Hello Friends. It's lovely to see you.

 

HERE ~ YOU WILL FIND ME...CHATTING ABOUT LIFE, MY WORK (WHAT'S COMING, WHAT I AM WORKING, ETC)...  AS WELL AS RECIPES, MY LOVE OF SOURDOUGH BREAD BAKING & KNITTING.... AS WELL AS ANTHING ELSE I THINK YOU MAY FIND INTERESTING :)

I'LL ALLSO ADD HELPFUL HINTS FOR MY PATTERNS ~ :)  

be well friends ~ doreen

Creating A Spark

 

Goode day dear reader.  I hope this note finds you in goode health and grand spirits.  This week has been gazette week for me ~ the week I take all of the ideas, recipes, writings, quotes, and images which have been forming in my head, for this particular issue, and create something solid with them.  I typically "disappear" during this time as it takes over my days, needing concentration & focus to take the jumble of what is in my head and make it into something worth reading, timely, creative, and enjoyable (all of which I hope to accomplish with each issue).  It also takes flexibility as often what I have in my head refuses to come together in the way in which I had in mind.  Art ~ it does have a mind of its own.   I create the gazette in a manner most would likely find quite old-fashioned.  Building it like a scrapbook page..I start with a blank piece of paper then write my articles; stories, quotes, and recipes then begin cutting and pasting these onto the blank page along with my chosen graphics.  Without a doubt, there are simpler, and more efficient ways of doing this but it works for me and I enjoy it.  It is building something from various materials, much like my other artistic endeavors.  This week a nasty spring cold has added to the  "disappearing into my work" mode as once I "leave the studio for the day" at six, I find myself showering, putting on my pajamas, and falling into bed.  At 6:00 the next morning, I force myself out of bed and find myself wanting to go back to bed while having my morning coffee.  Spring colds....why must you be such a bother!!!

"To make art is to tend the light.  To serve as a kind of lighthouse keeper, for ourselves certainly, but also others who may be lost in the darkness" Anne  Brones.  I love this quote ~ it gives such meaning to creativity.

 Today, while Oliver and I took our morning wander through the yard and woods, I stopped by to visit my returning green friends, running my fingers through their delicate stems and leaves; early spring chives, garlic, rhubarb, Bee Balm, and wild Juniper.  "Hello little Bee Balm, how wonderful you look," Oh, Garlic, you look fantastic"  Our world makes an effort to please and create a spark within us, does it not?  We often take this for granted without ever giving it a thought.  The Bee Balm sparks creativity in my work as I think of a way to sketch their beautiful flowers.  Garlic and chives create a culinary spark and the wild Juniper, creates a spark of wonder as suddenly, we have it in our yard and woods ~ for the first time ever.  Where did it come from???    

This is what I hope to do with my Art... Create a spark of creativity through my creativity. :)

Tis chilly this morning, freezing the water in my favorite little coppery bird bath and leaving glittering frost in shady places.  The sun is warm however and soon, all will be warm and flowing once again.  Today, I must put the final touches on the gazette so that tomorrow I can head to the printers.  Later today, a bit more time working on another new design, a primitive stool topper :).  I am loving the rustic simplicity of it.

Enjoy the day my friends.  Until next time, Be Well, Be Joyful. Doreen

New Wool Applique Pattern & accompanying Willard Inn Story :) HELLO FRIENDS!

The Willard Inn~ A Brutal Winter

By Doreen Frost 

Hannah woke in the middle of the night to the hush brought on by snow.  Graham lay next to her, a mere lump under the large pile of quilts.  He had only come to bed a short time ago but was already deep in sleep.  This winter had been the coldest they had ever experienced, and, for that reason, their routines had changed much!  Not wanting the fires to die down, as they typically would overnight, he was now staying up into the small hours to keep them going strong. Hannah lay there, feeling his warmth next to her, grateful he was getting some much needed rest. 

Though Graham had stoked the fires just recently, Hannah could still feel a deep cold seeping into the room.  Despite the many efforts they had made over the last two months of bitter, bitter cold, it still managed to force its way into their home through the olde windows and doors and anywhere else it could manage.  They, along with everyone else they knew, had rolled fabric and placed it beneath the doors, and hung quilts or blankets, if they could spare them, over each of their windows. 

