(Above: Dinner: A salt and coffee-encrusted burger steak cooked by oven and then skillet. This was topped with melted fresh mozzarella and accompanied by a salad of cabbage and tomato in an acidic vinaigrette. For dipping, there was a bowl of homemade barbecue sauce, and to drink, there was a glass of red wine.
La cena: Un bistec de res molida de azul belga incrustado con sal y posos de café y cocinado por horno y entonces sartén. Estaba cubierto con mozzarella fresca fundida y acompañado de una ensalada de repollo y tomate en una vinagreta ácida. Para mojar, había un tazón de salsa barbacoa casera, y para beber, había una copa de vino tinto.)
12/3/2023: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the mid 80s. Rainy afternoon.
The central pasture in the cloudy early morning of 12/3/2023. The climate was quite agreeable. El campo central en la madrugada nublada del 3/12/2023. El clima estaba bastante agradable. 
For lunch, I ate a fried mixture of eggs and leftover beef accompanied by a green salad made by Padre and dressed by Madre. Para el almuerzo, comí una mezcla frita de huevos y res sobrante acompañada de una ensalada verde hecha por mi padre y aliñada por mi madre. 
Two new lambs and their mother. Dos corderos nuevos y su madre. 
Jacobhouse in the cloudy afternoon of 12/3/2023. Mi casita en la tarde nublada del 3/12/2023. 
A fresh radish harvested for the dinner of 12/3/2023. Un rábano fresco cosechado para la cena del 3/12/2023. 
An eye of round roast encrusted with coffee grounds & salt, cooked in an oven of 275 F, and fried in a cast iron skillet for 1.5 minutes per side. Un asado de bola de lomo incrustado con posos de café y sal, cocinado en un horno de 275 F y fritado en una sartén de hierro fundido por 1.5 minutos por lado. 
Dinner consisted of the already mentioned roast accompanied by a salad of lettuce, arugula, and fresh radish accompanied by a bowl of homemade barbecue sauce. La cena consistía en el asado ya mencionado acompañado de una ensalada de lechuga, rúcula, y rábano fresco acompañada de un tazón de salsa barbacoa casera y una copa de vino tinto. 
A sliced green apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by two large spoonfuls of Greek yogurt. In this case, the fruit was on a white plate with a light gray design. Una manzana verde en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de dos cucharadas grandes de yogur griego. En este caso, la fruta estaba sobre un plato blanco con un diseño de gris claro.
12/4/2023: Today began in the mid 60s and warmed into the 70s.
The most southeatsern field in the foggy early morning of 12/4/2023. El campo más sureste en la madrugada neblinosa del 4/12/2023. 
Lunch consisted of a tray and half of sushi accompanied by a bowl of miso soup. El almuerzo consistía en una bandeja y media de sushi acompañada de un tazón de sopa de miso. 
An order of beef bones. I think they are going to be used in terrific soup. Un pedido de huesos de res. Creo que se van a estar usados en una gran sopa. 
Dinner consisted of some pieces of beef leftover from last night topped with homemade barbecue sauce and accompanied by a salad of cucumber and cabbage drizzled with a tangy vinaigrette. La cena consistía en unos trozos de res sobrante de anoche cubiertos con salsa barbacoa casera y acompañados de una ensalada de pepino y repollo rociada con una vinagreta ácida. 
A sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a spoonful of Greek yogurt. This time, the fruit was on a plate of solid brown. Una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego. Esta vez, la fruta estaba en un plato de marrón sólido.
12/5/2023: Today began in the low 50s and warmed into the high 60s. Mostly cloudy.
Morning of 12/5/2023: A map of the electricity inside my brain as taken by the Muse headband.La mañana del 5/12/2023: Un mapa de la electricidad dentro de mi cerebro como tomado por la venda de Muse. 
Lunch: Some scrambled eggs with chiltepin and swiss cheese accompanied by a green salad made by Padre and dressed by Madre. El almuerzo: Unos huevos revueltos con chiltepin y queso suizo acompañados de una ensalada verde hecha por mi padre y aliñada por mi madre. 
Photo: Padre and Wag walk through the pasture shortly after tagging a new calf. Foto: Mi padre y mi tío caminan por el pasto un poco después de etiquetar un nueva ternerita. 
Dinner: Some pieces of oven-roasted beef bacon topped with homemade BBQ sauce. This food was accompanied by a green salad made by padre and dressed by me (with the grease from the meat and a little bit of Balsamic vinegar). La cena: Unos trozos de tocino de res al horno cubierta con salsa barbacoa casera. Esta comida estaba acompañada de una ensalada verde hecha por mi padre y aliñada por mí (con la grasa de la carne y un poco de vinagre balsámico). 
A magnificent dessert: A sliced green apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a spoonful of Greek yogurt. Un postre magnífico: Una manzana verde en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
12/6/2023: Today began in the 50s and warmed into the high 60s. Mostly sunny.
