Well Hello There!

I made it back.  It was hard at first, staying offline you know, for like a whole five days.  Pathetic, ain't it?  I'm not only addicted to your blogs, but have an infatuation with the weather websites where I get up to the minute updates on the local radar.  Weird.  Not sure when it starts, but apparently at a certain point in your life, being constantly updated on the weather seems of utmost importance.  And it's not like I really have anywhere to go.

But what's really weird is that I though I'd jump right on blogger this morning and start typing away, but I actually had to make myself sit down in front of the computer.  I've got several post-worthy rants brewing in my noggin, but had no real urge to put pen to paper (or more accurately - fingers to keyboard).

I did "cheat" a little earlier in the week looking up a recipe for Funnel Cakes (and I did try looking it up in my numerous cookbooks), but after I scribbled down the ingredients I closed up the computer again.  Early (really, really early....more on that later) this morning I opened up my email account and the "news" is on the page before you get to the email.  I made the mistake of clicking on one of the articles. And I wish I hadn't (something about $250K being "middle-class".....is this guy serious??) because it made my blood pressure rise considerably.  I know that one should be somewhat abreast on what's happening in the world, but really, did I need to be told by some political psycho narcissist that my family's income is basically considered poorer-than-dirt?  I've got a blog-rant brewing on that subject also.  Sure you can't wait.

So, what did I do with all the time freed up by not being online?  Only some of the items on the "Should already be done" list got crossed off, but others were added as things progressed.  You know, like how cleaning out the small kidding pen turns into scrubbing all the goat and chicken feeders / water buckets, then since I'm out there I may as well fix the wire screen on the pens, then have to gather all the tools to do the fixing, then figure since I'm cleaning out the small kidding pen I may as well get the larger pen ready for the creepy-meats and homegrown chicks, oh the goats look like they'd enjoy some of the weeds in the garden so I'll pull just a few for them then end up weeding the entire strawberry bed etc., etc, etc..  And I still need to clean out the chicken roosting / laying area.  You know.  The actual item on my list.

Not surprisingly, not everything got finished.  But in my defense, the list is usually added to four times for every one thing that gets scratched off.  The work never ends around here.  I wonder if it would be as bad if I still lived in the 'burbs?  Like, what would I feel I had to do if I weren't mucking out goat stalls or cleaning out chick bedding?  Would the list still be as long, but with different items?  I suspect that my house would be much cleaner.

I also did some reading, something that doesn't normally happen until the winter months.  I started with "The Art of Fine Baking" (1961) and then "The Borzoi Cook Book" (1923).  Yes, I can and will read a cookbook from start to finish like a novel.  The former I picked up looking for a recipe for funnel cakes (you never know, and I was desperate!)  and the latter just because I like to read older books.  The "Borzoi" was a rather interesting read.  Directions that included, "Place meat on fire in saucepan with water, better still, put saucepan into fireless cooker." and "Pass bouillon  through 4 thicknesses of clean cheesecloth.  The cloth must be scrupulously clean, washed every time with potash and well rinsed afterwards."

I'd better go check to see if we have enough wood to burn to ashes so I can make me some good ol' potash.  Let's see how many caustic burns I can get on one hand, shall we?  I believe I'll put that at the END of the "To Do" list.