Pie and Stuff

– I recently realized that I still have loads and loads of pumpkin puree (from last year’s crop) in the freezer. I made a pumpkin version of my muffin tops, but that took only half a cup, so today I made a crustless pie. I’d printed out Susan’s recipe quite a while ago, so I was happy to be finally trying it. I used buckwheat flour instead of rice and a 1/4 cup egg whites (since I’m not vegan), and you can see that the texture of mine is very different from hers (I also had to bake for 10 extra minutes before the middle was cooked). It’s actually quite similar to regular pumpkin pie, I would say, but next time I’ll use a different flour, as buckwheat has too much ‘grit’ to it. I ate a piece plain this evening, and I thought it was a bit too heavy on the nutmeg, but then I realized that it just needs some whipped cream to balance it out.
– I bought a new box of peppermint tea today, and I performed the task that’s one of my greatest kindnesses to Future!Anna: I tore apart all the two-by-two Celestial Seasonings bags ahead of time. It takes about two seconds to do them all at once (you don’t even have to take them out of the box), but if I leave them attached until I use them, I swear I spend hours of my life tearing them apart and getting them caught on things.
– This morning was dedicated to the Annual Cleaning of the Porch. I’ve been sitting out there for a while now (hooray for warm springs!), but I’ve been tsking and judging myself every time I do. Cleaning means taking out all the furniture, vacuuming up all the hair drifts and cobwebs, scrubbing the floors (they’re painted white and get pretty dirty over the winter), washing the armchair’s slipcover, and then putting everything back where it belongs. In addition, I also painted the top of the table I have out there white. It’s the table we used to eat at when I was growing up, so it’s had some wear and tear, and my mom had sponge-painted it a while back. Now it’s fresh and clean, and I don’t have to put a tablecloth on it (which is good, with cats).
– Speaking of cats, the current score is Birdy 0, Bath 3. I’m not sure which will happen first: improved balance or learning not to sit on the edge of the tub.