Posts from the ‘Me and the House’ category

This ‘n that: catching up

I have been working hard… VERY hard! With some tight deadlines and a decision to shift gears to a different set of tools (read old dog must learn new tricks – again!!), the work days have been somewhat intense. Not longer hours, although here and there a long day followed by short day – just days that required the brain to be firing on all 8 cylinders. So spending more time dealing with photos and writing, just wasn’t how I chose to spend my down time.

But, I missed it (blogging) and I know that I enjoy being able to look back and see what was happening: what was the weather like, what were Bear and Auggie up to, what was going on at the house and in the yard? Riveting, I know :) !!

So, in no particular order, except mostly by order of photos taken: catching up…

Skunk round 1.

At this point, I didn’t know it was a skunk, but one morning … in an area that I knew was a mouse entry-exit as well as home to a wasp colony … there was a new excavation with a hole about the size of a large tin can. I blocked the area daytime to keep Auggie out because I felt sure that seeing the hole, he would enter and I didn’t know if something had taken up residence or ??? Plus, the wasps.

I uncovered at night so as to not trap any nocturnal being under the house.

More later…

Auggie and Bear post Labor Day Weekend.

Labor Day weekend – it did not go as planned. I planned on taking the Friday before off and had a daytime excursion planned with Bear as company. Thursday afternoon, I started feeling not 100% and ended up with a short Thursday and abandoned the Friday excursion.

BUT, I felt 100% on Saturday – yea!

However, Bear started showing signs of an internal distress, which got gradually worse and by the wee hours of Monday it was clear that it was not going to get better on its own. When he could not keep water down, we headed for the ER – 3:45 a.m. on Monday.

Thankfully, xrays showed nothing dire and with the absence of fever, blockages, etc. the theory is something akin to food poisoning. Medication returned all to normal during the coming week but as you can probably imagine, there were a few days of anxiousness – for me.

But, all’s well that ends well and that is not an “under the weather” Bear, just a napping Bear.

The living room has been a bit reorganized with a LOT of rugs and the mattress…

…and the step to the chairs. All to make it easier for Bear to get up and down and be comfy for sleeping time.

I spoke to the ER vet about the up and down difficulties and he said that although Bear had some arthritis, his spine was in excellent shape (per xray) for his age and just to keep things as easy and stress free (joint-wise) as possible. On the report he noted that Bear got around very well for his age and size.

Back to the skunk.

There was a second excavation about 4 days after the first and in the debris, I found remnants of the wasp nest. Thank you skunk for taking care of my wasp problem!

Backing up to the wee hours… Bear and I were out for a quick round about the house: 4:00 a.m. ish and we saw the back end of the skunk in that 2nd excavation, hence I.D.ing the visitor as a skunk

Meanwhile, I had been having conversations with a local wildlife person about whether we should put out a trap. But after a week passed from the second excavation with no new activity, we decided that the skunk had eliminated the food source and not taken up residence under the house (under my bedroom!).

On the advice of the wildlife person, I should fill the area with gravel and top with the excavated soil.

Thanks again for my neighbor with not only a backhoe, but also some gravel. I asked and it was delivered.

I asked for the drop to be by the dirt ramp with the thought that any extra I could use to make the dirt ramp a gravel ramp.

Perfect!

I followed instructions and “sealed” up.

As of this writing, which is 10 days since the last visit … no activity, neither skunk nor wasp: win-win!

The remaining gravel I spread about the Beardog Hill dirt ramp. It is Auggie approved.

The herbs, coleus and impatiens.

I am unclear why, but the spearmint of all things, succumbed to my brown thumb early in the season. All else is fine.

Fushcia!!! Once again, the fushcia have been beautiful and a joy to take care of and enjoy.

Meanwhile, we head toward official Fall and with sunrise about 7:15 a.m. we have our beloved dark mornings back.

Weather: it has been cool and rainy, cool and sunny, warm and sunny – today it is cloudy, balmy and drizzle has given way to rain.

From my kitchen

I’ve been getting acupuncture and massage work about once a month since the beginning of the year. Monte, master acupuncturist and body worker extraordinaire plus a font of knowledge based in Chinese and Eastern practices, encouraged me to try meditation at home. He didn’t actually call it that, he suggested sitting quietly and paying attention to my breath for 5 to 10 minutes. For many years – 20 plus, I have started my day with some quiet time: prayer, stillness, scripture, music – but it is a time of quiet and stillness. So the thought of a meditation focused on my breath was not strange and in fact this is what Monte asks me to do when I rest with the acupuncture. I have been finding the practice to be of value to me in many ways and Monte tells me that my pulse and body are quieter, even when I first arrive after a 40 mile drive!

Walking in the woods with Bear and Auggie is another time of quietness. At least in recent years, I take a moment before heading out the door and consciously leave everything in the house and turn my mind to Bear, Auggie and the feel, sound and look of the woods. My mind sometimes wanders to a coding problem or this or that, but Auggie and Bear and the woods help yank it back to them. I come back to the house refreshed.

