Monday, December 13, 2010

Snow, FIlled Udders, and Gingerbread....

I borrowed this picture from my friend, but it shows the snow on the mountain - it was cloudy up at my house, but apparently in Ke'eau it was much sunnier this morning.  This is actually a picture taken at Kamehameha Schools. They have a clear and beautiful view of both Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea (pictured).  Sometimes, if there is a much bigger storm, the snow will come half way down the mountain. I think this is one of my favorite pictures of the mountain ever!  This school is an amazing legacy from one of the last Princesses in Hawaii.  You can read about her here: Bernice Pauahi Bishop .


As of this morning, Dodie is still pregnant.  She spent the day yesterday standing on the pile of finished compost.  I am not sure why every time I went to check on her she was standing in the same place, in the same attitude, as if she were a statue of a noble sheep.  Certainly, she was quick enough to come running in when the food can rattled in the evening.  Audrey had her stuck through a hole in the old fence which I didn't realize was there, until the sheep ate down the brush in the area.  Now, I know I need to run a few more strands of electric wire for now and replace that length of fence soon - now that the sheep are cleaning up the fence line, it will be much easier.  She also came running when the feed can rattled, so she was only pretending to be stuck.

My youngest child and I made a big batch of gingerbread dough and had a girls' day shopping for her siblings.  We only rolled out and baked 1/3 of the recipe, and she proclaimed loudly that (except for Dad) any member of the family who wanted a cookie had better bestir themselves to help decorate.  Everyone filed by and sprinkled sugar and cinnamon candies and then went back to studying for finals.  We made maybe 2 1/2 dozen cookies, and there are 2/3 of the recipe still in the fridge.

I made a huge pot of Portuguese Bean Soup.  I'll be eating it all week, I can tell.  Good thing I like it.










5 comments:

Grandpa said...

Nan, that photo looks very much like the eastern side of my farm. I just love such greeneries.

Your kids learn a lot under your care. Good for their future. They are lucky to have you.

NancyDe said...

Yes, I think your pictures look a lot about our side of the Big Island. The KS landscapers use indigenous plants, but there are albiza behind that.

On sunny, clear days, our island is very beautiful. I am actually so used to drizzle and gray skies, that I think that is beautiful, too - it is just the pouring-buckets days that can get to me.

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

What a beautiful view. How lucky are the students in that school? Gingerbread cookies sound delicious.

Faith said...

Beautiful!

We are eating bean soup all week as well. Sneak a little spicy sausage in there and it's a feast for kings!

Also working on 4 loaves of ww bread, a-la your recipe. It did not turn out as well as yours. I have no idea what on earth is wrong with me and methods.

Love your Christmas cookie day. I love eating the red hots we use for the eyes. I usually have a gingerbread house building day every year, but won't this time around.

~Faith

NancyDe said...

@FBMKW: It is beautiful, and most of the kids don't appreciate it. It is very hard to get in, and the kids who do complain lol. My daughter spent two years bemoaning the fact that she wasn't in public school....and is now dying her hair in belated protest of strict uniforms and dress code pretty much every other week.

@Faith: hmm, I wonder why the recipe isn't working out. How much yeast did you use? I don't use that much sugar - I wonder if my high altitude has an effect on the rising, and maybe you need more sugar or more yeast?