Monday, March 08, 2010

Haiku Bones: Infestation

Thank you for visiting.
Read more amazing haiku at Haiku Bones.

diigo it
_/\_/\_

Cats on Tuesday: Sweet Pea

John and I went down to New Haven, Connecticut this past weekend to visit my daughter, Anna. Anna's cat is Sweet Pea (or Sweetie). A beautiful, svelt gray with white cat, Sweetie does not like Anna's tiny dog, Daisy. I love cat tongue photographs (above) and I love Sweetie's bright green eyes.
Thank you for stopping by!
To visit other participants, visit Gattina
_/\_/\_

My First Le Crueset Loaf Goes to New Haven

I used our new Le Creuset cast iron pot to make a loaf of artisan bread on Friday night. I followed the directions from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day blog. I used the recipe for Light Wheat Bread from the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking. The loaf is too brown because I forgot to turn the oven temperature down to 450° after I took the lid off of the pot after 20 minutes of baking. I used 2 lbs of dough for this loaf. Next time I will try all 3 lbs of dough in the pot because while this loaf was a good size, I would like it bigger for when John and I have guests.

Above, you see the completed loaf on my kitchen counter.
It's looking good!

Above is the same loaf of bread on Anna's kitchen counter. It's looking even better! They are very impressed with my new skills. So I'm very pleased. In the future, I am also going to try baking loaves in my cloche (a closed clay pot that I have and have not used in years). They say the crust is even better in a cloche.

We also took this iced bundt cake for them. I have posted the recipe here. This cake can be dry, so be sure not to over bake. I like the recipe because of the extracts that it uses. I have used vanilla and almond (1 1/2 t. each) and I have also done the recipe as printed. I think you could use any combination of flavorings that you would like. The cake is very sweet. It is so sweet that I cannot eat it on an empty stomach or my blood sugar crashes! I can't have this cake for breakfast! But it sure is good. And of course, I used the bundt pan that John and I found in the dump!




Technorati Tags: Del.icio.us Tags: Flickr Tags:
diigo it
_/\_/\_

Saturday, March 06, 2010

Dating. Introverts.

funny pictures of cats with captions

funny pictures of dogs with captions
diigo it
_/\_/\_

The Collatz Conjecture

diigo it
_/\_/\_

mathrecreation: teachers - born or built?

mathrecreation: teachers - born or built?
Go read this. Really.
diigo it

_/\_/\_

Earthworms Flee A Burrowing Mole

Earthworms in a soil-filled arena emerge to the surface when a mole starts burrowing into the ground.

Credit: Kenneth C. Catarina
Scientific American Videos

_/\_/\_

A Week of Riches

My son Andrew and I are night owls. We chat a lot in the middle of the night — trading recipes and talking about his sisters (I hear the girls' ears perking up now!). Andrew has been making a lot of artisan bread in his Le Creuset cast iron pots. We don't have one. So Andrew bought us one and it came this week! I have dough almost ready to bake now and I can't wait to see if I can make it as successfully as Andrew does. I even ordered the high heat proof handle from Le Creuset on the night he bought us the pot, and you can see that John has put it on in this photo. Later this weekend I may post Andrew's iPhone photos of his kitchen in Washington, DC. His Silence of the Lambs Kitchen!

But for now, here are the links for the artisan bread recipes for baking in cast iron pots:
John also got us an inexpensive, study cast iron pot that looks just like this one but was $40 cheaper at WalMart!

diigo it
_/\_/\_

Friday, March 05, 2010

My Piano!

Our new piano is in storage at the moment.



Score of the Waldstein Sonata
I have a piano! Finally! After having to give up the piano that I had in Connecticut in order to move to Vermont — the piano that Andrew played — we bought this baby grand. We bought it but it can't be delivered until after mud season. Thankfully, mud season is early this year (or earlier than it is in Vermont), so I am unpacking my Beethoven and Chopin scores (and all the others, too). And Andrew? Next time you visit, we will regale everyone with our Brahms' Hungarian Dances duets again! Soon, I will be practicing my Chopin preludes. Whoo hoo!!
diigo it
_/\_/\_

