Cranberry Nut Bread

From the kitchen of Deborah Stankevich at the Genesee Country Inn

2 cups sifted flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar

1 egg lightly beaten

¾ cup orange juice

2 tablespoons of melted butter

1 cup whole cranberries

½ chopped walnuts

Sift flour. Sift all dry ingredients together. Add egg, orange juice, and butter.  Mix well. Fold in walnuts and cranberries. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5 greased loaf pan. Bake at 350º for 1 hour or until well done.

Makes 1 loaf.

I sit on my local library board of trustees.  At our meeting this evening we were presented with the number of circulated books and people that patronize the library. The numbers continue to grow each month as this recession continues throughout our country. I asked our director why she thought the numbers continue to increase. Her response was that when economic times get tough, people visit the library for free video materials, books, magazines, audio books, and programs for the whole family. Then my question is why is the county and state cutting funding to our public libraries when we need the money the most for all of our citizens? I am an avid reader, myself, and frequent the public library frequently.  The Monroe Library System has Overdrive, a system to download books to your computer.  I just love it. When the weather is inclement and I don’t feel like walking to the Donnelly House to my branch, I can go online and peruse a plethora of book titles, download, or go on a wait list if my favorite book is unavailable.  Unfortunately, my book habit can be very expensive, so the library is my salvation.

“So many books… so little time!”

Our selection at the branches and online are extensive, so choices are sometimes difficult. I still like the feel of a hardcover book. I don’t think online books will ever take the place of a good book in my hands. It feels real. I get lost in the words and the pages. I don’t think I would have it any other way.

Today after my guests checked out, my morning and early part of the afternoon was spent cleaning and straightening rooms.  I still need be finish decorating the guest rooms. I love to put unique Christmas items in all the rooms. This year I put more lights in the dining room on the stairwell railing. It looks so very festive. From my house, I can see the Christmas tree in the dining room and the brightly colored lights across the railing. It looks beautiful.  It’s times like this that I wish I lived at the Inn.

But then I look around me at the “little” house. The Vermont stove is burning brightly warming my house. The dogs, Bentley and Cooper, are sleeping in front of the stove, enjoying the warmth on a cold evening (27 degrees), while Sam, our Maine Coon Cat, is curled up on the dining room chair close by. RJ is sitting in the living room, Christmas shopping online, I’m sure.

Tomorrow I’ll put the wreaths on the outside front windows and the garland on the sign. I think I’ll add some bright red ribbon bows to the posts to add a bit of color. I have more guests checking in tomorrow afternoon so baking is on the agenda – Cranberry Nut Bread and Blueberry English Muffin Bread.

Christmas always makes me think about my mother.  As I decorated the trees at the Inn, my thoughts drifted to Christmases long ago. Each one of the unique glass ornaments were placed on the boughs carefully with memories of family.  After 60 years, some of the ornaments are showing some wear.  The “Merry Christmas” on one was missing an “r” and an “a,” but I still knew what it said.  The really old ones were in shapes of a Santa and a bell. Those, I think, were on my mother’s tree BC (before children). The lights glowed and filled the room with the warmth of the season. In all the front windows, I placed the dusk-to-dawn candles. They really make the Inn festive.

I put the garland on the mantles in the dining room and parlor and hung the wreaths on the front door and in the foyer.  It never ceases to amaze me how the Christmas season affects me.  RJ and I are planning our Christmas dinner with family this year at the Inn. I can’t wait! It’s one of those few times when I can get all the family together (or at least more of it) to dine and enjoy each others’ company. Ham will be on the menu this year along with lots of Christmas cookies and pies.

I was thinking about my Christmas caroling yesterday at the Monroe County Hospital and the patients who reside there. I can’t image being in that situation and not being able to communicate. I mean, I write and read and talk to people all the time. What if I couldn’t do that anymore?  Are these patients trapped in their bodies where their minds are sharp and clear and their bodies no longer able to do what they would like them to do? Or is God kind and they are totally unaware of what has happened to them?  I watched the caregivers as they tended so carefully to those in their padded chairs, some strapped in so they wouldn’t fall, others leaning so far back, they could not sit up even if they wanted. I pray for them. I ask God to be kind.

