Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Home is where the heart is and also lots of work.

The Tumbleweeds are home so this is not a real post.

Also, I thought by now we would be home for good but it ain't happening, so it's back to the road for us again.

Whatever.

Here are some thoughts from home in Douglas, Wyoming:

★ It is extremely dry and windy here and there are fires burning everywhere around us because of it.

★ This is all very dangerous and sad and stuff, but do you have any idea what dry air, 100 mph wind, and extreme heat does to skin?

This is my face before I slather on
half a bottle of lotion.

★ Also? The combination of freshly applied ChapStick and dusty wind gusts make for very gritty lips.

★ My life as a Professional Passenger requires that I sit for very long periods of time. Strangely, this is not a good way to prepare the body for manual labor.

★ Himself and I tore off the roof of our house so we could have a new on installed. The lilacs that run the length of our property are trying to kill me by reproducing at a freakishly alarming rate and the leaves. My God, the leaves.

★ I have enjoyed some kitchen time and been able to make some pretty decent meals. With vegetables, even! But today I failed spectacularly in the dessert I am supposed to be taking to a cook-out and now I have to start completely over.

These are supposed to be
lime-honey mini bundt cakes, not
deflated, sticky disasters that drip
all over the oven so that
the fire alarm gives me an aneurysm.

★ Why is it that, if I make a meal or bake something for just the two of us, it turns out fantastic and pretty. But if I make something that other people will see, the fire department has to get involved and I have to make multiple trips to the grocery store and have a Plan B.

★ It has been nice to have my own bathroom and just be still for while. Even Jasmine got some spa time in the bathtub and she was a clean, dirt-free dog for almost 30 whole minutes.


***


As you can see, life at home is really exciting and I bet you're really looking forward to the day when I will bore you to death with more tales of gritty lips, failed cakes, and dirty dogs.

Oh and by the way, Safeway had chicken this week. But they were out of ice-cream.






15 comments:

  1. This is good information but what I think we all want to know is, how is Liberace Rabbit adjusting to being home?

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    1. Ha! I think he's really enjoying the private time he's getting to have with Chuck Yeager Monkey. In fact I don't know where they are right now. And also my camera is missing. I better go check the liquor cabinet.

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  2. I would agree that Chapstick and grit do not mix. What I really want to know is what sadistic store manager forgot to order ice cream!

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    1. I know! All that was left was orange sherbet and single serving sizes of vanilla. I should press charges.

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  3. Now that we've seen the melted bundt cakes - I want to see what happened next :)

    Be careful with those fires!

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    Replies
    1. I tore up the cake that was salvageable, made another cake (in a different pan), tore it up too, then made a custard, some raspberry sauce and put it all together in a trifle. It turned out pretty good, but I spent half the day doing it!

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    2. Ugh lol! You are very persistent! I would given up after the first round ;-) Glad things turned out in the end!

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  4. I'd still eat those cakes if you sent one to me.

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    1. I could just send you the whole pan, they are so hard you can't tell the difference! ;)

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  5. When I'm cooking, sometimes I get all the way to Plan Q. But not usually, because Plan C is, "Screw it, where's my cocktail," which is generally the end of it.

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    1. It's also helpful if the guests have been drinking. My guests are *very* impressed with my cooking when they're drunk.

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  6. (yikes...i'm waaaay behind...)

    those bundt cakes look like the mushrooms i've been seeing all over the yard here!
    just kidding...i'm no baker myself...but what you say is so true...cook for just us...and it looks so appetizing...cook when there's more than just us...and i just want a do-over!

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    Replies
    1. I don't know where I went wrong. They definitely weren't as soft as mushrooms, I had to soak the pan for hours and still scrape it off with a knife!

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  7. You're all ahead of me - I've never even heard of mini-bundt cakes. If you've never made them before, it could be something's wrong with the recipe - at least, that's the excuse I'd use...Try another recipe some time, then send a couple to me - they sound DELICIOUS!!

    Jas looks quite perky & happy (what did she roll in?) Our Keeshond used to roll in fresh sheep manure right after his bath - didn't set too well with me, but he would just smile.

    Hope the fire don't get worse - bad year all over the west, for sure. Not surprising with the climate change and all the thousands of acres of dead trees due to the bark beetles. Take care & stay safe.

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    1. When I saw the mini bundt pan in the junk store for $2 I knew I had to have it. I do think the recipe was off, but I don't know how. I'll try it again with a different recipe--but not soon!

      Mmmm, sheep poo, how refreshing! Jas only got in the dirt and dead grass that is our backyard, so I guess we were lucky.

      Oh the bark beetles, they have done some damage, for sure. Everything is a tinder box out here and I don't know how they'll get them all stopped.

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Do what?