November 4th...a sleepless night gives way to a warm, bright fall day. The sun bakes the fallen leaves, and you can smell the passing of the heat of the summer into the leaf mold in the garden. '

The election results came in overnight. It was a monumental shift in American politics if we can keep it. The work now begins to right the craft and true the sails such that the horror of the last decade never occurs again.

The anger exists to say, "Vengeance is mine", and proceed down a path of retribution. I believe the work of restoration must come first. Our people are hurting. We must address the problems in healthcare, poverty, education, media, food, water, and power well before hurling our enemies into the metaphorical cauldron of boiling oil. 

Lord, help us in this endeavor to save ourselves because no one else will. Thank you, Mr. President.  

Election Day

 I voted. There were more people at the poles than I have ever remembered. Cars were parked down the road. We had a five minute walk to reach our polling place. The lines were not long because there were plenty of pole workers and the system was very efficient. 

All Soul's Day

November 2nd, All Soul's Day, was traditionally meant to be a day of reflection and prayer for those who have left this world. It was a day to remember the family and friends who have died and give thanks to them for their legacy. 

Most commonly, the past tradition was to visit the family cemetery and tidy the graves one last time before the winter snows.  Now, with family scattered hither and yon, it is rare to have a family plot, let alone time to maintain the scattered graves in this cemetery and that across the state, or the nation. 

The passage of time between October and November also represents the closing in of the harvest and the beginning of winter. It is the race between preparing the gardens and lawn for the long sleep under snow. 

How much can be done to ease the winter chores before snow? How much wood can you stack? How many jars of sauce can you preserve? Have you prepared for hunting season? 

It is a race to ease the spring chores too. How many garden beds can you turn with new compost? How many flower beds can you rake out and weed and then gently bed down with leaf mold for the springtime? Can you make a last mowing of the lawn before winter especially nearest the house in order to drive the mice to nesting grass in the far meadow? 

Hang the storms. Find the sweaters. Wash the blankets. Wax the boots. It is a frenzy before the winter closes in. We are close to the finish line, but we are tired and look forward to the first snow and an afternoon nap in front of the fire. 

October

Nearly three-quarters of a year have passed since writing. Time has slipped, not only over the year but through the years. It feels as if nearly a century of modern living has slipped away. Our electricity is unreliable. While we do get it most days, everything must be protected from the larger grid because of unplanned power outages that last from a few seconds to several hours. I don't reset the clocks on the appliances any longer. Why bother? It is work that is undone relentlessly.  Other things have slipped even farther back in time. I have harvested our amaranth crop and I thresh and winnow by hand, the bowls and sieves may be stainless steel and aluminum, but the technology is ancient, relying on the sun and wind to prepare a crop to feed us.

My body aches from the last endeavor, a small patch of winter wheat. It was broadcast sown and raked into the soil. Watered and protected from the deer and birds, we wait the three to five days to see if the seed sprouts. 

Today, they say frost tonight. It is late this year, but so is the garden. There are still tomatoes, basil, beans, and peppers slowly ripening in the autumn sun. There will be a scramble to cover the best plants and prayers said for just a few degrees warmer tonight.  

The white pines have let go of their cones. Fresh and sticky with sap, the cones are gathered for fire starters for the winter. Fire wood still needs split and the weeds around the house need cleared to prevent vermin infiltration. Evening comes to soon and so does winter. 

Old Cookbook Menus

These two days of menus come from a 1945 cookbook written by Vera Bradely. The book has an entire years worth of suggestions for three meals a day. It is interesting what was suggested and what actually is achieved in my kitchen. 

January 2nd Week - Tuesday 

Breakfast:  Sliced Oranges, Fine Dark Wheat Cereal, Toasted Raisin Bread 

Lunch: Pork Dice Baked with Macaroni, Baking Powder Biscuit, Lettuce and Pimento Salad, Canned Raspberries

Dinner: Canned Corn Soup, Pan fried Lamb chops, Mint Jelly, Turkish Pilaf, Five Minute Cabbage, Chocolate Cornstarch Mold with Soft Custard.

 

In my kitchen, we have to be carbohydrate aware. Most breads, grains, deserts and sweets simply disappear from the list. Items that no longer exist are canned raspberries, and canned corn soup. So this is what's left.

Breakfast:  Sliced Oranges, Fine Dark Wheat Cereal 

Lunch: Pork Dice Baked with Macaroni, Lettuce and Pimento Salad

Dinner: Pan fried Lamb chops, Turkish Pilaf, Five Minute Cabbage, 

 

Now let's remove what is too expensive or I simply don't have this leftover.

Breakfast:  Sliced Oranges, Fine Dark Wheat Cereal 

Lunch:  Macaroni, Lettuce Salad

Dinner:  Turkish Pilaf, Five Minute Cabbage

 

Not much left, let's go shopping in my frig.

Breakfast: Whole oranges, Wheatena Cereal with Milk

Lunch:  Leftover Potato Leek Soup, Grain and Bean Salad with Veggie Scraps Salad

Dinner:  Chicken Breast and Pepper Stir fry, Rice, Cauliflower, Lettuce Salad

 

What to see the next day?

January 2nd Week - Wednesday

Breakfast:  Raspberry and Orange Juice, Quaker Crackles, Toasted Biscuit, Marmalade. 

Lunch: Canned Corned Beef Hash, Cole Slaw, Cooked Salad Dressing, Yeast Biscuit, Stewed Dried Apricots

Dinner: Tomato Soup, Baked Liver and Bacon, Pepper Relish, Potatos Baked with Butter, Turnip Dice en Caserole, Baked Custard with Carmel Sauce.

 

Becomes the following menu. 

Breakfast:  Frozen Blueberries, Oatmeal, Plain Yogurt. 

Lunch: Leftover Ham and Egg Quiche, Cole Slaw with Vinegar Dressing, Oranges

Dinner:  Hamburgers in Tomato Sauce, Rice, Cooked Broccoli, Lettuce Salad

Is the book still useful? That's debatable since there are so many changes. It is a start place for the eternal question of "what's for dinner?"? Undoubtedly, yes. 

The most interesting part about the book is the organization. Each week has a marketing list that is divided so that you shop every couple of days. This helps with food waste, nothing is bought too far ahead only to rot and you can review your leftovers for substitutions.

The menus are seasonal. I am unlikely to find fresh strawberries in January menus, and pumpkins in June. 

Finally, the menu for the day is on the left hand page and directly following are all the recipes need for that day. Open the book and all the reference material for the day is right there. Need to place a grocery order for the next day? That list is at the very end of the day. Review, rinse, and repeat. Ingenious! 

 The holidays have come and gone. This winter has had more snow and cold than past years. It's all very pretty, but we've been inside far too long. 

I'm still working on finishing up the bathroom renovations. Sewing curtains has been a difficult journey. I think my sewing and knitting hobbies will wind down as supplies are short and very expensive.