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Sourdough

 I love sourdough bread and it is so much more healthy for you. I would eat bread all day long but.....

I found some at Sprouts that did not have all the extra garbage in it but I decided I needed to make my own.  Bought a book at Barnes and Noble, bought all the tools and finally last week decided it was time to just pick the day and get going.  I got my starter going and today was the day to bake that first loaf.  

I got everything out, mixed it all up, did the risings, kneadings and finally it was time to bake that first loaf.  Pulled it of the oven, pretty brown color, let it cool and it was not totally done in the middle.  It was a very dense loaf. It tasted good.  So I did what anyone else would do, throw the bread in the trash and hit the internet.  What did I do wrong.

Well the book I got did not have you discard daily for the starter (more later on my thoughts about discarding).  The book also only had you feeding 5 days instead of 7 or 8.  Ok.  Every morning there was a brown crust on top, I need a denser cloth on top, I made my own but I will make another one with a piece of batting in it.   It had bubbles and I could tell it was raising a bit.  It was elastic like it should be. I did have a Dutch oven, one I had never used, I think I had a really good coupon for it cos it is Crueset and they ain't cheap.

I had enough started left for a batch of pancakes so I made up that dough as well. Never make bread and pancakes at the same time, cos they both require sitting, kneading, rising, etc.  The pancakes were good, I did not put the sugar in them.  The taste was a very mild sour dough.  So they went in the freezer for those breakfasts where I want pancakes but don't want to make them.

Discarding: I dont get throwing away half the starter, seems a waste and why?  I need to do some further research on that.  However for people like me who cringe at the thought of wasting starter daily there are many recipes to use it, just pop it in the fridge, feed it once a week and use it is pancakes, waffles, cookies, scones, etc.  

I found a couple of websites that are much more detailed, have printed off the information and will start a new batch on Wednesday.  The book was very lacking in instruction. It was like a beginner knitter trying to figure out a fair isle sweater with very little instruction.  That book will go in my donation box.  

 

 

 

6 Years

 6 years ago my dad went home.  One is never prepared to lose a father.  It all started October 24th with that 1am phone call, your dad is headed to the ER, he fell.  Once they figured out what was going on he had broken his hip on the fall.  Finally got him to a room and surgery was scheduled for the next day.  Knowing that if he slept he would wake up not knowing where he was with the dementia so I spent the night.  During the night they found out he also had a bad UTI, they stuck the catheter in and he continued to pull it out.  We had to fight him all night and eventually ended up putting on boxing mitts on him. He grabbed the string and pulled one loose enough to get it off.  So on to plan b to see how to keep it on.  They finally gave him some meds to sleep.  Next afternoon it had subsided enough to do the surgery.  They put a rod in.  They put him in ICU to keep an eye on him as he still had to have the catheter in.  He never recovered and after 4 days they moved him to Hospice.  He never woke up they kept him morphined up.  I know he knows I was there cos sometimes I would say something and he would smile.  Those women were angels the way they took care of my dad.  Someone brought in sandwiches and cookies daily for the break room.  My dad would often say mom I want to come home, I knew he was talking to my grandmother.  I told him to go.  He finally did but he waited til I went home on the 3rd.  The morning of the 4th the phone rang and they told dad had finally made that trip home.  A couple of days before I saw the bluish purple in his ankles and there was the death rattle.  There is nothing more scary than that.  

I miss him some days more than others.  That hole in my heart can never be repaired until I head home and the reunion begins.  I love you dad and I miss you more than I can say.   

When It Rains It Pours

 I hope my vet has a great Christmas because I have provided the funds for one.  Last week Lila had her "spa" day, in my house we call it that so we don't say annual vet visit. I know they don't know but I do.  As I was driving there the vet tech called and said we just checked and Lila is younger than we start the teeth cleaning. Ok she still needs he annual visit so I drop her off and go get some coffee.  She had not eaten since 8pm the night before so she was good just in case.

Well the vet calls an hour later and says she has 4 teeth that needs to be removed.  Poor baby she is only 1 1/2 years old.  He said she will probably be one of those cats that loses all her teeth. Groucho did.  You never know what a feral may go through before you bring them in.  So she has stitches and is upset because her dry hairball food has been removed for 2 weeks to let her mouth heal.

Chunky is healing very well and went barrelling down the stairs yesterday so I would say he is good to go, let's hope so.

