Lames, Games, and Frames

 

It has been a nice, relaxed week in the Macrae household. We are working and in between, working some more. Whether it is employment type work or cleaning up after the fur babies, housekeeping and the nastiness that involves, we are working. Our doctors would be proud of how we are staying busy. Yeah, right. I'm sitting on my butt in a computer chair all day, with movement around the home in between files of course, but still. Terry is also in an office situation all day, even though he does walk to the canteen for lunch. So, mildly exercising, I guess we could claim. The activities we are involved in sure won't get us on the Wheaties box any time soon. 

With four shedding kids in the home, it takes a lot of vacuuming, cleaning, and pulling hair (both theirs and ours but mostly ours). Togo the husky is blowing his coat, and it really blows! Our couch was so coated with white hair that the vacuum wasn't strong enough to even begin to suck it up. It is a good vacuum too, so the outcome did surprise me. 

Pulling sheets off, throwing them in the wash, then drying them in the new washer and dryer does frighten me. My poor brand-new washer and dryer! Thank the laundry Gods for a self-cleaning machine! The couch protecting sheets were thickly covered in hair. I shook the sheets out first, but it only took off so much. The dryer thinned it out even more and caught it all in the lint trap. Self-cleaning the washer took out any dog odors though and protected the next load from being covered with a ball of fur. I do love that feature! The genius that came up with that idea should be immortalized, kissed, and hugged. Awesome invention. 

Yes, keeping them off the couch would make sense. It's not rocket science. However, the hair gets all over the flooring and sticks to us, meaning it moves to the couch anyway, and I swear it breeds. The only way out of the mess is a once-a-week removal of sheets and then washing, drying, and recovering the couch and chair. Of course, vacuuming in between and brushing out the fur covered creatures is the best way to keep it under control at least. 

When a Siberian husky blows his coat, he blows his coat! OMG, do they ever! This is twice a year, so I'm really looking forward to that (insert sarcasm here). They are adorable babies, beautiful, sassy, and have an awesome personality, but if you ever consider getting one, just know that the hair is ridiculously overwhelming. Prepare yourself to clean every day, if not twice a day when they blow their coats. If dog hair is not your thing, get a doodle. 

In between the cleaning, be prepared to spend every waking moment with your husky. Needy, yes. Togo wants attention all the time. At first, I thought it might be something in him, possibly from the past home he lived in leaving him feeling abandoned, forgotten, and ignored. But I guess not. I have read many comments in a couple of husky groups I'm in that others are the same way. If we do not pet Togo while watching a movie and choose to stop for a moment, he shoves his nose underneath our hand and pushes it to the petting position once more. He won't take no for an answer. But we do love our furry, attention demanding guy. Under all of that hair is a sweet, intelligent, amazing pup and we love him dearly. As the perfect addition to our home, I'm so very happy we adopted him. 

Kit and Bella take over Terry's lap when he sits. They claim him and if he wants to relax in his chair, he really has no choice but to sit and pet them both. Otherwise, it's the couch for you, bud. Speaking of shedding, Kit has the long hair, so Terry's seat cover is turning white because of the cat fur. Togo doesn't sit in that chair, so that all comes from the two kitties, but mainly Kit. 

Then there is Jasper. My poor old man is ... Well, old. He's moving toward 15 now. His tongue droops out of his mouth when he lays down, due to the lack of teeth to hold it in place. The is usually only when he is laying down. When Prince Charming (Togo) isn't on the couch, Jasper takes over. Unfortunately, drool comes with the tongue and his face is always a mess. I wipe it sometimes, but it is filthy five minutes later. He's like a small child. He is my dedicated little buddy though. Sticks with me through thick and thin. 

I saved him from an abusive situation when he was two. The woman who owned him openly admitted her nine-year-old son abused the dog horribly. I chatted with her at that point about the idea of maybe training her son instead of dumping the dog. Jasper even growled and snapped at the boy when he came to say goodbye. You could tell there was no love loss. 

There have been moments of growling and biting as he learned his new home didn't mean he would be beaten or picked on. But all in all, he is a good little boy. He sheds white fur as well. We can't win. It's a daily battle of the hairs. 

I did something this week that made me very happy. My hopes to create beautiful boules of sourdough have come to fruition! I purchased two proofing bowls or bannetons. On the last proof stage, you flour the bowl heartily, so the bread does not stick. Once the bread dough is pressed into the bowl for the final rise, the line pattern in the bowl pushes into the dough, creating a nice, beautifully designed boule.  

