Hunting Season

All I have to do is wait....

the outcome is certain...

the prey will surely be mine...

 Huh?

What? Um...nothing....lovely to see you my dear! 

These are mine, you know, I got them fair and square, opposable thumbs and all...

(laughter muffled by crumbs)

And who are you? National Geographic? Go away, I'm busy!

Ah, forgive me, that was undignified.

Cracker crumbs in the air you know, ...he,he,he..

 I simply don't think there are enough to go around. 

I mean, ..I could share, really, but um....you see,

I'm young and cute, at least that's the card I'm playing,  

and, well, these are awfully good, and you are a dog after all,

and that's just kind of how things are now, you understand?

(audible sigh)

Oh, yes, I know....I remember the old days fondly...

but I also know that you have to bathe every night,

and when that time comes and the lights go out, that floor is mine, I tell you, mine!!!



True Bulk

This family is no stranger to bulk buying of foods. Whether it is a bushel of apples, gallons of berries, or 40 pounds of tomatoes, we have done it.  I have even bought spices in 5 lb bags before.  That's right; spices. As in cloves and cinnamon sticks.  We have a family recipe that involves 1 oz of each, and when I got a deal early in our marriage that was a tenth of the price in the grocery store, I just couldn't resist.  For the record, I am still using them, they have not gone bad, and yes, you may go ahead and do the math and chuckle heartily.  I'm not bothered.

Now, what we have here is new to me.  A 50lb bag of organic thick rolled oats. I have been purchasing our oatmeal for the past three years or so at a local co-op (or "the scoop store" as Madeline calls it) and love it.  We eat oatmeal several times a week for breakfast, grind it up to use in cookies or pancakes, make crusts out of it, throw it in bread and consequently were using about 4-6 pounds a month.  I was recently given a membership to the scoop store and discovered that I could get my gorgeous oats at a 10% discount by the case.  Casting aside any worries about how big a "case" was, I promptly ordered one.  After all, just think of all the time I would save of having to buy my piddly pounds monthly.  Think of how happy the employees would be to not have to clean up my errant oats that lay about the scoop store floor.  And then, the double whammy, member discount day that gave me an additional 10% off my transaction.  My organic oats came to a mere 80 cents a pound.  Winner, winner, oatmeal breakfast.... well... ahem, you get the point.

So,...... this is what 50lbs of oats look like.

Um, a little bigger than our 6 week dog food bag. 

Um,... send in the cows.

Undaunted, I gathered up my biggest Rubbermaid containers, you know,... the ones that hold taco meat for 20?  Both of them.  And began to scoop.  And then started to snicker, followed by a giggle, followed by a whole hearted belly laugh. When I recovered enough to realize that my containers were woefully ill-equipped to handle the feed bag, I turned to the Internet and learned that oats are happily frozen.  So, I carried the remaining 42 pounds down to the garage and threw them in the chest freezer.  

Here's what else I learned about oats: 

• they contain little gluten  (although this family seems to have a high gluten tolerance, mmmm cookies!)
• they cleanse your blood and your intestinal tract
• they have high levels of complex carbs; reducing risks of cancer and better management of diabetes 

Glorious little things.  Remember, these are the thick rolled oats. So if you have memories of gray, gelatinous orbs from childhood cafetieras, these are not the same.  I promise.  Come by and I'll feed you a hearty bowlful topped with pecans, or cream, or apricots, or maple syrup,

or......oh joy.....

The End of the Innocence

As I think over the flurry of conversations that come at the beginning of the year, I often find myself completely befuddled.  January brings the buzz words of "clean slate, fresh leaf, new beginnings" and the like; and then lots of laughter and hands up in the air as resolutions (or the new one I heard-"intentions"- less menacing somehow) are written off as too lofty and impossible to keep. This happens year after year after year, and if you doubt me, just watch the morning shows now and then again in mid-February.

Folks, as a perfectionist, I can tell you, there's not a thing that we commit to 100%. 

That's why we need Jesus. 

I'll give you an example:  I committed in the month of December to take a picture a day, journal a few quick sentences, paste the two together, and put it in a shoebox for Decembers to come and add to.  I thought, "hey, it's the holiday season, this is a ripe time to take pictures and journaling will be easy".  I just looked over my photo software and found eight days missing- including when we bought new furniture, celebrated our 11th anniversary, and New Year's Eve. Yep, and get this; I fully intend to cheat and add some of the days in retrospect.  I'm cool like that. 

So, for this 2012, very little for me is changing.  I have a perennial list of things that I want to accomplish, but instead of dwelling with what I can't do, I will try to focus on what has been done on my behalf.  After all, it's a race of perseverance, but not by our own merit.