Break

I think this is the longest break from work I have taken in years... Off a half day on the 22nd, back to work on the 3rd and only a half day in the office in between. Sheer freakin' bliss.

On the 28th I made cheese with my neighbor. She had The Cheese Kit. I had done this with the food crafting girls a while back, but since it was a while ago, it was like starting all over. Except that I also tried some cheddar. You inoculate the slightly warmed milk the night before with some yogurt or buttermilk and let it sit at room temp. By morning it was certainly thicker than regular milk. I walked it over to the neighbors as we were doing this in her fabulous kitchen. Then you add the rennet and let the milk sit for an hour. Which we did. Only we used my rennet which had apparently lost its kick. So the first 30 minutes nothing happened. We added new rennet and 60 minutes later we had a lovely curd - lesson learned, keep your rennet in the freezer. (We were doing other things along the way, making mozzarella, drinking tea and eating home made toast). The curds were cut into tiny squares, then stirred gently for 15 minutes while the whole thing was held between 90-100 degrees. The whey was drained off, and the curds were put into a clean cloth fitted into a clean tomato can with both ends cut out. I then took this home and placed one of the can ends on the top of the cheese which was on top of my cooling rack. On top of the can I put a smaller can (tuna, full and unopened) and and a couple of fat cookbooks (the Joy, and 1000 Chinese Recipes). We pressed it overnight on the counter and then wrapped it in fresh cloth and stuck it in the fridge where it will hang for a week or two until it forms a rind (which appears to be happening) then I am supposed to put cheese wax on it. But I will probably eat it instead.

We went to dinner at our other neighbors house. Cold roast beef, roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts and Christmas pudding with hard sauce. Yum.

I went shopping with Cho to the new fabric store. All I could do was think that those lovely upholstery fabrics would look great in the garden pavilion. Or the goat barn.

I walked to the Tea House with my chummy and had a pot of tea.

I made goat stew from the Frugal Gourmet. I messed with the recipe.

I made no knead bread. And messed with the recipe (adding 1/2 cup oatmeal and a bit of wheat germ to tone down all the whiteness) and had success.

I got a comment on my blog from the MENews people regarding my dissing of the garden planner. I was corrected.

I moved heavy things.

I saw an owl fly through our backyard.

We worked on the garden pavilion and goat barn plans. We made a model of the goat barn in cardboard.

See how much fun I am when I don't work? Someone should buy me out so I can be a stay-at-home homesteader and blog about it.

Nadda

Remember that wool I was dying? Me neither, until I went on the back porch and remembered it has been out there. It is definitely getting darker, but not the deep chocolate brown I was looking for. I exchanged the walnuts for some new ones in hopes of deepening the color. Luckily I had put a whole bunch aside in the event that my friend wanted them, but since she didn't, I just popped the lid on the crate and dug in. The squirrels have been making pretty short work of the ones out there. I was watching them today scrabbling around for them. Then getting distracted and chasing each other all over the place. I couldn't blame them. It is pretty much what I did all day - eat and run around in circles....

No quiche made. Went to the local bagel shop with the family, went to work for a while to get set up for the impending interview season, came home and shuffled around a lot, shopped for small jars for honey and other jars for dry goods for the pantry. Selected frames of honey to process, processed one frame. Went to a friends for snacks and chatter. Came home and read about bees. It is way too early for bed, so I feel obligated to stay up even though my eyelids are drooping...

Oof.

Do you ever have moments when you feel like the world has caught up to you. No more bobbing and weaving. No more happy go lucky. Everything is due today. Or yesterday. The stuff you knew about and procrastinated on and the stuff that you didn't know about and is a huge emergency. All due. Today. Or yesterday. And. You. Are. Screwed.

Ever have that happen?

This is my week. And it is only Tuesday. I am afraid to look at my email.

This is the price I pay for a nice week off with the SB. Who is now gone. Back to Maryland to work on the lighting project with H & D. I can only imagine the debauchery.

But while the SB was home, he rearranged our yard. He moves shrubbery like most people move furniture. But maybe more often.

I can't wait for more warm weather to get back out and put flowers in. We have hundreds, nay thousands, of black-eyed Susans that reseed like crazy. They always come up in the vegetable garden and I hate to throw them out, but there is a limit on how many of this things one can use. Did I mention the birds love the seeds? Do you want some? Just holler. There are.... well let's just say that I have enough to share.

I am frothing to start seeds. I did get my leek seeds, so I may start those this weekend. I am hoping the deer and groundhogs mistake them for those yard onions and leave them alone. Hope springs eternal.

Count me in

So, here I am. I used to be here where most excellent bro was recreating the wheel for fun and profit (see his first post - or thereabouts). Thanks for the good times. But now I won't have to hassle you guys to post my photos. Besides, everyone is doing it. Check out cho-girl and starrhillgirl.

As usual, my weekend list of things to do is so long that I can hardly look at it. It includes things like "buy milk" and "paint the house" - you see wherein lies (lays?) the problem. A girl could be completely overwhelmed by that tiny piece of the list. And that doesn't include some of the more interesting endeavors... or even the appealing ones.... Like removing the graffiti from the historic stone train underpass (a process I am going to be edu-ma-cated about - on the job training - it has something to do with a "poultice") and having my foot henna-ed. Things that MUST happen in the next three days for various and sundry reasons. Add to that the MOWING of the LAWN, by which I mean a portion of the lawn that has probably not been mowed for most of the summer. At least the weather should be nice - which makes it both better and worse. Who wants to work when the weather is beautiful? Who wants to work when the weather is bad? You see wherein lies (lays?) the problem.