Bowl Of Stuff

I've been hardly here on Dream Width other than to look at my reading page this past year. I've been writing in my other blog more often than not on Blogger at Always Just A Cook and as usual, I've got too many things on my mind to focus on most of them. :)

Right now, my current project is my "Around the World in 52 Cuisines". I started the first of this year (2012) with cooking a different cuisine for the household each week, for 52 weeks (i.e.. one each week for a year). So far it's been going well and this week we've gotten to the Norse world and in particular Sweden. Tonight meal consisted of Lamb and Cabbage Stew along with a sort of trifle type desert that is oddly named "Veiled Farm Girls". I couldn't resist. ;)

The following is a diary of sorts of cat_77's and my vacation this past weekend. Cool pics can be found at both her site and my home site of Wolfie's World

January 14th:
We are now at Cascade Lodge in the middle of nowhere UpNorth Minnesota. (yes, that is one word here in the midwest) There are no gas stations. There are no grocery stores. This is no cell phone service.

It’s sheer and utter bliss!

cat_77 brought me up here for my birthday weekend. We left before the demon spawn even headed off to school. There was only a bit of snow on the way up, otherwise even with the overcast sky the driving was pretty clear.

It’s mostly an old hunting lodge, with cabins arranged on the property for guests. There are also rooms in the main lodge, game room with pool and table tennis, restaurant, and evidently WIFI that cat_77 can get from our room/cabin. It’s a small cabin but cozy and right next to the trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

After dropping off our gear in the room I talked cat_77 into going on a short trek using the snowshoes I brought up with me. I haven't been shoeing in almost a decade. cat_77 hasn't been since she was three. It was...interesting. I was told several times that I was insane for dragging us out, but also that it was beautiful out on the ‘trail’. I use that term loosely as we could neither find the actual trail we were supposed to be on nor did we really keep to a strait line.

That’s right folks, even while snowshoeing and enjoying the great out doors in the winter, we can’t be strait.

After heading back and having sipping chocolate in our cabin cat_77 fell asleep and I went off to try and find some ridge that has a beautiful overlook. Didn’t find the trail to the ridge and didn’t want to be out any later since it was getting close to dusk, but I did manage to find freshly killed wildlife and a wolf.

Many pictures have been taken. Hoping they turn out and that the wolf shows up that I took while standing in an outdoor chapel. Back at the cabin now and waiting for dinner. Dark as hell out and perfectly quiet. Sigh. Bliss.

January 15th:

Today’s breakfast consisted of Chef Boyardee Ravioli in a microwave. Don’t knock it till you try it. We didn’t have to rush dressing and had some quiet time in the cabin to ourselves with our morning drinks (cat_77 favors mochas, I’m a more muddy black coffee person) and listened to our neighbors and their morning activities.

Yes, in the new cabin which they moved us to last night after the sewer line started spewing up “stuff” into the bathroom tub. It was...interesting to say the least. We felt for the poor maintenance guy who had to come and try to unclog it. Eventually, he gave up and they moved us to a new cabin. Which is huge in comparison with a fireplace and in a more secluded area.

Now, back to the neighbors. We has them. Which, if you had been paying attention in the previous paragraph I had just said we are even more secluded than the last place. Secluded enough that we’re evidently the walk-in closet to some birds and something like a squirrel (scratching on the outer wall) to share a little house with. (shout out to Futurama).

They are fairly quiet, except when scurrying up and down the roof and outer walls. Their antics today woke us up today enough to get us going and even cat_77 to join me on a trek of long-ness up and around the state park we’re staying in.

I’m perfectly fine with the squirrely neighbors as long as we’re in this beautiful place.

January 16th

New day, new mountain to climb. It’s way bellow zero today and I was less than willing to sit still while cat_77 slept in after breakfast. Which, by the way, was microwave mac&cheese along with coffee and cocoa. Odd choice but I’ve had worse when camping in the actual great outdoors when just trying to get enough calories in to keep up with my activity.

Hence leading me to the ‘conquering my own mountain’ thing. I dressed with more layers than a bear and ended up striping down to a vest and snow pants. The whole trip took about four hours for 3.3 km and 1200 mi strait up a hill to one of the most beautiful views imaginable. Did I also mention that I haven't turned my cell phone on sine leaving home friday morning. Or checked me email.

Then, cat_77 fed me a really large meal. There was a huge piece of chocolate cake. And beer. Awesome day. Really, really.

It's quiet around here. Almost...too quiet. We've (cat_77 and I) been holed up all day in the house, or more specifically bed. The kids are at their dad's family for the holiday party that ran over due to the winter storm here so only the slightly more hairy creatures are left with us, and they don't really care as long as they're allowed to sleep undisturbed on the bed with us.

The snow has been falling steadily all day and we managed to get out once for non-leftover type food when cat__77 had a craving for Chinese food. I'm told this is a normal Christmas occurrence, though it was never a tradition in my family so I'll have to take her word on that.

This is really the stillest I think I've ever been, baring some deathly sickness, in a very long time. I'd be more disturbed by this if I wasn't so...blank. That is really the only word that can truly describe this most unusual state. The whole sitting still, not moving, not caring, not caring that I don't care, state that would be more disturbing and maybe even more zen like if I did give a damn.

And using face book tonight. Youngest is now cyber hooked up with the rest of the family over there and oldest (once off grounding tomorrow) will soon be too.

Not much else to do tonight, what with the temperature dropping to some where near but-fuck really cold.

Got some bad news today at work. It's not the best thing in the world to have to open your email and see a shock. It's also not a barrel of fun to shut your self down so that you can continue working.

Cooking helps with that. So does making new things, recipies, adapting to what we have to use and what we need.

It's when you stop cooking, working, moving that the sadness creeps in. That's when it really hits you.

Woke up early, tried to go back to sleep but it was 'utter fail'. What with the sun being out and it even being bright through the window coverings. Laid in bed for a while though before I was asked too many times to make breakfast.

Today was the youngest's play date with a friend and so number-one-son and I did errands while cat_77 got some alone time to work on NanoWrimo. After haircut, eye-glass adjusting, and cell phone check in we ended up at a Borders. It was realatively quiet so number-one-son got some time to work on his home work while I got some Nano time as well.

He's a pleasant enough child, when he's not acting like a brat on a sugar high that is. That, and having him separated from number-two-son and their almost constant bitch fight they have going on currently. Must be the hormones, or the fact they're brothers. Not sure yet which one is more prominant at the moment.