Jacobhouse garden in the sunrise of 12/6/2023. Mi jardín en el amanecer del 6/12/2023. 
A little morning project: I needed to fix the lowest board in order to make more space for the door. Un pequeño proyecto matutino: Necesité arreglar la tabla más baja para hacer más espacio para la puerta. 
After fixing the board: Now, I have more space for installing the door. Después de arreglar la tabla: Ahora, tengo más espacio para instalar la puerta. 
The dimensions of the door that I’m going to use to access the outdoor shower. Las dimensiones de la puerta que voy a usar para acceder a la ducha afuera. 
Lunch: Some eggs scrambled with chiltepin, ground beef, and mozzarella. These were accompanied by a green salad made by Padre and dressed by me. El almuerzo: Unos huevos revueltos con chiltepin, res molida y mozzarella. Estos estaban acompañados de una ensalada verde hecha por mi padre y aliñada por mí. 
I removed a part of the bathroom floor in order to begin planning how to bring water from in my house to the outdoor shower. Removí una parte del suelo del baño para empezar a planear como llevar a la ducha afuera el agua dentro de mi casita. 
A photo to reference when we need to access the Studio’s septic pipe. Una foto para referenciar cuando necesitemos acceder al tubo séptico desde la casita de mi padre. 
Padre cleaning around the pipe to the septic tank. Mi padre limpiando alrededor del tubo al tanque séptico. 
Now there are six oaks in my transplanting experiment. Ahora hay seis robles en mi experimento de transplantar. 
Dinner consisted of a coffee and salt encrusted Belgian Blue burger-steak which was cooked by oven and then by skillet. This steak was accompanied by a bowl of homemade BBQ sauce and by a green salad made by Padre. La cena consistía en un bistec de res molida de azul belga incrustado con posos de café y sal y cocinado por horno y sartén. Este bistec estaba acompañado de un tazón de salsa barbacoa casera y una ensalada verde hecha por mi padre. 
A sliced green apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a spoonful of Greek yogurt. Una manzana verde en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
12/7/2023: Today began in the low 30s and warmed into the high 60s. Mostly sunny.
A morning activity of 12/7/2023. I prepared a Venezuelan chicken salad. These are the chicken breasts covered with avocado oil, salt, and black pepper. Una actividad matutina del 7/12/2023. Preparé una ensalada venezolana de gallina. Estas son las pechugas de pollo cubiertas con aceite de aguacate, sal y pimienta negra. 
After roasting the chicken, I removed the chicken from the pan and put vegetables on the same sheet. I covered those vegetables with chicken juice (and a little bit of avocado oil), and then, I roasted those vegetables. This was the result. Después de hornear el pollo, yo removí el pollo de la charola y puse vegetales en la misma bandeja. Cubrí los vegetales en el jugo del pollo (y un poco de aceite de aguacate), y entonces, horneé esos vegetales. Este fue el resultado. 
Shredding the chicken (and mixing a sauce of Greek yogurt, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard). Rallando el pollo (y mezclando una salsa de yogur griego, salsa inglesa, y mostaza de Dijon). 
The result: two casserole dishes of Venezuelan chicken salad. Lunch. El resultado: dos cazuelas de ensalada venezolana de gallina. El almuerzo. 
Midday of 12/7/2023 in the central pasture. El mediodía del 7/12/2023 en el campo central. 
An enormous curd. Unfortunately, later in the day, this curd was lost in a failed experiment. Una cuajada enorme. Desafortunadamente, más tarden en el día, esta cuajada estaba perdida en un experimento fracasado. 
The plated lunch: Venezuelan chicken salad accompanied by a green salad made by Padre and dressed by Madre. El almuerzo emplatado: Ensalada venezolana de gallina acompañada de una ensalada verde hecha por mi padre y aliñada por mi madre. 
A successful salad: We almost finished the entire container of chicken salad. Una ensalada exitosa: Casi acabamos el contenedor entero de ensalada de pollo. 
An afternoon activity: Padre, Wag, and I gave a little calf some fluids in order to hydrate him and to balance the acids in his blood. Una actividad por la tarde: mi padre, mi tío y yo le da a un ternerito algunos líquidos para hidratarlo y equilibrar los ácidos de su sangre. 
A sun dog in the afternoon of 12/7/2023. Un perro de sol en la tarde del 7/12/2023. 
Dinner consisted of a sautéed mixture of eggs and leftover beef bacon. This was accompanied by a green salad dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette. La cena consistía en una mezcla salteada de huevos y tocino sobrante de res. Esta estaba acompañada de una ensalada verde aliñada con una vinagreta balsámica. 
A sliced small green apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a spoonful of Greek yogurt. Una pequeña manzana verde en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
12/8/2023: Today began in the low 40s and warmed into the low 80s. Partly sunny. Cloudy afternoon.
