One of Mr. FixIt’s former coworkers at the tool plant died over the weekend. He’d been ill for quite some time so it was not unexpected. Still, it’s always sad when you lose a friend. He’s lost so many over the last couple of years. We seem to be at that age now. A lot of his friends worked for him and he often played golf and fished with them over the years. 

Mr. FixIt was an engineer in the plant and helped design tools for gardening and firefighting. We were watching the news last night and he kept stopping and rewinding over and over. Then he said, “Look at this. It’s a brush fire tool. I helped design it.” I love when we go to hardware stores. He always gravitates to the tools like the kind they manufactured. He’s always a bit disappointed at the lower quality these days. Yet proud to see things he’s designed still in use.

He met his friend Harry in town this morning so they could go to the viewing together. Afterward, they had lunch then he ran some errands. While he was gone, I indulged in binge watching homesteading, baking, knitting and crafting videos. I found a video for One Hour Sandwich Bread and decided to try it. The bread wasn’t anything you would win a ribbon for, but it was quick and tasty. It only goes through one rising and I think the crumb would have been much better with a second rising. I will try the recipe again with a second rise. In the meantime, here’s the video: https://youtu.be/sRK18hBDd_w?si=o4153o15-soxvwmK 

I also made two batches of Almond-Cashew-Date Creamer.  I love it because it’s thick and rich and it has NO artificial ingredients or fillers or stabilizers. I have about a pint of nut pulp from the straining process that I’ll use in a recipe in the coming days. I didn’t get to make the chicken livers yesterday. Mr. FixIt ate in town and wasn’t hungry for more than a ham sandwich on that nice, warm bread. I’ll try again tonight.

I worked so hard getting this weight off and now I’ve gained ten pounds in the last six months. I need to get control of that before it gets out of hand. You don’t suppose baking has anything to do with it, do you?  We have a couple of weeks coming up with really frigid temps. It was -1 yesterday morning at 8:00 and there are several days that will be in the single digits. Thank God we got our furnace fixed last year. I can’t wait till it warms up and I can get out and be more active again.

❄️🩵❄️

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

#baking, #bread, #comfort, #home, #winter