marius

I'm just saying ... really missed you lately dear host of Channel Baldur! Yes, you've been on-air, but methinks not as much as other times.

You're the rock that makes Gibraltor worth visiting. (Just made that up with hot toddy in the body. The dang sinus infection is refusing to leave and marius is a tad, um, ..... ?? actually, better. Sometimes a hot toddy can work wonders!) : )

Goodnight all!

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"... hot toddy in the body" ... lol. Hope your soon well again, marius.

Baldur

oh Thinkdraw,what am Igoing to do?
Once again I typed out a long message on my garden here only to lose it because the server is busy.
This is not good
Baldur has been typing off the site and copying it here lately but this time
I forgot.

Dragon

Concerning Soda Bread, I wonder if it would be alright to make it on an oven stone (pizza stone) instead of cast iron skillet. I have a pizza stone but alas, Chez Dragon has no cast iron skillets.

I also wonder if there are many people who do keep buttermilk on hand regularly. I too have been frustrated with recipes that call for it (before I knew the trick of souring milk). Recipes never call for very much buttermilk but it's impossible to find in truly small quantities at the supermarket. It always seemed very wasteful to me to get a whole liter of it when I only needed a cup.

marius

Well Baldur, you could have a hot toddy but not sure that will solve the TD server problems. (giggle) Will look forward to another garden segment in the future and meanwhile, probably is a good idea to type on 'word' and then paste in forum.

marius slept about a half hour after the toddy and then was awake the rest of the night. Have tried all the usual remedies but spouse pointed out the obvious when he woke at 4 and found me lying on the couch making nasty cold noises. He said, "Please call the doctor today." Was gonna do that yesterday but thought I'd try denial first. Tee hee, it didn't work so seeing doc this afternoon. Had to cancel sister-day which means no jigsaw puzzle exchange. Oh, how will I ever survive these trying times? Woe is me! (Haha, being overly dramatic is a remedy that really does help!)

Robin, sorry your dinner didn't turn out so great but still sounds like an adventure and as spouse would say, "You can get good mileage with that story." It reminds me of blind dates: if they don't turn out great, at least you'll have a story. And, the next time ... tell that waiter (butler) that you are allergic to anything you don't like. Then they HAVE to bring you decent veggies and taters. : )

marius

Dragon, we solve the buttermilk excess with waffles. Well, spouse solves it. He makes as many batches as needed to use up the buttermilk and then freezes. Not as good as fresh, but a quick thaw and a run through the toaster and they're pretty good! I like them plain as a snack. : )

Dragon

Considering the date perhaps Baldur should drink Hot Irish Whiskey's instead of Hot Toddy's, hehehe

We don't have a waffle grill either, Chez Dragon is starting to sound like it's woefully lacking in the kitchen goods department. We do have a George Forman grill though (a little one) I don't suspect it would be much good for waffles though. It's great for making grilled wrap sandwiches though!

Hazer

While Baldur is sorting out his technical difficulties, I have a story for Featherhawk.

A few years back when we were living on our acreage, I went out to do some work in my flowerbeds, accompanied by our big Boxer. As we came around the corner of the house I noticed a very large hawk about half a mile away. He was circling over the field adjacent to the yard. He saw us at the same time as we saw him and he immediately headed straight for us. He circled low over us and checked us out. Gave me the absolute creeps! We must have looked too big to carry off so he left.
Come to think of it , he could have been either a huge hawk or a young eagle. Either way, the experience still gives me goose bumps!

Hazer

My favorite way to use buttermilk is in a soup called Summer Borscht.

It consists of a desired amount of stock made with smoked ham. If you have the ham bone, so much the better. Add onion and cubed potatoes. Salt to taste. Boil about 10 min then add parsley and dill. Add buttermilk in at the end. You may add some cream or sour cream just before serving if desired.
The fresh dill you buy at the store is not very flavorful so I would recommend using dry unless you have access to someone with a garden who grows the dill used for canning dill pickles.