Winters in New England could certainly be harsh but this one was particularly brutal.  Three feet of snow lay thickly over every surface, and though it presented challenges as far as getting around, it was welcome during this winter of brutality, as it helped to insulate the homes and barns.  Hannah and Graham spent these winter days like their neighbors, doing all they could to keep themselves and their animals warm and fed.  Everyone in the little New England village had suffered, some most desperately, but the town had come together and helped one another so that everyone was faring well now.  People with a little more shared with those who needed it; food, clothing, shelter, wood & encouragement.  Neighbor was helping neighbor in the most wonderful way making a very difficult time, a little easier to bear. 

Hannah, now fully awake, sat up and eased her way out from under the quilts and woolen blankets and lit the bedside lamp.  A warm glow encircled the room as she tucked the quilts more snuggly around Graham.  She put another pair of wool leggings on, under her flannel nightgown, slid her stockinged feet into her slippers, put on her robe, and wrapped her wool shawl around her shoulders.   Taking the lantern, she made her way down the stairs, through the quiet house, and into the warmth of the kitchen.  She put the kettle on for coffee, lit candles, and lanterns, and tended the wood stove in the main part of the house before returning to the kitchen to fill the cookstove and add wood to the great stone fireplace.

When the coffee was ready, she fixed herself a cup, spread butter and jam on a biscuit, and pulled her rocking chair closer to the hearth.  She laid a blanket across her lap and took her stitching from its basket.  She had been working on a new rug, this one made from small and medium circles cut from olde woolens that were no longer able to be made into anything else.  She had gathered the faded greens, reds, browns, and creams and stitched them together, placing smaller circles on top of larger ones, creating small stitched “stacks”.  Once the stacks were all stitched, she laid them out on the table and pinned the stacks in rows of different sizes, onto a burlap backing.  She took a sip of the hot coffee, and a bite of biscuit and laid the rug across her lap, and smiled contentedly to herself.  Her stitching is always a wonderful distraction during difficult times.

Far too quickly the warmth of the fire began to recede as the cold began to make its way across the kitchen floor, wrapping itself around Hannah’s ankles. She stood up, placed her stitching on the table, and made her way from fire to fire, this time filling each one heavily with wood.  After making sure the doors and windows were covered snugly, she returned to the kitchen, made herself another cup of coffee, and took up her stitching again. She would continue her fireside vigil for another hour, and then, as dawn approached, she would put a pot of beans on the fire, start a batch of hearth bread and put some bacon to fry.  The kitchen would be welcoming and snug when Graham awoke after another short night. ~ by Doreen Frost   

*This story appeared in the January/February issue of The Little Brown House Gazette ~ I thought it would be fun to share it here with all of you, as I incorporated this penny rug into the story  & included this story, in the pattern :).

IN THE MOSSY WOOD ~ a wool applique pattern, is now available on my website :).  

Greetings friends ~ It is GOOD to see you.  It has been far too long since my last blog post.  I have lots of updating to do and more blog posts to share with you ~ stay tuned.  Enjoy the day, Doreen

GREETINGS DEARE SEPTEMBER

 

"And the sun took a step back, the leaves lulled themselves to sleep, and Autumn was awakened." ~ Raquel Franco

Good morning my friends and HELLLOOO September.  The "BER" months have arrived!!! My favorite months!! A time for apple picking, cozy fires, glorious landscapes, and geese filling the sky!

We wake, on this first day of September, to chilly crisp air, heavy dew, and a cool and lovely day ahead.  I am off this morning to watch our little man until noon and then it is back home and into the studio, I go to fill orders.  I have been out of the studio much this week and I have a lot of catching up to do.  

How is your week going?  

Hugs, Doreen

August draws to a close....

 GOODE afternoon my lovely friends.  I apologize for my late greeting ~ twas a VERY busy day.  I took care of our little man (Grandson, Kurt Evan) then ran errands on the way home, once home, Oliver needed a walk, the flowers needed watering and the bird feeders needed filling. I usually do these last two things in the morning however, I left the house quite early and did not have the time. 

