Rainy day ponderings

I really was going to take some pictures of the pantry shelves in my garage today... but nature got in the way. We've had rain and storms come through most of the day, the few minutes of sunshine this morning was soon replaced by shadows.

That's okay, it was one of those days that rain was welcome. I didn't have anyplace away from home that I needed to be, although it was a good thing I did have to take a letter out to the mailbox.

I had heard a loud boom this morning and our electricity went off. I assumed the Rural Electric Co-op guy was looking into the situation but when I walked down the gravel lane, I noticed my nearest neighbor had lights on! LIGHTS, how could that be?

So... I called the Rural Electric people and sure enough, they had no reports of any outages. They assured me one of their guys would be on the way, especially when I explained that loud boom sound. He arrived about thirty minutes later and his assessment of the situation was the same as my husband's, there probably is a fried squirrel somewhere out there. Within a few minutes, the problem was fixed and I had power for the first time in hours.

Then, big storms came through and knocked out the satellite and the Internet for awhile. It was a good time to fold and hang up all the laundry I had finished so far. Speaking of which, Stephanie called this morning while I was on the porch reading Genesis, rocking, and waiting for the Rural Electric guy to arrive. Her new washer and dryer had been delivered and she was waxing poetic about the clean laundry. When one has four little children, one gets all excited about washers and dryers that work. When they had extra money come in, this was at the top of their priority list. (I am thankful taking a vacation with us was on that list!)

That's one of the things I've been doing this week, writing in my scrapbook journal and tweaking some of my lists. Thanks to a lovely Target gift card, I was able to purchase a few items from my list (that's what I often use gift cards for, purchasing items I can't from the family budget). I was able to bring home two good size containers to hold my unbleached and bread flour, and an excellent Henkel bread knife that Target sells for a great price (my bread knife is over thirty years old and I had just added a new bread knife to my list!)

I also found the cutest cupcake holder for the open house, the kind that makes a "cupcake tree". Even Christopher thought it was "cool", and that is from a teenage boy. It wasn't on my priority list but when I saw it at the store (it was very inexpensive), I knew it would be something festive for this party. I made yellow cupcakes with vanilla frosting and then sprinkled colored sugar on each (purchased in bulk at the Amish grocery store on vacation for 80 cents). It looked great. I was so thankful for that gift. :)

Over the next week or so, I plan to talk a bit more about recession proofing and stocking up (did you hear today that a gallon of gas may go up to $7.00?), review a delightful child's book, and perhaps chat about a couple other books I'm reading. Hmmm... I know there was something else I was thinking of... oh yes, when I'm taking pictures of my pantry shelves, I want to take some pictures of what my scrapbook journal looks like and how I have the pictures I use organized. They have worked out so well in this new system.

Now I must check the potatoes boiling on top of the stove and finish dinner. I am not a great Summer cook since I tend to not be hungry much when it is hot outside and I still have to make certain there is some kind of sustenance for all of us each evening. It's just the opposite in cold weather when I'm in the kitchen all the time. Now, what to serve with the potatoes?

Picture: Afternoon Light by Susan Rios