Strawberry Shortcake

I fixed strawberry shortcake for supper the other night. Actually I fixed Jared’s Sweet Biscuits with strawberries and Cool-Whip, because when I looked for a recipe online (all my cookbooks were in the fire), I came up with the children’s cartoon heroine from the 80's. So I modified my usual all-purpose quick bread recipe for this purpose. But seriously, the recipes for scones, cookies, biscuits, donuts, rolls, and cake are all very much the same, with only the subtlest difference in ingredients, and most of the difference in the shape it is cooked in. I favor the blob shape for most of my cooking.

It is only the 30th of April, and my asparagus at the house is already about 4 feet tall. I actually didn’t know asparagus could grow that tall, for some reason I assumed it grew in 8-12 inch long bundles roughly 3/8 inch in diameter each and held together with blue rubber bands. So the real life appearance of my experiment in asparagus has been educational. The first year I got angle-hair thin wisps of asparagus, the second a few straw colored stalks with fringed tops, and this year I get tall, thick, fairly macho looking asparagus stalks, albeit not many of them. Actually, I get one per plant at the moment. But they are real long, so that makes up for the lack of numbers right? Well,.I’ll harvest some this week and see how it is, although I have some desire to see just how tall it can grow and if I can enter a 17 foot stalk of asparagus it in the county fair this fall.

The rhubarb looks great, and barring another assassination attempt by a former roommate, should yield both pie and cobbler this year. And maybe, just maybe a bottle or two of wine?

In truth, despite my culinary/agricultural adventures, things are pretty quite right now, which is nice, but leaves me with little to blog about that would interest anyone like you. Went down to Phoenix to refresh my EMT and went to a party each weekend, running into friends I haven’t seen since high school. In one case I was forced to reconcile the image of a kid I harbored with the full grown veteran of 3 tours in Afghanistan and Iraq in an Airborne Ranger machine gun squad, who stood before me with his bikers jacket and unit insignia. It was sobering.

I got offered a position with Raytheon in Antarctica for this fall, but it is an alternate position, and won’t deploy unless the primary in my slot is unable to go. I don’t know what my odds are or really any more details, but since I only found out Friday, I’ll call tomorrow and get more info.

Otherwise, life goes on. Working a bit, doing what I can for HURAH and Haiti, and so on. Probably won’t be very frequent updates here until I come up with an excuse to leave town or otherwise make plans for something interesting. Which won’t be long, I reckon.

Peaceful

The baby angus calves look like little monkeys when then run and buck and kick with their tales stuck out. My brother said the same thing working on another ranch a year ago and they told him he didn't know anything about monkeys. Now it is safe to say he has seen more calves than I have and I have seen more monkeys than he has, but we both agree. Black calves and monkeys have alot in common.

The valleys and hills get greener every day. The days are warm. The birds are back in force: cerlews, ducks, geese, pheasant, grouse, meadow larks, little black ones with red wings, and others I know only by their song. The barn swallows aren't back yet, they will be the last to arrive.

I'm getting saddle broke again; I think I've spent more hours in the saddle this last week than in the past 6 or 7 years put together. Feels good, getting back in the swing of things.

Lots of things to say, lots to think about and feel good about here, but not alot of it that translates easy to blog form. Funny, sometimes it was easier to fill a page in Haiti or Sri Lanka than it is here. I think that is a good thing. How about this: sitting on the back porch swing looking over the valley, sun setting in the west, full moon rising in the east, coyotes yipping behind the hills, cattle bawling in the pasture, smell of growing grass on the air, meadow larks singing in the background. Peaceful.

Job Interview

It was a little surreal: I had been standing in line for about 45 minutes, resume in hand, to get about 5 minutes of face time with the hiring manager. In line in front of me were two men in suits and ties. Some had Master’s degrees, all had long and impressive resumes. And we were all vying for a low wage job as a janitor. In Antarctica.

Raytheon Polar Services division has the contract to service the scientific colony for the National Science Foundation, so in the austral summer, a small town of some 600-1000 residents forms and then disbands on the southern-most continent at McMurdo Bay. Naturally that many people need food, housing, recreation, and all the necessities of life below freezing. That was why I found myself standing in line for an hour and 45 minutes for the job of shuttle driver. I admit, when the interviewer asked how I felt about driving on the ice shelf in white-out conditions, I had to pause. I think I said something about being interested to learn new techniques.

Funny, I had rarely considered how many jobs I am not qualified for until asked by a manager about my experience operating a crane in sub-zero weather. I usually figure I can bluff and buffalo my way through most interview questions and learn on the job, but there was no getting around some of them. Thankfully someone with my skill set is qualified to be a: dishwasher, janitor, shuttle driver (maybe), outdoor recreation coordinator (the job I really want!), and general assistant. Actually, if ever there was a job I am qualified for it is General Assistant. Do anything, anywhere, in any conditions, for long hours every day. Ok, no prob, Bob.

So, a few hours in Denver selling myself to the old timers who have been deploying for years (funny, they don’t look deranged), and then I was working my way toward Nebraska, where I now find myself helping work on the ranch for the next 2 weeks.