In the studio and settled, I am doing a bit of watercolor painting.  I am forcing myself to make MANY color wheels and to learn to mix paints using the three primary colors before I venture off to purchase special colors.  Watercolor supplies are expensive therefore learning to create a variety of colors using the three primary colors is important to me.  And, creating color wheels and swatches is also a perfect way to create muscle memory, and improve your watercolor skills!  DO you see that little pool of yellow-green?  That was the final color I painted, on this color wheel and, all of the colors were mixed in that one pan section.  It began as a yellow puddle of paint, made its way through all the rest of the colors, on the wheel, and ended as a puddle of green. I know that is something so simple but I find it fascinating and thrilling. I am also quite proud of myself that instead of ending up a muddy mess, at some point, each color came to life without much fuss and was quite close to what I was hoping for.  

I am off now to create another color wheel or two before Oliver James insists on his dinner.  Speaking of dinner...ours will be leftovers!! :) I love it when that happens. 

Enjoy the day my friends. hugs, Doreen  

~New Offerings Available Today At Noon, On My Website~

GOODE afternoon my lovely friends.   I hope this message finds you well and not to terribly bothered by the heat of summer.  I must tell you ~ I do NOT care for the heat and humidity.  I have been spending my days dreaming of Autumn and Winter and making plans for the remainder of the year inside the coolness of our air conditioned home, during the day, and in my old rocking chair come evening. :) Okay..on to the news of the day.....

WEB SHOW TODAY AT NOON

I am pleased to finally have some new offerings to share with you.  Our new way of life has brought about some changes for all of us.  Some of them challenging, perhaps in the beginning, but we adjust our mindset and we prevail.  To that end ~ due to the fact that I was not able to attend the Gathering Of Friends show, at The Old Tattered flag in June, I now have several finished pieces to offer you.  I plan to have this be the first of several "web shows" taking place, on my website through the new year.  As I will not be attending shows or holding workshops this year ~ I shall be able to make quite a few finished pieces and new pattern designs for all of you.  Goode really can come from a sudden change of plans and what we might see, at first,  as a let down or hardship.

So pop on by my website, www.vermontharvestfolkart.com,  today at NOON and visit the "Finished Offerings" category to see what I have available.

Until next time ~  Be safe and well my friends ~ hugs to all of you.  Doreen

Farewell June

Greetings my friends.  Tis dark and cloudy here in Vermont as the sound of thunder rolls in through our open windows.  Tis been a day of changing weather in our little spot on the map.  One moment we've sun shining down warmly and air that is warm and muggy and the next we've a cold gust of wind, black skies, thunder rolling through the clouds and a sudden down pour that leaves the yard dotted with swimming holes.  Just a short while ago, I  had just finished opening all the windows, turning off the lights and turning on the fans when I had to go back around, close them down, shut off the fans and turn on the lights. I actually feel like the entire month of June has been a month of back and fourths.  Just as we had really settled in, and gotten use to the  "stay home, stay safe" way of life they began telling everyone to go ahead, get out and about, live life as you did before, go back to your life..all is well.  Now, they are thinking that isn't the case.   I know many folks are anxious to jump back into the quicker pace of life before the pandemic but I must tell you, I am not.  I enjoy the quieter roads, the lack of crowds, the clearer skies, the quieter life.  The removal of  the "pressure" to be out and about, living, doing, GOING. Over the past several months, I am so much more relaxed, creative, centered.  There's time now.... TIME to do the projects that were always put aside, time to relax and sit on the porch without quilt, time to just be.  I realize this isn't the case for everyone and in no way do I mean to diminish that (my prayers to everyone struggling) but I also feel compelled to acknowledge the fact that for some of us..this has been okay and perhaps even GOOD, and that's okay :).   For us, (Mark and I) it's been a great time to just be together and concentrate on our own little spot on the map.    Our vegetable gardens are flourishing, as are the pumpkin patches (we have three now..I LOVE it) we put in four blueberry bushes (which are doing amazingly well)  we've made home improvements, and plans for even bigger ones down the road.   I've learned new skills.....sourdough bread baking and sewing my own clothes (two things I've long wanted to learn and master) etc. etc.   Of course, we've also had our trials..... missing the kids (thank goodness we can see them now), nervousness over the state of the world, frightened awareness when you finally do go into a grocery store (taking all the proper precautions) only to see the shelves half bare (and people NOT taking precautions) AND fear for the health of family, friends and ourselves (thankfully we've all been healthy)...but we go on, because we must and the way I look at it is, if we all step up, embrace what we've been given to deal with,  do what needs doing, make the best of a situation, do what we should, take responsibility for ourselves, look out for others and do what's right...well, this world would be a far, FAR better place for all of us.  . But I won't lecture.... Because, I must be off....

