Various and Sundry Things...

• Sharon visited for a bit this week. It was a great time to reinforce my "favorite aunt status" with Renee and Lucas--Lol! Isaac and Samuel came for a day, and had lots of cousinly fun at grandmama's house...
  
  
  
  
  
  Grandmama's placemats become guitars...
  
  
  Sweet Lukie.
  
  Thanks to Sharon for the photos.
  
  
• While Sharon was here, I discovered a source for local, organic, free-range eggs! It was by complete happenstance that we ran into "the egg lady" at a produce stand. (The yolks on these eggs are almost a burnt orange color. It's amazing.) She also grinds and bakes freshly ground whole-wheat bread, and gave me a tip for local, organic, soft red wheat! $17 for 50 pounds! Whew! What a windfall!
  
  
• I tried my hand at making butter, after an article in the NYTimes (So sorry--I was able to access it a week ago without Times select!) and pictorial directions from this blog. I was about to toss some "over-ripe", already separated, pasteurized whipping cream when I remembered these links--and tried my hand with a Mason jar and a lot of shakin' action. I think I could have shaken it longer-- I later found out through my good friend Susannah that she'd seen it made with a marble in the jar, to help agitate the cream and solidify the butter. But judging from the flavor, it's definitely worth the work. The butter has a rich, creamy flavor, and a spreadable consistency that you just don't get from the store. And-- well-- it's mostly gone. And my family isn't the sort to put butter on everything, either! So--right now, my lovely, creamy raw milk is in an iced tea jar, so that the cream's rising to the top. And, depending on when I decide to make it again--I'll either skim off the cream with a ladle, and make sure I've got mostly only cream with a gravy separator, let it sit overnight for flavor-- and then try it again. Though, Sharon might beat me to it, as soon as she gets her iced tea jar!
  
  
• I'm also starting into a Kambucha Tea experiment again. We'll see how that goes.
  
  
• I'm also trying to paint my room. We'll see how that goes.
  
  
• I'm also contemplating sewing ideas... and projects...
  

Lol--one thing about having many hobbies: You're never bored.