Charlyn's Web

“You are my friend.  That in itself is a tremendous thing.  I weave my webs for you because I like you.  After all, what’s a life, anyway?  We’re born, we live a little while, we die.  A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies.  By helping you, perhaps I am trying to lift up my life a trifle.  Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.”

― Adapted from Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White

March was a very bad, no good month.  The school year was growing long, the dark of winter was just starting to give way to spring light and weariness was settling in.  Then it hit.

At first having a ill child was a nice break from the routine.  A reason to stay home and take life a bit slower.  Unfortunately, the kids kept  catching things.  First one would get the flu (fever, and sore throat), then a week later, another, a few days later the last.  Once in awhile they’d space it closer together but most of the time they played the cruel trick on their Mother of letting her think it was all past and it was clear sailing when doom would hit again.  Then it was The Stomach Bug.  By this time, I was being neurotic about cleaning door knobs, light switches, faucet handles and toilets.  Four days passed.  I was feeling hope.  Then it hit the next one.  The first had been bad but passed quickly.  This one was worse and it lingered.  My Little Sunshine didn’t eat hardly anything for three days and when I pushed eating something she didn’t keep it in her system.  She was dragging and eating light for far too long before she perked up.  One hadn’t caught The Nasty Stomach Bug and I watched, fearfully.  Nothing for a long time.  I thought for sure we were out of the woods.  And she didn’t catch The Nasty Stomach Bug, yet anyway.  But that one is also The One Most Likely to Relapse and she did just that.  A bit of fever,lack of appetite.  One day she was dragging, the next up and playing the next dragging and not feeling well. Slowly she had more good days.

Finally, after six weeks of one sort of illness or another I thought we were done with it.  We hadn’t gone many places, hadn’t seen many people. It had been seven days without any one having a fever or losing their lunches. Four days without someone not feeling well.  I was optimistic about being able to spend time with friends.  I was looking forward to life resuming.

This morning, The Boy said his stomach didn’t feel right.  He said it felt like it did before he had The Nasty Stomach Bug.  And again my hopes were dashed.

I have spent time today cleaning faucet handles, toilets, door knobs and toothbrushes. My hands are dry after washing them every five seconds.  I have spend time touching my Man Boy when he needed me.  This week will be a slower week then I had planned after all.

I was told that there are as many as Nine strands of virus going around that manifests itself in similar ways.

I just pray we don’t get all nine.

This too shall pass.  I think I’ll be ready when it does.

I’ve been making my own yogurt for awhile.  No, not consistently but it’s something I try to do fairly often.  Since I have causally mentioned this fact in conversation I’ve had hordes of people asking me how I make it.  A “horde” is two people, right?  Do I need to add that to my dictionary for you illiterate people?  I then decided to make a tutorial like them big, fancy blogs with pictures and everything.

I had seen recipes on the internet that helpfully suggested incubating the yogurt in your oven and that the pilot light would provide enough heat for the little bacteria to work.  After examining my electric oven all over I decided this option would not work for me.  Then I saw one where she used her crock pot to incubate her yogurt.  (She now uses a different method- read about it here.) But this method struck me as taking a long time- especially heating the milk up.  I also don’t have a crock pot with a removable insert so I would have to put the whole thing in the fridge because I think it’s important to let it get cold before disturbing it.  Then I came across someone- I wish I could remember who so I could give credit- who said a cooler would work well for keeping the yogurt warm as it fermented.  A light bulb went off and my yogurt making days began.

For some reason I decided to try this recipe for Armenian Yogurt.  Maybe it sounded exotic?  But I don’t follow the recipe exactly anymore.  I’m just a Recipe Rebel.

First I heat 4 cups of milk.

I put the thermometer in to keep an eye on the temperature.   The recipe says to bring it to a boil but I have read that it only needs to be heated to 180 degrees.  I try to make sure I am near the stove while I am doing this.  One batch was made unusable by my lack of attention.  I read also that if the milk is held at about 180 degrees for awhile then the yogurt will be creamier.  I’ve tried to do that these last two batches but rushed it a bit with this batch.

I made this while I was watching the milk.

I try to remember to put some boiling water into the jars I am going to use.  I managed to do so this time mostly because I was trying to impress you.  The yogurt has turned out fine even when I have forgotten this step.

I take the milk off the element

and add the heavy cream.  As you can see, I make sure to measure accurately.  Some people use dry milk to make their yogurt creamier.  It might surprise some people but I have a heavy cream addiction.  Therefore, it’s always on hand.  I also am not afraid of fat and would go so far as to say it’s good for you.

I then let it cool to 115-110 degrees.  I take out a bit of the milk and add the yogurt starter.  I have been using less then the original recipe calls for- usually 2 Tablespoons to a 1/4 cup.

Then I stir it into the milk.   And pour it all into the jars.

I heat a rice bag in the microwave as I do this.  Then put the jars into the cooler with the bag.

And then towels to fill in the open spaces.

Put the lid on and let it sit around.  Most recipes say to let it sit for 8 hours.  I have done it for as short as 4 and as long as 24.  Some people say that after 24 hours the bacteria have eaten up all the sugar in the milk.   If I leave it for a long time, I will heat up the rice bag again.

