Pretzels from Scratch

Finally! For years I've thought about making pretzels from scratch - today's snow/ice school cancellation day ended up being the day.

Mixed by hand, then 5 minutes with Kitchen Aid dough hook set at 4.

Divided into 8 somewhat equal chunks.

Hardest step - rolling into strips that were supposed to be 28-30 inches long!

Shaping and soaking in baking soda water.

Baked at 475 degrees F for 7 minutes - not according to the recipe but I know the quirks of my oven after too many burnt adventures! Picture taken before butter coating.

I think even the bottoms look nice!

Recipe source: 

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/hot-buttered-soft-pretzels-recipe

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/hot-buttered-soft-pretzels-recipe

~~K

Rainbow to Home

Unseasonable weather (cold and rain) preceded our departure from Saugatuk!  Despite the wet roads our drive home presented us with a wonderful rainbow!

~~K

Windchimes

Windchimes have become the featured items in the outdoor pine room.  To see the expression of even one-year-olds as they grab and shake the sails to make "music" is priceless!

 

 

Many have been received as gifts, others handcrafted, and some recycled.  For the children to fully experience and enjoy them interactively, I did add sails to most of the chimes that are easily within reach from their small stature as they walk through the boughs.

To extend the kid's joy to their own homes, I decided to make inexpensive (less than $4 each), non-tuned wind chimes. Here goes:

3/4" EMT 10' conduit - $5 from local hardware - 2 chime tubes cut 12", 14", 16", 18" (no waste)

2 small metal trays - $0.50 each from local thrift store

2 small metal candle holders - $0.50 each from local thrift store

2 wooden medalions - $0.29 each from local craft store

Flat black and clear spray paint - on hand 

50 lb monofilament fishing line - on hand

25 lb waterproof braided nylon bait casting line - on hand

After cutting the conduit with a small pipe cutter I drilled 1/8" holes through the diameter of each tube 2" from an end.  I then used a file and steel wool to smooth the cuts and coated them with a clear finish spray in hopes of delaying rust.

Two 1/8" holes were drilled in the center of the candle holders (future strikers and sail holders); one at the top of each wooden medalion (future sails); and 10 in the trays to be used as caps (8 for suspending tubes and 2 for the chime hanger). These were then spray painted black for rust protection and appearance (obviously any/various colors would also be acceptable).

The tubes were connected to the cap with 24" lengths of braided nylon. The striker was attached to the cap with a 32" length of braided nylon and the sail was attached to the striker with a 36" length of braided nylon.  For a more durable hanger, a 36" length monofilament was used. As with most windchimes left out in the elements year round, I anticipate having to restring these windchimes periodically (just part of yard maintenance)!

Surprisingly, the sound of these chimes is quite melodic and pleasant considering the tubes were cut only from the standpoint of making two windchimes with no waste!  One of these days I should try to make myself an 8-tube tuned windchime. ~~K

Bike to Work

Living so close to school encourages me to bike it in the summer - traffic is too crazy and scary for me during an actual school day!

It's a pleasant short ride as long as the wind isn't too fierce!

One Way Distance - I use Map My Run for recording bike rides, runs, and walks.

This morning a sheriff's deputy (who I frequently see at school) pulled up beside me and jokingly said, "I'll need to cite you for speeding. I just clocked you at 16 mph." Joking aside, the 16 mph is true. ~~K

BG Fridays

Enjoyable evenings are easy to experience in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Need a touch-up on a twelve-year-old tattoo? No problem.

Hungry for heavenly food and drink? Reverend's provides.

Sunny days are great for water play and the newly opening complex is sure to be great fun!

Too old and fragile for skateboards but watching the camaraderie of local daredevils in a safe setting was quite entertaining!

 

No two evenings in BG are exactly the same, but always make for a fun and relaxing date at any age. ~~K

Plant Labels - Crude-Quick-Free

5000 words in pictures...

 

 

~~K

Fairy Door at Last

Fairies living in/under this large tree needed a visible door in my opinion.

Thanks to J's scrap wood and all other materials on hand, the only cost was time!

~~K

Tuller Robins

Sweet sleeping instead of the usual frantic stretching for food.

Another nest - very concerned what's happening in this more open east nest since there were eight eggs and now only six and I don't see any evidence of the other two eggs anywhere nearby :(.

