Times, they are a-changing

The fall time change is my favorite day of the year; it's the only morning I wake up fully rested.

The wake up, however, came at about 3 a.m., new time. I managed to stay under the covers until about twenty after four, mostly because air coming through the window is a balmy thirty-eight degrees. I did remember to change the clock on the programmable thermostat, so the heat didn't come on until the usual time. Good thing the quilt reaches to the floor on either side of the bed; it's impossible for a stray draft to make its way under the covers.

Much on the to-do list for the day, beginning (and probably ending) with oxtail soup. Although, when you think about it, both "oxtail" and "soup" are misnomers. The meat is actually a cross section of a steer's tail. Well, quite a few cross sections, as I have a bit over two pounds. The tails have a great deal of natural gelatin in them, which serves to greatly thicken whatever dish they are in. So the "soup" could be more properly called a stew. Either way, it's incredibly rich and nice and warm for a chilly day.

The natural go-with for soup is bread. The english muffin bread was quite a hit, and very easy to make (no kneading, just rising time). The soup simmering and bread rising times are roughly equal. Since the oven will be on for the bread, it makes sense to make cookies, right? I almost made some last night, the craving was so strong. By waiting a day, I may have the strength of will to make only a half batch.

Yesterday, I picked up the sewing machine after its annual physical. Thanks to road construction, a fifteen mile detour was added to a twenty-five mile trip. Ugh. Coming home wasn't an issue, thank heavens. Now, I just need to do the cleaning and bit of rearranging in the studio that I've put off for the last two weeks. Fortunately, the studio is adjacent to the kitchen (and actually has a door to the kitchen - the galley kitchen has exits at each end, one here and one into the dining room - helps it feel less claustrophobic).

Checking the electronics is on the list as well. I did manage to change all the clocks in the house last night (nine of them...time obsessed much?), but I can never remember which electronic devices change on their own. There's always at least one that doesn't.

For now, though, it's into the shower (the bathroom has a heated fan) and then out for coffee. Well rested or not, coffee is a necessity.