Leap Day Odds and Ends

Leap day occurs, I have learned today, because the seasonal or astronomical year (the naturally occuring year) is 5 hours, 49 minutes and some odd seconds longer than the calendar year.  So, every fourth year, an extra day is inserted into the calendar year to compensate for the extra 5 hours and 49 minutes, etc. in each seasonal or astronomical year.  Otherwise, the seasons would go awry after so many years.  However, given the winter we've experienced here in southern Ohio, I think the seasons have already gone awry, but that's a whole other subject.

So what did you do today to commemorate the day?

I padded across the sodden back yard in my bare feet to the patio where I watched the sunset, enjoyed the warm air, and listened to the robins go to sleep in the huge oak trees that surround the north forty.      

After scampering back across the yard to the house, because my feet were absolutely freezing, I asked Better Half what he had done to celebrate Leap Day.  He gave me one of those looks and replied that he had celebrated by going to Big Lots to buy a new water bowl for Mama, the cat.  Hmmmm.

Have you noticed the two really bright stars in the middle of the sky that begin to shine just as darkness falls?  The other night the moon was smack dab in the middle of them, but it has moved off to the side now.  The brighter star is Venus and the other is Jupiter.  They are just gorgeous.  Venus sparkles.  Have a look, especially before the other stars begin to crowd the sky.      

The Farm

My husband, Better Half, began to take photos at the farm this fall, between loads of grain and scrambling to the top of silos.  I asked if I might post a few of them.  I am proud of his efforts.  He is using an iphone to capture these images.

Better Half and his friends gather around the stove to smoke cigars and spit into the bucket just to the right of the stove.  It's their version of a "man cave".

This rusty red wagon has been put out to pasture, so to speak.

Aged concrete bins glow in the late afternoon light.

Another day is done.

Thanks to Better Half for sharing.  His love for this land shines out.  Let me know what you think.  Perhaps he will share more of his photos with us. 

A Hint of Things to Come

Today's bright sunshine was tantalizing!  Who can resist thinking ahead to the months when the brown dreariness of winter gives way to the brightness of spring, followed by the verdant lushness of summer?

The garden catalogs that begin arriving just after the beginning of the year give me hope, when the greyness of winter threatens to overtake me.   Burpee is generally the first catalog to arrive.  It has become something of an institution to me.  For years, it has provided my gardens with dependable plants and seeds.  You can count on Burpee and their products.  Don't you love the yellow and red zinnia pictured on the front of the catalog?

These delightful daffodils that sit just beside my driveway have apparently decided it must be spring.  They are just a couple of days away from blooming.  I love that they are the first things I see when I pull onto the driveway in the evening.

These little beauties are called helebores.  Like the daffodils, they are shocked to be blooming in February, and have decided to keep their little heads bowed.  I'm so sorry you can't see their faces.  They are a lovely purplish blue with a delightful open center.  

And, what romp around the north forty would be complete without my little friend, Mama, who "dogged" my every step as I made my way around the yard looking for signs of spring?.  She took much joy in rolling on the sun-warmed stone wall and on the pebbles of the patio.  OK.  She is a ham, and I am a sucker for her antics.

I am happy to be  moving into March this week.  Though this winter has not been much to write home about, it, nevertheless, feels good to know that consistent warm weather is a little closer

Have a great week.  Take care, live fully, and laugh much.

"In the Heights" on the Spur of the Moment

This evening, on the spur of the moment, I decided to attend a production of "In The Heights" at the center for the arts at the university where I work. By some lucky coincidence, so did several of my friends. We were fortunate enough to sit together to enjoy what was, for me, the best show I have ever seen. The performance was awesome, and then some. 23 cast members and the band of 7, which seemed like 70, filled the center to overflowing with powerful music, from saucy latin numbers belted out with bravado, to tender love songs. Realistic sets soared two stories into the sky. The dancers were sharp ,spirited, and thrilling to watch. There are not enough superlatives to describe the strength of the performers and their performance.

The story centers around several days in the lives of the Spanish speaking people who live and work in Washington Heights, a neighborhood of New York. The stories told are the same the world over and transcend culture - the power of family and friends, love, and overcoming adversity, and, in the words of Abuela, patience and faith - all delivered with copious amounts of spice, rap, and unadulterated joy.

I came away with the performance ringing in my ears and the images alive in my mind, where still they linger. What a great way to have spent this evening. If you ever have the opportunity to attend this performance, please don't pass it up. You will be delighted.

The Absolute Joy of a Bacon Onion Pizza

Tonight, I was feeling a little bit adventurous, not to mention hungry, and decided to try my hand at one of the first recipes I downloaded from Pinterest. The official name of the recipe is Smoky Bacon and Caramelized Onion Pizza. It comes from a blog called "Three Many Cooks". The recipe on the blog is an adaptation of a restaurant recipe. My recipe is an adaptation of the adaptation on "Three Many Cooks".

Be forewarned. This recipe takes a little bit of time, so save it for a weekend. It doesn't use any fancy ingredients, nor does it use a lot of ingredients. Also a plus. The flavor is simply out of this world delicious. But really, how could bacon, onions, and cheese not be delicious!

Begin by making the crust which is easy enough!

Dissolve 1 1/4 tsp yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Set aside for a couple minutes. Add another 1/2 cup of tepid water, along with 1/2 tbsp. canola oil. Pour it into a mixer bowl. Add two cups, more or less of bread flour, along with 1 tsp. of salt. You are looking for a dough that is not too sticky nor too dry. Mix well, then knead for about 5 minutes. Let dough rise in the bowl until about doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. ( I scrimped on the rising time to avoid having dinner at midnight. The resulting crust still had a nice crunch to it.)