Tis time to take a batch of biscuits out of the oven (strawberry shortcake tonight) and to make sure the rain has not blown in too badly as we had another torrential downpour as I was writing this post.  

 FAREWELL JUNE ~ May July be full of promise and wonder.

 Until next time my friends, Be well ~Doreen

 

..........hmmm

THIS WAS ME...YESTERDAY....  Good gracious, I got NOTHING  done!  I did actually make an effort, as I spent several hours and wasted many sketch book pages, trying to sketch a house for our group applique project...I am thinking a house, is not going to happen.   I am not sure what my issue is with this..it should be easy, shouldn't it??? A house..how hard is that to draw and why am I worrying about a house looking to sterile and stiff???  I can add elements to it.....florals and such, to give it character....  I seem to be laser focused on the house being just right .... WHY???  UGH..... I think, perhaps, my muse is telling me to sketch a barn instead.....I'll give that a go and keep you posted :).  

This lack of urgency to my days....no pending deadlines to panic me....is trying to mess with head. I usually have a very busy flow to my work days, and though, I said I was going to embrace this more mellow time and take full advantage of it, to accomplish things I've wanted to accomplish for quite some time, yet never seem to have the chance to do, something in me is trying to hold me back!!  FAR too many "what ifs" were running around in my head yesterday and my logical-self was nowhere to be found. 

hmmmm....I do tend to feel quite burned out, for several days, after the rush of getting The Gazette out the door, and, this issue was particularly challenging....    Coupled with our current state of the world...made it considerably more exhausting.     Well, my goodness, look at that....I guess my logical self has returned and has figured out what my issue was!!!  Thank GOODNESS.... TODAY shall be different!!!  Here we go.....

:~) be well my friends, D

~The APRIL Issue of The Little Brown House Gazette~

Greetings one and all & a very merry April 1st to you.  I hope, with all of my heart, this little note finds you well & doing what you can to endure this trying time.  Currently, here in Vermont, the sun is shining, the air is warming, the Robins are singing, and a soft breeze brushes past my window.  At the moment the fattest Robin I have ever seen is hopping through the front yard....goodness, apparently her larder was full this winter!!!  

*THE APRIL ISSUE OF THE LITTLE BROWN HOUSE GAZETTE.**   This issue was a serious challenge & a joy all at once......  Exactly like the state of our world right now!!  Because of our stay at home orders, I was forced to redo & resize the entire issue & print it, here at home.   It was a challenge, to be sure, but a challenge I am grateful to have had because now, I know it's possible!  But my goodness, it was exhausting.   :~). 

The challenge and joy of it, really resonated with me.  After all, with everything that we do, and everything that happens to us, there are lessons to be learned, things to take from it, memories to be made and yes, even joy to be found, amidst the struggles and heartache.   For me, though our life is a slow and mellow one already...it has become slower still.   Some of it is good, some of it is challenging...Mark & I have time to sit together in the early evening with a cocktail or cup of coffee, chat about our day (and the state of the world) and cook dinner together.   Mark's 12 to 14 hour days are now 8 hour days. Yes, his paycheck will be smaller but, we have savings and we will be okay.  We will spend more carefully..... and, Mark will be able to have some much needed rest.  The kids are healthy and either working from home, off with pay or, still working at jobs that are taking very good care of them.  Our little man (1st grandson Kurt Evan) is getting lots of extra time with his Daddy who is now home.  We miss our children and grandson tremendously but we are doing what we must to stay healthy, and help to slow this out of control train, down before it wrecks.... in our neighborhood!!! 

Yes...cocktails help!!! :)

We are thankful for Video chatting, text and calls And..for all of us, out here in our internet neighborhoods and communities..... we have blogs and Facebook and community groups that keep us all linked to one another. :)  We are finding the good within the bad... I hope you all can find a little something goode to take from this difficult time.

