I'm happy to report that the oven works very well.

Please, no applause, but I baked yesterday. This is a rare and wondrous occurence. The oven in our old Wedgewood on the edge of the world sucked. It just sat there forever warming up and cost a bloody fortune in the propane it consumed, so baking went away in my life for a long, long time. It's back! I was on the hook to bring the goodies for my womens' meeting last night, which usually means a trip to Costco for something yummy like cheesecake. Instead I took two trips to the supermarket, no, not soul-sucking Safeway but our local one at the end of our street, G&G, the one everyone says is so wonderful. First I trooped down there on foot, Boo stayed home. I had my little list with me, and I got everything on it. On the way home, I realized I might not have enough butter. So back I went, after my soap opera, I know my priorities. The cookies I chose were done in three stages, I mean, this was a production. Bake the crust, then bake the filling, then frost the suckers. Lots of sugar and butter, how could you go wrong. And they came out fine and everyone was impressed and I even ate two of them myself, after dining on yogurt to leave the room for all those wonderful calories. I am glad I have not forgotten how to do this stuff. Once upon a time, I was happy-hands-at-home woman, sewing and knitting and collecting recipes right and left. Every meal was an adventure, from Beef Wellington to Coq au Vin. And crepes, ah I just loved making them. There was always a stack in the freezer, little wafers with waxed paper between them, ready to be filled with vanilla creme and topped with cinammon apples or fresh strawberries, or served for dinner filled with ham and mushrooms or chicken curry. Actually, I have fonder memories of the food than the experience. Dusting and cleaning were pretty blah occupations to fill up a day. Unfortunately, they still are, as I am about to find out. Whatever, I brought home a few of those cookies. I will need to work hard to be able to fit them into my daily caloric intake index.