Frog Went a Courtin'

More sunshine this morning. Kate and I plan to go out shopping for ingredients, pans, and accessories for her bread making, but first, cappuccino and the news.

And why do I bother. News is all about elections, bailouts and the price of oil. And what has the Food Network done with Anna Olson?!!! Harrumph.

In the kitchen, we admire Kate's first ever homemade loaf of bread. It is a thing of beauty, tastes divine, and is an Orange and dried Cranberry yeast bread, baked in the machine.

Kate and I wander off to the stores and thrift shops. First stop is Alberni Health Market for Rye flour, Spelt Flour and caraway seed - she wants to make Pumpernickel bread. Then off to Port Thrift where she finds a really nice winter jacket for herself and a Tapestry foot stool for me. At the Sally Ann store, I locate eleven half-gallon canning jars for 50 cents each, a large kettle to set on the wood stove as a humidifier for a dollar and a great bake set that has 6 small angel food type pans for $2.99. JACKPOT.

Our next stop is accidental. As we drive past a second hand store on the way out to Walmart, Kate points at it and mentions she has always wanted to stop there. Of course, I turn around and go back. Great store, tons of stuff and I find a Dr. Oetker tart pan for 50 cents and a 6 cup muffin tin for the same. I am on a roll. Then we shop for ingredients at Extra Foods and Walmart and go home for dinner.

Our plan is to wait until tomorrow to make bread, so after dinner we go out to check the boat garden and pick up windfall apples. We also make plans to pick all the tomatoes tomorrow as well. Across the yard, I hear a ribbit-ribbbiiittttt from the Birch tree. And a reply from behind us in the Cherry trees. Ah yes, Tree Frog mating season has arrived. Off in the distance we can hear more tiny Tree Frogs ribbitting their songs of love.

It reminds me of when we first moved here and had no screens on our windows. Tree Frogs took up residence outside our bathroom window, and if we forgot to close it, we would be accosted by the tiny creatures every time we went into the room. Once while washing my hair in the sink, one crawled out of the overflow almost onto my face. And another time, one got so startled when Kate walked into the room, it jumped off the wall and hit her in the chest. I don't know who screamed louder!

Back inside, we peruse bread baking books. For Christmas, she had shopped at a second hand book store and got me 3 wonderful used bread making books. To me, getting a second hand book - whether buying it myself or receiving it as a gift - is one of my all time favorite things. Just to know that someone else had this book, used it, loved it, makes me cherish it even more. And Kate found 3 winners. We perused and discussed the merits of different recipes and she copied some into her Kitchen Journal to try when she goes home. Then she picks a couple of recipes to try the next day.

Her first choice is Pumpernickel, and I give her my favorite recipe. Her second choice is one from her ABM book, Cheesey Cheese Bread. It calls for Cottage Cheese, Grated Swiss, and Grated Parmesan, but she decides to change it by replacing the Swiss and Parmesan with Kraft Tex/Mex Shredded Cheese. Can't wait to see how that turns out.

Time for bed, it has been a long day.

Outside my window, I hear the Tree Frog love chorus and smile.

Froggy's still courtin'.