 Today is Cat Day so here are my babies:

BigBoy

 

Chunky Monkey

Grayson

Gizmo (Feral Chunky's Dad)

Licorice (Feral)

 

Lila Grey
 

 

FHO

 So Chunky Monkey had a crash yesterday morning, still not sure what happened because I can find no evidence of an accident.  However after a vet trip cos he was holding up his right back leg, he had to had femur surgery today.  He is a TNR cat (trap.neuter.release), one of the kittens from last summer.  Apparently they are finding when cats are fixed before at least 6 months their body is not fully developed and it can cause femur issues.  I know he was fixed around 3 months so.....Radiology showed nothing developing on the left femur, so lets hope it will be ok.  

I know the places that fix the ferals like to get them fixed as early as they can so we do not have even more feral cats, but is there some way to wait a bit longer. I wonder how many ferals have this issue and die from not being able to hunt and the pain.  

The vet showed me what he took out and it was the size of a half of a gumball.

I had to look it up to see what all was involved and:  FHO Femoral Head Ostectomy.  Involves removing the head and neck of the femur, creating a false joing from scar tissue and muscle to restore pain free mobility for conditions like hip fractures, sever arthritis, or hip luxation.   

He did walk up the stairs when he got home and immediately hid under the bed.  Last night he could not walk up the stairs. Hopefully this is fixed and he will be ok in a couple of weeks.   

 

Like Frozen Snow on Mittens

 I was opening the curtains and noticed the clouds this morning. I have never seen them look like this. My first thought was they look like a mattress, but when I posted it on FB, a friend said it looked like snow on mittens. It does, you know how the snow kind of freezes on the mittens.  

 

The peppers are going crazy, this is my haul this morning and they are very hot, they are supposed to be banana peppers, someone mixed up the tag on the plants.  The little one I guess did not want to grow and is turning red.  I have had them turn red in the freezer which is kind of weird.  I have enough of them and hatch peppers for many batches of chili/ pots of beans and soups this winter.

The tomato plants look very straggly but they are blooming and I pick a few every day.  Since they are cherry tomatoes they very rarely make it in the house cos there is nothing better than a warm fresh real tomato off the vine. 

Happy Halloween Month.

 

70

 I start a new decade today.  Where have all those years gone, the older I get the quicker they go by.  I have so much I want to do I best get busy.

I sit and think of all the things that have happened in my life.  Being born in the 50's there were so many things women could not do.  We could not attend a lot of colleges and depending on the degree you wanted you could not.  There were so many jobs we would not be hired for.  I had to have my dad co-sign for a house and car in the 70's.  I could not wear pants to school until I was a Senior (and they had to be slacks, NO blue jeans).  

I saw the first man walk on the moon.  We did not have cell phones, computers, no Kindle or I-Pad or any of those electronic devices. There was no cable TV, we had an antenna with 3 channels and TV went off the air from midnight to 6am.  TV was black and white.  We got our first color TV when I was in Junior High and my grandma came and bought it for us.  We did not have processed food growing up and therefore we did not have a lot of the diseases we do today.  

We had a Blue Law, nothing but emergency facilities were open on Sunday.  We got up and mom popped the roast in the oven before we left for church.  Sunday School and church and then home to eat that roast (which lasted for several meals during the week) (I really do not like pot roast now).  We did nothing on Sundays, maybe a nap, reading, and then back to church that evening.  Stores were not open on holidays, you could not go to the movies, etc. 

Doors were not locked, purses were left in the car when women went in the store, they took out the money they needed and it was still there intact when they got back to the car.  Families had one car because the mom did not work outside the home.  

As kids we played outside as much as we could.  When the streetlights came on we better be home or else we got a spanking. Yes we got spanked and I think we are the better for it.  None of this time out crap.  We rode bikes, roller skated, drank from the hose and had adventures that were beyond any book we could read or vacation we could go on.  

New Year's Eve there was a couple on the block who could not have kids and Peter Pan was on the TV every NYE.  They had all the kids over for snacks and the movie in case our parents wanted to go out.  It was so much fun.  I never had a babysitter.  

We had a telephone that was hung on the wall.  We had party lines, you carefully picked up the phone to see if one of the parties that shared your line was on.  Sometimes you had to wait a while to make your call. Also long distance cost extra, but it was cheaper on weekends and after 7pm.   

 I feel sorry for kids today they are not taught to think for themselves, grow their brain, build an imagination that they could do anything, etc.  We were never bored there was too much outside to play in.  

