A Tale of Two Loaves

 

Being out of commission because of my back for the past few weeks left poor Betty in limbo in the fridge for a long time. When I took her out a few days ago she really struggled to get back to her old self. While I was nursing her along I tried a new technique. I made a stiff starter out of her. Instead of the usual feeding ratios I made a playdough like ball and left it overnight. I was shocked at how much it rose and how bubbly it was compared to poor weak original Betty.

The directions said to keep feeding this ball for three days or until the bottom of the jar is covered in bubbles. 

By then Betty had perked back up so I made two loaves using the different starters.

There didn't seem to be much difference in them at all to be honest. The stiff starter folks swear it makes a better tasting bread with a fluffier interior but I didn't get it.  What I did get was one heck of a terrible clean up job. That stiff starter needs sand blasting out of the jar. I would NEVER do this again unless I used a disposable paper cup.

I also did an experiment with my ovens. I made discard crackers in both my toaster oven and in my now functioning regular oven. The regular oven won hands down. I could get them evenly crisp without having to burn them. That's a big improvement and was a healthier choice for my late night viewing of SNL than my usual potato chips. 

Wednesday WIPs: Something Old, Something New

 

Since I couldn't do much of anything else last week I did end up doing a lot of knitting. I can do that in a comfortable position. In spite of all the time I put in, nothing looks very different except Old Chestnut. Here I've laid it on top of Bon Ami to see how much further I need to go. I did finish one more pattern repeat and am halfway through another. It looks like I still have about 8 inches to go before I can connect the shoulders though. 

The something new is the sock yarn from Miss Bab's that came in the mail yesterday. I think this skein is prettier than any of the ones I had in my hand at the MDSW so I'm glad I did the online thing instead of fighting the crowd. Now I've got to get the socks I already have on the needles off the needles so I can cast this beauty on. 

TNT: Nothing to See Here

 

There was no way that I was going to be able to sit and hunch over my stitching this week. It took me until Saturday not to be in tears just sitting. What I did do was buy something. I said I was looking for another vintage needlepoint kit and I found one I liked on eBay. 

When I first started Funky Flowers I hated that old, scratchy wool yarn but now I like working with it. It's wonky so I don't have to fret about being too perfect with my stitches because they are anything but perfect. 

I did accomplish one important thing this week. I had to de-hair my work stands. One holds my cross stitch projects and one holds my knitting. For some reason the cats use them to rub against so they are usually covered in hair. This week I cleaned them and then rubbed them down with my non-greasy Vick's back rub hoping the strong smell will keep the kitties away. I did see one of the darlings go up and take a sniff, make a face and walk away. I'm taking that as a good sign. 

My Woo Woo Garden

 

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day. I spent mine planting more trees. These four little Thuja Green Giant Arborvitaes showed up on Saturday afternoon. They don't officially count as part of the city mandated trees. We wanted these as a screen to block the mess the downed trees made in the woods behind us. They are supposed to grow fast and bushy and there was a BOGO sale going on so I jumped on it. 

As for my Woo Woo Garden, I was fascinated by a thread I saw on social media where someone was explaining that she saw a video with "someone's witchy grandma" who explained that if you take something from a family member's garden and plant it in yours it acts as a conduit to guide their spirit to you after they pass. I was very touched by all the comments from folks sharing their memories of departed loved ones and the things they have from them in their gardens. I started thinking about my own yard and realized I have a massive Woo Woo garden going on out there. I've got Mom's little hostas still in her bucket. They come up faithfully every year. 

The giant hostas that have taken over the whole yard came from my Grandmother's yard. I moved some to my old house and then here. We're talking 40 plus years since they left their original home in a grocery bag. 

My Mom's Siberian Iris are just starting to bloom. I brought home one little clump and they've spread out quite a bit but still have remained respectful of the other things in the bed. I like plants that do that.

One day she brought over a small Rose of Sharon she didn't want anymore and stuck it in the ground. It's huge now.  That pile of wood debris behind it is what we're trying to hide with the Thujas. 

Her daylilies were spectacular so I brought home a few clumps but without enough sun they never bloomed. It didn't stop them from spreading like crazy through the woods though. If they ever did bloom it would look like the woods were on fire. 

Finally, there is Dad's pot of Black Eyed Susans. I've tried putting them in the ground but they were never happy there. I put them back in the original pot that he had put them in and they come back happy and healthy every year. 

Although I do look very much like someone's witchy grandma, I don't know too much about the Woo Woo thing. I do like the thought of there being the spirits of loved ones out there dancing in the garden among all the green things. Someone has to keep all the garden fairies company, right?

Her Day

 

This is what I think of when I think of Mother's Day. I always bought my Mom one. 

Back in the day it was the height of chocolate sophistication. Even the boxes were fancy. Jordan Almonds. Molasses Chews. Chocolate Truffles. Those chocolate covered raspberry jelly things. So good.  They used to have foil wrapped pieces in them making the interior so pretty. They are not the same since Russell Stover took over the company and neither is Mother's Day without...

...her. I don't think you ever get over losing your mom. Today she's never going to be far from my thoughts. She would have been 90 on her last birthday which was a few weeks ago. I never got to see her grow old, I only got to see her get sick. If she's anywhere now, I hope she's over on Rainbow Bridge with all her critters. She never met a mangy mutt she didn't love.  

A Very Senior Moment

 

I cooked my rice cooker. I have a bad habit of using my glass stove top as extra counter space and had sat it on an unused back burner in anticipation of making some soup in it later in the day. 

I never made the soup but I did use a front burner to boil potatoes not thinking that the heat would radiate. It certainly did.  What a mess that was to clean off the glass. 

Friday Fluff: Fiber Frenzy

 

The days after the MDSW are usually filled with all kinds of fiber mischief because of all the inspiration I absorbed at the festival. This year, thanks to my back, I had to take all that energy and do nothing more than watch YouTube videos with it. Watching what other people bought has been the highlight of my day. My poor Ladybug is still waiting for me to get this plying finished so I can move on to better things. 

Speaking of better things, look what came in the mail yesterday. I didn't just order sock yarn after the festival, I ordered fiber. I wanted something bright. This will do. It's Merino in the Meh colorway from Ajem Fiber Arts. 

This rainbow gradient collection in the Opalite colorway jumped in the cart along with the braid. It's 6 ounces of Polwarth from the same company. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet but it's nice to have around. It's so soft.