Home Science

Been keeping quite busy this week. Prob'll be days before I'm read up again, been doing off-line chores 2 days, n not done yet! So wound up n tired, was still up after 3am trying to finish using my very slow scanner. More HD n RAM memory for the circa '01 machine might help... Pics take so much room in there, need to make CD's again.

I always have to unattach and store the scanner away so the (heavy) cats don't lay down on it. That's what happened to the last one. They think it's their special warm, smooth, bed. Well, it gets them down off the TV! The fuzzy one thinks my puter time is her special attention time, well she did learn to paw the keys when I typed while a kitten... I have to hide all my PC cables n wires also, because like little kids they can't be trusted when they want something and believe you're ignoring them. I'm always trying to put the fat fluff-ball on a diet, n she's always on my case because of it. She's chewed right through thick power n monitor cords before, while I was using my PC! An expensive compulsion she has to punish me... That explains some odd-looking piles of plastic files all under the table n next to the chair... So basically, when I sign outa the machine, before I can leave the house, I must hide everything with a wire beyond her reach. Other folks don't know how spoiled they are just getting on n off the puter in a snap!

I finally found the "flaming bushes" (local slang name, in pic) MB was talking about. Not the kind Moses saw, but the bright red. Did some raking although you can't tell now. It's been pretty windy out there, n the leaning over the street oaks are only half-done dropping their loads. Leaves were so deep on the walkway and road it was getting hazardous. I always try to get to it before the heavy rain comes it to prevent the storm drain from backing up, which is always dangerous for the traffic, my truck, n my house.

Been baking to stay warm (n eat). Went to get out spare stored flour, n somehow through plastic storage bins n 2 layers of twist-tied store bags, the little, new, japanese micro-weevels wrecked two, unopenned 5 lb. bags of flour! Nothing like being stopped in the middle of making pie pastry to realise you couldn't use what ya thought was a safe bet... Those critters are even worse than Indian Grain Moths, cause they're difficult to see. No, I didn't contaminate what was already getting done. But I had to store away what I began for another time. So two days later, I finally finished making my experimental squash pie n an applesauce tart.

Everything in my oven is a pain-staking science experiment. Without the thermometer, which the numbers have burnt off of, and elaborate, self-designed, remove-able, re-usable, tin foil "scorch-guard" insulation, there's no way to bake anything with only a top broil heat-element with on-full-blast n off. I'm always busy while waiting n never use a timer, just look at the clock, so sometimes it's very challenging to remember to turn the oven on for bout ten minutes every fifteen or so in order to maintain a particular temperature range.

Yum, that squash-souffley-like pie filling hit's the spot as my veggie today...
Nothing here is quick n easy.