If a man does not keep pace with his companions,
perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music that he hears,
however measured or far away.
Henry David Thoreau
I live in the mundane…
I sit and stare at the stack of bills and I wonder where the money’s going to come from. I wonder what the heck to fill her lunch box with. I wonder what I’m going to make for dinner when I get home.
The other evening, when we got home, the kids in the neighborhood had a plan to help raise some money for the band they’re trying to put together. The plan was to make home made dog biscuits (recipe to follow) for the neighborhood hounds. They’re gonna sell ‘em for a quarter apiece, five for a buck!
It all dates back a ways to when I took a bunch of them to see School of Rock. Since then, my house has been blessed with the sounds of an electric guitar and a keyboard combining to try and make some kind of symphony out of God knows what. Arguments ensued, complaints made and the decision was needed that they needed more equipment. Hence, the need to buy a cheap drum set and a bass guitar has been put into action. The plot has been hatched on the unsuspecting public. We’ll see….
The house is quiet, the kids are either gone or, as in my case, asleep, It’s time to do the dishes. Did I mention that I gotta get the laundry from the basement and begin the whole folding process?
Jeez, I hope my kid does what I asked her. I hope she sleeps the sleep of angels. I hope the nightmares don’t’ to rear up and decide to invade her head….Or mine
I’m hoping I can find some clothes for school that still fit her…
I make a bowl of Life cereal in the morning. I ask if all her homework is done. I hope to hear “Yes” so that I might give it the once over.
We drive to school and do the usual drop off routine. In the silence of my car as I drive to work, I begin making plans that might or might not come true based upon the circumstances that the day has to offer. My minds drifts…
There’s no windswept beaches or floating boats to either take my mind or my body away. Today’s gonna be for real. So is tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, and so on and so on.
Them: “So, what are you doin’ tonight?”
Me:”I dunno, sitting on my porch and watching the world go by.”
I’ve been to the grocery store God knows, maybe thousands of times. I always manage to forget something.I don’t like to make lists. I forget what I came for. I get home and say to myself “Oh, shit!”.
The world goes on, there’s always tomorrow. In a strange way, it makes the night even better. Or at least more interesting.
There’s mystery everywhere. Even in the mundane…
As promised…
Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers
What you'll need...
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1 cup of milk
What you do...
So, you preheat your oven to 375F. You then get yourself a bowl and combine the flour and the baking powder. You get yourself another bowl and mix up the peanut butter and milk until it gets all smooth like. You mix both bowls together. You knead the stuff until you have yourself a nice ball of dough.
Then , you place your ball of dough on a lightly floured surface. You knead some more. You get yourself a rolling pin and roll the dough out until it’s about a ¼ of an inch thick. You get a doggie bone shaped cookie cutter and cut out the shapes.
You put the shapes onto a lightly greased baking pan and bake ‘em for about 20 minutes. Cool ‘em on a rack and store in an air tight container.
Important: Careful, depending on how consistent your oven is, they might burn easily. Plus, they really do look like dog biscuits and are fit for human consumption.
Not so important: As a joke, I packed some of the biscuits in my kids lunch box when she left for school this morning. I told her to tell the teachers that, if they asked, we were out of people food. Can’t wait to hear how that goes over!
Did I say live in the mundane?