Vacation & Aeration Narration

My vacation continued through Tuesday but I didn't get a whole lot done those last several days, and I didn't feel one bit guilty.  I did get the windows washed and some of the tree trimmed, and I'm sure other small things, but mostly I sat, put my feet up, and relaxed.  It was very nice.

Tuesday morning I had the lawn aerated for the first time since we got the house.  I probably should have done it sooner for the sake of the front lawn.  I discussed with the workers the new terrace and patched areas in front, and so those did not get plugged but did get overseeded and fertilized.  They were unable to get some of the side of the house and the little strip of grass between our front yard and neighbor Dave's, so I will have to do that manually, probably in the fall by this point.  Also, they advised against raking up the plugs and to just let them break down naturally.

Now I have to water the whole lawn lightly for 21 days for the seeds to germinate.  After that, water less frequently but for longer to soak in and get to the roots.  Ideally, I should have an awesome lawn by the end of summer, but realistically it's going to take a lot of work and multiple years, I think.

The back yard is still really nice and mostly lush but for an area or two that needed attention, but the front is sparse and filled with weeds.   The city seeded the terrace and patches in front, and their "grass" seed is at least 50% other-than-grass seed.  I've been trying to knock down the weeds with a spot treatment as it will be some time now until I can treat the whole lawn, when the new grass is more established.

Is that more than you wanted to know about our lawn?  Well, if you're up for more yard updates with big pictures I'll see you after the break.

Vacation Projects, Baking, Street Reconstruction #19 and More

I've been busy this past week, resting and recreating takes a lot of time and effort.  I'm on my first real vacation in a year since being new at a job and other than having Covid when I was on vacation last September.  As usual, a staycation to take care of little projects and other things without the interruptions of work.  So far I've gotten a few things done and we've had nice weather, for the most part.  There's a lot to say so I may jump around a bit, and I'll likely add a break due to the length once I add pictures.

Vacation Start

I started this vacation by going to my Mom's on Saturday.  We got a few little things done for her, but it was more about spending the time, I think.  I was just there a few weeks ago, but an overnight visit allows for more time and relaxation while catching up on what's going on in her life.  I got back to town mid-day Sunday and I don't think I did much the rest of the day.

Lots more after the break!

Sunflowers, Take 3

Two years ago I tried to grow sunflowers from seeds bought online.  Out of 50 seeds planted directly into the ground I got just one good plant.  A ten foot tall mammoth grey stripe sunflower.  Most of the seeds were sniffed out and eaten by one or another neighborhood critter, but I collected the seeds from that one, 10-foot sunflower and planted many again last year.  

Same problem, the seeds got dug up and eaten by some critter even though I caged the areas.  Even the ones that managed to grow got bitten off eventually.  No sunflowers last year.

So this year I decided to start them inside rather than sow directly.  Using 24 toilet paper tubes, a plastic bag, a cardboard box and some dirt, I used the same seeds from that first 10-foot tall sunflower and surprisingly, to me anyway, all 24 seeds sprouted.

I was unsure of how much I should let them grow before I planted them.  I didn't want to hinder their taproot, and I said I should research further but I didn't.  We started planting when they got close to or as tall as the cardboard tube they were planted in.  They've grown at different rates, though, so we planted them a couple times over the last week.  So far it seems to be working out well.

I have them planted in clusters since they need to be caged for protection.  There are two in front, near the base of the shepherd's hook holding the bird feeder.  The thought was that the shepherd's hook could be support, if needed, and the birds could do whatever and maybe feast upon seeds later in the summer.

In the back, there are two clusters of three seedlings planted in that same corner that we got the original sunflower, by the house and porch behind the steps.  Three more on the other side of the steps, shown here with the gnome.  Two clusters of three in the tree stump area along the fence, and two at the back corner of the garage by the gardens, also shown here.  And today I planted two more in a big pot that I placed by the garage.

That's 21 seedlings planted so far, and every one of them is looking really good, still.  

That leaves 3 seedlings.

They're getting there, but definitely a bit behind the others.  Thankfully, though, this gives me a bit of time to figure out what to do with them.  I just don't know where I could really fit 3 more sunflowers, and I already bought a big pot to fit a couple more in around here. (And we'll see how they even grow, in a pot.)