 I  wanted to mention that.   I've lowered the cost of my Stitchery Guild (community of stitchers) to 1/2 price ($5.00 a month).  It is a lovely place filled with friendship, stitching, hooking, punching and whatnot. We are currently preparing to do a group wool applique project, together.

 If you would like to join us (it's free once you join the community), email me at Doreen@vermontharvestfolkart.com 

and I will send you an invitation.    **ps..you may create the group project any way you wish ~ you do not have to work in wool applique.**

One last thing before I go.... I saw this on facebook and thought..my goodness..how true is this...

~for me....I think it will be a mixture of both :)... lol.

~Maple Martini Recipe~

..show in my photo above.

2 Jiggers of Vodka (we like Tito's but any good vodka will work)

1 Jigger of pure Maple Syrup

good squeeze of fresh lemon juice. *I cut a thick slice of lemon & squeeze it all in.

Fill your shaker with ice and pour the vodka,  slowly over the ice.  Add the maple syrup and lemon juice, to the vodka and shake your little heart out (shake it for at least 60 second so it's really COLD).  Pour into a martini glass, add a bit of lemon peel and ENJOY!

Be well my friends ~ Doreen

Perhaps......

 

 “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer, and that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.” Albert Camus 

Charles Daniel Ward - The Progress of Spring, 1905

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  If what we are going through right now,   is not a wake-up call for us to SLOW DOWN, SHOP SMALL & STAY LOCAL...I truly do not know what one is. We are EVER SO FORTUNATE right now, to have within our reach, an abundance of local farms, farm stands, small shops, breweries, bakeries, nurseries and ways in which to maintain our stay at~home mandate, but that is not the case everywhere. Growth & change are goode but equally important is keeping the small, family-owned and run shops.  We need our farms, small towns, and villages, now more than ever.

 WE NEED BALANCE.

I don't have all the answers, in fact, I might not have any answers but I do know a few things.  

**We need the big & THE SMALL.....  We need larger grocery stores however, we do NOT need one every ten miles because that is what kills the small, local ones.  We need, as a society, to be willing to travel thirty or forty miles to do our "big" shopping.

This same thing can be applied to everything we have, as a society, right now.  Our fast-paced, hurry up,  I need everything quick, will be the end of us if we are not more mindful and careful.  We need both the small and the large, the quick and the slow.  We need balance!!!  

We are getting a taste right now of what can happen when things come grinding to a halt in our world...  Can we survive on just technology, the quick, the big the far-reaching.  NO, we can not & perhaps we should what is happening right now and let it be a warning!!!  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OH MY GOODNESS my friends, I apologize.   I decided to start blogging again to put a little encouragement out there, a little light in a dark time...... I had no intention of this, my return post, being a lecture of sorts.  I promise it will not be the case on a regular basis.   But, I am hoping, that when we make our way out of all of this, and we will, we remain mindful and, hopefully, be a part of the reason it doesn't happen again.

I'll be back, in a day or two, with a positive note, some lovely thoughts and goode things to share :).  Until then, I hope you are all staying healthy and your struggles are few.  Hugs to all of you, Doreen

~FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th, 2019~

                                                                        

GLAD TIDINGS MY DEARE FRIENDS...Oh what a whirlwind of a week this has been.  Monday was a 12 hour day of mailings.  I am proud to say every single subscription (all 200 of them) went out on MONDAY!!!! Tuesday morning was filled with new subscription mailings and the rest of the week, our little man has been here....sick with a cold, ear infection, in both ears, and sore throat..the poor little man!!!  Mark is also home on vacation!!       AND NOW....I've orders to fill this morning and then Mark and I are taking the day to head to the Adirondacks for a bit of relaxation.  Tomorrow....I am back in the studio and filling orders!!!   I've MUCH TO DO, before next weekends workshop :).

Until next time my friends ~ wishing you a JoY filled day, Doreen

Introducing The....From A Little Brown House Gazette

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN... I am ever so pleased to present to you the......
From A Little Brown House Gazette.

