The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[getaclue]

While I'm sure that's a lovely biscuit recipe, but that's not how I learned to do it.

 

[speckledhen]

You all sound like this virus didn't really affect your lives because you were already doing most. Like chickens, gardening, etc. I'm happiest at home.

Didn't affect us much since we never go to a sit-down restaurant, would only rarely grab a burger or something at Checker (aka Rally's) on the fly if we missed a meal for being out at lunch time; we garden and have eggs, of course. And we've been stocked on basic medical stuff and toilet paper for a long, long time now. Thankfully, my Brahmas and Hector's two hens are currently laying. All five hens that I separated from Hector are molting and quit laying entirely. So, I get maybe 3-7 eggs each day right this minute.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, crap, we may be gearing up for a new dog issue here. The folks living in Mark Wilson's house have a German Shepherd. I've seen him through the trees running loose in the front yard, but today, as Tom was driving back up to the house, the dog was on the road that goes to our driveway. All he would have to do is trot a few feet to get there and the gate was open because Tom was gone to town to load up on shavings. I seriously need someone to shore up my fencing, but that is a *lot* of fencing and needs a lot of new, taller posts hammered, plus is mostly only 4' livestock fencing. I may have to invest in taller, stronger fencing for the 2 acre perimeter. I don't even know who these people are. I'll check the county records and see if maybe Mark Jr owns the house still. They may be renters for all I know.

 

[getaclue]

Good fences make for good neighbors, as the saying goes.

 

[1muttsfan]

It is one of the best biscuit recipes out there. I have always loved buttermilk biscuits more than regular ones.

Success with biscuits depends more on technique than recipe really, handling the dough with a light touch and not toughening it.

 

[1muttsfan]

We did not sell eggs at the office for the last 2 weeks, as we are trying to limit traffic. Today we set up a self-serve egg cooler out front, with a can for people to pay (exact change only). We will put it out during open hours and bring it in otherwise. It would be such a waste to not use the eggs that myself and my friend have to sell, and people are having trouble finding eggs in the stores. We disinfect the cooler each time we do the door handles (after each person handles them).

 

[getaclue]

I learned to mix all the flour, salt, baking powder, etc. in a big batch. Dump it into a big bowl. Make an indention in the center of the bowl, and add some oil (eyeball it), then add buttermilk (eyeball it), then gently mix it into the flour. When it's the right consistency, take it out the lump of dough, and make the biscuits. Cover the bowl, and repeat it tomorrow night, or the next night, to make them again. If the flour gets a bit low, mix another batch and pour it in.

 

[1muttsfan]

That's great if you already know the right consistency. For example if you learned from your mom or grandma. Not as helpful if you don't have someone around to show you how.

So Michigan has banned sales of gardening supplies, but only in Big Box stores like Lowes. Hardware stores and farm supply stores under a certain size can still sell seeds and gardening stuff. Looks like bedding plants are restricted at least until the end of the month - which is not yet spring up here anyway (as the snow flies sideways past the window), but will be downstate. It's about 2 weeks too early to start anything here even in a greenhouse, and a month or more from planting. My friend Vera always says not to plant outdoors until Memorial weekend, as the plants would not grow well anyway since the ground is too cold.

 

[speckledhen]

Farmers here don't plant until at least mid-May so Vera is right about that.

That dog next door was running loose today. My cat may be at risk. He's not an indoor-all-the-time cat, having adopted us rather than the other way around. And I have to get those fences shored up somehow. I want my own big dog again.

 

[getaclue]

It seems rather stupid on so many levels, to ban gardening supplies. Hopefully, the ban will be lifted soon.