General – Page 15 – The Laughing Wolf

Whew! What A Week

Okay, I am back (sorta) and hope to be back to regular posting this week. As noted in earlier posts, I was not feeling good most of last week. This didn’t keep me from visiting a new dentist, and doing some things down at the Church. Almost recovered from those activities…

Saturday saw the one-day-only opening of Brother Juniper’s at the Church as part of the Talbot Street Art Fair. See previous post for links. I had been told that it would be busy, and they were not joking or understating at all. There were people that drove in from all over the state to get the sandwiches, and I’ve heard that some may have even driven in from out-of-state. I didn’t get to talk to the customers at all, and frankly was too busy to do so anyway.

As for me, I have no idea how many sandwiches I made on Saturday (having volunteered to be a sandwich maker trainee), but would not be surprised if it were about a hundred — and I was the slow one. The man working next to me used to manage of the of the two Brother Juniper’s here in Indy, and he was doing four to my one, easily. Most orders were multiple sandwiches, quite a few to go. I was at least smart enough to toss some of the training and start following the lead of the man next to me, and both speed and accuracy (and sandwich “fluffiness”) improved as a result. Accuracy being consistency in both presentation and weight of measure of meats. Got where I could tell how much meat I had in my hand even before I weighed it.

It was a long, long day but a very good one. I only heard (of) one real complaint out of the hundreds of orders, so I’d say we did pretty good. Those that did this, then made it to Church yesterday, may have been moving a little slower than normal, but we were all bouncing back. Almost recovered, though I think I may can make a “Happy Hermit” sandwich (seemed to be the hands-down favorite from the number ordered) in my sleep at this point. Given that I screwed up the bread making last Friday, had been a bit concerned about how I would do. Told I did okay, will take their word for it. Also thankful the edema med really didn’t kick in too bad, though it has been making up for it yesterday and today.

So, more soon. FYI, did get the latch on the freezer door, and while I think I’ve found a replacement freezer for far less than previous prices, going to be a while as I need to get some other things (pizza stone, latching-lid slow cookers, food processor and/or blender — in that order more or less). Oh, and a wire-rack shelf unit along with some more dutch ovens. The latter are not an immediate, but… Really hoping to cook a lunch again soon for the Church if funds allow. Want to do one hearty meal (corned beef and cabbage or Moroccan-style chicken) and one light (salad nicoise variant). Hits last month prevented doing much beyond bread as I hit effectively zero funds about three weeks ago. Really looking forward to getting my stipend this week. Onwards!

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Still Here

It’s been a week. Have not felt good, which may or may not be tied to switching out a medicine. The new med was working on the odd edema (which is not a sign of congestive heart issues per tests), but is sort of in a holding pattern right now IMO. Only issue is that the edema is having a small but negative effect on mobility. Grrr.

Yesterday, I visited a new dentist since it’s been a year or more since my last visit to such. My former dentist was always about the upsell: this test while you are here ($25/$50), this extra treatment ($25/$50), you need this ($5k), you need that (again $5k), you absolutely must do X (again $$$), etc. Dentist I visited yesterday was aghast at a couple of the things, basically ‘you don’t need that and they wanted to charge you how much???’ as we discussed things. She and her staff did a good job, and she talked WITH me and treated me as a patient who needs to be involved in treatments and planning, and not a mark. Even had some great suggestions on what I need to do in a year for Medicaid (I’m currently on Medicane: here’s a cane, good luck). If some work she wants to do next week goes well, thinking she will become my new dentist.

Despite all, managed to get in a mile or three of walking. I also helped with some of the preparations for something very special as part of the Talbot Street Art Fair. If you are a long-time Indy resident, be advised Brother Juniper’s will be open for a limited time SATURDAY ONLY. This only happens once a year for the fair, and I may have spent an hour or two yesterday helping with some of the preparations for that.

Trying to get my regular Friday baking done today, but it is off to an odd start. Left out half the water from the bread at first, now trying to recover. Should be doable, but not an auspicious start to the day especially since I am very much feeling yesterday. That said, plan to push on. I haven’t needed my walking stick since my Baptism and hope that continues. Looking forward to getting the rest of the testing done in early July, and having data even if it only leads to better questions. Nice to be dealing with proactive medical types, cardio and dental.

So, dragging but still here and still moving. Heck, might even be able to manage a kick or two. More soon I hope!

UPDATE: Was not able to salvage the bread from the brain fart. Even if I had a commercial mixer, don’t think I could have salvaged it. Doing everything by hand (Church bread is a labor of love)… Months without a real issue on baking, so can’t kick too much, but still not happy.

