It's Almost Christmas, It's Almost the New Year

I started this blog as a way to keep my thoughts on track toward my goal of changing my lifestyle to reflect my life dreams, rather than be a treadmill towards retirement. Some of these posts will seem pointless to the outside reader, like this one I'm muddling through today. So, feel free to skip on by, as today's post has no other purpose but to keep my eye on the prize.

New Years is often used as a starting post for goals; I've fallen into the date habit myself- and fallen out just as quickly. When the ideas of doing something other than the rat race career trap started to blossom in my brain, I immediately wanted to tie a date to it. "By this time next year, I'll own my greenhouse!" Or "By Spring, I'm jumping off the career track cliff!" 

Thankfully I have wise voices in my life that remind me that true life changes take time, clear goals, and more importantly a true perspective on how life will be after a paycheck isn't a guaranteed bi-monthly deposit. Baby steps, the steps that are most wobbly and most often land you in your ass, are essential. Small movements, and the getting back up each time, after each wobble, is what will lead to the jump. The distance forward is not so important as the constancy of being aimed ever forward. So while in the last two weeks I've been mostly caught up baking and planning for holiday trips, my mind has remained ever aimed forward, even though there may be little progress to show. 

So what am I wobbling about currently? Educating myself. Listening. And one tangible: seed sorting.

I have dozens of varieties of leftover seeds from last year- vegetables, herbs, annuals, perennials. Some seed I even harvested myself from last year's gardens. My goal is to grow seedlings for sale this spring, and also have a clear understanding of each plant's needs throughout the growing season before the seed hits the soil. Oh, and I'm only allowed to spend 25 dollars on new seed. That may sound like a reasonable number, but for someone who spent over two hundred dollars (gulp) on seed last year, it's diddly squat. And rightly so. I have three pages of inventory of viable seed, and 2017 is the year to use what you've got! It's also the year of no giving, but that's for another post...not as Scrooge-y as it sounds- 

I'm working through sorting, labeling, and ordering seeds by what month I can start them. Separating prickly seeds from their pods and accounting for each one is a perfect time to think and dream, and plan. Each seed will have a purpose, even if it's to wither and die and teach me a lesson In germination. The same goes for the thoughts being sorted in my head. They won't all survive, but may the most viable grow to successful fruition. 

So there's no end date in sight, only a continual wobble towards the future, and the uneventful flops on my ass- with the more important rising up again for another step forward.
And listening, always listening to those who are on the journey, starting the journey, and even to those who don't understand the journey, to get all perspectives as I perfect mine. 

As for education, in two weeks I'll be starting two online classes that will really feel like leaps towards my dreams: Permaculture Design and Propagation. Until then, seeds need sorting and plans need dreaming. Wobble on-

B is for Baking

Today is a little bit about the first B of my trio, baking. I've always loved to bake. It is my go-to therapy when I'm feeling low, and my favorite activity when spending the day at the farm being domestic. It's also my favorite gift to give. I get as much joy from watching my bread rise as I do watching it disappear from a plate.

Cranberry Orange Bread

Most of my "famous" recipes originate from my grandmother's recipe box, and I'm fortunate enough to have quite a few of them in her handwriting. She's also only a phone call away when these recipe cards skip over major steps. Most recipes are second nature to Gram, and writing the steps from mixing bowl to baking pan seem like superfluous information to her. She gave me a wonderful holiday bread recipe  for Cranberry Orange Bread when I called to ask for a good bread to give for Christmas.  Its a simple bread to make, with fresh cranberries and the juice and zest of one orange. I made three loaves in a week after letting co-workers taste test the first loaf.

Last week I tried out her No Knead Oatmeal Bread recipe. This bread is a great, hardy loaf with a bit of nuttiness, perfect for sandwiches, and makes the best toast, even when it's quite stale. At her house, Gram always calls dibs on the butts (her word, not mine!) as the best pieces for toast, and it's usually coated in orange marmalade. I've been known to eat a half a loaf in No Knead Oatmeal Bread toast, but I digress. The dough can also be rolled out and cut into rolls. Gram makes a three loaf batch every Saturday. One loaf stays out and the other two are either frozen or given to family for the week. The recipe is yeast based, and much like my aversion to growing roses, I've avoided working with yeast based on fear of the uncertainties and notions of fickleness. What if my water is too hot? What if it just doesn't rise?

