Five Senses Friday, Day 17

Happy 39th birthday to my drummer! He arrives home tomorrow and we will celebrate with friends over Indian food. Hurry up and get home, Sweets!

Sight:
1. A photo album holding many great family pictures including Papaw tending to San Angelo rose gardens wearing dark blue coveralls and a cowboy hat.
2. The Hills on MTV. I probably should not admit I watch this show, but I can't turn away from the young adult melodrama! (did I admit this before?)
3. Reading the children's books from Mama. My favorite is Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco. "She had a voice like slow thunder and sweet rain." The other books are good, too. While running the kids' section at Half Price Books, I realized that books for children are not merely juvenile, but a lovely combination of beautiful words and art.
4. Walking through a sunset to take out the trash and check the mail - I took the long way back to our apartment.
5. Watching the TV in complete horror as Andrea Yates received a not guilty sentence. Insane or no, she is guilty of murder.

Smell:
1. Nutmeg.
2. That ginger spice bar soap.
3. Harley Cat's fur - somehow he smells good even when he needs a bath!
4. Aura Cacia Aromatherapy Car Diffuser emitting lavender.
5. Vanilla oil conveniently mixed with jojoba oil. I wear this as perfume - either alone or mixed with amber oil.

Taste:
1. Baked butternut squash.
2. Strother-Simmons Banana Bread, but this time I used organic grade B maple syrup instead of honey. When you cook raw honey you also cook out all of its healthy goodness. Grade B maple syrup is another healthy sweetener, so I gave it a try and added 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda - this web site has very helpful tips on how to cook with maple syrup and molasses (scroll down). Instead of using Baking Pam which I'm sure is toxic, I greased the Pyrex pan with coconut oil.
3. Fresh, raw goat's milk. My first sip was confusing - I thought we accidentally purchased 2 gallons of cow's milk vs. one of each! Then I learned from the goat farmer that properly handled goat's milk tastes like cow's. Who knew?
4. Spectrum organic Omega-3 mayo with flax oil. It truly tastes exactly like good ole yummy mayonnaise.
5. I cooked wild salmon for the first time which was very easy thanks to Whole Foods's frozen wild salmon filets. I thawed them overnight in the fridge, sprinkled them with sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and dried basil. I baked the salmon for 10-12 minutes, placed a bit of raw butter on each filet, and baked for 5 more minutes. Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best.

Hear:
1. Crickets outside at night.
2. And frogs, I think.
3. Harley Cat demandingly meowing to GO OUTSIDE!
4. Part of Justin Timberlake's new song - dear God, it is horrible.
5. The air conditioner turning on.

Touch:
1. Carrying a huge watermelon from the co-op!
2. Tonight I will bake Aunt Pat's Carrot Cake for Johnny! (his request)
3. Playing drums with my right hand and a pen in traffic - see what happens when you marry a drummer?
4. A bruise on my thigh from running straight into Johnny's desk. See what happens when you walk around in the dark?
5. A hot pink squirt bottle full of cat-repelling water. Harley has made a new friend while lounging on the porch. His new friend is late Buddy Cat's doppelganger. I think he really likes Harley, but in that sibling kind of way - this black kitten sits on the other side of our porch railing or the window and watches Harley lose it.