Cheese, Grommet, Look at all the Cheese!

We love Wallace and Grommet around here. Partly because of the animation but also because we love cheese. And it's a good thing that we love cheese and fortunate that all my friends love it too because I have a lot of goat's milk right now therefore I'm making a lot of cheese.

As I was looking at my cheese in all it's various stages around my kitchen this morning I thought it would be fun to blog about it.

The first thing you need for cheese is milk. I have five goats, they are all Saanens or Saanen crosses. Zia is 5, Caddy is 2 and Bobbin is 3. Bobbin has 2 doe kids, Lace and Tat, so I am not milking her right now. Zia and Caddy are giving me 2+ gallons of milk per day. I am milking only once a day. I would get more milk if I milked twice a day or pulled the kids off Bobbin but I'm getting plenty of milk and I'm not tied to the farm as much.

 Zia is closest, eyes closed, then Tat, Bobbin, Lace and furthest away is Caddy.

It has taken the goats and me 2 weeks to work out our milking routine. To milk the goats; they have to get on the milk stand where they get a pelleted feed. Zia eats faster than I can milk her so I mix leaves from alfalfa hay into her bowl of pellets. It slows her down and we finish at about the same time. If she finishes first she fidgets making it hard to get the last bit of milk without having the milk bucket kicked. After she is done eating I put her into a pen separate from the other goats otherwise she would be very happy to come out and be "milked" again which causes lots of confusion and trouble.

 Full udder!

Caddy is a different bowl of fish altogether. She does NOT like to be touched. Especially around her head and face. So I need to be able to open the gate and wait out of reach while she comes out and gets herself onto the milk stand. But Bobbin and her kids are in the same pen with her, they come out if the gate is left open causing Caddy to run around the barn. Did I say that I have to be smarter than my goats? So I put some pellets in a tray for Bobbin and her girls, let them out, then rearrange the gates to close them off so I can let Caddy out. Then I open the gate wide for Caddy and move away. She comes out and puts herself on the milk stand. I close the head stall and take away her pellets until I get the rest of the equipment and goats arranged.

I move the tray of pellets so Bobbin, Lace and Tat go back into their original pen so hey are out of the way. I get the hobbles made of baling twine for Caddy. Did I say that I need to be smarter than my goats? Turns out Caddy does more than fidget on the milk stand. She will hop forward violently and kick the bucket. After having several battles with her where I lost and left the barn dripping milk. So now I tie her feet to the milk stand and then give her back her pellets It works pretty well this way and when I'm done milking her I set it up so she has a clear runway to an open gate back out into the pasture. No handling needed, less bruising for me and no drama for her.

When I start milking the first few squirts of each teat goes into a small bowl for the kittens. This way if there is anything in or on the teats it doesn't go into my clean stainless steel milk bucket. Then I start milking for real. When my milking bucket is 2/3 full I empty it into a milk filter over a lidded stainless steel milk tote. I put pie tins over the top of the milk filter to protect everything from flies and dust in the barn. It takes about 10 minutes per goat to strip them dry. Zia milks a little under a gal and Caddy milks a little more than. Caddy is actually easier to milk than Zia, it takes less squeezing to get the milk.

 Pasteurizing 165 deg F for 30 minutes or take it up to 185 deg F

I haul everything back to the house and put the milk into my stock pot and pasteurize the milk by heating it to 185 deg F. I let the milk sit and cool to 86 deg F. I add my culture and let it set for 1-2 hours then add rennet. Next I take the curdled milk and spoon it into cheese cloth that I have put in a colander in the sink. I tie the corners of the cheese cloth and hang it from the posts in my cupboards. It takes 6-12 hours for the cheese to drain. At this point if I'm making chevre' I will take it out of the cheese cloth and mix it in a bowl with salt, herbs and spices. Then it goes in the frig. If I'm making feta I put it in my cheese mold, layering it with salt. I put the lid on the mold and start by putting one can of soup on top to add pressure. Over the next two days I increase the number of soup cans to increase the pressure until it's a dry as I can get it. Then it is is cut and put into a salt water brine or into jars with herbs and olive oil.

