Short, Sweet, and Picture-free

Hello all,

So I promise I started a blog yesterday, but this iPad simply has me outsmarted. I apparently need to have a picasa album to take them from but cannot find a free app for that. So I will have to transfer my pics to my laptop and the post from there. However, it is already getting late and I was told to bring my computer tomorrow, so I did not want to run down the charge. I will go more into detail on my lovely host family tomorrow, but we spent most of today together. Cracked out the UNO and then spent several hours working on vocab. At 7, the kids are the perfect age to work together to learn.

Tonight we went out to dinner ( although my language teacher told me this very rare and told us not expect it to ever happen - as they are responsible for feeding me meals 2x a day during the week and 3x on weekends out of a stipend the PC provides for them). It was decided around 5, to meet up with the couple of friends I had met Saturday night. However, we were soon behind time and 7:30 turned into 8. After a near brush with mortality (driving is interesting, and I am glad I buckled up - although it was not my host father who was the reckless one), we stopped by the friends car. By the ditch...which we then proceeded to tow. I had assumed that we were going to go to a mechanic shop to drop it off, however, it fortunately turned out that they had merely ran out of gas. Hard to say if this routine or not. We then drove into the next town over to the restaurant.

 I was introduced to a woman who I figured out ( as much as I could...?) that she is an English teacher at the local school and had taught the children last year. She asked that I work with them (after the parents wanted her to ask to make sure I did not find them a bother) and I told her we would practice together. I was also able to ask her to ask permission to put photos on the blog of the family and they said they were happy to allow me. That is what I thought, but you can never be too careful! Anyhow, a highlight of the meal was when what looked like a platter of cut up hot dogs was suddenly set aflame. And burned...and burned...and burned...they used their forks to stir the flames up and eventually out. I am happy to say that there certainly no  taste like any accelerant when I got some. Indeed, they were a much nicer sausage than any hotdog. It was a very nice evening, and I admit it was nice to talk to someone with a good grasp of English. My host father is pretty magical with the words he manages to remember from school, and my host mother tries incredibly hard, and uses her translator when we get stuck (as long as google cooperates).

Right now we are in the honeymoon, but I hope that their interest and mine stay strong on language learning. I feel incredibly lucky to have such a young family who appear to be great parents and funny, sweet and slightly mischievous children.

Hope all is well,

Steph

And Then I found a Kitten!

Hi all,

See? An actual kitten. Who is now named Cooper. Since Schmee drives one and I work in a Co-op, we found it fitting. We spent the morning of the 4th weeding. I was in the vegetable garden with our house, and Schmee was in the seed garden. I'd taken a break after an hour to go get my forgotten hat, and also to pick up water for everyone - so I'd taken the car back down. As we were driving back, we saw a mother cat drop her kitten on the dirt road and run. So we went out to look.

The kitten is a fluffball, but obviously past the age that it should be having it's eyes open at...which they weren't. This equaled a moral quandary for us...because if we didn't take the kitten home, it was doubtful it would get better. So, we did. After many phone calls to many houses (it apparently takes a village to raise a kitten as well!), we got some good advice on cleaning it's eyes (which popped open, only to get gunked up again after it sleeps...sometimes giving it a pirate-look) and also made a formula for it, as best we could.

Anyhow, it's squeaking, so I need to go feed it..again. Dropperful at a time. Vet visit tomorrow to see what kind of sneezels it has, and to confirm the sex maybe...
Hope all is well,
Steph

Buttermilk Banana Pancakes!

Hi all,

Obviously I'm well aware it's been over 3 months since my last post, and to be honest, at least 6 months since my last post of any interest. Not that my life has gotten any less riveting, I assure you, but responsibility and friends tend to eat up your life. The village hasn't gotten any smaller, and ripples of excitement still flood our pond of existence, but I find myself a little removed and part of the bigger picture now.

So, where exactly am I at?

In a week Schmee will be leaving to go home (fortunately only 1.5 hours away) for the next few months to be on jury duty and then move to New Hampshire for grad school. Baker will remain in the house until the middle-end of September. I really have no idea what I'm doing yet - I've asked to stay another year, but only in a position of really supporting the co-op. There's not really a precedent for this: I'd be attached to a house and still be a volunteer, but have evenings for studying for the GRE and looking for grad schools. So there have been many meetings and I'm hoping to hear soon. I'll be out of my house by August 1st, when one of the new house team members moves in. Not sure where I'd be going yet. We'll see.

