Month: April 2020

We made an Earth Day dessert. Worms (gummy variety) in mud (chocolate pudding) and dirt (crushed chocolate cookies).

Earth Day is serious business, but sometimes you have to have a little fun.

Yum!

You must read The Lorax on Earth Day.

“Only if someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – Dr. Seuss

I had a sick patient to take care of this week.

I gave her a very thorough exam.

And decided a shot to the neck was needed. What is elder abuse?

I am working very hard at learning how to tie these boots.

I really get things done. Just a few of the things I did this week.

I emptied the truck of berm builder:

Helped Dad move an irrigation line that was right where we want to put a new tree

Unloaded the tree

And made chocolate chip, cinnamon beer bread.

Some other food we had:

Senegalese mango and coconut rice pudding

Roasted brussels with black garlic sauce

My teachers at the Branch Room love Smokey as much as I do.

We all wear our Smokey shirts on Fridays.

Getting ready to eat my chocolate duck (The Bigs went hollow this year. Cheapos).

Happy face:

Sad face:

Angry face:

Surprised face:

Silly face:

Messy (smoothie) face:

Embracing the latest pandemic fashion:

Working on some cards for my Grandparents:

Applying a coat of stain to our newly-constructed cornhole boards:

Getting the hang of my new baseball glove. Thanks, Pop!

Yet another delicious recipe from Cheryl’s cookbook, banana bread:

Palak dal:

More wheat sourdough bread:

I have been doing a lot of engineering lately. Here is my latest power plant design:

It’s an adaptation of a design from Richard Scary:

It’s weather month in the Branch room. Here, I’m creating a cumulonimbus cloud and a rain storm with shaving cream:

Last weekend, we cut down a tree. This weekend, we planted one:

The tree. A 22′ Bowhall Maple:

Easter basket:

Keepin’ the peace and huntin’ eggs:

I started refinishing the Adirondack chairs this weekend:

I let Mom help:

Later, I traded in my stain brush for something smaller:

Easter dinner was Meyer lemon spring grain salad with asparagus, almonds, and goat cheese:

Two pounds of shrimp. The Bigs each got four shrimp:

And, a yellow layer cake with chocolate frosting (from Cheryl’s cookbook):

Memory. I cheat.

Painting a cloud with glitter glue and shaving cream. The end result = puffy, shimmery cloud.

Look at me painting with BINGO markers, Grandma Marie.

I like to help. I’ll help Mom if I have to. Here I am building a second composter for her.

But I prefer to help Dad. Here I am helping him solder lab kits to mail to his students. They will use these to do their electronics class remotely.

And, this weekend I helped him take down a dead tree.

The Bigs were very happy to not hit any fruit trees, houses, or cars.

Dad finished my bike ramp this weekend. If you look closely at my front wheel, you’ll guess how this ended.

I got back on the saddle again though.

We ate well this week. We have, so far, made 37 recipes from the cookbook Aunt Cheryl sent, and they have all been delicious! Crispy orange seitan:

Dolsot Bibimbap, Korean rice bowl:

Shiitake pizza with cashew ricotta:

Drop biscuits:

Blueberry muffins:

Wheat sourdough bread: