10/26/19
(Above: These are the freshly measured / marked / cut / and fastened-together garden gates.)
Active Summary: Today began with a pleasant ride around the beef pasture which was ensued by a little over an hour’s worth of creative writing time. After that, I was about to go to the Harbison Farmers’ Market, but the van was not yet available, so I instead rode through the beef pasture once again with Padre who was going out to check on a calving cow. Everything looked fine with the cow having given birth to a sizeable Belgian Blue heifer. We returned to the farm’s main area afterward where Padre showed me some very old doors, and from them, procured me four hinges for the two garden gates.
It has withstood the test of time, so I’m modeling the garden gates after it (at least partly).
Before I could begin working on those gates, the van was made available, and I proceeded to venture down to the market. The next portion of the morning was spent procuring, transporting, and putting away the produce, and to finish off the early hours I put together a lunch of farm-fresh salad, some catfish-pumpkin soup*, and for my brother, some leftover Mexican frittata.
(7:25 PM Update:) Madre and I gave Grandma and Aunt Betty a tour of Jacobhouse today. They seemed to approve, but for some reason the two of them thought that the kitchen counter and the bed were a tad too high. As for other activities, the farm bequeathed Padre and I with a short-afternoon, so we were both able to work on our studio and garden projects. For my part, I straightened a post belonging to the original fence on the garden’s far north side to rectify the east entrance, and I built the two doors.
TIL: Today I learned two possible ways that beetle-browed came by its definitions of: 1. having bushy or overhanging eyebrows OR 2. frowning / scowling. Firstly, it could have come from the Middle-English words of bitel (sharp, cruel, bitter, grim, sullen) + brouwe (brow). The second is slightly more entertaining, with the word coming from bitil (beetle bug) + brouwe (brow). Interestingly, many etymologists believe it to be the latter – a phenomenon resultant of beetles having tufted antennae that are indeed quite resemblant of furrowed brows.
Commentary: This was a relaxing and overall very pleasant day. It’s almost as if the two go hand-in-hand. As for highlights I must mention that the soup we had for lunch today, as it was of a very novel yet still-delicious nature. I ordinarily would not have thought to make a soup from pumpkins, as I do not usually enjoy the gourd’s flavor when tasting it in various dessert items. However, seeing as soup is not a dessert, I found the flavor quite fitting when combined with heavy cream, mild spices, Italian sausage, and other vegetation (radish / turnips / kale). And with the addition of catfish chunks? The brew was made even more delectable.
Oh, and here are some amusing pictures from the Jacobhouse tour with Aunt Betty, Grandma, and Madre:
Final Note: Later today and tomorrow, I shall be working on the garden gates. From observing the old gate that Art put together, I will need to cut the plywood pieces and then apply bracing to the postern sides. (7:25 PM Update:) Crafted gates! Tomorrow, I shall do my best to hang them in place.
*The catfish was procured from the seafood man at the farmers’ market, while the soup was made by Troy Harbison. I seared a couple of the former filets on the skillet, broke them up with a spatula, and then dumped the result savory chunks into the two bowls of soup for Padre and I.