Keeping up with chores.

It is hot.  I do not like heat/humidity.  This kind of weather makes me useless and keeps me awake all night.  So how can I get anything done when I just want to lie in front of a fan drinking water?

It is not easy.

Jon is out there, working on a wall job.  I have no idea how he can do physical labor right now!  That does give me some motivation to get up and get a few things done, though.

So far, I have swept the kitchen and bathroom, washed yesterday's dishes, made rhubarb yogurt muffins (pear butter instead of oil), I started some chicken broth, and some whole wheat yogurt flax/sunflower seed maple bread (I changed the recipe a bit) is rising.  My motivation has ended for the moment...but after the worst of the heat is done, I plan to make a chicken soup with the broth, mop the floors, scrub the tub and sink, clean the bunny cage, sort through peat pods and get rid of empty ones, brush the bunny, and then vacuum everything.  That is a very ambitious list, considering I haven't moved in half an hour and I am trying to give the appearance of not being home right now.

The garden is doing surprisingly well right now.  Lettuce is abundant.  Any ideas for uses other than salad?  Everything except arugula and parsley germinated.  I should have salad turnips and radishes next week.  And, only half of the garden is covered in weeds!  I fell behind with various trips to VT, MA, and this terrible weather.  The beans are doing very well at my parents', but as of a week ago, the sugar beets were not visible yet.

I now have a yogurt maker that is calling for me to experiment with it.  The cheese making supplies are in at my friend's house.

Also, the best method of making butter that I have tried is simply skimming the cream into a small tupperware, putting on the lid, and shaking it.  It takes a lot less time and I get a lot more butter simply using human power.  I can also walk around the house, put away dishes, watch tv, with only minimal cream splashing.

I probably should mop all of the floors now that I think of it...

Barn raising.

The barn raising event is done and pictures have been edited!  

 Yes, that is me way up on the very top of the barn, screwing on the whetting bush.

I am on the top left.

I think that I am starting to get over my fear of heights!

I am also on the front page of the Timber Framers Guild website.  Jon and I learned a lot about how to raise a frame, and we got a lot of practice in with joinery.  

Now back to garden work!

Cottage cheese and keeping busy!

Update on yogurt making:  the yogurt may possibly have worked, but I should not have used a bath towel to insulate it...there was a hard green/blue mold that grew on the outside of the glass.  The yogurt looked fine.  I still got rid of all of it, though, and washed everything.  The glass was ruined.  So, I broke down and ordered a yogurt maker with an automatic shut-off.  It just wasn't worth the hassle!

I am also getting some cheese making supplies in the mail!  Soon, I will be able to make wonderful mozzarella, feta, and mascarpone!  I am overjoyed!

In other news, the lettuce is almost big enough to harvest.  Most everything has germinated.  There are little bell peppers.  There is an absolute ton of weeding to do...which I am less enthusiastic about...

Yesterday, I made cottage cheese for the first time.  I heated 4 cups of milk up to 120, added 1/4 cup white vinegar, stirred for 2 minutes, let it set for 30 minutes, separate the whey with a cheesecloth in a strainer, rinsed the curds, then added a little salt to them.  I cannot describe how wonderful they are.  Rich and fresh tasting!  There were a little less than 4 cups of whey left, which went into bread.  I got maybe 1/4 cup of curds.  But it is so worth it!

As soon as I can find my camera again, I will take pictures of everything that has been going on.  For now, I am exhausted and am ready to close the laptop and sleep =)

Hiking, timber framing, and rain

For our first anniversary, Jon and I decided to hike Mt. Washington.  We didn't quite make it all the way up, because Jon has a tendency to go for the most direct, and somehow also most difficult, trail, and I am also very clumsy and not so good at boulder problems...  I also now hike in a skirt.  The link is to a newer version on the one that I got on sale.  I'm very amused that it is called the 'Chocorua Skirt', and my first hike wearing it was on Mt. Chocorua!

After our hike, we set off for a timber framing event.  You can check out photos of the progress at the link.  I made my first tenon by myself!!!  Positive thoughts for better weather!