Presentation of that cake....

My Mum blowing out the candles.

 Remember the cake I made yesterday, and the frosting I made the day before? I got to present it to the birthday girl today. There she is, blowing out the candles.

We're actually not on the homestead today, but on the "farm" I grew up on. I use air quotes around farm because we've never farmed it ourselves, although we had a big garden, a goat, a flock of chickens, a herd of guineas, and some peacocks. Still, in terms of actual agriculture, a local farmer used to (and still does) rotate crops on an annual basis, planting corn one year, soy beans the next.

When I was 13 and 14, the neighbor boys from Big Mount would ride their ATVs in the back acerage and destroy large swaths of crop. At the time, I was a great fan of the mafia shows, and at the time, my father had giant Lincoln Town Cars. When the young lads from up the road would come into the field with their ATVs, knocking down soy bean plants, I would drive my father's Town Car over the swails and sit there, revving my engine. It scared the living crap out of those boys. And they stopped coming down for awhile. Mission accomplished.


My father. We've made quick work of the cake.

So, we're here for a few days, while Glenn (Thanks, Glenn!) takes care of the bees, which are flourishing in this hot weather. We topped off their feeders before we left. In fact, last night, around 9:30, Michael made sugar syrup, while I packed and tidied the house in preparation for leaving. If you ever wonder what person would vaccum at 10 o'clock at night. Wonder no further. That person is me.

If you keep scrolling, you'll see a picture of me holding a glass of ice cream. My folks made strawberry ice cream from scratch (and from their own berry crop), and it is fantastic.

While Dad and I got into the port wine, we had a cloud burst, a cloud burst that came with hail. The last picture below shows the rain sheeting down the green house windows. And as quickly as it came, the rain was gone, although it remained overcast for the rest of the evening, and the sky had a strange yellowish cast. Unsettling to say the least, given all the tornadoes that have been ripping across the landscape over the past few weeks

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Bunny, comfortable after dinner.

Me, holding Mom and Dad's strawberry ice cream.



A cloud burst with sheets of rain.



Espresso frosting and birthday cakes...

Mmmm...espresso frosting. Thanks, Medaglia D'Oro.
Who knew you came in powdered deliciousness?

Nope, friends, it's not peanut butter. It's espresso frosting. Let's contemplate the instant Medaglia D'Oro I found in the coffee aisle of Kroger. <she contemplates: chin on fist, elbow on countertop> I mean, who came up with this ingeniousness? Powdered espresso will power many an afternoon from now on.

Fun story: My Mum turned my paternal grandparents, who were inveterate coffee drinkers, onto the regular Medaglia D'Oro. She warned them not to drink a whole pot, as they would with regular coffee. But they either did not understand this or chose not to heed her warning. A week later, the half empty can appeared, as if by magic, on my parents' back porch. Grandma and Grandpa hadn't slept for days.

And yes, we're back to that picture above:
I've made mocha frosting before, which I always feel is overpowering. I feel like I need a double shot of paint stripper to get the choclate residue off my teeth. Really.

My Mum likes mocha frosting on white cake, and I've actually made the small vat-of-lovely pictured above to go on top of her birthday cake. Oh but, but, but....this espresso frosting is so much better, maybe one step short of divine. We're talking angel food, without the cake to get in the way. Sure, I suppose the pic here does make it look  like something the boyz placed (lovingly, always lovingly) in the yard and I, in turn, put into the blender. But wait until it's on the cake. It'll be gorgeous. And tasty, too.

Now, to give credit where credit is due: thank you, Brown Eyed Baker. Find the whole beautiful receipe here.

Okay, really now. Back to my book reviews.....more to come on our hive progress soon, soon! Good news, kids. Very good news.