thoughts from my portfolio

1. I tried a new pancake recipe today: Great Speckled Pancakes from the Potsdam Co-op newsletter. (The "speckles" come from the whole-wheat flour and cornmeal.) My kids gobbled them up. They were heartier than your run-of-the-mill flapjack, but we liked them. Perhaps next time, I may grate some tart apple into the batter.

2. Hubby & I hunted through a pile of old wooden doors, original to our house, that are stored in the barn. We yanked one out with intact hardware, but in dire need of a wire brush and fresh coat of paint. After a beauty treatment, it may grace our front entryway. It's worth a try, anyway. My imagination led me to wonder to which room this particular door led, and how many pairs of hands opened and closed it over the years. Doors must lead interesting lives, dontcha think?

3. We spent a few hours in the county courthouse yesterday. We pored over old maps, heaved massive record books off shelves, muffed our way through reams of scrawly, loopy handwriting, and got the county clerk excited about our history project. For me, the fun is in the detective work! It amazes me that anyone can walk in and learn stuff, but hardly anybody does. Unless they are buying or selling some property.

4. Our Baby Horsie likes to suck molasses from #1 Daughter's fingers. I think it's hilarious.

5. I bought myself a present yesterday: a way cool set of excellent fine-tip colored markers. They came in a nifty translucent box that snaps shut. (Even the sound of the snap is nifty.) I will use them to color-code my worksheets for the class I'm enrolled in : How to Study the Bible. The kids can use them for their map-work, as we are doing a lot of that this year. However, if they lose one, they owe me two bucks.