Zucchini Season

The generous zucchini...  if only we could all be so generous with our life.  

It must have been a bit to wet this season because the zucchini in my garden has caught a cold (powdery mildew) and has just about retired to the great zucchini heaven in the sky -- but not before it offered up some tasty meals.   Grilled, fried, boiled, added to soups, and made into breads.  I use a favorite Zucchini Bread recipe in the 2001 Zion Lutheran Church cookbook -- contributed by Ople Jorgensen.  If you still have some zucchini give it a try.   Just so you know -- the bread is like a very dense cake.   I bake mine in a bread pan.  I also leave out the raisins and nuts sometimes.   It is very good either way.

  

ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 eggs 1 tsp. baking soda

2 c. sugar 1 tsp. baking powder

1 c. vegetable oil 1 T cinnamon (I use 2  or 3 T - I like lots of cinnamon)

1 T. vanilla 1 tsp. nutmeg ( I grate mine fresh)

2 c. grated zucchini 1 c. raisins

2 c. flour 1 c. chopped nuts

Beat eggs until light and fluffy.  Add sugar, then oil and continue beating until smooth.  Add vanilla and zucchini, stir to mix. Sift together flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; add to creamed mixture.  Stir in raisins and nuts.  Divide batter between 2 gresed 8x4-inch   loaf pans.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour (may take longer) or until toothpick inserted in center is clean.   Remove from pan; cool on rack.  Store wrapped in refrigerator or freezer.   Yield 2 loaves.

Please post your favorite zucchini recipe or story.

Is It Raining Grasshoppers?

OK -- so yesterday after work -- not a cloud in the sky -- and these goopy plop's were hitting my windshield.  It sounded like big "ole" drops of rain.    In minutes the windshield was covered -- and I mean covered...   When I drove more near the river it would become more intense.   Pretty soon the entire windshield was covered.   I thought I didn't dare turn on the wipers because all of the protein bumps would smear all over -- leaving the road a blurr from inside that truck.    When finally in Worland -- it was straight to the gas station to wash the bugs off before they had a chance to dry.

Next morning -- same thing.  More bugs more mush.

And then the rain came for the trip home again and there was not going to be any choice.   Attention wipers -- smears... and then crystal clean again -- just like my mind.

Change has been so cleansing.  

Fall Is In The Air

The topic today is weeds.  I don't know why but I love pulling weeds.   There is nothing more gratifying.   Tonight, for instance, was a good weed night.  The weeds in my field are almost as high as me.  In fact I took a photo because it looked like a tree farm.  Perfect cone shapes --  like a Christmas tree.  

I have a routine...  1 hour every night pitch fork in hand.   It works pretty good and I think I am at least a third of the way done.   I look out over the finished area and smile and pat my self on the back.  And if that self indulgence isn't enough I brag to others during the day.  "You should see how many weeds I have pulled out of the field."   

Don't worry about me getting board because if I tire of the field I can move to the garlic patch.  

One last note before signing off.   New Job Report: Today I got 3 new shirts a coat and a hat from my new company.   Isn't life great!

First Day of New Job

What a beautiful morning...  6:30 am.  The mountain peaks are covered with snow.  There is a heavy fog just parallel to the river.   The tops of the trees peak out over the fluffy clouds and the corn rows appear to be holding up the white pillows.  There are deer eating in the fields where the farmers have started the corn harvest.  I bet there will soon be geese everywhere as the mornings become more crisp.  

The day was happy and friendly.  I felt like a teenager at the first day of 8th grade.  Meeting everyone, here is your supervisor, here is your locker, here is the water fountain.  Everyone was calm and working like bees that seemed to know what to do in complete harmony.  I like it very much.

I checked my milage and filled up the truck in Basin.  3.3 gallons -- 40.2  miles.  That is not good.  Then I filled up when I got home. 1.6 gallons -- 29 miles.  That is better.  I can make it work.

I arrived home early enough that I had time to pull weeds for an hour and check out what needed to be picked.  Everything looks OK.  No frost yet -- the frost GOD's have smiled upon me.  I am grateful.     

Sunday Morning -- September 7, 2008

Here we go...  My last day on the job -- 3 months shy of 14 years, around 32,000 hours -- ended Friday, September 5, 2008.   There is a new adventure, around every corner.  I hope you will share every minute with me.  

I was widowed on December 29, 2005.  I lost my love, lover, dream boy, soul mate, strength, father of my 5 boys, and focus.  The last few years have been full of keeping his spirit, living with the pain, worrying about my children, being lead to a new love, and starting over.

I live on a mini farm that supplies the dreams for a bright future, sharing of organic vegetables with others, and the ability to create and share habitat with natures trusting creatures.

In the coming days I will be supplying pictures, and thoughts.  I hope you will join in...