Every year there is a nest under the steps on the bakers rack (first photo). All too often there is a disaster - not sure if it is raccoons or stray cats, but the unfortunate evidence is sad to see. Hopefully this year will yield healthy flying robins! ~~K

Shutter Angels

Rustic, recycled garden art was added to the yard today.

One graces the entrance to the nature trail at the southwest area of the property.

The other adds to the serenity of the "pine room" near the garden.

Their construction was very easy and went quickly. Thanks to J for the materials. ~~K

Geranium Starts

Would you believe this is a current photo of a geranium/spike planter I received several Mother's Days ago?

I cut off the ends of the longest branches to encourage new growth. Success - and it's only mid-April!*

After leaving the cuts to air dry for a few days I dipped them in water, then rooting compound. Then I put them in cups with seed starting mix to develop a root system.

A photo needs to be taken in several months to note their growth. Fingers crossed!

Now I have 9 new plants!

The center tiny plants were mid-branch cuts that didn't have any leaves and were technically too woody to attempt rooting. They may be "runts" but they are my geranium babies.

*Time flies - I wrote this several weeks ago and didn't post - look how much the little plants have grown!

"Greening" to be continued.

Almost Spring - update

Look at the growth on those daylilies!

Mulching seems to have helped the weed situation.

What do you think of my variation of a bottle tree? The last several years I just had the bottles on dead tree branches, but with the wind out here it just wasn't staying the way I wanted it. This "tree" was a garage sale purchase several years ago - maybe $3 - it is for plants but the pots would have to be so small that it would have been a constant battle to keep it watered! I like this better, at least for now. ~~K

Rockwell's

Enjoyed the food and atmosphere so much that picture taking did not happen much!

 Excellent service! Delicious food!

We ate and drank every bite:
Rockwell's Original Salad for 2
Lyonnaise Potatoes for 2
K - House Cut Top Sirloin, Rye Manhattan Martini
D - Bone in Rib Eye, Maumee Bay IPA

~~K

Never Say Never

Don't touch the bottom of my feet or the top of my head!

That directive has ruled my feet until today (4-18-13). I finally broke down and had my first pedicure. Having a gift certificate from the PTO to the world-reknowned Kerr House in Grand Rapids was the motivator.

Victorian overload!  View from waiting area:

 Main treatment room (in the basement) view:

 

Loved the pampering of my feet but a bit disappointed in the polish phase - too thick without enough drying between coats (ruined 3 toes just on the way home because it was thick gooey globs), no polish over tips for a more finished look. But it was a relaxing, personable, friendly experience. ~~K

Triangle Green Yet?

No green here! On Sunday 4-14 I planted my DIY marigold/lettuce seed strips with a garlic clove in between as an edge. It's borderline frost date here but I'll take my chances.

Later a few tomato plants will be added to this very close to the house kitchen triangle garden.

"Greening" to be continued ...

Seed Tape DIY

Wind! It blows so much out here in the countryside of BG. Great for the windmills, but it makes it difficult to plant seeds outside.

I've resorted to making my own seed tape for most all of my small seeds. Some are in strips and planted directly into the soil outside; others are prepared to place in flowerpots (this makes it so easy to interval plant salad greens in pots every several weeks throughout the season).

Some say to make a flour/water paste, but I'm lazy and like to streamline things so I just use washable school glue. I just glue the seeds on paper towels cut to the shape and size I need. I haven't noticed any problems with it breaking down too quickly but it keeps the seeds in place as long as I need.

Looking forward to the "greening"! You do know my favorite color is green!?!

"Greening" to be continued ...

Greening 1

How I start my seeds inside:

 

     Collect, then rinse used k-cups with filters - the filter insures good drainage - thanks to all coffee drinkers at school

 

     Add one scoop moisture control potting mix  

 

      Add one scoop seed starting potting mix

    

 

     Water

 

     Plant seed

      Wait - the hardest part (IMHO)

 

Greening - green because of repurposing, and hopefully nice green growth soon!

"Greening" to be continued ...

Let it Rain

Loving the new rain barrel at the back garage near the garden!

It took a bit more work than anticipated, but I think it blends in with the old nicely. Had to

• replace some fascia boards,
• put a fresh coat of stain on the garage,
• add rain gutter and downspout to west side,
• build a stand out of retaining wall blocks to maximize Mr. Gravity's help when I fill my watering can, and 
• finish with a load of mulch.

 

This week's rain filled it to the top! Now I just need to till the garden and plant something so I can use this great water. Let it rain - but only at night during the week! LOL