Cooling off and catching up

Hello Everyone,

I have certainly missed blogging about my boring life.  I hope that everyone has had a productive and pleasant week.

I finished most of my canning of tomatoes, and have done some desperate baking for the house.  I felt ambitious and baked a cinnamon applesauce loaf, AND a banana bread! WOW.  Since it is so very nice and cool today, (in the 60's) I can fire up the gas stove and I sure do not need to fire up the furnace, which I absolutely do not want to do  until  I have to. 

I still have to finish up outside in the garden, and get things picked up and things put away before it gets too cold, oh, something that is interesting, today on this date last year, we had a blizzard that totaled about 20", then about a week later another blizzard of about 16" and then the end of Oct, we had a smaller blizzard of about 10".  That was a surprise to say the least, and I sure didn't get the garden cleaned up until Jan when it warmed up just enough for me to get out to do it, then it turned to bitter cold and below zero temps in the 20's and 30's below with wind chills in the 40's below. How does that grab all of you!

My little ICU kitten is still having issues with her gut and colon. The vet had to do an enema Thurs afternoon, and kept  her overnight and then I brought her home Fri am, she is doing good, but she has a sluggish colon and is going to be a issue for her life, which I am prepared to handle, and I will do the best for her.  She is thriving, and eating very well  and putting on weight, but just has this sluggish colon, and like a human, it must have special things and meds to help her.  I know, as I have IBS and issues too, so I know what she is going through.  I don't throw in the towel at all, and will do everything I can to make her life comfortable and productive.  I have ordered probiotics for her and me, and we will just take it a day at a time. I will be talking to the vet on our game plan, and go from there.

Mom is doing great also, I know that I had several asking if my parents live in town and the answer is yes, thankfully.  They are about 5 miles away from me on the south side of town and I am on the north side.  We live in a small city of about 25,000, so it doesn't take me too long to get there, about 10 mins., so I plan my trips and shopping around them and to save fuel.  Sometimes, I take our little bus which there are several, that run all over town, and shop, when I just want to get out and enjoy the day.  It's nice to have someone else drive you around, especially when it is cold and snowy and you don't want to drag the car out and warm it up and splash in the wet and cold.  Call it lazy. It's also cheap too.

I have been digging through my grandmother's recipes today also, while waiting for the loafs to get done, and came across my grandmother's recipe for a vegetable loaf.  She made this a lot, as during the depression, there wasn't too much meat around, even here in this area of the country.  I think that I will compose the recipe for all of you, and you can add or subtract  what you would like in it, and make it your own.  It is a no name recipe, but I will call it "Mabel's 29' Crash Vegetable Loaf.  It has a mix of different vegetables, bread crumbs, pinto beans or what ever bean you have in your pantry, and blend.  It may be a little fickle, and you will have to adjust the liquid to make a loaf, but I have fixed it, and I think that it is pretty tasty.  It is also yummy the next day in a sandwich, or a pita, add condiments, to your taste, and have fun with it.

I also came across my grandmother's cake recipes, a raisin spice cake, a applesauce cake, there are a few more, I just need to dig deeper.  When I find them, I will post these also.

Well,  I need to pull the loafs out of the oven, it sure smells good in here, I think now, a cup of tea and a sample of banana bread is in order.

Take care all,