Pets are the best since they always find new unexpected ways to delight, unknowingly helping their stressed out humans!
Photos
Back in 2013 we half-heartedly grew corn. We got so excited over the seemingly nice looking ears of corn. We peeled back the layers of husk and silk… surprise! Hardly any kernels. Very poor pollination I guess. Never tried growing corn again.
Cats are pros at comfort.
A screensaver with the best most relaxing photos and a nice hot morning beverage to start the day.
Close up of a Meyer Lemon still on the tree. 😋
Tomato sprouts all day today! Peppers should be next. 🌱
Lemon grass is overwintering nicely. This time we dug up the plant to include roots. Last year we rooted a few stalks in water; here’s its progeny 👌 There’s another bunch of lemon grass outdoors. If it survives, that’ll be the second year overwintering outside in native soil. 🌱
We have a lot of citrus in the backyard: mandarins, Meyer lemons, and Valencias. This means it is time for Alton Brown’s Acid Jellies! We don’t coat them with sugar at the end of the cook as we’ve found the sugar is too hydrophilic in humid winters & the jellies get… damp. 🌱
Gorgeous today at Burris Creek in Northern California.
White Crown borb soaking in the warmth of a cinder block & preening outside the slider.
Dutch baby for breakfast. It is really great with Meyer lemons (from the backyard tree; which is great as we can’t get Meyers in town).
Possibly a Cooper’s Hawk casing out bird feeder and really freaking out the House Sparrows and White Crowns. We’re honored to have a hawk visit our backyard. Amazing.
Pruned the apricot today. I only kind of know what I’m doing. It looks about right to me. Every year I open it up a bit more and reduce its height. I let it get too big. Before and after.
My partner is making beef salami but this time with added pork fat and more spices— the last batch was too dry and too smoky (will smoke less this time).
A Peaceable Washington D.C. in 2015
Saturday, January 16, 2021
I’ve been looking through photos of my work trip to Washington D.C. in 2015. Insurrection against the Constitution at the Capitol was not a thought and I felt safe, secure. Near the Washington Monument, looking towards the White House: The Washington Monument: The Yates Building, U.S. Forest Service HQ: Looking toward the U.S. Capitol, under extensive renovations: Ultramafic rocks at the Smithsonian: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport:Bibimbap!!
Lesser Gold Finch picking at raisins that are softened from the rain and dew.
Installed Logitech Circle View Doorbell Chime-Kit and Hardware Doorbell Chime
Saturday, January 9, 2021
Why did I decide to install the chime-kit and doorbell chime after I installed the Logitech doorbell (and it worked fine)? Netatmo released their doorbell and in their FAQ they wrote this about why a chime is required (Logitech never explained but they require it despite their doorbell seemingly working without one): The Smart Video Doorbell was specially designed to replace your existing doorbell and, therefore, to work with an existing wired chime.Logitech Circle View Doorbell and new transformer w/junction box successfully installed! I replaced an unused garage outlet with a proper junction box for enough cable slack. Cables are clamped. 👋 old wireless doorbell! 👋 Nest Aware!
I routed the new doorbell wire from the garage, along the foundation tucked under the sheathing, then up the hollow frame of a security door, then through a hole I drilled. The doorbell will replace an old wireless one. Hope tomorrow I’ll successfully install the transformer.
Backlit senescing cultivated hybridized California grapes (“Roger’s Red”). So far the Northern Mockingbirds are its prime visitors for raisins. We’ve seen Lesser Gold Finches seemingly drinking water or eating bugs out of the raisin’s nooks and crannies.
Logitech Circle View Doorbell Initial Thoughts
Friday, January 1, 2021
Got a Logitech Circle View doorbell. I haven’t mounted it yet but I’m already pretty happy with it after setting it up and testing it. It can power up using USB with 2A power. Logitech says it needs a hardware chime but it doesn’t! It indeed has HDR video for dealing with shadows and sun. It looks nice with a very minimal branding logo on it. The HomeKit Secure Video function works well.I installed a Lutron Caseta in-wall dimmer switch for the hallway today. Before it was wired as a 3-way so one switch is now a wired dimmer and the other switch is now a Pico remote (with adapter for switch box install). Real nice. Caseta is solid for home automation w/HomeKit.
Annual chest freezer de-icing, cleaning, inventory, and organizing. This year it’s especially important since we’re about to get a 1/2 Table Mountain Ranch Beef. So excited!
We had a lot of left over brisket so some went into disco fries.
Tonight’s brisket prepared by my partner using Sous Vide for literally fork tender meat and then finished with convection bake for decadent crust/bark.
The preceding sunset was way more picturesque than Jupiter and Saturn 😜
Here’s Jupiter and Saturn through a pair of high powered 9x63 binoculars.
The front yard California fuchsias (Epilobium canum) are still flowering and providing forage to the hummingbirds. I really need to cut these back but…. the hummingbirds! And other small pollinators!
And here’s the final caramel. They’re perfect. 🤗
