monday :)
good morning fall.. the grass still soaked from last night's storm so early on my walk to work. the mist and clouds still lingering with the dawn when the moon and stars were catching the first morning light. not as cold today, and the air still as glass, not any catch of breeze except when i was crossing the bridge in the darkness. It was my first morning working with Rich, the head chef here instead of Lance which was a nice change and a nice break to be independent for the first time. He spent most of the morning in the office working on scheduling and things so i was free to make my breakfast and finally start to feel at home in the tiny, jam packed kitchen.. (since this is the only place that stays open all year they have acquired all the extra food and supplies from the other two restaurants the company owns.) - A LOT of leftovers.. but thankful they just don't throw it away like the ranch.. but still a bit intimidating to be over whelmed with 15 freezers and a at least 34 boxes of cheese.. Much slower today, thanks to the start of the week.. the rain hung around as well keeping people inside snuggling with popcorn and not 1/2 pound buffalo burgers with Gouda cheese.. So it was a good cleaning day, Rich had us (Brandon and I) working on the "cleaning project list" - pretty much the same one I was doing the day i left the ranch. didn't have to clean a double-decker oven today though.. always something to be thankful for when your not covered in a years worth of baking grease. Lunch ran late, not getting a rush until about 2, which worked beautifully because before we new it it was 3 and time to go.
It felt amazing outside.. cold, overcast.. rain soaking my new uniform.. :) it was heaven.. so refreshing to walk outside into the clearing rain after working in a hot kitchen all day, I probably walked around for another hour before making it back to the school house.. drenched, freezing but feeling phenomenal.. A warm shower was like paradise, even better to scrub off all the sweat and oil from the griddle.. not feeling as great on the burns i got yesterday when i was cleaning the flat-top, but amazing non the less. thankful again for the time by myself when i can still walk around naked and singing at the top of my lungs <3>(sad my roommate comes back tonight).. first time i needed socks after my shower, the rain must have brought in a cold front that creeped right through the walls it seemed. made some tea i had saved from the ranch, let my thoughts linger with the beautiful images of those tetons.. and sat down to watch the rain. I got my first package today! How happy it made my heart when Rich came in from the office with a box for me! At first I thought it was my shoes which made me thrilled because i want to hike tomorrow, but I was just as happy when I saw it was from grandma and papa - a care package full of love <3 Waited until then to open it and took my time unwrapping and cherishing each special thing.. it was wonderful, just like christmas :) full of treats and montana presents and delicious granola amazing-ness.. thank you so so much.. no other greater feeling than knowing you are thought of and cared for and it totally captured my heart.. Missing mom as the rock playing trent song came on my Itunes and decided to go outside for our walk in the sunset.. and i am sure it was so beautiful happening somewhere up there above the rain clouds. i could almost follow the pinkish light melting into the creases of the canyon pretending we were there with troy and the oak trees and mrs. parker's house <3 got a few pictures of the storm. exploring farther into the forest behind the cabins trying to learn my way around the miles of ski trails back there. I am hoping to follow one tomorrow up to a cliff called "Kelsi's", i am yearning for some elevation. more wet shoes and wet socks as i made some dinner and sat down to research my next trip.. right now it is looking like Nepal, something about these alpine mountains i just cannot get out of my system.. it is a volunteering group that i could go and work with for two weeks in between seasons.. it looks beautiful, but so does everywhere i fall in love with everyday.. such a dreamer but grateful for it.. it fuels the adrenaline i cherish when i wake up and know i am somewhere as new as each day can be.. who knows what is to be found tomorrow, so thankful for today.. for the beautiful rain and the peace it brings, for warm socks and happy boxes full of magic.. for trent wagler.. i will marry you someday.. for smiley faces on order tickets :) and special emails from mom and dad.. for chinchillas in shoe boxes and sunsets to chase no matter where i am. for dark clouds against the iridescent aspens and new destinations to explore.. my red wing.. my love a sweet night
Good Morning Sweet One,
ReplyDeleteSo glad you loved my granola. I do, too. And I snack on it constantly. Makes me really look forward to my oatmeal breakfast with a heaping tablespoon of the granola on it to make it perky and crunchy. Sometime, I want to research the ingredients to see how many calories are in the mix. I'd love for it to stick together in little clumps (for easier, less messy snacking), but don't want to add more sugar to make that happen. I always loved my oatmeal mixture and had often longed to try baking it into cookies or bars to eat on the run or for snacks. But again, there was the problem of making it stick together. So the granola mix is almost just an extension of my oatmeal mix (but with sesame and sunflower seeds added, and maple syrup and honey replacing some of the brown sugar. Proportion-wise, I probably don't have as much peanut butter in the granola as I used to put in my oatmeal. I may try more next time. That's certainly sticky (!) but lacks the clumping power of sugary stuff.
Papa is having a blast with his bird photography. His class ended last night, but he has a nifty camoflouge blind he's set up outside the office. Patience is becoming quite a virtue in trying to capture birds on camera. He's developing skills with his new lens so he can take big animal pictures in Africa.
Off to the pottery studio. Still working on a number of commission pieces. It's fun, knowing they are something specially ordered to be cherished.
Many hugs and kisses, and as always, lots of LOVE! Grandma