The proofing bowl kit came with two bowls, liners, and a bread lame plus razor blades. Lames hold the razor blades to allow an easier way to score your dough before baking. The combination of scoring and the line compilation from the bowl leaves a unique artisan bread. Gorgeous! I was so excited to get the kit! My first kit crafted boule is in the rising stage. I will be able to bake it later today. Pictures are a must!

Here the dough is resting and rising a bit before the baking process begins later today. I put the dough into the fridge overnight and bake it the following day, but that means letting it warm again to complete the rise. I am not scoring this boule, hoping to let a beautiful flour ringed bread to appear. I can't wait! The next one I wish to try is scored and placed in the proofing bowl. 

The bannetons are a great compliment to the art of sourdough bread making. When I have some time, I plan on making two loaves at a time. This would last us the week if not longer, probably longer, and it also means a lot of sandwiches! I did see a recipe for sourdough bread with an egg fried in the center of the top piece, and all of it made into a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sammich. OMG it looked so good! I see many new recipes coming my way. 

Meanwhile, the week has produced rain and wind. We are now officially in the colder months. I'm not sure if I like this though, as if I have a choice. Makes it unpleasant to walk the dogs in the rain. Although now our front yard, which consists mainly of weeds, has sure turned green again. I'm hoping the hills surrounding us begin to display green as well. When living in Eugene, everything was so green and lush. The brown arrived during the summer, yes, but it wasn't as prominent as it is here in Roseburg. This is mainly due to the surrounding hills. I have seen them in their brown coloration most of the time I've been here. Something I need to get used to, I guess. I've always known Oregon as being a dense green forested type of state but that seems to be changing somewhat. 

This morning included a fog of sorts. I guess it's fog. We have had smoke in the air for so long that it is all looking the same. The only difference is that your lungs feel a bit better when it is fog. Driving to the doctor this morning, the hills looked odd. I love a good fog bank when it rolls across some of the landscape, giving our surroundings an ominous look. Love it and especially in October!  Bring on the creepy, foggy days and nights. 

After my doctor appointment, I began to work on the bread. I set it onto the counter to complete the rise. It did rise a bit, so I flipped it into the pan this afternoon. OMG it is smelling good! Nothing is better than fresh bread baking. Now came the defining moment ... The lid covering the pan needed to be removed after 20 minutes of baking. 

Not perfect, but I'm loving the creation. I can't wait until it is fully baked and ready to remove! After another 25 minutes, out it came. Hot, aromatic, and beautifully designed. I'm in love with this new hobby. Here we go with more recipes and awesome baked yummy goodness!

Now, I thought it looked pretty cool. I got the design I wanted to achieve, and the bread does taste great. But my mentor, my daughter Marina, informed me that letting the bread bake naturally is not the way to achieve that nice lift and rise you want. "Always score the bread," was the lesson I learned, along with adding an ice cube in the pan before cooking. I guess it helps achieve the lift too. Awesome. Now onward to a better boule! I love learning things. I have two new starters going for the bread I will be baking tomorrow morning. Note to self, remember to score, then hit the ice. Sounds like I'm playing hockey. Let's hope the bread isn't as hard as a puck. 

Speaking of scoring, the Oregon Ducks play the Washington Huskies today (Saturday). This game is always so exciting! The Huskies are our nemesis and have been for years. We tend to dislike the Huskies more than the Beavers, our rival team. So far, so good. We are at halftime, with the Ducks leaving behind a six-point score after gaining the ball with an interception before the first half ended. Disappointing for fans and for the Ducks, I'm sure. Bo Nix, the quarterback, looked highly frustrated before they left the field. I know Terry and me both had the same look on our faces too. 

The score of the game right now is 18 to 22 (Washington). Like I mentioned, it is halftime. The Ducks will have possession of the ball upon return. Ugh. Frustrating game every year. Keeps fans at the edge of their seats, that's for sure. I threatened to dress Togo up in a Duck shirt or other Duck gear! I didn't, of course, but maybe I will next year. 

I think he would make a very cute duck. Or a Duck fan, one or the other. He's a good beggar, that's for sure. We had all of our snacks laid out on the TV trays for the game and he tried his own interception plays to no avail. Poor Togo. 😏😁

The first part of the game didn't look too promising. But the Ducks came back with a touchdown of their own. It's been a ping-pong game of sorts, with one score, then another by the other team, and back and forth. Good game to say the least, although it will be better when the Ducks come back with a win. We have lost zero games so far this season and I would love to see them keep it that way. 

Last night I ran to the store to snag some scrubbies for doing dishes and some snacks for our game today. I parked and grabbed my wallet, my phone, and my glasses. As I reached for the door, something across the parking lot caught my eye. I couldn't make out what it was at first, so I felt I needed to get a closer look. I am curious that way or nosey, whichever way you want to look at it. Either way, I needed a closer look at this!

