Domesti-Kat

I do not know if it is the season, or what, but I have been wanting to bake. This is not the usual for me. I can bake and I used to do some home canning. I am quite good at both..... I do not cook. Not unless I absolutely have to. I enjoy baking and I generally bake something 3 or 4 times per year. Always for a special occasion. The other day, as far as I know, there was no special occasion, I just wanted to bake.

I rolled up my sleeves, gathered the equipment and ingredients, cleared a spot on the counter, got out the Ipod and proceeded to make a huge mess while listening to "Cher". I also made quite a good loaf of "Challa Bread". The recipe is from one of my
cookbooks, but I can't remember off the top of my
head which one. If anyone is interested, just leave a comment or email me and I will look it up. The top came out a little darker than I prefer but the family enjoyed it. Even Hubby and he is particular about such things.
One of the quirks that tends to go with lovely old houses, at least to start with, is that they tend to have funny old appliances. The oven here is not old enough to be remotely considered charming. It has become quite temperamental in it's old age. It does work and as my husband is used to catering to it's whims, it will produce the most delightful things for him. Maybe I should practice more often. I probably will.
I quite enjoyed my afternoon. There is a good deal of satisfaction in mixing various ingredients by hand and taking them from mess to what one family member said "Looks like an Artisan bread". The tactile sense of the kneading is therapeutic. My Mother taught me long ago that you can not stay in a bad mood while you are making bread. If you start out in a good mood like I did, it just gets better.

On a completely different note, I had to share some autumn color photos from our area. The first is a vine that has climbed into one of the local evergreens. Now that the leaves have changed color, it looks like a giant decorated Christmas tree. Next down is a photo of some leaves in the process of changing.

We went camping last night. Yes, I know, it is fall and sensible people don't camp out in the fall. We are not crazy, the temperatures were perfect. There were not as many bugs. The sky was awesome last night, we could see so many stars. We took our walk on the road near our campsite. We did not see another human being. This morning when we woke up there was mist all around us. I of course, whipped out my trusty little Fuji and took more photos.
The lovely tree in the field of yellow flowers lives on the road near where we camped. The tree looked amazing. Hubby stopped the van and I took several photos. I had a very hard time deciding which was the best. I finally decided on this one. Can you see why I love this tree? (third tree picture from top)

The marigolds and pumpkin greet us on the
side porch where we go in and out the most. The
colors are just right. I can't believe how well the
flowers are doing this late in the year.

Last, but not least, the cat. My grand kitty was being cute again. I came in to do some homework and who do you think was napping on the computer chair? Spontaneous. She had such a silly look on her face when I woke her up, I couldn't resist yet another photo.
Hope your week was as nice as mine was.
Kat
p.s. The kitty on the side bar is a temporary addition, just till halloween, tickle him with your cursor. He is borrowed from

http://hophopjingleboo.blogspot.com