Of My Hands

My bread machine is broken. The little pin that makes the dough hook spin fell out of the bottom, and I'm not sure how to fasten it back. If anybody has any idea how I can fix it, please let me know! Since I was without a machine this morning, I set about making bread the old fashioned way. Flour fluffed through the air and settled all over the table as I poured and mixed and kneaded. Despite a little bit of stickiness, and a few instances of knocking the tub of butter off the table, the dough turned out quite nicely. The recipe said it needed to rise in a warm place, so I put it on the porch and set the timer for an hour. When I came back, the bread hadn't risen a bit. I brought it inside and set the timer for another 30 minutes. Nothing. So I stuck it in the oven and hoped for the best. I didn't get what I hoped for. The bread came out hard as a brick and completely flat. And that bread was our only hope for lunch!

So I went to Harville's Produce Market and Publix, with a quick stop at Brightlight Books to visit Drew and Angela. After unloading the groceries, I took my sisters on a quick trip to the mall, where Batman saved the day once again! While Caroline was buying a Wii game, Batman suddenly appeared and asked Macy and I if we wanted a picture with him. This question caused Macy to realize she had left her phone in another store! Thank the Lord for Batman. :)

Although my morning bread catastrophe had me a little nervous, I set forth on my dinner making plans: Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce, salad, and Rustic Italian bread. (Thank you, Jessie, for letting me borrow your bread machine!) Everything turned out beautifully. Even my brother deemed the meal as "pretty good"; my little chef's heart soared. Once the supper dishes were cleared away, I set the womenfolk to work shelling peanuts to make peanut butter. The recipe told me to buy shelled peanuts, but I thought of the scene in Anne of Avonlea where Marilla is sitting on her front porching talking to Anne and shelling beans. I have always loved that scene. Though it would have been far more convenient to buy the ready-made nuts, I decided to go the cheaper and more exciting route. And I'm glad I did, because my mother, sisters, and I had a positive party with those peanuts!

A million shells, two cups of peanuts, and lots of blending later, I was pouring naturally sweet, creamy peanut butter into a glass jar.

Once upon a time, people created everything themselves. They made their own furniture, blankets, and clothes. They built houses, and planted gardens, and everything they ate was home-made. And they were satisfied. Whenever we create things for ourselves, we are rewarded with a deep pride in that which now exists through the labor of our very own hands. As a little girl I wanted nothing more than to live on a farm, and to live off the land as much as possible. Sometimes I still have that dream.