Instead of Sewing This Morning...

...I made a cauldron of Butternut Squash Soup with a 3+lb. squash from the garden.  Isn't it pretty?

Since there wasn't any protein in the soup as written (except for a bit of crumbled bacon as garnish) I opened a can of water-packed chicken breast I got off the clearance table when Copps changed over to Pick 'n Save (don't worry, the "death" date on the can is 2020) and added that in after I pureed the squash, carrots, onions, and celery cooked in the broth with a stick blender.  (I doubled everything except the bacon and scallions and olive oil.  It's a little watery so next time I won't double the water that stretches the broth.)  And I cut a stick of crisp bacon into very thin slices to add in just for the flavor.  So then I took the recipe that Durwood had cut out of some magazine a few years back and plugged it into the Weight Watchers "create recipe" function.  I was cringing thinking that I'd be really racking up the points but I'd completely forgotten that winter squash is zero points.  That's right, children, a big pile of yummy squash is no points--as long as you don't put butter on it.  Anyway, I got the soup all done and enhanced it with a pinch of red pepper flakes just to brighten the flavors and decided to dump in the bacon and scallion garnishes for ease of serving.  What I ended up with was 23 cups of squash soup at the bargain price of one measly point per 2 cup serving.  How's that for making nothing out of something?

I used up my daylight sewing time in soup-making but plan to sew after supper when the Green Bean Pickers are playing feetsball over at the stadium in our old neighborhood.  Durwood won't even notice I'm not upstairs, whattaya wanna bet?  I'll still have that crazy yellow floral Dress No. 1 to wear tomorrow.  Just you wait and see.

So you don't think it was warm here overnight or anything I took a quick photo (very quick) of the frozen birdbath this morning.  It is definitely no longer warm here and I miss the old flat birdbath heater I used to have that heated more of the water.  This one battles to keep even a little open water in the dead of winter but it's all I can find.  Why do they quit making the things I like?  It seems to me that me liking some product, almost any product, is its death knell. They quit making the kitchen hand soap I liked and the toilet scrubbers too.  I'm the kiss of death, I tell you.

 November 6--August Macke, Colored Composition of Forms.  Lee opened his eyes and blinked trying to bring things into focus.  He reached up and touched his face, no glasses, that explained it.  He turned on his side to reach the nightstand, patting gently but couldn't find his glasses.  Had he left them in the kitchen?  He hoped not.  Getting down the hall and navigating the stairs would be tricky without being able to see clearly.  He called out, "Is anyone here?"  A woman he didn't recognize came into the room.  "You're awake.  Good."  She tugged the sheet to straighten it.  "I'll let the doctor know."  Lee said, "My glasses..." but she interrupted him.  "You didn't have glasses when they brought you in.  They probably got lost in the crash."

I have absolutely no idea what crash.  I don't know if Lee is young or old or if the crash was his fault.  I'm usually half asleep when I'm writing those bedtime prompts so if it's marginally coherent I figure it's a triumph.  Now it's getting to be time to think about fixing supper.  WW Shrimp & Grits is on the menu.  And it isn't store-bought shrimp either.  It's from the seafood truck that comes up from Galveston every month or so.  You totally wish you were coming to eat here.  I promise to take a picture--just to torture you.  Mwa-ha-ha-ha.

--Barbara