trimming junipers

strange bedfellows from the fires

My neighbor called and asked me to cit the junipers that are almost encroaching on the sidewalk. He walks his dog every day and is our cul de sac patrolman. The Gardener cut the grass and started on the bushes but I couldn't find the electric hedge trimmer. He stayed working 3 hrs.

I just made heirloom tomato salsa. It's yummy and no jalapeno.

I also made fish tacos. It was easy. I'll have to calculate if my 3 were cheaper than the 8 dollars at the farmers market. I know they were bigger and healthier. I had them for lunch and dinner on whole grain organic
corn tortillas.

I faxed 2 reference letters to the V.P. this morning. I still haven't heard from him. I hope this works out. I was psyched yesterday, now I'm worried. He said they would let me know today.
I guess H,R. actually makes the offer. It would be another raise of 3-5k. I'm at step 3 a BA plus 60 credits and then there is another stipend for a master's. It is less than the 1000. a mo. that SCUSD gave but only a couple hundread.

I need the money.

I need to replace the dmn fence again on one side and maybe cut the trees more. It was standing on a prayer, now with all the plants, vines and branches cur, it's leaning. I've tried to stick in some loose boards to block the holes but it's not really effctive.

My neighbor is getting quotes. I got one guy and he took my money and disappeared. Then we had this one built and here we go again. This time it will be with a licensed contractor who will come repair or replace it if there is a problem.

My bread recipe

In the Kitchen Aide with the dough hook make a sponge...

Put 500 grams of all-purpose flour, a teaspoonful of salt, a heaping tablespoonful of gluten and a teaspoonful of dry yeast in the bowl. Give it a whirr so they mix well.

Now add 300 grams/ml of water. Mix on 6 until it clumps into a ball. See if you think it needs more water or more flour. Irritating sort of instruction, I know, but you just have to eyeball things sometimes.



Now put it on kneading position for two and a half minutes.

Turn it out into a bowl and either dust it with flour all around or give it a coating of oil. Leave it to rise, covered with a tea towel or plastic wrap. I usually make this around midday, when I remember, and leave it to rise over a few hours.



When it´s doubled in size, punch it down (that´s fun) and knead a little. Shape it and leave it to proof if you can. That just means you leave it to puff up a bit again, and then bake it as you will.



For pizza or focaccia I add a good glug of olive oil to the dough. For naans I substitute some of the water for yogurt (125 ml, since that´s the size of yogurt pots in Spain). Sometimes I make half wholewehat half white, and others I add wheat germ, and of course you can go the way of the seeds and nuts. It´s all fairly loose.



That amount makes four pizzas the size of a dinner plate, or eight naans. It can be kept in the fridge and pulled out as need be, so it´s as well to make the full amount, but the recipe can be halved easily.