These are some of the parts of my childhood I wish we could back to.  Life was simple but it was good.  I plan on making this decade a good one because I do not have too many left.   

 

Orb and the Pepper Tree

 This morning I wake up and Orb has 2 webs, he was very busy overnight.  One has food the other is attached to the bird feeder, I hope the birds don't destroy it before he undoes it.  The webs are beautiful.  Not sure what the gobs of stuff are unless he stopped and still spewed silk.  And where does all that silk reside in his small body.  Nature is just amazing.

My pepper plant continues to bloom and produce. I think it thinks it is a tree.

 

The Flag

 I have finally finished the flag.  I will take it in next week to be quilted and then home to finish the binding and hang it.  I am glad it is done. While I loved the project and it was a huge challenge, I loved every minute of it.  Would I make it again, yep I would, but not right now.

 I found some red poppy fabric in my stash that will be the back of it.  In the lower right there is a red piece with a heartbeat and initials.  The initial are to honor my dad who spanned the end of WWII and into the Korean War.  The heartbeat is for my niece who works in the medical field.  I wanted it to somehow encompass the 2 most important people in my life into it.  I would imagine there is around 150 pieces in it and about that many hours.  

There is a border around the flag in a light cream with gold shapes and black dots.  It is very subtle so as not to overpower the flag.  You can not really see it but it does finish the edges and make it easy to finish.  

 I am not real happy with the flag pole but at this point I do not know what to do with it, so I will just leave it. 

Isn't this what retirement is for?

 

Jesus Died at 33

 

Jesus died at 33. The human spine has 33 vertebrae. The same structure that holds us up is the same number of years He held this Earth.

We have 12 ribs on each side. 12 disciples. 12 tribes of Israel. God built His design into our bones. He wrote Heaven into our anatomy.

The vagus nerve runs from your brain to your heart and gut. It calms storms inside the body. It looks just like a cross. That’s the power source running through us. Every time your body heals, every time your heart slows in prayer, every time peace shows up when it shouldn’t…that’s Him.

Jesus rose on the third day. Science tells us that when you fast for 3 days, your body starts regenerating. Old cells die. New ones are born. Healing begins. Your body literally resurrects itself. That’s not coincidence. That’s design.

And it keeps going.

Your heart has an electrical rhythm. Your brain lights up when you pray. Tears contain different chemicals depending on if you're crying from joy or grief. The blood speaks. The bones store memory. The body worships whether you realize it or not.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are walking prophecy. Walking tabernacles. Dust and divinity in one.

God didn’t just create you. He carved Himself into you.

You don’t need to look far to find Him. You just need to look inward. He’s been in the design since the beginning.

Orb Weavers

Last night I looked out to see if my feral had come up for one last feeding before dark.  I noticed a small spider building a web from my gutter to the bird feeder stand.  I pulled up a chair and watched it go back and forth and up and down.  It was too dark to see the web but I knew what was happening.

This morning I got up and looked to see if the web was built and there were various bugs suspended in air, caught in the web.  About 3 hours later when it was daylight I went out to get some picture and nothing was left but the one thread connecting the gutter and bird feeder stand.  

So of course I had to some research and found out Orb Weavers do this.  What a lot of work to build a beautiful web only to tear it down just to catch food.  I am anxious to see if it happens again tonight.

 I did wake up the other morning to find a connector thread in my kitchen from one cabinet to the ceiling light. I never saw a web built though.  Maybe there were not enough bugs in the kitchen to trap which for me is a good thing.

 Nature never ceases to amaze me.  They are a pretty little spider.  I always name all mine Charlotte. So I hope Charlotte number ????? stays around.  

 

The Flag

 So the flag is done but for adding the background and having it quilted.  The quilt shop will quilt it in a wavy pattern like the flag is waving.  I have to say this really stretched me and if I ever did it again there are so many things I would do differently. Mostly get a flat light board to better draw all those pieces.  I am happy with it, well not real thrilled with the flag pole but I got a less busy piece of fabric hoping the flag shines over it.  I am using red poppies for the back.  

My biggest problem is where to hang it. I have 24 windows which does not lend to me having a lot of wall space and my living room with 2 large walls is painted terra cotta orange. However I am going to hang it in the living room cos it needs to be seen.

So here is my progress so far.

