…it’s a teeny-weeny bit more like home…
Posted on 11 February 2012 :: 4 Comments If there’s one thing I love,
and that I will always picture
the most welcoming home with,
it is morning glories.
They have that old-fashioned air and grace
that reminds me of other flowers like
hollyhocks and foxgloves.
At our house in Indiana,
we had morning glories crawl up our well
every single year that springtime came around.
They’d wind themselves all the way up to the top
and cover the whole structure in green, spade-shaped leaves
and beautiful purplish blooms.
Here? I haven’t seen any around where we live.
I have seen some photos of some that a friend
in a different province planted and have growing at her house,
but none have I seen here.
It made me sad at first; home isn’t complete without them!
But lo! what be this before mine eyes?!
Yes, I found some morning glories.
They were tucked away in a bunch of green leaves,
with their beautiful blooms peeking out in different places.
So now, after we’ve been here for over a year,
it feels a teeny-weeny bit more like home.
And they are so beautiful, aren’t they?
Whatever house I live in, I want there to be
morning glories decorating the outside of
my house and yard.
Without them, it won’t seem like home.
as ever,
-Ra’chel
fire in the horizon
Posted on 08 February 2012 :: 11 Comments A day at the soccer field for a picnic and some baseball ended with a beautiful sunset.
Absolutely stunning.
We were so busy playing and eating that
I didn’t think to get the camera out when we were eating and playing baseball,
but when I saw the sunset,
I knew I wanted a photo of it.
Anyone ever marvel at their being fire in the horizon?
I do; every time I look at the sunset or the sunrise,
I see fire in it every time I see it,
and I am amazed.
the trees all turn darker,
and the orange light comes through their branches.
the hills get rosy pink,
and the clouds are tinged with it too.
some clouds turn yellow or ochre-coloured.
the trees make a stark contrast with the brilliance of the sky.
and they are a perfect time for accidental silhouettes.
and the moon was visible as well.
rising out of the east sky,
it always makes me smile when the sun and the moon
are in the sky at the same time.
as ever,
-Ra’chel
we took a walk.
Posted on 01 February 2012 :: 10 Comments Mrs. P and her children came by earlier in the afternoon, and stopped by for a few moments. She had brought us a gallon of milk and some bread her oldest daughter had made. They invited us to come over later if we wanted to, and so after awhile, we took a walk and went to their house for the evening. It was jolly fun. I took the camera along so I could snap some photos.
Samo and Lu were ready to go before anyone else, so I amused them by taking their pictures. Aren’t they sweet?!
this is the field at the top of our road. usually, there is a couple cows or a pair of horses in the field. the horses nor the cows were there this time tho. I tried getting a panorama shot but I couldn’t get it to match up. I’ll try again sometime.
beautiful trees. they have cut some of them down, but there is still a good bit left to get some photos of. I need to go during the early hours when the sun is out and I can actually take some nice ones of them.
A little farther down the road, and you’ll see this:
and look to the left, you’ll see this:
and back down towards home is this view:
hidden among the trees were two big white bulls. one was just lazily munching on the grass…
this one wanted to play hide and seek with me. you think he is hidden enough?
then he wandered off to go find some more to eat, in the trail of the other one.
the light was fading, so it made the photo blurry:
when we got to the P’s house, I always linger a moment at the gate. the flowers that overhang are so pretty and welcoming. I love flowers that do that. they make the house seem so much more inviting.
aren’t they pretty?
before I went into the house, I went around the house to get some photos of the natural pretties that grow in their yard. first there were these purple flowers. they always remind me of someone singing if you look at them straight-on. don’t they?
then there were these:
I don’t know what they are, but they sure are interesting.
Mrs. P, of course, wanted us to stay for dinner. Helena had made eggs for egg salad, on homemade bread, of course. :) Mrs. P also made us something we never had before: spring rolls.
they were interesting… yep.
Samo enjoyed a spoon of peanut butter while we waited for dinner to be done. he greatly enjoyed that. :)
Hannah and Helena made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for dessert. [ecstatic] perfect way to end an evening.
but not quite, because Mrs. P made us expressos! my very first one… it really just tasted like super strong coffee with a bit of flavoring and milk in it. But I liked it. It was good. :) she tried to do a pretty design on each of them, but she said she needed to practice again. So I guess I could help with that.
unfortunately, the photo I have won’t upload for me… soooo, sorry. :(
hope you enjoyed the post and the photos… :)
as ever,
-Ra’chel
shabbat shalom! psalm 91
Posted on 28 January 2012 :: 1 Comment Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the secret place of Ha`Elyon
Will rest in the shadow of Shaddai.
2 I will say of EL,
“He is my refuge and my fortress;
My Elohim, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler,
From the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions.
Under his wings you will take refuge.
His truth is a shield and a buckler.
5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day;
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 For you, EL, are my refuge!
You have made Ha`Elyon your habitation.
10 No evil shall happen to you,
Neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.
11 For he will give his angels charge over you,
To guard you in all your ways.
12 They will bear you up in their hands,
So that you won’t dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and cobra.
You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love on me,
therefore I will deliver him.
I will set him on high,
because he has known my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him.
I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him, and honor him.