Visualization of Algebraic Surfaces with Free Software


The SURFER program is a unique realtime raytracer of algebraic surfaces with an intuitive user interface. Watch the video to learn more. This is free software and if you like manipulating images such as fractals, flames, or chaos images, try this. I'll be playing with this software and you know I'll be posting my creations. If you are also a mathematics teacher, you'll want to get this into your school.
Download at http://www.imaginary2008.de/
Newsletter subscription requests at http://www.imaginary20 . . .

diigo it
_/\_/\_

LOL Cat Bible: Lectionary Readings for the Third Sunday of Lent, March 7, 2010

Third Sunday of Lent
March 7, 2010

Isaiah 55:1-9
Psalm 63:1-8
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9




Isaiah 55:1-9

1 OMG free cheezburgrz fur all ov yu! No luk at me all like "wtf?!" No sez "DO NOT WANT!" Jus com an get it! Iz tasty gud!
2 Wy yu buy spensiv junk fud whut don fill teh belleh? I got gud stuffs fur yu. Iz not jus cheezburgrz, is GORMET cheezburgrz!
3 Cmere an lissen 2 mai advis so yu can has gud lif wif naps in teh sun an cheezburgr evry day. I iz giv yu kewl an speshul promis leik i givs 2 mai servnt David who wuz bff wif meh.
4 C, i has made him witnes 2 teh peoplez, Leadr an commandr ov teh peoplez.
5 Surely u will summon nashuns u knoe not, An nashuns dat do not knoe u will hasten 2 u, Cuz ov teh lord ur ceilin cat, Teh holy wan ov israel, 4 he has endowd u wif splendor."
6 Seek teh lord while he cud be findz; Call on him while he iz near.
7 Let teh wickd forsaek his wai An teh evil man his thoughts. Let him turn 2 teh lord, an he will has mercy on him, An 2 r ceilin cat, 4 he will freely pardon.
8 "4 mah thoughts r not ur thoughts, Neithr r ur ways mah ways," Declarez teh lord.
9 "as teh heavens r highr than teh earth, So r mah ways highr than ur ways An mah thoughts than ur thoughts.

funny pictures of cats with captions

Psalm 63
Longing for Ceiling Cat

1 O ceeling cat, do want! I lookin' 4 u behind teh sofa, under teh couch, in teh littr box... I has a hungry and no has cheezburger!
2 O hai ceeling cat i see what u did there!
3 O, i has Ceiling Cat an' we're BFF
4 i bless ceeling cat while i has cheezburger and when i no has cheezburger. i scratch teh sofa for his lulz.
5 i eated a cookie and cheezburger and sleeped. thx ceeling cat, U R teh awesum!!1!
6 i sleeped on the bed and think bout ceeling cat, i sat by the window watchin' birdz, thinkin' bout ceeling cat.
7 O hai ceeling cat! U R teh awesum! i sleep on teh couch in ur sun and say MOAR!
8 U make me LOL, O, we R BFF!
9 O, if you fux0r with me an' ceeling cat, u goto basement cat!
10 Den u gotta be outdoor kitteh and teh foxes bite ur harbles.
11 O teh king and ceeling cat are BFF! An if ceeling cat are ur BFF, u can has cheezburger! If no den he haet u soooo hard KBye.

funny pictures of dogs with captions
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Warningz from Israel's Histri

1 Teh peeplz dat caem befor us wuz all in teh saem boat. Dat is a metafor, dey wuz not realli in a boat.
2 Dey had a baff in Moses naem.
3 Dey eated teh saem cookies. Dat is a metafor too k.
4 An drinkted teh saem milk from teh saem rock. Dat rock wuz Christ. More metaforz k?
5 Ceiling Cat still wuzint happi and lotz of dem died in teh desrt. Dat iz not a metafor, dat realli happnd.
6 Dis wuz to teech us a lesson.
7 Doant worshp idolz. Ceiling Cat DO NOT WANT!
8 Doant make teh bad harblez. Ceiling Cat DO NOT WANT! 23000 of dem died in wun dai bcz of dis!
9 Doant test Ceiling Cat, who DO NOT WANT an will sendz snaeks.
10 Doant complaen. Ceiling Cat DO NOT WANT an will send teh hovr d00d to kil u.
11 So doant do dat.12 Be xtra caerflz k.13 Ceiling Cat woant let u be moare tempted dan u can stanz.

funny pictures of cats with captions

Luke 13:1-9
Be Gud Kitteh or Get Pwned

1 Soem kittehs sez "OMG, Jebus. U heer bout Galileans? Dey gotz pwned bai Pilate! (Him was liek Prezident or sumthink.) HIM BURND DEY BLUDD!!!!!!111!!!!!11 SRSLY!!!!!"
2 Jebus sez, "U tinks dem wuz bad kittehs cuz dem git pwned?
3 No, dem gud kittehs. But u git pwned 2 if u not be gud kittehs.
4 Member dem kittehs dat gotz skwished by Silo'am towr? Wuz dey bad kittehs?
5 No, dem gud kittehs. But u git pwned 2 if u not be gud kittehs.