Robindcr8l

Hazer, I took the liberty of adding your recipe to my recipe forum. Also, your hawk story interested me. I moved to Idaho from Buffalo NY 15 years ago. I had worked in a hospital in Buffalo, but here in Idaho I work in the regional trauma center, so we get all of the traumas within a wide geographic range. I realized right away I was no longer in Buffalo, as suddenly we had traumas like, "Bucked off a donkey", or "mountain bike vs. tree". But the one that stands out the most, was "dirt bike vs. Hawk". A man was riding his dirt bike in the foothills, and a hwak actually swooped down and attacked him, causing him to wreck. He had multiple orthopaedic injuries from it! I'm pretty sure I'd never see THAT in NY! LOL Who KNEW that hawks were so dangerous and aggressive???

Hazer

Thanks Robin.

I really wonder what would have happened if there had been a young child on my yard. Or if he would have attacked my dog if I hadn't been there.

Dragon

I work in a vet clinic (for those who don't already know) and we do get the occasional Hawk vs Pet case though very rarely. In 10 years here I think I've seen maybe 2 cases. We do hear of hawk, eagles and even owls killing small pets, especially cats not to eat but to get rid of a rival predator that might cut into their food sources.

I remember my brother telling me a story of mountain biking with some friends. They reached an area where there were hawks or falcons nesting. One of his buddies went riding through and was quickly set upon by 2 angry falcons. They'd stoop and hit him in the head repeatedly with closed fists. Happily he was wearing a good helmet. My brother and his other buddies wisely steered wide clear of that area.

Baldur

Sorry to have been a bit out of touch lately. Between my yardwork and the frustration when trying to post here on this site it appears that Radio Baldur's programming has slowed down quite a bit.

A pleasant Springlike aura has descended on Primrose, RI.
Baldur has successfully raked out all the flowerbeds at Boughbreak. The weather has become extraordinarily warm and sunny for the month of March so gardening is the way to go this week.

In the near future, possibly Thursday I need to start attacking the brambles on the hill. Each year there are less because of my vigilance. Then what needs doing is the cleaning the leaves off of the clumps of daffodils and narcissus that are scattered along the edges of the wild areas.
Only then does the big project commence. Rock moving.
This year a retaining wall is being constructed that will create a large flat terraced area as a new vegetable garden. There are stashes of stone (mostly granite) scattered about the property. It all needs to be brought to the base of the hill to the left of the house.
Only then will construction actually begin.

Baldur

Baldur also needs to find people to adopt Rose of Sharon seedlings, at least 100 of them. One of the mature one here is quite prolific and drops my viable seeds.

I have planted as many on the property as is appropriate, scattered a few on the neighboring lots and several across the road on the vacant strip of land along the pond. Enough is enough. These need to go.
if there are no responses on Freecycle this week it's off to the compost pile with the lot of them.

Hazer

A question for you Baldur....Do you know of a sure fire way I can keep the neighborhood cats from using my flowerbeds as their own personal toilet???

Robindcr8l

Hazer, I haven't tried this, but someone told me once that if you sprinkle cayenne pepper powder in your flower beds, the cats will avoid them, as well as rabbits and other animals that can be a nuisance. I guess the smell is enough to deter them, and it's totally harmless to the garden and the environment. I'm thinking of sprinkling some on my new red couch and loveseat to hopefully prevent clawing.

Baldur

Hazer, I haven't had any luck keeping Heidi out of my flowerbeds so I can't offer you any suggestions.
Robin's idea sounds good. I have used cayenne to deter deer.
Though lately the deer haven't come too close because of the neighbor's Rotweiler, 'Cuddles'.

marius

Hazer, Dragon and Robin ... love the raptor stories! Glad no one was hurt. Have never heard of raptor attacks except on PBS specials where scientists are trying to photograph baby eagles. And, LOL, bucked off a donkey!

Hazer

Thanks Robin and Baldur, I'll give it a try...it looks bad when you're trying to show your house and the flower bed is dug full of holes. The neighbor next door has tried filling one area of his flowerbed with cactus, and even that doesn't keep them out!
I've thought of buying some catnip and sprinkling it in some remote corner of the back alley. It's very frustrating when you work hard to make your yard look nice.

marius

Baldur, you posted while I was typing. So happy to hear of 'doings' about Boughbreak!

Hazer, sorry about the cats - no suggestions here but sure Dragon will have some.