(Above: I had an intriguing idea as I lay in bed this morning. “Would noodles bear a noticeable taste difference if I boil them in spring water?”)
10/31/2021: A cool day beginning in the low 50s and warming into the high 70s. Partly cloudy in the morning and sunny in the afternoon.
Morning of 10/31/2021: A cloud front carried by cold winds approached from the north. Later in the day, I planted the sprouts that I received yesterday. The central row is presently inhabited by turnips, broccoli, cabbage, and arugula. I planted bib lettuce in the eastern row. Once they grow a tad more, I will be thinning them out. Four collard leaves acquired for a unique repast. A roasted garlic & rosemary marrow bone resting atop a bed of baked tomatoes and collard greens.
11/1/2021: A day beginning in the high 40s and proceeding to warm to the low 70s. A bit chilly in the morning but otherwise a perfect exhibition of a Florida Autumn.
Pre-dawn of 11/1/2021: Steaming fodder on a crisp fall morning. More steam – this time from clothes about to hang on the line. Lunch today: A delicious combination of sushi and warm onion soup garnished with arugula. This afternoon, I took about half an hour to repair the Moo-Magic compost stand. Time, fungi, and carpenter ants had really eaten into the base. And done. All that was needed was a new palette. The gap between the first and second boards seemed a tad large in the prior picture, so I removed the screws and re-positioned it accordingly. King Gaur – Elray – peering at Padre after the conclusion of our duskly beef pasture inspection.
11/2/2021: A sunny day beginning in the high 50s and warming into the mid 80s by late afternoon.
Dawn of 11/3/2021. Bovines graze and recline as the sun rises. The lantana southwest of Jacobhouse has reached gargantuan proportions. Lunch today was eaten at Lorito’s Pizza. The salad was exceedingly fresh with the cucumbers being particularly crunchy and crisp once again. A slice o’ cheese pizza. After a semi-lengthy farm morning, three pieces like this satiated my appetite. Late noon activity: Retrieving an old rusted-out water trough from near the farm dumpster, removing the bottom via tin snips and force, and dragging it to a location beside the original hugelkultur. I think it will be a fine home for some supplemental kale or arugula.
11/3/2021: A day beginning in the mid-50s and warming to the mid-80s. Sunny throughout.
Dawn of 11/3/2021. A bovine and her youngling trailing close behind. Ritsabittle #40. A spring picnic in autumn. I had an intriguing idea as I lay in bed this morning. “Would noodles bear a noticeable taste difference if I boil them in spring water?” I specifically chose Salt Springs so the water would already be ‘pre-salted’. It felt a little strange going down to the spring with a cooking pot as people were looking on, but no one asked any questions, and I quickly returned to my table where dough was waiting to be rolled out. It was as I rolled out this dough that I peered up at the old oak under which I resided and wondered if it had ever ‘seen’ anything the likes of which was occurring under its gnarled mossy boughs. Less than 45 minutes of preparation and waiting (for the dough to rest), I had mixed together, rolled out, cut, and boiled my pasta. The orange color came from the tomato paste I included within the dough. It was much easier to do all this away from home than I thought it would be; only the cutting was slightly problematic due to mesh of the picnic table not allowing for very satisfying usage of the pizza cutter. The noodles were covered with a light sauce of olive oil, butter, black pepper, and a tiny amount of salt. I topped them with a smidgen of oak-smoked breadcrumbs. It was a tremendous experience, and when tasting the plain noodles, I could taste a difference which could only be described as “not just salted water”. The flavor was more well-rounded. Whether because of a natural inclusion of additional minerals… or just fish feces, I cannot say. It was, however, thoroughly enjoyable to note this difference. Late-afternoon in the Central-east beef pasture.
11/4/2021: A day beginning in the low 60s and warming to 80.
Dawn of 11/4/2021. As soon as I saw the color, I knew the weather was beginning to shift. A few minutes later, that same vermilion hue spread across the sky’s entirety. Lunch today: A delightful repast of corn tortillas topped with a combination of: beef, eggs, mozzarella cheese, spinach, and fresh peppers from the garden. Accompanied by a fresh green salad. A final picture of the old weather-beaten hat. It lasted me almost 3 years, one of which included the construction of Jacobhouse. A light albeit delicious dinner consisting of a lean venison sausage accompanied by a braised romaine salad topped with tomato, cucumber, and oak-smoked bread crumbs.
11/5/2021: A damp and drizzly day ranging from the mid-50s through the mid-60s. This inclement weather was partial cause for a lack of pictures — that and I simply did not remember to take pictures of my delectable lunch of house-salad & chili eaten at Off-Duty Tavern of Ocala. I have included a video of a particularly unique calf instead. Due to being born a heifer twin alongside a bull, it is a freemartin and the postern anatomy is… different. Between that deformity and her brother’s constant cough, they make a special albeit seemingly inseparable pair.
Morning of 11/5/2021: As indicated by the sky of yesterday’s morning, the weather has changed. It was a damp, drizzly, and cool today. Dinner of 11/5/2021: A Wagyu chuck steak accompanied by a plenitude of Eduardo-grown greens.
11/6/2021: A day beginning in the high 40s and warming to the low 60s. Rainy for the first half… and grey yet relatively dry for the second.
Morning of 11/6/2021: A grey, cold, and damp start to the day. What is that over there? This is a little Wagyu calf that got separated from its mother during the night. I proceeded to walk about 1/3 of a mile with it on my shoulders to reunite them. Despite the coolness of the day, the elephant ears were quite perky due to the rainfall. Lunch today: Some exceedingly delicious beef & cachucha fajitas accompanied by a Padre-made and Madre-dressed salad. One of this afternoon’s tasks was to straighten the fence behind Madre’s shade garden and to help put in a couple additional frost-blanket support poles. A delicious dinner of Pork & Rice noodle teriyaki along with a Padre-made and Jacob-Dressed salad.
Final Note: “Ellos son los hacedores de sí mismos.”
I am only 3 pages into Como El Hombre Piensa (reading aloud), but I have already seen noticeable improvement in my Spanish pronunciation. Most of my notes are now concerned with meanings rather than ‘How do I say this?’