A monthly, mailed, newsletter featuring recipes, stories, projects & other goode things from my home to yours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Goode day my lovely friends.  I hope this message finds you well and enjoying these first few, lovely, days of September.  Oh how I do so LOVE this time of year!!!  I may have told all of you,  one or two...HUNDRED times, I am a very big fan of the "er" months.  Any month that ends in ER is top-notch in my book!  As I mentioned, in a previous post, I have been working on an exciting new project.  One I am over the moon excited about actually.  It is a delightful (if I do say so myself) monthly, MAILED, NEWSLETTER!!!  I have had the best, most relaxing and enjoyable time creating this first month and I can not wait to get going on the next one!!  You can find all the details on my website but let me just assure you, I have lots of wonderful things in store for this monthly newsletter and I hope you will find it as exciting as I do.  I am not sure about all of you but I have truly had my fill of the fast-paced, impersonal world of social media.  Remember the lovely days of websites and blogs???  Leisurely visiting your favorite folks for pleasure and enjoyment and perhaps seeing more than a one-sentence post and not feeling like you were just a  speck in the crowd or not feeling absolutely overwhelmed with the abundance of media coming at you.  Let me tell you, being on both ends of this perpetually moving craziness, both as a spectator and creator/business person, trying to navigate and keep up with it all is positively exhausting and can ultimately drain you of every bit of creativity you once had!!!  Thank goodness for creative times away with friends, both old and new, to chat with, work with, learn from and reminisce with or one might find themselves completely devoid of inspiration!  To that end, with this new, monthly mailed newsletter I hope to create a quieter, simpler presence.  A lovely little "From My Home To Yours" delightfulness, coming to your home each month.  Something to look forward to, something to brighten your day and perhaps inspire you to remember the simple things in life..and, just perhaps, you will find it relaxing and enjoyable yourself.

I won't keep you any longer (goodness, I was much longer winded than intended).  Won't you take a moment and pop on over to my website to learn more :).  Until next time, thank you and ...I WISH YOU JOY, Doreen

ps..the December issue will be a special issue.... larger than the regular issues and feature more projects :)

SEPTEMBER DAYS ARE HERE.....

~WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2019~

"By all these lovely tokens, September days are here, with summer’s best of weather and autumn’s best of cheer." - Helen Hunt Jackson

GOODE DAY TO YOU MY FRIENDS.  WEDNESDAY HAS DAWNED COOL AND W I N D Y HERE IN VERMONT.  TIS GORGEOUS. A PERFECT DAY FOR  HARVESTING (AS RABBIT WOULD SAY..I'm hoping you know what I am referring to there). MY SWEET ANNIE AND CHAMOMILE ARE READY FOR HARVESTING...I AM SO EXCITED AND PLEASED WITH MY CROP!!!   I'M OFF NOW TO FINISH TIDYING THE HOUSE AND THEN I SHALL HEAD OUT TO THE GARDEN TO DO MY HARVESTING.  

UNTIL TOMORROW ~ WISHING YOU JOY, DOREEN

~Rain showers & cool breezes~

Goode afternoon.  As I sit here at my writing desk a cool and gusty breeze is rushing in through the open windows.  The humidity has packed it's bags and headed on out of town!!!!  Thank HEAVENS!!! The a.c has been turned off, the fans, though still running are on their lowest setting and the sounds of bird song and the rustle of leaves, as the tree's dance to and fro, can once again be enjoyed.  I love it.

  A quick little journal entry today as I've still much to do before my workday is finished.  

• Harriet (my sourdough starter) was given a pre-bake day float test and I'm afraid she did not pass. :( According to Amy Duska, a tablespoon of the sourdough starter should float in a glass of room temperature water when it is ready to bake with.  I did this with Harriet this morning after her daily discard and feed ...and, well, she sunk right to the bottom of the glass!!  SO, we shall continue to feed and discard until she is ready :).  

• Much to do in the studio before I leave on Friday (orders, club kits, etc.)    Speaking of club kits...The photo above is this months kit ~ Mrs. Sarah Ann Sturbridge.  I just LOVe her!!  I do hope my club members enjoy creating one for themselves as well.