Holding Pattern

Sorry, dragging a bit and hoping to avoid getting what the landlord had last week. Lots of good comments on the underground post, thought experiment to continue soon. Short version is there are at least two good ways to go, neither of which I can afford but may be options for others. Right now, I would be happy with about anything, but at least want a basement.

Having some apparent network issues as well, which is not making it easy to do anything right now. Taking that as a hint and hoping to rest and get back to what passes for normal tomorrow. More soon.

Some Thoughts On Building Underground

If this seems a bit disjointed, blame it on this being baking day. I’m working on this between all the do-and-waits on the bread. Which means I write a bit, dash back upstairs to do-whatever to the dough, then come back and try to pick up my train of thought.

I’ve mentioned a time or two my desire to build a home underground wherever I end up. That desire remains, though I have worked it down to two basic concepts that might be within reach of my finances, particularly if I win the lottery.

Now, one option that I’ve had to toss as it truly is not possible absent a massive influx of cash is to find an old missile silo and turn it into a home. I actually know where one is out in Arizona, though it is not currently for sale. Given circumstances, and it being well buried at this point, I would not only refurbish and re-do the silo and control center, I would build a somewhat underground house above it, and a humble abode on the surface to mask what lies beneath. That’s a post in and of itself one day, but it would ride out most disasters quite nicely.

Which leaves the other two options. One is building into an existing mine. The second is to build a structure out of shipping containers and bury it.

Now the first has a lot of potential, if you can find the right type of mine. Most of the mines I found out in Arizona were not what you see in Hollywierd. Rather, they are excavations that meander and work around some of the hard rock and are quite organic if you will. There are few straight lines and large chambers unless nature made them. You can build into them, but they will require a lot of work and you will need to build structures within them to be weather (and critter) tight.

Now, out in the Texas panhandle and elsewhere, you have mines that are more typical of Hollyweird: straight shafts in, square(ish) chambers, tunnels on multiple levels, etc. You still would need to put walls and/or structures in place for many of them, but not all of them. There was a B&B-type place I saw an ad for out in the Texas panhandle where they mostly utilized the existing walls and structures, adding glass and walls as needed to make it weather and critter tight.

I will note that caves are an option and I’ve seen more than one turned into beautiful homes. For me, however, the price of the land is a non-starter. That said, if you have the means it is something to consider though the natural ventilation of caves will be an issue to be considered for certain disasters.

Right now, what I’m looking at — being a remote possibility — is to buy some land, excavate, and go in with modified shipping containers. I did have some more elaborate plans, but have downsized those via eliminating all but minimum needs. In fact, the only two things where I want to get semi-extravagant are with the kitchen and the library. More on that in a bit.

I’m playing with some ideas, but the structure would consist of a kitchen/great room/access to a guest room; a library; a chapel; storage; and a master bed and bath. Now, if you need it you can add more bedrooms, and if worried about housing in an emergency I’ve got some ideas on double containers as bunkroom and bath. For me, as things stand now, I’m looking at the minimum and adding to it if and as needed.

Note: when doing containers like this, plan on adding arched roofs. This improves structural strength, water drainage, and more. Doesn’t need to be a huge arch, but it needs to be there and not a flat roof. There also needs to be extra preparations for drainage as well as utilities, but that may be a post of it’s own.

My basic thought is to have a single container going in, with a quarter or half container entering into it about three quarters of the way down. That entry leads into the great room/kitchen/etc. set-up.

While it is not the best way to do things on some levels, I would like to have the kitchen with some energy-efficient disaster-resistant windows (not huge) looking outside. Part of that is knowing that from a psychological standpoint having such access is a good thing. Part goes back to childhood and the window in our kitchen as well as the windows in the kitchen of an aunt’s house where that side of the family often gathered. I should note that both sides of the family have always tended to gather in the kitchen rather than anywhere else.

The kitchen I want to do right. As in Viking double range if insurance won’t let me do commercial; extra oven or baking set-up; two refrigerators; meat aging and brining refrigerator set-up; large freezer (or two); commercial sink arrangement; lots of counter space. If I thought I could get away with it, wood-burning pizza/baking oven. No saintly moderation in setting this up I’m afraid.

The great-room would be a place to relax, entertain, and should include a fireplace or wood stove. A bathroom and guest room/bath should be just off it.

The chapel could be two half- or quarter-containers, and you should be able to get there from the master bedroom and the kitchen/great room area.

