Unfulfilled Promises or....

It is an absolutely beautiful morning.  It is the kind of morning that holds such promise.  A day for. . .

Pumpkin waffles for breakfast.  Nope, I didn't pick up the pumpkin yesterday.

A little gardening, maybe?   Nope, I didn't make it by the nursery for my flats of pansies.

Putting together a pot of warm spicy chili to enjoy while waiting on Trick or Treaters.    Nope, couldn't make up my mind between white or red -- didn't  shop for that either. 

Today is not a complete loss.  I have a chicken roasting in the oven, a stack of books waiting to be opened, Willie curled up next to me, Roger sitting across from me and leaves calling to be raked.

Oh, I also have a bowl of treats waiting for tonight's costume parade.

It is a beautiful day!

Happy Halloween!

A Special Visit

 I had the chance, this past week, to spend three days with my mentor,  my hero, my biggest fan, my Daddy.   It was not a visit I had planned.  I traveled to Louisiana to be with him while he was undergoing  medical tests.   We had this picture taken just before we got in the car to head to the hospital (can you believe he is 93).  I felt it was very important to have this picture taken.  We were both nervous, but neither would admit it.  We both knew the outcome, but neither would talk of it.  By the end of the day Daddy had been diagnosed with cancer.  Daddy was physically exhausted; I was emotionally exhausted.  We were both overwhelmed.

The thing about life threatening illnesses is one person tells a lot of stories;  the other  does a lot  of listening.  I was fortunate to be on the receiving end of wonderful stories from my  Daddy's past.  Many of the stories I have heard many times, but they took on new significance this time.

No one really knows how this story will end.  I do know I will visit this wonderful man (yes, I have always felt this way about my Dad) as often as he will allow.  I will listen and record as many stories as he is up to sharing.  His past is my history.  I will champion his fight.  I will respect and honor any decision he makes.  And I will be blessed.

This story is about my Daddy and me; however,  I cannot leave it without saying I have a stepmother who loves him and is a blessing to me. I also have  a step-sister I would happily call Sis.

Kindergarten Ready

I have eight delightful four year olds, this year, who keep me on my toes.  Every morning to start our day we gather around for circle time.  We say the Pledge of Allegiance, sing a song or two, and on Mondays, I introduce our letter for the week.  This morning I was having a little difficulty getting everyone to settle down.  There was a constant barrage of questions.  "When can we go outside?"  "I'm hungry, when is snack?"  "Miss Bonnie, I need to go the bathroom. "Are those brownies for us?" ......(you get my point).


I finally gave up and ask everyone to go sit in their chairs, and I pulled my chair up to the table.  I ask the children if their Mommies and Daddies worked?  They all started talking at once, telling me what their parents did.  Once I quietened them down, I ask, "What do you think is Miss Bonnie's job?"  Most of them just looked at me.  One little girl look at me and giggled, "Silly Miss Bonnie,  your don't have a job."  Of course this started everyone giggling.  Not quite the reaction I was hoping for.

I explained to them they will be going to Kindergarten next year, and my job is to get them ready.  " We have  a lot of work to do together.  We need to know our letters, our numbers, we need to be able to cut on a line, and most importantly we need to be able to (pause)  listen and follow directions".  They pretty much stared at me.   Going around the table, I ask each child, "Do you want to go to Kindergarten next year?" The first five answer with an enthusiastic "Yes, Ma'am".   I touched the hand of the next child, "C., do you want to go to Kindergarten next year?"  He stopped fidgeting, looked me straight in the eye and whispered, "I don't know, I need to think about that."

You know?  I would almost do this for free!  Almost!

Sunday Supper Treat

Yesterday was "apple" day at Whole Foods.  I literally grazed through the store.  The first thing I was handed when I walked in was a  little cup of chopped baked apples, cranberries and nuts.  It was delicious!  I picked up the recipe, looked at it, folded it up, put it in my bag and started shopping.

Here is my version:

Stuffed Apples

2 apples of choice (I used Fugi)

Butter (a little over a tblsp)

A good heaping cup of fresh  cranberries

8 dates , pitted and chopped

Juice of a blood orange

Zest from the blood orange

1/4 tsp. cardamom

2 tblsp. honey (I used a creamed honey with cinnamon from a local beekeeper)

a handful of shelled walnuts, chopped coarsely

Cut tops off of apples, and set aside.  Take out core, and hollow out apples leaving about 1/4 of an inch around sides and bottom.

In a large pan, melt butter.  Add whole cranberries, dates, juice and zest of the blood orange, cardamom, and honey.  Cook until cranberries have popped and liquid has thickened.  Stir in walnuts.

 

Spoon mixture into apple cavities, dividing equally.  Place apple tops on stuffing.  Place stuffed apples in a deep baking dish.  Pour water around apples (bout 1/4 " deep).  Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 400 preheated oven for about 30 minutes.  Remove foil, pour out water and continue baking for 15 minutes. They  should be brown, but not collapsing.

Bon Appetit!

(My picture was taken before I baked the apples.   I was not for certain if the fugi apples would hold up.  They were beautiful and yummy.  They were not as rich or as sweet as I thought they would be.  You can add more butter and substitute brown sugar in place of the honey, for a sweeter richer version.)