Wild Start

My day started with wildlife.  Just after daybreak yesterday I walked out on the deck and saw a big doe at the edge of the forest looking back at me.  We enjoyed each other's company until she slowly walked into the woods and I went on about my business.  Later, while I was milking, Bessie fired off an alarm and the goats outside went on alert at something in the big pen.  Curious, I left Inga for a minute to see what was up.  Silly girls; it was simply a blue heron walking along under the big oak (or what's left of it).  These magnificent birds show up in the pasture once in a great while, sometimes standing like statues, sometimes walking on their tall stilts, then taking off with an S-curved neck and big beating wings to fly away.

Another gorgeous day lured me outside to finish deadheading the marjoram in the herb garden and trimming almost all the lavender bed.  That sure makes my hands smell good.  Bessie Anne moved along with me, lying in the sun and then shifting to a shady spot.  Still too nice to go inside, Pearl joined us on the porch (Frank was still snoozing in the house) and we all enjoyed the peace and quiet of the afternoon.

I'd been hankering for, of all things, biscuits.  I'm having trouble getting my camera to sync with the new computer or I'd put up a photo I took last night; not to brag, just to share the prettiest, best-tasting biscuit I've ever made.  The new baking cookbook I'd been given had a recipe for baking powder biscuits made with butter and a bit of lard.  (Anything with lard is bound to taste good.)  All my life I've only used Bisquick.  Admittedly, this recipe was more time consuming but the result was a biscuit two inches high, crusty golden brown, flaky and tender inside.  With a melting pat of butter and a dab of Joel's homemade blackberry jam, I'm saying it was ambrosia of the gods.

The day that started with a glimpse of the wild things ended with comfort food of the highest order.  It was a good day.