Sally's GF3 thread

[Sally PB]

Gun Friendly.

I used to shoot competitively (Bullseye Pistol), but haven't in many years. Ammo prices went through the roof, and that was an expense that got cut. I did keep my competition guns; I can't replace those for love nor money. I bet I could sell them for as much as I paid for them: $1500 each for three. Made by Ed Masaki, if you know who he was. He passed last August, and his guns were always in demand.

I have a CPL, and carry at times. I used to carry a .357 revolver, but after breaking my wrist, I "downsized" to a 9 mil. Which meant I could carry a small semi-auto, and not the bulky Ruger SP101. I'm not really worried about the change in caliber. The 3 most important things a self defense shooting are: shot placement, shot placement, and shot placement. (Like real estate: location, location, location.)

I used to carry the Ruger on my ankle, but the 9 mil I can carry in Thunderwear (belly band style holster). "Nobody will know you're carrying!" says the Thunderwear ad. No, with a revolver, people will wonder if I'm pregnant. Well, not anymore, at my age!

Anyway, I like to talk about guns. (And gardens, and chickens, and bees now too.)

 

[Sally PB]

Damn, it's dry out there. I'm really hoping this isn't going to be another summer like 1988. I think we got 10 seconds of rain that June.

In mid-May that year, one of the meteorologists said, "And if we don't get any rain this week, we probably won't get any until Memorial Day weekend." (It had already been a very dry month.) Suzanne Geha said, "Oh, we can't have rain on Memorial Day weekend!" in her usual bubbly voice. The meteorologist put on a strained, trying to look friendly, smile and said, "If we don't get rain in the next few days, you might wish it would rain on Memorial Day weekend." Suzanne Geha filled a needed void in the news anchor lineup, if you ask me. Don't miss her a bit.

Farmers have planted corn in the field near us. What I can't figure out is how it has sprouted and is growing in the dusty dry soil. We haven't had more than a trace of rain in the last 3 weeks. The manure they spread must have been really wet, I guess. Maybe corn seed can grow on the stink factor, as it sure did smell.

 

[Sally PB]

Gotta share a picture of my two week old chicks.

Tail feathers coming in. Have I said I'm ga-ga in love with these itty bitty girls?

Yes, I drew spots on the lining of the brooder. I'm thankful that DH didn't get pictures or video of me putting the cardboard and feed sack lining in there. It's an XL dog crate, roughly 2.5 by 4 feet. I fit in there, but it's not easy or graceful for me to get in, out, or turn around. Amusing, perhaps, but not graceful.

 

[TwoCrows]

Gotta share a picture of my two week old chicks.
View attachment 3522291
Tail feathers coming in. Have I said I'm ga-ga in love with these itty bitty girls?

Yes, I drew spots on the lining of the brooder. I'm thankful that DH didn't get pictures or video of me putting the cardboard and feed sack lining in there. It's an XL dog crate, roughly 2.5 by 4 feet. I fit in there, but it's not easy or graceful for me to get in, out, or turn around. Amusing, perhaps, but not graceful.

Adorable!

 

[Sally PB]

DH got a call from his step-mom. I always worry when he gets those, as his dad is almost 85 and has some health issues.

The problem this time is something with their house. They have had problems with their water pressure, and sure enough, the line that comes into the house from the street has failed. What I can't believe is that it was laid under their driveway. Or the driveway was put in over the waterline. Really? Why?

So they had to have it repaired, and that was $20K. It didn't include repairing their driveway. I wish we could afford to send them money, but we can't. I wish they could afford the $20K themselves without (yet another!) loan.

 

[Sally PB]

I'm making yogurt today. I think my starter culture has a bit of funk to it. I have another jar of culture from a different batch, so I'm going to split this into two batches.

The "funk" isn't mold, it's just gotten a... different color (more yellowish) and definitely a different flavor: more tang, and a "not quite like yogurt" flavor.

When I make yogurt, I sweeten it with honey. As it sits in the fridge, it gets a "fizziness." I bought this starter online from Cultures For Health. I never had this result when I used store bought yogurt for starter.

I bought this starter because a few months ago, I was going to make some yogurt, and I bought blueberry flavored by mistake (the plain and blueberry both have blue labels, and I didn't look closely enough) and thought I'd just scrape the plain stuff of the top.

I read the label... there were NO active cultures in it! It was milk and sugar and blueberries and gelatin! That ain't yogurt, folks! The air around my mouth got a little blue with cuss words, for sure. (I cuss. It's one of the 3 languages I speak, the other 2 being sarcasm and English.)

I'll know in about 7 or 8 hours if both of these cultures "do the yogurt thing." I'll know in a couple days if they do the fizzy thing.

Yogurt that fizzes on your tongue is pretty awesome, IMO.

 

[Sally PB]

Note to self: The jars with the tape on the lid are the starter that seemed more "normal."

 

[Sally PB]

As far as I can tell, both starters cultured just fine. Both taste the same. I'm thinking that one of them had honey in it, and the other one did not. I put my "culture for the next batch" in the door of the fridge. I guess I put a partial of the finished stuff next to it by accident? It usually goes on the bottom shelf.


20% chance of rain tomorrow. Then nothing -- nothing! -- on the 8 day forecast.

By then, I won't care who has an outdoor wedding. Or a parade. Or a 500 person family reunion in the park.

Come to think of it, my family never had a family reunion. Other than my paternal grandparents, I never even met any of my dad's side of the family.

When my dad died, I thought, well, now I'll finally get to meet Uncle Ed and Aunt Judy. Nope. They sent flowers. I think they had a falling out long before I was born. It was one of those Things No One Talks About.

 

[Sally PB]

Here's another reason I like Kalmbach feed.

Here's one from Nature's Best:

And Producer's Pride:

The plastic stripped off those first, and I keep finding pieces in the garden, in the grass, wherever the wind takes them.

Go ahead and laugh... but it's kept the deer out of the garden. And they were free. I had to buy the string. It's held up surprisingly well.

I'm supposed to get my sweet potato slips tomorrow. I don't recall how many I ordered last January. In the middle of winter, I forget how much space I have, and tend to order more than I actually need.

 

[Sally PB]

Dessert tonight is "just starting to be fizzy-on-the-tongue" yogurt. Another day or so, and the tingle-tang will be more pronounced. I have no idea how my culture ended up doing this. It didn't when I first got it. Some wild yeast or something in the air here, maybe.

Horrors. We are nearly out of garlic. It has been 3-4 years since I've had store bought stuff. Wonder if it'll taste really different, as I only have one kind that I've grown, Music. Maybe I'll order some of another type. Music is a porcelain type, so one with a little more fire would be good. Rocambole, perhaps?

@aart, didn't your brother grow a lot of garlic? Any suggestions?

@U_Stormcrow, will you get any garlic at all this year?