Cold IS A Relative Thing

The following is a short little essay about cold. On a day when we've been in single digits and I'm tired of the cold, it made me laugh. It was sent to me by a friend from work who happens to also be from the best state in the union (Wisconsin!).

COLD IS A RELATIVE THING

65 above zero: Floridians turn on the heat. People in Wisconsin plant gardens.
60 above zero: Californians shiver uncontrollably. People in Wisconsin sunbathe.
50 above zero: Italian & English cars won't start. People in Wisconsin drive with the windows down.
40 above zero: Georgians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats. People in Wisconsin throw on a flannel shirt.
35 above zero: New York landlords finally turn up the heat. People in Wisconsin have the last cookout before it gets cold.
20 above Zero: People in Miami all die. Wisconsinites close the windows.
Zero: Californians fly away to Mexico . People in Wisconsin get out their winter coats.
10 below zero: Hollywood disintegrates. The Girl Scouts in Wisconsin are selling cookies door to door.
20 below zero: Washington DC runs out of hot air. People in Wisconsin let the dogs sleep indoors.
30 below zero: Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. Wisconsinites get upset because they can't start the Snow-mobile.
40 below zero: ALL atomic motion stops. People in Wisconsin start saying...'Cold enough fer ya?'
50 below zero: Hell freezes over. Wisconsin public schools will open 2 hours late.

Hope of Spring

It happens every year to me. It seems it happens sooner though. Last year it was mid-February. This year I am succumbing to it at the end of January. You know, it's winter weariness. I'm tired. Really tired. I wake up and it's dark. It's dark before supper. The temperatures are ccccooolllldddd. The sky pale gray-blue. Everything white, brown, golden or gray. I need green. I need yellow. I need red. I need blue. I need.... Spring.

But Spring is months away.

Perhaps it's just that I physically do not feel well. Some upper respiratory illness. Coughing, sneezing, aching, tired. Going on 3 weeks now. Ugh. I'll get better... hopefully before spring.

The bees will fly, the birds sing and the flowers will bloom. It will happen. I am hoping.

Today's Journey Joy - photos of color

Cinna-bombs

What does a mommy do when it is snowing (6 inches), blowing, and subzero temperatures? The children's school is cancelled and it is too cold to go sledding? Why, make cinnamon rolls of course.

At this moment I'm trying to think of some redeeming feature of these delectable, scrumptious, and mouth watering marvels. Hmmm... well, there are eggs in them! (Plus butter and sugar...and ah... did I mention butter and ah...sugar?) Oh yeah, pecans too! Yes, eggs and pecans. Two great and nutritious ingredients. (smile).

The photo was taken right after the rolls were taken out of the oven. The icing (more butter and sugar) gets drizzled right before eating. Indeed, these rolls are bombs. Bombs of love, sugar and yumminess.

Today's Journey Joy: Homemade and yummy Cinna-bombs

Toasty Warm

“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” (Proverbs 6:6-8)

The sun is shining pale in the western winter afternoon sky. It's cold. Colder than I think I can remember. The wind is blowing, howling, whipping around corners and trees leaving winter scapes of drifting white dunes.

But we are toasty warm. My hardworking husband has processed enough oak, maple, boxelder, elm, hackberry and orange osage to last through the winter. The pile almost reaches above the outdoor wood burning furnace. The colder it gets, the hotter the burn. And the more blessed I feel. We may have to tend the fire an extra time, but I do not need to fret about rising electric or gas prices. Our heat is supplied through a renewable source. And that renewable source will most likely last us a life time.

Especially since the great storm of 2008 when we lost huge oaks around the farm. We haven't even begun to process one huge 150 year old oak that simply broke in the 94 mph straight line winds that woke us up one morning this past summer. Something to do perhaps once the temperatures exceed 30-40 degrees.

In the meantime I am blessed to live in a small well heated home. The temperatures will fall tonight to -18 degrees Fahrenheit (that's -27 degrees C for those of you who are more familiar with that temperature scale). Brrrr ccccold. We will bundle up together for comfort and listen to the wind's conversation. Makes me wonder.....

