CONFERENCE SUNDAY

A young bird fledged today. The birds nest in the plants hanging from the planters on the apartment balconies above us. The wind occasionally blows a nest from above to our roof deck. We hope a crow doesn't get this one as was the fate of another chick a few weeks ago.

The baked bread brick from flour we bought. Sue threw together a loaf of bread and put it in the bread-maker. It came out like a brick doorstop. We bought new flour last week. Because the last batch of flour seemed like it was unbleached, not whole wheat, Elder Moon told the miller he wanted flour with more bran. I think his request lost something in the translation, speaking English to a native Lebanese who supposedly speaks English, he relaying the request to a Lingala speaking African in non-native French, the result being what looks to me to be about 75 percent bran, hence the baked brick. It tastes good slathered with butter and honey. But what do you do with 100 lbs of bran flour? I will be there next time to clarify what we want, whole grain, nothing added, nothing taken away!

Take a look at that mie, umbilical still in place. We tasted it straight, toasted it, baked it at low temp to dry it to see if it was better as a cracker, broke it up and threw it on the deck for the crows to see if they will eat it.