I know it's been a long time since I've written anything, but the days seem to be flying by. I finally quit my job. I couldn't take working for a completely incompetant man and watch him make mistake after mistake in a field where appraisers and greedy mortgage brokers have already caused a crisis. Texas has a board that oversees these things, but I don't think they've revoked a license in the last 15 years!

NOw that I have all this time in a day, I seem to be perpetually behind. I have had three art shows, dental work and my little granddaughter's first birthday.

Madison had a something that looked like a spider bite on her hip. They did surgery this morning to remove the bite area. She will be in the hospital for 2-3 more days, but the doctor said they think it will heal okay.

I found this poem by Grace Stricker Dawson and had to share it. 

   A Friend


You entered my life in a casual way,
   And saw at a glance what I needed;
There were others who passed me or met me each day,
   But never a one of them heeded.
Perhaps you were thinking of other folks more,
   Or chance simply seemed to decree it;
I know there were many such chances before,
   But the others--well, they didn't see it.

You said just the thing that I wished you would say,
   And you made me believe that you meant it;
I held up my head in the old gallant way,
   And resolved you should never repent it.
There are times when encouragement means such a lot,
   And a word is enough to convey it;
There were others who could have, as easy as not--
   But, just the same, they didn't say it.

There may have been someone who could have done more
   To help me along, though I doubt it;
What I needed was cheering, and always before
   They had let me plod onward without it.
You helped to refashion the dream of my heart,
   And made me turn eagerly to it;
There were others who might have (I question that part)--
   But, after all, they didn't do it!

--Grace Stricker Dawson

 

Not my words, but I liked them and decided to post them here.

I've learned that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I've learned that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I've learned that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. The same goes for true love.

I've learned that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I've learned that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I've learned that you can keep going long after you can't.

I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I've learned that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I've learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I've learned that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I've learned that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I've learned that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I've learned that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I've learned that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I've learned that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I've learned that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them, and less to do with how many years you have lived.

I've learned that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I've learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I've learned that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I've learned that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do love each other.

I've learned that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I've learned that two people can look at the same thing and see something totally different.

I've learned that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I've learned that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you you will find the strength to help.

I've learned that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I've learned that the people you care about most in life are sometimes taken from you too soon

Bud told me Friday that he doesn't think I love him anymore because I haven't made cinnamon rolls, cheesecakes, cookies or banana bread in over a month. (he said months and months, but sometimes he exagerates!) I quit making baked goodies because he complained about his jeans being tight around the tummy. Sunday I felt the urge to bake but wasn't sure what I wanted to make. We still have peaches in the freezer from our tree. They are white peaches. They grow well here even without the chill most stone fruits need to have fruit.

I decided to modify my cinnamon roll recipe to make peach rolls with butter cream frosting. They turned out so good, they are sinful! I took one to my neighbor hoping to tempt him to eat. He has been really sick going thru chemo and radiation and hasn't wanted to eat anything. He loves peaches. I hope he at least ate a little bit of the sweet roll.

 

Here is the recipe: I make all breads with a kitchenaid mixer and bread hook attachment. It hurts my hands to knead the dough and the mixer does a great job. It was a christmas gift from Bud.

 

Mix 1 tablespoon yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar (I use organic raw sugar) and 1/4 cup water in Kitchenaid mixing bowl.

Add to this mixture the following ingredients:

1 cup warm rice milk, not too hot or it will kill the yeast. I use rice milk because Bud is allergic to soy and we don't drink milk. YOu can use soy milk or regular milk.

1 stick butter, softened

1 large egg

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt, easy on the salt, especially if you use salted butter.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups flour (I use organic, unbleached flour, but any all purpose flour will work)

Just dump all of the ingredients into the mixing bowl, use the bread hook attachment, set the speed to #2 and let the machine do the work. Takes about 10 minutes to get a good dough. Let the dough rest in the bowl for about 20 minutes.

 

Prepare a baking dish (9 x 13) by greasing the bottom only with a light coating of butter.

 

While the dough is resting, assemble the rest of the ingredients:

1 stick of butter softened

1 cup peach puree made by chopping the frozen peaches in the food processor or just taking the partially frozen peaches and chopping them to bits.

1 cup brown sugar

a sprinkle of nutmeg, just a little bit because too much will be bitter, but a little bit brings out the flavor of the peaches.

2 teaspoons cinnamon (I use Korintje cinnamon)

 

I use a large cutting board to shape the rolls on. I butter the board, turn the dough out onto the board and make a large rectangle, 12 x 18 inches.

Spread the softened butter on the rectangle of dough

Spread the peach puree evenly over the buttered dough

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the peaches

Roll the dough up like a jelly roll (starting on the long side), cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces (if some of the peach mixture slips out, that's okay, we will use that in a minute) Place the rolls in the buttered baking dish, let them barely touch, they should all fit in the pan. Now take any peach filling that slipped out while you were rolling and cutting the dough and scoop it up with a spoon and put it on top of the rolls. Let them rise in a warm spot (I turn the oven on warm, let it heat up, turn it off and put the dough in the oven). Let them rise for about 30-45 minutes, they should double in size.

