PUZZLE SUCCESS ~~ WALK AT TAHOMA CEMETERY ~~ RECIPE OF THE WEEK: JANET'S RUSTIC HERB BREAD ~~ PARTING SHOT

PUZZLE SUCCESS

We finally finished the puzzle we've been working on since the day after Christmas. We finished it this past Sunday, so we worked on it for 20 days. As soon as we were done we both took a picture of it and then Linda started taking it apart so we could get started on a new one. Here is the finished puzzle.

Readers Paradise finished!

You're probably saying, "Wow, she doesn't even know how to hold her new camera straight!" I know it looks a bit crooked, but I was standing on a stool holding my camera up high so I could get it all in the frame and have a bird's-eye view of the puzzle. Remember people, I'm old! I probably shouldn't have been up on that stool in the first place, but hey, I risk life and limb for my peeps!

Here's our new puzzle we have started on. We can both tell that this one is going to be unusually hard. I can't divulge the name of it yet because I want it to be a surprise when we get it finished. I will post updates as we make progress.

Mystery puzzle

WALK AT TAHOMA CEMETERY

We've decided to dedicate each Thursday to walking at a venue other than Kissel Park, which is just down the street from our house. On my last post I talked about our walk at Randall Park. This past week we drove a few blocks over to Tahoma Cemetery and took an early-morning walk there. For those of you who don't already know, Tahoma is the Native American name for Mount Rainier and means "frozen water." We had to postpone our walk to Friday because it was raining on Thursday, and we were both glad we waited the extra day. This is how things looked when we arrived at the cemetery.

I like to ride my bike around this cemetery a lot in the summertime. It's quite big with lots of huge trees, which is always a plus in Yakima. There is a Native American saying that goes something like this: "To speak the name of the dead is to make them live again." So, as I ride my bike I like to read out loud some of the names on the headstones. These are people I don't even know, but I feel as if I should acknowledge them since I am riding my bike around in their final resting place. Some of the headstones are even a bit humorous, like this one below. There is one that is my personal favorite, but I couldn't find it on this walk. If I see it again and can get a picture of it, I will post it on the blog at that time.

Speaking of big trees, this is the biggest one in the cemetery. There is a very old grave right at the foot of it, with roots covering the edges of the gravestone. I wonder if this tree was planted when that person was buried? You can just barely see the gravestone beside Linda's left foot in the second picture below.

Big tree

Close up of same tree

One thing I like about walking in a cemetery is the quiet, especially early in the morning. There aren't many places you can go these days and be among the quiet. We did hear some birds, but that is a good thing, even if they did sound like they were having an argument!

Sometimes you happen upon strange things in a cemetery, images that may seem disturbing at first, but become comforting as you let your mind wander and create elaborate stories based upon those images.

Dead roses among the gravestones. A lost love, perhaps?

Someone left a hat, possibly a distant relative of the deceased?

The best thing about a walk in the cemetery is that there usually isn't anybody else there besides us...well, at least anybody else alive. Most of the time we see a lot of birds due to the big trees. I was especially excited that we saw this hawk perched atop one of those trees. I even managed to get a pretty good picture of him as he glowered at us!

Red-Tailed Hawk, perhaps?

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: JANET'S RUSTIC HERB BREAD

I always love making bread, as you probably know already. When I come across an especially good recipe, I like to share it. Recently I made this recipe below for Rustic Herb Bread and we both absolutely loved it. It's extremely easy to make, too. This recipe was posted on a Facebook blog called Janet's Appalachian Kitchen by Janet Crow (click here to go directly to Janet's Facebook page). All of her recipes are ones that have been handed down to her by family members, or recipes she has developed herself. Each recipe is accompanied by a related story, usually about her upbringing in the South. I highly recommend her Facebook blog for anyone who likes good down-home recipes. I asked her if I could share her recipe on my blog and she gave me permission, so here it is below.

Janet's Appalachian Kitchen Here it is...Rustic Herb Bread
1 C. warm tap water
1 T. yeast (I use saf-instant)
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 C. all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried chives
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dill weed
vegetable oil

In a large bowl combine the water, yeast and sugar. Allow to proof for 5-6 minutes till it becomes foamy. Add in the flour, salt, chives, basil and dill. Using a wooden spoon, combine well (I used my hands with some flour on them to do this process). Lightly oil (using a paper towel) the bottom of an 8" iron skillet with some of the veg. oil. Form the dough into a ball and place in the center of the skillet. Lightly brush a little oil over the top of the dough and loosely cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm dark place to rise. Allow the dough to rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Place an oven proof bowl of water in the oven as it preheats to 375 degrees (the bowl of water remains in the oven while baking). Remove the plastic wrap from the bread and place the bread in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on top and sound hollow when you tap the top.

Janet's Rustic Herb Bread

The picture above is my picture from the last time I made this bread. I have made this recipe using both all-purpose white flour and whole wheat flour. It came out great using either one. I didn't have any dried chives so I substituted onion flakes to make it a bit more savory. Like most really good recipes, this one is adaptable to your individual taste. If you have been wondering about making some homemade bread, this would be a good recipe to start with. It makes a small loaf, but is perfect for serving with something like pasta or chili. What are you waiting for, give it a try!

PARTING SHOT

The entire time I have been working on my blog Summer Girl has been here in the office with me, hard at work guarding our puzzle. I feel so safe!

Asleep on the job

That's all for this week, check back again next week for more exciting adventures in the land of no-snow!  (We've only had a couple of inches so far, and it's been gone for a while now).