 Cheese hanging from cupboard draining into bowls. Our dogs get the whey that drains out.

 Fresh Feta in olive oil, two with basil one with rosemary.

No the cheese making isn't over at this point. It's time to clean up. I wash everything in soapy hot hot water, the milking buckets, the pie tins, the filter holder, the stock pots, the cheese cloths, strings, cheese thermometer and spoons. I'll do it again tomorrow, it's an on-going process to make cheese Grommet.

Peeking Out Of My Chrysalis

Eeeeeck too many changes, too fast. I now understand why caterpillars make a chrysalis and hide while they are changing. It's tough to be out and about as you change. Change makes you vulnerable, like a crustacean who's new shell is soft and unfinished.

I feel so different. I look different. I don't recognize myself in the mirror, I weigh less than I have in 30 or so years. I've been working on the weight for the past year but it feels like my body has changed drastically in the past month or so. I am very happy about it but I also feel awkward. I don't know what to wear anymore. Sometimes it takes 3 or 4 sets of clothes before I feel comfortably dressed to leave the house. Shopping for new clothes is a challenge too, I find myself wandering in the plus-size section and I'm no longer a plus size person. Styles I loved no longer look right on me. It weird and disconcerting.

I like most of the attention my weight loss gets me. I'm vain what can I say. But I'm only comfortable being in the spotlight for so long and haven't quite gotten the knack for turning this attention aside when I've basked enough.

What I can do is different now too, my new knees are bringing back into my life so many things that I loved to do but let go of. I can walk, dance, bike, canoe, reach my toes easily and cross my legs. I celebrate every time I do them, but since I am now physically capable I have more responsibilities than I did when my knees wouldn't take it. Like doing barn chores, working on the house, or catching up on projects that slid while I was getting my new parts installed. It's all good but it's a big change from sitting on my ass all the time and takes some adjustment. (I know, I know, get over myself and quit whining already!)

Now I'm looking at riding my horse again. I've had him since he was 6 weeks old, he is now 22. He is broke to ride and drive but hasn't done anything but eat grass for many years. Both of us will need a lot of work before I can climb up on him again. He is big baby and a bit spooky. I'm a big baby and easily scared too. I didn't ride him when I got so heavy because my knees were miserable and I didn't feel safe. I hope I learn to feel safe and strong now because I have no more excuses ( I'm even 20 lbs under the goal weight I had set myself for starting to ride again). I've got a date on Fri to go ride a friend's horse in an arena to work on my seat and legs. If all goes well I will start to ground work Boots.

Thank goodness I haven't moved or divorced or gotten a new job... well I kinda did, a new job I mean. I've been teaching felting in some new places and I wrote my first felting article for money. And I did get a new tattoo.

Even good changes require time, energy and I'm learning that it takes courage too.

A Bigger Gift Than I Thought

I had fun picking Christmas gifts this year. Even buying for Tim was fun. He and I both are hard to shop for. We have all the toys we need and are very picky about our tools. Well I got him different cool lights, just decorative fun ones for his office and I took a chance and bought him a new toolbox. It’s turned into a bigger gift than I expected.

Tim had very specific requirements for his toolbox, not too big, not too small, not too heavy, not too flimsy, etc and I got it right, amazing. Yay, he really likes it. What I didn’t anticipate was the “tool catharsis” this new box would cause. He has pulled all his sockets from the various places he has stored them and is sorting them and putting them on socket holders we have gotten since Christmas from harbor Freight. He has been reliving some of his past too as he sorts them. Some were from his Dad, and my Dad, both are passed. Some were from a shed he helped a co-worker clean out, they were her father’s. These socket are more than just tools, they are important markers of his past.

When I commented on how much space the tools were taking in the living room and how I don’t remember any other gifts causing such a commotion Tim reminded me of the jewelry chest he got me. I hate it when he is right, and boy was he right. Several years ago he got me a jewelry chest for Christmas. I rarely get rid of stuff and some of my jewelry dates back to my early teen years, just like Tim’s sockets. Well the jewelry chest was a lovely gift but it was so big we couldn’t fit in the bedroom. So I bought new furniture so I could fit his gift in. There were other reasons for new furniture but his gift was the catalyst. I wonder if any other changes are in store because I gave him a tool box.