But I had the thought to take them to work.  I can take a cage in and let a group help me plant them in the back yard by the fence, in case support is needed again, and hopefully we can watch them grow big and tall over the summer.  

They can get a lot of joy out of simple things like that, and that's a good lesson for me.

Spring Plant & Yardwork Day

On Sunday, Kate and I finally rolled up our sleeves and got some work done in our small yard and gardens.  She was determined to try tomatoes again so we got some cages to attempt to save them from the squirrels.  And we're just waiting for better eyes to form on the potatoes until we try planting them.  Some plants for pots and various other yardwork rounded out the day.

First, the gardens, clockwise from top left:  Parsley plants on either end with rows of green onion, lettuce and radish seeds in between.  To the right is two cherry tomato plants in some inexpensive cages from Amazin'.  They have tops, a zipper door on one side, and are staked and have a couple pieces of wood on the flaps on either side for more support.  Still, I may be looking to weigh them down better come windy weather.  Below that are the raspberries, now with the fencing removed.  To the left of that are a jalapeno and bell pepper plants with the space between intended for potatoes.  We tossed in a fresh bag of mulch in between and that was it for the gardens that day.

This is going to get long, so I'll put the rest after the break.  See you there!

Homemade Pizza

I got a wild thought last week to make my own mozzarella cheese.  I either looked up or saw a video in my feed that I watched, and it just seemed so simple.  So, yesterday morning, I made cheese for the first time.

And so few ingredients are involved:  Whole milk, vinegar and salt.  I also bought cheesecloth from Amazin', but that's it.  Heat a gallon of milk to 115-120ºF, turn off the burner and add about 3/4 cup vinegar.  Stir lightly for a minute or so, then move off the burner, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.

Then I scooped out the curds into cheesecloth in a sieve, finishing by pouring it all through to get all the curds.  This took 3 or 4 steps due to the size of the containers, and as the whey filled up I poured it back into the milk jug.

Using the cheesecloth, I twisted it tight and squeezed more whey out, as much as I could.  When it stopped streaming I opened the cheesecloth and broke apart the clump of curd, basically turning the inside parts to the outside before twisting the cheesecloth tight again and squeezing out more whey.

After a few minutes of this I put the cheese in a bowl and microwaved it for 20-30 seconds, folding it with a spatula for it to release more whey, stretch and come together.  I repeated this step a few times, adding about a teaspoon of salt along the way, until the cheese was getting smooth and melty.  At this point I put on gloves and kneaded the cheese in my hands like bread dough, forming it into a ball.  Once satisfied, I returned it to the cheese cloth, twisted it tight and put it into a bowl so it would retain a rounded shape and placed it in the refrigerator.  I should probably have used plastic wrap now, but came back and did that a couple hours later.

Later that day, we sliced it for a taste, then had it on a fully homemade pizza.  Homemade pizza dough, homemade pizza sauce, and now homemade mozzarella cheese.

The cheese was good for a first try, but I know I can do better.  I may have squeezed out too much whey and not kneaded or stretched it enough before chilling, and it didn't seem salty enough.  Then, to top it off, the pizza could have used a couple more minutes in the oven.  I will certainly be trying this again soon, but maybe only using a half gallon as that should be enough cheese for a pizza.

This was a first attempt taking information from a couple of ToYoube videos.  I will certainly be looking at more and am open to any suggestions.  Have you ever made cheese?

Easter This-And-Thats

I haven't really been in a writing mood recently.  I managed to post about the pavilion, but there are a few other topics I've been meaning to mention so time to sit, type and see what happens.

• Today is Easter, but this doesn't mean much to us.  I had a paid holiday for Good Friday and my wife and I may venture out later today, as we tend to do on Sundays, but will have to check ahead to see what's open.  I was going to go down to my Mom's yesterday as my sister and her kids are there this weekend, but things to do and I've been real sick of driving lately so I stayed home.

• My wife was laid off from her job this past week.  She found out about it 2 months ago, so had to endure all that time knowing, but meanwhile her anniversary came and went so she got all her time off back which will be paid out, and a severance package as well.  Another bad decision by a terrible company that keeps losing contracts, but it was her career.  She does not plan to look for a new job until her dad dies, and we're in a good enough position she can do that.

