Lulu & Papa

Photo taken September 7, 2015

Papa's Pancakes for Sunday Supper

Papa has been making pancakes on Sundays for over 10 years.  About five years ago, when we started watching Downton Abbey, Papa began making pancakes for Sunday supper.  It is now our tradition and we have Papa's Pancakes with fruit, every Sunday evening for supper.  Most Sundays we watch a BBC tv show after supper.  Downton Abbey in winter, Mr. Selfridge, Father Brown, Foyle's War, Bletchley Circle, and Call the Midwife are but a few of our favorites.  They are best while eating Papa's Pancakes!

Papa's Pancakes

2-3 generous servings, 8-9 pancakes 

Note:  all measurements are approximate

2/3 to 3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

dash salt

3-4 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup walnuts

1/3 cup old fashioned oats

2-3 tablespoons canola oil

2-3 drops vanilla

dash cinnamon

1-2 cups buttermilk, until you get the consistency you want

pure maple sypup

fresh fruit

Notes:

1.  Cook in melted butter on preheated non stick skillet.  The best is square with low sides.

2.  Cooking temperature is important.  Too low a temperature and the pancakes don't fluff up.  Too high and they burn easily.  A medium high temperature, about 6 on a 10 scale, seems about right.  Back the temperature off a bit after the first batch.

3.  These pancakes are best served with fresh fruit and pure maple syrup.  We had chopped roasted apples last night.  We also like strawberries, banana, peaches, blueberries, raspberries... 

Staying Busy

We spend six days a week without driving anywhere, except up and down the hill for Papa 

to feed the horses.  We rarely see anyone, except each other, and Colter 

when he passes the house to check water.  Still, we stay busy!

We have a trip to the UK planned this fall, so I've been researching the country, from B and B's and country inns to Roman times there.  I've made multiple calls and sent emails to invite speakers for our time with the kids at the Boys and Girls Club every Tuesday, plus I've spent hours looking for scholarships, summer programs, helped with resume writing, and more.  We are having a friend from my high school years visit in a few weeks, so I've been planning her visit, with meals and activities.  I've been making Christmas gifts for family and friends, mostly 12 Days of Christmas arts and crafts for the grandchildren, and books for many others, along with our Christmas card.  I exercise every day, hiking most days and riding my stationery bike, along with a bit of weight lifting.  Late in the afternoon, I make dinner for Papa and me, often trying new recipes.  Papa has his own chores and hobbies that get him up early and keep him out and about all day.  All good stuff and staying busy!

Cows in the Yard

The grass in our house yard continues to grow, with good rains every few days.  We've been leaving the gate to the house yard open.  A few cows have been coming in the yard, and today we had the most yet.  A little mowing (cow chomping) going on!

Cool on the Ranch

Since the school year has begun again, we are going to Tucson every Tuesday, to volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club with a great group of high school students.  We enjoy being with the kids.  Our time with them is a real highlight of our week.  We stay overnight at our Tucson house, then return to the ranch on Wednesday.  This time of year there are huge weather differences between Tucson and the ranch, with about a 20 degree difference in temperatures.  We were happy to come back to the ranch this afternoon, to 75 degrees, after spending much of the day in 95-100 degrees in Tucson.  We love our ranch views too!

Oscar, Pablo, and Doc

Our horses have been coming in our house yard for days.  Seems the grass is better on the house side of the fence.  They also like the attention they get from Papa.  We think they are beautiful animals.

Morning Cattle Move

I woke up almost two hours later than usual this morning, after a late night of photo book making.  Colter and his Granddad were in front of our house, moving cows as I poured my first cup of coffee.  With over 200 mama cows + calves + bulls in the pasture to our east, Colter continues to move them every few days.  Cows are not the brightest animals and they seem to gravitate to ridge tops even though there is much better grass on the canyon sides. 

East and West

We grilled dinner later than usual yesterday.  As I was walking to and from the house with vegetables and utensils, the moon came up over the Winchester Mountains as the sun set over the Santa Catalina Mountains.  It was so beautiful.

Planning for Christmas

I've put together 12 Days of Christmas activities and gifts over the past several years for our grandchildren.  I'm doing it again this year!  With our schedule over the coming months, I got a head start.  One of the crafts this Christmas is Winchester Ranch Stars.  Papa cut twigs from a tree near the corral.  I cut lengths of yarn to tie them together in a star shape and made samples.  Winchester Ranch Stars will look nice on their Christmas trees.

Big Clouds over the Santa Catalina Mountains

Late yesterday big dark clouds formed over the north side of the Santa Catalina Mountains, to the west of the Winchester Mountains.  Light rain fell for a few hours, until the sun was going down.  The sky lit up at sunset.  A joy to watch!