Thursday, February 03, 2011

Where she comes out of her hole and sees... snow

Sigh, Stephanie told me on the phone today that David is practically in tears over this weather.  Grammie could relate... 

Dinner is finally in the oven, my last minute go-to meal of cowboy casserole... so called because it has ground beef and a large can of baked beans (among other things) and I thought it once an appropriate name for little boy Christopher.  Since the now young man isn't certain when he will be home for dinner, I thought this a good warm up meal if necessary later... and it is still one of his favorites... and cheap.

While I was pushing the browning ground beef and onions around in the large skillet, for some reason the aroma made me think of my mother's kitchen decades ago.  Isn't it funny how the sense of smell can take us back to another time and another place.  I think of her with the aroma of coffee brewing and bacon frying in the morning, too.  :)

I feel I didn't get much at all accomplished today but in truth, I did get one of the bed quilts washed and dried, a quick trip to the grocery store, a library book dropped off, and Christopher picked up from campus (where he has been stuck since Monday!).  Speaking of stuck, my car got stuck twice on the way out of our gravel lane and really stuck on the way home where the gravel ends and our driveway begins.

It took the husband an hour of digging to get the car out in time for Christopher to leave for his next class.  He then went on to get stuck a couple times on the way into town... both times (just like most of mine)... able to get out by rocking the car back and forth.  It's almost enough to make a country girl ready to move back "in town"... almost. 

So, with all of the above I didn't get a chance to read at all today and the breakfast-lunch dishes are just now soaking as dinner is in the oven.  Sigh...  However, soon and very soon the gotta do's of the day will be behind me and I can curl up on the living room sofa with my pillow fluffed behind my head and a throw to keep me warm.  It is really, really cold here...

Oh, since someone asked... the artwork called Ask, Seek, Knock has a couple different artists prints on it, neither of which could I decipher since they are half covered by the mat.  However, hubby helped me take it off the wall and I found out it was product #3808 by a company called Carpentree... website here.  Gosh, I bought it at a Christian Bookstore in the mid-to-late 90s but you might get info at that link.

Regarding another comment... I'll have to go back and see if I've written about preparing for a storm (other than figuratively) and if not, I will try to put something together eventually.  I started writing online in the 1990s for an emergency preparedness website so I not only taught but learned a great deal from the other writers and readers.

I still have not been back to the blog's e-mail address... bad blogger.

But speaking of good bloggers... beloved bloggers... Jewels had a new post yesterday.  Hooray!  You can find it... here.  It was so wonderful to "see" her again.  :)

Picture: Sharing Grandma's Cookies; allposters.com

8 comments:

Vee said...

Oh goodness, I almost forgot to return here after getting sent off to visit Jewels' blog. There I found delights and sorrows, too. Reading about the sadness was cathartic I'm hoping.

So, I am glad that you are safely home and puttering about in the warmth of your own kitchen. Your poor hubby will be tired tonight after the shoveling out of a car...it takes so much effort in the cold.

Stay warm, cozy, and I'm tempted to add "home." ;>

Terra said...

Your cowboy dinner will be delicious, I am sure. Stay warm!

Pat said...

I know what you mean about the sense of smell. There's a certain combination of aromas that always takes me back to the cafeteria of my elementary school--maybe mac and cheese? Stay warm--I enjoy your posts nearly every day.

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

It was lovely to hear from Jewels again...

I am glad you made your way to town and back safely. Sorry about getting stuck.

I am so ready for Spring...I keep saying that and probably will until it is spring! :)

Try to stay warm...

Anonymous said...

Good morning Brenda. Have you published your cowboy casserole recipe before? It sounds very hardy for this cooold weather. Thanks, Angela

Anonymous said...

Your music brings to my heart my mom (would have been 80 this year) my sweet brother (would have been 60 this year). I miss them so, being childless I doted on my great-nieces & nephews (8 from 11 to 2) and 6 have moved away, I'm hoping I'll "find" them all in my garden soon :). I had a blog... www.inthegardenofauntprecious.blogspot.com but haven't been there lately. Thanks Brenda

Andrea said...

So Brenda,
Is the recipe for you "cowboy casserole" on your recipe blog? The two ingredients you mentioned are two of my husband's favorites, so would like to read the rest of that recipe, as it sounds like something I could incorporate into the menu plan. :)
Thanks!

Kimberly said...

Smell is such a powerful thing. One we don't often think of. I am amazed at how much a smell can instantly transport me to another time and place.
Side note-Dumpling smells everything. Everything. Anytime there is something new, almost the first thing he does is smell it. :)
I loved having a pot of chicken bones boiling to broth the other day all day. Made this smell like home. Now, to get some bread going and really christen this place!