1 1/2 cups quick oatmeal

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cups milk

2 tbsp baking powder

2 eggs

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp melted butter

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

In large batter bowl mix dry ingredients. Mix milk, eggs, butter and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients until just blended (do not beat). Spoon 1/4 cup batter onto hot, greased griddle and fry until dry on top. Flip and brown second side. Serve with butter and real maple syrup.

Makes 16 pancakes.

Hint: To test griddle for readiness, with finger flick a drop of water onto griddle. When water dances, the griddle is ready for pancakes.

—from Marie Colburn, The Soap Lady's mother,
who got it from a friend, who got it from a friend.

July 2007

Hello!

As summer reaches its mid-season my garden is growing. This year I have a very small garden patch, since our nest is empty leaving only Jim and me at home on the farm. I planted my garden in late May, a raised bed for the first time after thirty-some years of having a rather large garden in the lower half of our yard. Jim and I spent a lovely Sunday afternoon building a wooden frame together and filled it with rich, composted soil. Within minutes after I finished planting my seeds our twenty-two free range laying hens came to investigate, rearranging things with their busy little chicken feet. I had to find chicken wire (handily stored in one of our sheds) and build a hasty fence around the garden to keep them out.

This past month my sisters Cate, Marbella (pronounced MarBAYa), my mother, and I spent three days alone together in northern Wisconsin at a lovely cottage belonging to one of my nieces. The occasion was to celebrate my mother's seventieth birthday. As my sisters like to say, she was queen for the day (for three days!). For the better part of two days we did marathon rummage sale shopping as well as perusing antique shops in the area. It's always a hoot to see what deals we can find.

Mom's favorite purchases included some delightful little handmade iron reindeer shaped candle sticks, a small South American carved wooden shelf, a set of pastel glass mugs and lots of books (and because she was "queen for a day" we all chipped to pay for her purchases!). Cate's favorites included a liberty blue wooden TV cabinet, some cute little tiny antique Coca-Cola bottles (just two inches tall, made of glass and filled with real Coke!), a dresser (only $2.00!) and several lamps for her home. Marbella's favorites included a red boiled wool tote bag, a tiny pink straw hat (which she will wear in her hair over a bun to her next Red Hatter's meeting) and a 1960's beaded curtain for a doorway. Mine were an old electric tabletop washing machine and an antique 15-gallon tin cream can (in which I will store oats for my oatmeal soap).

We spent our evenings playing a version of dominoes known as Mexican Train, played with a set of double-twelve dominoes. Each game, with four players, took about two hours to play. Mom won two out of three games, with Marbella winning the third. Cate and I came in last each time.

On Sunday, our last day together, we all chipped in to do a bit of housekeeping in the cottage. We washed the bedsheets and towels we used, cleaned the bathroom and kitchen, disposed of our garbage and packed up for the drive home. We shared breakfast (the Oatmeal Walnut Pancakes featured in this newsletter, along with fresh fruit) on the deck outside the kitchen door. After breakfast, while we waited for the laundry to dry, we had a last game of dominoes. All in all we had a great time together, the first time we have done anything like it since we girls left home after marriage.

—A letter from one of you

"I've been buying your soaps for almost 20 years and they are great. Not only are they long lasting, the scent is very refreshing. As a teenager I developed eczema and the soaps on the market made my eczema worse. I've been to many dermatologists and the medication helped somewhat, but not really healing the problem. Stronger medication discolored my skin. At that time, I had an aunt who used to live in Wisconsin and she saw your story on your daughter and told me about it. That's how I started buying your soap. Throughout the years, I've been referring my friends to your website for their children and everyone loves your soap.

Thank you!"

— E. Chan, NY

To prevent ear infections, mix 1 part each distilled water, vinegar and rubbing alcohol. Each time ears get wet (swimming, showering, bathing) dry ears with a towel, then put a few drops of mixture into ear canal. No more ear infections!

Jim has begun to replace the roof (a second time) on our main barn, built in 1903. Twenty-six years ago he and friends used asphalt shingles with white on a green field to spell out our name ZAHN. For twenty-six years our barn roof has been a landmark for many ("out past the barn with ZAHN in the roof"). Jim is on the left, son Rudy on the right. It's the end of an era.

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Back issues of Something New! from January 1996 to the present are available for purchase at $1 each, postage paid, or 1 full year for $3. Simply write in which issues you desire on your order form (found at center of catalogue) and enclose payment. Mail to The Soap Lady at the address below.

The Soap Lady
W6378 Highway 26
Juneau, Wisconsin 53039

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