Does anybody really know what time it is...

I got up around 7:00 AM according to the changed clocks. I woke up much earlier, but was lollygagging.

I had a cup of coffee and decided to make myself a real breakfast for a change. So, I cooked a pound of thick cut bacon in the oven on a half sheet tray. When it was ready, I made scrambled eggs in a skillet and toasted two pieces of (what else?) rye bread. I ate that watching the news. Then I refilled my pill box, shaved and showered. I started the last load of laundry and then addressed my soup.

I had changed the water the beans were soaking in several times (they say this help to cut down the “gas” factor of beans). But now I gave them a final rinse and then added four cups of water and four cups of veal stock. I was going to use beef stock, but saw to my dismay that the expiration date had passed – that happens a lot around here. So, that box went into the trash.

I also thought I had a ham hock in the freezer, but I couldn’t find it last night. So, I thawed out and used a package of smoked sausage. I cut the sausage in half, length-wise and then into 1/4-inch half moons.

I put the sausage into the soup and brought it to a boil. I turned it down to simmer and set the timer for 2 1/2 hours.

Then I got to work outside. It was 40 degrees, with a bit of wind from the northwest and cloudy. I wished I had finished this yesterday in the sunlight. It wasn’t any warmer, but it just felt like it was.

I put the tarp on the stacked outdoor stuff and tied it tight to a cement block (like I do every year). Then I bailed out the reflecting pool and put a little log in it (so the little water left and any more that accumulates will not break the tub when it freezes). I covered it up with the piece of plywood I always use. I noticed the garbage bags that are duct-taped to it were ripped, but I’ll replace them later. I put the Styrofoam cover on the outside faucet (I’ll turn it off inside later as it’s a big pain). I took some pictures for you. The last things I did was to take in the rain gauge and the wind chime.

Inside again, I had another cup of coffee to warm up. Then I diced up a medium size onion and some garlic for the soup (I am making my mise en place). I also added some fresh herbs (flat leaf parsley and thyme) and a dried bay leaf to the pot, just because I have them.

Then I did a small wood-working project, and checked the air in the car’s tires (it felt like it was pulling a little to the left on the freeway yesterday).

Back in the house, I was finally ready to watch a movie Jake keeps insisting I see, called Mary and Max. I paused it when the timer went off and went about my soup making.

I added in the onion, garlic, the juice of one lemon and a can of diced tomatoes. The recipe called for a 14.5 ounce can of tomatoes, but I only have the bigger 28 ounce ones. So, I used about half and put the rest in a container in the fridge. I set the timer for another 30 minutes and went back to the movie.

When the 30 minutes were up, I decided to forego the mysterious “Ham seasoning” package and went with just salt and pepper.

I went back to the movie and watched it for about another half hour and then my daughter Melissa called. As usual, we talked for a long, long time, mostly about politics, taxes and DIY projects.

When we finally said our goodbyes, I went back and watched the movie to it’s sad ending. Even though its claymation, I had enough invested in the characters to feel really bad when it was over. Thanks, Jake!

I ate a bowl of the soup for my dinner and it was pretty good! I put the rest in the fridge.

I went to bed after 11:30 PM; this stupid time change was messing me up as usual.