The master bedroom is not intended to be huge, but more functional. In some ways thinking more European on the bathroom (tile, etc.) and if needed you could use a quarter-container as a walk-in closet.

Now, the library is where I would like to go hog wild. Here are a few modest examples that I think have the potential to become a real library, even if only in the home:

I may sketch a few things out soon, but maybe tomorrow I will get into some of the prep and what I think would need to be done for a good underground house. This is a start, and while the photos above are a bit modest, they do have the potential to become a good home library.

By Bread Alone

Been a little tied up, but more “serious” posting is to come. Right now, thought I should share a bit about some of the baking I’ve been doing. Pretty sure I’ve talked about this a bit before, but am really enjoying the baking. Friday’s have become my baking day, which also means it is laundry, cleaning, etc. day given that doing all the preparatory mixing, stretching, folding, spindling, mutilating, and such ends up taking about eight hours since I do everything by hand right now.

This morning, I tried my hand at making sourdough English muffins. Turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.

Ended up eating a good bit more than normal, but boy howdy was it good. I also do sourdough pancakes, biscuits, and am hoping to try some other new things here soon. Not only tasty, but none of the additive junk that is in pretty much all commercial baking these days. Also, less salt, sugar, etc. as I rarely use any sweetener and when I do tend towards maple syrup or honey.

I am very much a novice and just getting started. A lot of what I do are experiments as I try recipes and production methods to see if and how they work. I’m standing on the shoulders of giants, and give huge thanks to my friend Snarksalot for her guidance, suggestions, and encouragement. Between her and Lauren Gruel, I was enticed into culturing a starter from scratch and it’s gone from there.

Right now, I have two starters working. The first is Audrey, and yes she is named for the Little Shop of Horrors as while culturing her I could have sworn I heard a little girl voice going “Feed Me!” Rachel started as a clone of Audrey but it is interesting how each now behaves and tastes differently. Teasing both of them of sleeping on the job as the discard jar has been going gangbusters and I’ve even used it for some of the bread. Which is something to point out: your discard jar from feeding the cultures makes excellent pancakes, biscuits, English muffins, pizza crusts, etc. My goal is to eliminate pretty much all store-bought commercial bread and related from my life.

So, to share, I thought I would give a couple of basic recipes with you. The bread has become my basic for specialty loaves, with the only thing changing is either adding items like chilis, cheese, olives, etc.; or, changing out some of the AP flour for rye or other specialty flours at need. This recipe came from Lauren, and works well overall:

950g AP flour

650g warm (distilled) water (note below)

200g active starter (I tend to use a bit more, in fact up to 20g more)

20g salt (I use a mix of half smoked salt and half PHSS most of the time, otherwise sea salt)

Mix flour and water and let it rest for 30 minutes. Then, add starter and salt, and combine for five minutes. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Then do three sets of stretch and folds 15 minutes apart, then do three sets of stretch and folds 30 minutes apart. After the last, cover and put in a warm place (our oven has a bread proofing setting) until it doubles. The recipe says 1.5 hours, I find 3 works better for me in our temperature/humidity/etc. conditions. Lay dough out and cut in half, work both halves into balls and then let rest on the counter for 20 minutes. Then use a bench scraper, keep rounding the balls and building tension. Place into banneton baskets sticky side up, cover, and put into the refrigerator overnight. Next morning, preheat oven with dutch ovens in them (empty) to 500 degrees. Flip dough out of the baskets and onto parchment paper. Place a bit of flour on the ball, score, decorate as you like, then put into the dutch ovens and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. At that point, take the lids off and bake for 15 minutes at 475 (if you remember to drop the temp, sigh, stupid lightning) or until you get the color on the crust you desire. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack for two hours (or longer).

Now, a few notes. Above you can see one of the enameled dutch ovens (blue) I use for baking (and general cooking too). I have two of them and want more. They do come in handy for so many things, and am also wanting to add just a plain cast iron dutch oven to the mix for camping and other delights. One where the lid is designed to have coals up on it.

I use distilled water for almost everything these days, especially the baking. City water has lots of chemicals, some of which don’t play nice with sourdough yeast (or other living things); and, well water around here tends to be a semi-fluid state of limestone. I may miss a few minerals here or there, but what I don’t get makes distilled well worth using (pun intended).

The amount of salt is low, and you really can’t take it too much lower and have edible bread. As it is, with the two loaves, it is well within most dietary guidelines including most cardio guidelines. I use a mix of smoked and PHSS most of the time, as it adds flavor and complexity. When making specialty breads (olive, chili-cheese, etc.) I may vary the ratio and will also use salts smoked with different woods. It is fun to play with it, so have fun!

