Tuesday, January 5, 2010

time for sleep time for sleep time for sleep sleep sleep sleep

Monday, January 4, 2010

Olliepops

Olliepops
Delicious treats for your horse--inspired by Oliver!

preheat oven to 250

4 cups oatmeal
corn oil about 1 cup sometimes more
molasses about 1 cup sometimes more
touch of water if needed
handful of fennel seeds

put the oatmeal in the food processor and blend till it becomes a fine oat flour
add in the fennel seeds and brown sugar blend
slowly add in the oil and molasses
add water if the dough becomes too thick

the dough should be nice and thick and somewhat sticky

oil your hands and roll the dough into rounds of about 1 and 1/2 inches
place on slightly greased cookie sheet and bake for about 2 hours
turn the oven off after about 2 hours, leave the pops in the oven for another few hours to harden the cookie

go to the barn and give a pop to your favorite pal!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

She said that...

She said that the thing to do was to get off your butt and just start. The girl was sipping her coke and not really listening. I think the girl was only hearing blah blah blah blah blah. The older woman, I guess she was the mom looked so sad and upset and clearly blocked in the conversation. They were both sad. Food needs to come to this table now.
Within minutes, long silent minutes, a waitress came to deliver the meal. This was not the same girl who took the order, thought the mother person. The girl looked up in recognition at the waitress who was all smiles with bright blue eyes, sandy brown hair pulled back off of her face, a delicate sparkling nose ornament, many earings and tattoos of stars on her wrists. They knew each other from grade school, middle school, high school and beyond. They were not friends, were not enemies, but remained respectfully aware of each other for all these years in little Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Today at the mall in the Italian restaurant filled with smells of garlic and olive oil, the cheerful chatter of patrons, the tinkling of ice in glasses, and the warm smell from the wood fired hearth, was River serving Jessy and her mom their lunch, two chicken ceasar salads. From my little table I could feel the change that was about to enter the lives of these three women in a little place in New Jersey. Perhaps it was all that the three had been waiting for now suddenly becoming a possibility.

snow and....

snow and....

Seems like the snow has been falling forever. It is so beautiful and calming and yet, today, my heart was pounding so strikingly hard. Filled with feelings of agitation like a cat flicking her tail with ears back. I was just feeling so bothered.
There have been lots of things to do today: wrote some letters, finished a stuffed pony for my sister, finished sewing a pair of jammy pants, made a nice dinner, took a cat nap, fed the fires, did laundry, wrote two papers for school, so why the agitation? Is it the passing of the full blue moon? Is it the cloud and snow fill skies? Is it the wind whipping around the house? Something just feels off. Off is ok, I guess--it is what it is. Tomorrow is meant to be sunny and a bit warmer. I hope to head to the barn to spend time with Oliver. I am going to get 4 barrels of nice fresh horse poopies for the garden, too. I have been thinking about the garden so much. Green beans, lovely lettuce, tomato plants, big juicy peppers, squash, eggplants, peas, carrots---the garden. Already planning the cold frame to start some seeds--not yet, not yet.
Writing--feeling better.