Tag Archives: bread

My Raisin Sourdough Bread

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It pays to rise early. It pays to have a plan. I can get a lot done by doing both and still have time to doodle, scroll and nod off. I was up by 6 this morning and had my sourdough folded and molded and in the fridge to chill by 6:30. I will bake it at 12:30. Sourdough bread is actually very easy to do. There’s no strenuous kneading and all the rest that goes with it. It takes me a good part of a day to make 6 loaves of bread. And I’m pooped at the end of it.

With sourdough the process takes 2 days but the steps takes little time. I am free to do other things in between. I’m not wiped out at the end. After breakfast, I finished trimming the grass in the front yard and worked at cutting out some of those hated creeping bellflowers. I’ve decided it’s a futile job to dig them out. I am sure their roots are deep and goes all the way to China. So it’s trimming and mulching to keep them at bay. There’s no point in killing myself over them. I will save my energy to plant some tomatoes later in the day.

It is almost the end of the day. I’ve taken my father out for coffee at the mall. We did a little shopping at the Dollar Store. I bought 2 plastic containers to store my log cabin quilt strips. It pays to be a little organized. One container for darks and the other one for lights. I’ve been just piling them on the table and digging, searching through them each time. It’s a bit time consuming. Let’s see if I can get my shit together. I haven’t sewn a quilt block for awhile now that planting time is here.

My raisin sourdough bread turned out pretty fine. After one small slice, I want another. Having little to no will power, I give in. Why not, eh? It’s fresh out of the oven. I might be paying the price when I weigh in tomorrow. I did lose 1.8 pounds this week. I’ve been doing some heavy duty gardening this week, burning alot of calories. All is good. I really, really enjoy the bread. Could eat another slice but I won’t.

SOMETHING GOOD

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Something Good

Though our new cases of Covid-19 for today is lower at 175, our provincial government is doing a lousy job at containing it according to Steven Lewis. He is a Saskatchewanian healthy policy consultant currently living in Australia. Pretty depressing! Let me move on to something good. Jill Salahub of a Thousand Shades of Grey writes a post each week on Something Good and Gratitude Friday. I find lots of good stuff from her posts.

The sun did not peep out even once today. I thought hard on how to navigate these so cloudy days. What could I do to give myself and my brain a boost. Finding some good stuff like Jill is not a bad idea. It would help me and others like me. The library is always a good place for me. Now they, in collabration with Open Door Society and the Saskatoon Council on Aging, are offering to be phone buddy service for lonely shut ins. What a wonderful idea! It is good news. We are looking out for each other.

Other good news is after Saturday, there are going to be a bunch of sunny days. Meanwhile, I will have to plod along as best as I can. I have nothing that I have to do and nowhere that I have to be. I can be as fast or slow as I am. I have done none too bad today. I’ve baked 6 loaves of bread and a dozen plus pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. The aromas of baking bread and chocolate chips is always something good.

It is way later than usual. I still have the muffins to put away. I must say good night.

THE END OF THE DAY – Day 37 in a year of…

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Day 37, August 28, 2016 @9:20

At the end of 37 days, I am weary of setting intentions daily and following through. At the same time it is getting easier.  I’m stretching and reaching my goals.  I must be developing new muscles and building stamina.  I’m still in the early days of my year.  I must keep to the straight and narrow.  It is my own doing.

At the end of this day, I have to show – 6 loaves of whole wheat bread and two zucchini loaves.  Even if I must say it myself, the zucchini loaf is delicious.  It is my first try.  They are all packed and put away.  The bowls, pans, measuring cups and spoons are washed, dried and in their proper places.

It is wonderful to come to the end of the day with my intended tasks completed from start to finish. It hasn’t always been so. Hooray for me!  Are you a finisher?

It is late.  Good night.  Till tomorrow.

TIS THE SEASON

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Can you believe it?  Christmas is only a month away!  And can you believe that I have been lost for words for the last while.  How can that be?  Where have they gone?

Well, no matter.  Some of them have returned.  I’m back, sitting in the brightness and warmth of my sun room.  I am tap, tapping at my keyboard again…feeling and human once more.  I suppose by now you might have deduced that I crave sunlight, brightness and open space.  It is no secret that grey, cloudy days do me in.  Sometimes the greyness creeps inside my heart and mind and renders me . . . I don’t know what.  I just know that I feel BAD.

But life goes on.  I still breathe, eat, drink and have all the bodily functions that goes with living.  I still work and they still pay me.  I still have obligations to fulfill even though I have this CONDITION…Seasonal Affective Disorder.  I also has this disorder that I HAVE  to understand people’s behavior, why do they do what they do.  Why? Why? Why?  That has caused me and those around me, I’m sure,  great angst.  But in this case, that trait has been invaluable.

Over the years, I have read a great deal about SAD and depression.  I am tenacious in my quest for bliss.  I am like a dog with a dog.  I don’t let go.  It is one thing to read and learn, but it is another to apply the knowledge.  It has taken me many years to stop thirsting over new information and to actually do the work.  Knowledge is useless without action.

I have stopped running away from my winter blues.  I am embracing it as it IS  a part of me.  It has taught me that the act and aromas of baking lifts me up.  I have perfected baking bread and cinnamon buns.  I am looking for another baking challenge to lift me on my grey days.  Any suggestions?

I am staying with myself on those grey, grey days.  I am taking time to care for myself.  I am discovering that I like cooking and that I am not a bad cook.  I am enjoying the process of preparing, chopping, stirring…..You know what?  Roots make very good winter fare, as well as squashes and pumpkins.  They are so warm and comforting and their deep colours can boost your serotonin to the sky.  Look at the richness of this butternut squash!

So you can see that my words are rushing back to me, eager and excited.  The sun is also out.  The words help me to capture what works on those days when I feel grey and frozen.  It’s okay to get a little extra help on those days to thaw out.  And just because you are frozen doesn’t mean you can’t party.  Sometimes it is exactly what the doctor would order.