Flames galore...

I had wanted to have a fire yesterday, but since I slept the day away and then fetched prescriptions and groceries/household items, I thought it was too late to start one.  For whatever reason, today I actually was up just before 2:00, so I had plenty of time to enjoy a fire.

Just as one cannot have too many puppy dog photos on her rememberer blog, one also cannot have too many fire photos.  This one is not bad, eh??

For my main meal today, I had the last mason jar of my black-eyed pea medley.  Knowing I had fetched the last one from the basement freezer, last night I soaked black-eyed peas in beer and thawed out a segment of the Ossian smoked ham.  Today, I whipped up another eight servings!  I also amended the recipe because this time I made it with fresh garlic instead of the Gourmet Gardens fresh garlic I used to use all the time.  I am a mad garlic mincer now and can whip up a massive pile of garlic in mere minutes.

I know there are people in the world who would not eat my black-eyed peace, but I sure cannot fathom why.  They are like eating a hug.  Hearty.  Savory.  Smokey.  Very, very, very tasty!

My bi-monthly Amazon Subscribe and Save order came today.  I very much enjoy the deep savings I am getting on Amos' food and the other regular items I buy, but that dog food bag makes for very heavy box.  I can no longer get the olive oil I was buying, so I substituted pumpkin seeds in my order.

You see, I want to learn to make granola ... Myrtle friendly granola, which means no nuts, especially almonds.  A canister of oats was one of the items I bought at the store yesterday.  I have yet to find a recipe I think will work, since all of them include a portion of nuts.  But surely I will find one soon.  I would like to have pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds as my protein and most likely dried cranberries, too.

I am weary, though, from errand running last evening and fire making and black-eyed pea cooking and kitchen cleaning, so I am going to let that ginormous box remain by the deacons' bench and unpack it all later.  It is so dark with just the firelight that I won't notice the box ... won't have my visual rest disturbed.

Speaking of visual rest, I still cannot quite believe that the underneath portion of the porch is finished.  I very much despaired of that project, of seeing it all open and scary for so long.  Every time I walk into the house from the garage, I give thanks for God sending Firewood Man to me, for sending someone who had helped in so very many ways.  Plus, well, the back side of my house is just so darned pretty now, even if the painting is not finished.

Saturday and Sunday nights I was able to spend on the airing porch because we had a small spate of warmer weather.  Even with the cold, once Amos is finished conducting his business, we usually sit in the GREEN rocking chair on the back porch for a spate, enjoying both the view and the fresh air.