I find the same refreshment of mind and body in cooking and working in the kitchen. The nature of using sharp utensils, hot pans and just thinking about what I’m working with becomes a meditation of sorts, or at least tasks that require mindfulness – my full attention. Thoughts of work and life issues are left for the time I spend in the kitchen. I’ve also been thoughtful of how my kitchen looks and works so that it is a joy to me to be there whether it is looking out the window, gathering what is needed for my task or cleaning up. And, like walking in the woods, I am moving. Moving, after a time of sitting – it feels good!

Making bread or crackers or anything involved with working with a dough is especially restful and enjoyable to me … not to mention the anticipation of devouring the fresh made result! About a month ago, I saw information on a bread cookbook that looked interesting:

The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook: Artisanal Baking from around the World . I love this book: beautiful photos, interesting stories of the breads and the people who came together to make and teach about each bread and new recipes to try.

The words below, an excerpt from an author review blurb on Amazon, sum up my feelings about the book in beautiful prose by Peter Reinhart:

“…The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook is more than just a book of great recipes—it is an inspirational collection of life lessons and stories about people who, every day, make a difference while making beautiful bread and great food.” —Peter Reinhart, author of Bread Revolution

The first recipe I tried is the cover recipe for Nan-e Barbari, a crispy Persian bread. This recipe is basically a 100% hydration dough as I typically make, but the uniqueness comes from both the shape and a wash of roomal which is a flour-water-sugar-oil paste. The roomal is an ancient technique which makes for a crisp crust without steam. Modern bakery ovens are steam ovens and create crisp crusts with steam. My own oven is not sealed well enough for steam and typically requires baking in a cast iron dutch oven to achieve the very crisp crust. I have come to really love this technique with roomal and a flat dough AND I’m able to bake it on a cast iron platter in my toaster oven. Total success!

Making the roomal. The flour-water-sugar-oil mix is heated until it becomes thick. And while we are here – THAT is an induction burner. As my current electric range/double oven combo limps along, I’ve been giving thought to what to do if/when it fails. I learned about induction and wanted to give it a try, hence the induction burner. It is like cooking on gas without the flame as the heat is able to be set high or low or off immediately. All works much faster and supposedly with less energy consumption than an electric cooktop. I am sold! (Induction Cooking)

To prepare the dough for baking, I grab a small handful of dough … bigger than a golf ball, smaller than a baseball – and spread it with damp hands on a piece of parchment. Next, spread the roomal over the surface of the dough and sprinkle with seeds – I’ve been using a King Arthur Flour “artisan bread topping” mix of seeds.

Meanwhile, I set my small cast iron platter in the toaster oven and let them preheat to 450F.

The bread bakes on the parchment, on the platter for 12-15 minutes.

Puffy, crispy crust …

An airy crumb – Perfect! I use it cut into crispy “soldiers” alongside salad, soup or anything with a broth to sop up. I also split it lengthwise for a thin, crispy sandwich. It has become my favorite way to bake a bit of bread for my day. With my refrigerator dough, the roomal wash and the fast heating toaster oven, I can go from thinking about this bread to enjoying it in about 30 minutes. 30 minutes of quiet time in the kitchen.

And now …

… it is time for a walk in the woods, with the patiently waiting Bear and Auggie.

I played, too!

New snowshoes, new snow!

The ‘shoes are the first I found with bindings like my favorite pair that bit the dust several years ago…and I patched, but the patch didn’t hold and they were 10 years old. I’ve limped along on my even older snowshoes that I bought used nearly 20 years ago, but came across this brand and did not hesitate.

I bought 2 pair: 1 short for light snow or packed trail and 1 long for deep snow. The bindings work great: easy on, easy off. I had a great time on the short ‘shoes, in the woods on the game trails.

*** The “old” ‘shoes:

Snowshoe Surgery

Snowshoe Fix

Golden Light

The larch still have enough needles to glow with golden light, even on a gray day.

But, many needles have fallen and are on the ground…

…lining our walk paths, sticking to our feet and magically letting loose of our feet once our feet get indoors. Kind of a mess, but I refuse to worry about it too much and choose to enjoy their color and light.

And speaking of color and light…

The Fuschia! A few blooms still and the greenery is beautiful. It is November 1 in Northwest Montana for heaven’s sake. We have not had a hard freeze at my house and I can’t see dumping them on the burn pile while they look so healthy. It has been a record breaking run for front porch flowers!

Inside.

We are to the point where it is dark when I have breakfast and dark when I have supper. I spoke awhile back about new kitchen light fixtures being on my list to change. They are some way down the list of things to do.

It is not that their appearance bothers me so much as it is that in order to get light to the counters, the overhead lights must be very bright. For early morning they are brighter than I’d like for making my coffee. And for supper, they are brighter than is cozy to enjoy my evening meal. But I need more than the chairside lamp to see my food when eating at the island. I did add stick-on under counter lights when I first bought this house and those are fine for soft light and for counter chores that don’t require reading small print or measuring precisely.

