FOR TODAY

Outside my window...I see the steeple of the Catholic Church against a backdrop of a very gray sky. The rain is coming down heavily and the leaves on my green bush are blowing in the wind.

I am thinking...nothing in particular. I just have a sense of contentedness that mostly everything is okay.

I am thankful for ...a phone call from the nursing home where mom will soon reside.

From the kitchen...there is banana-pear bread in the oven and dough for buns rising in the bowl.

The finished buns. I used mostly whole wheat flour.

I am wearing... my nightgown. I haven't had a shower yet but will soon do so.

I am creating...nothing yet. I will figure out whether to make something knitted or crochet but there is no rush.

I am going...to run some small errands in the neighbourhood.

I am reading...a novel by Vikram Seth entitled A Suitable Boy.  I started it some time ago and put it aside due to busyness and other priorities. I've decided to begin again as I hardly remember what I read.
I am hoping.. I will have enough energy to continue work around the house over the next few days.

I am hearing...the vacuum cleaner outside my condo. The custodian is hard at work. He does a great job of vacuuming daily.
Around the house...I see evidence of my decluttering project. Some things are organized and some are not but I am making progress.

One of my favorite things...is having something in the oven made from scratch. Later I will make some salmon chowder.
A few plans for the rest of the week:  I will continue to make progress on my decluttering project and try to take in a water aerobics class or a swimming lesson Friday.

For Inger - My banana-pear bread. I used mostly whole wheat flour as that is the only flour I have on hand.

Nola, a new reader of my blog has asked for the recipe for the banana-pear bread so here it is.

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1 chopped and mashed bartlett pear  (I only used 3 bananas so I added a pear but at other times I have used an apple)
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (I reduced mine to 1/2 cup and it was still a bit too sweet)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup of whole wheat and 1/2 of white flour)

Method

Mash the bananas and shred the pear in a food processor (or you can cut it into smaller chunks).  Then in a large bowl add the melted butter into the mashed bananas and pear. Next add the sugar, egg, and vanilla into the bowl and mix. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last and mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour in a 350 F oven or until done. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

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