Ifferjenn Independent

Twice in one week! Just wanted to share this shot I got of the Beltane wicker man, just about when he was catching fire, and a few minutes before he toppled over. You might even be able to see some of the brave souls keeping him up in the background. Merry Beltane, all!

Long time no post! This past weekend was Beltane (okay, so technically Wednesday is), which we spent at Cauldron Farm. No Maypole this time around, but there was an awesome bonfire. I tried out a little long-exposure action, and was quite pleased with how this one turned out. I can have a steady hand for about .4 seconds, apparently!

I’m not a fan of pumpkin, but John is, and he tells me these are quite good!

Start: 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar

Add: 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 2 cups flour

Add: 1 cup raisins, 1 cup walnuts (chopped)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar, then add the next wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients in order, finishing with raisins and walnuts. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Optional icing (though I haven’t tried this): 2 cups confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 tsp. vanilla, 3 Tbsp. cream/OJ/rum.

Click the thumbnail for a printable recipe card!

I went to Old Sturbridge Village last month with John’s photography class’s field trip, which was only my second time there, despite being born next door. (Well, next town over, at least.) We’ve also upgraded our picture-filing software from Picasa to LightRoom, as Picasa tended to hang up a bit. LightRoom also will do photo processing, which I used on this one. I like a lot of the features in LightRoom, though I really need to start working more with it to take full advantage, as John does.

John and I returned from a visit to Washington DC last week, where we were fortunate to be on the Mall as the full moon rose behind the Washington Monument. Even more fortunate to see Marine One delivering the President back to the White House. (We had also seen it pick him up at the White House after we were able to tour the inside.)

Taken when John and I took a walk in search of the elusive evening Amtrak. I’m guessing the Amtrak passed about 15 minutes after we left, though we did see two commuter trains and a CSX train! This picture is also a guest post on John’s site, Jawnhenry.com today. You should see his pictures!

Those guys in Office Space didn’t know how to thoroughly destroy office equipment…

This past weekend, John and I were happy to celebrate Beltane with our friends at Cauldron Farm in Hubbardston. I didn’t get any photos of the dance around the Maypole, as I was dancing myself. And look! We even got some of it right! May the coming year bring you much fruitfulness in all your pursuits!

Remember when it snowed a couple weeks ago? Ah, the memories…