Possom, a bread for wooing and some lino blocks

      So, a few weeks ago on Thanksgiving, my mom called me during lunch. A opossum had crawled into the warm air vent that comes from the dryer in the laundry room. It was gone the next day (and I hope it was able to enjoy a bit of time in the warmth, although little critters do not belong in air vents), but my mom snapped some photos of it. Then last week, this little fellow showed up again under the bird feeders and has the same ear markings as our previous guest.
     Looks like it is doing alright. Possums are really cute when they aren't bearing their teeth or playing dead, and I think a lot of people don't look at them beyond this. They're just misunderstood, poor creatures.
     On a different topic I am sharing a really awesome bread recipe. It is so good that you should be able to woo friend and foe with it. It is modified from Paul Hollywood's recipe in 100 Great Breads, which I recommend for anyone with an interest in bread making. Although I'd check your options in book purchasing, as the Amazon price is a bit more than I remember paying for it.

 You will need:
- 4 cups of while flour, leave the bag out for dusting
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 15 grams yeast (I use Fleishmann's dried)
- A bag of dark chocolate chips; you don't technically need the whole bag, so feel free to snack on some
- A can of tart or black cherries, washed and shaken as dry as possible (Or use a cup of fresh or frozen)
- Warm water to mix; about a cup but it may vary

Makes two decent sized loafs

In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, chocolate chips and yeast. Add the olive oil, cherries. At this point I usually mix it together to figure out how much water I'll need as the cherries will already be moist. Slowly pour in the water and mix. There isn't an exact measurement because this is different for every time the bread is made, but I usually use about a cup. Mix well; if the dough is too moist, add more flour as needed and if it too dry add a few tablespoons of water at a time until it is doughy enough.

Because you'll squish the cherries a bit, thoroughly flour your hands and wrists (repeat as needed) and knead the dough. To knead: tip out dough onto a floured surface and make an indent in the middle with the palm of your hand before folding the dough sides or a side in. You can do this with either one or both hands, or if you don't have the space, knead it in the bowl (great skill to have in a cramped apartment!). This bread doesn't take much, only 3-5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic.

Put the dough in a floured bowl and cover with a dish towel or unused garbage bag and keep somewhere warm for an hour or until it had doubled in size. I forgot about the chocolate chips yesterday and left it on the heater- they will melt and it will be messy if this happens so keep that in mind. After an hour, heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Divide the dough evenly and shape into two loafs. I usually make cross hatch marks with a knife on the top.

When the oven is warm enough, put the loaves in. Because the loaves will be pretty large baking will likely take 45 minutes to an hour. After the first 30 minutes I like to check every 10 or so. The bread is cooked through when there is a hollow sound when tapping on the bottom with your finger. (Don't worry if it is a little undercooked, I'm only just starting to really figure this part out myself)

Allow to cool a bit and enjoy! P.S. It makes a wonderful birthday/anniversary/holiday/etc. gift for people and usually doesn't take long to finish so storage isn't often a problem. Now go win the hearts and eternal affection of people!


This is a tear-into bread too. Who needs knifes and stuff?

So far the only bread recipe book I've really enjoyed. I've made over a dozen on the breads and they are all wonderful!

     

      I've also been working on stuff for my shop (Hoping to open by either next Tuesday, but no later than next Friday, woot!) including one of a kind business cards and thank you notes and original drawings, possibly some patches as well if I can find a suitable ink in the house. As you can tell I may or may not be continuing my Middle Earth theme with the thank you cards.....

And lastly on the side I am going to learn how to knit socks! This rusty red wool has been staring at me the last few weeks and it's finally time to start I think, although probably finish setting up shop first...

Winter Adventures

     The new year is supposed to start off cold so I've been trying to enjoy this unseasonably warm weather as much as I can before the numbers of layers needed makes walking near impossible. Today that meant pulling on heavy boots and heading into the woods to look for turkey tale and Usnia scouting (of which I found none, unfortunately). Surprisingly, my parent's old dog-- although forever a puppy-- followed me out.

 

Red Squirrel paw prints. There's only one section where I've ever seen them in the woods; everywhere else there are only Grey Squirrels

Ash trees bowed by an ice storm years ago

A stand of noble White Pines



   Finally got a self-portrait with him, he doesn't get many chances to go out past the fields, even though he has the freedom too. In the end it started to rain and I was almost dragged back to the house. He kept turning around to make sure I was still following him.

The path goes around and over the drumlin, and has a loop that runs across the top through stands of white and red pines, as well as Norway spruce and the odd hemlock trees and a few large larches.

Deer paths are the best for spontaneous adventures here.

Even found some yellow slime moulds!

 

      It's been going slow, but the beacons are coming along. I hope to finish the third tomorrow, and the fourth by the weekend at least. I'm also working on opening an Etsy shop to sell photo and art prints, as well as some other exciting things (an orange-rose lip balm proved to be a huge hit over the holidays, not to toot my own horn but it's the best I've ever used!). However, the decision will come down to finances and stuff, and the final choice will come out in the next few days with any luck!
     Finally, here's a slice of summer from my internship. I hope everyone had a wonderful Solstice/Yule/Christmas if you celebrate and has been staying warm and illness free!

Feeling like winter

     Well, we got some snow. I also got my two-man tent from Poler Stuff yesterday, and wishing I could try it out outside, but for now my parent's dining room will have to suffice. I hope all of you are staying warm!

Almost There!

     I've probably said this a dozen times already, but I received a Bachelors of Science this last Friday! Of course, to maximize attendance of the convocation they have it before finals, so I have two of those and projects/papers to finish up this week before I can really say I'm finished. These last 3.5 years have been horribly busy (amazing and informative but still busy and painful) and I'm looking forward to having at least a week or two before looking for jobs and other adult things where I can truly relax and not have anything serious going.
     Although I may be pursuing publication of my research on "The Efficacy of Gastric Lavage in Redback Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus)" and that will probably take a few weeks/months/who knows of more advanced data analysis and writing. At least that won't be directly related to school per say.
     In the mean time I have mycology to study, forensic entomology lab reports to put together and a paper to write, so here are some pictures from Thanksgiving break two weeks ago. (One of the pros of insomnia I suppose is frequently seeing, and occasionally enjoying, the sunrise)

The birds are back, so far I've seen blue jays, juncos, cardinals, morning doves and woodpeckers.

LotR fans: the Beacon of Amun Dim.

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