By Thanksgiving. Mom cooked all week. Wild turkey from a draw I filled in October. Mashed potatoes. Cornbread dressing. Pies.
Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods.
Biscuits Sunday morning. Same recipe Mom learned from her mother. Lard, not butter — old school.
I went to bed at ten. Slept seven hours. The body said thank you.
Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.
Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.
The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.
Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.
Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.
The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.
Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.
Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.
Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.
Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.
The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.
A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.
Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.
A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.
Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.
Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.
Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.
The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.
Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.
Mom’s biscuits Sunday morning — lard, not butter, the way her mother taught her — deserved something worth putting on them. I had almonds in the pantry and honey from a neighbor two summers back, and that was enough. Honey almond butter takes about ten minutes and it keeps all week, which is the kind of math a tired body can get behind. Spread it thick on a hot biscuit and let the week start slow.
Honey Almond Butter
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 8 min | Total Time: 18 min | Servings: 16 (1 tablespoon each)
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw whole almonds
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 teaspoons neutral oil (such as light olive or avocado), if needed
Instructions
- Toast the almonds. Spread almonds in a single layer on a dry baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 7 to 8 minutes, until fragrant and lightly golden. Watch them — they turn fast. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Process to butter. Transfer warm almonds to a food processor. Process on high, scraping down the sides every 2 minutes, until the almonds break down into a smooth, creamy butter. This takes 10 to 12 minutes total. Be patient — it will look crumbly before it turns smooth.
- Add the flavorings. Add honey, salt, and vanilla extract. Process another 1 to 2 minutes until fully incorporated. If the butter seems stiff, add oil one teaspoon at a time and process until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
- Taste and adjust. Taste for salt and sweetness. Add a touch more honey or a pinch more salt as needed.
- Store. Transfer to a clean glass jar. Seal and store at room temperature for up to 1 week, or refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. Stir before using if oil separates.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 105 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 6g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 74mg