I really thought we were getting a good rain this morning, thinking we'd get another 4/10 of an inch: That's how much we've gotten from every rain so far this year (not that I care, at this point). We got a new rain gauge from Amazon day before yesterday, one that we hope will last over one year; if it doesn't, though, it only cost about six dollars. So it didn't break the bank, you see. When it seemed like the rain was over, I went out with a flashlight to see how much rain had fallen; there were about two drops in the bottom of it. Ha! There may be a little more coming, but as usual, the big part of this front is in Iowa.
Anyhow, it's going to be a fairly cool day, and I had a ham bone left from Easter. I soaked the beans all night, poured off the soaking water and added fresh water, chopped a big onion, a couple of celery ribs, garlic and tossed all that in the pot; added a bay leaf, a little cumin, pepper, cayenne pepper, and parsley. I like some color in my pinto beans! All I have to do at our noon meal is get out the cast iron skillet and make the cornbread.
I recently read Lucy by the Sea after seeing it among the books Stargazer had read. I like a lot of the same books she does, and if she gives it a good rating, I usually try it. We don't always agree on everything we read, but I usually find her reading options match my own. Tayla Tate Boerner, who is herself an author, makes a list of the books she's reading every month or so, and I often find good reads on her blog. I discovered Tayla from following Galla Creek Ephemeris. My Arkansas friend mentioned one book some time ago that I can't find in any of the three libraries from which I download books, Traitor King: the Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. One of these days I might have to break down and buy it. I don't want the physical book, though, because I do read a lot on the exercise bike; there's no room on the bike for a real book, so I'd have to hold in my hand for half an hour.
It's raining again, and I hear thunder. Cliff is awake and putting his ear on, so I started his coffee. I'm out of here!
P.S. I was looking at the rain gauge wrong. After it rained yet again when Cliff got up, I waited until the rain stopped and went to look. We received over seven-tenths of an inch. I'm not used to the new gauge and looked at it wrong.
Laura loved the Lucy book. I’m reading Olive Kitteridge and then I’ll read Olive, again. I’m going to read the Lucy books after these. All by the same author.
ReplyDeleteI'll read anything she publishes, but I doubt I'll ever love any of them more than Gracie Lee.
DeleteDid you like "Lucy by the Sea?" I think I gave it a good rating although the flow of the language was sometimes hard to get used to. Lucy seemed like a real person in her neuroticism and anxiety and Strout did such a great job painting her characters with an unflinchingly honest brush.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I did like it, enough that I read her previous book, which included her young life and divorce. It wasn't as good as Lucy by the sea, but it was interesting to read some of the character's past.
DeleteNow I want some navy beans in the slow cooker with the ham I saved in the freezer. I found a recipe for corn bread using grits and love it. It has a nice crunch.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid we're going to be dry again this summer. It does not bode well for a good haying season.
ReplyDeleteI made a batch of corn bread last night. We had baked beans with our bbq spare ribs.
ReplyDelete