Weekly Update: 3.29.26
Of birthdays, bread baking, and beer making
It’s Palm Sunday today — the beginning of Holy Week. We will mark the day by attending Mass, where we will wave palm fronds in memorial of Jesus’ triumphal entry. This coming week is one of my favorite’s all year, as we focus on the work Christ did for the world on the cross. Several family members have birthdays in the last week of March and first week of April, so there is all kinds of celebrating happening on our homestead as well.
Despite the festivity, we had a rather difficult week. We suffered a solid set-back on our kitchen shelving project, as the unseasonably hot weather caused the boards (which were tarped on the deck) to ooze sap all over themselves. Many of the boards now have to be cleaned with alcohol, sanded, and stained again. It’s disappointing, but we definitely learned a lesson.
Our family dealt with several rounds of car issues. Our brother Levi’s family got a flat tire on the way home from mass last week. Then, on Thursday, his car broke down at the school he was working at. It’s still there, waiting for a tow. At the same time, our folks’ Explorer was having issues with the heater not turning off. With temps in the 90s some days this week, the issue had to be solved. Grace spent a long morning helping our dad work on the issue. They couldn’t figure out what was actually wrong with the heater, so they opted to remove the actuator (the part making the heater work) — just in time for a trip to Bolivar. It’s a temporary fix, but we were all thankful for it.
It’s very much a first-world problem, but our beloved KitchenAid mixer started making a terrible sound last week while we were cooking St. Patrick’s Day treats. I took it apart this week and sure enough — a gear inside has been damaged. I’m hoping I can find a replacement part online. It looks like it should be a simple enough fix. For now, we picked up a handheld mixer. We had been meaning to get one at some point anyway.
With the various setbacks, we have less to “show” for this week than usual. We did accomplish some seasonal tasks. Jeremiah put a new window air conditioner in his home office, and we sisters ordered a portable unit for our loft. My mom and I ordered curtains and rods for the bunkhouse.
Bonnie-Jean and Grace planted about 30 elderberry shoots that we bought locally. We had planned to plant them along our dry creek, but they are so small, we worried the deer would have a field day. We decided to start the shoots in our garden for the first year or two.
Our dad had a birthday on the Feast of the Annunciation, so the day was doubly special. The night before, we sisters made him a couple batches of his favorite oatmeal cookies. For breakfast, we made Swedish waffles, which are traditional for the feast day. The waffle recipe was unusual, calling for copious amounts of cream in the very thick batter. I was nervous with the first batch we made, so we made a second with another recipe, though the results were very similar. I needn’t have worried — the waffles were sweet, buttery, and crisp.
After our decadent breakfast, Grace and I helped our dad use the beer kit he got for Christmas. It’s Northern Brewery’s “St. Paul Porter,” which looks promising. We planned to make the beer outside, but we opted to work inside due to the wind. We are fermenting the beer in our storm shelter like we did last year. By Friday, we could see the airlock was actively bubbling.
For dinner, our dad had steak and homemade sourdough bread. We sisters baked it the day before, after nearly 24 hours of rising, stretching, and rising. Our mom made some years ago, but we’ve been too busy to make it a part of our routine since then. I couldn’t believe how easy the process was — or how delicious it turned out. There are a few things we want to do differently next time, but we are officially inspired.
On Saturday, we had a combined birthday celebration for our niece and nephew. We threw a springtime-themed family party, made personal homemade pizzas (complete with a choose-your-toppings-bar), ate Cajun cake, and generally had a good day. I can’t believe how big these kids are getting!
It was a joyous but tiring week, and there is so much to look forward to in the next. Along with all of our regular festivity, our whole family is getting confirmed in the Catholic Church on Easter Vigil. So, this week, along with baking hot cross buns and carrot cake, we will be wrapping up our assigned OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) materials, and we will finish reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It’s been a simple but long process of preparation, and we are all so ready to be in full communion with the oldest branch of Christianity. I’m so excited about what is sure to be a memorable Easter.