A Not Really A Recipe Recipe Plus Other Stuff

Last night I made my third attempt at the high-protein, high-fiber bread I've been trying to make and this batch came out quite well in my opinion. In fact, I was delighted. The crust was nice and crusty and the crumb was soft and very chewable. It was not like eating cardboard at all! 
Of course, that would be a low bar but honestly, I thought this was fine bread. It's made of one cup of bread flour, about a cup and a half of rolled oats, about a half a cup of ground flax seed, salt, two eggs, a cup or so of cottage cheese, honey, a tablespoon of yeast and as much warm water as it takes to make a nice stretchy dough. 
Sorry that I don't have exact measurements but that's the way I do it. Yesterday's dough was far more moist than the other two loaves I'd made and I'm sure that's what the big difference was. 
I've been using my food processor to make the dough but it's really not quite adequate. I've been putting the oats and flax seed in first and grinding them up, then adding the flour, the yeast, the salt, cottage cheese and eggs and carefully adding the water to try and get the proportions right. You could definitely use a blender to do the oats, flax seed, cottage cheese and eggs in and then proceed as you usually do with your bread either kneading it by hand or in a stand mixer. I believe I'll start putting that first mixture after it's been processed into my Kitchen Aid with the dough hook and adding the flour and water and yeast and salt and honey as I mix it all. I haven't been sprinkling the yeast over the water in the approved manner because I'm not sure of the exact amount of water I'll be using but guess what? 
It does not matter. It might just take a little longer for its first rise. 
Anyway, if you like to make bread you can try it. 

Sweet Jesus but it's hot. It's so humid and sticky that when I come outside in the mornings after spending the night in the glory that is air conditioning, my skin feels like it's getting condensation on it like the windows do. As if my skin is literally fogging up. I managed to get out into the garden a little earlier today and got some more weeding done, pulled the cucumbers and most of the tomatoes. Suddenly I am READY to get everything cleared out for the collard, mustard, turnip, and kale greens. I still have some pea vines and of course the pumpkin vines. I'm still getting a few peppers so I'm not pulling them yet. Their time is coming soon, though. 

All in all I only spent about forty-five minutes out there but that was enough. The rest of the day I've done little things that have needed doing like putting drain unclogger into my shower drain AGAIN. I am afraid that the only thing that's going to really fix that situation is to snake the dang thing out and I'm certainly not doing that. I did a lot of laundry, including the sheets, of course. I watered the thirsty porch plants. I watered the split leaf philodendron and the mango in the back yard along with the sea grape and the Texas Star Hibiscus. I filled the birdbath. I fed the crows. I find it so interesting that the same five crows come every day. The more I observe these birds, the more I realize I do not know about them. 
While I was in the back yard, watering plants and feeding crows, Maurice just happened to come by and decide that a little rest under the shade of the wisteria arbor might be just the ticket. 

I really need to trim that wisteria. The vines are taking over the magnolia tree and inserting themselves under the eaves of the house and creeping across the ground. 
Get in line, wisteria! There's a whole lot on Mama's list. 

I played with my camera some. Here's a picture for you.

You see that ant? Okay, it is far from being perfectly in focus but when I tell you that it's barely visible to the naked eye, I am not kidding you. The paper it's on is regular lined paper like we all used in school. 

There's another one in this picture. Can you see it? 
Now the darn thing about these minuscule insects is that they are the bane of my life because they are constantly crawling on me and stinging me when I'm on the back porch writing. 
Now how in the world something that small has enough toxin to even feel is rather unbelievable. But it's not a matter of just feeling it. It stings! It really, really stings! And you know I'm no insect bite wimp. 

Another picture. 

Another treasure from Tom's. And this is actually rather nice. Hardly any signs of the rattan becoming unwoven. 

Also, very nice work on it. Definitely not just a Pier 1 factory piece. Perhaps even midcentury. I am sure Tom found it on the side of the road and good for him! It's what we call a peacock chair and I'm sure you can see why. It even came with a cushion which I am washing as we speak. 

And here we have a picture of the ancient oak in my front yard. 

Do you see the crotch there in what is sort of the center of the picture where the ferns are growing? 
I thought I saw something that rather surprised me growing in that hollow and with the aid of my Super Zoom Lens I discovered I was right. 

It has palms growing up there! 
Now I know this is probably not a sign of a healthy tree. Please do not advise me on what I should do. The tree is probably at least three hundred years old and this is the stage its life is in now. 
It is old and it is nurturing new growth in the parts of it that are turning from hard wood to what is most likely a decaying mulch-like material. 

Oh my word. It is raining. Let this be a real one. The air is suddenly at least ten degrees cooler. The birds are singing songs of praise and joy. It smells like iron and moss and wood and wet dirt. 
And it's already passing. 
Well, that was really beautiful while it was happening. 

Martini time! 

Happy Friday, y'all. 
Love...Ms. Moon

The window in the bathroom off the kitchen. It faces west and that's what it looks like in the late afternoon.