March 2005 Archives
This is so easy and tastes great on a rainy morning like today.
Zucchini Bread (Carrot or Apple too)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Bake 55-60 minutes in greased 8x4x2 loaf pan.
Bread is done when fork inserted into the center comes out clean.
Combine the following into one bowl.
1.5 Cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground Cinnnamon
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
Mix the following into another bowl then add
flour mixture; stir until combined.
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup finely shredded unpeeled Zucchini
1/4 Cup Cooking oil
1 Egg
1/4 tsp Finely shredded Lemon peel
1/2 Cup Chopped Nuts
Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.
Enjoy!
Zucchini Bread (Carrot or Apple too)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Bake 55-60 minutes in greased 8x4x2 loaf pan.
Bread is done when fork inserted into the center comes out clean.
Combine the following into one bowl.
1.5 Cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground Cinnnamon
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
Mix the following into another bowl then add
flour mixture; stir until combined.
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup finely shredded unpeeled Zucchini
1/4 Cup Cooking oil
1 Egg
1/4 tsp Finely shredded Lemon peel
1/2 Cup Chopped Nuts
Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.
Enjoy!
Today is a more normal March day in Seattle. The sky is cloudy, wind
is blowing and there's a cold drizzle depositing much needed moisture
to our Northwest soil. But, it the whole feel of the day that reminds
me of a time when I was witness to a baby's death in Wallace, Idaho.
I'm not sure how old I was probably sixth grade because I was old
enough to help my dad work on a house that he had purchased in Wallace
and he were repairing the house. I was his helper on the steep roof
which did not allow for a good footing, so my dad tied a rope around my
waist and the other end around the chimney. It was kind of fun because
I could bound around the roof with my umbilical cord and help my father
lay the tar paper and then attach the long rolls of roofing tiles.
It was around noon when I noticed a young blond woman walking down the
street toward me in her bathrobe mumbling something and grabbing at her
hair and crying. She said something to me, but I could
not understand her, so I told her to go around the front and talk to my
dad.
A minute later, my father yelled at me and said, "Didn't you hear what
she said? She said her baby can't breathe. Let's go!" In an instant
I watched in amazement as my father leaped from the roof and did a
perfect platform landing fall rolling onto the road and then run to the
house where the woman was pointing. I immediately untied myself slid
down the rope to the road and ran after him.
As I reached the screen door I saw my father administering CPR to a
lifeless infant. I called after him and he said to call for help
because the woman had no telephone. This was common in our small town.
So, I ran off knocking on several doors before I found someone who had
a phone, but the elderly neighbor could not understand what I was
asking and he wanted to know all kinds of questions. Finally, I
screamed at him to call for the police because a baby was dying. That
got his attention. After the call was made I ran back to the house to
find my father still doing CPR while the mother watched and cried.
The sound of a police car roaring up the road alerted us that it was
time to move the baby outside. I could see the anguished look on my
father's face as he got into the police car with the deputy and off
they went with the mother to the hospital. As I stood there watching
them drive away, I knew that it was too late.
That I had failed to bring help in time to save the baby. And I cried
all the way back to the house.
About an hour later my father returned to find me upset about the whole
experience blaming myself, but he said that it wasn't my fault. He
told me that he had found the baby with a blanket corner in it's mouth
and he had choked on it. He had revived the baby once, but he had been
without oxygen too long to live. He said the woman was in shock when
she had asked us for help and that was why she could not do anything.
He said we had done all that we could do, but sometimes it was their
time to go.
We put our tools away and decided it was time to leave and my dad took
me to Sweet's Cafe, the local diner where all the police got their
coffee and ate pie. When we walked in the waitress with the really long
fingernails, beehive hairdo and pink uniform greeted us and showed us
to our table. She said she had heard about what had happened and said
that it was a shame. We nodded in agreement and ordered some lunch and
later ate some apple pie before leaving.
I'm not sure if this event lead me to my experiences in Search and
Rescue and later Combat Lifesaving classes in the Army or not, but I do
know that I've always had a deep sense of wanting to help people.
Actually, I think the answer can be found in the fact that when I saw
my father jump off the roof of a house risking injury to himself to
save another person, he was a hero. And like lots of kids, I wanted to be just like me dad at that moment.
is blowing and there's a cold drizzle depositing much needed moisture
to our Northwest soil. But, it the whole feel of the day that reminds
me of a time when I was witness to a baby's death in Wallace, Idaho.
I'm not sure how old I was probably sixth grade because I was old
enough to help my dad work on a house that he had purchased in Wallace
and he were repairing the house. I was his helper on the steep roof
which did not allow for a good footing, so my dad tied a rope around my
waist and the other end around the chimney. It was kind of fun because
I could bound around the roof with my umbilical cord and help my father
lay the tar paper and then attach the long rolls of roofing tiles.
It was around noon when I noticed a young blond woman walking down the
street toward me in her bathrobe mumbling something and grabbing at her
hair and crying. She said something to me, but I could
not understand her, so I told her to go around the front and talk to my
dad.
A minute later, my father yelled at me and said, "Didn't you hear what
she said? She said her baby can't breathe. Let's go!" In an instant
I watched in amazement as my father leaped from the roof and did a
perfect platform landing fall rolling onto the road and then run to the
house where the woman was pointing. I immediately untied myself slid
down the rope to the road and ran after him.
As I reached the screen door I saw my father administering CPR to a
lifeless infant. I called after him and he said to call for help
because the woman had no telephone. This was common in our small town.