Anticipation

My longest friend called me today, I don’t want to call her my oldest friend since she is not old but she has been my friend for over 20 years. She knows me pretty well and was calling to see how I’m feeling about my upcoming surgery. I told her I’m doing my best to ignore it for a few more days but it’s not working so well. Plugging my fingers in my ears and singing la la la just doesn’t push it out of my head as I go to my pre-surgery physicals, phase off my diet, quit taking my vitamin supplements, and start arranging the house and my studio for my incarceration.

I’ve done all that I can to get ready physically (diet 47lbs lost and exercise) and now I need to get my head ready. Nope, not gonna be ready. I’ll do it but I’m not looking forward to it. I’m not dreading it and I will do my best to go through it with an optimistic smile but SHIT I don’t wanna do it. Yes that was said in a whiny little kid voice. And it’s their (the doctor and the physical therapists) fault that I don’t want to. They made me feel so good, this is the best I have felt in years and I LIKE it. I don’t want to feel like crappola again.

But my left knee is painful all the time and it will be better after its fixed. Ok, fine, I’ll do it. But I won’t like it. There. Done.

I have this conversation with myself several times a day. No way to get better but go through it. Since there is no other solution I think I will try ignoring it a little more and focus on the fun stuff I’m doing between now and next Wed.

I don’t have any plans for today, just hanging out with my dog girls, maybe play in my studio. Then tomorrow I have Physical Therapy in the morning and I think I will go swim at the pool when I’m done and sit in the Jacuzzi. I love the water and I will have to keep my knee dry for 6 weeks or so after surgery. Ya that sounds good. Then I think I’ll meet Tim for lunch. It’s a lot easier to do that when I can still drive and walk un-aided. Then I’ll go by Macy’s and see what is on sale. That sounds just right.

On Friday Tim has the day off and we are going to pack up the trailer and dogs and go camping at Champoeg for the weekend. We have friends joining us, friends who don’t camp and one who has never had a S’more. We are going to fix that right up. We are bringing our bikes, yay! I can peddle around to my heart’s content (another activity that will be put on hold until I heal). We will also be celebrating our 30^th Wedding Aniversary! What a nice way to celebrate, I’m really looking forward to it.

Monday is more Dr stuff, physical by surgeon, pre-admittance to hospital, blech! So after I do that I’m going to go hang with my girls in Aurora, we'll eat goodies, kvetch and pretend I'm knitting. Tuesday is my vanity day, hair cut, pedicure all the things I want to have tidy so that when I’m feeling bad I won’t feel like I look bad too, silly me for sure.

Wednesday is surgery day and I will be at Legacy Meridian Park Hospital until Friday, please feel free to drop by. Becky Clayton ( a fellow fiber addict) is having her hip done the same time I’m having my knee so bring your knitting I’m sure one of us will be awake. Tim will keep everyone in the loop again and post to my FB page. He is so thoughtful. I will post again after all the hoopla and drugs fade away. I will be looking for friends to come keep my company while I am recovering and unable to drive. Please anticipate coming over to visit!

Exuberance

So far September has been a really good month. Tim and I went to Memphis to see our daughter and her family. I finally got to meet my youngest grandson, ok I saw him when he was born but now he is 4 and showing so much personality. Plus I got to hug my daughter (as much as I wanted) and laugh with Keith, my witty sarcastic and newly accepted US citizen son-in-law. Yay! We ate, boy did we eat, fabulous Gus’ fried chicken, breakfast at Brother Junipers, cooking an egg scramble with Lacee in her kitchen (her favorite meal) I loved cooking with her, but my favorite was the donuts from Gibson’s. At Gibson’s they accused us of being Yankees, we admitted to being first timers and the owner brought us freshly fried raised donuts with chocolate glaze. My eyes still cross thinking of it. Yummmmmy!

