I love to bake. It’s been one of my favorite activities all my life. That doesn’t mean I baked bread every week for decades. There were several years where I didn’t bake anything but the occasional birthday cake. Things changed during Covid, of course. That’s when sourdough took over the planet. It was hard to find yeast because EVERYONE was baking. But you can create a sourdough starter from scratch with nothing but flour, water, and the wild yeasties circulating in your kitchen. As a matter of fact, if there has ever been a sourdough starter in your kitchen, you can get a new one going a lot quicker. Because of the resident yeasts.
Yesterday was bread baking day here at Marshmallow Ranch. I made the usual Japanese Milk Bread, tripling the recipe to get two loaves plus a pizza. I tried making a focaccia pizza and while it was very good, it was really thick and too much bread for my tastes. I don’t know why my kitchen looks like a tornado struck when I’m done baking. I do try to keep things washed up as I go, but when a lot of things are coming together at the same time, I just can’t seem to keep up. That was always a bone of contention with Mr. Virgo. He was a trained chef and the kitchen was immaculate while he was cooking. We both worked so we shared the cooking duties. And when one cooked, the other cleaned. Things are different with Mr. FixIt. That kitchen in MINE. I do 98% of the cooking and the cleaning and that’s ok with me. He was out mowing all afternoon on the fenced in part of the property, and I really love preparing a meal for him. He’s always so appreciative.
When I finally got the kitchen cleaned up for the umpteenth time, I went out to the camper to write. It’s quiet and peaceful out there. It was just getting dark when I heard it…the first Whippoorwill of the season! I love them…from a distance. They take me back to summer weekends at The Farm. Mom slept with both us kids in a double bed in the “Girl’s Room.” It was so hot up there and we prayed for a breath of cool air to brush over us. I’d lay there in the dark, safe and warm, cuddled up against my mama in my cotton nightie listening to the Whippoorwills and Bobwhites in the woods nearby. That house seemed like a mansion to me when I was little.
It’s always satisfying to have homemade bread on the counter of my kitchen. The house smells great and I realize there’s not much difference between the life growing up on The Farm and the life we’re living now. I realize this is the life I would have loved when we were young and the kids were little. I know the girls had more opportunities in Colorado than they would have had here, and it’s best we raised them there. Personally, I think they missed out on a lot, but you can’t miss what you don’t know, right?
I had a little disappointment yesterday. I opened the bags of grits that I purchased at the beach. I poured the first bag into the container. I know I should always empty the next bag in a separate bowl then combine them when I’ve inspected it. I was in a hurry and didn’t check and sure enough, the second bag had bugs in it. I was so made at myself. Because once that second bag has come into contact with the first, they might as we both have been considered tainted because they soon would be. I threw two whole bags away and there went my savings. I checked the next two bags and they were fine. I wrote to the company but haven’t heard back from them yet.
Mr. FixIt and I have to go to town today. We’ll make a quick trip to Sam’s for a few things and be home by late afternoon. I’m looking forward to next week when I get some time with girlfriends on a knitting retreat. The weeks will be filled the rest of the summer and I won’t get a lot of down time till fall comes. That’s good…it keeps me on my toes and out of trouble!
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“After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him. (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.) Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.” John 6:1-6 NLT
***Gratitude Journal***
Today I am grateful for the smell of bread and the sound of Whippoorwills in the woods.
