Homeward Bound

Good morning, my friends. It was a blustery day yesterday. Fortunately, the wind has died down. Mike was not enjoying the prospect of driving in such windy weather for the first leg of our journey home. We're still sitting in Spearfish, South Dakota, as I'm writing this, but we'll be on our way soon.

Yesterday's activities felt like a prequel to coming home. There was no sight-seeing, and we all engaged in the same things we might have done if we were enjoying a relaxing day in our stationary home. The kitties were relaxing on their hammocks for most of the morning.

Smitty would like to point out that it is impurrlite to take someone's picture while they are sleeping.

Sadie doesn't mind. As a formerly feral cat, nobody ever taught her good propurr picture conduct.

While they snoozed, I baked off the last jar of cherry goodness I brought from home. This is a Skillet Cherry Cobbler for Two, baked in a 6-inch iron skillet. This is my mother's recipe, adapted to be "for two," but this is actually a cobbler for four. We'll have the last half tonight. 

You can find the recipe right here. It can also be made using canned peaches. Also, if you want to make it for a crowd, then you can make it the way my mother used to. Triple the recipe and bake it in a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Also, I finished off Block #7 of Stitchin' Wisdom. It seems completely appropriate to be finishing it off just now as we prepare to head for home. 

Sadly, my stitching will all be in the garage until our basement reconstruction is complete. I'm hoping it'll be finished no later than mid-November, but I've learned not to expect it to ever be finished.

Next, I'll be working on Block #8, which is the last large block. 

When this one is finished, there are four small motifs that will be the centers for some pieced blocks. Here's how the finished quilt will look:

I fell in love with it the first time I saw it. You can find the pattern from Bird Brain Designs right here.

Okay, and finally, I tried a new soup recipe in my slow cooker. This is Slow-Cooker Cauliflower, Potato and White Bean Soup. I only made half the recipe. My slow cooker is a smaller one.

It's made with potatoes, cauliflower, cannellini beans, onion, and the usual seasonings and broth. It can be left chunky or pureed. I used my immersion blender to puree it. It's a thick soup, like a chowder. Then it's topped with grated cheddar and crushed potato chips. It was yummy. I'll make it again. You can find the recipe right here. It might require a subscription to the NYTimes. If you can't open the link, feel free to email me, and I'll be happy to send it to you.

Okay, so that's all I have for you today. We'll be heading down the dusty trail soon. We've chosen the most direct route for home, but it's nearly 1,200 miles. We expect to be there in five days: two long days of driving, a day of rest, and then two more long days of driving. We're girding up our loins now. Knowing home is at the other end is a powerful motivator.