Yes, I do use the rattan baskets, and want to get a stone for the oven so I can do loaves here soon as well as the rounds. Really want to do a marbled bread here soon, especially if I do more homemade pastrami.

Today’s English muffins were an experiment, and combines a couple of recipes.

100g starter (I went between 120g and 130g since using discard)

20g maple syrup

240g distilled water

360g AP flour

5g sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix by hand until combined. Cover with a thin (tea) towel and let rest for one hour. Dump the bowl onto a floured board and knead for five minutes. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and let sit out on a counter or other secure location (darn cats) overnight. Next morning, turn out onto floured board and press out to .5′ to .75′ thick. Dust with flour as needed to eliminate sticky parts. Cut into rounds with 3″ cutter or pint glass (what I used today), and put into cast iron or non-stick pan that has been heating on low, cover, and cook four minutes a side. If being precise, use an instant read thermometer to get 200F in the center.

Now, I used water instead of milk as I want to be able to eat these on fasting days, and it avoids other dietary issues. I did put a little oil/grease on the bottom of the pan, but did not need to do so. Leave some space between the rounds as they are going to expand — which is why I prefer the .5″ thickness to the 1″ thickness that one recipe recommended. Find what works for you, but the thicker you go the more likely you may have to finish them in the oven to ensure they are cooked all the way through. Oh, and the maple syrup I used came from a monastery in Michigan, and is delicious. Again, about half and half smoked salt and PHSS.

If I get the chance, I will try to add some links to some videos I’ve found helpful as I explore.

If ya’ll are interested, I will post more recipes like this with notes here soon. If I can get someone to help me with the video, might even do a video or two. Let me know in comments if interested.

GiveSendGo Update Up

I’ve done an update on GiveSendGo to reflect what is going on and my thanks for those who prayed — and especially those who prayed my special prayer request. Those prayers were answered and we are on a very good path healthwise. That it is likely to push my moving to the SW off until next year at the earliest is frustrating in some ways, but it will, among other things, give me time I think I need at my new Church home. It will also let some other things resolve (I hope) so that maybe I can get on a more solid financial footing as well on the physical and spiritual side. As I noted there, this is the first year I remember since I was 15 that I didn’t make enough to have to file a tax return. That said, I have Faith I am on the right path for me at this time and that the right things will happen at the proper time. Thank you all for being a part of that and putting up with me.

Up In The Air

Posting may be off a bit the next couple of days. I was supposed to have that long-anticipated (and needed) cardiology consult today. However, as I walked out the door to see if I could get the car to run, I got messages asking me to call.

The consult has had to be pushed off until tomorrow. Just thankful that it is not for a longer period. I really need to get this done and find out what is going on/not going on.

That said, it is throwing my writing off a bit. Apologies about that, but more is on the way at some point. Thank you for your patience.

Experiment, On The Way

A truly substantive post is not likely today, just a head’s up. My schedule has gotten a bit awry, and I still live by routines, schedules, and lists more than I care to admit.

I got my smoker back from the housemate and got it into place and cleaned as necessary yesterday so as to be ready to go this morning. What I did not do, that I should have done, was to do a full function test. When I went to get started this morning, no go. I could not get it to light and limited trouble-shooting did not help. Given all I have to get done today, schedule demanded I drop back and punt, and as such am doing the pastrami in the oven.

Now, on the bright side, it guarantees even heat and it is the way it is done in several of the better pastrami places in New York. However, the smoke adds flavor and helps with preservation, which was the point behind pastrami in the first place. It was a way of preserving meat (and making a tasty product) in the days before refrigeration was commonplace. Really wanted to do it that way. Oh well.

This has thrown off the baking schedule rather badly, to the point I’m not sure I can do my normal baking today given that the oven really was needed for proofing and such. The pastrami takes 5-6 hours to cook at 250, which is way too warm for bread proofing, so, rethinking a number of things. So, recalibrating.

Also, need to spend some time today trying to figure out Monday and Tuesday. On Memorial Day, it is my tradition to go have a drink with the guys as it is the one day of the year I’m buying. I usually do this at Oaken Barrel down in Greenwood, but without a car…

I’ve decided to try to get the zombie car to at least get me to the consult on Tuesday. It may be that I’m there an hour or less; but, there is also the chance per the doctor’s office that I may get sent for some tests while I am there. As such, not keen on asking someone to potentially give up a day to help me. Renting a car is out right now (Memorial Day and Indy 500 have cornered the market as it were), and the cab companies are rather unreliable (per painful experience). So, will see how it goes.

