Walking Walking Walking

Most of the mornings this week were lovely, with sun and flowers, and SO. MANY. SINGING. BIRDS!

Monday, April24th, 6:45 a.m.

Most mornings I am pretty groggy when we leave the house, but am eager to get a photo for this blog.

Tuesday, April 25th, 6:45 a.m.

A few times, I've managed to pull myself out of bed before Jacqueline tries to get me up, even when it's grey.

Wednesday, April 26th, 6:40 a.m.

When I first started this, I was going to take a photo of the exact same spot, for comparison, and while I do take photos in two different places, they're not always the ones I choose.

Thursday, April 27th, 6:47 a.m.

Thursday was so cold! The tulips were all bent over from the frost that had formed on them.

Friday, April 28th, 6:42 a.m.

We missed another day this week. Saturday morning was too rainy to walk. I suppose, if we managed to find raincoats and something to keep our feet dry, this wouldn't be an obstacle, but for now it is.

Saturday, April 29th, 2:24 p.m.

We did take a nice walk at Onondaga Lake Park with friends, where we saw big old trees like this one. Seriously, this photo does not really give a good sense of scale here.

Sunday, April 30th, 7:36 a.m.

The red maples have started to put out their helicopter seeds, so I know summer will be here before too long!

Pasties

No, not that kind; you're saying it wrong. A pasty rhymes with nasty, not hasty, and is a type of hand pie, which it seems many restaurants served in The Cat Who... series.

So in The Cat Who... Cookbook, there are three recipes for pasties. Two of them are little more than ground beef and turnips, with a little onion, salt and pepper in a pie crust. The third has more actual seasonings, but no turnip. 

Part of me wanted to go rogue here and combine the three recipes to create something more palatable than the last two recipes I tried. However, I realize that wouldn't be true to the plan here, so I am going to just pick one and follow the recipe as written!

So we're going with the recipe for Foo Pasty! As you can see, super simple. The pastry crust was created in a way I never have before, and I didn't take any photos. They have you actually bring water, milk, and shortening to a boil, then mix it into the flour & salt until a smooth dough coalesces.

Then you mix together all the ingredients for the inside: turnip, onion, lean ground beef, salt and pepper. In hindsight, I would have minced my turnips, not just finely chopped them, and perhaps would have used some other vegetables to add to the flavor. Also this could have used more seasonings and a less lean ground beef. They were rather dry and bland in my opinion.

The crust was a mess, but tasted fine. I didn't do such a great job rolling them out "into circles," and I didn't form the meat mixture loaf/patty in quite the right place, so folding over and crimping created a lot of cracks and broken bits. They weren't very pretty but they held together like they were supposed to!

The egg yolk wash also added a nice color. We were worried that it wouldn't be enough food, but really it was more than enough for our small family of three, with enough leftovers for lunch the next two days!

Will I make them again? Probably not this exact recipe, but yes, with modifications, maybe next fall or winter, I'll try again!

P.S. Wanna see this as a TikTok? Go here: https://www.tiktok.com/@bunnykissd/video/7225330853277158699

Another Week of Walks

Monday, April 17th, 6:40 a.m.

Some days are hard to get out of bed. Work days, especially Mondays, are hard. Grey days are hard. But a grey Monday morning has to be the hardest.

Tuesday, April 18th, 6:42 a.m.

Many grey days in a row are hard too.

Wednesday, April 19th, 6:45 a.m.

So when I wake up to a sky like Thursday's, it's easier to get out of bed and out the door.

Thursday, April 20th, 6:41 a.m.

And the best part of all is seeing what will greet me when I open the front door.

Friday, April 21st, 6:36 a.m.

Usually some cheeky birds will be out there -- juncos, titmice, chipping sparrows and robins are an almost constant presence now, and there is also a pair of cardinals that visit -- but I am so enamored with our resident cottontail!

Saturday, April 22nd, 7:15 a.m.

Yesterday, the road had all these little slugs crawling around on it. I tried to take some photos but couldn't catch them with the horns up & in focus. This this this is my favorite photo of the day. 

Sunday, April 23rd, 7:09 a.m.

This morning was slightly grey too, but with a light cloud cover that didn't cover the whole sky. (And it's sunny now!) It's getting warmer, and more of the flowers are beginning to bloom. That makes it hard to pick just one photo for the day. I think I'll go clean up the flower box some.

Sunday, April 23rd, 7:14 a.m.

One Month of Morning Walks

Sunday, March 19th, 7:52 a.m.

Four weeks ago, I started walking every morning, right when I wake up. Not a long vigorous walk for aerobic exercise, just a short, sleepy-headed stroll down the street a short ways and then back to the driveway walking backwards.

Sunday, April 16th, 7:06 a.m.

What a difference four weeks makes! From walking in a blizzard to walking in a spring awakening!

Monday, April 10th, 6:40 a.m.

On weekday mornings the sun is now over the horizon when we go out the door.

Tuesday, April 11th, 6:39 a.m.

Even when the clouds obscure the horizon...

Wednesday, April 12th, 6:40 a.m.

You can still see how light it is.

Thursday, April 13th, 6:41 a.m.

Sometimes you can even see the moon.

Friday, April 14th, 6:39 a.m.

I think Saturday was my latest morning walk yet!

Saturday, April 15th, 8:13 a.m.

Today I am going to be making the next recipe from The Cat Who... Cookbook. I am a little nervous because it involves making a pastry, something I am notoriously bad at, but I'm going to try!

Week Three of Morning Walking

The grandkids (ages 11 & 13) spent a few days this week. Sadly the weather wasn't perfect for all the activities we had planned. 

Monday, April 3rd, 6:41 a.m.

Despite gale force winds & a new squealing from the brakes on the car, on Monday after work, we drove up to the lake to get ice cream from Bev's, which had just opened.

Wednesday, April 5th, 6:41 a.m. - K. & me, photo by Jacqueline

The weather was definitely too rainy & blustery on Tuesday to go for a walk. The first one missed. But Wednesday, the grandkids joined us on our morning walk. We startled a rabbit from our side yard, which bounded down the driveway and across the street.

Thursday, April 6th, 6:44 a.m.

Thursday was still dark & grey with no sign of the sun.

Friday, April 7th, 6:45 a.m.

But on Friday, the sun was fully above the horizon on our trip back. 

Saturday, April 8th, 7:11 a.m., me, photo by Jacqueline

I'm sure I'll miss the sunrises over the summer, but I will not miss the frosty cold!

Sunday, April 9th, 7:53 a.m.

This morning, there were so many birds singing. One sounded like a fake bird call from a movie! But when we got to the far end of our walk, we both stopped just to listen. There were no cars driving by or other people. Just all this bird song.

Happy Easter to those who celebrate!

Week Two of Sunrise Walks

This week was so hard. Work is imploding, and I've no energy to do a single thing when I get home, but every morning I let Jacqueline cajole me out of bed (usually just with a cheerful "It's time to go on a walk!")

Monday, March 27th, 6:44 a.m.

There were geese on Monday and frost on Tuesday.

Tuesday, March 28th, 6:42 a.m.

And still icy cold on Wednesday.

Wednesday, March 29th, 6:44 a.m.

A light dusting of snow covered the grass on Thursday (that you can't see in the pic).

Thursday, March 30th, 6:44 a.m.

I'm sensing a pattern with how long it takes me to get up & dressed & out the door...

Friday, March 31st, 6:43 a.m.

On Friday, the sky was AMAZING!

Saturday, April 1st, 7:51 a.m.

As usual, we slept later on the weekend, but the sky was still beautiful.

Sunday, April 2nd, 8:00 a.m.