Last week, I thought to look for a small battery powered lamp for the island – just enough light to eat by. I found some, but the first I found were all white and modern looking. And then I found these candles.

Battery powered candles with a remote. Hee.

I kind of love them!

The flames dim and brighten so that it looks like candles burning.

They provide a warm light on dark, dreary days and enough light to eat by.

I am now having candlelight breakfasts and suppers!

Tonight, it was breakfast for supper: sourdough waffles with walnuts and maple syrup and bacon.

By battery powered candlelight.

The best laid plans of mouse, woman, dog and cat…

Robert Burns is given credit for the first use of the phrase that we often say as “The best laid plans of mice and men, often go awry” – but his 1795 era wording is:

“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley”.

That made me laugh when I looked it up… the “gang aft agley” part. Even if you are not up on 18th Century speak, the picture is quite clear… plans got wobbly, they went sideways…or south… off the rails!

So, following is the story of our Saturday through Sunday morning, when the plans of a mouse, this woman (me!), a dog (Bear) and a cat (Auggie) “gang aft agley”!

I started Saturday with a decision: KNOBS for the cabinet doors!

Next, I went searching for the missing tripod. This is a small house and more to the point, it doesn’t have many closets. I usually put the tripod in a corner of the boy’s room which is the first place I went looking for it. Then, I checked the few closets. I thought maybe it never made it in from the last motorhome trip, so looked there. It was not to be found.

More thinking required…

Next, Bear and I headed to town for supplies. It was mostly sunny, mid-50’s F. The air was that cool, crisp, clear air of Fall and the light was stunning…

…as was the scenery. It is once again very dry, but we got enough moisture two weeks ago to turn things green that ought to be green this time of year.

Between our outing, miscellaneous Saturday chores and generally enjoying the gorgeous weather, we passed the day in peace, harmony and good cheer.

I was getting ready for bed when I heard Bear jump off his chair and both Bear and Auggie scrabbling on the living room floor. This normally means a small rodent has invaded. The small rodent was a mouse. It ran from the living room into the bedroom, took a right through the bathroom and ended up in the “boy’s room”.

I followed Bear and Auggie and thought that between the three of us, we could catch and/or dispatch the mouse and thus have a restful night. This is the “gang aft agley” part. In Bear and Auggie’s defense, the wood floors do NOT work in their favor. I think mice have stickum on their feet and so they do not slide. For my part, on two legs, I am rather high up and on four …just forget about any speed whatsoever. At any rate, I left Bear and Auggie to it. Shortly after, Bear decided he was done with the slipping and sliding and Auggie was left on his own.

The mouse was quite vocal – it was a squeaker. I think Auggie had it cornered several times, hence the squeaking, but either Auggie was playing with it (I HATE that cats do this) or did not have opportunity for the kill. I closed doors to my bedroom, stuffed towels underneath and went to bed.

About 3:00 a.m., I woke to Auggie meowing to come in the bedroom. I got up, checked for a dead mouse, but didn’t find one anywhere. Auggie tends toward trophy hunting and what I was trying to avoid was being gifted with a dead mouse in my bed. Auggie came to bed and snuggled in next to me.

The next time I woke up, Auggie was gone. I ran to the “boy’s room” and more squeaking, so the mouse wasn’t dead or gone. I guess Auggie just needed a nap.

When I got up, with Auggie still keeping watch in corners of the boy’s room, I got the crinkly cat tunnel and set it in the doorway between there and the kitchen. My thought was that it would be enough of an obstacle to slow the mouse and allow Auggie to catch it versus it getting to another part of the house. That theory was never tested.

But the reaction of Bear and Auggie to the tunnel in the doorway had me laughing.

“Huh … I wonder what this is doing here?”

“It’s your tunnel, you tell me!”

“Ok, here I go!”.

Yes, Auggie, who is more than capable of leaping over the tunnel, used the tunnel as it was intended and exited that way.

Bear finally decided that he could jump it.

If I was better at taking video, it would have made a great little movie…

After I recovered from my giggles and snorts, it was time for a walk. I left the front door open and told the mouse that now was his chance.

Sunday was as pleasant as Saturday.

We dawdled and meandered and I very much hoped that the mouse ran outside to freedom while we were in the woods..

But, on returning to the house, with Bear and Auggie still outside, I started moving things to see …

Oh. There is the tripod – sitting quietly under the table that hold’s Auggie’s food. Now, I remember. I was tired of seeing it in the corner of the room.

I kept looking around and also found the mouse, alive, behind Auggie’s litter box. I don’t know if it was exhausted or what. It did not have obvious injuries, but it just huddled in the corner. I scooped it up in a dog poop pickup bag and tossed it outside. This is “gang aft agley” part 2. The mouse ran out of the bag, around the side of the house and back under the house via the mouse hole.

Ah, well. Maybe it went back to evacuate its family, or warn whatever community lives under the house. But, just in case, I set up the mouse zappers in the closets.

Meanwhile on the kitchen cupboard hardware front…

Yes, again with the dithering. I now have both knobs and pulls on their way and hopefully can decide when they get here.

*sigh*