16 I will satisfy him with long life,
And show him my yeshu`ah [salvation].”
shabbat shalom, mis amigos!
as ever,
-Ra’chel
i have an instrument
Posted on 26 January 2012 :: 13 Comments Well, I finally got another instrument. Yep! me! I got another instrument! I got a violin… one of those instruments I have always loved and always wanted to be able to play. No, I don’t know how to play it yet, but I’m really happy to finally have another instrument to try to learn. :P I say try, because I will try. It doesn’t mean I will succeed tho! Hehe! Any tips from violin players would be wonderful too.
remember, click on the images to view them full size. :)
that photo is much better in full size!
The first insturment I got was an acoustic guitar. I was really gonna learn that. But without a teacher, and being twelve to thirteen, I really didn’t have the know how to make myself learn. I’m glad I didn’t get really attached to it, though, because it somehow… mysteriously… got it’s head twisted off. o.O I’m not quite sure how that happened since it was just sitting in the case on the stand, in the parlour, doing nothing. Never found the culprit for that either.
…go ahead, just slide… hehe!
Hopefully, I’ll soon be fiddling with my new violin. ;) My dear friends’ whom I got the violin from also sent me a beginner’s book, which has a DVD. With it, and the internet, I hope to be able to play a few tunes in a short time. If I ever get the chance to have a teacher, I would take that opportunity! :) Perhaps, some day, some day. I’m really excited to have an instrument. Hopefully I will be able to learn it and then teach my younger siblings how to play it too.
sorry for the fuzzies, i didn’t see them until after I took the photo. :)
Whenever I think of a fiddler, there are four people who come to mind: Leah R. from the Seven Sisters, Sarah Lirette, who taught me how to play a simple song when she came to our house in 2009, David Garrett, because I enjoy his songs, and Tevye, from The Fiddler on the Roof. Yeah, those are who I always picture with a violin in their hands.
:biggrin:
I’ve played a little with it, run the bow along the strings, and smiled when they made a sound. I read about how to hold it, and the position of the hand that has the bow and the way your hands moves when you go up and down on the strings when playing. It is all so new and interesting, but a lot of new work for me to train myself in. It will be fun, but also frustrating I’m sure, for I’m no expert at it… [or anything for that matter!]
bowstrings are delicate things… and interesting ones too.
Do you play any instruments? If you do, what are they and how/when did you learn and why did you learn? I’d love to know. ;)
English Muffins [nom nom nom]
Posted on 24 January 2012 :: 9 Comments .sheer goodness.
I love English muffins, and without an oven for the past, oh, say month and a half to almost two months, I’ve been making quite a few of them. First it was the sourdough English muffins; I actually have a better liking for those than the regular yeast ones, because I love all things sourdough! I decided to do a little researching on the whole English muffin thing when I took these photos, and found out some interesting things.
nummy nommy nummy nommy
Well, English muffins are really the American version of the English crumpet… altho some sources say that the English muffin is English and some say it isn’t. So, I guess it is a disputable fact. :) I know crumets are English. Sort of like French toast isn’t really from France I guess. I don’t know. All I know is that I love these little round flatbreads, toasted with butter melting on top, or with mashed avocado and lettuce on tops with potatoes and eggs, that’s all I know.
So here’s the recipe I use for english muffins. Quick, easy and not that difficult at all. :)
English Muffins
yield – about a dozen muffins
1 package active dry yeast/k2-1/4 tsps – you could instant yeast if you wanted ton
1 cup warm water
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup shortening/olive oil/sunflower oil/coconut oil
2 tbsps. honey
1-1/2 tsps. salt
cornmeal/flourDissolve yeast in warm water in a medium-large mixing bowl. Stir in flour, shortening, honey and salt until water is absorbed and dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead lightly until it is easy to handle, 5 – 10 minutes. yeah! give those arms a workout! Roll out to 1/4 an inch thick, adding a little flour as needed, and then using a floured biscuit cutter or in my way, a mason jar ring, and cut out 3-1/2 inch rounds.
Sprinkle ungreased cookie or baking sheet with the cornmeal. cornmeal here is a little expensive, and we hardly ever have it, so I use flour. just enough to prevent it from sticking while it rises, but not enough to make a big difference in the pan. Place them about an inch apart on the sheet; sprinkle tops with cornmeal. or in my case, a little dusting of flour. Cover and let rise 45 minutes to an hour. It’ll be all puffy looking and you can touch it and leave a mark in it.
Heat an ungreased griddle, or if you’re like me and don’t own one, heat up your 10-inch iron skillet to very hot, then turn it to low. When it’s all heated, put in as many rounds as will fit in comfortable to the pan. Be careful when you put them in, so as not to let much of the air that has accumulated in them out. Cook until they are a deep golden brown and then turn over and brown the other side. Serve them split, with butter or jam, toasted or not. The easiest way to split them is with a fork, so I’ve found.
I really like flatbreads, and these, when split, are more like an actual piece of sandwich bread. You can use them for sandwiches, for egg salad, tuna salad, chickens salad, as hamburger buns, BBQ anything, or a turkey sandwich. Ok, I’m getting hungry now!!!! :)
As I hinted to above, one of my favourite ways of eating them is this: toast it until it’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Mash about 1/4 of an avocado, put it on top of the muffin, salt it, cumin it or add some cayenne if you want. Then, take some potato cubes, fry ‘em up a little bit, then put some eggs in them and scramble them. Then, top it on the avocado muffin. I like to add some lettuce leaves to the top of it, and eat it sort of like a pizza. It is yummy yummy in my tummy tummy.
So you should totally make some of these English muffins, or the sourdough ones. Yeah. Do that. You won’t regret it!
as ever,
-Ra’chel
