Tried With Fire

ht: Dan Phillips on FB

Just in time for Christmas…. ht Grammarly on FB

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Like others have observed, in the good old days of blogging, you could write what you wanted to write without worrying about maintaining an image. Of course that was even easier when you were the only reader. I confess that lately I've worried about what other people think instead of just being who I really am in Christ, quirks and all. There's a time to be serious and a time for fun, but I never want to be anything other than myself in either case. If this is the heart of old-school blogging, then I'm going to stick with it. So to continue in that spirit, I am borrowing  Lisa 's idea. Here are seven things about myself that you may not know: 1. My sense of humor was formed (or warped) by Rocky and Bullwinkle and The Muppet Show . 2. My favorite article of clothing is an old UCLA hoodie which I am wearing right now. 3. I am an Anglophile thanks to Agatha Christie, Jane Austen, PBS Masterpiece Theatre, and Doctor Who. BTW, Tom Baker is my favorite Doctor. 4....

ht: Evil Darth Vader via Doctor Darth Baptist on Twitter ht: Kim's hubby via Diane on FB

In the spirit of old-style blogging, I'm linking to some previous posts from the past. Our house was invaded by mysterious intruders. When you were upstairs, it sounded like they were downstairs and vice versa, but there was no trace to be found. It was also no fun waking up in the dead of night and hearing something rummaging inside your house. I called the police on two separate occasions who found nothing. They may have thought I was a crazy woman who was hearing things, but in time, my ears and fears were vindicated. As to the reason why the sound came from below the 2nd floor and above the 1st floor ceiling? Our uninvited guests were between the floors. Here are links to our little raccoon saga because blogging doesn't always have to be serious. Things That Go Bump in the Night It Came From Beneath the Floorboards It's a Trap! The Raccoon Mystery I never found out how the raccoons escaped, and it remains a mystery to this day. We...

This is a slightly modified recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison, Broadway Books, 1997. You can vary the type of fruit depending on what you have on hand. The buttermilk gives the muffins a nice, light texture. Ingredients: 2-1/2 cups all-purposes or whole-wheat pastry flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1 cup peeled and finely chopped apple (I used one small Cortland apple.) 2/3 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs lightly beaten 1-1/3 cups buttermilk 1/3 cup canola oil or melted butter 1 tsp vanilla Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tins or use liners. Mix the dry and and wet ingredients in separate bowls. (I included the sugar with the wets. Don't know if that is proper baking etiquette or not. ) Combine dry with wet and mix with a rubber spatula until moistened. The batter will be lumpy. Spoon batter into tins and bake for 20-25 minutes. Makes 12-18 depending on how full you fill the tins. En...