Light at the End of the Tunnel

Pampas Grass

(Playground in Riverfront Park, Little Rock, AR)

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Light at the End of the Tunnel

Waffles

Whole wheat waffle batter spooned onto the hot waffle iron.

Why I cook pancakes and waffles for Jo:  How family traditions evolve.

Once upon a time back in the Dark Ages, Jo and I awoke at the same time.  She (eventually) cooked our breakfast.


Time passed.


Since I seemed to get moving quicker than Jo, I decided I'd start cooking our breakfast instead of sitting around waiting on Jo.  Jo did not object to this change of routine.  She had no problem with me preparing her breakfast.


Time passed.

Cooked waffle ready for removing from the waffle iron.

I decided mixing up batter and cooking pancakes or waffles every couple of days was a waste of time.  Instead, I double/tripled the recipe and kept a stash of pancakes or waffles in the freezer.  A little time in the microwave and/or toaster oven makes a frozen waffle/pancake as good as freshly made.


Time passed.

Stack of waffle that will keep Jo happy for several days.

I gave into my inner night owl and began staying up until the wee hours of the morning, and not crawling out of bed until after Jo had be up for several hours.  Jo had to start cooking her own breakfast again.  However, her breakfast included heating a frozen waffle or pancake, and I'd become the family "expert" on cooking pancakes and waffles.  So I still cook large batches of waffles/pancakes which Jo heats for her breakfast.  I usually fix myself a yogurt smoothie for breakfast.

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Waffles

Pottery Hands

Pottery Hands: Touching clay spinning on a potter's wheel for the first time.

(Art in the Park, Columbia, MO)

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Pottery Hands

Water Fountain

Fountain in the H. U. Lee International Garden.

(Next to the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, AR)

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Water Fountain

No Parking

No Parking, but no one cares.

(In front of the Statehouse Convention Center lobby in Little Rock, AR)

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No Parking

Mill Creek

Mill Creek. 

(Near the Pruitt Ranger Station on the Buffalo National River.)

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Mill Creek

Christmas Day

A light dusting of snow on the garden.

Snow flurries Christmas morning, but they didn't end up amounting to much -- just a light dusting of snow. 


Jo and I drove over to Yellville, AR, and enjoyed a delicious (and bountiful) Christmas meal with friends.

Joe Doster slicing the ham.

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Christmas Day

Trolley Car

Little Rock, AR, trolley car.

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Trolley Car

Fall Garden 2010: FAIL

Lettuce (and weeds)

Our fall garden was a big FAIL this year.  It was just too hot, dry and buggy during the late summer when the seeds and seedlings went into the garden.  Few of them survived, despite several replantings.  We did harvest a few turnips.  Jo pulled the last of the turnips recently, but they were pithy and not edible.


On Tuesday, Jo pulled the row covers off what should have been our lettuce and spinach beds.  A very few small lettuce plants remained in addition to a half dozen or so spinach plants -- plus lots of happily protected weeds.  Jo harvested the spinach and stir fried for supper.  That was the end of fall garden.

Spinach (and weeds)

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Fall Garden 2010: FAIL

Jo Sitting On Her Bucket

Our unseasonably warm weather on Tuesday (up to 76°F/24°C) convinced Jo to toss out her pre-planned list of chores and work in the garden instead.  She's weeding a strawberry bed.

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Jo Sitting On Her Bucket

Moving Jo's Glazes to the Basement

Moving buckets of glazes from Jo's studio to the basement so they won't freeze during and extended period of below freezing temperatures. After freezing, glazes must be restirred and strained. Preventing them from freezing is a lot less work.

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Moving Jo's Glazes to the Basement