Slight Detour: Saturday Slight

Let there be light so we can shovel at night.

Not meant to be poetic, but it will do and it worked last night.

Thanks to Todd and Adrian from Mitchell Enterprises, I was able to shovel a path from the house to the barn last night AND actually see what I was doing.

This father-son team of electricians came yesterday to enhance our lighting around the place.

Unfortunately, we'll have to wait for spring to fix the lighting in the far shed and the pole next to the lane.

In a preliminary observation, Adrian determined that the problem with that area was probably underground wiring.

So, in the spring, they'll come back and work with that project.

No. 1 on the list was the yard light outside the garage. For the past couple of years, the light has switched on and off according to its own whims.

Sometimes we have light; sometimes not, and when it's dark and rainy outside, light would be nice.

That problem was fixed with a newer and brighter bulb. In addition they installed a new light off the east side of the garage. It automatically switches on and off at dawn and dusk.

I've already had one delivery person who came around 7 last night tell me that he really appreciates light when he's delivering packages.

So, I know that more than just the Love family will be happy.

Last night after the fabulous Gonzaga victory over Kentucky and when the snow had stopped, I spent about an hour shoveling around the house and the pathway to the barn.

The extra light was wonderful, especially because it created some neat effects for me to take night photos of the fresh snow.

Bill went to a company party and said it was nice to come home to all the light.

Thanks so much, Todd and Adrian. You have made our lives much more pleasant with your skills.

Todd and Adrian Mitchell of Mitchell Enterprises.

Great people and topnotch electricians.

I had already published my blog this morning when I discovered this amazing news about our beloved daughter-in-law Debbie.

As usual, a most humble Debbie has not shared this good news with us, but, by golly, we will share to all the world how lucky we are to have Debbie as a member of our family.

Willie picked a gem when he asked her to marry him almost 25 years ago.

The entire family and, I'm sure, most of the community would agree with this award bestowed upon one of the most giving and sweetest souls ever.

Congratulations, Debbie.

You can read more about Debbie (page 26) and the other winners in Sandpoint Living Magazine's online edition.

https://issuu.com/likemedia/docs/sandpoint_living_local_winter_2025-2026/27?fbclid=IwY2xjawOhM3BleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeRXh4G9QIK8Hi-ed94lU179nfc9Y2aeuDphQ4Q7hp2MKndtQVJ39NytZZP1Y_aem_-4kk_UczuAV9ewQYnnKz_Q

In this morning's New York Times newsletter, I saw this list of sensible guidelines for making Christmas cookies.

Even if you've been baking snickerdoodles or experimenting with wienie boats and purple cows since first-year cooking in 4-H like I have, the guidelines below serve as great reminders.

The other day I was making those pumpkin chip cookies and not following a recipe.

When the first cookies came from the oven, they did not look like what I had imagined.

I then remembered that, because I was doing the recipe off the top of my head, I had forgotten to put the soda and salt in the dough.

Fortunately, only a few cookies had to be scrapped and after the soda and salt had been added, the cookies looked and tasted great.

So, the following the first two guidelines would have helped.

Read the recipe all the way through before you start baking. I know this is boring, an assignment in English class when you’re ready for recess. Do it so you’re not caught off guard when, for instance, a recipe calls for you to chill the dough for three hours, but the party starts in 20 minutes.
Measure and prepare all your ingredients first. This is also a little dull. But once you start moving through the recipe, you’ll find how amazing it is to have everything you need at hand so you can glide through the steps, no pausing to frantically search for the salt. And, if your cookie recipe calls for room temperature butter (many do), take it out of the fridge to soften as soon as you’ve decided to bake.
Cookie dough generally freezes well; make extra. Freeze the dough in individual portions if you want to be able to bake a single cookie on a whim. (You can easily double recipes using our new scaling feature. You’ll need to be in the Cooking app on Android or iOS; click on the little icon at the top right of the ingredients list.)
It’s better to underbake than to overbake. You can’t unbake a cookie any more than you can unsalt a soup. So take the pan out of the oven when the cookies look just done; they’ll firm up as they cool. (And if you take them out of the oven and they’re still raw, just put them back in for a minute.)
Really, follow the directions, especially if you’re making a recipe for the first time. If the recipe says to leave two inches between the cookies on the baking sheet, do it. If it says not to move the baked cookies until they are completely cool, listen.