(Above: Beneath the surface.)
1/24/2021:
The Arugula within the ‘Bull Garden’ has continued to grow. This is what the inside of a 2 lb. radish looks like. 2 potatoes and 1 radish cooked in a roast pan beneath an herb-and-butter-stuffed chicken. Roasted chicken stuffed with garden-fresh green onion, salad burnet, and butter. It should also be noted that the chicken was dry-brined for 12 hours before cooking. Close-up of a cooked radish slice. The texture was akin to that of a cooked carrot, but the taste was much less sweet and carried the savory flavor of chicken drippings. Jacobhouse, as seen from the recently neatened garden. A close-up of salad burnet. It is a pretty little plant reminiscent in color and form to fireweed. Fortunately, the burnet does not sting.
1/25/2021:
Afternoon of 1/25/2021. Unique cloud-whorls adorned the sky. Dusk of 1/25/2021 in the Jacobhouse garden. The colors were phenomenal. Jacobhouse kitchen with a neatened counter and subcounter. Aluminum trim fill to the right side of the bathroom step (minus electrical tape). And here is the left side.
1/26/2021:
Dawn of 1/26/2021. Padre and I found that the field was ‘patchy’ with fog during our morningly ride-around. Some areas, were completely clear, while others were so thick that we could not see more than 4 yards ahead. An image taken of Eduardo’s hydroponic ‘grow-zone’ which is a less than 1-mile drive from Jacobhouse. Working on the Madre-office. Today, we fastened up two pieces of plywood to the bathroom’s eastern miniwall. This bovine is always looking for a treat. Dinner: A Master Blend Blue Tri-Tip. This is perhaps the leanest roast I have ever cooked. Butter lettuce procured from Eduardo, the local hydroponic horticulturist.
1/27/2021:
Dawn of 1/27/2021. Grey and misty. A nigh perfect portrait of Longhorn #335 and her B.Blue offspring. Padre picked this radish for the lunchtime salad today. It was enormous! A light installed within the sink-room of Madre’s office. It was quite a trial to seat on the pegs that were given but matches well with the container’s stainless steel ‘theme’. A delicious lunch of cubed steak and a salad comprised of cucumber, tomato, onion, & garden-grown Misato Rose radish. Jacobhouse. A true home.
1/28/2021:
A quick picture of myself after climbing out of cool Juniper Springs into the slightly frigid 55F air. The Juniper Springs swimming hole. Water wheel powered by the spring’s produce. A picture of the creepy grass & algae that I have become slightly less leery of due to prior de-conditioning exercises (all swimming before this point). Spring #1. Spring #1 and a foot. Spring #2. Emerging from the spring, first person perspective. A lunch at Sabores Latinos. I began with a pleasant side salad (complete with olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime, and cilantro as a dressing). There was also a Diet Coke… my reward for braving the springs. Main course: A huge bowl of hearty chicken soup (plenty of chicken, potatoes, and belly-warming spices). Perfect for an after-swim meal. I should also note that they gave me a cup of rice, 3 pieces of fried plantain, and half of some form of cassava pancake filled with cheese. Absolutely delectable, all of it. Sabores Latinos knows their Latin cuisine. On returning to the farm, I performed a beef pasture inspection. Many calves were reposing in the green-lot. A close-up of salad burnet. I’m placing some on the pizza tonight. Dinner: A thin-crust mushroom & Parmesan pan pizza garnished with Salad Burnet.
The waterwheel was turning with surprising rapidity. It was, however, a tranquil scene.
1/29/2021:
A schematic displaying an off-the-grid sink (grey water) drainage system. An empty pasture at mid-afternoon (facing east). An empty pasture at mid-afternoon (facing west). Today, Madre and I finished cutting the piece of plywood for her sink-room’s west mini-wall. Another project completed today: replacing the Co2 canister and furnishing all connections with additional key-tightening hose clamps. Dinner: A Prosciutto & Mushroom Omelet topped with salad burnet as a colorful garnish.
1/30/2021:
Morning of 1/30/2021: Working on the Madre-office. An exceptionally large Misato Rose radish harvested just before planting arugula in white ‘grow-bags’. Dinner: A pie containing prosciutto, Swiss cheese, egg, and blueberries. The crust was one of the best yet. And the inside was downright delicious.
Final Note: Another week has passed, and with it, a fair amount of construction, cattle shenanigans, cooking, and another ritsabittle. This next week is going to be similar, I think, and for that I am quite glad.