10 April 2007
Ah, this is better:
I made (two) biscuits from scratch this morning, and they puffed up just like they were supposed to! I've got no history of loving American biscuits, but I was determined to have one come out properly. Plus, I've got no other bread or bread-like substance (ie, a surface upon which to spread jam) in the house, so I needed to make something.
Rani tagged me for a meme about goals, so I present to you my list. I've tried to stick to goals for the relatively near future, otherwise things would just get ridiculous.
1. Assorted House Projects: I'll make this one item, otherwise the entire list could be filled with the projects I'd like to tackle around the house. I started priming the (wood-paneled) porch weeks ago, but the dip in temperatures has kept me from finishing. When I get back from London, my first project will be painting the porch white, doing something about the floorboards in there, and generally just making it a pleasant place to be.
I'd also like to refinish my bathroom, which I'm hoping to do when I finish (and get paid for) a pending freelance project. Bigger house goals include a kitchen overhaul, finishing the basement, and solar panels for the roof. And something should be done about the garage and its roof, but frankly, I don't have to live in there, so it's pretty far down the list.
2. Become a Vegetable Gardener: Because I'm so keen on the idea of having a garden, I keep forgetting that I have very little first-hand experience with maintaining one. Right after I finish with the porch, I'm going to dig out my garden plot and start working on that. I'm mainly interested in growing my own veggies and fruit, as I can't think of anything better than making my own homemade, homegrown vegetable soup or eating raspberries off the bush on a summer's day. Lucky for me, my mother has tried growing just about everything, it seems (corn, broccoli, potatoes, POPcorn, squash, etc, etc), so I can have her 'expert' opinions to guide me.
3. Start a Compost Pile: I'm constantly chucking out bits of organic material, thinking how much better it would be to compost it. Part of me is convinced that you have to do it properly, and the other part thinks, 'Eh! Just throw everything in a giant bin and mix it up every now and then!' Any Minnesotans/northerners who maintain a compost pile all year long? What happens during the winter?
4. Do Something Foodie in the Mainstream: I'm not sure exactly what this would be, and I'm happy for it to be in the long-time-from-now future. It could be anything from self-publishing a mini book of recipes to doing a more substantial book about my thoughts on eating (plus recipes), doing a proper cookery course, opening a little cafe, etc, etc. Mainly, food is just something that excites me right now, and unlike crafts, I could see wanting to develop it into more than a hobby.
5. Train for a 10k: No reason I can't get started on this right now (well, obviously not RIGHT now -- it's all windy outside. . .). I've sort of got stuck, mentally, at the 5k line, but I'd like to break through that and start running longer distances. I might make this a goal for the summer.
6. Act on Good Intentions: Mostly this has to do with things for other people (correspondence, etc), but I tend to flake on good ideas even when it's something I want for myself. I dream up all sorts of nice things to make the people around me happy, but it's not much use if I don't follow through on those whims.
Well, that might be it for goals for the time being. They start to sound like New Year's resolutions after a while. I always draw a blank when it comes to 'assignments' like this and then remember a hundred possibilities in the following weeks. For example, I should have included this in that 'weird' meme from a while back:
Things I have developed a fear or suspicion of in the last few years: Apes/dolphins/parrots (too clever not to be up to something), fiddlehead ferns (mainly the bigger ones that people eat), Google Earth (the zooming up to/down from space effect), and ferrets (just kidding -- I've always been suspicious of them. They're waiting for you to go to sleep, so they can eat you alive. Starting with your eyes.). See? Weird.
your goals are so inspiring! and you've been making me hungry for American biscuits these past few days...
for goal #5-you might always try an 8K first? somehow it seems less daunting than 10K, and a nice way to work up to it, training-wise--I ran my first 5K in October 06 and an 8K this February. 10K is next!
posted by Nancy at April 10, 2007 11:06 PM
Excellent goals. I'm particularly in love with #2 and #6. I've recently started a worm compost pile (not as gross as it sounds) and they sure do eat my scraps! But it's not super cold here...
