Sunday was a long and stimulating day for me, with church, the symphony right afterward, and going out to dinner with my goddaughter for her birthday. I was a long time winding down when I finally got home, and stayed up till midnight. That usually bodes ill for the next day, but today has been very satisfying so far. I took a walk, made soup, got my sourdough sponge on to the next stage, wrote a letter, and watched the birds for a while.
In addition to the hummingbird feeder I’ve got two feeders supplied with black oil sunflower seeds. This morning two dozen finches (house and gold), chickadees, sparrows and juncos were flitting back and forth from one to another and to the fountain. When a pair of fat robins landed on the fountain I did a double-take, startled at their size after seeing so many little birds day after day.
On my walk I took a loop through the park where we used to attend the homeschool park days (they continue), and noticed for the first time two species of abutilon, though they are big bushes that have obviously been around for years. All of the plant pictures here are from my walk.
This time I didn’t add any regular yeast to the Swedish Sourdough Rye, and I’m baking it all in pans. That’s how I used to do it in yesteryear, and it worked for me back then. I don’t have any patience with my fancy Dutch oven boules right now, and want some tidy slices for the toaster. I divided the sloppy dough into small, medium and large lumps and poured them into greased loaf pans, small, medium and large. At the moment they are rising like the very Slow Food that they are, and I’m counting on them being out of the oven before bedtime — not talking about midnight this time!
Gladsome Lights 
What are those tower-looking charcoal things in the second photo? They intrigue me.
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Lisa, they are painted wood. It appears that someone used the stump of an old shrub or tree, and built these pieces on to the two parts of the dead trunk. The paint is fading and the wood cones are cracking, so it’s been there for some time, but I never saw it before — so strange, as I’ve walked past hundreds of times.
The art is imitating some kind of mushroom, yes? Is it a real kind of mushroom or a fairytale sort that it reminds me of? Not something I’ve seen myself in nature, I know that…
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This sounds like a very satisfying day.
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A very good day, you were having….I hope mine can be satisfying today….Tomorrow will be the polar vortex, highs of minus one! I’ll probably be babysitting if there is no school.
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What a great day you had and the walk was lovely. I loved those mushrooms made from the stump of an old tree. Your bread makes me want to make some in my bread machine.
Have a great day today dear Gretchen ~ FlowerLady
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I think it sounds like the perfect day. What nice bread you made. I love all of the nice flowers that you found on the walk. I hope your Tuesday is just as nice.
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Your bread looks hearty and delicious. I’m regularly amazed at the plant life where you live. I don’t think of you living in a radically different place from me — same nation, same continent. But your trees, bushes, and blooms look very different from mine 🙂 I agree that those chubby robins are a shock after winter’s tiny birds! They must be eating their worms!
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I find that making my sourdough bread is a very slow process. I don’t add any extra yeast and proof the dough overnight in the fridge. It then takes a good long while to come to room temperature and prove once again before baking. But the results are well worth it. Slow food is indeed good food.
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lovely breads!!! and walk! God bless you dear one!
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