11/9/19
(Above: Arugula germinating in the Jacobhouse garden.)
Active Summary: Today began with a slightly frigid ride around the beef pasture with Padre which was ensued by a return to a warm Jacobhouse where I proceeded to write for over an hour. The next and final portion of morning was dedicated to putting up the front deck’s railing. In about an hour, I was able to procure all the tools / wood and then measure/mark/cut/fasten the four 1x6s that were required for the sides of the north pair and south pair of posts.
(6:08 PM Update:) This afternoon, I did a little bit of weeding in the garden, took some deck measurements for tomorrow, and carried wood over to the cutting station, but I did not do much more because I needed to get prepared for a family excursion to Aneta’s Bistro. It is Poland Independence night, and I have no idea what to expect. That’s one of the reasons why I want to go. The other reason is that I want to support the restaurant; there does not ever seem to be a large number of people there despite the superb quality of the food.
(8:37 PM Update:) It turns out that Aneta’s Bistro did not need my family’s support. When we arrived at the restaurant, we found the parking lot overflowing with vehicles into the grass nearby. Thus, on account of a lack of room, we could not eat there this evening. As Padre went on to say, though, I have never been so content not to eat at a good restaurant. I’m glad they are prospering. To add to this, our not eating-out gave me an opportunity to make a delicious pizza dinner and to try out the Polish beer that the husband of Aneta herself recommended. It was a superb dinner. (Also learned how to make quick pizza dough with baking powder instead of yeast. Turned out quite nicely.)
TIL: Earlier today, I learned the process behind making black tea and green tea. I already knew, of course, that tea is plant* and that its leaves are plucked and dried/wilted for consumer use. What I did not know, however, is that black tea leaves and green tea leaves usually come from the same type of plant – the only thing that differentiates them is the preparation process that comes after the drying. For green tea, the leaves are simply plucked, dried, heated, rolled (flattened via machine to help release the flavors), and packaged. For black tea, the leaves are plucked, dried, heated, rolled, fermented/oxidized, heated again, and then packaged. The latter’s fermentation is the cause behind its stronger and more bitter flavor.
Commentary: Though today began quite cool, it has warmed up nicely and has since become what I would define as a ‘perfect’ temperature. The garden has seemed to enjoy the weather, too. After the past couple days’ slight moisture, and after the unveiling of today’s sun, I can’t help but notice that there are little specs of green already beginning to emerge in the arugula row closest to my office window.
Final Note: Tomorrow is farmers’ market day. After returning home, I plan on fastening 2x8s atop the 1x6s that I installed today, and I also intend to sturdy-up the 6×6 post bases and begin planning on how to integrate the current set of deck stairs with the impending railing.
*I also discovered a side fact about the plant, Camellia sinensis, that tea comes from. I used to think it was a bush, but today I discovered that if allowed to grow freely, it can reach heights upwards of 30 ft. In other words, tea plants are actually trees.