Plans for the week

On Sunday, Tom and the kids loaded up Laura’s 4H heifer, Bunny (born on Easter) in the trailer and then we all headed over to the livestock auction mart just outside of town along with all the other Beef Club families to weigh the kids’ heifers and steers; Laura’s heifer calf weighed in at 612 pounds, lighter than some of the others but then she’s one of the youngest animals. I really like that this club is a family affair, with younger siblings and both parents on hand. Afterwards, we stopped off for what we thought would be a quickie visit with Tom’s parents to drop off some eggs, but ended up staying for lunch and a good part of the afternoon; we enjoyed moose roast and beaver tails. Well, the moose was moose, but the beaver tails are fried dough, with a batter similar to doughnuts, just pressed out in the shape of a beaver tail, and then rolled in cinnamon sugar. A very enjoyable, quiet visit with my inlaws.

Nice quiet day yesterday at home, and the weather couldn’t have been lovelier for chores — just above freezing, sunny, and perfectly still. Unfortunately, that’s changing as of tomorrow, and by Friday the daytime high will be only -5F. Gah.

Have started preparations for Davy’s birthday on Friday, and yesterday afternoon started making the shortbread trees for his cake; Davy wants a winter woodland scene, and has already found the animals for the top of the cake — deer, moose, fox, etc. But no toy trees in the collection, so we made them out of brown sugar shortbread dough with cookie cutters; on Thursday, the kids can decorate them with green icing and powdered sugar “snow”.

This afternoon is music lessons as usual, with a few errands tossed in — delivering the standing egg order to one of our customers who works at the bank, picking up some packages that are waiting at the post office (I’m wondering if they could be more poetry books via the Cybils….), and the regular visit to the library for more goodies.

Tomorrow we’ll be at home again all day, so Davy and I will make his cake — a chocolate sheet cake, with lots of space for the animals and trees. Laura’s and Daniel’s Friday art lesson has been moved to Thursday this week to make room for the art show hosted by their teacher; we hope to get there on Saturday. Since we’ll be out of the house until 5 pm or so on Thursday — it being just another day here up North — I don’t have much chance of getting a turkey dinner on the table by 6:30, so I’m thinking of something fowlish and sort of Thanksgivingish but easy and crockpot-friendly, like chicken and dumplings.

Friday is Davy’s birthday, and we’ll be home most of the day (did I mention it’s supposed to be -5F during the day?) but after his special dinner and cake have to run into town — Laura and I for her 4H Baking Club meeting, where the agenda for the evening is, appropriately enough, cakes (she’s hoping to bake a small cake for him as an extra present); and Tom and the boys to see the town tree lighting, which has never been on Davy’s birthday before, and possibly bowling or swimming after.

Saturday or Sunday we’ll have our proper Thanksgiving supper, with turkey (or more likely roast chicken) and all the trimmings, including pecan and pumpkin pies. And then rest. At least until next Tuesday, when it all starts up again!

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