"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together" ~George Eliot

Take care, doreen

Sourdough Starter ~ Day Seven

OH MY GOODNESS, I am afraid the only word that fittingly describes today's weather is....GROSS!!!!  I try not to complain about the weather. I actually LOVE the weather and all it's interesting and unpredictable variables.  And, after all, it is not as if complaining will accomplish anything. Our weather will not magically change because I threw a fit about it or allowed it to alter my mood. THAT BEING SAID HOWEVER......humidity is one weather event that falls under the category of...you just can't help yourself!!!  It makes you it's prisoner, trapping you indoors with the hum, bang, and whirl of the air conditioner and/or abundant fans.  Heaven help anyone that isn't blessed with air conditioning!!!  We tried for a very long time to do without one but with my allergies and asthma, it just was no longer possible and I must say, though I do not enjoy the closed in, prisoner-like feeling that takes over me when it is on...I am SO very thankful for the wonderfully cool, dry, comfort it provides.

There is one thing that does benefit from warmth and humidity, and that is my newly created sourdough starter!!!  

~sourdough starter, day 7~

 Sourdough and it's growing micro's (natural yeast it captures from the air and from the flour you use) enjoy the heat and actually need warmth to grow properly.  Perhaps that is why, now on day seven, my starter is (I believe) ready to use.  I am a bit surprised she is ready this soon as I keep her (I've named her Harriet) in the kitchen, which is where the ac unit is and therefore I was expecting her to take 10 days or more before she was ready, however, according to all I've read..those peaks and valley's along with her abundant bubbles means she's ready for baking.  I won't actually bake with the starter today as I need to increase the volume before I can take from it and still leave enough, of the starter, to keep it going.  It is also too warm for baking today, so I will give her a large feeding this evening and another in the morning, and, hopefully, she will double in size a couple hours after the a.m discard and feeding and I can try baking a loaf of bread with her!!

**The rubberband represents where the starter was after the a.m. discard and feeding.  As you can see, it has doubled in size!!!

I wanted to share with you the video's, recipes and help I've had while diving into this SOURDOUGH Journey.  There is a lot of information out there on Sourdough bread baking, making your own, and maintaining, a sourdough starter and it can be confusing.  I am, by no means, an authority on the subject but I have found a few things that are consistent with everyone....

1. All you really need is flour and water.  The flours can vary (whole wheat, bread, all-purpose, rye) and the liquid can vary as well.. One lady uses pineapple juice another uses smooshed GRAPES!!
2. Basically, you feed and care for your starter every 12 to 24 hours until it is ready to use.  Which usually takes 7 to 14 days, depending on the environment you are growing your starter in (temperature, air quality, etc. all play a part).  After that, it can be fed once a week.
3. It really is quite forgiving.  If you forget to feed it at 12 hours, just feed it when you remember and keep going, OR, wait until it has been 24 hours.  It's okay.  Or, if you forget to feed it for a day or two, just feed it when you remember and then continue feeding every 12 hours until you've brought it back to life again.  

MY SOURCES....

• AMY DUSKA ~ YouTube Video "How to make a Sourdough Starter".  
• Joshua Weissman ~ YouTube Video "The Ultimate Sourdough Starter Guide"

**I made two separate starters; one from Amy's recipe and one from Joshua's recipe, and then I combined the two on day four.  Amy uses cup measurements and is very straight forward and easy to follow. Joshua uses grams, a scale and gives you all the little scientific details.  I LOVE both, but in the end, found Amy's easier to follow and didn't really trust my scale ( I think I need a new one)..so I went with Amy's method once I combined the two together. 

EXACTLY WHAT I DID TO BEGIN;

Following Amy's recipe;

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup tap water (we have well water so chlorine is not an issue.

Following Joshua's recipe;

100g   whole wheat flour

150 g water

I followed each recipe, for measurements & times, and then combined them, in equal amounts, on day four.  Discarding the remaining flour/water mixture into my compost bin. :~). 

 I now have one lovely, bubbly little lady named Harriet :).  **Call me crazy for naming my starter but in almost all the video's I have watched, in the last week, ~ most folks had named their starters!  Some people had several starters, all with names!!  They really are live little beings so why not!!  I am going away, on Friday, for a few days and Mark is going to have to take care of Harriet while I'm gone!!! 

OH..one more resource. KING ARTHUR FLOUR!!! Their information is SO very helpful!!  I refer to their Sourdough Starter page often!

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Okay, must run...work calls.  Enjoy the day, doreen