Today's Journey Joy - husband with foresight and warm homes

Simple Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

Several people who previously read "Makin' Bread" have asked for the recipe. Now isn't that the ultimate compliment? I remember this summer when a sweet friend asked me for my potato salad recipe. I said, "Suzy, no one ever asks me for a recipe!" It's not that I'm a terrible cook... it is just usually that I am a "plain" cook. Nothing too exciting. Tasty, nutritious (most of the time... although I love a good "cinnabomb" too!) and wholesome. Meat, squash, corn, carrots, beans, peas, etc. Things that I can grow in my garden or raise in the yard. I am usually the one who is asking for the recipe. So since my friends have graced me with a blessing, I will happily share the recipe from which I made the bread. It is not mine... no, of course not. I found it on Allrecipes.com. It was reviewed by over 300 people and everyone of them rated it as 5 out of 5. That sounded like something I could do! Enjoy!

Ingredients
3 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
2 (0.25 ounce) packages of active dry yeast
1/3 c. of honey or sugar
5 cups of bread flour

3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 c. of honey or sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast and 1/3 cup of honey (or sugar). Add 5 cups of white bread flour and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes or until big and bubbly.
2. Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup of honey (or sugar) and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to the touch. This may take an additional 2-4 cups of whole wheat flour. (This is where I deviated a bit. My Kitchen Aid mixer does most of the work. I just add 3 cups of whole wheat flour (total) and let the dough hook "knead" the dough for about 10 minutes. Does a great job!)
3. Place in greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with dishtowel. Let rise in a warm placed until doubled.
4. Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans and all to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch (I let them rise a little taller).
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes; do not over bake. Lightly brush the tops of the loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter to prevent crust from getting hard. (I have not done this and the bread crust is still soft). Cool completely. Gobble and enjoy (that was my addition to the recipe!)

Hope you enjoy as well.

Today's Journey Joy - sharing recipes!

Makin' Bread

This is a new adventure for me. Making and baking bread. I was blessed with a professional Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas. I have always wanted one. Projects always go better when you have the right tools. Baking bread is no exception. Having a power machine and a dough hook surely makes preparing bread an enjoyable experience. And an easy one. Baking our own bread is also one of my goals - to eat simply and wholesomely

But baking bread from raw ingredients is new to me. The closest I ever got to baking fresh bread was popping one of those Pillsbury crescent roll canisters against my counter top. Needless to say, the learning curve is quite steep at this point. The first two weeks of "attempts" were, what I would refer to as, "hearty". In other words, the bread didn't rise very much. Made great toast though. But now I am starting to get the hang of it. (Although I think I need a better and bigger rising bowl.) My son loves pounding down the dough after the first rise. Actually, both of my children want to be the one who makes the dough implode.

The bread is warm, soft and yummy. One of the loaves didn't even make it to the bread container / bag for storage. The biggest loaf was "inhaled" mostly by my bread loving husband and son. There is nothing like freshly baked wheat bread with melted butter and unprocessed fresh honey on top. Oh, yum.

Today's Journey Joy - warm wheat bread

Mr. Rooster's a Pie

Today was the day. Today was the day when Mr. Rooster was going to be "turned into a pie." At least that's what my daughter liked to say. "Mr. Rooster.... He's going to be a pie." This comment usually came after Mr. Rooster would flap his wings and charge her. It seemed that no matter how many times he got kicked across the lawn, he still wanted to attack the children. But Mr. Rooster was chosen from his brothers to be "our rooster". We butchered all the rest in August. But Mr. Rooster was spared because we felt sorry for him. He had been picked on by his fellow brother roosters. They would peck his bottom and tail feathers until they were bloody. In fact, we didn't even know if his tail feathers would grow in. But they did. He turned into a beautiful Buff Orpington rooster. Unfortunately, he also turned into a cranky ol' rooster.

You'll recall that I recently wrote about having to separate the roosters from the hens a few weeks back. They were attacking the hens and injuring them to the point that two of them died. Today, we gathered the sequestered roosters up (that was an adventure in and of itself!) and put them in old apple containers that we secured a rectangle of chicken wire over. They were going to the poultry processor. As soon as we let the boys out of their confinement... yes, you guessed it. Ol' Mr. Cranky got me. He pecked me as hard as a hammer. Right on the knee. I no longer felt bad that Mr. Rooster was going to replaced. Eventually, (1.5 hours later!) we got all 27 roosters into containers, packed my Toyota with these 7 apple crates, and drove through a winter snow storm (well, maybe not a storm... only four inches, blowing wind and temps around 22. Not too bad). I ended up about 1.75 hours later at the processors. Strange... I sort of felt bad for our roosters. I'm glad that I didn't have to be the one who culled them.

