Sunburned Fedora

Morning Becomes Eclectic

I’m officially a morning person now. I get up at 5:00 am. I start writing at 6:00. I finish around 10:00 am (most days).

I don’t read the news before I start work. I don’t watch TV. No Facebook or social media. I rarely check email. I get a cup of coffee and sit on the balcony of our condominium, overlooking the street and the park across the way. My wife joins me most days. Sometimes we talk. Many days we don’t. We watch and listen, waiting for our morning friends to make their appearance.

A red-haired man, dressed in black, zips down the street on his rollerblades, free from the hazards of daytime traffic.

A Marine, dressed in camouflage uniform, takes his two German shepherds out for a walk.

A Lyft, purple light glowing from behind the car’s front windshield, pulls up to the light. It’s not the same car everyday, but there’s always a first Lyft going somewhere. Perhaps to pick up the same person.

A beefy fellow rumbles down the highway on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. We always know when he’s coming. The roar starts a quarter-mile away.

A bird chirrups at the same time every morning, but it only calls once, a set of slow, staccato tweets followed by a faster, rhythmic glissando. A morning announcement. The new day is here.

Sometimes a full moon sits on the horizon. With each passing day it moves higher. After five days, it’s gone from view, glowing somewhere behind us.

A stink greets me one day when I open the door. At first I assume a skunk had been hit by a car, but the smell soon drifts away and I realize this clever fellow has survived another day in the urban jungle. We’ll sniff his aroma again, but I doubt we’ll ever see the animal attached to it.

One morning an older model Ford Bronco tears through the intersection like in a movie chase, bouncing off a dip in the road, sending sparks from the undercarriage and launching into the air. The Bronco continues down the street at breakneck speed, turning onto a side street and vanishing into the night. We wait for whoever might be chasing him. No one appears.

Time passes. We drink our coffee. We sit a while longer. Then it’s time go in.

Cranberry Grumble

What’s a blog without an occasional recipe? Herewith, kind of in time for the holidays, is my recipe for Cranberry Grumble. What’s a Grumble you may ask? Basically it’s a biscuit-topping over cooked fruit, similar to a cobbler, but more of a breakfast than a dessert.

Why is it called a Grumble? Well, I improvised the first time I made it. I doubted my choices. I muttered a lot under my breath. I called it a Crumble. My wife misheard me. She laughed. And the Grumble was born.

Heat oven to 350 degrees
8 – 9 inch casserole/cobbler dish

12 oz bag fresh cranberries
1 ½ – 2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons water

2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup Crisco
3 tablespoons brown sugar
½ cup rolled oats
⅔ cup milk

Cranberry Filling

1. Heat cranberries, ½ cup water in pot on high heat. Bring to low heat once the water starts boiling.
2. Stir in sugar
3. Cook until most of the cranberries have popped and mixture has a soupy jammy texture.
4. Optional – for a thicker filling, mix cornstarch and remaining water together. Turn heat up to medium and stir into mixture until it boils and starts to thicken.Cut heat. Pour cranberry mixture into casserole dish and let cool

Grumble Crust

1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Cut in Crisco shortening until flour is crumbly and Crisco is fully incorporated (no big lumps)
2. Mix in rolled oats and brown sugar.
3. Add milk and mix until it forms a soft dough
4. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead into smooth ball.
5. Roll dough into circle approximately ¾ inch thick. Thickness is optional depending on your tastes, but circle should be at least 9 inches in diameter to fit your casserole dish.
6. Cut dough into checkerboard pieces, approximately 2 inches square
7. Arrange cut dough on top of cranberry mixture so pieces just touch (You may end up with more dough than you need. Save it and bake biscuits of of the rest).
8. Place in 350 degree oven. Cook until cranberry mixture is bubbling and biscuit topping has turned light brown (20 – 30 minutes).
9. Remove from oven and cool. I like to make mine at night and leave out for the next morning’s breakfast. Keep in the refrigerator if there’s any left after the first round.

PDF Version

Taking a Break

I haven’t posted anything the last month or so. My wife and I decided to go on a road trip and get out of town. It was our 35th anniversary, after all. We visited some of our favorite places in Colorado, Arizona and Utah. I thought I’d share a few photos. Now back to writing the next book.