Valentines Day Adventure: Birding and Thrift store shopping

For a fun valentines adventure, we took a birdwatching class at the local library. Learned about the Backyard Bird Count. Walked around part of Lake Morton and saw swans (both white and black!), mandarin ducks, mallard ducks, Muscovy ducks, ring-necked ducks, a limpkin, a small blue heron, a Great Blue Heron in a nest in a tree!, an osprey in the sky, many cormorants and anahingas (and we learned to tell the difference between the two), a few palm warblers, many coots and moorhens (and we learned to tell the difference between the two), one big pelican, and loads of ring-billed seagulls on vacation from the ocean. 

​Readers, today we also did not buy a $3600 gilt 7-foot-tall mirror decorated with cherubs. We figured out where it could go in the house, but we have other plans for any money that large.Did not take photo. Imagine its glorious ostentatiousness in your mind!

We had a fun Valentines morning walking through several antique/thrift shops. Spent a whopping $9 on a boardgame and two plastic skull glasses.

Other things we did not buy:

Is it an actual Joan Moro print? I may go back some day and see if it’s still there. 

The T-Rex shirt is too big for my daughter, too small for my husband. Maybe I should’ve bought it for ME?! Another reason to go back. 

We keep saying we need one of these doggy buggies for our dog but we felt this is a leeetle too small. 

Things I did today instead of Doom Scrolling

​Things I did today instead of Doom Scrolling 

1. Made sourdough bread 
2. Bandaged a blood blister on my hand
3. Saw & Juliet in Tampa — laughed, clapped, sang along, collected confetti
4. Lots of bookkeeping
5. Spent time with my son
6. Ate Oreos and cheese cubes and baked beans for dinner 
7. Went to bed early with Count of Monte Christo, chapter 31. 

Traveling sourdough

​I promised my mother-in-law to bake her some fresh sourdough bread for her birthday. I said it would be delivered on Friday, so of course I need to make it Thursday. But I forgot i would be at my son‘s apartment in Tampa on Thursday and I would be busy most of Thursday! This is a story about traveling sourdough.

So I started the starter in Lakeland on Wednesday afternoon. Then drove with that little bit of starter to Tampa. Then I discovered there was no bread flour at my son’s place. But there was unbleached all-purpose flour, so this will be my first time making sourdough bread with basic flour. 

I made the dough, and did the stretch and folds late at night. I let it ferment on the counter overnight. Then early this morning, shaped it and put it in the fridge. No banetton baskets, so using the old colander method.

I am making two small loaves because my mother-in-law can’t eat a large loaf. 

I mixed the two loaves separately, and I know I screwed up the amount of flour in one batch. But I didn’t know how much I messed it up, so I added a little bit more flour. But based on the stickiness and looseness of that batch, I think I’m still under for the amount of flour.

Anyway, I will have to take the two bowls of dough out of the fridge and drive them back to Lakeland to put in the fridge again before baking it early tomorrow morning!!

Basically, this is all a giant experiment of different flour, sticky dough, super long fermentation time, and moving the stages of the bread from one house to another twice! Because I promised my mother-in-law for her birthday.

What is saving my life lately

​What is saving my life lately

1. This house. I keep finding new reasons to love it. It has some flaws, but we keep finding new ways this house and its location is right for us.
2. Sourdough bread, always
3. Count of Monte Cristo plus Audio books in general
4. Peter rocking being a college student, appreciating us supporting him, and living solo better than ever
5. Sunsets on a pond
6. Working from home — unpacking, bread baking and medical appointments wouldn’t happen otherwise 
7. The ikea shelves in the bedroom and the promise of more shelves in the closet —meaning more stuff out of boxes! 
8. Our kitchen — the only complaint is it’s so big you have to walk to get things, but hey, it helps with getting steps in
9. Improving weather
10. Time away from my phone! 

Things I did today instead of Doom Scrolling

​Things I did today instead of Doom Scrolling 

1. Started organizing our board game collection 

2. Baked brownies 

3. Drove with son back to his apartment

4. Went to friends’ house for wings, goodies and board games. Somehow I won all three games we played. 

5. Attended food truck festival and met a lovely woman from Washington DC when bought her crab & Gouda macaroni (delish)

6. Worked on a jigsaw puzzle while sorta listening to the jig football game

7. Danced with husband to music we weren’t familiar with during the superb owl half time -- and somehow we survived! 

What made you happy this week

​What made you happy this week 

• Spending time with Sean and Peter and Nana
  
• Unpacking 
  
• Paying off mortgage 
  
• Doing relaxing things this weekend 
• Fresh bread 

Think of a good thing about 5 people you know

​1. Sean is sweet and loving and does his best to take care of me

2. Warren is efficient and smart and humble.

3. Heidi is brave and smart and courageous and inspiring and true ringer values.

4. Jerry is helpful and a good loyal friend.

5. Suzi is patient, and good with compliments, and professional, and smart.