May Poetry

"As I age
in the world it will rise and spread,
and be for this place horizon
and orison, the voice of its winds.
I have made myself a dream to dream
of its rising, that has gentled my nights.
Let me desire and wish well the life
these trees may live when I
no longer rise in the mornings
to be pleased with the green of them
shining, and their shadows on the ground,
and the sound of the wind in them."
-   Wendell Berry, Planting Trees 

June Meditation

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." -  Marcel Proust 

Around OakMeadows

JMM has been having some trouble getting the automatic lift in and out of the van.  So he took the van back to Adaptive Driving to check it out.  Since it is still under warranty, there was no charge for replacing the whatever it was but they did charge $132 for labor.  Anyway, the main thing is that the lift works now and we can get my scooter in and out of the van.  Yea!

Life is just too short to spend it finishing an awful book.  I am really aggravated with myself for spending $12.99 to buy Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J.Ryan Stradal for my Kindle.  This is why I get most of my books from the library.  If it turns out to be a thumbs downer, well, nothing out of pocket.  But I paid full Kindle price! Ack! Back to the library.  I have given very few books 2 stars and I can't remember the last time I gave a 1 star, but this one is definitely a 1 star.  

I watched All the President's Men on Netflix.  The fun thing was noting all the outdated technology.  The manual typewriters, the telephones with cords, even a pay telephone booth, the knobs on the box televisions, and the wristwatches.  The fashions and hairstyles were notable too.  An oldie but still good.  

The swallow babies have flown.  It is just breathtaking to watch the family swoop and soar and land dainty as a feather on the stick we have extending out from the porch.  They evidently lost one of the babies because there are only five in the family.  I expect they will get this brood well launched and then have another brood. More poop on the porch.... The hummingbirds are really working the salvia blooms.  We are going to clear out a big patch of lantana and put in more salvia this weekend.  The cardinals, titmouse, and bluejays are hitting the sunflower feeders; JMM has been filling them twice a day.  I haven't been out much because of the mosquitos; all the rain this spring has resulted in hordes of mosquitos.  

Bandit recovered easily from his recent surgical drain of a wound abscess. We will get the stitches removed Friday. 

And that's all the news from OakMeadows where the mosquitos abound and the people stay inside. 

May Cooking -- Banana Pudding

Banana Pudding

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
3 egg yolks (Save whites for meringue)
2 cups whole milk
1 box Nilla Wafers
5 bananas
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Dash salt

1. Place a layer of Nilla Wafers in the bottom of a medium sized bowl. Slice a banana over the top. Repeat two more times with another layer of wafers and remaining bananas. 

2. In a sauce pot (or double boiler) on medium low heat, add all ingredients except vanilla.  Stir well with a wire whisk. Allow to cook, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, until thickened---about 15 minutes. Add in vanilla and stir. Immediately pour over wafers and bananas

3. Top with meringue, if desired.  Beat 3 egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly beat in 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until firm peaks form.  Spread meringue over the top of pudding and to edges of bowl. Brown top in 350 degree oven for 5-8 minutes. 

May Meditation

The the last word in ignorance is when a man says of an animal or plant, "What good is it?"

May Poetry

Here on the paths of every-day - 
Here on the common human way
Is all the stuff the gods would take
To build a Heaven, to mold and make
New Edens. Ours is the stuff sublime
To build Eternity in time!"   
-  Edwin Markham, Earth is Enough

Goals for Week of May 22 - 28, 2016

Spiritual
     ABF/Church
     Daily Bible Reading

Physical
     2 Fruits daily
     32 oz. Water daily
     Exercise DVD daily

Quilting
     Scrap 9 Patch 

Reading
     Basin and Range by John McPhee
     Best 30 Minute Recipes by Cook's Illustrated Magazine
     Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
     The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris (Audio)

Cooking
     Macaroni and Cheese
     Seafood Pasta
     Fruited Chicken Salad
     Spaghetti and Meatballs

Home

Personal
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     BBQ Festival