After we revived from our donut induced coma we went shopping at the Nike Outlet and the professional Beauty Supply. Then Lacee gave me a new do. She is more than ½ way done at cosmetology school. She colored my hair Wild Orchid and Magenta and did a beautiful job. Here I am sporting my new hair.

 I'm pink!

When we headed home we had a whole suitcase full of Nike gear. A big big thank you to Keith, he works at Nike and shared his discount us plus he handed us a big pile of shoes and clothes he gets as an employee. We brought home 6 pairs of shoes for our Oregon grandkids, 3 pairs of shoes for Tim and a really comfy pair for me. Then the clothes! I scored the most with 5 pairs of capris and yoga pants. In a size Extra Large!!!!!! I fit into Nike XLs; I remember a time not too long ago I couldn’t fit into a Nike 3X. I was so excited I bounced around their house in them.

Love my shoes!

This past weekend was a good time too. Tish came over on Saturday and I altered some of her dog showing clothing for her. Tish is Mila’s first Mom (breeder). She is going to bathe and groom Mila for me; we are talking about showing her next year. It was so nice, Tish hung out in my studio while I sewed, it was her first time in my world and she was oogling all my treasures. It was the longest I’ve ever seen her sit still too as we chatted and tried stuff on for several hours. So cool!

On Sunday I took Sarah and the 3 grandkids to Seaside. Seaside is not a beach that I go to often esp during the summer. It is a crazy busy beach, I normally go to the beach in the late fall or early spring and walk the dogs on an empty gray shore. Not yesterday, we hauled chairs, beach toys, snacks, clothes and towels for the kids all the way out by the water. We dodged dogs, toddlers, teenagers on beach bikes. The energy level on that vigorous beach was amazing. The grandkids were lying down in the shallow waves, or running and flinging sand and water with their buckets and shovels. Then of course we had to do the downtown carrousel and candy store. It took all of 2 minutes back on the road for them to sleep most of the way home.

And September is only half done, OFFF is coming up, and I have a grooming date with Tish and a sewing date with Nancy and our 30^th Anniversary to celebrate. Woo hoo, it is great feeling good. On Oct 15^th I am going to have my other knee replaced and will be looking at another recovery from surgery. You can bet your buttons I’m filling up the time between now and then with exuberance!

Endurance and Revival

I haven’t posted for a bit mostly because I wasn’t feeling very positive for several weeks in fact I felt pissy  and didn't feel justified in whinging all over you all. My knee was fine but I was so wiped out all the time. It was very frustrating, feeling good when sitting like a lump but not having any juice when I stood up. Ya, ya, I know, three surgeries in a month is enough to suck anybody dry but I was even too tired to read and daytime tv sucks so bad. I started watching Ancient Aliens. And I liked it….somebody save me. 

 

But this week I’ve got enough energy to wear out my new knee! Today it is sore from pushing at physical therapy and I'm happy about it. About last week I got some of my energy back. Not all, I still get wiped out but I can do stuff, yay! I can vacuum, I’ve finally been up to the barn and I can drive for more than an hour, I can cook dinner, and empty the dishwasher and best of all I can take a shower and not have to sit down immediately. I can even shop for a while without using an electric scooter.  My left knee (the one that isn't replaced) can't keep up with the new shiny right knee, I will have it replaced Oct 15th. (Here I go again, although it should only take one surgery this time.)

So to catch you all up on what I've been doing on the fiber/fabric front: since it was cool enough to get into the studio a few times, I made 2 pairs of bike type shorts. I took my favorite pair that was wearing thin, laid it on the fabric and cut around them then sewed ‘em up on my serger. Took less than an hour each, they fit great and cost 1 yard of fabric. Gave me a lot more confidence in my pattern making skills, making elastic waistbands and using my serger.

And I'm working on some really cool embroidered pictures from the classes I took with Judith Baker Montano at Quilt Knit Stitch two weeks ago. I'm working on two, a landscape and an underwater scene. Her method uses lots of layers. I still working on the backgrounds which use small light and uncomplicated stitches on top of the fabric shapes that define the landscape. I'll be adding many more layers of heavier stitches as I work to the foreground.