February 12, 2015
Mares and geldings
I'm so excited! I can't remember if I mentioned it or not, but I came across this ad on Craigslist that offered horseback riding in exchange for work. Basically, feed the horses and muck the stalls and you can ride. For free. Only expense being the gas it takes to drive to Chesapeake. Sounds like a deal to me! So I've been communicating with the owner and now that I finally got my car back, I'll be going out there for the first time Saturday morning bright and early. I am ecstatic! It's been a couple years since I've gone riding and the last experience was quite disappointing. The best experience I ever had was in Costa Rica. It was amazing. I'm telling you, there is no feeling of freedom like that being on the back of a horse. I know it's rather cliche, but cliches exist for a reason, don't they? When I rode my sweet Golondrina back in Costa Rica, I just felt so alive. I was one with her, which was very important since we were riding through rough mountain terrain and there was a time or two where I thought one little slip and I could probably bust my head open on all those slippery rocks and die. But I didn't. Because she was the best horse and we were allowed to feel each other out and weren't controlled like at that terrible place in Virginia Beach.
I'm hoping this experience with my gelding will be the same. At least, I'll learn some ground work. After speaking with the owner a bit, she seems really laid back and I think that's exactly what I need out riding. Fingers crossed. Unfortunately, the weather here has been absolutely wet. The one and only reason I don't like winter is because it's bitterly cold and wet the whole season and I don't particularly enjoy being wet. Can't really muck around in sneakers (which I still can't find!), so I found a cheap pair of boots at Walmart. They aren't work boots, but they should hold up in the mud for a little while until I can save up money for a proper pair of boots, which are ridiculously expensive. Or perhaps I'm just ridiculously poor. All my tax money went straight to medical and automotive bills with one night out to dinner. I really need to get over to the blood bank so I can start selling my plasma. I hear that's a good $260 bucks a month, which would be put to good use for gas and food, and perhaps my garden. Why are hobbies so expensive? $100+ for real boots, $100+ to build raised beds and buy plants. These will be slow endeavors. Perhaps I'll just do tomatoes this year...
So I think I understand why Sarah didn't like Whiskey because I don't care for Chris' (my new roommate) dog all that much. I don't know if it's because she's spoiled rotten and jumps or because she's a boxer and her face kinda creeps me out a bit, but I am not warming up to her at all. She's a sweet dog to be sure, but I'm holding a lot of resentment against her for pooping in my new garden. Or perhaps I just resent her because she's not Whiskey and I miss Whiskey everyday. Seriously, there is not one day that goes by where I don't think about my girl. I wish I had taken more photos and that we had gone on more adventures. But I know she's probably living the life right now. I wish they could send me updates. Anyway, with the new dog in the house Pacha has set up permanent residence in my room. I've started leaving the windows open so he can watch the world. In keeping to my room, he has become absolutely affectionate and I love it. He's a really good cat. Recently, he happened to sit on the scale and he weighs a whopping 12.2 pounds! Every one calls him fat, but he really isn't. He's definitely a hefty, husky cat, but it's all in the build. If he was smaller, I'd call him emaciated. So at least that's been a good thing of the new dog moving it; my bond with Pacha is growing again. Except he keeps trying to escape out the front door. Every night when I come home he gets out. It's so dark, I can't see to stop him. So every night I have to go over to the neighbor's yard and pull him from the bushes. It's a pain, but I still love him.
TJ and I have decided to stay in for Valentines. I'm a little disappointed because I've been craving hibachi, but we're both broke and there's going to be a deep freeze this weekend, so it will be cozy to stay in, especially after mucking about in the cold with the horse all morning. I've spent the week devising a menu. First, I kinda want to make pancakes. For Christmas I got this griddle, and it's an absolute charm. I love griddles. I don't know why I never owned one sooner. Anyway, I tested it out last night and suddenly I've become a fan of cooking pancakes. I've always been a waffle girl because I hated trying to flip jacks in a little pan, but the large griddle solves that. I see a lot of pancakes in my future. Plus, it has a warmer on the bottom. Score! So, pancakes are on the menu fr this weekend. I'm just trying to decide if I want to do good ol' butter cakes, or try my hand at red velvet cakes. Ooh la la. I'm not a big fan of chocolate pancakes or even chocolate chip pancakes for that matter. I find it to be overwhelming and you loose the other flavors. But the recipe I found is really cute. Being red velvet, the cakes would turn out red and I have these cute little heart cookie cutters that could shape the batter. Maybe it would be a cuteness overload...we'll see.
For dinner, my heart is on stuffed shells. Growing up with an Italian father, my meals as a child revolved around pasta. As an adult, I rarely indulge. Don't ask me why. I just never go down that aisle at the grocery store. But a good pasta dish is the epitome of comfort food and like I said, it's going to be a cozy weekend. Mmm delicate shells stuffed with herby cheeses then topped with a deliciously sweet meat sauce- all baked together with a layer of mozzarella on top. How could anyone resist? I actually made my meat sauce last night, low and slow. That's right, from scratch because I don't believe in buying Ragu or Prego. No ma'am. We build our own flavors. Last night I did a very simply sauce to go with the shells. Tomatoes, onion, and basil. Plus the beef. That's it. Oh, and a bit of Malbec since I had no Merlot. It's a little sweet than I'm looking for so I think I need to salt and pepper it up a bit, but otherwise I'm quite pleased. I was able to bring a bit for lunch today because it made a really big pot. Maybe I'll freeze some it for future use, too. I only need a few cups for the shells. Oh, I can't wait for the cheese!
Dessert is going to be fabulous. I'm making Strawberry brownie parfaits. I've been baking/eating brownies like it's my business, which probably isn't a the best idea. Diabetes and all. But I don't eat enough through out the day for it to have a great affect so we're good! I'm telling you. The secret to weight loss and sugar level control is starvation. You know, one day I really do want to eat clean and become a yoga guru, but in the meantime a nibble here and a nibble there are doing wonders. It also fits into my strict budget. Anyway, since I wanted to make these parfaits, I wanted to make them right. Once again, from scratch. I've been searching for a good brownie recipe and I think I found one that only needs a little tweaking. It calls for unsweetened chocolate, they came out a little bitter for my taste, so I'm going to try dark/bittersweet. I do love some dark chocolate. For the strawberry aspect, I'm using both fresh slices and a fresh strawberry syrup I made. That's right, even more things from scratch. It was actually quite easy to make the syrup. You just boil the strawberry in water, sieve, add sugar, and boil some more. It doesn't have as thick of a consistency as I would like, but it's delicious and not bad for my first try. So I'm going to drizzle it over the brownies, mix it up with the sliced strawberries, incorporate some into the whipped cream I'm making, and layer it all into a parfait. I really can't wait. It's going to be decadent!
So that's my day for Saturday. Play around in the mud then cook up a feast. I tell you, someday I'm going to make an excellent wife and mother. I know TJ will appreciate all this, and I'll enjoy the fact that we're going to be cooking together- which is always an adventure- but it's not quite the same since he's not so forthcoming with his emotions. But it's going to be a good day and a good weekend. I'm just so happen he's been so open about Valentines. That's a first. Recently, he has been a little more affectionate, a little more giving of himself. It's still baby steps, but it's better than it was. I know I've been on edge recently, and he's been very understanding.
I really miss writing here and collecting my thoughts. I really should make an effort to post more often.
scullerymaid at 11:22 a.m.