Fall Pictures

Well, I took a walk today down to check a stock tank, and grabbed the camera as an afterthought on my way out the door. Here are some of the results...

...it was a misty, moisty morning (er, afternoon), and cloudy was the weather...

Cato may be photogenic, but he's hard to photograph... he won't stop moving!

The flowers are brown, but still photo worthy, I think... can you see anything in that photo on the left besides plants? I didn't notice anything else while taking the picture, but when I looked at the big version I was surprised to see the winged visitor on the plant. Not all the flowers are giving up, though... some, encouraged by the recent rain, are still bravely blooming! I think that this one with the red berries is my favorite, though. Enjoy! :-)

Marcy and Lizzy

A nice fall day... you can see the beginnings of our fall colors behind the girls.

Sourdough bread!

Yesterday at church a friend gave me a jar of sourdough starter, and today I made my first loaf of sourdough bread. I served it at dinner, and had to ration it carefully (next time I'll double the recipe!) so I guess they were telling the truth when they said they liked it. I do want to experiment and get a more distinctive sourdough flavor- this batch was fairly mild.

Does anyone have any good recipes (for bread, or anything sourdough!) to point me to, or advice on how to keep my starter alive? This is all pretty new and exciting for me... as I told my mom, this is like science in school, only much more interesting, and tasty too! :-)

There is no mundane

"The whole world is remarkable. Said with appropriate qualifications, the universe is a miracle. This is not because the universe is a violation of natural law (how could that be?) but rather because the whole universe is nothing but sheer, unadulterated gift or grace. God overflows, and He overflows infinitely into the created order. There is no such thing as the mundane."
-Pastor Douglas Wilson, here.

A shower fell in the night...

"A shower fell in the night and now dark clouds drift across the sky, occasionally sprinkling a fine film of rain. I stand under an apple tree in blossom and I breathe..."

~from Freedom to Breathe, by Aleksandre Solzhenitsyn

It isn't spring, so the apple trees aren't in blossom... but the rain is lovely anyway! We had some close thunder this morning, and clouds all day. :-)

Cato

Serious... and playful! :-)

Wires Crossed

One of my younger siblings (identity concealed to prevent this post from embarrassing him at some later date, such as his early teens in about six years) was talking about a cow this week, and made the emphatic statement,

"She was standing pot still."

This bewildered me for a moment. Then I got it... she was standing stock still. Not toooooo far off... pot, stock pot, stock... something like that. ;-)

Was is das?

Junk Drawer

You know how some posts are like the junk drawer, with rubber bands and paper clips and metal doohickeys and picture hanging gizmos and drill bits and sticky notes? This one is like that. (You've been warned.)
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Last weekend I went to Iowa for a birthday dance. That was fun, especially meeting Hannah and seeing Sarah again (links on sidebar). It was also nice to take a road trip, particularly with such good companions!. The fields and fields and fields and fields and fields of corn were a bit odd, though. Late at night, after Oreos, the conversation turned (okay, so maybe I brought it up) to the possibility of genetically modified corn attacking the car. I thought with the addition of, oh, moose genes, f'r instance, they would charge, but someone had to dash my theories by saying they probably had fish genes instead. Which is, of course, still bad, like all GMOs, but not as intimidating sounding- or as funny- when driving through the 21,000th corn field late at night.
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I got a new dog. His name is Cato. He comes, sits, and generally tries to please. His paws are huge and he eats all the food he can get. Pictures are forthcoming.
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Dad blogged about Custer and Crazyhorse. The Eddie Arnold CD he mentions in his post has been a lot of fun to listen to. Fortunately, Marcy doesn't appear bothered by listening to songs about red-eyed cows and ghost riders in the sky.
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I'm painting our bathroom. The soundtrack includes Gillian Welch, Norah Jones, and The Call.
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I've been on a Hank the Cowdog reading spree. Laughing until your sides hurt at the Head of Ranch Security is good for you.
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"Twinings has been blending my family tea for years. Today, I am proud to continue this tradition with the tea celebrated throughout the world known as Twinings Earl Grey. Legend has it, that my ancestor, the second Earl Grey, was presented with this exquisite recipe by an envoy on his return from China.
(signed) The sixth Earl Grey"
(from the back of my tea bag wrapper.)

Here we have proof not only that Twinings makes great teas, but also that even Earls are not immune to excessive comma usage. To my mind, that should read "Legend has it that my ancestor, the second Earl Grey, was presented...."- however, either way, I am really enjoying the tea.
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That's all, folks.

Cheese!

Yesterday my mother and I made cheese for the first time. We made Mozzarella, and the first batch turned out so well that we made two more right then! Mom made pizza for dinner with our mozzarella last night, and we had grilled cheese sandwiches with it today for lunch. It tasted delicious! I think we're hooked. :-)

Luther Quote

"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess."
- Martin Luther

HT: A Cognizant Discourse, here

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