So, I ran off knocking on several doors before I found someone who had
a phone, but the elderly neighbor could not understand what I was
asking and he wanted to know all kinds of questions. Finally, I
screamed at him to call for the police because a baby was dying. That
got his attention. After the call was made I ran back to the house to
find my father still doing CPR while the mother watched and cried.
The sound of a police car roaring up the road alerted us that it was
time to move the baby outside. I could see the anguished look on my
father's face as he got into the police car with the deputy and off
they went with the mother to the hospital. As I stood there watching
them drive away, I knew that it was too late.
That I had failed to bring help in time to save the baby. And I cried
all the way back to the house.
About an hour later my father returned to find me upset about the whole
experience blaming myself, but he said that it wasn't my fault. He
told me that he had found the baby with a blanket corner in it's mouth
and he had choked on it. He had revived the baby once, but he had been
without oxygen too long to live. He said the woman was in shock when
she had asked us for help and that was why she could not do anything.
He said we had done all that we could do, but sometimes it was their
time to go.
We put our tools away and decided it was time to leave and my dad took
me to Sweet's Cafe, the local diner where all the police got their
coffee and ate pie. When we walked in the waitress with the really long
fingernails, beehive hairdo and pink uniform greeted us and showed us
to our table. She said she had heard about what had happened and said
that it was a shame. We nodded in agreement and ordered some lunch and
later ate some apple pie before leaving.
I'm not sure if this event lead me to my experiences in Search and
Rescue and later Combat Lifesaving classes in the Army or not, but I do
know that I've always had a deep sense of wanting to help people.
Actually, I think the answer can be found in the fact that when I saw
my father jump off the roof of a house risking injury to himself to
save another person, he was a hero. And like lots of kids, I wanted to be just like me dad at that moment.
I have been closely observing Finnegan's daily movements and he has
made great strides in the past week. For the last few weeks I have
been putting him in his gymboree play mat and he endures long sessions
of learning.
In the past few weeks he has been able to grasp the toys dangling from
the top of the gymboree and pull on them to start the music. Now he
can pull on the Red duck's leg and put it in his mouth.
Another thing I noticed on March 6th is that he now knows the
difference between a solid object and it's shadow. I was watching him
while he lay in his crib watching the mobile. He was looking at the
mobile and then was mesmerized by it's shadow. He reached for the toys
on the mobile and then concentrated on the shadow. That's when he
figured it out. He reached for the shadow and tried to grab it and
found nothing there. He did it again and again, then squealed and
that's when he figured it out. I was just amazed.
His dexterity is getting very good and his grip is much stronger. He
now grabs my hair and his blankets. Of course everything is going into
his mouth he continues to learn. He now notices things other than
faces and I am no longer the constant object of his attention, but he's
expanding his territory and learning about his world.
made great strides in the past week. For the last few weeks I have
been putting him in his gymboree play mat and he endures long sessions
of learning.
In the past few weeks he has been able to grasp the toys dangling from
the top of the gymboree and pull on them to start the music. Now he
can pull on the Red duck's leg and put it in his mouth.
Another thing I noticed on March 6th is that he now knows the
difference between a solid object and it's shadow. I was watching him
while he lay in his crib watching the mobile. He was looking at the
mobile and then was mesmerized by it's shadow. He reached for the toys
on the mobile and then concentrated on the shadow. That's when he
figured it out. He reached for the shadow and tried to grab it and
found nothing there. He did it again and again, then squealed and
that's when he figured it out. I was just amazed.
His dexterity is getting very good and his grip is much stronger. He
now grabs my hair and his blankets. Of course everything is going into
his mouth he continues to learn. He now notices things other than
faces and I am no longer the constant object of his attention, but he's
expanding his territory and learning about his world.
Many times I've been in a group discussion and suddenly I find myself
giving out advice or telling a story from my own personal experience,
not knowing that most people don't care about what I have to say. When
I realize that this is happening, I'm embarrassed to be the dreaded
know-it-all.
I can't help it. Why should someone struggle with something when I can
give them the shortened version and they can avoid all the
trial-and-error that it takes to get ahead? Why waste time? Well, it
seems that most people want to figure things out for themselves and
that's okay, I just hate to see people try things that just don't work.
I guess that I've always tried to build upon what others have done. I
hate to re-invent the wheel, but I'm not so quick to give out advice
anymore. Mostly because I'm just too tired taking care of Finnegan and
watching him explore his world. Maybe he'll take some of our advice
when he needs it?
giving out advice or telling a story from my own personal experience,
not knowing that most people don't care about what I have to say. When
I realize that this is happening, I'm embarrassed to be the dreaded
know-it-all.
I can't help it. Why should someone struggle with something when I can
give them the shortened version and they can avoid all the
trial-and-error that it takes to get ahead? Why waste time? Well, it
seems that most people want to figure things out for themselves and
that's okay, I just hate to see people try things that just don't work.
I guess that I've always tried to build upon what others have done. I
hate to re-invent the wheel, but I'm not so quick to give out advice
anymore. Mostly because I'm just too tired taking care of Finnegan and
watching him explore his world. Maybe he'll take some of our advice
when he needs it?
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients:
9 tablespoons cocoa
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups & 2 tablespoons oil
3 cups grated zucchini
1 cup nuts (optional)
Instructions:
Beat eggs until thick and light in color. Add sugar gradually 1/4 cup
at a time. Add oil and cocoa. Beat until well blended. Add sifted dry
ingredients alternately with zucchini. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour
and 15 minutes.
Cool 15 minutes before removing from pan. Serve with powdered sugar on
top.
Use a 10 inch tube pan or 3 loaf pans.
This freezes well.
