry ingredients:

1 ¾  cups flour

1 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup sugar (use 1 ¼ cups if you don’t have o.j.)

¾ teaspoons salt

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

Optional: ½ tsp ground ginger.  Include when angry at national news.

Optional ¼ tsp ground cloves.  Include when angry at national news.

 

Wet ingredients:

2 beaten eggs

2 ¾ Tablespoons orange juice

⅓ cup vegetable oil

⅓ cup water

1 cup pumpkin puree (a little more than half of the 15 oz. can pumpkin)


¼ cup raisins (optional)

¼ cup chocolate chips (optional)

Optional ingredients

Ginger, cloves are optional spices (about ¼ to ½ tsp)

raisins, nuts, craisins, chocolate chips are optional: approx ¼ to ½ cup

 

Grease and flour pans (for muffins you can use muffin papers).  Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix together dry ingredients (you can sift them if you want).

In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients.

 

Make a well in dry ingredients.  Add wet ingredients and mix until you are tired of mixing.  Add optional goodies if you want, and stir.

 

Bake loaf pan in 350F oven for about 1 hour.  Or make muffins, baking for about 20 minutes.




Monday, October 14, 2024

First Lines: September 2024 edition

Clever mailbox, seen
while canvassing recently


Below are the first lines of the books I finished reading in September.  I’ve had less time this month for book-reading, partly due to the crossroads mentioned in the first lines of Book 1 in my list.  It seems fitting that four of the five books this month are rather dark.  That reminds me, I still haven’t put up any Halloween decorations.  Maybe next week.

 

 

Book 1

Foreword 

America is at a crossroads. A country that once stood as the global symbol of democracy has been teetering on the brink of authoritarianism.

 

 

Book 2

Siobhán O’Sullivan hurried through lush green fields, adjusting every so often for the bumps and dips of the terrain, imagining that from high above, Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland, must look like an ocean of green, rendering her a mere speck at sea.

 

 

Book 3

One day, when he was naughty, Mr. Bunnsy looked over the hedge into Farmer Fred’s field and saw it was full of fresh green lettuces.  Mr. Bunnsy, however, was not full of lettuces.  This did not seem fair.   – From Mr. Bunnsy Has an Adventure 

 


Book 4

Catalpa Tree

Catalpa speciosa

A catalpa can give two brown girls in western Kansas a green umbrella from the sun.


 

Book 5

The Girl in the Mirror 

Mary Jekyll stared down at her mother’s coffin.

 

 

 

 

The titles and authors revealed:

 

 

Book 1

Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America

By Heather Cox Richardson

304 pages • first pub 2023

 

 

Book 2

Murder in an Irish Village  (Irish Village Mystery #1)

By  Carlene O'Connor

334 pages • first pub 2016.


I guess this qualifies as a cozy mystery, although some details were a bit gruesome.  Thank goodness there was a pronunciation guide for the names, and a glossary in the front of the book for Irish expressions used.  But still, I struggled with the names. I liked the characters.  For some bizarre reason, the acknowledgements were at the beginning of the book. I probably will not read more in the series, at least not soon.

 

 

Book 3

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (Discworld #28)

Terry Pratchett

256 pages • first pub 2001


YA lit.   My husband and kids LOVE LOVE LOVE all books by Terry Pratchett.  I have not been able to tolerate the ones for adults, but seem to like some of Pratchett’s YA lit.  Even the children’s lit is quite dark.  This one takes place mostly underground. Pratchett is definitely a clever writer.

 

 

Book 4

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments

Aimee Nezhukumatathil with Fumi Nakamura (Illustrator)

184 pages • first pub 2020


Second time reading it, this time for book club.  Thoughtful and delightful.   Not all sweetness and light (perhaps only recipe books should be such), but definitely more uplifting than the other 4 books I read this month.

 

 

Book 5

The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter 

(The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club #1)

By Theodora Goss

402 pages • first pub 2017.


A wild story reworking the fates of female characters from various horror/dystopian stories of the 19th century and early 20th century.  I was a little bit out of my element, since the earlier stories are not in my favorite genre.

 

* * * * * * *

 

Okay, reader, whatcha got?  What’s on your reading shelf right now?


Creepy door decoration, seen
while canvassing recently