This was the first glimpse of the strange sighting. 

It was beginning to move onward, and I had to see what it was before it was gone. I walked across the lot and stood to the side of the curious item. 

It was someone on a bike, packing a couple of bunches of balloons. Not just any balloons, but balloons that were lit brightly with strands of lights both inside and down the stick. There were also little stuffies dangling on the bike as well. I think he or she was selling them, but I didn't stop to ask. My curiosity was squelched and that's all I cared about. Very cool way to keep your bike lit up for safety reasons though!

With hurt feelings (and pride), our Ducks ended the game against our nemesis with a 33 to 36 score (Huskies). It was such a nail-biting fiasco. I have to admit, it is more difficult to lose to them than any other team, besides the Beavs, of course. The Ducks gave it their all, but Washington pushed back well and used their best tactics too. Good game between two well matched teams. Depressing game though. 

A few expletives were thrown at the screen during the finale, along with a couple of not so nice finger gestures that I threw out there. Terry is a grown up and even though he did swear a bit, he kept it under control. I want to be like Terry when I grow up. I got a couple of cramps in my fingers after flinging them up in the air a few times. 

All joking aside, and although we did lose, I do send the injured boys a wish for good health. There were eight guys down in total during the game, a number of them from both sides, as it can be during the typical Duck vs Huskies game. Bless the players' hearts. They play with such a strong desire to win, putting their all into it. But I hate when they get hurt. I don't care what team they're on. At the end of the game, they are all human beings and young boys. Sending them all wishes of wellness. We do need to remember that it is, after all, just a game. 

Sunday October 15, 2023

Wow. Where has this time gone? It's already almost Halloween. Unbelievable. Since the past few months have flown by, it is time I get some things done around here I have wanted to accomplish. I am going to be hanging pictures, as I've mentioned in many posts before but have procrastinated long enough. I have so many to hang! We have such a large family. I keep finding more and more photos that "have" to go on the walls too. Hubby Mac and I may have to weed through and find the ones that should maybe go on the wall later and exchange them for the ones we hang now. 

Purchasing frames for the pictures is what holds me back most of the time. I forget to pick up frames when I make trips to the store. I guess I could simply pierce the edges of the photos with push pins and make it all look like something in a frat house. That would be classy.  

Family photos on the walls in our house makes it feel so comfortable and homey. I need to get busy! We still have a bookshelf to put together at some point as well. I would love to say we have had such a crazy busy week, but nah. It's just procrastination. That's all it is. I do need to git 'er done as it is told. I'm not sure what back woods hillbilly came up with that, but I've heard it before. I believe it came from some man who had a show. Could be completely wrong but I always saw the guy standing beside an item saying, "Let's git 'er done!" Weird. Obviously, I didn't watch that show. 

Sunday is the final day off for both of us. We have put it off a couple of weekends now and need to get on it. Procrastination is my forte, I have to say, but it is definitely time to overcome that trait. What makes people put things they need to complete off for so long? It always looks and feels so good to finish those tasks we need to get done. At least I feel good after I actually complete them. Basking in the glow of pride after finishing the task always makes me wonder why I did put that certain task off for so long. Then extreme joy sets in, as if I've created some miracle. Hey, in my life, the art of finishing a project is basically a miracle. The procrastination is strong in this one. 

My sweet man is spending some time outdoors, smoking his cigars. He has been fairly busy at work lately and having a tough time getting away for a lunch break at home to walk Togo. That's okay though because it does give me a task and I like that. Togo won't wait long if I don't get him outside. This is a must-do walk, so it gets me up and moving. I like that a lot actually. So, walking the dog at noon during the week is a good thing. Well, besides the skies peeing on me during that walk, it's a good thing. Togo doesn't mind getting wet because of his thick coat. He drags me through puddles and across the wet grasses on either side of the alley, not caring a bit about me getting wet. 

It is Sunday and we are doing absolutely nothing today. Pets are all sleeping. Feeling the cold air more each day and my starter is rising and ready to go. It is definitely a fall day, one that creates a lazy feel. I will be making a couple more boules today. Terry is still outside in his "polar bear jacket," smoking the last part of his cigar. Today is just a day of rest, relaxation, and hopefully bookshelf building. 

So, our wonderful readers, we are saying adieu for the week. We hope you have a great week, with the ability to enjoy your blessings. Hoping the days are filled with plenty of happiness, love, joy, and all that makes you live life to the fullest. Until next week, take care and be kind to others. The world is a much better place when we remember that sentiment.