Monday, September 01, 2008

Full Swamps, Friendship Failures and Missing Eggpassengers


Someone else who needed to get flour I guess ... don't worry, that will make sense later in the post.
I hope.

I took the slow way to the grocery store yesterday and stopped to watch this river swamp still draining Fay water to the Suwanee River. The dirt road I was on acted like a dam across the swamp and all the water was being channeled through just 2 large culverts. Stacked up like cordwood in front of the culvert mouths were Florida Gar eagerly snapping up any critter the current brought their way.
Sorry, but the tea colored water and the overcast skies prevented a shot where you could actually see the gar.


A few weeks ago, I posted about the Friendship Cake con in which some poor sap is given a bag of starter goo and a sheet of instructions.


I was amazed at the time when so many of you not only knew about Friendship Cake, but some of you actually had happy childhood memories of the thing.


This caused me some concern as it implies there may be other things I don't know, but y'all do.
Disconcerting to say the least.


I was all set to post about how each of the four women I gave starter to at work, took it home, failed to read the instructions, and had it burst from the ziploc bag to ooze around the room as if looking for a young Steve McQueen.


I found that doubly amusing and a bit ironic ... the idea of women not reading the instructions and screwing up a cake.


I was primed to tease them right here on PF ... until yesterday.


Mrs. FC travelled down to Tampa with a friend to see Emma at college this weekend. Before she left, she said, "You'll have to make the next batch of Friendship Cake as it's ready to go and I'll be gone.


"No problem" I replied.

To make a short story long and almost totally unbearable, it went like this ...


  • We were out of AP flour ... so a trip to the store ... 20 mile round trip.


  • I screwed up the part where you divide the starter into quarters to give away before you add oil, eggs, etc in the final step. So now the proportions were off ... I failed to read the instructions... arrrrghhhh!


  • The two part pound cake pan leaked batter all over the oven heating coil causing black smoke to fill the kitchen, setting off the smoke alarm, and scaring Bear who left a trail of tinkle drops from the kitchen to the front door.

Needless to say, I wasn't feeling too friendly by the time the cake made it to the cooling rack.

I had some for breakfast today, so in the end, it came out okay ... not as good as the first one, but still pretty tasty.

In other news, Princess Laya (the best hen ever!) has been sitting on yet another clutch of eggs, even though her last 3 chicks are not quite completely feathered out. This time she chose to ground nest out in the open near the boat. Last week I dragged the hog transport pen over and set it around her so Bear, Flounder, and Feather could not get to her.



This morning, the nest is empty except for a cluster of open egg shells. They are still in the nest and not strewn about as if some predator had raided the site.
I will be looking for Laya later today and hopefully will have some good news to share.


Here's a short (22 seconds ... I promise) video that captures the essence of hurricane season down here.

16 comments:

robin andrea said...

So now you don't have any more Friendship Cake starter? I bet you could get more. Good lesson, though, on reading instructions first.

I hope you see the chicks and get pics. There's nothing cuter than those little peeps.

Pretty butterfly.

Anonymous said...

The old saying among technical writers is "If at first you don't succeed, you should have read the directions!"

Nice video. Moving water is always interesting, but what exactly was I seeing?

threecollie said...

Oh, dear, hope you find Laya! Water video is excellent....going into the culverts right?

Anonymous said...

Hi, FC. I enjoyed the awe-inspiring "hurricane essence" video. : )

Why don't I ever think of using my camera's video option? (???) I guess it's because I LOVE a good photograph. I'm stuck in the 20th century, and I like it here.

But I will have a ton of good vacation photos to share.

LauraHinNJ said...

I don't believe those women friends screwed up their cakes all on their own - there must be some other excuse or man to blame somehow.

;-)

The nightmare I had with that friendship cake was getting rid of it - there always seemed to be another batch of batter to be given away!

MamaHen said...

If you read my post today, you know I am a little bummed out so thanks for the laugh I got when I read about your cake problems! Sorry, but I had to just laugh out loud 'cause I could just imagine the screeching alarm and poor Bear running for the hills!

MinorcanMeteorolgist said...

Wow, the description of your terrible incident puts vivid imagery into my head...It feels like I was there; though I am glad I was not :-D
The last week of posts has been awesome, by the way.
I think I'll post some dorm room pictures today, now that everything here is settled.
Hope school is going well for you!

jojo said...

Opened? as in hatched? lol... or open as in the crows got a hold of it and cracked them open and slurped up the insides. This is my latest little problem. little holes in the eggs. could be mice too! :(

toof unny about the cake. and you not reading directions. ha. does this mean its time for a new stove too?

R.Powers said...

Robin,
It looks like a predator got the eggs after all. Laya is fine, but no chicks behind.

Pablo,
Charybdis.
or maybe it was ...
Tannin stained swamp water siphoning into a culvert.

3C,
You nailed it. Thanks!

Susan,
I never used mine for the longest time, but it is kind of fun. Somethings have to be heard as well as seen.

Laurahinnj,
Well, they ARE all married so I suppose you may be right.

Annie,
Now, if that had been the only comment I got on this post it would have been worth it. Glad you got a much needed chuckle.
Hang in there.

HT,
Shouldn't you be doing your caclulus homework?
Dorm pics sound great.

JoJo,
I was hoping they hatched, even though it seemed kind of early. Looks like a coon or possum or CAT may have gotten them.
Free ranging is a dangerous lifestyle!
Laya is fine though.

Aunty Belle said...

hee hee...in the end, Sugar Pie, friendship has to stand on somethin' more solid than cake.

I see youse been pretty dern busy. I'se readin' backwards. Loved the mini-history of yore first teachin' days and baby and Ranger --all that.

Finished a big deadline, then Uncle an' me went sasshayin' up to South Caroliny fer a clan thang, but I does plan to catch up wif' PF.

Woodduck said...

Oh! I like that shot of the feet crossing the log and seeing the trees, reflected.
Someone's always thinking, there; job well done!

Happy trails...

Ericka said...

hiay! i'm back, after months away in an internet free wilderness. it was horrible, but i escaped.

i'm very impressed by your balance - the picture in the header, where you were walking across a log in water AND getting cool pictures at the same time - i'd have drowned myself, the camera or both.

ah, friendship cake. i remember it well. at one time, we were actively locking our doors to keep neighbors from sneaking in and leaving baggies of the stuff behind them... sick that i miss it. should you end up with more, feel free to send some my way. :-)

Miz S said...

Oh dear. Poor Princess Laya. I know she's the best hen ever but I wish she would find more sensible places to lay her eggs.

Dani said...

Thank goodness Princess Laya is okay!! I was worried. And I'm with Mary about finding a better places to be broody.

SwampAngel65 said...

Can't wait to see pics of Princess Laya's newest brood! Hope they're all ok...

The mental imagery you can create...at 6:3o am, you have me giggling silly picturing you with flour on your nose, Bear freaking out and the alarm going off...hehehehe....

R.Powers said...

Aunty,
I suppose you're right about that, although cake is a good way to start one.

WD,
Thanks. I took it last fall and forgot about it.

Ericka,
Welcome back!
I've fallen off my share of logs so don't be too impressed.
:)

Miz S,
She's a risk taker that one.

Dani,
We're going to need some new blood around here pretty soon or her chicks are all going to have 3 legs and vestigial wings.

Swampangel,
Afraid the night critters got her eggs this time, but she is okay.
Glad you got giggles!