Author: iagardener55

for the fast forward capability on my keyboard.

Watching different videos on YT, they sometimes makes me want to pull my hair out. Instead of writing a nasty comment on their YT page, regarding their hard, but mentally taxing, work, I just fast forward, or watch something else.

Simple.

I’m not really sure people understand that YT has algorithms that determine how much, or if they’ll be paid for the work they’re showing you.

The videos they produce, edit, and post are their new income streams. How would you like someone giving you a 1, or 2 on your next work evaluation? That won’t get you much, if any, kind of pay increase.

Next time you’re watching something that you want to support by watching it, and it gets boring, fast forward.

Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in God’s grace.

Post script: a very happy 35th birthday to my adopted son Jesûs. Don’t know what I would do without you.

St. Jerome is my first patron saint.

I was listening to Lisa Cotter’s podcast on the Hallow app, called Hallowed Be Thy Day. As she opens her podcast, she says it is “your daily guide to history, feasts, and traditions, to help make your day a little more holy.” FYI- Hallow means holy.

Each of these podcasts are no more than 8 minutes long; she, too, has a family, a job, responsibilities, and doesn’t always have the time for lengthy monologues.

During her podcast yesterday, she mentioned that you could find the name of a patron saint, (if you were wanting to have one, which, as it happened, I was), on a website called saintsnamegenerator.com. So, of course, I opened that website, run by a female Christian comedian, of all things, named Jen Fulwiler. She is also a “programmer”, hence her ability to program a saints name search engine, I suspect.

The first saints name that came up was totally unrecognizable to me, and I, unfortunately, didn’t take the extra few seconds to read her blurb about him. I touched the “Find a saint for me” button again, and there he was; Saint Jerome.

This has significance for me for a couple of reasons. 1) our children went to their first Catholic school, St. Jeromes, in Houston, TX, when we lived there. It was the start, for them both, on their Catholic upbringing. 2) he was mentioned in the podcast as being “most notably remembered for his revision and translation of parts of the Bible from Hebrew to Latin that had been commissioned by Pope Damasus, creating an edition later known as the Latin Vulgate. Before this, only the Hebrew and Greek (Septuagint) translations were in existence.” This, in later years, allowed others to translate the Bible into multiple different languages. Thank you St. Jerome.

So, I now have, as my first patron saint, St. Jerome, a translator. I have prayed that he will help me, in these next few years, translate Spanish to English so I can become fluent in my adopted language. I understand quite a bit, but have severe trepidation speaking Spanish, though, those with whom I have spoken tell me I speak it well.

What an amazing gift. Thank you Lord.

Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in His grace.

Then there’s baking.

I have discovered, in this holiday season of baking sweet things for others, that I really don’t like baking sweet things. Things that need to be rolled out into specific shapes. A circle. Or a square. A rectangle.

I texted my sisters this revelation earlier today, and one of them texted me back, I won’t tell you which one but she knows who she is, that she didn’t like rolling out dough either,because she didn’t own a rolling pin. 😂😂

I texted back that I had several, but none of them worked. 😂

Yesterday, I made a Christmas Star bread, and gave it to the guards downstairs in thanks for their keeping us safe this past year. They enjoyed it. I didn’t have enough flour to make 2 more to take to Los Altos with me, so I made some curly things with the same dough, and the cinnamon/sugar combo.

My word sugar is addictive. I haven’t had anything with sugar since July, and I’m here to tell you I couldn’t stop nibbling on the curly things. Now, I’m so sleepy I find it difficult to type.

I’m going to take the curly things with me, though I won’t let them know how embarrassed I am. They need to be eaten, and my friends/families will be kind enough to do just that. They’ll probably tell me how good they are, and I’ll thank them. They’re good people who wouldn’t want to embarrass me to my face. Thank God.

Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.

The curly things.

Crocs..

I have discovered that with my double thick cotton winter socks, and my too-large Crocs, they make the perfect combination to walk comfortably around the park.

I have worn this combination several times now, and have not had to stop to stretch a single time while walking. I’m getting my haircut tomorrow at the Plaza, and, as I have to walk, I’ll wear the same combo, and see if I’m right.

Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.

Post script: I was right. No difficulty walking, fairly quickly even, to, and from the salon. Yay.

I am so proud to tell you that I have made a few successful edibles using only Einkorn flour.

Yesterday I made a medium pizza that was very tasty, though I need to work on the toppings. In the past 3 weeks, I have made 3 loaves of very tasty artisan style bread, which don’t need anything more than for me to remember to add honey to the batter, an addition that changes the sourness of the bread.

In fact, I had a moment of trepidation this morning when I went to find all of the Einkorn grains I had just sprouted, and dehydrated. I couldn’t remember where I put them.

Found them. Up in the cupboard above the microwave. In the upper upper cupboard, the one that requires a footstool to access. Why did I put it way up there you ask? Good question. Answer may just be forthcoming. Not sure.

As I’m using it in quite the abundance, I’m currently sprouting another batch so I don’t run out.

