Lessons and Mistakes

I forgot to let the dog in last night. It wasn't intentional, really and before you condemn me for neglect let me assure you the story ends well. The dog survived his ordeal warmly wrapped in his outdoor kennel. It's not really even that I want to write about, its about how life can get ahead of you.
Everyone I know seems to be living lives that are full to overflowing. Many of my friends are raising children and starting businesses at the same time. Others are helping older children get their start and helping older parents find their finish. Every day in our house seems to end with tasks unfinished and energy exhausted. Each day starts with refreshed to-do lists and new challenges.
Is this a reflection on our organization skills? Did our ancestors live lives so filled with activities? I often wonder about those pioneers who came before. This area is filled with reminders of the hardy stock we spring from. Those restless souls who traded everything for a chance at a little bit of land to call their own. Almost every family living here can point out where their family first settled. The sun rises and sets on landmarks that were the watchtowers for the wanderers. The land has changed very little once you leave the cultivated fields and highways behind.

I have to think that their days were as full as ours. Cooking, farming, milking the cows, feeding the chickens/pigs/cows, laundry, gardening, and on and on.  Perhaps the difference was one of focus, volume and speed. If Mr. and Mrs. Pioneer did not complete their required tasks they might face starvation or loosing their homes. That would sharpen your focus on your tasks. One of the problems our society seems to be struggling with is multitasking. If you are shaving, eating, updating your profile, and emailing your boss all while driving to work, chances are one or more tasks will not be completed correctly. Like the pioneers this can end in disaster. I recently read an interesting online article about the pomodoro technique the basic premise of which is that once you start a task you must focus on only that task for at least 25 minutes before taking a break or moving on to another task. Simple, right? Can you resist answering the phone? Checking your email/facebook/text? I found it took a bit of training and practice (I still haven't mastered it maybe because I don't have the cute tomato timer) but just the reminder to stay on task helps. Do you remember the little ditty that was embroidered on tea towels? Monday-Laundry, Tuesday-Ironing, Wednesday-something else... One day and one task ( I am sure that was not the only thing accomplished on that day). You can't stop milking a cow in the middle because you remembered something else you wanted to do.
Not that I am complaining about modern technology. I love my smartphone. I can be in the car driving to pick up supplies, texting my best friend, planning an event online, getting directions and paying the bills (relax everybody, the husband is in the driver's seat). What a wonderful convenience! Women of my grandmother's generation thought the washing machine was great. Washing machines now know more about your clothes than you do. I am certainly not advocating a return to the "olden days". I would be the first person to be lining up to get back in the time machine, trust me on that. I'm just suggesting that maybe our smartphones have overbooked us. Maybe it really is time to hang up and drive.
Volume is another challenge to our daily lives. Not volume as in LOUD but volume as in an overflowing laundry basket. If I decide I am going to make pumpkin bread from the pumpkins in my garden the first thing I do is Google "Pumpkin Bread from Fresh pumpkins" and more than 10 pages of results show up. I could spend the rest of the day researching pumpkin bread and then wonder why I didn't have time to get it made! We have such a wonderful array of information right at our fingertips. Much better than asking a neighbor or friend what their recipe is, or learning how from your mother, right? Again, the world is at our fingertips but accessing it can be a real time vampire ( a little Halloween metaphor).
And lastly the topic of speed. Since I have filled my day with surfing, browsing and chatting, I am now pressed for time to complete the one main task I set for myself today. Harvesting pie pumpkins, baking them,  and using them in Pumpkin Bread for this week's Fall Festival. Gotta run.

Here is the recipe compliments of Mindy's Mouthful blog ;

http://www.theworldinmykitchen.com/2009/02/fresh-pumpkin-moist-pumpkin-bread.html
 Pumpkin Puree

Directions:
1. Cut the pumpkin in half.
2. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits.
3. Place the halves face done on a baking sheet. Or if you have smaller pieces, place them flesh-down and lightly cover the exposed flesh with foil.
4. Bake the pumpkin in a 400F oven until soft, about 30-90 minutes depending on how thick the pumpkin is.
5. Scoop the flesh from the pumpkin. Place the flesh in a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl and let sit overnight in the fridge (if the pumpkin seems overly watery).
6. Mash with a fork or put in a food processor and process until smooth.

Pumpkin Bread

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
2 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans or a bundt pan.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pan(s).

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. The time varies depending on the size of pan(s) you use.