Kristine The Chef

Kristine has taken up cooking dinner.

Very good chicken and broccoli on rice.

Yum!

This is a small bowl full.

I used a larger bowl!

She has become a very good cook!

I'm still knitting.

Tomorrow I have the laser surgery.

Martin Luther King Nobel Speech

This was an hour well spent.

Martin Luther King

Nobel Acceptance Speech

I knitted on a hat while I listened 

and remembered the 1960's.

All the changes, the hopes, the sorrows.

His words are still important today.

Peace

Squirrel In The Wall...Squirrel Out Of The Wall!

The little squirrel is gone!

The squirrel is at middle right.

After this photo the squirrel ran and jumped into a box

in the closet and burrowed under box items.

Kristine quickly put a lid on the box

and took the box out on the deck.

Took the lid off the box and emptied it of items.

The squirrel jumped out and ran down the deck post

into the forest.

Gone!

Success!

It is raining so the squirrel will not have any trouble

finding a drink.

Hope she will recover and thrive.

The closet hasn't faired so well.

I think there are plans to attach a large

removable piece of sheet rock

to cover the wall destruction.

Hope we don't have anymore wall visitors.

But we will be prepared.

Smiles

Still In The Wall...

All last night and today 

the slider and room was left open and empty.

We hoped and thought the squirrel was gone.

So the panel was put back up.

But then the squirrel was heard in the wall. 

This is all very sad.

The panel is being taken off again.

I wish very much that the squirrel will find it's way out.

I thought we could tear down the closet side wall board

and tear out the insulation.

It is not up to me...

Kristine and Tom are dealing with this problem.

I hope for a good outcome.

We want the squirrel to escape.

Poor thing.

It's In The Wall!

There's a squirrel in the wall!

Somehow the critter got in the wall and can't get out!

So we opened the wall.

Wall open

Way out

This has happened before with mice.

They never made it out.

We found their remains in the wall 

when putting light fixtures

in the closet.

So we had the escape hatch made.

But we didn't know there was insulation in the wall.

I'm sure that doesn't help the squirrel any.

I put a pan of water and a little canned dog food by the opening.

I am in hopes the squirrel will see the light,

and smell the water and food?

And head for the opening.

The roofers closed up a leak on the roof.

I think we need to have them come back and find

the spot where the critters get in.

Hope the squirrel gets out.

And that the loft doesn't fill up with bats

while we leave the slider open.

Smiles

Ahhhhhhh!...But This Is A Good Thing

So why am I freaked out?

A 

bit...

Well, I didn't sleep last night.

Sigh...

I know why... it is because I finally read the paper work

for my laser cataract surgery

And today I went for a doctor visit

to make decisions...

The doctor visit was fine

It was reading all that stuff about the surgery 

that did it.

In a few weeks 

they will do the laser surgery on my right eye.

This is all good.

And by then I will be calm and cool.

Smiles

Buttermilk Biscuits

Buttermilk biscuits for dinner.

Yep... that is all that's left.

When I was a kid in the 40's we would have

biscuits and gravy for dinner

with some meat added if there were leftovers.

The milk gravy was made a lot of times

with bacon grease from breakfast.

No gravy tonight.

Butter and jam and coffee.

I could have made eggs to go with

but we were not that hungry.

I love biscuits.

Soon there will be no biscuits left.

Smiles.

Steam Eggs?

The best article I have found about steaming eggs. 

How to steam eggs?

Do a search on Google on the words below:

daily mail steam eggs

My steamer.

Also used to make chicken soup,

spaghetti sauce and other good stuff.

 Most times I just steam a few at a time

for lunch or breakfast or?

Most of the time we are fortunate enough to buy
eggs from chickens that are live/raised on pasture .
At least that is what the carton says.

Until we get some new chickens
this will have to do.

Steamy Eggs

Steamy good!

Kristine made me breakfast in bed.

How neat was that!

The eggs are steamed.

6 minutes for soft.

Great coffee and ciabatta bread.

Thank you, Kristine.

The tray got used for the first time.

Work out great.

I don't boil eggs anymore.

Steaming them is so much easier.

Dinner

What's new?

Today I made sauce.

Not my really great Italian spaghetti sauce

but a regular sauce 

for when I'm in a hurry.

Yesterday, Kristine and Tom brought home

the makings for sauce so I made sauce.

It was pretty good.

With herbs from the garden

Dangerous though

because I messed up my back

bending over cutting herbs. 

Sigh...

But not too bad...

Well, back to listening to 

The Stainless Steel Rat

(by Harry Harrison)

and knitting.

He was so witty.

And funny.

Pie Night And Tweets

Tom and Kristine brought home a pumpkin pie

and a little marionberry pie.

Marion berry pie. So good!

I'm enjoying all this cold wet weather

because I am fortunate that

I can stay inside nice and warm.

I really wouldn't want to have to drive

in this weather.