• 
  Also this past week we had to take Basil to the vet twice.  He'd lost weight, had a UTI and we already know he gets crystals real bad.  He'd also stumbled at times, and started withdrawing from us and eating less.  He got an antibiotic shot, a pain shot, and was already on medicine for hyperthyroidism but that dose got doubled.  It's taken several days but he does appear to be acting normal and feeling much better now, thankfully.  And today both the cats turn 13 years old.

• We recently bought two new computers, a laptop for my wife since she had to turn in the one she was using and a desktop tower for me because of the display driver issue this one has, plus it often shuts itself off.  Never while I'm using it, but while it's in sleep mode, and it seems to be happening more.  Both are made by Lenovo, a new brand to us but great reviews so we just went for it.  I'm going to have to take my wife's in for help getting it out of S-mode - Microsoft's new security that goes overboard in trying to save you from yourself.  I just hooked up the desktop and got that going briefly, and thankfully I don't have it on this one.  I did hook the old computer back up because I have some work to do before making the switch.

• 
  I've taken a few weekends off from baking recently, but I did make a cheesy garlic bread yesterday that I saw in a ToYoube video.  It just looked so good, so I made it and it was, but it made a mess of the oven.  I used a frozen bread dough loaf so it was quicker and easier for me, but this is one of those recipes that was fun to try but I may never make it again.

We still may get out this afternoon, but it is raining now and the day seems destined for rest and relaxation indoors.  I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter weekend.

Thai Pavilion at Olbrich

I had the occasion for work to be at Olbrich Gardens recently.  Our group was among a couple dozen people waiting for the doors to open promptly at 10:00 a.m.  The morning was overcast and windy, but warming so a light jacket was good for walking the garden's paths.  

It's early yet so only the early spring flowers were blooming, and still no leaves on the trees, but soon.  When it came in sight, shining through the trees, I steered our group over the bridge to see it.  Somehow, and taking random paths to find ourselves there, we were the first to cross the bridge over Starkweather Creek and approach the Thai Pavilion so, with no people in the way for the moment, I made time to take some pictures.

The pavilion is an impressive sight in person, very detailed and shiny.  The stone has a glare, but reads:  "This extraordinary Thai Sala, the only one of its kind in North America, was gifted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and City of Madison by the Thai Chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association in 2001."

When I consider it more deeply I see the glaring affluence much more than the practicality, but it's one of only four outside of Thailand so another shiny object for Madison and the university to boast about.  Still, it is pretty spectacular and would look even better in the summer sunlight.  You can learn more about it here.

I was here last year but the pavilion was covered, closed and enclosed for renovations all season.  I thought I posted some pictures from that visit but I can't find that I did.  But you can see the the Bolz Conservatory at Olbrich in this post from 2018.

I'll put a few more pictures after the break, including a picture of the map for the curious.  I'm not sure I ever followed the map there, just wandered through, normally.

First Fire and Bat Shit

I had my first fire pit of the season on Friday night.  I was out there early, well before dark, as I didn't want to be out there very late.

It was a nice evening, cool but not cold, and the winds were light.  I got all the little stick litter burned up that had accumulated in the fire pit since last fall.  

The lilac that I had to remove for the fence installation last spring got cut into smaller pieces to burn, but is a bit wet yet.  

And I forgot about a pile of sticks from neighbor Jane's small trees that were hanging over our driveway by the garage.  I'll have to get those next time.

The moon was a day away from being full, and nice to see the last two solar lights, which I left out all winter, continue to be working well.

I was happily surprised to see bat shit under the bat house on the back of the garage.  And happier to realize that it was indeed guano and not bird shit as they've tried to build a nest on top of the bat house in years past.  I did not see any bats in it that night or the next day when I took these pictures, but I will be checking.  

After several years with just a rare visitor or two, I'm very pleased the bat house is getting used.

Spring Plants And Flatbread Fun

When I got home Friday afternoon I found myself surprised that I saw plants starting to come up.  It's been a relatively mild winter and we've had mostly above average temperatures recently.  But it is still March and I guess I still expect freezing temperatures and at least one more snowstorm.  We do have days forecast with low temps below freezing and high temps above, but I've put away some winter clothes already.

That same day, Friday, I found the first crocus to sprout in our yard, in the bed along the dark side of the house.  After taking this photo I went to the back yard where we get scores every spring and I couldn't yet find one.  It's still March, though.

March Madness.

