Some of you have probably figured out that there is a problem with starter. A quantity problem, as in too much. I’m feeding this baby three times a day, each time doubling the amount of starter that is already in the jar. So, for example, if I have one cup of starter, I add ½ cup of water and ½ cup of flour. Then I have two cups of starter, so at lunch time I add one cup of water and one cup of flour. Then I have four cups of starter. See? There’s potential for some serious issues.

I only have three ways to use up all that starter: bake with it, give it away, throw it out. If I used all that starter in baking I would never leave the kitchen, and so far no one has come knocking at my door, empty jar in hand. That means that I mostly just throw it out. It’s careless and wasteful, I know, but I do have to take care of My Sanity.

One thing I have done to help cut down on the waste is to make only the minimum amount of starter that I need in order to keep it my baby healthy; I’m now only reserving ½ cup of starter every morning. That means I can keep the baby in a half-gallon jar now, instead of a gallon jar, and I have just enough for one (maybe two, depending) recipe of bread each day, if I were to want to bake each day. Which I don’t. But, in any case, I’m not tossing such copious amounts of flour and water onto the compost pile.

Here is my baby in it’s half-gallon jar. It’s ready for it’s lunch. Notice how bubbly and alive it is.

Here it is after I’ve added water and flour. The bubbles have been smoothed out, but by suppertime it will be just as bubbly as it was before lunch.

And so it goes.

Warning: If you have a weak constitution and can’t stand the sight of blood, do not look at the pictures in this post. I don’t think they’re very bad, but I know I’m not everybody and I do want to be sensitive to my dear readers.

We live in the country, on five acres, so naturally my kids get their fair share of bumps and bruises. I do try my best to prevent them from getting injured. I mean, I have rules that are supposed to keep them (and our possessions) safe. For example:

*do not go in the barn,
*do not go out of the gate on to the road,
*do not go over/through the fences into the neighboring fields,
*do not go in the chicken coop,
*do not climb up on the grape arbor,
*do not go in the tool shed and open the trap door and climb down into the well,
*do not go in the basement,
*do not play around the clotheslines,
*and so on.

Our house is even strategically placed (not by our doing) in such a way that it sits up at the front of the property right by the road and from the kitchen windows (which are our doing—I envisioned and demanded them and Mr. Handsome installed them) I can see out over the whole five acres.

But the knocks still happen.

The other day The Baby Nickel took a fall.

He was climbing the ladder that led to Yo-Yo’s fort when the ladder tipped over and fell. (Thankfully, he did not hit the edge of the doghouse roof—he has already been injured on that thing.) The kids say he landed head first. On a rock. Ouch.

I washed him up and tied a diaper around his head as a makeshift do-rag.

He didn’t want to move around much (he probably had a whopper of a headache) and kept slumping over in the swivel chair, trying to fall asleep.

It was the perfect opportunity to take some close-up shots of him, something I don’t normally get to do because he’s always in motion.

If you’re looking for a moral to this tale, it would be this: If you ever want to get a non-blurry photo of your highly active kid, just bonk the kid on the head. JUST KIDDING! (I can’t believe I just said that. I’m kidding, really.)

Isn’t he a perfect picture of pathetic peacefulness?

He has fully recuperated now though he still winces when I wash his hair. I haven’t seen him on the ladder since then. Maybe that hard rock knocked a little sense, or at least caution, into him.

I made this salad yesterday, and I’ve been living off of it ever since. It is well-balanced (includes all the food groups) and quite filling. Also, it stores well, so just make a batch of it first thing in the week and your lunches for the rest of the week are all taken care of.

Greek Pasta Salad
From my recipe box

3 cups rotini, uncooked
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup green onions, chopped (or a couple tablespoons of finely diced onion)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
radishes, sliced (I didn’t have any to add this time around)
6 ounces feta cheese
1 6-ounce can of black olives, sliced
1 green pepper, large dice
1 cucumber, quartered lengthwise and then sliced
1-2 cups cherry tomatoes

Cook the rotini, drain, and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic. Stir well and then add to the pasta.

Add the rest of the ingredients, toss gently, and serve.