Raindrops and Muffins

It's been raining for two days now, which is fine with me except that's so gray. Just...gray.
And I can't keep up with anything. The cobwebs are taking over the house. Overtaking the house. The tomato plants need to go in the ground as well as the squash seeds, the collards. The okra is being eaten by some small caterpillars. Hundreds of them. They are lacing the leaves of the okra plants with their chewing. In turn, I pluck the leaves and take them to the chickens. The chicken coop needs mucking out. I haven't finished Lily's baby quilt. The book I'm writing goes as untended as my garden. The dogs find it impossible to go out into the wet back yard to pee and poop and so they do it in the house. I never catch them at it, either, which is infuriating.

And it rains.

Speaking of the chickens, Miss Betty continues to lay us perfect tiny eggs. And the rooster (I give up, he is he) whom we shall now call Sam, has been observed by Mr. Moon on top of tiny Miss Betty, and I doubt seriously they are just cuddling which means my eggs are fertilized but destined never to be hatched. We still haven't eaten any of the eggs. Maybe by Sunday there will be enough to make a breakfast. Ms. Petit Fleur brought us a gift of applewood smoked bacon to go with. She's such a love. And her son sings to tigers and brings grapes to my chickens.

Mr. Moon suggested that I make a cake with the first eggs, which I find strange- he has never once asked for a cake. Perhaps I should make him one. I don't know.

It's raining.

I have nothing important to say today. Nothing at all. I feel as if my brain is roosting like the chickens in the darkness. They are able to respond when they are roosting but believe me- nothing of any high intellect is going on there in that hen house at night. Not that I can discern. Same with my brain. It's responding. (More coffee, please, it says), but otherwise, it is twiddling its thumbs, waiting for something to bring it to life.
Even the sound of a giant, juicy, one-bite-taken-out-of-it pecan hitting the tin roof of the well house does not seem to wake it. You can't believe how loud that is.

Mr. Moon came home last night and I was in the garden. I had intended to plant the tomatoes, the squash, the collards. We got into a whisp of a tiff about where the plants should go and I was a bit rude to him. "I'm sorry," I apologized. "I'm about to start my period."
That made him laugh as he walked away from me and I laughed, too. "Okay. It worked for a long time," I said, catching up to him. He looks just like his daddy from the back as he walks, which astounds me and breaks my heart, too. "Really," I said, "I just had a hot flash."

This was true.
The tomatoes, collards and squash are not, as I said, yet planted. I had a beer instead and made supper. It was a good supper and there were muffins and I think made the amends I wanted to make. Especially with those muffins.

I think I'll copy the recipe here because they are so delicious, these muffins. I use the exact one off the back of the oat bran box but I change things around as I feel fit. I will call them Making Amends For Being Bitchy Oat Bran Muffins.
If it's raining where you are, you might want to make them.



Oat Bran Muffins (For making amends after you have been bitchy and as found on the back of the Quaker Oat Bran box)

2 cups Quaker Oat Bran Hot Cereal, uncooked
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 cup skim milk or 2% low-fat milk
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
1/4 cup honey or molasses
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Heat oven to 425. Line 12 medium muffin cups with paper baking cups or spray bottoms only with no-stick cooking spray. Combine dry ingredients; mix well. Add combined milk, egg whites, honey and oil; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 15-17 minutes until golden brown.

I generally add about half a cup of flax meal to these. Also, I use an egg instead of two egg whites. And I add whatever fruit and nuts I want. Last night it was a peach, over-ripe and cut up. I also added craisins and grated orange peel. Sometimes I add bananas, mashed, and also pecans. I have used left-over baked sweet potato in them. Blueberries are wonderful in them, as are grated apple and cinnamon. You can use soy milk instead of cow milk. You can just hardly go wrong.

And oh yes- I don't mess with that combine-dry-ingredients-and-then-add-the-liquid-ones stuff. I just put everything in the bowl and mix it up. It works.

Serve these to your sweetie. Give your sweetie a kiss and then pass the butter and honey.

All is forgiven, all is well.
Even when it is raining and you are premenstrual.
Even if you are having hot flashes.

Happy Friday, y'all.

Love....Ms. Moon