Heros

I had a visit with my BF from college last night and we got to talking about our parents. She was saying that my parents were the only ones she knew among her friends to go to college. Her father had gone to college, but none of her friends in school had come from that background and only when we met in college did she meet anyone else whose parents had entered the hallowed halls.
She was very proud of her dad for going on the GI bill and getting an education. And rightfully so.
I, on the other hand, came from a long line of academics. My grandfather was superintendent of schools and several great aunts or uncles had been to college, as well as all my mother's sisters. My parents met in college, but married when mom was a sophomore and she quit school and began the process of raising babies and keeping house. I don't think this is what she really had planned. But she did it magnificently. Then in 1968 her mother-in-law made it possible for her to return to college and finish her degree. It took her 4 years, but she graduated with her Bachelors degree the same day I graduated from high school. Long day.
My BF comments got me to thinking. I have never told her how proud I am of her. It can't have been easy to return to college at 33 - this was not the time of the 'non-traditional' student. She worked hard and our dinner conversations included philosophy and Beowulf. It was wonderful. I have bragged about her ever since, but I don't think I ever told her how wonderful it was to see her happy and enthused and because of that somehow we were more liberated than many of my peers. Thank you, mom.

Pets

We have nearly always had pets. Cats, dogs, lizards, fish, clams, crabs, gerbils, hamsters, parakeets or some other amazingly adorable, irritating critters! Now don't get me wrong - the irritation rarely comes from the pet - with one notable exception to be discussed later! - rather it comes from the fact that when requested each child promises, "I'll take full care of it mommy!! Really I will." And then....when they were little I ended up caring for them because they would forget and I didn't want to wake them up at 11:30 to clean the litter box. But now they have abandoned home and left the pets here. The apartments/dorms won't allow pets, don't ya know?
So currently we have 4 cats, a dog and a lizard. And the cats have to be kept segregated - 2 upstairs with claws and 2 downstairs that were de-clawed a long time ago. Hubby and I had just decided that as each of our flock reaches the end of their earthly time, we would not replace them, when DD2 shows up with the upstairs 2 cats. She had them in an apartment, but now has moved to a dorm (she does everything backwards!) and isn't allowed to have them. And, she can't give them away because she wants to have them when she graduates. Besides they are special needs cats...or so the vet told her.
Both had been abandoned and abused as kittens. One had a broken lower jaw and few teeth left on the bottom and the other is missing an eye. The vet stitched it closed and it doesn't look bad, just sort of 'pirate-ish.' Anyway, both have recovered nicely and made all the accommodations necessary for their happy existence.
The downstairs pair are a different matter. Pampered and spoiled, they are elder statesmen who think, nay know, the world revolves around them. One was a chosen cat, gotten when DD2 was 3 or 4 and thus named, 'Kitty.' She is queen. The intruder cat was dumped on our farm-like abode 13 Christmases ago. She had already been spaded and de-clawed. You can't leave a cat outside without natural defenses. So we took her in. No one claimed her, in spite of notices and repeated questioning of neighbors.
I think I know why. She is a trouble maker. She may not have claws, but she thinks she does and she will intentionally pick a fight. Then she shows up with a cut or bite mark - we have had to be VERY careful not to let her get outside. Plus she is a 'pucky' cat. She just throws up for no reason! YUCK.
Actually of all our pets my favorite is the anole who is now a year and a half older than they told me they would ever get! She started as a science project when DD2 was still home-schooled in 9th grade. She is now a Junior at college! The anole was suppose to last 3-4 years. Do the math. It is longer by some time! But she is neat. If the music is loud she will 'dance' to the beat. It is cool to watch. And I just enjoy watching her in her terrarium next to the computer. So pets are a part of our life for some time to come...and I guess that is ok.