 

 

Garden, Caterpillar and BigBoy

 I finally found a caterpillar this week, it was just kind of hanging on the milkweed, so I scooped it up and brought it in with a milkweed leaf.  You can see the black spot by its back and in the morning it was all black.  Finally I have a caterpillar and something got to it.  It is buried under the Red Bud tree.

 Not sure what BigBoy was doing. He often sits like that on the couch, cats are funny.

The Banana Pepper plant is going crazy and there are some that will be ready to pick in a few days, it has tons of blooms.

I had my first and second and third cherry tomato this week and both plants are loaded.

I love the purple petunias, they look like velvet.

 The safflower is blooming under the bird feeders,  It drops and grows, and there are thorns like crazy around the flower part.

The plants I brought from inside are doing great.

The deer must have been up the other night and helped themselves to my Sunflowers.  This plant jsut showed up, must have been the squirrels carried it there.   

 

Dear Joann's

 I have received your email twice now telling me about Michael's picking up a lot of the things you used to sell.  And oh look a 50% off coupon on ONE thing regular price.  Did you get a look at the exclusions, there are more things excluded than there are in the store. Michael's started doing this with their coupons eons ago and it never got me in the store. I think I was last in one pre-COVID.  Their prices are more expensive, their sales aren't that great when you consider the regular price and they tend to have more framing and silk flowers than anything else.  

I can not imagine buying fabric and yarn online when I can not see or touch it.  Yes I have bought yarn online but only from a store I was very familiar with their products.  

I want to know if Michael's is going to offer the Big Twist yarn at the same price and have the same sales Joann's did.  Probably not.  

I will stick with Hobby Lobby even though they now sell bedding, really why?  If you are a craft store stick with the crafts, I can buy the other stuff cheaper somewhere else.  

Good thing my basement (aka my craft room) is well stocked, so perhaps I will use up what I have and forgo the online shopping.

 

Happy 100th

 Yesterday I attended a birthday at church of our oldest member.  Vernon was 100.  I have never been to a 100th party before.  His whole family was there but his wife. She has passed a few years ago and it was just him and his cat.   Half our church was there as well.  The night before one of the news channels did a little item about him and when I was talking to him a reporter was taking notes, she had pages.

Vernon has had an amazing life so far.  He was part of the team that drew the map for the state of Alaska from an airplane when it became a state.  He retired from the military and went on to teach school and be a scout leader.  His kids are all military as well as some grandkids.

I would often sit him at Fellowship after church, it was as if my dad was still alive.  He has not been doing well lately and has not been to church for a while but yesterday he was as sharp as ever and having the time of his life.

People like him need to be celebrated before they are all gone.  I asked him if he thought he would ever live this long and he said his first goal was 75, then to see the turn of the century and next year he was going to start all over again and turn 1.   

Happy Birthday Vernon, you definitely need to be celebrated.  Thanks for sharing your life with our little church, we are blessed to have you as a member.   

Garden

 The garden is really pretty right now, plenty of rain, could use some sun and everything is vibrant and growing like the weeds.  I have tomatoes like crazy and the pepper is growing fast and has blooms.  I love this time of year when it is all pretty and green.  And there is a ton of catnip this year too.

 

 

I Must Have Fallen and Hit My Head

 I took a collage class at a local quilt shop (The Fabric Chic).  Well actually I took it 3 times before the light bulb came on.  I admit this is my new addiction.  You take a picture and re-create it from fabric and other embellishments.  It is not for the faint of heart but it is fun. My Rooster took me 50 hours and it just needs to be framed now.

I have a list of Laura Heinle patterns I want to make.  I was at my monthly work day there and was going to work on the zinnia.  I found a charm pack in my stash and thought how pretty would this be, batiks of blue, aqua, purple, yellow, and pinks.  Well I started to lay them out and it was just not working, and my brain was not in the mood to deal with it.

So I went to the shop and none of the fabric jumped out at me.  Ok Oh look the flag pattern is in, on my list of to makes.  I got it and started picking out fabric to get me going for the day.  As I was having fabric cut the employee said you know there will be a class for this, wait what?  Ok sign me up not ready yet.  Ok I will be watching for it.  3 days later I was the first to sign up.  I got home and opened up the pattern and went to my stash to get more fabric.  

After realizing there was a class and not wanting to start the flag, I had noticed this very pretty red/white/blue quilt and thought why not do a red/white/blue zinnia for the 4th, so I found enough fabric to do that. I got all my pieces cut out and now I need to sit down and put the pieces together.