posted by rani at April 10, 2007 11:49 PM
You've got some great goasl here! A couple of them are on my list as well! Good luck!
posted by moki at April 11, 2007 12:11 AM
As for the composting...here in WI we compost all year long. It is amazing how much heat is generated while composting. Now it WILL eventually freeze, but we still add to it and eventually it all breaks down, esp. if you add a little accelerator to it. Your goals are wonderful! And you have made me want biscuits in the morning for breakfast.
posted by Eren at April 11, 2007 02:37 AM
i should share a sweet potato biscuit recipe that i have. i think you would like it. as for gardening and compost, i've always wanted to have a garden so i'd have a good use for my old coffee grinds. i hear it's good for plants?
posted by sara at April 11, 2007 03:36 AM
I saw on digg.com once that someone found a woman sunbathing topless in her backyard on Google earth. It was a bit grainy, but who knows how that will improve with time! I'm a bit frightened of it as well. Eep.
posted by Taryn at April 11, 2007 05:58 AM
this is a beautiful picture! love it!
posted by neves estrela at April 11, 2007 08:42 AM
great goals. gardening...running... composting, all wonderful, but why fear dolphins?
posted by connie at April 11, 2007 11:23 AM
Taryn -- I remember them talking about that on NPR; wasn't it so grainy that they couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman? I'm not worried about the spying thing -- it's just the flying into 'space' that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Connie -- Dolphins: They seem jolly enough, but you can't tell what they're thinking, and it's probably something rather clever and possibly bad.
posted by Anna at April 11, 2007 12:25 PM
I'm in Canada and compost year round. I keep a bin with a lid by the back door in the winter (on top of a massive snow bank) and just toss stuff in each day. In the spring, I pour it onto the proper compost pile. Composting can be a lot or very little effort. I lean toward the little-effort end of the scale, I like knowing none of that stuff is clogging up a landfill site, and my garden of course loves it.
posted by Melissa Will at April 11, 2007 01:20 PM
It's great that you're coming to stay, sweetie, but are you planning to bring all that crazy with you too?
posted by Rob at April 11, 2007 10:40 PM
I have started to train for a 15K this July. In an attempt to help push myself forward with my training I have decided to post my daily mileage. If you ever get discouraged I wouldn't mind giving you a friendly boost :)
posted by Amber at April 13, 2007 12:58 AM
We have a compost bin that works quite nicely. It was here when we moved in so not sure how to start it, but we still use it. In the winter we have a little one that we add to and then put it in the big one when it is safe to walk outside again....I mean after the snow is gone. :)
posted by Lora at April 16, 2007 09:09 PM
Coming late to your compost query. Fear not, winter is no obstacle to composting, it just takes a little longer (for houshould sized heaps).
Someone mentioned accelerator, I use pee, especially when you have a lot of leaves (to prevent smells pour it into a dibbled hole and cover the hole over so it doesn't get whiffy).
In winter insulate the sides & top with layers of old cardboard or carpet. If you use carpet, still add card on the inner layer unless it's a wool carpet which is fine.
If you have time (I find it a pleasure) chop your waste as small as possible, especially tough things like squash skins.
Always try to balance wet and dry (grass cuttings get very sloppy so always add dry leaves or shredded paper or similar to balance it).
Mixing is good, but I confess I never do it very often. But one of the best things about getting your garden fork in there and turning it monthly is you can identify any probs - like too wet/dry and fix it sooner.
And if you don't mind little worms, you could have a worm composter that can be kept in the house over winter, they are great little guys for munching through kitchen waste in a single person houshold.
Sorry, I'm getting boring now aren't I.
Feel free to email me with any specific queries as you enter the wonderful world of composting. xox
posted by cally at April 17, 2007 08:24 PM
The microbes in your compost pile will actually generate heat as they break down the organic material. I knew I'd finally gotten the mix right when my pile started steaming!
posted by jpting at April 23, 2007 11:57 AM