 

Preheat oven to 325*F and cook for 30 minutes.

 

Make the frosting by melting 2 tablespoons of butter in a sauce pan, don't burn the butter, but get it hot and bubbly. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons half and half cream to the butter and enough powdered sugar (about a cup) to make a thick sauce type frosting. Spoon this frosting onto the hot rolls. They are yummie fresh from the oven and are good cold too. They are best kept at room temperature and will keep for a couple of days without refrigeration. They never last longer at our house because they get eaten up!

 

 

 

I think today was the last straw. My boss and I tend to disagree more and more lately on ethics. I won't compromise on what I know is right and wrong, so today I browsed online job postings. I've printed out 7 that I want to think about. I have the skills required for each of them and two sound really interesting. I will meditate on them this weekend. Wish me luck!

It is a beautiful sunny day even if it is windy. This weekend is supposed to be beautiful too, temps in the 80'sF. I want to finish my front flower garden and I desperately need to finish some paintings and get those framed for the Brownsville MFA show.

We had to cut a palm tree yesterday. It had a large crack at the base of the crown and it kept getting larger. I was afraid it would fall in the high winds the other day. This morning, the cardinals came to the yard at the crack of dawn. They seemed more nervous, they were chattering and flying around in the yard. I think they missed the palm tree, or were upset because it is still lying on the ground waiting to be taken to the burn pile. I tried to talk Bud into making a carving on it to put by the river for the kingfisher to land on, but he is convinced that he cannot carve!

 

A few days ago a hawk landed briefly in the yard. I think he was looking for shelter from the high winds. I saw him again this morning on my walk. He flew up about 10 feet ahead of me from his perch in a small tree. He kept flying up and landing ahead of me. I've had night jars do this from time to time, but never a hawk. Many mornings a pair of kites will fly along with me for a while. Sometimes we catch a glimpse of a raccoon heading home along the game trail. Many times we see rabbits eating in the lawns along the way. Once we say a coyote! He was a young one, he loped along with us for a while before heading off into the brush. Once in a while we see deer in the edges of the farm fields.

 

I love the morning walks with the dog. He is a good dog, he doesn't bark and doesn't pull on the leash. We didn't choose him, but instead he chose us. He came to the gate one afternoon and sat there waiting. We told him to go home and he looked confused. Later we were walking the pupsqueak(her name was BeeBee and she was dying from a tumor on her liver, a sweet 14 year old mixed breed terrier that had "found" Bud years ago) and the dog came bounding along after us. Neighbors came over to visit and asked about the dog in the driveway.  He was still there at dark. I offered him water, then later offered him food. I went inside the house and when I came back out Bud had brought him inside the fence. Bud said he didn't want him to get in the road and get hit. The dog was limping already and had a crooked tail. He has been with us since July 22, 2007. The vet said he was about 10 months old, part black lab. He is a sweetheart (except when he steals things from the outdoor table and chews them up).

 

Finally the wind has stopped, but it will be back tomorrow! It is a gorgeous day, around 60*F and the sun is shining. The laguna was calm this morning when I crossed the causeway, much different from yesterday when it was muddy and covered with whitecaps.

I have my photos ready to enter my paintings in the Rio Fest juried show.

I need to get home in time to make fresh bread. I am so far behind this week. I always make fresh bread on Sunday and Wednesday. I love to cook and do not like to buy prepared food from the grocery. The tomatoes are still bearing and my lettuces and radishes are growing. I noticed a cucumber seed had sprouted, so hopefully the rest of the seeds will germinate soon.

Bud and I worked like crazy this weekend. We hauled 3 cubic yards of compost from the rabbit farm. First we had to shovel it by hand into the trailer, take it home and screen it (the farmer tends to toss assorted junk into the compost pile and we had to pick it out). The goats came up to the fence at the farm (he has cows, goats, chickens, guineas, rabbits and I think I saw a donkey there once and maybe a pig) and begged for food. They weren't hungry, they're just beggars!

We filled 28 large black pots with compost/soil mix and I planted tomatoes, cantaloupes, lettuce, radishes, cucumbers and onions. I need to stop and buy carrot seeds and two pepper plants to finish out the pots. I saved sprouts from the potatoes and I might plant those today if I have time before the art league meeting.

I reworked the front bed this weekend. I dug out some cleradendron trees that are taking over. I know I'll be battling those for years but they are too tall for the front bed. The brugmansias are blooming like crazy. I need to take some pictures. I dug and divided the elephant ears, some of those bulbs were the size of softballs. I accidentally stuck the shovel in a voo-doo lily bulb. It figures that the only spot in a weed patch that I decided to stick the shovel in would have a bulb in it!

I saw lots of earth worms in the garden. The fence is working to keep the armadillo out. I only found one fat white grub worm, a definite improvement from last spring!

I have an appointment in a little while. The dentist is going to try again to fit the bridge. I'm getting really tired of this!

We finally got everything into the convention center. The Art League usually uses the smaller community center in Port Isabel for our February show but this year, thanks to El Paseo, we get to have it in the big convention center on the Island. Tomorrow is the big day!

I think I'm finally recovering from this yuckie cold. The herbs have really helped my stuffy nose and chest congestion.