How High's the Water Momma?... Three feet high and rising!

For a moment we had a winter wonderland here but by the time I got my camera out, the Pineapple Express had arrived with the rain in tow and in no time flat it was a great soggy mess out there.

The pond is dangerously high but hey, we don’t have any algae, the ducks are having a party and now I’m glad for all those inspectors who came to hassle us last summer. Our new house is high and safe.

Recently we were having dinner with several friends who shared with us all kinds of horror stories about building a home…trades just not available or saying they will and then they won’t or when they will it’s shoddy and all that stuff. Not us we said, no problems…we have the best, we bragged. Then John arrived. He’s installing our insulation. He does fabulous work, but a temperamental prima Donna. Yikes! Keeps us on our toes!

We put our city house on the market recently thinking it would take about 4 months to sell as there were several others for sale in the neighborhood that had been listed for several months. Ours sold in 4 days! AND they wanted an early closing. Baby on the way…well okay. So now we are living on site in a motor home. It’s amazing how little one really needs to get by in life! I can do wonders in a crock pot and electric fry pan. I really must share this favorite recipe with you. This should warm you up on these cold windy days.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

• Wash Butternut Squash.
• Cut in half, scoop out the seeds and place in a shallow roasting pan.
• Toss in some chopped carrots, onions, and ginger.
• Sprinkle with olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar.
• Roast for an hour or so.
• Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle scoop out the pulp from the squash. Place all ingredients in a large stock pot.

• Add about 8 or 10 cups homemade stock or 6 McCormick vegetable cubes and 8 or 10 cups water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 hours.

• Adjust with sea salt and pepper to taste. Puree with a hand blender.

To serve, top with a dollop of sour cream mixed with a little bit of pure maple syrup and sprinkling of roasted walnuts.

Stay warm… and dry!