6/7/2020
(Above: A freshly made chicken-stuffed pie with a homemade crust that was somehow soft and cripsy at the same time.)
Active Summary: This morning Padre and I checked the beef pastures early so we could ride via Segway instead of walk*. This was followed by my examining both gardens and then returning indoors where I performed calisthenic exercises and wrote for 1.5 hours. After writing, I prepared the chicken filling for the chicken-stuffed pie I planned on making for lunch. This filling consisted of bacon, baked potato & onion from last night, about ¼ cup chicken broth to deglaze the bacon fond from the bottom of the pan, and chicken/stuffing leftovers from two days ago. As the filling cooked on the stovetop, I flattened out the pastry dough I made 3 days ago via rolling pin and folded / rolled it five or six more times. This dough was then placed into a greased oven-proof casserole dish, and the chicken stuffing was poured into it. To finish preparations, I folded the excess dough over the top, brushed it with a little bit of olive oil, and then placed it into the oven to cook for 40 minutes.
As it cooked, I decided I would attempt to go to the Farm Market, pick up groceries, and return home in time to pull the pie out before it began to burn. This was accomplished with over 10 minutes to spare (the trip only took 33 minutes today). As the pie cooled, I visited Padre at the studio for a little while, and right at 12:30 PM, we all ate a delicious lunch of chicken-stuffed pie and fresh garden salad.
(6:26 PM Update:) Afternoon activities began with my cutting up a large watermelon. I unfortunately had not listened well enough when I was tap-testing it at the market (I was in a hurry to get home to the pie, remember), so the innermost portion turned out to be a tad mealy. Still, the outer portions were quite acceptable, so I trimmed the melon and placed all edibles into a large bowl. This was ensued by my writing a part of this entry and a brief rest before venturing outdoors to help Padre with farm-related tasks.
Farm activities included feeding bovines, catching a cow and a few calves to run through the treatment chute, bailing water out of feed troughs, and checking the beef pasture. After all those shenanigans and a brief seltzer break, I returned to Jacobhouse where I am presently finishing up today’s entry before engaging in some leisure time.
Final Note: All that is left for the evening is finishing this entry, a supper at the Studio, and a hefty bit of leisure time. Excellent. Oh, and here’s something special I found at the farm market this morning:
*My old Segway does not fare well in the rain due to its electrical components. It also experiences some difficulties in mud deeper than 4-5 inches because it ‘bottoms out’ and then cannot adequately regulate balance. This latter event occurred at the end of today’s first ride-around, and even though the machine valiantly kept me upright, it did spatter my clothes and arms with a hefty dose of mud.