Cleaning up....talking about bread ..and more....

Seems I'm doing a fair amount of that around the homestead lately..cleaning up this and that..and so forth.

Today saw me vacuuming the entire house ..again.. and mopping too...
I have family expected on Saturday and don't want to have to worry about things being "out of sorts" I like to have things neat and tidy and all chores done so that I can devote time to my loved ones..I like things to look spiffy and neat and tidy when others will be here.So, I did some redding up too, making sure things were put away and tidied up.

Oldest daughter and I worked a little on weeding some more of the flower beds today..I worked on a flower bed in the courtyard area, and she worked on the cottage garden pathway that had gotten overgrown. I'll have to get some any killer as the ants have decided to build a big ant hill right across the flagstone path way in the cottage garden..yikes..and they just aren't any kind of ant either..oh no..wouldn't you know it had to be the red fire ants!
yikes!

Have taken the sourdough starter out of the refrigerator and getting it prepped and ready to have a bread baking day tomorrow.
Oh I love the smell of fresh baked bread! And the smell of the yeast and dough when it is rising..such a homey old fashioned welcoming smell actually.
It does take me back to my childhood when my grandmother would make loaves of homemade bread and we'd walk in from school in the afternoon and there spread out on the kitchen table up under towels were loaves of wonderful fresh baked bread..nice plump, fat golden rolls of delectable goodness waiting to be slathered with a little bit of butter. And oh the cinnamon swirl bread was just out of this world! umm yummm!

Which reminds me..I came across this wonderful blog the other day....It's all about Bread and Anyhow..this blog is called "A Year In Bread" and will cover various bread recipes through out the year...and includes absolutely wonderful mouth watering photos of all types of yummy breads...
It is really a wonderful blog and a great way to learn new bread recipes.
Check it out..you'll be glad you did!
Here's the link:
http://ayearinbread.earthandhearth.com/

The week has very quickly zipped on by.
I was able to get out with the hubby yesterday to our marina downtown, and we saw this really old rusty barge tied up at the marina..I must say I have never ever seen a tug boat up close..and it was quite interesting..this particular one though looked quite rusty and derelict...lots of rust on it everywhere.
I did take quite a few pictures of it, of quite a few different elements on the boat. I plan to share some of them here with you all tomorrow evening.
My husband and I then went to the beaches area further down from the marina and the tide was well out, exposing the grasses and some seaweed up near the shore...and a few water birds were having a feast..unfortunately I was not equipped with the proper type of shoes to venture out into the muddy flat area and did not want to risk ruining a good pair of sandals, and wasn't too keen on chancing a possible cut on sharp shells or hidden glass..so I passed up on some good wading bird images..but hubby was a bit more adventurous and actually had on hiking boots..so he was able to take the camera and get some really nice images.
Well..there will be a next time .. and when there is I'll make sure to wear boots or at least have a pair stashed in the van ...ha.
hmm, now there's an idea for me..I remember my grandmother wearing galoshes..I wonder where one can find a pair of those that look kind of spiffy with a skirt? hmm... I think I'll have to check into that...that certainly might be an idea. Then I could keep them in the back of the van and there'd be no stopping this gal then..no excuses.. I'd be armed and ready...for the mud at least..ha.

Well, we are on a boil water notice in our neighborhood, seems a water line was ruptured nearby..and funny thing we didn't know about it...the county didn't leave notices on the doors like they have before about things....and we usually don't buy the newspaper..but my husband bought one last night for the food ads that come out on Wednesday..and lo and behold there was the boil water notice..so..we have been drinking bottled water here the last few days. I will have to call the county to find out when the notice gets lifted though.
I'm trying to stay hydrated and keep the kids hydrated too.

Well, that's all for today.
Have a good evening.
~The Garden Goose~