After the coldest night of the season so far, the warmer afternoon breeze thawed my joints on a walk to town. Here's the latest, because I know you're on the edges of your seats:
Lomagene's wedding bands haven't turned up yet, which is a real shame. Let's all hope it's just a matter of her not yet taking down the file card from the post office bulletin board.
Speaking of our beloved town's only building officially sanctioned by the United States government, the home of 76854 is getting a facelift. The other day, Bill (one of our many Handymen Extraordinaires) was being assisted by my son's best local buddy in what looked to be a power-washing, gutter-cleaning, trim-painting extravaganza. Today I noticed the door is as blue and sparkly as the central Texas sky, and a gentleman I've yet to meet was using a little payloader to spread gravel over the spot where our Post Mistress parks.
Last week, on another quick run to see what bills had landed in my box, the Post Mistress's face was lit up like the house down the street. I'm pretty sure they'll be winning the town award for holiday decorations, at least for being the first ones up.
"Do you like it here?" she asked me with a wide grin as I came in to buy some stamps.
"Yes," I said with what felt like a smile of incredulity. "I really do."
"I do, too!" she exclaimed. She's a little shy, but not too much, or else she couldn't woman the important role here, and she went on to exclaim how nice the people are, especially compared to where she'd come from (Austin), and how happy she is that the little office is still open so she can work there.
"Me, too!" I said.
Today's grocery circular and a couple of bills in tow, I continued down the highway for another hundred yards and stopped in at the Grill, right next door to which Ms. Boss Lady has been toiling at recreating her art studio into a bar. It'll be our town's third spot, including the Grill itself, where a person might put up their boots for a spell. Not bad for a population of just a little over a hundred!
I checked in today just to thank Kathy for the heater she'd loaned me, and we chatted awhile about how dogs don't seem to mind the cold, whereas my cat was especially grateful for the new warmth at my house.
Next, on to my final destination to grab a small cache of daily living supplies. The Quik Stop's heater is so good that they were leaving the door open to catch the day's breeze and let some of the heat out. I kicked myself for forgetting to bring a bag with me, but since I only bought a couple of items, Jane offered me a little white bakery bag to cart my stuff home.
The horse down the way still looks fine. His compadre, the hound puppy, could use a friend of the human sort to get him out of the dirt where he lays. I'm thinking about suggesting that job -- which would be a volunteer effort, since those folks surely can't pay for such a luxury -- to my son when he comes back here for Christmas vacation.
Maybe we'll even put up some Christmas lights.
Oh, and my lease was up yesterday. And I'm staying.
****
Speaking of The Holidays, here's a recipe I concocted after reading another of my friend Mira's impossibly healthy ones. In a way that sort of brings me full circle to the original idea for this blog, it was a cold morning, I wanted to heat up my place and wasn't ready yet to turn on the propane bombs embedded in the thin walls of my little wooden house. And I had oatmeal. I always have oatmeal. But I didn't have all the other good stuff that Mira's Baked Oatmeal Pudding requires, so I did what I do. I liked it so much that I fancied it up and made it for Thanksgiving, too. And ate most of it.
(When the directions start getting weird -- those are the additions of a bored 11-year-old who got ahold of his mother's laptop while she cooked...)
Trailer Park Baked Oatmeal Pudding
2 tbsp margarine
one whole (oh yeah) 14 oz can condensed milk
1 tbsp honey
2 cups oats
1/2 cup fresh blueberries (frozen)
1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds
1/2 cup apple juice
1 egg
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp kosher salt
Melt the margarine in a casserole dish in a 350 oven.
Combine everything else and dump in the dish.
Bake about half an hour or until firm set and browning around the top edges. Let cool a few minutes, then cut one-inch thick slices. Serve warm or cold. If blueberries aren't your thing -- I made the second batch with half a red apple diced, half a smushed banana, and a handful of coarse-chopped raw cranberries. Makes good bars for traveling or any other time you want dessert for breakfast. Would probably be even better with some kind of cream liqueur drizzled over it.
(and now for the rest of the recipe...)
Add five llamas and puree slowly.
Take apple cider and add it to the llama puree.
Xylophones should calm down the zombies you've attracted with the scent.
When zombies are asleep, take two zombie heads off with a battle-axe.
Take the zombie heads and remove the skin.
Add skin to llama puree.
Roast the concoction for 3 days and it will be done.
Just in time for the holidays!
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