I've been watching a lot of basketball recently.  My Wisconsin Badgers have been on a run in the B1G tournament and will play in the championship game tomorrow afternoon.  Hopefully a great win and a good seed in the NCAA tournament, to be announce tomorrow evening.  Go Badgers!  

On a side note, Cuba City won the division 4 girls state high school championship this afternoon, coached by my cousin.  Congratulations, Cubans!

Before the games today I did a lot of housework and made some of my flatbread, which has become a staple in this household.  Now, flatbread and pita are two very similar recipes but different cooking methods.  My flatbread is dry fried in a hot pan on the stove, and pita is baked at high temperature on a baking stone.  The last few of my flatbreads today did wonderful pita impressions, though, so I grabbed my camera.

After the break are photos of that last flatbread-posing-as-pita, and that batch.

Focaccia March Note

Boy, this focaccia bread is super good.  It came out of the oven about noon today and is already gone.

I might make a couple batches of cheese pennies this afternoon, or I may not.  I feel kind of lazy.

Well, February came and went pretty quick.  Since the last post we fell into a deep freeze then came out of it with spring-like temperatures for a few days.  No more snow, but a bit of rain and all the snow on the ground is melted now.  Anything can happen in March, any year, but there's not much in the immediate forecast right now.

And yes, I'm aware of everything political that's happened and is happening now.  If you read regularly then you'll know how I feel, but it's all so obscene I'm just disassociating a bit right now.

My thoughts are slowly turning to spring chores, but I did notice yesterday that there was twine wrapped up in the snowblower.  I'll have to take a sharp blade to it and clear it soon in case the snowblower is needed again.  The twine is from getting too close to the hay mats they used to cover the grass seed out front after the street reconstruction.  My wife already mentioned getting wildflower seeds for the stump area and I'm starting to figure out what kind of sunflower to try this year.  And the more I look at the cable going to the pole across the street the more I want to cut it off the house.  If we ever needed that coaxial cable again it would need to be replaced anyway due to the kinks from being held up so long (for the street reconstruction).  Yes, lots of outside chores coming up, but it's mostly an enjoyable process.

Until then, we'll probably just be riding out the last of this winter season.  What are you looking forward to doing this spring?

New Dishwasher

A week ago our dishwasher died, the pump stopped working.  This one lasted almost exactly 7 years, and the one prior lasted only 5 years, but we run it almost every day and sometimes twice a day when I'm baking.  I got online and researched dishwashers and determined the one I wanted, and matching the range and refrigerator was a factor.  Not the most expensive one available, but certainly not the cheapest.  The first place I went did not have the one I wanted in stock and said it would be 1-3 weeks, but really he didn't know.  Not exactly a vote of confidence, so I said I'd have to get back to him and left.  Before I even left that parking lot I was on my phone looking for the next place to shop.  I found a place, they had it in stock and it could be delivered and installed on Saturday.  All in all, it cost about the same as the last dishwasher, about a grand.  But this process couldn't have gone smoother and this retailer will be my first stop next time I need a large appliance.

I took yesterday and today off from work, so got some more baking done.  I made another round of the new baguette recipe, a batch of flatbread, and pan pizza dough over the weekend.  And yesterday I tried the recipe again for hamburger/hot dog buns.  The first time I tried the buns came out flat.  This time the hot dog buns turned out better but the hamburger buns were still flat.  I've come to the conclusion that the recipe calls for less dough than needed for the buns I want, so I'll have to adjust next time, if there is a next time.  I'm not crazy about this recipe so I may look for another recipe for buns.

The pan pizza dough is awesome.  It doesn't make much, but plenty for dinner for two people.  My wife likes it, too, and it's easy to make so looks like this is another recipe that will get made more often around here.

Other than that, I won 200 bucks on the Super Bowl.  Came close to winning more, but I can't complain.  Overall, I feel I came out about even for the season with this win.  Much better than last year, but it's all in fun, anyway.  And we got a couple dustings of snow recently, but tomorrow looks like it will snow all day and we're expected to get 3-6 inches, total.  That would be our biggest snowstorm of the season so far.  We need it as it's been mostly dry all winter, but I hope mother nature doesn't try to catch up too much this late in the season.