When the time is up I take the jars out of the cooler and put them in the fridge.  You can see that it is very thick.

I leave it in the refrigerator overnight.

Here it is after it’s been in the fridge for awhile.

The kids really like it.  I was a bit worried there wouldn’t be enough left from my last batch as they ate it almost all up.   When I buy yogurt for starter I have been freezing some of it to have on hand in case my starter stash gets eaten or if I leave it go too long between batches.  I sometimes drain the whey off to make a thicker yogurt or cheese.  I use the whey as a substitute for buttermilk in baked goods.

That’s it.

Armenian Yogurt

Original recipe from : http://www.thegutsygourmet.net/yogurt-recipe.html

4 cups milk

2 Tbl. – ¼ cup yogurt starter (plain yogurt- make sure it has “live” cultures)

2 cups (or so) heavy cream (optional)

Heat the milk to 180 degrees.  Take off heat and add cream.  Let cool to 115-110 degrees.  Take some out of the pan and stir in the yogurt starter.  Add starter mixture to the rest of the milk and stir.  Pour into containers.  Put into cooler and let sit for 8 hours or longer.  Put containers into refrigerator until cold and ready to serve.

Short Cut:

A.  A route that looks like less mileage on the map.

B.  Usually scenic.

C. A route that usually takes more time than expected.

D.  The way we usually go.

E. All of the above.

Pixie was playing a guessing game with us.  She would hide something in a bag and we would have to guess what was in there.  She told us this one started with a “ch” sound and was Mama’s.  Lots of things were guessed but it just wasn’t the right things.  She ended up describing them as blue and had Crocs written on them.  So we guessed my blue sandals.

“You are right!” says she.

Which got us to head scratching- why did it start with “ch”?

“They are choes!” she replied.

Oh!  Yes, choes that are chandles.

On to the next guessing game.  This one started with an “I”.  Hmmm.  It’s something we listen to.  She doesn’t like them but the rest of us do.  Whit is in them.

Oh!  Adventures in Odyssey.

But where does the “I” come in?

“You know- Inventures in Odyssey.”

I don’t know why it was taking us so long to guess these things.

The eggs were cleaned, blow dried (What?  Doesn’t everyone blow dry their eggs?) and being placed in the carton as we hurried to finish up before leaving for church.  One pretty blue egg was left over so I delicately placed it into a carton for us to keep.  I somehow managed to fumble the poor, pretty egg and it broke on the floor.

“Oh!  It broke!”  Said Miss Sunshine.

Pixie runs into the kitchen to see what happened.  “Did you break it?  Why did you do that?”

“Yea, why did you do that?” Her ever helpful Father teased.  He had seen the whole thing.

“You did it on purpose?”  asked Miss Sunshine.

“Why did you break it on purpose?”  asked Pixie

Yes, I threw it on the floor in order to see our last, only remaining egg smashed. (The Hens really need to be getting busy out there!  They been slacking.) My heart’s desire was that The Dog  get it so I devised this deviant scheme and carried it out.

In the process of explaining that no, I had not broken it on purpose; The Boy enters the scene and proclaims, “You broke it on purpose?!”

Yes, there it is folks, the process of how rumors get started.  I am now a purposeful Blue Egg Smasher.  Beware.

Scenic Route:

A. The longest possible way to get to where you are going even if it looks shorter on the map.

B. The way with the most curves, ups and downs, and washboards.

C. The way with the most adventure and memory building events.

D. All of the above.

During the Holiday Season there are lots of occasions for Socially Inept people to make a fool of themselves.  In order to educate and, hopefully, decrease the chance of embarrassment, let’s discuss a situation and possible responses.  The Scene: A Social Situation i.e. a party.  Someone comments that you look nice and asks if you have lost weight.  You respond with:

A. A demur “Thank you” and smile discreetly.

B. “Yes, yes, I have lost weight” you loudly proclaim knowing full well that two pounds is statistically insignificant.

C. Proclaim loudly that you are wearing a gut constrictor.*

D. Both B and C (loudly)

Leave what you thought I answered with (because, really, this is all about me) and what you think is the best socially adept answer.

*I know, I know, it has a much less descriptive name but whether you call it Spandex, Shapers, Garters, or Corsets they all DO the same thing- constrict your guts.

“Mom, where is the ag basket?” Pixie asked as she came into my bedroom.

Umm, “ag” basket? Agricultural basket?  Is that like the Bread Basket of the United States? No!  Couldn’t be.

“What “ag” basket? What do you mean?”

“You know, the ag basket we put the eggs in.”

Way back when, when I was actually writing blog posts, I wrote a story about The Dog keeping an eye on the Chickens.

Well, he is still at it.  With new charges.

Click on the Thumbnails for full size photos.

Yes, we have chicks.  Someday I will have to tell you all about the On Going, Continuing, Never Ending Chicken Saga.  ( I hope I wasn’t too redundant there.)

“Don’t worry, Mom, I have it all under control.”

Keeping a close eye out.

“You talkin’ to me, Son?”

“Hey!  Don’t peck me!”

(He is actually playing with them here but they don’t seem to get it.  Dumb birds anyway.)

I feel much better about The Dog watching over the chicks then I do this guy.