I am an early riser. Mostly by choice. I love my quiet house. It's me and the cat- sometimes. Unless she has decided to go back to bed. Right now the heat is on because it's decided to go down into the 30's here again. I can hear birds chirping in the trees right outside …
Category: baking
The best job in the world
The best job in the world is not even a job. It's pure love. Love that is unexpected. Joy that cannot be put into mere words. I am the Gramma to this sweet girl. She is now 13 months old. She came over to hang out with us today. We went for several walks and …
Feeders
I am stealing from Sean Dietrich again today. Can't help it. I am head over heels in love with this man, his writing, his wife, Jamie, his hound dog, Ellie Mae, and his drawings. I will confess to him that I am using him as my guest blogger once again. I can't help it with this morning's …
Entre les Bras update
An article written by Adam Nossiter for the New York Times partially republished in this morning's Durham Herald-Sun immediately caught my attention. It is about French chef Jérôme Brochot, owner of Le France in Montceau-les-Mines, giving up his Michelin star. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/27/world/europe/france-chef-michelin-star.html This is practically unheard of. Those stars, however, drive up prices and bring a lot of …
All I Want for Christmas
As I sit here, next to my beautiful Christmas tree, listening to the cat lap up water and to cars pass by at 7:15 on Christmas morning, I have the song All I Want for Christmas stuck in my head. Yesterday I had almost everything I need right under one roof. Adorable Granddaughter spent the night so …
20 + 76
Non, I am not posting about math problems. Heaven help anyone who asks me a math-related question. The kids in my after school study hall know that. I have a couple of 8th graders on call to help with anything more complicated that multiplication tables. And recently I proved that I am not even very …
Pre-Christmas Confession
So, confession is supposed to be good for the soul, right? What if I don't feel guilty? Do I still need to confess? Well, I will anyway. Every morning on the way to my classroom, I pass a bin for used book donations. These books go to our annual school used book sale sponsored by …
The Banana’s Baking Adventure
Meet The Banana. She is Pretend Daughter #1's daughter. So, that must make her my Pretend Granddaughter #1, right? Maybe that is too much math for my brain on a Sunday morning. Pretend Daughter #1 and I go way back. She arrived in my beginning French class somewhere around 1991 or 1992 (more math). She …
Give thanks
I am thankful for so many people and things. I have a good life. As I was stirring up biscuits for breakfast this morning, I started a list in my head. A: animals, Arles, apples, art, Aaron, Amelia, Andy, Appalachian Mountains, Abby, airplanes, Alex, adjectives, adventures B: Bertie, butter, bacon, baguettes, buttermilk biscuits, bluegrass music …
Therapy
The BFF and I call our morning walks therapy sessions. And believe me, they are. We talk about just about anything and everything. This summer, we walked 3 miles every day that we could, usually beginning around 6:00 am. It gets hot and humid here in the North Carolina Piedmont and schvitzing (Yiddish for sweating- it …
the sabbatical chef 