Put pizza stone in the oven, and preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In the meantime, cube 6 to 8 ounces of bacon and fry just until it begins to color. Remove from grease with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Slice one large onion into very thin slices and put into the reserved bacon grease, frying until it becomes caramel in color. This will take 10 or more minutes. At this point, you can't believe how good your kitchen will smell.

When the dough has risen, divide it into two pieces, rolling each into a rectangle, about 6 inches by 14 inches. Lay the dough on a pizza peel, which has been liberally sprinkled with corn meal. Add shredded pizza cheese, one half of an 8 oz. package ( I used the four cheese mixture found in the local grocery store), to the dough, then layer on1/2 the onions and top with 1/2 of the bacon. That's all there is to it. Slide the pizza off the peel and onto the stone. Bake until the crust has begun to color and the toppings have begun to darken, about 15 minutes. Your nose will tell you when the pizza is ready. Repeat for the second pizza. You can eat the first pizza while the second is baking. While I wouldn't make this pizza every day, it is an amazingly tasty treat. I know I enjoyed each and every bite.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think of this recipe. Happy Eating!

A Start, at the Very Least

This morning, as I padded about making breakfast, I began obsessing over this blog, just as I've done for several days now. Once I get an idea in this brain of mine, I tend to hang onto it, turning it this way and that. I keep wondering if this recommitment is such a good idea. I still do not know the direction in which I am moving. I've given a lot of thought to what I originally intended when I first began to write back in 2010. The original idea was to share ideas about those things that I love - home, design, food, gardening, craft projects, and life, in general. That may still be the idea, but I no longer harbor the same kind of Martha Stewart-esque feelings about the concept.

So, to keep my brain from shorting out from its exertion, I decided to retreat to "The North Forty" to begin cleaning up the yard for spring. After donning several layers of clothing, I set off to clear my thoughts by using my hands in the garden. The photo you see above is the koi pond in early May. I assure you it doesn't look like that today. See all that lovely green material around the perimeter of the pond? In late February, all those green plants have become mounds of brown that must be cleared away to make way for more green this spring. I really don't mind the work because the pond is so beautiful during the spring and summer.

The work, several hours of it, took my mind off of blogging. A red-headed woodpecker and a screeching blue jay, high in the maple trees, were my companions for the afternoon. Mama, our outdoor cat, followed me around, getting right under foot, begging for a pet. The sun almost peeked through the leaden sky a couple of times. The predicted snow and rain never materialized. It felt good to use my hands and even better to watch the pile of debris grow bigger and bigger. Much remains to be done, but at least, it's a start.

And, this evening, though I am no closer to knowing just where I am headed with this whole blog thing, I'm not so worried about it. The path will open itself up to me at some point. At the very least, because I am writing, I have started.



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The Pinterest Phenomenon

On June 10, 2010, I tentatively set out to become a blogger with a maiden post for "The North Forty Chronicles." My design was and remains rudimentary, my prose, kind of stilted, my photography, a little sketchy, and my followers remain elusive. OK, let's be honest, my followers are nonexistent, save two friends from work. I did not have a niche, a focus, or, it seems, the motivation to persevere. I guess, at times in our lives, we all find ourselves mucking about in a semi-frozen state of being just trying to get through another day. I'm not sure it's necessarily a bad thing. It may be our very human way of trying to manuever past events, relationships, and situations that prove difficult for us.

I believe we all manufacture reasons for not doing what needs to be done, for not being the person we know we are capable of being, and for not forging ahead when we hit a little speed bump in the road. I know I certainly do. So, when I hit my little speed bump in September 2010, I composed what I thought was my last blog post, putting the idea of creative expression out to pasture (on the north forty, if you will). I was sufficiently armed with bucket loads of reasons for my actions, satisfying myself that I had made the only right and proper decision. It may be called rationalization in some circles.

Life has been, really, quite good in the interim. I wanted to create blog posts on a number of occasions since September 2010, but I always found reasons for not taking the time to do so.

And then along comes Pinterest! What a thrill! I have only just begun to "pin", all of three days worth. I am hooked. Pinning is much like blogging, except there are fewer words. Interestingly, I have rediscovered that I love words about as much as I love the thousands of images that light up the Pinterest pages. In some respects, pinning is much easier than blogging. Point, click, pin, done. Yep, blogging is infinitely more difficult. And, 20 years ago, would I ever have imagined using the words "pinning" and" blogging" in the course of ordinary conversation? I don't think so.

The "pinning" phenomenon has reawakened in me the urge to return to "The North Forty Chronicles", to get back in the saddle, and give it another try. Thanks Pinterest! I look forward to making some changes to "The North Forty Chronicles" in the next several months, as I endeavor to learn how to use technologies to best communicate with you in a manner that will satisfy us all. It's good to be back. Join me for the ride. I would really appreciate your comments as I move tentatively ahead into these uncharted waters.

Barb

Easy Edible White Chocolate Monograms

These easy to make edible monograms add just the right personal touch to cupcakes for a special celebration, in this instance, an engagement party. And, they are so very easy to make.

Create your monogram with your word processing program, filling a page with them. After printing the page, which will serve as your template, lightly tape it to the surface where you plan to pipe the monograms. Cover it with a piece of waxed paper, also lightly taping it to keep it from moving.

In the meantime, melt your choice of chocolate, according to package directions, and spoon the melted chocolate into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Simply pipe the monograms onto the waxed paper, following the template outline underneath. If you need more than one page of monograms, simply remove the first sheet of waxed paper with the piped monograms, and tape another sheet to the template.

When the chocolate has cooled and set, gently peel the monograms from the waxed paper and carefully place them on the iced cupcakes. If you like, you can pipe a small amount of extra chocolate at the bottom of the monogram. It will serve to hold the monogram in place, and you will not lose the bottom of your monogram into the icing.