Happy Surprises!

The winds whipped about the Little Bayou House all the while the rains poured.  I was trapped inside again today!  Unless I wanted to be soaked to the bone, I had better find something interesting to do while inside.  So...I headed to the kitchen.  It seems as if I stay in my kitchen more than any other room of this house!  To start, I canned another gallon and a half of orange juice, chopped and seeded ten pounds of kumquats for marmalade and dehydrated twelve trays of orange peels.  I glanced at the clock..oh, geez!  It was only nine in the morning!  With nothing else to keep me busy, I baked!  First, two sweet potato pies and then two cranberry cheesecake pies came out of the oven!  Michael and I have a ton of sweets to eat over the next couple of days.

Ann's Apple Cake!

By late afternoon, there was a short break in the rains so Michael headed down the lane to get the mail. When he came back, he was toting a large box.  "You got a package!" Huh?  I checked and sure enough, the package was addressed to me.  Now who would be sending me a package?  He undid the tapes for me and lifted out a bag that was tied with yarn.  Suddenly, the room was filled with the happy scent of apples!  Ooooh!   My cousin, Ann, had made an Apple Cake!  For any who have never tasted Ann's Apple Cake, you are missing out on one of the best things ever to come out of a kitchen!  Ann lives in Virginia and has Black Walnut trees in her yard!  Those combined with fresh local apples make this cake delightful!  I cannot believe she actually sent me a cake all the way from the mountains of Virginia!  Wow!  I told Michael that I had to have a piece right away!  And...I did!  Ann's Apple Cake made me forget all about the pies that were sitting on my table!

A gift from Cousins Ann and Fred..two pieces of Richard Hensley pottery!

Ann, also, packed two pottery glasses in the box with the cake.  The glasses are glazed in the most beautiful of shades up neutrals and greens.  Down one side, a botanical etching adds a bit of  interest.  Turning one upside down, I saw that it was signed "Hensley".  Ann had tucked a pamphlet in the box as well.  Looking, I saw where one Richard Hensley was listed.  He must have made my glasses!  I looked up a bit about this man and viewed some of his other works..WOW!  No wonder Ann said he was one of her favorites!  His work is beautiful! And to think..I now own two pieces by him!  I am excited!  I know that Ann said these were glasses but I am considering using one as my new coffee/tea/cocoa mug!  How nice this would feel against the hands on a cold, winter morning!

What a fantastic way to spend a rainy afternoon!  A surprise package, Ann's Apple Cake and hand-made pottery...it just does not get any better!  Thank you, Ann and Fred!