We got a mixed mess of weather

a dripping, freezing birdbath

Photo by J. Harrington

The temperature is now in the high teens. The local world looks pretty but doesn't work very well. The township road is ice-coated. The drive is ice-encrusted. Birds and squirrels are mobbing the feeders, which are covered in snow frozen in place. Acorns and other forage is going to be difficult for critters to get at until or unless the ice melts. And, by the way, as an example that humans aren't immune! The rain we got yesterday caused the heated birdbath to overflow. The bath is located just above the screen door to our downstairs screened porch. That screen door is how we usually let the dogs out into the back yard. Overflowing birdbath+temperatures well below freezing+locational issues=screen door frozen in place. We spent some time chipping and scraping and now have salt tablets melting ice at the door jamb. The dogs were completely confused about why we wouldn't let them out as usual. Come on January thaw!?

this bread looks delicious

Photo by J. Harrington

On the other hand, while pursuing a more open (large holes) crumb in our artisan sourdough bread, we may have stumbled into some sort of an answer to how to have our boules come out lighter brown. We won't know for sure if the alternative baking process is the answer, or the change in how the dough was made and bread developed. Perhaps it was the part about putting the shaped dough in the refrigerator for an hour before it went into the oven. If we don't end up losing what little is left of our mind, we'll have lots of fun trying to sort this out. In a very different context, we first came across the saying "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." Now we're applying the inverse of that to our bread baking since we are looking for different results, we can't just keep doing the same thing. Stay tuned.

Bleak Weather

By Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Dear love, where the red lillies blossomed and grew,

The white snows are falling;

And all through the wood, where I wandered with you,

The loud winds are calling;

And the robin that piped to us tune upon tune,

Neath the elm—you remember,

Over tree-top and mountain has followed the June,

And left us—December.

Has left, like a friend that is true in the sun,

And false in the shadows.

He has found new delights, in the land where he's gone,

Greener woodlands and meadows.

What care we? let him go! let the snow shroud the lea,

Let it drift on the heather!

We can sing through it all; I have you—you have me,

And we’ll laugh at the weather.

The old year may die, and a new one be born

That is bleaker and colder;

But it cannot dismay us; we dare it—we scorn,

For love makes us bolder.

Ah Robin! sing loud on the far-distant lea,

Thou friend in fair weather;

But here is a song sung, that’s fuller of glee,

By two warm hearts together.

********************************************
Thanks for visiting. Come again when you can.
Please be kind to each other while you can.