Bread for the body and soul

OK, I bake all the bread (OK 98.5% of it!) for our family. I figure that I have made, on an average, 6 loaves of bread every week for the last 30 years. I think that is 1800 loaves of bread, but I was a liberal arts major and I avoided math! (OK I just did the actual math and it came out to 9360 0r 6 loaves, 52 weeks and 30 years!!! WOW!)
It all began when I was in college and had a prof who drove me crazy. He had decided I was a B-C student and NOTHING I did could change his mind. I am NOT, most emphatically NOT, a B-C student. It drove me crazy. I would get home from school at 11 p.m. and not be able to sleep because I was so hung up on his opinion. Somewhere in there I decided that I might as well make use of the 'fret-time' and so I started making bread. This had the added advantage 0f letting me punch the bread while picturing said prof's face! That bread was very smooth!
Over the years people have asked for my recipe and I try to share it, but the truth is that I do it by feel now. A handful of this and a pinch of that. However, I am going to try to teach how to bake bread today on this blog. Good luck anyone who tries!

First: Here is the basic recipe I use.
2 cups milk
4 cups hot water
3 packages of dry yeast
2/3 cup sugar, divided
1 heaping tablespoon salt
1/2 to 2/3 cup olive oil
flour (enough)

OK so I can't tell you how much flour. Sorry I have never measured it. My grandmother's recipe said 'flour'. So you are getting an authentic recipe here!

The first thing I do is to measure the milk in a large 4 cup measuring cup. Then I microwave the milk for 2 minutes. You don't want it to boil, just get real hot, so it will depend on your microwave. You can scald it on the stove top, but I never had the patience for that!
While the milk is heating, put the yeast and a tablespoon of sugar in a large bowl. And I do mean large. This recipe makes 6 loaves of bread so give it room. When the milk is hot, pour it on the yeast and sugar, add the hot water. I just use it as hot as it comes from the tap. Stir it with a wooden spoon and let it sit for at least 5 minutes - but it can sit for up to 30 if you get busy.
When it looks like this, it is ready for the next step.

Add the remainder of the sugar and the salt. Then add the oil. Stir thoroughly and begin to add flour. Keep stirring the flour in until you can work it with your hands without it sticking to everything.
At this point you are going to turn it out onto a floured surface and begin kneading it. Now this isn't just poking at the dough. This is mixing everything and making the dough elastic and smooth. The best way I have found is to push away from myself, then fold that part back to the middle and turn a quarter turn and repeat. (I wanted to get pictures of this, but I was alone and it just doesn't work that way!) Anyway, you keep doing this until the dough is elastic - this means stretchy and not sticky. Recipes tell you it takes 10 minutes, sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. But longer is always better than not enough.
When the dough is thoroughly kneaded, place it in the same bowl you originally mixed it in...only make sure to oil the bowl first!!! Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise. This can take an hour to 2 hours depending on the weather. If it is cool, I put it in the one room we always heat - the library, not because I spend a lot of time in there, but because it is also home to an anole and they are not tolerant of the low temperatures for which our midwest is known.
When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down - just poke it back into the bowl. Then turn it out onto the lightly floured surface and cover with the bowl while you get the loaf pan ready. I use a vegetable spray, but I have also used my fingers to grease the pans. When they are ready divide the dough in half. Then divide each half into 3 equal parts. Shape the pieces into a loaf and place in the greased pan. Cover with the plastic wrap and towel and let rise for about half an hour. This is also when I pre-heat my oven to 365 degrees.

When the dough has just rounded over the top of the sides of the pans, I put it in the oven. It bakes for about 35-40 minutes or until a loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Take it out and place on a rack to completely cool. BUT before it cools take a small amount of shortening and grease the tops. I use a baggie on my hand and just quickly rub it over the hot tops of the loaves. Then I let them completely cool and freeze them in zipper bags in the freezer. They will last about a month - or so they tell me - we have never had one last more than a week!!!
There are multiple variations, one of our favorites is to add a handful of flaxseed and use molasses instead of sugar. You can substitute whole wheat - but play with it - if you use all whole wheat, it makes a VERY heavy bread that will mold quickly. We like it about half and half. I have also added rolled oats. Good luck and....
ENJOY!