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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2007

Another fine morning.  Throat still a bit sore.  Made us a big breakfast of pancakes and bacon and fresh fruit and plenty of hot tea.  Went for a walk with Dan to Betty’s and back and then Dan decided to go down the grass lane and I went back to the house.  He was gone for more than 3 hours and I was starting to worry.  Finally he came walking up the road from Gracie’s market.  He’d walked all the way down the grass lane and crossed the fields to the Gardiner Church, but got a bit disoriented and went the wrong way on  the Redbud  Road and down the wrong way on Amazon Road as well.  Finally he met a man named Gary who lives in a house built like ours on posts.  Gary gave him some cold water and set him on his way correctly.  Turns out that the dead end of  Amazon Road is the front gate of the guy who backs up to the York’s place.  Poor Dan ended up walking all around and crossing fields to eventually get to TT and Gracies.

About 5:30 Johnny Cooper came running over for help catching one of Jack and Cindy’s horses that had got out of the pasture.  Johnny’s feeding and watering while Jack and family are gone on a trip.  Got the horse put up and we all went riding in the car to see where Dan had walked.  Drove on past the Gardiner Church and just followed the roads.  Lots of old abandoned farmsteads and some really beautiful scenery, any number of hardscrabble farms and trailers and a few nice new houses.  But talk about RURAL!!  Very hilly and several fords in the road and one really ancient wooden bridge barely wide enough for the car.  Finally came out on Rte. 5 about ½ way between Grovespring and the fire-station at O Hwy.

Then we went to look for Orla.  If Orla exists, it must be really small or we just haven’t gone far enough down the road to get there cause we still didn’t find it.  But  we saw two wonderful abandoned farms.  One from the 30’s, a sort of English cottage/bungalow style with a big chimney and Arts and Crafts detail.  It sits high on a bank with big oaks behind it and the remains of  a fine front flower garden.  Even in October, there were still roses  left on the front porch arbor and lots of asters and daisies in the tall grass.

The other was barely a frame with a few boards, but must have been great in its day, a very large, vaguely Gothic Revival house in the AJ  Downing manner. Old  balloon framing and long narrow windows and a carved sun over the front door.  The front is two story and there is a long wind in the back.  A couple of big oaks and the remains of an orchard, but its in the middle of a muddy pasture and farm lot now.  It’s nearly a ruin, but magnificently sited on a hill with long valley view.  It must have been a real showplace.

Got home around 7:30 and a quiet night.  Throat still bad and a bit wheezy too.  I may have to go to the clinic in Lebanon if I’m not better tomorrow. Took some penicillin I had and hot lemon and honey and early to bed.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2007

Morning started out beautifully, but around 11:30 the skies opened and it rained all day.  Dan managed to finish the black paper on the upper story.  Ken & Joyce came by to use the power saw.  I set electrical boxes, but ran out before I was done.  Dan and I cleaned out the store room and sorted light fixtures.  We put up the backer board for the kitchen hearth and put up all the insulation in the kitchen ceiling.  We started to put up the ceiling panels, but the room isn’t remotely square, so we stopped as we will need to some measuring and fitting.  Pozole for supper, which Dan loved.  It’s a pleasure cooking for him.  A quiet evening and a bit chilly.  Still feeling a bit ill, so I will go to the clinic in Lebanon if I’m not better tomorrow.  Can’t be sick, too much to do and we want to have the siding and wiring done by end of the week. And so to bed.

POZOLE 

In a heavy kettle or crock pot brown about a 1 ½ lbs of pork shoulder or boneless pork ribs cut into chunks with a whole head of chopped garlic and a big chopped onion.  Add a big bunch of cilantro, lots of chopped green and red pepper  and at least two good sized chopped hot hot peppers, chipotle’s or ancho’s are best.  I like to add a small can of tomato paste and sometimes I throw in a small jar of hot salsa too.  Add two cans of white or yellow hominy or a mixture of both. Add enough water or chicken stock to cover it all and let it simmer very slowly all day if possible.  Actually, it is best if you let it cook all day and then let it sit and develop in the fridge overnight and then reheat the next day.  When you are ready to eat,  serve this up in big bowls with some warm tortillas, sliced radishes, chopped green cabbage, sliced limes and plenty of hot sauce. Folks  can add what garnish they like to the bowl.  This dish is not for the weak.  It should be fiery-hot and washed down with cold beer or lemonade.

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