I went on vacation at the beginning of June. It was very low-key, family-oriented and busy. Saw my one of my cousins, volunteered/rode at the barn, made a German feast, shopped, went to my brother's college graduation - and had him move only 40 minutes away for the summer!, played cards and saw lots of other family. It was a good trip, if a little short.

I have still been working in the glass shop once a week and loving jumping into new projects. New co-workers have been arriving - but none for the co-op yet. This also means others are leaving...a bittersweet experience. Calvin leaves next week, which just seems surreal to me. We have acquired two young staff kids (10ish?) at the co-op. One is doing a lot of errands and the other comes in 2 afternoons a week to clean. The one in the morning is full of the dickens, and must be kept occupied every second or mild chaos can ensue. Good kids though.

We're also starting our switch to the electronic point of sales system (ie, barcode scanning into computer instead of writing items in a book). Not sure if this will complicate or simplify things, but the answer for the short-run is obvious.

Anyhow, about that Buttermilk Banana Pancake recipe: it started with a base recipe from Deborah Madison's cookbook, but I then modified it.

Steph's Buttermilk Banana Pancakes                                           Serves 6

Combine and set aside for at least 10 minutes:
(Buttermilk Mixture)
2 c. milk
1 c. yogurt (or milk, if none available)
3 TBSP apple cider vinegar

In a separate bowl combine:
1 1/2 c. white flour
1 c. wheat flour
1/2 c. oat (or any other) flour
4 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Nutmeg (opt)
4 TBSP sugar (opt)

Combine in a second bowl:
5 eggs, beaten
1 mashed banana (option, but very recommended!!!)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 TBSP oil or melted butter
Add "Buttermilk Mixture"

Optional: Berries or chocolate chips

Add the wet to the dry ingredients and beat sparingly, until just mixed with no large lumps.
Cook over medium-low heat (gas stove, cast iron pans...otherwise, your best guess, but lower is better) in oiled pans. Pour batter onto pan and sprinkle with optional item (berries or choc. chips), when small bubbles begin to form around edges, or steaming occurs, flip pancake. May lift edge to "peek" to see if done - a light golden brown is desirable. Cook until batter is cooked through - will be moist due to bananas.

Enjoy!

Hope all is well,
Steph

Iced In

Hi all,

So, last Sunday evening we had a nice huge ice storm that Schmee and I got to drive home in from her parent's house. Trees were so weighted down with ice that several came down low enough to hit the car, one was even swaying back in forth in the lane and we had to dodge it in a maneuver vaguely reminiscent of a video racing game. We made it home shortly after 11, and I was just going to bed when the power flickered several times and went out. Starting around noon the next day, we got a generator, which was our only source of power until about 5:00 Wednesday evening.

So, that was an adventure. I was worried constantly about the Co-op. Apparently we used to have a generator strong enough to run the fridge and freezers, but last time a house's generator broke and so it went to the house. But they never got a new one....so the whole time I was freaking out that we'd lose a couple thousand dollars worth of food. So that was a huge relief that temps stayed OK. Not ideal, but ok to prevent food spoilage. We also had to cancel the Carnival celebration, as there weren't enough generators/good enough planning to heat the hall. :  (

We had moments of humor waiting for power, Schmee had some good quotes from both then and the previous week. The previous week, during cooking for a villager's birthday, she asked if we couldn't just bake the hamburgers. Apparently my face gave her the answer. A few days ago she asked "How do we give the cat a bath? You know, for when she gets really dirty..." Have I mentioned that she's only ever had a dog? She carts the cat around (who mostly tolerates it), and treats it pretty much like a dog, but she's learning - one bite at a time... That was a fun conversation, though.

We also had a profoundly sad moment. A special co-worker (son of a longterm coworker who never left the community, he'd been here for over 30 years...), passed away completely unexpectedly...apparently a aorta aneurysm. Obviously it's a huge blow for the community, and devastating for his mother. We'll all be attending the funeral tomorrow.

Anyhow, I think that's about it for now.

Hope all is well,
Steph