Scene & Story - December 2017

Sometime in the late 30's or early 40's my grandmother, Nanny, clipped a recipe out of the paper. Betty Crocker published a cake recipe and ran a contest to name it. Nanny never heard what they actually named the cake so she called it The Nameless Cake. She added candied fruit, white raisins and nuts to the recipe and it became the family's traditional fruitcake for the holidays. After Nanny died my mom took over the tradition of baking the cake even though she and I were the only ones that liked it. I always felt a special closeness to mom as we ate our pieces of cake together. After my mom died it seemed pointless to continue the tradition, since I was the only one that would eat it. I certainly couldn't eat the whole two-layer cake myself. 

I'm not sure why, call it nostalgia or the fact that I'm missing my mom, but this year I needed to bake the cake. I wanted it to turn out just like mom's, so I was a little nervous as I mixed the batter. After putting the cake in the oven, I stood back and smiled. The house began to smell of fruitcake and I was flooded with memories of past Christmases.

My daughter and daughter-in-law did eat some of the cake with me, but I don't think it's a favorite for them. Will I bake the cake again? Probably, but it won't be a family tradition as it was in the past. Things change, I accept that and we do have other desserts that are a holiday tradition . . . Fudgie Scotch Ring, Iced Sugar Cookies, and Candy Cane Cookies. 

My Nameless Cake turned out beautiful and tasted delicious, just like I remembered it. I'm glad I went with my heart's tug and made the cake this Christmas. As I said, I just needed to make it.

* * * * *

I'm linking with Scene & Story hosted

by Sarah and Lee.

This will be the last time that Sarah and Lee are hosting the linkup.

It's been a fun year sharing and reading stories.

I will miss this group.

Something Smells Good

This month has been filled with overcast skies and rain. I think we may have seen the sun pop out twice! I'm struggling to find something to do inside. I thought a little baking might be just the thing on this dreary day. Baking will also fulfill the latest assignment for a class I'm taking with Kim Manley Ort. Kim has published a book, Adventures In Seeing. There's a group of us working with her through the book, which will take almost the whole year. This week we're concentrating on our senses. Kim suggested cooking and I agree that's a fantastic way to use all five senses.

I have a favorite cookie that I make each winter. Not only are they good, but their old-fashioned aroma fills my home and brings back childhood memories of oatmeal cookies after school.

Before I go on, does anyone recognize the avocado green Tupperware scoop from the early 70's? Yes, I still have some old Tupperware! The scoop set was probably a wedding gift, because the Tupperware I bought was harvest gold!

Back to baking! Let me tell you what delighted my senses as I baked . . .

SEEING colorful ingredient containers, shiny bowls, shapes of utensils, wrinkled raisins, textures of the ingredients, oven light, golden cookie reflections on foil, cookie shadows under the cooling rack, patterns on the kitchen towel, and dirty dishes.

HEARING the grating of sugar against a knife as I leveled off the measuring cup, the plop as flour was dumped in the mixing bowl, the cracking of an eggshell, the whir of the mixer, the crinkle of foil, my squeaky oven door, the oven clicking on and off, and the kitchen timer.

FEELING the textures of the ingredient containers, the coolness of the egg just out of the refrigerator, the smooth handle of a pan, heat as I opened the oven, the rough hot mat, and the warmth of a cookie as I ate it.

SMELLING the raisins simmering, spices, sweet vanilla, and cookies baking.

Last but not least, TASTING delicious Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies and milk.

I wish you were here to delight your senses. I'd gladly share a few with you and we could have a good chat together! They're still warm from the oven. Hurry on over!

Solitary Wandering

I learned a new word this week.

solivagant: rambling alone; marked by solitary wandering

I learned this word from Leigh who posted about it on Focusing On Life's blog. You can go right here and read her post. I began to think about this word and how it perfectly describes me when I'm at my happiest; wandering alone.

My solivagant journey led me through one small Arkansas town, two cemeteries, and along the banks of a river. I'll show you a view things I found along my journey.

 I found an acorn made of marble that was covered in lichen.

I found steps that went up and then went down.

 I found my initial carved in stone.

I found a vintage water tank covered in rust.

I found a garden hidden away behind a historical building

complete with a vintage Case tractor. 

I found a 1939 Ford truck.

