Saturday, October 15, 2005

When Worlds Collide

When we were in Atlanta, I picked up the book 50 Acres and a Poodle by Jeanne Marie Laskas. It is about her "farm dream" and how it goes from 2D to 3D. (I also have a farm dream, although the Big Man suspects it may actually be a "country dream.") It is one of those books that I can't put down, yet I wish that I could because I don't want to finish it but the end is in sight. So, I went to Amazon.com and found that she has written a follow-up.

Meanwhile, I was reading my hometown paper online and started reading an article when I realized that it was about the father of one of my childhood best friends whom I haven't seen in 20+ years. The article described his journey recovering from Guillain-Barré Syndrome. His wife wrote a book about it from her journal. It was also at Amazon.com, so I ordered it and have started reading it.

Now...this is where worlds collide. The follow-up book to 50 Acres and a Poodle is called The Exact Same Moon: Fifty Acres and a Family. It chronicles, among other things, the author's experience helping her mother to recover from....you guessed it....Guillain-Barre Syndrome. I have read the name of the syndrome before but really had no idea what it was. Now in two days, I've been confronted with it twice. What are the odds? I haven't bought the follow-up book yet, but I will soon, I'm sure.

All is well here. MK has a friend spending the night. They get along so well that I hardly know they're here. They played outside earlier and are now buzzing around the living room and MK's room. It is time to get their sleeping bags out, pop in a movie and settle them down. I have nursery at the 8:00 service tomorrow, so I'd better go to bed too.

Good night.

P.S. It is supposed to get to 52 tonight!!!! I am soooo ready for the fireplace!

2 comments:

Thom said...

That is a completely weird coincidence. I mean what're the odds?

You requested deer recipes, but unfortunately I'm one of those annoying cooks who don't measure anything--I just sort of wing-it!

That being said:

Venison Stew

cut venison into large, bite sized chunks and dredge in flour with a little salt and pepper. Brown the meat in a little bit of very hot oil (I prefer peanut oil, myself) in the bottom of a stew pot. Add enough beef stock (canned beef broth will do in a pinch) to cover the browned meat with about 3 inches of the liquid. Coarsley chop into bite sized chunks the following: carrots, onions, celery and potatoes. Add the veggies to the stew pot. Simmer until veggies are tender, stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Add fresh garlic, basil and a pinch of allspice and salt and pepper to taste.You can thicken it by making a flour and water paste, but if you let it sit overnight, it thickens a bit on it's own and the flavors all intensify in a very yummy way.

I hope that's enough info for it to be a useable recipe!

Anniesue said...

Thanks, Thom...sounds good. I always hear people talk about how you can ruin deer meat, so I haven't attempted it yet.