I am going to make a few “Star breads” to take with me to Veracruz, but I’m going to use regular all purpose, and bread flour. I’m also going to use real sugar as I’m the only one not eating real sugar. Not going to push my ways on the families there.

Until next time my lovelies, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.

I hope your holiday season is progressing as you’d like.

Mine sure is.

Today I fixed the door in our shower, after 6 years of it not closing completely. Six years drying the small stream of water that escaped from said open shower door. Six years of the warm shower steam escaping into the freezing cold bathroom.

No longer.

Today, armed with a moist sponge, and a prayer, I removed the plastic strip that is supposed to keep the shower door closed, cleaned it, and put it back. I put it back, however, on the portion of the glass that doesn’t move, effectively making me open the shower door to the inside, not outwardly as it always has.

Voilà. Job done. No more mopping up the trickle of water sneaking out of the shower, no more losing the lovely warm steam during these cold morning showers. No more open shower door. Period.

I’m smiling. 😊

Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.

Here is the “noise” update.

It wasn’t being caused by my neighbors upstairs.

IT WASN’T EVEN IN OUR BUILDING!!!

It is construction work being done in a neighboring building. I’m telling you, though, it sounds like the ceiling is going to fall in.

I did keep the deerslayer hat on, and texted our maintenance guy, Beto, about the noise. I recorded it, and sent it to him. He took a listen to it, and went around the building to find it. There were metal bars, or some such thing, rubbing against each other. It’s horrendous. And it’s in the building behind us.

Now that I know, I’m more relaxed and forgiving, and no longer raise my voice to the ceiling.

Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.

Post script: Happy birthday tomorrow to my younger sister, Nancy. Wishing you many more good ones.

The people that live in the apartment above me make so much noise, scraping their chairs on the floor, day, and night.

It is driving me to madness. I have begun raising my voice, in English of course, telling them to please stop whatever they’re doing. Immediately.

For a plug nickel, I think I’d send her, Claudia, a text asking her to send me a photo of their chair legs so I could buy them chair foot covers, like I have. My chairs don’t squeal anymore since I bought the covers. Therefore my neighbor downstairs, Ivonne, the condo admin. isn’t’ bothered when I move my chair forward, or backward from the table.

There is also some horrendous metal against metal scraping such as you might expect to come from a trap door being scraped open, or closed. Something not meant to be used in that way. What could it possibly be, you ask? I’m going to find out.

Somehow.

With my deerskin hat in place, I’ll be talking to the guards in the lobby to see if they have any ideas that can help me. They, Claudia, and here evil minions, should be very glad I no longer drink. Just putting that out there. 😡

Until next time, I’ve got my noise cancelling earbuds in, TYJ, and want you to stay happy, 😆, and healthy in the Lord.

Post script: this past weekend I discovered how to call up the emoji keyboard on all of my devices, you may be happy to know. I sure am.

I found a dozen, or so, videos/recipes for a loaf of artisanal bread made completely with Einkorn flour.

I just happen to still have at least 1o lbs. of Einkorn grains that I bought in 2020. I’m going to sprout what’s left, then dehydrate it so it will be shelf stable, then grind it as I need it.

I started the dough process yesterday evening, having the dough ready to ferment on the counter for 12-14 hours. At 9pm it was in its plastic container, covered, resting on the counter.

Twelve hours later, this is what I found.

So, from there, I shaped it into what’s called a batard, or an oval shape, place it in a well floured banneton, or wicker basket, if you will, and set that on the counter for another 2 hours to proof.

Now, it’s been forever, I’ve put it in a 4750F oven for 30 minutes covered, removed the cover, and continued to bake for another 12 minutes. Here’s what it looks like just out of the oven.

I lied. That was just after the covered 30minutes.

Here it is after an additional 12 minutes without the lid. I can’t wait to try it.

This is my first “real” loaf of Einkorn bread that didn’t come out like a hockey puck. Yay!!! TYJ. I prayed multiple times yesterday, and last night that the bread would be something I’d want to make routinely. I’ll let you know in a later update if that is what happened. Einkorn is so much better for your health that I would like to replace as many of my bread recipes, pizza dough, crackers, bread sticks, etc., with Einkorn. I seriously could not be more proud of these results. Prayers.

Until next time my pretties, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.

I’m getting close to being overwhelmed with growing things getting ready for their next stages.

HerbS, and ferments of all kinds. Christmas is in 11 days, and I’m no where near ready.

I used to say that. I don’t anymore. Not this year anyway. I’ll be going to Veracruz the end of this month with Jesús, and Liz, to spend time, 3 days, with their families. It’s been 3 years, no 4 years since we were last there. I won’t be able to recognize any of the little children, they’ll have all grown so much.

I can’t wait, regardless. To get out of the apartment will be a treat like none other. The emotional rollercoaster will be well worth it, I believe. They are all such wonderful, giving people. I’ve missed them greatly.

Until next time amigos, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.