Rhubarb!

Bill has a girlfriend.  Not THAT kind of girlfriend.  This is a lovely lady he was built and repaired fence for who just happens to love Bill.  People always love Bill.  It gets a little nauseating.  Anyway, this lady (she's like 65) always gives Bill a little something extra for his time, like eggs, or veggies, or home-raised beef.  I think I'll be encouraging this relationship.

This week, after a service call (yeah, right,  I see through that), Bill brought home 5 dozen (!) eggs and a giant bag of rhubarb.  So generous!  The eggs will be taken care of within a few weeks easily.  But the rhubarb?  Hmmmm.  My Grandma Klecker used to let us eat rhubarb from her garden (it was actually my Grandpa's garden and it was amazing) with a little paper cup of sugar to dip the stalks in.  Raw.  It was quite sour, but I remember liking it.  I'm out of little paper cups, so I was looking for a new way to prepare the rhubarb.

Here's what I made:

Rhubarb Sauce:
Boil 1 C. water and 1 C. sugar
Add 8 cups rhubarb, cut in 1 inch chunks
Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until nice and saucy.  Stir in about a tsp. of cinnamon

Rhubarb Crisp:
Crumble together:
1 C. flour, 3/4 C. oats, 1 C. brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/2 C. melted butter
Pat half of this mixture in a 8X8 pan (I used a pie pan)
On top of the crumb mixture add:
4 C. chopped rhubarb
Over rhubarb pour:
1 C. water, 1/2 C. sugar, 2 Tbsp. cornstarch (I used arrowroot powder), and 1 tsp. vanilla--cook this mixture until it's thick.
Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the whole thing.
Bake at 350 for 45 min. or so.

 Giant bag of rhubarb.

 Making sauce.

Well, there were two crisps when I went to bed.  Hmmm.  Someone likes rhubarb.

Big Red

Jack has worked hard over the past several months restoring his Great Grandpa's 3-wheeler, appropriately named "Big Red."  Purchased new in 1984, Big Red has seen lots of action around here. He was retired shortly after Grandpa Bill passed away in 2003.  But now, he runs again.

Jack rebuilt or replaced nearly every part of this darn ol' thing.  Except the tires.  They're new.  I am so impressed by his diligence and ability while systematically going through the parts and deciding what needed to be fixed.  He spent hours researching parts on the internet and reading the original owner's manual.  How many 14 year old do you know who could do such a thing?  (Maybe there's lots of kids who could do such a thing, but humor me in thinking that he's extraordinary.)

All he needs now is a new helmet.

Catching Up

Seriously.  Where does time go?  I need to visit this space more often.

Both boys have been playing baseball this spring, as usual.  Jack finished his season last week.  I am so proud of how he seamlessly transitioned into playing in a new state, with new boys, and a completely different level of play.  He told us that this was his favorite team ever.  Makes me happy and a bit relieved.  Change can be hard for anyone, especially teenagers.

Jon is in the midst of his season--the first time facing a live pitcher.  Since Jon resides in "Jon World" most of the time, baseball can be an unsolicited interference in his day.   He has a good attitude about practicing and I do believe he's enjoying his team.  Now, if he could only hit the ball.  Just once.

Madeline got herself the perfect job.  She's working as a barista for the local drive-thru coffee stand.  Business has been a little slow, but we're hoping things pick up for the summer months.  She's been very responsible with her earnings, depositing most of it in her savings account.  I've been known to (regularly) borrow cash from her.  She's very generous.

Sarah just had her 4th birthday.  Yikes!  Not so much a little one anymore.  That girl is wide open, all of the time.  That's all I'm going to say about that.

Bill is still learning about building fences and what skills are necessary for running a business.  Despite missing the familiarity of logging, I think he is really enjoying the change.  Personally, I enjoy the availability of the hydraulic post driver for building things--like fences.

And me.  I'm not doing anything new or especially fun.  I did put in a new garden, but the near-constant rain these past several weeks seems to have rotted most things that were coming up.  I guess I'll be replanting this week.  Nice weather is in the forecast.  Hmmm.  Just lots and lots of yard work, gardening, and the usual homemaking tasks.  It's all good.

Want to see some pictures?  I've got lots!

 After a change in our aquifer (like I even know what that means), we invested in a Berkey water filter. I heartily suggest one if you're in the market.

 A bread machine.  Busy afternoons that don't allow me to babysit bread dough have given me the opportunity to use this.  Don't tell Emma (Amish) that I've resorted to such a thing.

 Garden!

 More garden.  Check out my fence!  Some girls get jewelry or fancy presents for Mother's Day.  Not me.  I got a fence.  It's the perfect gift.

 Beautiful rhodys in bloom.  Everywhere.

 Bill's homemade chicken coop.  Everything but the door latches was scavenged from the woodshed or the shop.  

 Happy little house.  

Karl!