Molly Kay

I grew up with dogs, and don't consider life complete without one. Best family breed in my experience is the Norwegian Elkhound. They're northern dogs with heavy double coats (major shedding twice a year). They're smart, even-tempered, and just all-around good dogs. This breed will not live to please you, but they don't get aggressive unless something is very wrong.

My mom knew a family that had an Elkhound, and their toddler was running through the house and tripped over the napping dog. Some breeds might come up snapping but that Elkhound just raised it's head to see who fell over it, saw it was the kid, and went back to sleep.

They dig. So if you're putting them in a fenced yard, you'll want to set the fence down into the ground about a foot. If one gets out, it will stay close by unless it has a running pal. Two dogs out is both dogs gone. And most people aren't familiar with the breed so they get mistaken for huskies or husky crosses.

They do have a fair amount of energy, so if you don't have a large space for them to run in they will need a long walk or two daily.

Chi Monger wrote: If folks can’t bring themselves to engage in some life-appropriate potty-mouth, maybe show them why they simply must, as well as how-to help that cause.  

Forgive me is this isn't the time (it does seem like the place) but I had some ideas. Not necessarily good ideas, of course.

These people know their s#!t.

This s#!t is everybody's problem.

How did this crap get in my river?

S#!t rolls down hill, and most of us don't live at the top of the hill.

Article or blog post titles maybe? I'm not standard folks, but these would definitely get my attention in a way that would lead me to want to learn more about the subject.

Timothy Norton wrote:This might be a goofy question, but I'm not sure if anyone has answered this yet.

How many/much bones do you use to a batch of broth?

I have recently made a deal with a local farm where I got a BUNCH of beef soup bones.

Does somebody have a ratio of pounds of bones to water that works well for them? Does it change depending on where the bones are sourced from?

I was curious about this myself so I did a quick search and found a general rule of 1 lb of bones per 4 C of water (1 litre was mentioned for those using metric). Roast bones first to enhance flavor, and add a few tablespoon or two of an acid (ACV is recommended but I just use lemon juice) to the broth to help break the bones out and extract minerals from them.

Apparently it can vary depending on what the bone source is (beef is more flavorful than chicken is my guess). And of course for a richer broth, use less water or more bones.

A deeper look on a reddit thread told me there is no set ratio as long as the water covers the bones and any aromatics you're adding, and just cook it down until you get the consistency/richness you want. Quoting from that thread..."Ruhlman says for a very gelatinous stock use a 1:1 ratio of bones to water by weight. For a more standard stock use 3 pounds water to 2 pounds bones."  

Bread baking was challenging for me even before my husband's Celiac Disease diagnosis. For some reason yeast does not like to work properly for me in doughs.

I'd love to try sourdough, but I'd get busy and no one else would remember to feed the starter, and it would either die or mutate and take over the kitchen. I don't have the mental energy to tackle a project like that at the moment.

My dad made great bread. Never tried making sourdough, but I'm sure he would have been successful with it.

I agree, music is a need. I think some of us feel that need more than others in modern western societies.

Growing up in a musical family, I feel like it's just part of me. I was singing before I was talking, so music has always been in my life. Not much of a dancer, but when I do musical theater I've noticed there is something akin to magic when a number comes together with all of us singing and dancing and getting it right. There's a kind of bonding that may not last even as far as the cast party, but is very real when you feel it.

Going thoughtful...

There are rhythms in nature, and music mimics that, setting pleasant sounds to a specific chosen rhythm. This is a very sound-based world. Bird song, mating calls, animals growling, even silence at times communicates in nature.  Have you ever known the weather was going to turn from a change in the sound of the wind, or the birds going silent?

Spoken language is sounds. Written language carries sounds--the scratching of a pen, the click of keys on a typewriter or computer keyboard, the hammer and chisel used to carve on a tablet. Hands signing word, phrases, and letters make sounds, though very soft ones. And we all recognize the noises other people make in agreement or disagreement or annoyance (especially with a teenager in the house).

Sound is communication. Music, with or without lyrics, is communication of a thought or an idea, or an emotion. Communication is a primary drive in nature. If only we could hear more clearly what the earth is trying to tell us. If we could understand each other better that would help. I often find songs that are better at saying what I mean than I am. My words tend to get garbled when I speak, especially on an important topic. I knew that was part of why I write in general. Now I wonder if it's why I write songs...when the other sounds aren't getting the point across, maybe the music will. Or maybe people are more likely to listen if you can state your case in 3 1/2 minutes or less, and with a good beat.

@Burra Maluca, that second song was very catchy! The first one, I suspect might grow on me.

But, I have to counter with the theme song from Fraggle Rock.

https://youtu.be/KLQS6xo40kI?si=MisnuRZT3pnIniN-

Jay Angler wrote:

Wombles seem way more helpful than Fraggles.

Yeah, but do Wombles sing incredibly catchy songs?

If they do, sign me up for some Wombles too!

S Tonin wrote:PA Dutch Potato candy is mashed potatoes and sugar, mixed into a dough and rolled out, then covered with peanut butter, rolled into a log, and cut into bite sized pieces.

Hell of a Dutchman I am, if I couldn't even remember that.  (To be fair, I grew up eating both and I haven't had it in 25+ years)

Pennsylvania Dutch isn't really Dutch. It's a corruption/misunderstanding/loose translation of Deutsch. So you're good.

Timothy Norton wrote:This is a hyper-local one but Melba sauce.

Melba sauce is a fruity raspberry sauce that is exclusively found around here as a condiment to dip mozzarella sticks into. It's great, just trust me.

Raspberry, huh? I would have thought peach.

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:No, I didn't know the Wombles. I think they are typically British.
I do remember the children watched another series with this sort of puppets, the Freggles. And the Muppets were on TV here in the Netherlands too. But no Wombles, as far as I know. It's a pity!

Was it Freggles, or maybe Fraggles? Even with a different spelling, maybe the same. The Fraggles were an off-shoot of the Muppets, and quite popular for a while in the U.S.