taking a great deal of interest in things

I got a new thing. that's what i'm thinking right now, but honestly, every time I look at my new bike my heart flutters. I get thrills under my skin when i touch it. And it's light as a feather - i can lift it with one arm. Riding is bliss - I can't get the smile off my face. Still, I have these moments of contrast - whoa! new what?! You just dropped that many dollars on a thing? you're going to donate the same amount to a charity of your choice tomorrow, right?! ... you love it don't you? well how do you like them apples... But really, for now, I think I'll indulge and just love having this new bike that will make the journeys to work and play so much sweeter.

I am going to start getting eggs for the house from the farmers up the road. I grew up going to public school with their granddaughter, Sam. Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Herold have a pasture full of cows, all spotted except for a few tawny Jerseys. They have kittens and a tiny dog and when they milk the cows they filter bluzey jazz music into the barn of cows just chewing cud and having milk vacuumed out of their udders. They sell eggs, chocolate milk brown and $1.50 a dozen, and when we stopped by today Grandpa Herold remembered me and told us to take some more rhubarb, same as last time. So we ambled down to the side barn and there was the rhubarb, about as tall as me, with leaves that I could wrap around my torso. They pour milk on it and apparently it just grows and grows until most of the stalks are about as thick as your wrist. pretty ridiculous stuff but you just crack off a few stalks like you know what you're doing and have a purpose for that much puckerin' tart vegetable stem.

But here's what I put together with leftovers in the cupboard:

Puckerin' Rhubarb Treat
4 rediculous stalks of rhubarb, or 6-7 cups rhubarb chopped
3-4 handfulls whole wheat flour
3-4 handfulls allpurpuse unbleached flour
6 handfulls oats
1 3/4 stick butter
4-5 handfulls sugar
1c maple syrup
dashes of cinnamon here and there

*wash rhubarb stalks, chop, set aside. In large glass casserole dish pour 1stick melted butter and mix in whole wheat flour and half of oats, 2-3 handfulls sugar and 1.2 of maple syrup. once all is moistened gently press/distribute as crust of the. dash on some cinnamon
*distribute rhubarb over crumble crust. in medium sized bowl mix rest of melted butter, all purpose flour, rest of oats, rest of sugar (maybe more here), rest of maple syrup - when all is moistened distribute over the top of rhubarb. dash that cinnamon all over
*bake at 350* for at least 45 minutes - or until the top is golden brown and the rhubarb is forming bubbling puddles of delightful juices
*play with the ratios of crumble to sweet - i put more oats in the bottom crumble and more sugar in the top, but sweeten to taste