Recent Baking

King Arthur's 2025 Recipe of the Year

For the second weekend in a row I made King Arthur's 2025 recipe of the year, a big and bubbly Focaccia bread.  I made a Focaccia bread recipe a couple months ago from their Big Book Of Bread, and it was good but ultimately forgettable compared to this one (though I did only make it once).  This recipe is so good the bread was gone on the same day I made it last weekend.  The big bubbles and the moist crumb with all that olive oil baked in - oh so delicious!  Yesterday's bread would have been eaten up, too, but my wife wanted to see what it was like the next day so we somehow saved a bit overnight.  It's still very good today but just a tad drier, maybe better if I was to use it for a sandwich, but I wouldn't feel guilty just eating it plain and it only lasts a day again.  This is certainly one that I will continue to bake.

Pizza sauce and last week's Focaccia.

I also made pizza dough and pizza sauce last weekend, so we have that ready for meals during the week.  We've been wanting to try a pan pizza recently.  I tried with the dough I make now but it's obviously meant for a thinner crust and didn't turn out great.  So then I found KA's 2020 recipe of the year, a crispy cheesy pan pizza crust that sounds promising.  I may make that this afternoon as it can stay in the fridge up to 72 hours so we can have it for dinner Monday or Tuesday.

We still have a couple wheat baguettes in the freezer for now.  We've been using them for baguette pizzas, tuna melts, and garlic bread recently.  Next weekend will be time to make that new baguette recipe again, also from KA's BBoB.  It's been several weeks since I last made it so I look forward to that.

Also yesterday, I made a new (for me) hamburger/hot dog bun recipe.  This is one type of bread I've dragged my feet on a bit, but if I can get a good one down then we won't have to buy from the store anymore.  This recipe felt a little more ambitious for me, especially since it lacked a video or pictures to help the process, but I found it very manageable to make.  Still, adding flour "until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl" seemed subjective to me.  I was a bit unsure how much they meant.  Also, I flattened them a bit before baking as the recipe called for, but a bit too much it appeared as the buns came out of the oven flatter than I wanted.  Still, a promising recipe that I will try again soon with some modifications and hopefully improve my technique.  

Sometimes making a recipe for the first time doesn't come out perfect, but the experience will hopefully ensure a better result each consecutive time it's made.  I still enjoy the journey.

January This-And-Thats

Well, time to break the seal with the first new post of 2025.  The holidays have come and gone, and we've settled back into daily life here.  I don't have any big news or anything like that, and I haven't done one of these posts in a while, so time to start typing and see what spills out onto the page.

• 
  I've been baking quite a bit again recently, though still only on the weekends.  Most recently I made cinnamon rolls again, though this recipe is a bit of a cheat as I used the frozen bread dough.  Still, they turned out very well and were a nice, sweet treat with whipped cream cheese frosting.  I also made another batch of flatbread yesterday, and for the first time in a while I made the classic baguette recipe that I used to make all the time.  Also yesterday, I tried a new whole wheat baguette recipe that I modified a bit from a ToYoube video.  While it tastes good, I did not get the rise from them that I should have so wound up with skinny baguettes.  I believe the water was too warm, though I waited for it to cool some it evidently was not long enough and likely killed some of the yeast.  I should know better by now, but I'll make a few tweaks and try this recipe again soon.
• 
  We had Kate's van in for new tires last week, so another hefty bill.  Thankfully the brakes are still good for some time so we didn't have those done.  Now, my light just came on in my car so I'll have to get it in for an oil change soon.  Always something...
• Sometime during the last week the last of the pumpkins on the stump were fully consumed.  Though we've had cold, we've not had a whole lot of snow here yet (*knock wood) so they haven't been buried much.  I'm fine with not much snow, but come spring we'll miss the water if we continue like this.  I sometimes feel bad for putting our veg compost in the bin rather than leaving it out for the critters, but we do not need to attract more animals to our yard.
• 
  The latest project update for our street reconstruction just tells us that trees will be planted in spring, and they still plan on going ahead with the bike/pedestrian bridge over the creek, scheduled for summer this year.  I still believe it is a waste of our taxpayer dollars as there is a bridge 2 blocks north and 2 blocks south of the site.  This current city administration has plowed ahead with unpopular projects and I highly doubt will win re-election.  But I still can't fathom how our voters approved the city to raise our property taxes above state-mandated limits - and with no end date!
• Last month we replaced the suet feeder with a double suet feeder for winter, though we seem to get less birds now.  Perhaps they migrated or just have different habits for winter.  But we have been getting more woodpeckers visiting, which is kind of neat.  I'd also consider a hummingbird feeder next spring as I know they're around and nice to watch.
• 
  I bought my wife a birthday present recently, for a week from today.  I couldn't get it through Amazin' because she would see the notifications, so I went through another popular online retailer.  It was pretty expensive and the box is oddly shaped, so I never figured it would be delivered in its original box, but it was.  And my wife retrieved it, when delivered, so she knows what it is now.  But she said she didn't look closely and does not want it early.  She expects it on her birthday, and wrapped, so that's what she'll get.  I was kind of proud of the gift and I hope she truly likes it.  Maybe I'll share what it is after next week.
• Playoff football is upon us.  Ohio State and Notre Dame will battle next week for the college championship, and the NFL playoffs began this week.  My beloved Packers will be playing the Eagles this afternoon and I'll be watching the game closely and cheering on my team.  Go Packers!
• The day after my wife's birthday is inauguration day.  He's already distracting from false promises he made while campaigning ($2 gas, cheaper groceries, no taxes on overtime, etc.), the things that made many people vote for him.  Why they think these rich, white men care about them is beyond me.  Oh, well, what's done is done.  The circus is about to begin.

