Monday, November 17, 2014

The wood! The wood! The wood!


Amos has finally remembered that he likes snow!!!  Both trips to tend his major business were completed within seconds and without a single bit of cajoling on my part.  Happiness abounds in my home at the moment.




As icing on my cake that is today, Firewood Man surprised me with firewood!  Yep, my inner-pyromaniac is also rather happy right now!




Yes, I already laid a fire.  In fact, I had one going before Tim even finished unloading all the wood.  He said he was off by just one wheelbarrow load, having guestimated what I would need to fill the new rack.  Basically, he's charging me the same for two racks (plus two trips), which means I will have a bit more wood per purchase than when we were just dumping it on the old, peeling-paint topped floor.

I didn't even have to ask Tim to pulled the rack out away from the railing before loading it.  He knew that even though it is merely primed, I have no wish to scratch up the railing, just as I have no wish to mar my newly restored porch floor.   It warmed the cockles of my heart when he blurted out that the firewood looked pretty on the rack.  It does, doesn't it??

We had snow again today.  The good thing about the snow is that it is "washing" all those muddy footprints off of the porch floor.  I admit it was a bit difficult seeing it get all dirty, even though the cause for the mess was quite needful.

My friend Mary's husband brought me tostada shells, since I haven't been able to find them.  He actually brought me a ginormous stack of them.  Being me, I put them away in the kitchen cabinets and then promptly forgot that I finally could have chalupas again.  When I remembered, I forgot where I put the shells, since the package is a different configuration and size of the brand I used to be able to purchase at Walmart.  I finally found them, had chalupas, and forgot about them again.  Tonight, I remembered.




I decided to beef up my refried black beans before making the chalupas.  Now, La Costeña is the only brand to buy.  But I wanted a bit more flavoring.  So, I opened up my spice cabinet and started pulling out jars.  I liked how the mixture turned out, but I wish I had a lime (or three) instead of only a refrigerator full of lemons (for my cucumber lemon water).  We will not discuss how much softened butter I added.

[Yes, I actually added cinnamon to my refried black beans.]




I ate two (actually three) chalupas and apportioned out the rest of the enhanced refried black beans into freezer containers.  That way, I will remember that I can make chalupas whenever I go shopping for meals in the basement freezer, as I did tonight.  The top shelf of the kitchen freezer is once more filled with meals.




Doesn't my freezer look practically empty?  Don't you think that I should do a bit of cooking??

I thought about trying to use a warm cloth to melt the frost off of the top shelf.  I am not sure why that it the only one to accumulate frost.  However, it is such a small shelf and is my bacon shelf.  Maybe bacon needs frost ... or inspires it.  Anyway, instead of laboring on defrosting, I remained in the GREEN chair, pulled close to the fireplace, and concentrated on keeping Amos company.  He was a bit lonely today.

Firewood Man has such a pokerface when he is twitting me.  Today, he told me that he was planning on bringing this battered plastic bin he found over and putting it on the back porch.  He said that way I could keep it filled with the kindling he slivered for me.  I told him that I had a bin in the house next to the fireplace, and the rest is just fine in those ammunition boxes serving as shelves in the garage.  He kept telling me that the garage was too far for me to walk when it is cold out and that's why he bought the plastic bin for me.  I was getting all hot and bothered about not messing up the beautiful visual rest I had achieved on the back porch when he suddenly burst out laughing.

The Rat Bastard.

Bettina is also most excellent at twitting me.  Today, she sent this text:

Two boys, one who ate the cake, are outside. Whom is going to the park? The award goes to whoever wants it. George, whom was the first president, likes apples.

Dunce here could not figure out she was letting me know she read my plea to the world.  Silly friend!!

Last night, when the snow was falling, I sat out on the back porch with Amos for about an hour.  When the humidity gone and the wind quiescent, the temperature was almost pleasant.  Amos is a wonderful lap warmer, and we were both bundled up with coats.  I also had gloves, a scarf, and a hat on, as well as a blanket around my legs.  

Watching the snow slowly make their way to the ground was rather peaceful.  There was this strange space of quiet during which no cars passed or trains whistled or neighbors hollered.  All I could hear was the snores emanating from my beloved fluff ball.  That free rocking chair is surely one of the greatest gifts I've received.  I can hardly believe that it is mine and that the seemingly-never-ending can of GREEN paint gave it new life.  

You know, if I were not already fairly set on being cremated, I would tell Bettina to have me buried upright in the rocking chair ... by some moss.

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