Friday, October 4, 2013

Breakfast with Bill, The Bird, and the Dog

Getting up an hour and a half before sunrise, you expect things to fall in to place.

Gently.

Somewhat.

And sometimes things actually work out that way.

After trading a mile and a half walk with Mr Dog who was alternately pulling me and my returning the favor, I still got home well before the sun was up.

There were a lot of things that were deferred to this morning that magically fell into place.   Two "experiments" were in the oven.  Both were loaves of bread, a very simple recipe, that I have been playing with. 

If you ever wanted to play with your food as a child, learn how to bake bread as an adult.  Simple and subtle changes like the addition of an extra tablespoon of water will change things from magical to mush.

Since I had the luxury of a little extra time, I decided to bake that bread early.   I turned to the oven and set the temperature, then started the music up for the day.   Singing to an old pop song from 1979, I turned to Mr Dog and asked "Do ya wanna play my Skyyzoo" as I walked him out to the front room.

Cookie Ball!  Cookie Ball!

That ought to keep you busy for a few minutes.

Loading up another 60 web pages in the browser, I went back to the OCD of waiting for the water to boil and the oven to warm up at the same time.

I think Rack likes being sung to by some uncommon pop as the Skyyzoo was being played again in a remix.   He hovered in the kitchen still.  

Cookie Ball you silly mutt!  Cookie Ball!

Some day you'll learn how to open  that tennis ball still has a tablespoon of kibble in it.

With the bread in the oven, the kettle was making a noise on the stove wanting to be poured into the coffee grounds.   The smell of the morning baking was intoxicating.  Coffee to the South of me, Bread to the North, it was the makings of a great breakfast.

Taking the coffee to the front room, I kicked the cookie ball back and forth a while and settled in for a half hour of Bake Time.

Ahh Coffee.   Ahh Cookie Ball?

Here, Boy, have some!   (squeeze, rattle)

He gobbles that stuff up fast.

Shortly the timer sounds off.   The first loaf was done.  A beautiful, if slightly flat from overwatering, loaf of foccacia style bread.   Sure, it's blond instead of golden brown but we were hungry.

Coffee still at hand, we made up sausages and eggs and served in some of the fresh bread that was toasted in butter while the sausages cooked.

Yes, Fried. 

Fixing the egg and sausage sandwich up, I turned to the sink and looked out on my little window onto Lake Backyard.   Out in the wall of tropical green, there was a spec of red.   A Cardinal had just hopped out next to the pool as if to claim the space. He might have spotted me take my first bite of sandwich.   Flying back into the cut leaf philodendron I warned him that this was his cousin from Maryland that I was eating. 

Harass us and you'll be next my beautiful red friend!

Maybe not.  He looked bony.  

But everything else fell neatly into place.   Good way to start a morning.

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