Storey Bowt Emtee Fud Boel
6 Den Jebus sez, "Onse up on a tiem, a kitteh haz a fud boel, but evry tiem him goez 2 luk, boel is emtee! Srsly!
7 Him wuz liek 'Dis suxs! I trowz dis boel awae!'
8 But him frnd sez 'D00d, sted ov trowz boel awae, u shudz maek it be littrbocks! LOL!
9 Dat teech bad boel a lesin, an maybee den it haz fud necks tiem u luk.'"

Weekend Cat Events

Get ready now cuz the wild weekend is coming!
Board the Friday Ark at The Modulator (submit your post here)

Weekend Cat Blogging
#248 Mar 5-7 Meowza at iMeowza
(see the week’s host to enter your WCB post in the comments for the weekend roundup)

Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos
Edition 113 | Mar 07, 2010 Kitties at House of Chaos
Optional Theme
(submit your post here)

The Carnival of the Cats
#312 – Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat
(submit your post here)

Ree-purrted by KC

Visit the Pet Prayer & Praise Blog

Kitty Limericks

Technorati Tags: LOL Cat Church, LOL Cat Bible, Lectionary Readings, Prayer & Praise Blog, Weekend Cat Blogging

diigo it

_/\_/\_

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Friday Fractal: Fire & Ice

Fractal flame rendered in Apophysis
Fire and Ice
Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.
Many of us need to be reminded of the danger of hate and anger.
 _/\_/\_

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

VPR News: Mosher Releases ‘Walking To Gatlinburg’

VPR News: Mosher Releases ‘Walking To Gatlinburg’


I can't wait to read this new one and to see Mosher again. His last book, On Kingdom Mountain: A Novel, was a jewel and the new book, Walking to Gatlinburg: A Novel is supposed to be his best yet. Mosher is a resident of the Northeast Kingdom in Vermont. He lives in the town next to Barton.


diigo it
_/\_/\_

Haiku Bones: Sleep

This is my first submission to Haiku Bones. I welcome gentle suggestions. I continue to get conflicting advice about punctuation. I felt I needed it here. I also am not convinced that "powder" is the word I want. Thank you for visiting and reading.
Read more amazing haiku at Haiku Bones.
diigo it
_/\_/\_

Monday, March 01, 2010

Cats on Tuesday: Happy Pansy

Pansy is not the most companionable cat. I seldom write about her because she doesn't really like me. But here in New Hampshire she has blossomed. She interacts with us, goes outside, sleeps with us, sleeps with the other cats, and even killed her first mouse! She adores John (because he sneaks food to her all the time!) and walks up to him for scratches. Her fur is thicker and glossier now, too. I'm sure these changes are due to there not being any beagly Vermont dogs here! Scout and Sophie are challenges to many cats (and people like me) and they intimidated Pansy. Her disabilities (deformed legs, hips and feet) make it difficult for her to move quickly out of the way of a bouncy dog.

Pansy was given to me by a student in Hartford, Connecticut. Jose came to school and told me that there had been a kitten on his roof that boys had thrown rocks at. Jose climbed to his roof, rescued the kitten, and cared for her overnight in his room. He thought Pansy's deformities were injuries and wrapped one of her tiny legs in an ace bandage around a Popsicle stick. Jose and I left school immediately, got the kitten from his house and took her to my vet. We returned to school where we and the rest of the staff and students waited for the vet to call. She called and gave Pansy a great report! There were no deadly diseases and no injuries. But the kitten did have significant birth defects.

None of Pansy's problems have stopped her from enjoying life. She requires extra protection and care. But she is doing great!
Thank you for stopping by!
To visit other participants, visit Gattina
diigo it
_/\_/\_