10 pm, and still 55°f. So warm the heat is off. Rain all day yesterday and today. We are officially out of the drought. Thank goodness.
These rainy days have kept me indoors, cleaning, doing laundry, and baking. Yesterday I made fruitcakes. I had not really planned to make them, but Debby's post got me inspired. I had bought candied cherries and orange peel anyway, and had dried cranberries, golden raisins and nuts on hand, so that's what went into my cakes. I halved the recipe too, ending up with 7 small cakes instead of 14. Fourteen is just too many.
This morning I soaked them down with brandy and wrapped them up in cheesecloth, waxed paper, and plastic wrap to cure. They actually taste pretty good without soaking, but I do like the deep, rich taste the brandy gives to the cakes. I brush them again every couple months, and have had them keep for 3 years this way. They might have kept longer, but we had eaten them all.
Today I made chocolate chunk pumpkin bread, again in small loaf pans. I just like that size better than the big pans, and they are perfect for gifting. (We keep the fruitcakes, as so few people like them.)
Larry has had to be oudoors even more than usual lately, because of our bad boy Buddy. Did I tell you that last week he took off and ended up at a bar about 5 miles away as the crow flies? Fortunately the people who found him posted photos on Facebook and a friend saw them. He had taken Little Boy with him, and Larry spent most of last Monday looking for them.
We have had Buddy for 2 years, and he has always run off from time to time, but for two weeks he was running almost every day. So this time when we got him home, we decided on drastic measures. Buddy is kept inside and can only go out on a lead. He has adjusted pretty well, surprisingly. I am afraid to take him out because he could easily make me fall, and that would be bad for this new knee. So Larry has leash duty, which has not been fun with all this rain.
Meantime I ordered a stronger PetSafe electronic fence, and a run cable so we can tie him out in nice weather during the day. I hate this. I can't stand putting a dog on a chain but until we can feel assured that he will respect the new electronic fence, it is the only option that will allow Buddy more outside time.
Ah me. It's a good thing we love him. Someone suggested a tracker that will pinpoint his location if he should run off, so I am looking into that too. This dog is getting expensive!
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