There are several things sure to warm your heart: puppies, fresh bread, good friends, cheesecake and an old book read beside a cozy fireplace. This past weekend, I enjoyed them all—and more!

Puppy Love

This frisky, three-month old Saint Bernard/Akita puppy added a lot of cuteness to the weekend. City dogs love the farm, though Grace’s new puppy, Elwood, was a bit suspicious of the horses. Elwood may be young, but she’s got some size already and a tail with enough swish to clear a coffee table. 

Loafin’ Around

A meal with friends can take the chill off the briskest day. If it includes home-baked bread, all the better. Nothing is quite like the smell and texture of a loaf fresh from the oven. Yes, Robin has got this sourdough thingy down pat. With little effort, she turned out two loaves of rustic bread, a type that might have been eaten in the 125-year-old house original to the property. Bread tastes even better when we use the outdoor cob oven (a.k.a. the pizza oven), but the weather, especially the wind, was a bit brisk for outdoor cooking.

Bake a Memory

There’s so much to say about this cheesecake. For now, I’ll only say that it’s a splendid addition to a meal and deserves a page of its own. More on this melt-in-your-mouth dessert in a later post.

Creative Guess Work

After dinner we played Dixit, a board game, that incorporates picture cards and the creative use of words and symbols. I came in 2^nd, which shows it’s more a game of chance than skill. When I was a kid my family played Pitch, but I can’t find anyone today who plays the old card game or even remembers the rules.

Put Another Log on the Fire

Saturday evening, as the wind howled and the trees bent, we relaxed around the fireplace, its flames leaping and crackling like wild dancers before settling to soft flickers. The dried wood had a faint fragrance, just enough to remind you it wasn’t an electric log.

Thought for the Day: “If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it.”