Rainy Days n Tuesday

 Remember the song by the Carpenters "Rainy days and Mondays?

Well, the mood doesn't really fit my day because I'm not down nor wear a frown but 

it is a beeeautiful, cold rainy day!  Brrr rabbit cold!  In the 40's!  Some of you may 

be snickerin... and I know I've turned into a pansy but I'm sure my tomatoes are flat out shivering. 

I wish I wouldn't  have said tomatoes.  

I mean... it's supposed to rain all week and my garden is mud and ... 

weeds.  Grass is growing up in all the rows and it is going to take a heap 

of work to turn things around.  I'm trying to put it outta my  head.  Nothin 

I can do about it now unless weeding in the rain is an option and ...think

I'll just pass on that.  Chores are all done, and laundry is going so I've been catching up on 

bible study and reading.  

Last night I finished 1 maccabees and it was hard reading for me.  

I dunno... although I read it completely, not too much was retained.   So now I'm in 2 Macca and planning how to also go about studying the saints.  I'm starting with St Fiacre.  He was a Catholic priest, abbot, (I had to look up abbot coz I didn't know what that was) - he was a hermit and gardener.  I already love him!!!!  I think I need a statue of him in my garden.  

 I've  added my goodreads shelf on this sidebar and ask if you are a member,  ... or have any recommendations to please add me to your friends list there.  I have very very few friends on goodreads; it's practically sad! Hardly any of my  friends read anything like I do.  One of you followers  once shared with me about Henri Nouwen awhile back when I was struggling with an advent study.  Anyways... your encouragement really helped...  Thankyou!  

 Right now, I have three new books coming from Amazon! 

One is Microshifts, and another called: Stories of the Saints, and last... Getting Started With Latin.  Someone out there probably choked a little reading the last one.  Even Myguy did when I told him the title.  A look of almost horror?  I believe he actually gasped.  Oh well... yes Latin!  I don't know how it's going to go but... it has really good reviews... and I want to learn some Latin.   It's really beautiful to hear read outloud I think.  Maybe I should check out audiobooks on that?  Yall can just laugh..  I'll be out driving the tractor and lawn mower learning some Latin  :)   

Change of subject... 

As I did my lessons, WOODY entertained me. 

This is one of the many charms of staying at home: birdwatching! 

Today I've had many visitors.  Cowbirds, cardinals, jays, rosy finches, a painted bunting and indigo bunting, grosbeak, and others that I don't know what they are yet.  

 My cellphone is not doing a very good job through the window so 

I finally grabbed my other camera.  I hope I can get some better photos today.  

I love watching them... but they aren't as fond of me.  Someone ought to tell them 

just who feeds them?  

 Not going to the store as much has left me out of bread and "my" milk.  I really dislike

going to the store these days.  

Myguy and I don't exactly eat the same.  I drink fatfree milk, he drinks full fat everything!  lol 

We are like that with most things.  He's chocolate... I'm vanilla.  

 I did dip into his full fat milk for my coffee though.  

And since we are out of bread,... decided it was time to make some.  

  

If any of you are bread bakers ... I double dawg dare you to just try  this recipe.  

Oven 350

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/2 cups unbleached flour

2 cups water

1 egg (I use 2 because my hens are bantys) 

1/4 cup safflower oil

1/2 cup honey

2 Big heapin tablespoons molasses 

1 Tablespoon yeast

dash salt 

Butter bread round bowls or loaf pan whatever you have 

Let rise 45 minutes and bake 35 minutes

Take out and slather tops with butter... REAL butter .. full fat... don't put any of that artificial stuff on there!

 There are not good clear directions on the recipe card so thought I'd share how I do it..

works for me anyways.  

I put the two cups of very warm water in a fruit jar and add all of the honey - the whole

half cup and stir it... then add the yeast and give it a quick stir. 

Then don't get busy doing something else too long or 

she'll try to climb right  out of the jar.  

I add  all the rest of the ingredients in my mixing bowl and then pour this sweet yeasty water in and 

combine it.  I'll just warn you straight up that this is not near enough flour.  Because what comes out is this: 

 Super sticky dough.  I put a lot of flour down first... the unbleached

and then 

 add whole wheat flour to start working it into a nice 

 big doughball.  

From there I grab a serrated knife and make a cross dividing it into four.  

Then I pop them into the buttered doughbowls and cover with a towel to rise.

Here a chick there a chick everywhere a chick chick... 

(That's a mamas day present from my lil chicklet Blakelea )

35 minutes later they come out of the oven like this.  

Wish you could smell it!  

While things had to sit in bowls and rise, I finished a little sketch for 

a journal card... This will go in my traveler's notebook to document 

life in public wearing a mask.  It's really weird to be out and about and see everyone 

in masks isn't it?  It's like another world.  As I sat at my table, waiting for paint 

splatters to dry, I happened to look up at the bookshelf. 

 This is where I keep some treasures.  

 Found myself staring at this one... Out of doors in the holyland.  

I might have shared it here long ago but for some reason I never read it 

Picking it up felt like opening a present... 

I don't know why I never read it through? 

Maybe the timing is just "now." 

Funny how a book written in 1908 can feel so 

timely for an olde gal in 2020.  

For such a time as this?  

I sign off to eat my slab of fresh peanut butter TOAST with 

bananas on top.  

Have a wonderful day! 

Lea   <*))))><