May you have a good Memorial Day weekend! Enjoy yourselves, but take the time to remember why we have this holiday. As long as we remember them… For me, thinking that if I can’t make it down to Oaken Barrel, I may just pick up some really good hot dogs and enjoy them. Take care, be safe, and keep your things where you can find them in the dark.

A Request

Looks like I may have to spend today and part of tomorrow running around doing errands. Looks like the Grace period for my car is at an end, so one of the things I need to do is line up transportation to the cardiologist/medical consult next week. I remain very, very thankful that it ran so well and got me through all the events leading up to my Baptism and even on through Bright Week. In fact, it got me home yesterday, though it got interesting towards the end.

All that said, I hope to get up some decent posts this week. If I might ask a favor though, here’s part of what I posted at GiveSendGo:

Things are tight for us all these days, but today I want to ask for some specific prayers. I have an appointment coming up next week with a new cardiologist who is going to be reviewing my case and helping to rule in-or-out some of the “mystery” diagnoses that popped up in the records of one health group. The mystery is who made them and on what basis, which I have not been able to find out so far. If I go spend a day camped out at the central medical records office for that provider I might be able to find out, but when neither I nor my doctors can pull up that info on our own…

The fact is, I need a fresh pair of eyes to look over as much as possible. I especially need to have one particular diagnosis ruled as real or wrong so I can know if I will be able to move to the Southwest or not. What I can do, and when, rides on my health and my insurance coverage. The insurance I have right now will not transfer to any of the SW states. Getting new insurance takes time and things like pre-existing conditions comes into play. So, I need data. More importantly, I need good care.

Thus the specific prayers. If you could say a prayer that this doctor have the skill and experience needed; that he have the wisdom and compassion to provide the care needed; that he be as thorough as needed and that my insurance allow him to do all that is needed; and, that we get the data that is needed to assess my condition(s) and develop the proper treatment plan for same.

For all that I want the worst “mystery” diagnosis disproven, I’m trying to simply pray to “let that which is right be.” Whatever we find out, I will be glad for it as one way or another I will be able to start moving forward on a truly new life.

Thank you for your patience, your encouragement, your inputs on so many topics, and your prayers. It’s going to be an interesting couple of weeks, but I will be the better for them.

Oh, before I forget: I haven’t been able to do as much with the guitar as I would like, given all that has been going on. Good news is when I can work at it, I’m not torturing the cats or the landlord (too badly). Hoping to start setting up regular lessons soon. Did find out that my ability to read sheet music took a hit, so literally doing both singing and the guitar by ear. During Bright Week I found myself a chanter, candle lighter, dishwasher, and more. It was during those services that I started to remember a small amount on sheet music and that I needed to go by ear.

More to come!

Without Comment

Friday has turned into my baking day, which also means it is laundry day, cleaning day, cooking project day, and a few other things. The sourdough for this week is proofing, the brine for an experiment is cooling, laundry is mostly done (need to put up last load), and I could shed a tear or two after going through my spice totes.

For a number of reasons, I keep my spices and salts (mostly) in two plastic totes. My cabinet space in the kitchen is quite limited, so I just keep a few things I use every day there. The plastic totes hold all the jar/container spices not in the kitchen (mostly alphabetized), and the second tote holds bulk spices and salts. I knew it had been a while since I had gone through things, but found some odd spices that were more than a decade out of date. Clear what I use the most… Threw away a lot of old stuff, though saved a few of the good bottles for other uses.

The title of this post pertains to the tale of the zombie car. Regulars know my car has issues and pretty much died a few months ago. While this tends towards what Sarah A. Hoyt refers to as “woo woo” I thought I would share this with you.

A while back, I volunteered to cook lunch for the Church. I tried the car, and it not only ran, but for the ten days of prep and cooking, it ran smoothly and didn’t leak a drop of any fluid. Now, about two days after the lunch it went back to spewing fluids of various types and running rough (to be polite). Right up until I stepped up to cover another lunch at the last minute. Ran like a top while I did so. Did the same thing a few weeks later as I cooked and we went into Holy Week. Looks like I’m going to be doing some more cooking and kitchen help soon, so hoping it will keep doing this.

Other than that, no comment. Am beyond thankful and have expressed my thanks. Well, I will say that I am not taking the Priest up on his suggestion to cook every week. Not in the budget… Wish it was.

More soon, off to finish working the bread dough and start the experiment (homemade pastrami). Once the bread is finished and in the refrigerator, think I’m done for the day.