On Eagle's Wings

On Eagle's Wings
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:29-31

Followers

Monday, December 9, 2013

Doo, Doo, Doo, Lookin' Out My Back Door

Well, not really my back door, but my upstairs back windows.
 
 
Beautiful foggy morning Monday of last week.

 

 Took a walk around the neighborhood on Wednesday.
 

Blue skies and sunshine with temps reaching close to 80.
The weather forecast said we might get some sleet so I wanted to
take the opportunity to enjoy a last look at Fall here in Texas.

Might get some sleet?
Next day!

View from the same window. Ice on the screens.


Ice storm!

This is NOT fluffy snow - it is about three inches of solid ice. Very slick.

The yard men had come last Tuesday to trim all our shrubs so
everything is hacked down.
No, there aren't any giants doin' cartwheels ...
the only happy creatures I've seen dancin' on the lawn
have been the little cotton tail bunnies.
 
Asparagus fern sparkles with the ice

Cattails coated with ice behind the fence



Frozen berries

We have been holed up in the house since last Wednesday night.
I'm so thankful that we stocked up on groceries
and water that day.
I went to Wednesday night services.
We have heat and electricity in our house
and plenty of food.
We are fortunate.
The only stressful thing I have had to deal with is my dog, Trudy.


She is old and feeble and doesn't understand the world of freezing slip 'n slide.
She paces through the house and goes to the back door.
Once outside, she stands and shivers all over wanting back inside.
I stay with her to see that she does her business. So frustrating to
think that she might break her leg or hip when she slips and falls.
She then surprises me by meandering all over the back yard,
stopping to lick the ice, moves on, sniffs, then returns to the back door
without having done anything and yet expecting a treat.
I pick her up and carry her to a small area where there is no ice.
Then I carry her to the front yard so she can sniff where other dogs have been.
I walk to the mailbox so she can stop by the fire hydrant.
I'm concerned for her.
My DH is deeply concerned for me ... he thinks I'm just a little
over-the-top nutty fretting over the dog.
Inside the house is another story. A leak in our upstairs bathroom.
The day it was discovered, an emergency crew came out that afternoon
to jack hammer, and dig their way through to the sub-floor.
They worked until 11:30 p.m. that night and
set up a huge fan to dry it out over the weekend.
Except for the tub,
the whole bathroom has been ripped out.
Fifteen days later, we are waiting for repairs to be done.
This place is zipped up tight. Still.
Holidays, health issues, and other things try to disturb my peace,
but, as I look out my window, I am very aware there are people
around the world who are not so blessed to have the kind of stress we have.


So I made chocolate pie.

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
dash of salt
4 egg yolks
2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 baked 9-inch pastry shell
meringue (optional - no meringue for me, please)
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large heavy saucepan; set aside
Combine egg yolks and milk; stir into sugar mixture. add butter.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. remove from heat. stir in vanilla. spoon into pastry shell. (We prefer to top the pie with whipped cream)
If you like meringue:
Spread meringue over hot filling, sealing to edge of pastry. Bake at 325 for 25 to 28 minutes - this extra baking step isn't necessary if you don't top the pie with meringue.
meringue
4 to 6 egg whites
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed with an electric mixer just until foamy
gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form and sugar dissolves (2 to 4 minutes). Add vanilla, beating well. 
Today ... I'm baking chocolate Coca-Cola Cake. The recipe can be found here.
 
 
I remember my Mom baking a cake very similar to this that she called Sheet Cake.
My tip on this cake? It took about 30 minutes to bake rather than 20-25, and do NOT add all 6 tablespoons of milk to the icing - it's too thin. I also added pecans.

This afternoon we ventured out and DH drove me to the grocery store. (Earlier in the day I tried to back the car out myself and all the tires were spinning like crazy. Needless to say, I didn't go anywhere.) But yay, the ice is finally melting and the roads are better. The grocery store was packed out and a lot of the items on my list will just have to wait until our next trip ... empty shelves. We take so much for granted here in the land of plenty with innumerable choices.
 

11 comments:

Chatty Crone said...

Haha chocolate helps everything and you all need help! How in the world did you get all that ice and snow in TEXAS????

Wanda said...

Oh I so feel for your doggie. We have the same problem with Molly when it rains. She is leash trained for her business..and who wants to walk in the rain, and both my dearest and Molly come back soaking.

All your chocolate goodies are making me drool. My mom's favorite pie was chocolate, and she made them often. I never had. Mmmm. Maybe it's time.

Linda said...

Oh wow! Love your pics..and I fret about our german shep..so that is normal, and it is darn right cold here in NY. So sorry about your upstairs bathroom..I sure wish we had one upstairs, unfort. this 100+ yr old house only has one small, teeny bathroom & thats downstairs. Ugh..Blessings to you.

Terri D said...

Yum for the chocolate pie! Bless your heart, working with your sweet pup and worrying about her. She needs you to be her champion - bless you! Please stay safe & warm!!

Karen said...

Wow, you've had an eventful week. I never saw that before: stressed spelled backwards. Got to remember that! Yes, Chocolate pie makes the world a better place. God bless you. Hope things get back to normal soon!

Aloha Acres said...

Oh My Goodness! Your pictures make me cold. I won't even tell you what the temp is here in Hawaii. :) Let's just say ... it's warm.

Melanie said...

The first picture was lovely Nonnie! We haven't had that kind of weather, but I know what you mean, we don't get the fluffy white stuff when it happens. It is just icy mess. Don't blame you about Trudy! Don't think you are over the top about her either. Older little dogs can be so fragile. I felt that my little dog deserved the extra special care because she had loved me unconditionally when she was younger, it was my job to love and care for her when she was older, which I did my best to do. You will not regret giving Trudy such loving care!

Your post brought back memories of winter storms that we had when I was a child. Mama always kept hot dogs and marshmallows in the freezer - yes, she kept marshmallows in the freezer, I do too. If we had a storm, we could roast hot dogs and marshmallows in the fireplace. We also had a popcorn maker for the fire place that we used. Kept us busy for a little while anyway. We thought it was fun, looking back I guess that it was.

kc bob said...

Yikes! I spent a week in Dallas in the late 80s when an Ice Storm immobilized the city. Also remember a time in the 80s when Amarillo was iced over. And I can sympathize with helping an aging dog in really bad weather. Hope today is better Connie.

Sweet Tea said...

I miss so many things by not visiting all the blogs regularly. I hope the ice has thawed now and you and Trudy are both getting out and about some. The ice came at a bad time (as if there's ever a good time), coming BEFORE Christmas when there is always so much to be done. So good that you were well stocked for the "ice in". My go to items are always peanut butter and Ritz crackers, as well as extra baby formula now. If I have those items I always say we can make it. Funny the things we think about when we don't have access to a store for a few days. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, Nonnie!

momof3girls said...

Yum! That cake & pie look delish! Ice & snow crazy isn't it!

nancygrayce said...

Completely understand about the dog! If it just rains here, I have to take mine out with an umbrella! We don't have ice and they don't want to go out because it is cold! But making the sweets? Great idea! Sorry about the bathroom!