Sticky Lemon Buns

I'm on vacation from work this week -- it was sort of the "booby prize week", since my co-workers got their dates on the calendar before me.  But did I get the best March week ever?  The weather is unbelievable.  I totally feel like I've gone away somewhere instead of just staying at home for a week.

But I digress.  A couple of weeks ago my friend Susan found this recipe at The Kitchn Blog.  She forwarded to me and I decided that vacation was a good time to experiment with sticky lemon buns!  So last night I made the dough, and the sugary-lemony filling, rolling them up tight, slicing into buns and leaving them in the refrigerator overnight.

This morning I pulled the pan out to warm up and have a bit of a rise.  Then into the oven for half an hour.  I opted out of the cream cheese frosting and chose a simple powdered sugar and lemon juice glaze -- why gild the lily?!  And now I can report...

They're delicious!  And especially when eaten with a strong cup of coffee in the 60-degree-outdoors-March-morning!

Missing Oskar

 

I'm missing Oskar.

The weather has turned lovely and warm.  If Oskar were here, he would have spent all day in the yard, overseeing all activity, occasionally turning his big, black nose to the sky to inhale the smells of spring.

Ulani would be in and out, taking her lead from Oskar while outdoors.  They might run to the fence to bark at something in the brush.  She might follow Oskar to the street side of the fence to run with a passing pickup truck.  But she would lose interest and come back indoors.  

Oskar would stay outside.

This afternoon I looked at photos of the Briards at the Crufts dog show in England.  Some of them appeared to have soft, shiny coats, more like Afghans than Briards.  Briards are meant to have a "goat coat," coarse enough to keep itself untangled, with some waves.  Certainly not straight.

Oskar had a great coat.

Don't get me wrong.  I love Ulani.  But her personality is very different from Oskar's.  Where she is loving, cuddly, in my face, Oskar was independent.  He kept more to himself.  In that way, a cuddle from Oskar was a rare gift.

And today I'm missing Oskar.

Nap time

Dear Barnard has settled in to our weekend routine.  In the past couple of days she's grown quite bold, walking into the bedroom when Ulani and Luke are on the bed, defending her place on the recliner when Luke wants that seat, screaming at the top of her lungs if Luke walks under the dining table.

She's home!

Look how she uses Ulani's fur to warm her own feet!  Barnard was on the couch first, and Ulani had to squish herself into the available space.  This cat was not scooting over!

We're all adjusting to having a kitten around.

Well, two of us are.

Morning has Broken, 14

A quiet Sunday morning, watching Mr. Cardinal woo Miss Cardinal.