Icy wet snowy roads.

Not good at all for people who have to drive.

I've been knitting on my scarf today.

Doing laundry.

Packing up a few Christmas things.

I figure if I do a little packing everyday

eventually it will all get put away.

And, yes, Kristine,

I will leave the Christmas clock out and not pack it away.

Even though the clock's cuckoo birdie

gets loose and tweets all night.

hee,hee

Tea And Jam

Wow! It is already 1:30.

Gee whiz, time flies.

Nothing much happening here except rain. Which is good.

So, the most interesting thing I did today was make toast.

(And knit.
 No, not my breakfast.)

My breakfast.

See the empty jam jar?

Well, I scraped out the last of the peach jam 

and put the little dabs of jam on the peanut buttered toast.

Then I put a little hot water from the kettle

in the empty jam jar.

Swished it around.

Let it sit a while to dissolve all the jam bits 

I couldn't get out of the jar

and poured it into my tea cup.

Mostly this turns out to be a really tastey thing to do.

I get the dregs of the jam and a neat cup of tea. 

I must admit that depending on the tea and jam used

it can turn out not so tastey.

But it is fun.

And today it was a really tasty cup of green tea and jam.

Ok, time for me to make myself some lunch.

More jam and toast?

Eggs and toast?

Hmmm....

Mostly I just want to get over my migraine.
I gave myself some pepsi
to settle my stomach.
Sipping soda is ok.

Posting while under the influence of migraine
is probably a bad idea.
I seem to act think/not think
as if I was in a mental fog.
Funny though. Trying to think and talk.

Migraines give me a brain drain.

Well, in my case it is not smart people leaving the area
it is my smarts leaving my noodle.
Kristine said she would read and check this post
and see if I made any glaring errors.

I think I will go pack some Christmas stuff.
That's a safe activity.
I hope.

I can hear it now...next year...
"Mom , Where is the ...,?
What did you do with it?

me... "I don't know!"

Chicken Present

Before Christmas I bought this chicken tray for myself.

Now it is looking for a home.

Since it still doesn't have a place of its own

it is leaning here under the window.

Everyday.

Poor thing...

The Christmas decorations are still up.

I asked how long we should leave them up this year

and the answer I got was

April!

April?

No, I don't think so. 

But, who knows...

If I don't get them packed away before my eye surgery

it may be March or April.

?

I can't really see them until I get up close

so having them around doesn't bother me...

much...

Ha

Focus!

After I took Morgan out this morning in the rain

(yay! rain!)

I played around taking photos with the iPad

and using the focus feature.

I usually don't bother with it.

But it is pretty neat.

Forest or fire?

That wood stove has been getting a lot of work.
All the ash is testament to that!

Today has been very quiet.

Feeling rather blah.

I didn't even eat today

except some oatmeal and raisins.

Knitting and listening to audiobooks

seems to have taken over my day.

Must go pick around in the fridge for dinner.

I think I am still recovering from the migraine 

I had the other day.

Had another one today.

Think I will give up tea for a week or two?

Any way. this is hot chocolate weather!

So that will work!

It's Raining!

It is supposed to rain all week.

Maybe 6 inches and some snow?

Or the rain may mostly fall South or North or?

Don't know.

But California is supposed to get wet1

The forest looks much better wet.

I don't know why but I reallylike the wet deck.

I'm making buttermilk biscuits for dinner

to go with Bill's turkey soup

and the chicken Tom got yesterday.

And some coleslaw he bought will be good too.

Some days I really, really like not having to 

cook a whole meal.

But

I really do love biscuits though.

Making biscuits counts more as fun

than cooking.

Messy though!

At least when I make biscuity there is lots of flour everywhere.

Sigh... must go clean up the flour snow now...

Knit 2016 Purple Scarf

For the new year I'm knitting a scarf

to go with the purple hat.

The pattern is very, very, very easy!

Thank goodness!

I need easy.

And the stitch is stretchy!

But I think I will need more yarn.

Maybe I will tack on some other purple yarn

on the other end.

I'll save some of this yarn to tack on at the last

and make it all look like a plan.

Sneaky me!

The pattern is called

The Mistake Rib Stitch

Knitters probably all know this

but I'm knew so it was good news!

More Screensavers

Here are a few more of my favorites.

Must get more chickens this year!

But first a new chicken coop is needed.

I guess that will count as a

New Year's resolution?

I don't normally make them.

Well, really I don't remember

ever making them.

Making them never seemed to make much sense for me.

So, I didn't.

Happy 2016

Morgan says Happy News Years too...

not really,

she just wants me to take her out for a walk.

She is so cute.
For such a little old lady
she has such cute little cat feet.

This is the scary icy patch
that I had to cross to get to the gate.
Looks like snow but it is slippery ice.

But no more!
Tom took the shovel to it and it is gone!

Kathleen suggested that we get some deicer salt.

Must try that.

Happy New Year To All!