Now we have a new rooster. He's relatively happy. One rooster to 33 hens. He should feel good. He was chosen from the 27 because when he was a little chick the feed barrel somehow got on top of one of his toes and amputated it. He recovered though. Now we have Mr. Two Toes as the king rooster. I sure hope he stays as sweet as he is now. He lets me pet him and pick him up.

The freezer is full. Perhaps we will have Mr. Rooster in a pie tomorrow.

Journey Joy: Roosters culled

Eternity Eyes

"It is a poor thing to fear that which is inevitable." (Tertullian)

Recently I have been thinking about....well.....um.....ahhh..... death. Yes, death. If it seems a morbid or depressing thought please forgive me. But death has a way of bringing perspective and priority to living.

In a recent gathering of believers I confessed that the thought of dying was not pleasant to me. The finality, the inevitability, the process of death is disturbing. Yes, I know that death brings believers immediately to the face of Christ. In fact, I think it was D.L. Moody who said on his death bed, "...today is my crowning day."

Death has been described for the believer in Christ as a doorway, a pathway leading to heaven, a river to swim across (see Pilgrim's Progress). The end result enabling the forgiven sinner to approach and worship God. A wonderful, breathtaking and truly awesome event. To see Him face to face. Clearly, not looking through a cloudy glass. To shed the weight of sin once for all. To be free from this transient decaying body. To sing, dance, and worship the Savior with my whole being unencumbered by the effects of pride, selfishness and fear. Oh to truly live! To be who I was meant to be before my sin scarred my being. We experience this partially now. But completely then. What an experience that will be. And what a joy and hope and comfort it brings.

Then why does death bother me? Not only bother me, anger me. You see, it was never meant to be. God did not desire for me or others to die. He does not like it either. But alas, we do die. We have chosen it. It could have been the end - a future of hopelessness, sorrow, emptiness. How does one bear it? The thought of eternity in such a state? But the Cross and the Resurrection supplied my most desperate need. I needed a Savior. God, through His Son Jesus, because He loved me, provided a Savior. I don't understand such love. It overwhelms my comprehension. Yet the result of this love is clear: Death is not the end. It is, in a way, a new beginning.

Then why does death bother me? My vocation (that pays me a salary) is in health care. I have been in health care since I was a teenager working at a nursing home. I've been a nurse's aid, a hospital corpsman, a preventive medicine tech, a registered nurse working in intensive care and emergency departments and a family nurse practitioner. I now teach others what I have learned. What have I learned about death? It is a sad time. Crying and grief surround it for the most part. We miss our loved ones. We feel incomplete. As a practitioner I have often been at a patient's death bed. It has been a privilege bringing the believer to the gate of heaven. I cannot traverse it with them but I can comfort and assure them. They truly are "going to a better place". But not everyone chooses to follow Jesus. Their gateway.... well,....is not what they expected.

Then why does death bother me? If I died today I would be in heaven. I am assured of this. But my heart says, "No! I do not want to die!" Who would mother my children? Who would be wife to the best husband in the world? My heart is here... with my family. I do not want to leave them. I enjoy the beauty of the earth; the song of the sparrow; the flutter of the monarch; the scurrying of the squirrel; the happy buzz of the honeybee. I love the laughter of children, the joy of playing, the contentment of a warm hearty meal.

I have often said that I tend to try to make heaven here. But I remind myself that this existence is transitory. We have been given only glimpses of heaven. But they are only a shadow. C.S. Lewis once wrote, "Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave it with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind."

Lord, today help me see death through Your eyes. Help me to keep life in the perspective of eternity and not only for this brief moment. Help me to renew a heart of eagerness in sharing Your gift of salvation to those who's life choices will bring eternal death. Help me to see death (and life!) through Your eternal eyes.

Today's Journey Joy - Eternity Eyes