Today was the day to bring out the trees at the Inn. We put one in the parlor, one in the dining room, and one in the foyer on the Garden level. Into the basement we went in search of boxed trees, ornaments, and wreaths.  Of course, I couldn’t find the tree stand for the parlor tree.  That means we had to start pulling out boxes in search of lights and the elusive tree stand. We found three stands, all for live trees. So that wouldn’t work. I found the lights – and lots of them. No tree stand. More boxes were opened. Soft ornaments, flowers, garland, tree skirts. No tree stand.  It wasn’t until RJ brought up half the boxes that he managed to find the elusive stand hidden on top of a box stored way in back. Once the stand was located, the trees were up in no time, followed by the lights.

We ran out of time and had to call it day since we had to get ready to go Christmas caroling.

RJ and I went Christmas caroling at the Monroe Community Hospital with the Scottsville Rotary, the Wheatland-Chili high school chorus, and faculty. The hospital is filled with patients that are there for a very long time. Some will never go home again. As we walked through the halls and sang traditional Christmas carols, some of the residents were able to sing along; others just listened. One older woman, while listening to “Silent Night,” began to cry. I was so moved that I got teary-eyed myself. It was heartbreaking to see so many people with so many health issues that confined them to this hospital. I was thankful and grateful for my health and my family.

     This has been quite a day!  After my guests checked-out and I cleaned the Inn, I moved my efforts outside to help RJ rake leaves before the snow flies.  The air was a crisp 39 degrees. I could not believe all the leaves that were still on the ground even after days of RJ raking before the weather warmed up and we finished painting the deck.  I lost track of how many cartfuls of leaves I moved to the compost heap.  As the afternoon wore on, the temperature began to fall.  I slipped a pair of work gloves over my regular gloves as I tried to keep my hands warm and my fingers supple.  As I dumped my umpteenth cartload of leaves, the sleet started and the wind began to pick up… and I got chilled.  I couldn’t wait to finish and get inside.

      Yesterday we washed and clipped Cooper.  I swear it’s an all day affair. I wash him in the morning so he would have time to dry. His coat had gotten so long that he had the “Elvis” look. Wild and wooly!  When it gets that long, it takes forever to dry and he hates the hairdryer, so it’s a multi-towel dry and then he gets to rub his body all over my carpet (lucky me).

      I went over to the Inn while he was “drying” and waited for my guests to arrive. There is always something to do at the Inn while I wait. I managed to keep myself busy laundering, putting dishes away, dusting, and cleaning out the refrigerator.  After my guests checked-in and I made dinner reservations, I came back home to do battle with Cooper.  Time to cut off all the fur! 

     I’ve done this enough to know how long it would take, but his fur was so long that it took me a whole lot longer then I had planned.  I used scissors to clip his ears and paws and clippers on the rest of him. Fortunately, he wasn’t matted except for a couple of knots on his legs. I left his feathers, which gives him that Springer Spaniel look. When I was through, I had enough fur to knit a sweater! At least he looks good. I think it took me longer to clean up! There was fur everywhere.  I cleaned his ears.  You know how spaniels have those long floppy ears. Well, they are prone to ear infections and wax accumulation if they are not cleaned regularly.  Fortunately, Cooper lets me clean them, but then he runs off and drags his head – and ears – along the floor. Nail clipping is much easier. He will give you his paw and let you clip his nails.

      Bentley, on the other hand, is not so easy.  RJ got the idea to clip Bentley’s nails since we had all the tools out.  I called Bentley.  Of course, he didn’t come. My couch potato was sleeping on his bed, which is next to the fireplace. He was way too comfortable to get up and be tortured, so a little bribery was in order.  It’s amazing how a dog will come when food, especially treats, are offered. 

      “Bentley,” I called. Bentley poked his huge head around the corner.  I waved the treat in front of his nose.  “Do you want this?” I asked walking backward toward the center of the kitchen.  I mean, he is one BIG dog.  I need a little bit of room if RJ going to cut his nails. First of all, have you ever seen a Great Dane’s paw?  It’s the size of an adult man’s hand. HUGE!  Bentley came into the kitchen; I gave him the treat and coaxed him to sit down.  He wouldn’t give RJ his paw, so we tried to get him to lie down. I could not get him all the way down, so we rolled him on his side, I wrapped my body around him and whispered in his ear until he calmed down long enough for RJ to clip 10 nails. Once we finished, treats for everyone, including me!