I know this because Mr. H knows his Ford trucks.

I took this picture just for him!

I found a strange and ferocious door knocker.

I found Pole Man.

Anyone from Arkansas should take note of the very faded Razorback cap.

I found a delicious piece of coconut pie in a small country cafe.

I found a beautiful river that is known for it's rainbow, brown, and cutthroat trout. 

Fishermen come from all of the world to fish in it's cold waters.

I found a wonderful old bridge, built in 1930, which takes you across the White River.

 I found myself alone as I drove across the bridge.

I found to my right an old train bridge built in 1905.

I found myself having a delightful day.

You should try it sometime.

Just stop in a small town or park and go wandering by yourself.

It's pretty wonderful.

June Delights

It seems other than Sunday Sundries, I've abandoned this little corner. Life has changed once again. My mother came home from rehab ten days ago. The transition was not easy for her or us. There were things to buy, medications to have refilled, remodeling to allow for her wheelchair, groceries to buy, meals to cook, and schedules to set up. She has some brain damage from the stroke, short-term memory loss especially, so I was going to her house four times a day to give her medications and take her vital signs. Thankfully, it's in walking distance. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, this was a very rough week. There was very little time to even thing about picking up my camera and I missed it. I missed the time outside just wandering.

Knowing that this month of June would be hard and because it's my birth month, I challenged myself to find something delightful each day. I didn't always take pictures, but I wrote them in my journal each night.

I wanted to share the first fifteen days with you. It is a wonderful reminder that even in tough times, there's joy to be found.

Day 1 - strawberry, vanilla, and caramel colored mushrooms

Day 2 - seeing an old barn when traveling with my dad

Day 3 - highways lined with Queen Anne's Lace

Day 4 - a video my daughter posted on Facebook

Day 5 - new grocery carts at Walmart (it doesn't take much to make me happy)

Day 6 - cool refreshing snow cone

Day 7 - leaf with perfect bands of color: brown, tan, and green

Day 8 - dainty white hosta blooms

Day 9  - four delights today . . . eating my first wild blackberry of the season . . . Aaron and Isaac bringing me a delicious birthday cupcake . . . dinner with Mr. H . . . the Dickinsons singing Happy Birthday to me on the phone 

Day 10 - making a wrong turn and seing a small yard crammed with summer flowers

Day 11 - finding three feathers

Day 12 - a mimosa tree full of pink blooms

Day 13 - eating breakfast outside . . . cool and breezy

Day 14 - the coolest shopping cart ever!

Day 15 - a deer in our pasture . . . as long as I've lived here we've never seen a deer in our pasture

These little daily delights have kept me positive and smiling. I'm looking forward to what the next fifteen days brings!

"If you smile when no one else is around,

you really mean it."

~ Andy Rooney

Be Still 52 - Week 35

Breakfast, the first meal of the day. A meal I'm not very thrilled about, that is unless there's a doughnut involved!! Then, I think it's the best meal of the day, especially when the doughnut is heart-shaped, strawberry flavored, and covered with sprinkles. 

So now you know my "guilty pleasure!"  A pleasure I try very had not to partake of on a regular basis. A doughnut for breakfast only happens if it's a special day OR I need something for a Be Still 52 exercise. This week's exercise is breakfast. It also fits perfectly with a flickr group I belong to, Prompt Addicts. This week's prompt is heart-shaped. Definitely those two things combined are a great reason to have a doughnut for breakfast!!

A little trivia about doughnuts. . .

"According to anthropologist Paul R. Mullins, the first cookbook mentioning doughnuts was an 1803 English volume which included doughnuts in an appendix of American recipes." (thank you wikipedia for the information between the quote marks!)

My apologies if you haven't had breakfast and now you're craving a doughnut!!

Have a sweet day!

Finding Stillness

I had things I needed to be doing. I was supposed to be dropping books off at the library and going to the post office and picking up Halloween cards for the grandsons and buying groceries, but instead I skipped all the chores and went to Wildwood Park. I blame it on the car, it just wouldn't go where it should. It somehow knew what I needed: peace, quiet, stillness, alone time. It also knew I needed some comfort food to take along and pulled right into a bakery where I found this delicious Italian Cream cupcake.

