Nature

By: Bonita Anderson
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:18:04
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I arose early that day. The tea kettle was full so I just turned on the burner to heat it up for coffee. As usual I checked the temperature outside. I shivered when I looked, minus 40-degrees. The sky was bright blue, the trees were frosty and the snow was about a foot deep. I figured it must have gotten cold because the lake was grumbling all night. It made a lot of noise when the ice was getting thicker.

Coffee was ready so I poured a cup and sipped it slowly as I admired the beautiful artwork on my windows. Mother nature had etched the most intricate floral designs all over them. There was never two alike. I was treated to a different art show every morning in winter. If I watched closely I could see the design forming and I knew it was getting even colder. It was a day to put something in the oven.

I took out my cast iron dutch oven, diced up a bit of bacon and fried it until it was crispy. I added two medium thinly sliced onions and several cloves of minced garlic. While that was cooking I dredged short ribs in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. I browned them well on all sides. I poured another cup of coffee and continued admiring my windows. The short ribs were browned and it was time to add tomatoes and beef stock along with freshly grated nutmeg. It was almost ready for the oven.

I had canned tomatoes but my homemade stock supply was depleted. I would have to use water. I turned on the faucet. Nothing happened. I tried the faucet in the bathroom. Nothing happened. I was beginning not to like nature. At that moment I did not care about my pretty windows, I needed water. I could not thaw frozen pipes and I was not going to wait until my husband came home.

I looked in the refrigerator but all I found was orange juice and milk. I thought I could melt ice cubes. They were gone also. I had used all the water in the tea kettle for coffee. I was getting furious with nature. Then I remember seeing a few cans of beer in the refrigerator so I opened two of them and put them into my short ribs and into the oven they went. Those short ribs turned out to be the best I had ever made. My husband did not mind that he had no beer after work that day and I appreciated nature again.

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