Hooking up the washer/dryer (and quickbread).

8/30/19

(Above: This is the amalgamation of cord and hose to be found behind the washer/dryer unit.)

Building Summary: Today began with unsavory cattle activities that I have described in my other journal but shall not describe here so as to maintain a pleasant atmosphere. Fortunately, the incident gave the morning a lot of room to improve… and it did. My day at Jacobhouse began with painting. I applied turquoise to every surface that I primed yesterday, and I did the same for a small area just beside the kitchen’s GFCI outlet.

This was ensued by a trip to the Harbison Farmer’s market, and then by my return home, putting the groceries away, and then ordering a grill that was on sale at Home Depot. This is the appliance that I shall be cooking on in front of Jacobhouse.

(8:34 PM Update): This afternoon I hooked up the Washer/Dryer unit to the hot/cold water stub-ups. There was a slight issue (leak) with one of them, so I had to re-apply the teflon tape, but after I did so, the problem was resolved. Next, I glued in the drain-pipe, pushed the appliance into place, and then plugged it into the northwest kitchen outlet. The Washer/Dryer lit up instantly, apparently ready to wash my clothing whenever I decide to place some in there. Perhaps testing shall take place soon.

TIL: Today I learned how to gauge a watermelon for ripeness (a lesson from Gerald Harbison). He held the watermelon up to his ear with one hand, and gently tapped it with the other. There was a ‘thrumming’ hollow sound that he was searching for. If it’s got the thrum to it, it’s a good melon. Also, I learned from Gerald that Florida used to export a great many more fruits and vegetables than it does now. The introduction of Disney World, however, and the ensuing cuts / ridding-of income taxes attracted people in droves. In his words, “After Disney World, they stopped planting melons and started planting houses.”

Commentary: Between the morning cattle activities, going to Harbison Farmers’ Market, and tending to some Master Blend business, today’s schedule was quite unorthodox. Despite this, however, I remained productive. Maintaining motion was one of the reasons behind that prolific output*. Admittedly, when one maintains motion, the most efficient routes are not always taken, but such detraction is by far and away surpassed by the benefit of such behavior: momentum. Momentum is one of the most important if not the most important key to productivity.

Enough with that, though; I’m sure it can be detected that this is a late-night post and that sleep is just around the corner. So, I will finish off commentary tonight with my quickbread recipe. The only special equipment it requires is a cast iron skillet.

Quickbread

Ingredients:

• 450g Flour
• 375g Hot 105-110 degree water
• 2 tsp. Yeast (10g)
• 2 tsp. Salt (20g)
• 2 tsp. Sugar (10g) Optional
• Butter or Olive Oil for lubricating skillet / bowl

Method:

1. Water, yeast, and sugar in bowl 1.
2. Salt and flour in bowl 2.
3. Slowly add bowl 2 to bowl 1.
4. Stir ingredients together with wooden spoon until all combined evenly, then coat the loose dough-ball with 1 tsp olive oil to prevent stickage to bowl.
5. Allow rise for 1-2 hour.
6. Preheat a skillet in 525+ degree oven for ½ hour. (Second rack from top).
7. Take preheated skillet out. Quickly and lightly grease it with butter or olive oil.
8. Pour/flop dough into skillet, then place into oven. Bake for 10 minutes on 525 F then broil for 5 minutes at the same temperature. Peek in every couple of minutes on broiler cycle to ensure lack of burns.
9. For longevity, allow the bread to rest for 30 minutes or more; for instant gratification (or if it is predicted that there will be no leftovers), dig right into that hot n’ steamy loaf.

Final Note:  Tomorrow, I intend to take down the sail shade and to actually go about preparing the concrete countertop for priming and sealing.

*No matter where I was, or if I was waiting, there was always something to be done that helped me ‘check’ items off the daily list.