My love of baking stems largely from loving the exactness of it- but this fantasy was shattered with yeast recipes. So much of it depends on temperature, humidity, and other variables. So, up until now, I largely avoided yeast and its less than precise nature. Phrases like "Just eyeball it!" and "See how it looks as you go-" sent shivers down my regimented baker's back. But Gram did say, when I called in a panic that at minute 59 the dough had not doubled in size, that baking is truly more of an art, with some science. So, it was high time to get artsy. Hmm, maybe that's why they say artisan breads, not scientist breads....

No Knead Oatmeal Bread

My first attempt came out fairly well, and took a good amount of judging as I went. A little heavy, and twice the average rise time, but that's what you get with an overcast, cold day. All in all, time to make room for working with variables. The reward, at least in baking, has proven to be worth the uncertainty.

Today I'm trying a new yeast bread recipe, Finnish Pulla Bread. It was a request, and I was feeling up to the challenge after last week's success. This bread is a tad more complicated than Gram's No-Knead Oatmeal bread, with kneading, and several risings, and braiding the loaves. At present, it's rising near the fireplace.
Now none of my or Gram's recipes are secret family traditions; she will tell you most of her masterpieces come right out of Betty Crocker or Better Homes and Gardens. Mine are typically recipes I search for on the internet with at least 4 stars with over 150 reviews. The secret is, having friends and family willing to try all my baking experiments. As a last resort, the chickens are always grateful for a baking dud tossed their way. I'll attach the Pulla bread recipe and pictures of its progress to this post once it's done baking. Some of you will be trying a piece of this bread tomorrow! I have high hopes for this one as I watch the dough rising next to me. Let's hope the chickens aren't my main consumers! I'd be more than happy to share the other recipes I mentioned, and feel free to leave me a favorite bread recipe of yours to try!

Braids

Finished and drizzled with glaze

Finnish Pulla Recipe

Begin Somewhere, Journey Anywhere

Have you ever stood at the edge of the water, debating on the best methods to enter?There's the inch by inch edging, waiting for each body part to adjust to the water's temperature. Fairly easy incrementally until you hit your thighs, and then the torturous descent until you're finally shoulder deep. Maybe you keep your head above water, and your hair dry and neatly in place. You're in, and quite comfortable, to boot!

Then there's the plunge. You can't think about it too much, unless it's focusing on the knowledge that once you're in, you won't care how you got there. Shocking, possibly less than graceful, but instantaneous. Everything gets wet in one gigantic splash. Maybe you swallow some water, lose your breath, and there's guaranteed to be more than a few hairs out of place.  After all is said and done, either way, you're in the water. Then begins the real reason you entered in the first place: swimming in the comfortable waters.

Today's my plunge. Jumping in, with little thought as to the appearance of my leap, and focused more on getting to the reason I sought these waters.

I'm planning to own my own home based business based on my love of botanicals, bees and baking. Perhaps they don't draw an immediate connection to each other in your mind, besides their first letter, but all three are my current hobbies, and truly do feed off of one another. The plan is still evolving, but these three things will be central. See? I haven't dipped my toe in to gauge the temperature of these waters, but I'm fairly confident I'll adapt to the climate.

Who is this brash swimmer you ask? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Bonnie. I rent a house on a small farm in Arcade, New York and live with my 10 year old son, Joey, and my housemate, who owns the farm. I work as a biologist for a federal agency in the city of Buffalo. I have an Associates Degree in Horticulture, and a bachelors degree in Physical Geography.

To bring it to the relevancy of this blog, I am a person that has stood on the solid, familiar ground too long, and the unknown waters have tempted too strongly, to resist the plunge. This blog will chronicle my journey into running my own business. At times my moves may appear ungraceful, there may be shocking moments, and a fair amount of treading water, but in the end, I intend to find comfort and touch bottom in what now is but a murky depth. I welcome you on this journey, and all thoughts, insight, and ideas from any of my readers are greatly encouraged. Here's to the plunge-