The dawn of 12/8/2023 in the central pasture. El amanecer del 8/12/2023 en el campo central. 
The cheese-making process begins. Here I am wrapping the curd in cloth in order to strain it. El proceso de hacer queso empieza. Aquí estoy envolviendo la cuajada en teja para escurrirla. 
A Misato Rose radish and a black Spanish radish on the morning of 12/8/2023. Un rábano Misato Rose y un rábano negro español en la mañana del 8/12/2023. 
Me a little after harvesting some radishes from the garden. The radishes were for my uncles and grandma. There was one Misato Rose radish, and there was one black Spanish radish. Yo un poco después de cosechar unos rábanos del jardín. Los rábanos eran para mis tíos y mi abuela. Había un rábano Misato Rose y un rábano negro español. 
In this photo, there were many cowbirds flying above the cows. En esta foto, había muchos tordos volando arriba de las vacas. 
Dinner: A salt and coffee-encrusted burger steak cooked by oven and then skillet. This was topped with melted fresh mozzarella and accompanied by a salad of cabbage and tomato in an acidic vinaigrette. For dipping, there was a bowl of homemade barbecue sauce, and to drink, there was a glass of red wine. La cena: Un bistec de res molida de azul belga incrustado con sal y posos de café y cocinado por horno y entonces sartén. Estaba cubierto con mozzarella fresca fundida y acompañado de una ensalada de repollo y tomate en una vinagreta ácida. Para mojar, había un tazón de salsa barbacoa casera, y para beber, había una copa de vino tinto. 
A sliced green apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a spoonful of Greek yogurt and some walnuts. Una manzana verde en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego y unas nueces.
12/9/2023: Today began in the mid 50s and warmed into the low 80s. Mostly sunny.
The dawn of 12/9/2023 in the central pasture with a little bit of fog floating above the grass. El amanecer del 9/12/2023 en el campo central con un poco de neblina flotando arriba del césped. 
Me holding a lamb that has a spot on his nose. Yo abrazando un cordero que tiene una mancha en su naríz. 
The two twin bulls in the morning of 12/9/2023. Los terneritos gemelos en la mañana del 9/12/2023. 
For lunch, I enjoyed a taco salad that consisted of Romaine lettuce, red cabbage, green cabbage, sliced avocado, spicy salsa, seasoned Belgian Blue ground beef, and a little bit of sour cream. Para el almuerzo, disfruté de una ensalada de taco que consistía en lechuga romana, repollo rojo, repollo verde, aguacate en rodajas, salsa picante de tomate, res molida sazonada de azul belga y un poco de crema ácida. 
The sunny afternoon of 12/9/2023. La tarde soleada del 9/12/2023. 
This is a photo that I took a little bit after the previous one. It is the pretty sunset of 12/9/2023. Esta es una foto que tomé un poco después de la previa. Es la hermosa puesta del sol del 9/12/2023. 
Esta es la pizza simple que hice para la cena. Consistía en una corteza de masa madre, salsa casera de tomate y mucho queso mozzarella casero. La cociné en una sartén de hierro fundido 
The plated dinner: A piece of homemade pizza accompanied by a salad of arugula and romaine lettuce drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette. La cena emplatada: Un pedazo de pizza casera acompañado de una ensalada de rúcula y lechuga romana rociada con una vinagreta balsámica. 
Dessert consisted of a sliced green apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a spoonful of Greek yogurt and some walnuts. El postre consistía en una manzana verde en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego y unas nueces. 
My office on the evening of 12/9/2023. Mi oficina en la noche del 9/12/2023.
Final Note: There was a failed batch of mozzarella this week. I put a lot of work into making the curd, but then I decided to try heating it all at once in order to stretch it and form it into balls. That’s where it went wrong. By attempting to hasten the process in such a manner, the cheese formed tough strands throughout, and when I attempted to fix it with more heat, those strands only became tougher. Furthermore, when I tried to fix it with additional vinegar, those strands broke apart into a grainy mash. I was not pleased.
The next day, I worked with an even larger vat of curd formed in the can into which the milk had originally been collected and which I strained outdoors via a combination of cheesecloth and a steamer basket. When the curd had drained completely, I took it indoors, and worked it in a methodical manner, heating it in small pieces one by one. This time I was successful. Thus, even though my first attempt resulted in failure and frustration, I learned that by keeping the initial parts of the mozzarella process (and accompanying mess) outside of my house and by not rushing the curd, I could create excellent cheese with relative ease… and a lot of it.
Note to self: Make sure to reserve some of the whey from the top of next batch for cooking and stretching the curd. That will grant it much more flavor than if I use water.
Reaping the reward of both success and failure:
Lots of great food this week, sprinkled in along the way some experiences and opportunities to learn and grow. All sounds good to me