This is the one place I know I can always find quiet. Usually I'm alone at the park, but this time there were gardeners working in the rock garden, an older couple strolling by the lake, and a lady walking her black Cocker Spaniel.  We nodded, we smiled, we spoke a greeting as we passed, but mostly we were all just enjoying the cool morning and the quiet. 

I enjoyed the walk along the leaf strewn pathways where I found treasures from nature.  I enjoyed sitting in the rock garden watching the dragonflies and writing in my journal. I enjoyed the breezes blowing through the trees. I enjoyed watching the sun sparkling on the rippling water of the lake, but most of all I enjoyed the swans. As I walked alone the pathway near the lake they swam right beside me. One time when I was taking pictures of a heron across the lake I looked down and one of the swans had walked right up the bank and stood beside me. I'm a little leery of them, as I know they can be aggressive and they are really big when they stand up and reach out their neck.  These two just seemed to want some company. Maybe they were lonely or maybe it was near their feeding time. I don't know, I'm just thankful that they were near and didn't mind me taking their picture.

I spent most of the the day there. I even left, bought some lunch, and came back for a picnic. The company was nice and the time was enjoyable. So what did I find besides the cupcake? Peace, stillness, quietness, and a couple of new friends.

Linking with Kim Klassen's Friday Finds.

Four Things

When my daughter was very small she loved to watch Sesame Street. One of the phrases that has never left my mind, nor my daughters, was in a short cartoon where a little girl is instructed by her mother to purchase a loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter from the grocery store. The little girl repeats it over and over again as she merrily skips toward the store. It has become one of our "family" phrases that we still use now and then. I thought of that phrase this week as I gathered the things needed for the Be Still 52 prompt. Then like the little girl, I almost forgot one!

We had a list of four things we were to include in our image...a loaf of bread, textile, twine, and scissors. After that, we could add anything else we wanted. The scissors and the twine were the easiest of the four. I bought a loaf of bread from the grocery store and used a jar of my homemade cherry jam. I remembered the textile item at the last minute and found a cloth tag to tie on the jar.

This has been one of the hardest prompts so far. I thought about this for a solid week, before I came up with any ideas. Finally, last night as I was looking through some of my cookbooks searching for good soup recipes, I saw a picture with a loaf of  bread and a jar of jelly. That was my starting point and the rest just fell into place.  Inspiration can come from anywhere at any time!  

This challenge was hard and I almost gave up and decided to skip it.  I think L. Frank Baum had it right in his book The Patchwork Girl of Oz, when Dorothy tells Ojo...

"Never give up. No one knows what's going to happen next."

Milk & Brownies

For some reason I don't make brownies very well.

They're either too dry

or not done!

I've tried different pans and watched them closely,

but they hardly ever turn out well.

That doesn't mean that I'll stop making them!

They still taste good; dry or chewy.

I tried this new flavor by Duncan Hines

Red Velvet with a Cream Cheese drizzle.

To be honest,

we thought they tasted like regular brownies,

but they do look a little red!

The prompt this week for Be Still 52 was milk and cookies.

I'd rather have milk and brownies.

Yield

It seems that every time I go to the grocery store

I yield to temptation.

I fold under the pressure of "got to have it!"  

Where is my strength? My willpower?

It's not the color or smell that attracts me.

Not even the packaging.

It's the taste...the sweet, but slightly tart flavor.

It's the crunchy outside;

the smoothness of the creamy center.

It seems I'm addicted to...

Lemon Cream Oreo Cookies!

Yesterday was grocery day.

Did I yield?

I'm in the midst of several different things right now.

Kim Klassen's Be Still 52 year long class

Kim Manley Ort's Adventures in Seeing 

Amanda's Write Now class

Susannah Conway's The August Break 2014

Overwhelming?  Not really, they all seem to tie together so well. The August Break is to simply take a photograph every day during August. Susannah is providing prompts this years. This month, if at all possible, I'd like to share my photos and words each day. The photos I post for August Break will be a combination of capturing daily moments, Susannah's prompts, and images from the classes I'm taking. I'll also be including some writing from Amanda's daily prompts. For today's post I combined Amanda's writing prompt "yield" and Susannah's photo prompt "lunch." Not that those cookies were my lunch, but the were my dessert!  I'm looking forward to a month filled with creativity!