Boots, baking, and bloggy business

I thought you might like to see where the two sets of child's boots ended up... on the porch bench.  I think it will keep them safe from the neighbor's dog and by sitting in the vintage dish, they are easy to set aside should the bench be needed.

To give you an idea of size, the Suzy Zoo boots are for a child, the candy apple red boots are toddler size... both the results of scanning the kid's shoe aisle whenever I'm in Goodwill or thrift shops.  :)

The idea of decorating with boots came about quite a few years ago when I saw a picture of larger American flags placed in adult size garden boots.  It was for a 4th of July celebration.  Then (I think it was in one of my pretty cookbooks), I came across a picture of a child's cowboy boots stuffed with a handful of small American flags in each boot.  I had a cute pair of cowboy boots with flags last year.  Alas, they are no more... the dog again (who is now under house arrest at her owner's place).  :)

Like many parts of the country, we have had rather strong winds for a couple of days.  I have opened a few windows to let the wind air out the house.  I LOVE the feel of a warm breeze coming in through windows.  It reminds me of my childhood in the country when the wind blew fresh air through the screened windows and door.

The garden and deck flowers have been watered this morning, a first "batch" of weeds have been pulled from the fence line (we've never had as many as this year), the dishes from the morning's breakfast and baking are now drying in the red dish drainer, and an oatmeal cake is cooling on the old cutting board. 

My husband has been hinting for a baked goodie for days now and he is working hard (the usual end of semester week at the bookstore) to make extra money for a needed brake job on the car.  So... I figured I can have one of his favorite cakes ready when he returns home this evening.  Oatmeal cakes are popular in many Amish and Pennsylvania dutch cookbooks, you can find it... here.

I completely forget that time goes by without me explaining my physical condition and then new readers come along and are clueless.  I developed Juvenile Diabetes (Type 1) as an adult and have been diagnosed as a brittle diabetic.  Juvenile Diabetics eventually develop Hashimoto's Disease (which I did about eight years ago) which is also an autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid much like diabetes attacks the pancreas.  Between them one gets quite tired and becomes an expert at the "little bit at a time" way of living.

Which brings me to the bloggy business.  I have a few people who have written to ask when I'm going to publish the Book Recommendations #2.  I should have had it finished long ago and then made another promise to finish it this spring.  However, it has become apparent it will have to wait until I have a lull in lawn and garden work (small house... large property) in addition to normal household duties. 

I've felt the pressure to get it done but I must "cry uncle" and say it won't for awhile.  I always must be careful that blogging doesn't come before my home and family, especially with limited energy .  When I begin to feel it a burden, it is time for me to either step back for awhile or let something go (in this case, the Book Recommendations List but temporarily).  That is also the reason I no longer accept books by any publisher to review, they became something else on my "to do" list and reading became a burden rather than a pleasure.

So... one day without warning the Recommendations List will pop up and you will know I had a couple of free days to work on them.  In the meantime, I have a cup of Earl Grey Green to sip while reading a little... and resting... before heading back outside to sweep the deck and scrub the two small deck tables.  All I can do is a little at a time... here and there... and eventually it all gets done.  :)