Today is RJ's birthday! I tried to find something special for him and decided on a Garmin GPS for his car. He's been looking around for a while and He really liked this one.  All the boys called to wish dad a happy birthday.  We spent the day staining the deck in back...ran out of paint. Wound up running out to Home Depot to buy another 5 gallons of stain.  Lots of decking to stain.  The weather here has been gorgeous so we were taking advantage of it.  We started early and work until dusk. I think we should be able to finish by Friday. Then it's on to the next project.

I found this really neat pattern for a sweater shawl. That's all I can call it. It's made with organic yarn in a multitude of lacey stitches with big buttons. I love it! I think that will be the next knitted project.

My neighbor brought over a bushel of apples yesterday. Cinnamon applesauce! Canned apple slices! Choices and lots of them. The bottom line is they need to be processed soon or it will be all for naught.  So tomorrow after my Chamber meeting, I'll be cutting up apples and baking. We have guests coming in on Friday. A couple of Cranberry Nut Breads are in order. There are so many things I would like to do and I need about 2 more hours a day. That should do it.

But since that is not possible, I need to prioritize and budget my time.  With everything I do, I wonder sometimes how I managed to work a job outside my home. After I finish ironing this evening, I think I'll call it a night, since I'll be up early to make a few phone calls and get out to finish painting the back deck. I've been thinking a lot about paint lately (probably since I've been  painting). I'm thinking the kitchen at the Inn could be painted and freshened up without a total makeover (unaffordable at this time).  White trim, sage walls, white ceiling, new fixture (I need better lighting) and I'm thinking about painting the kitchen cabinets. This would cleanup the kitchen and make it look brighter.  Hmmmm... we'll see how much time I have after the deck painting extravaganza...

We have been so busy the last few weeks, it actually feels good to have a day to vote and work around the house. I've been postponing some jobs because I haven't had enough time to do them.  Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful. Not unusual for this time of year. This afternoon, I looked outside to see the leaves falling like rain on the driveway and porch.  So tomorrow will be raking and blowing leaves so the town can pick them up.

RJ started scrubbing the deck to prepare it for stain. It was quite a long process to scrub off any mildew and dirt. I, on the other hand, was catching up with cleaning in the "little house." 

 We met with the owners of a local golf course to put together golf packages for our guests. It will be one more service we will be able to provide for our guests.

Oh my last article was published in Good Life Magazine this past week or so ago.  I'm very proud of the article and pleased to be a contributor is the magazine. My next one is a holiday story. The column is called "Life at the Inn."  This gives me another venue to publish my work.  I wonder if someday I'll actually be able to get my book published.

Speaking of books, my professional book that I am editing, Getting It in Writing, is really coming along quite nicely.  I just received another contribution. I'll probably be able to close with about 18 chapters. Now that is cool.

      I was so frustrated. Yesterday I wrote this piece for my blog and before I had a chance to hit post it disappeared into… cyberspace. So what happens when I spend all this time writing my thoughts and then it goes NO WHERE! Aghhh! By the time all my words went away, I had no choice but to close my laptop and go to sleep.

     So now I’m back to writing in a word document and then transferring my thoughts through the old cut and paste method into my blog.  I wish there was a way for my blog master to work on preventing this from happening. I’m sure I’m not the only one. In fact, I tried to post on someone’s blog and after a lengthy thought-provoking response, I was unable to post because I couldn’t read the hidden code so my response went away. No recovering that one. Another “aghhh” out there.

     I’ve decided that we live in a world of “sound bites.” No one listens to a complete anything.  All we hear are bits and pieces of a whole and based on that we make life changing decisions.  Wouldn’t it make more sense if we were able to take the time to listen to a complete anything and then be able to make our own decisions based on what we hear not on what someone tells us we should believe?  Our media news comes in “sound bites.” Our newspaper articles are written with highlights, never the complete story.  I worry that we are not taking the time to really understand what is happening in our world.

      I think that’s why I enjoy my work as much as a do. I have a chance to really listen and work to understand.  Besides we should tend our own gardens first to create the best of all possible worlds.