November 18, 2007

• …we’ve been as busy as the squirrels, getting ready for winter! And with so many things going on, it’s been three weeks since I’ve found time to xanga (is it a verb?) So, time to catch up…afraid this one is a bit long!

  It’s now official…I’m a great-aunt! (Yikes! Being a “great-something” is a little scary!) My niece has a new baby daughter, born November 12. Welcome to the world, baby Ella Grace! She’s a beautiful little girl and destined to make the world a better place, especially for her loving family. What a blessing!

  One of our employees on the ranch, Ernie, has been ill and off work for more than a week.

                                  

  (Ernie is on the left in this picture, taken in July when we were working cattle.) This young man suffers from high blood pressure, and he ran out of medicine and failed to get a refill in time. His pressure sky-rocketed and into intensive care he went. Ernie’s home now and coming back to work tomorrow, for which we’re very thankful. He does so many good things for us, and he was sorely missed while gone. We plan to remind him often to keep his blood pressure controlled, especially for his sake but also for ours!

  Last Wednesday was my turn to host the Queen Bees. I think it is the first time I’ve “had company” and not cleaned my house! But you know what? It really didn’t matter. I think I learned an important lesson….the main thing is to welcome guests with a smile and something good to eat and to not worry about the dust!

  We do something each time we get together. We’ve had knitting and rug hooking lessons, we’ve scrapbooked, baked bread, had “field trips” to a museum and to tea rooms, and we’ve discussed books. Since I was hostess, I chose our activity; this time we read and discussed “The Persian Pickle Club” by Sandra Dallas. The book is about a group of women (much like us!) who quilt together, laugh together and help to bear one another’s burdens. It is funny, touching and outrageous and an altogether good read (if you cross out the one really bad word that adds nothing to the story.)

  And since we read a book about women quilting together, it just seemed like the natural thing to do…make a quilt for the American Hero Quilts project! That will be our January activity. I mentioned this project, the brainchild of Sue Nebeker, in an earlier post. People all over the country make quilts for wounded soldiers coming home from the Middle East. She and her project are featured in the current issue of Quilt magazine, and the pictures of wounded servicemen with their quilts are very touching. The sad thing is that, after giving away hundreds of red, white and blue quilts, she still can’t keep up with the demand….16 wounded for every serviceman killed. Maybe we’ll do two….

  Deer season is almost over here in Missouri, and I’m glad! I root for the deer, even though I know, intellectually, that deer season is a good thing to help keep their numbers down. But I much prefer to see them bounding across a field rather than hanging upside down from a tree. I do understand that some folks need the meat the deer provide, and I appreciate the ones who donate venison to the local food harvest. A man who owns a local restaurant volunteers to butcher donated meat and then it is given away. This is a fine service for people who need it!

  And now for a bit of very GOOD news….our neighbors Susan and Glen got married last weekend! Susan’s 6-year-old son called to tell me, sounding so excited! We’re thinking that a neighborhood celebration is in order, real soon….

  Today I needed to get outside, so what to do? Take an Ozarks drive through the country! This afternoon we chose the Glade Top Trail, a nearby Scenic Byway that follows a ridgetop and offers splendid vistas, best appreciated when the leaves have dropped and you can really see out. For me, this is the quintessential Ozarks.

                                          

  It was a bit hazy today, but we could still see way down into Arkansas, more than 40 miles away.

                                  

  An old fire tower is no longer used but still stands on a high point. The forest service removed the floor so daring kids can’t climb up and get hurt.

                                

  Lots of people use the Glade Top for horseback trail riding….a hitching post is convenient at an overlook.

                                               

  Someone had killed a deer and left the hide to dry on a rock…

                                  

  Doesn’t this trail through the woods look inviting and intriguing?

                                   

  This old cellar is the only remnant left of an old farmstead.

  It was a lovely drive, the afternoon weather was a perfect 10, and now I feel ready to face the new work week.

  This soup was a hit with the Queen Bees this week. The day was chilly and dark, and soup just sounded good. I also prepared a new Paula Deen recipe, Grilled Turkey Reuben sandwiches….yum! A Waldorf salad went well with soup and sandwich, and I made a pumpkin cream cheese roll for dessert, served with hot spiced cranberry tea. Now I’m in the mood for Thanksgiving!

  CHEDDAR POTATO SOUP

  1 large onion, chopped

  ¾ cup chopped celery

  ¼ cup butter

  5 cups cubed potatoes

  1 cup sliced carrots

  3 cups water

  3 cups milk, divided

  4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules

  Salt and pepper to taste

  ¼ cup flour

  4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

  ½ pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

  In a large Dutch oven, saute onion and celery in butter for 5 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots and water and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in 2 cups milk, bouillon, salt and pepper. Combine remaining milk and flour, blend until smooth, and gradually stir into soup. Return to boil and cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat, add cheese and bacon, and stir until cheese is melted. Serve immediately. (You can reserve a little of the cheese and bacon and garnish soup bowls with it for a nice presentation.)

  • 9:46 pm
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