The Rains Have Let Up

So we've been outside.
As the veggie garden is too much of a mud pit, I spent some time on my long-neglected flower beds. I normally tie up the daffodil leaves into knots, but this year am trying something different: shocks. I picked one leaf and pulled the rest together and tied them upright. Looks nifty so far, and it is probably easier on the plants than the knots were.

I am doing a non-traditional flower bed up by the mailbox. I just planted tobacco and corn to accompany the daisies and sunflowers. I got this hairbrained idea that there might be a market for organic cigars and/or pipe tobacco, so we are experimenting with tobacco. I didn't want it to take up space in my veggie garden, so am trying it elsewhere. Anyway, if some random reader out there recognizes what a fantastic idea this is, and comes out with organic cigars before I do, then I just ask that you send me a check for at least 50 bucks.

And this was what Finley was doing while I wasn't paying attention: picking plums. I suppose I ought to thank her. I hadn't thinned the plums out yet.

As I was transplanting some ipomopsis that always reseeds itself too close to the edge of the flowerbed, I found an orchard webweaver spider. It has this fantastic bright orange spot on its belly. Although the camera has a great all purpose lens that lets me get up close, sometimes it's not close enough for those really small things I'd like to photograph.

Finley Art

I love the fact that Finley prefers a blank sheet of paper to a coloring book. We have a stack of coloring books containing half-hearted scribbles that rarely get touched. On the other hand, we fly through copy paper like there is no tomorrow.

I must admit that sometimes I get frustrated because it seems like she is in a drawing contest, trying to color as many pictures as she can in a set amount of time. I also get a bit frustrated because, most of the time, she paints, well, nothing... Most of her 'works of art' have been blobs of color splotched on the paper in no particular fashion. If I ask her to draw, say, a tree, she usually refuses. I've never been a big fan of abstract art, but as I seem to have a budding abstract artist in the house, perhaps I need to become one.

Every once in a while, I look and see one that has a certain aesthetic appeal. She painted this one today. It is one of my favorites.


And when she does decide to paint in a more realistic style, well, this one I'm fond of because she painted us. And it has a sun.

As Requested

I was crocheting some hats for newborns a few weeks back. Finley wanted me to make her one, and I let her pick out the colors. As I didn't have a pattern for her size, it turned out a bit funky. I think she likes it that way...

Soggy Sunday

It's been raining and/or misting for three days now. I am sitting inside while the weeds stretch their roots deeper and their leaves higher.

Last night, Molly was kind enough to watch the kids for us while we went to see Prairie Home Companion. I tried to thank her via the greetings read during intermission, but apparently I wasn't sincere or witty enough.

We finally banished Zivah to the basement at night. I was tired of waking three to four times a night to her fussing. If it weren't for the monitor, we probably wouldn't hear her at all, but with the volume set low, she doesn't disturb me quite as much with her screeching cries. I think she's finally getting the clue, as I only heard a peep out of her at 4 this morning, and she quickly fell back asleep and didn't wake again until after 6:30. Yay.

We've been trying to unload some stuff, so I've been posting on Craigslist, but haven't have any takers yet.

So today, I decided to give it a go and try out my new batch of starter in a loaf of homemade sourdough bread:

I think we have a winner. I fed and put the leftover starter in the fridge. I am hoping I'll be able to maintain it in there, as I am not sure how often I'll be baking at this point...

Lee, this isn't quite the recipe you sent me, but it is similar. I think I misplaced yours in the very tall stack of paper on my filing cabinet, so instead of sifting through that mess, I found another one online that sounded like yours. Oh, and I haven't forgotten the bread baking crock thing... but I promise I'll try it soon!

Sourdough Starter Success

Finally...

Now I just need to bake some bread.