Holy Crap what did I do?  Can I do this.  Of course I can cos after all I made the Alice Starmore Water Lily sweater.  There are about 100 pieces of fabric melded together and pencils to do some shading and words and stars and flowers overlaid and it is a 2 1/2 day class.  As you can see each stripe is several small pieces of fabric. 

I have been collecting supplies and this is not going to be a cheap class, I may need a part time summer job to pay for it.  

I need a challenge and something to settle my mind right now and this will be it, may take all summer but the hard part will be finding a place to put in my house, after all it needs its own wall.

 

Iron District

 I finally got to the Iron District. They have a sourdough bakery.  They used to have classes, will keep checking to see if they offer them again. I got the regular sourdough loaf and the flavor of the day was Parmesan/Black pepper.  The flavor of the day would make great grilled cheese sandwiches.  I just slathered mine with butter.

The Iron District is a group of small container cars.  Each decorated differently.  Most are eating places with a jewelry store and clothing store.  It sits on a corner of a long block with empty cars to add more places.  There are picnic tables in the middle.  Unfortunately they do not open til 11 so I had to go downtown to the art supply store and hit it first as I need supplies for my Flag collage (more on this in another post).

 https://irondistrictnkc.com/north-kansas-city-iron-district-about

It has some food that I have no idea what it is but it all smelled good. DId I mention there is an ice cream place, a place that serves wine and snacks, burgers, a bar, etc.  If you are even in town check it out in NKC.  And then go to The Rabbit Hole, the museum about children's books.

Spring Garden

 Well it is Mothers day so we can plant now, even though we have had snow on Mothers Day before.  Some of these come back every year so I have no control over them.

I did plant some zinnia, calendula, and other flower seeds today.

I love these purple violets in the yard, just a splash of color. I also have white ones and clover and of course those yellow flowers.

Catnip anyone, the cats are happy and Licorice will spending a lot of time out there enjoying his garden.

These are pots I wintered inside, 2 geraniums, vinca and xmas cactus

My meadow sage (purple) comes back every year, the swallowtail love it, but it only blooms once.   There is a tomato in the back that has blooms on it and my milkweed is about to bloom by the sage. 

The whiskey barrel has a tomato plant blooming and in the top of the picture is my salvia.  

Lets see what they look like come August.
 

Riverdance

 I saw Riverdance last night.  WOW is all I can say.  The talent, the endurance, and I could go on and on.  I have heard of it but thought it would be boring so I never went.  Boy was I wrong.  From the first step to the last I was like a kid in the candy store.  I was 4 rows back and the expressions on the face, the grace of the dancers, they made it look so easy.

If you ever get a chance to see it, do so.  Even if you have to watch it on TV or online.  

I can not imagine the hours of preparation, the harm to the body to do all that stomping (yes it was very loud).  And the people playing the music, the violinist was over the top.  

As I sat there watching them all younger than 40 was my guess and maybe even 30, I had to wonder what they do when their time is over in this career.  I also wondered how many times they had a brain fart and forgot for a split second what they were to do next. the musicians had no sheet music.  

It was truly impressive.

 Go see it when it comes to your city.

Jackie Robinson

 You all know I am a Dodgers fan.  Born in LA what else would I be.  Today I received my Jackie doll.  He will go on my Dodgers Tree.  I love him.  Thanks much Trisha.

 

So Sad

 I wrote a few days ago about the Kitten Lady who tried to save the 5 black kittens whose mom was anesthetized to get spayed.  How much work went into saving them.  Well unfortunately 2 of the babies did not make it.  However the remaining 3 will be up for adoption in 3 weeks.  As my dad said we can't save them all.  I know how true that is by losing 3 of the 5 Lila had.  If she had been inside it would be a different story but we all know best laid plans.....

RIP little ones, you can run free now.   

Happy First Birthday

 

Grayson and Chunky Monkey turn 1 today.  Happy Birthday Boys.  Where did the year go?

Labyrinth

 I have become fascinated with Labyrinths ever since I was asked to make some finger ones for the congregation.  This morning I visited the one closest to me and I have to say I was disappointed.  We were going to visit it in a couple of weeks for Sunday School but it is not going to work.

As you can see it is not very big and there is only one way in and then back out.  It is too narrow for all of us to walk it, the concrete bricks are wavy in texture, and towards the middle the path is so short I kind of got dizzy rounding all those square corners.  You walk in to the middle and then walk back out the same path.  

  I did get some nice pictures and had a chat with a Robin and garter snake.