I started typing this morning and my wife and I went out for a bit this afternoon.  A rare weekend day that she didn't have to go over to her dad's.  She had the kitchen this morning for cooking otherwise I would probably be trying that whole wheat baguette again.  But I baked pretty much all day yesterday (though a lot was rise time), and was pretty tired last night so good to take today off.

Have a great week, everyone.

Baking/Cooking Weekend

Two batches of baguettes yesterday.

Flatbread made today.

A fresh batch of pizza sauce made.

And not made today, but homemade pizza dough fresh from the freezer to thaw and rise for dinner.

What did you do this weekend?

Street Reconstruction Part 17 & More

Yesterday they installed two No Parking signs near the top of our street and the next one over.  Today they installed more down both streets, but spaced further apart.  There is a sign two houses up and two houses down from us, which makes me happy we don't have one on our terrace to mow around.  So rather than take a picture of one of the signs in front of a neighbor's house, here is a stock photo of what they look like.

I'm thinking all that is left is for the extra poles to be removed and trees planted in spring, but they may surprise me with something I didn't think of again.  Happily, it appears people are heeding the signs and only parking on the other side since I'm not sure how many neighbors looked into the work to be done as I did and knew about this change.  And while I'm happy parking is on the other side, that means I'll have to back out a bit more carefully on this narrower street since we're pretty much guaranteed to have a car across the street now, and it may be my wife's at times.

When I got home from my Mom's on Thanksgiving Day I caught this fat squirrel eating from the frozen pumpkins on the stoop, picture taken from the car.  Well, they lasted out front for about a month and a half, through Halloween and Thanksgiving, so it was time to put them in back and let them decompose or be eaten.  

I've had trouble with my display driver on this computer so haven't used the trail cams lately as reviewing all that video does bad things, but you can still see the squirrels eat up our pumpkin from a couple years ago here.  Question:  Does anyone know if you can download a new display driver?  I haven't found anything when I looked, so I fear I may need to get a new computer to fix the issue.  And yes, the driver is fully updated.

I placed the pumpkins on the rotting stump in back, near the frozen bird bath.  (We've been below the freezing point for several days now, though we might manage to get just above tomorrow so we can get some rain that can then freeze for us.  Wonderful.)  Whatever the squirrels leave of the pumpkins can help nourish the wildflower seeds we plan to spread on the stump again next year.

After the break is just some recent baking, if interested.

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend 2024

Happy Thanksgiving weekend, everyone.  A much needed 4 days off from work here.

I wasn't feeling the best yesterday, but I traveled down to my Mom's house.  I wasn't sure if I was getting sick or not so I wore a mask the whole time and cut my visit short, leaving shortly after my sister and nephew got there early afternoon.  

My wife made a traditional Thanksgiving spread with a large turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce and dinner rolls.  Kate then took some to her dad, but they wound up going to their family gathering.  She's been his caretaker for many years now, and he just gets more difficult as he gets older.  Anyway, there's plenty of leftovers for us to eat, plus she'll make up some freezer meals for her dad.

