Winter and Changes

Snowy greetings from me to you!  I’m perched by the fireplace and watching the wind sculpt the snow into huge snowdrifts here on my little piece of rural heaven.

I remember back to some of my very first winters living in rural Idaho and after one particular white-knuckle drive into town, I quickly learned when Mother Nature decides to let loose that it is best to stay home.  So last night when the wind started up, well ....I knew what was in store for today.  Country living has a way of teaching a person about life and to respect things beyond your control. Perhaps it is the wide-open spaces that just seem to make things larger than life.  Take today for instance, here is a quick clip of what my world looked like at 5:00am with the wind howling and blowing snow. Click here if trouble opening up the video and open in Chrome.

Winter storms remind me that sometimes when there is a storm brewing, it is best to hunker down in a safe place, let it pass and then dig yourself out.  I need Winter as it helps me take time to be silent and reflect.   For some reason, I’ve just felt quiet inside and haven’t had the need arise for the 2:00am word sessions.  Perhaps it is because I coming to terms with the many changes that are coming about in my life.  And let me just say, they are good changes.  Just like the wind sculpting the snowdrifts, my life is changing the way it looks.  I’ll share more on that another time, but what I do want to share is that I am seriously thinking that I will sell my farmhouse and some acreage around it. (I’ll still keep all the rest of the farm ground and continue to report on what is happening via the blog) .  But this girl’s location is going to change and it is time to move into town.  While it will be hard, it’s the right change for me at this time.  This place has been my haven during the crazy stormy times of my life and living out here has definitely been a blessing, but some new adventures are on the horizon.  While I’m in no hurry, the search for a new place is underway.  

 I'm hoping your Christmas season was a wonderful one.  Mine was and I changed up my routine and spent it with Kaitlyn in her new house in Boise.  I took my own advice and simplified my holiday  routine a bit - of which I wrote about in the Nov/Dec Home and Harvest magazine

Before I sign off, I want to share a couple of comfort food recipes that have come out of this girl’s kitchen today.  

Baked Oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal
 In a 2 quart casserole dish, add in:

2 ½ cups regular rolled oats
¼ cup oat bran
¼ cup steel-cut oats
2 teas baking powder
½ teas salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
mix well, then in a bowl mix the following:

1 egg
1/3 cup applesauce
¼ cup canola oil
2 cups milk
Mix this well and pour over the oat mixture and mix well

Bake 20 min in a 400 degree oven, then stir in  2 cups fresh fruit and bake another 20 minutes uncovered.  Serve warm with yogurt, milk or cream. 

Nothing is better than homemade chocolate pudding….

Chocolate Pudding
In a medium size sauce pan, add:

½ cup white sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 TBL cornstarch
1 TBL flou
pinch of salt
with a wisk, mix well. Then add in:

2 cups milk and over medium heat, wisk well. Cook over medium heat for about 5 min or until pudding thickens.  Remove from heat, add in 1 TBL butter nd 1 tsp vanilla.  Mix well and pour into a bowl or individual cups. Refrigerate until chilled.  Once you have homemade pudding, you will never go back to box mixes…. Yummm.

As always, thank you so much for stopping by, and as always feel free to email me at swheatfarmlife@gmail.com.  All my best, Gayle