There's a dusting of snow on the ground and it will be cold, but there are some outside chores I could do.  And we'll see if I have a fire pit tonight or tomorrow, but otherwise the time will be spent inside.  There's a lot of football on the next few days, but otherwise I have some inside chores to do, maybe some baking, and lots of relaxing.  Cheers!

Street Reconstruction Part 16 & Miscellaneous

 It's late, but I wanted to share the latest update, however small.  Yesterday, temporary no parking signs showed up all along our side of the street.  Apparently to give the regular street sign installers more time?  Who knows.

Fall Cleanup, Fire & Baking

It's shameful how I've been neglecting the fire pit this year, but fall is here so I think it will be easier to get out there more now that it gets dark so much earlier.  Saturday night had ideal conditions so I was determined to relax by the fire while watching the first half of the Badger football game.

Earlier in the day I spent some time cleaning up the back yard; mulching leaves, cleaning up the gardens and flowerbeds, put the compost soil in the gardens and get the bin ready to receive on the right side while giving a good turn to the left.  I have a couple buckets of yard waste to get to the dump, just a bit of sod, and some woody stems and dead raspberry branches from the gardens.  Technically it all could go in with the compost but I always end up pulling out a few chunks and sticks and tossing them into the other side of the bin so they have another year to break down, and the less of that the better.

There's not a whole lot else to do outside before winter arrives.  I still have to clean out the gutters, though our windy weather has me hoping that will be a, um, breeze.  And I still have to make sure the snow blower starts and move some things from the garage to the basement.  Other than that, just keep on top of mulching the leaves, is all.

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I haven't written about baking much recently, though I have kept it up very regularly.  I fell into a good routine with my baguette and flatbread, and there's usually cheese pennies available in the freezer to make a tray when we feel like it.  On October 22, King Arthur's Big Book of Bread was released, and I received it from Amazin'.  The first part of the book covers the basics of breadmaking, then there are over 125 different, detailed recipes.  Around the same time I bought a rectangular stone for baking bread on.  We have a round one for making pizza (also with my excellent homemade dough and sauce!) but wanted better for making bread.

So far I'd only tried their Yeasted Baguette recipe, and I liked it but I used a combination of the methods in the recipe and what I'd done before.  They turned out great, but I wanted to more closely follow and practice the book to learn.  Mainly the differences were wet handling/proofing with oil spray or now dry handling/proofing with flour and a couche (which I had done some of before), and using the peel and stone for baking rather than the baguette tray.

Anyway, I got ambitious Sunday.  I had a grocery order to pick up too, but I wanted to make baguette, at least two batches of cheese pennies, and try the Pita Bread recipe from the book and also using the stone.  My first try for pita, and it was interesting to see it puff up so much in the oven.  I thought they would collapse as they cooled, but I had to flatten them before storing them in the freezer.  That's right, we've not even tried them yet.  I think we're going to have homemade gyros on Wednesday, which is why I made them.  At that time we can decide if my flatbread would be best for gyros or not.  Making either is a similar process.

Everything got done in about 6 hours total, ending around 3 in the afternoon, and my legs were tired from standing.  The Packer game started shortly after so I was able to put my feet up and watch the game.  I'm glad I got done as much as I did, but I don't think I'll try to do quite as much in one day again.  I do look forward to trying other recipes from the book, but I have no idea what the next one will be yet.

Street Reconstruction Part 11, More

It appears we're ready to have a new street installed very soon.  There's not been a whole lot of activity lately other than grading and compacting the gravel.  They didn't work at all over the weekend, so maybe Monday.

I've not had many fires this year, and I've kept short the few I've had.  It was either too hot, too windy, or I was just too tired on weekend evenings.  Now, with cooler weather and an earlier sunset I may get out there more.  I did get out there for a bit on Friday evening.  It was nice, but I did build it up and let it burn down in just a few hours rather than spend all night.

And Basil got a visit from a neighbor cat.  People aren't supposed to let their cats out here in the city but many do, even despite the construction and large machinery going back and forth all day.

On my way to pick up groceries this morning I noticed an odd sound as I arrived.  I didn't see anything outside the car so kept the radio off and paid close attention on the drive home and I heard horrendous noises coming from the car.  I'm not sure what's going on, but first thing in the morning I'll have to try and get it into the shop.  I can use my wife's van sometimes, but I need my car.