The Joy Of Making Bubbles.

Large, elastic, and colorful!  

 Ever wonder why kids get all the cool things to play with?  Me too!  And ever since I entered the world of Adults, I have been trying to figure out how a kid thinks by researching toys and playing with them.   Yes, yes... A truly adult thing to do.  Researching toys so we can discover why they are so fun.

Durable Bubbles.   

Visible Glycerin Plumes...

And for that reason,  I have been researching bubbles.    Why bubbles?   I don't know... because I just happened to watch a Ted Talk.   And ever since the last time,  I have been mixing up various concoctions to see which ones are best.   Oh, sure,   you could just watch a YouTube video and follow their recipe.  But how do you know if it is the right one you are looking for?   Maybe you don't want huge bubbles... or colorful bubbles.

Well,   A few things I have discovered.  Glycerin, sugar or corn syrup, and methyl-cellulose along with Dawn dish soap will work wonders.   Oh! it works best after 24 hours and on a calm, overcast day.

But who can wait 24 hours to blow bubbles in their yard.   I want all of the neighbors to look out and see a grown man blowing bubbles  and wonder, "What is he doing?"  "Why is he doing that?"  and "That looks like fun!"   Because... It IS!

Yes, blowing bubbles... or waiting for the wind to blow the bubbles, is a very calming, zen-like experience that I think every adult needs in their life.   I have been doing it for 10-20 minutes every day and I have seen a noticeable improvement.   Both in my stamina, depression, anxiety, and Handsome Features!   I'd also note that, although there may not be any scientific proof,  I do believe the act of blowing bubbles elevates my status to "That Weird Guy over there" in the neighborhood conversations.  It is good to earn a nickname for social gatherings.

Free Mulch for the Tomatoes! 

And then the tree guys came...

But my bubble therapy was cut short today when the tree guys came to remove the downed trees.  I hear they are going to take the last tree in our yard down today, after that huge branch fell down.   I managed to secure a bunch of wood chips for the garden in the process!  Free Mulch is the best! 

Mushroom Totems... Ready for
Mushroom Inoculation. 

Heirloom Tomato!  Our first one. 

I also set up a number of Totems for Future Mushroom Growing experiments.  ( Because being the "Weird Guy" in the neighborhood does not stop with simply blowing bubbles.   It is a Huge Undertaking to  maintain that stigma!)

Eh... Close enough. 

The small purple one... is it ready? 

Speaking of growing and mulching,  we harvested out first tomatoes yesterday.   Being all "heirloom" and various other odd strains,  we are unsure exactly when they are harvestable.   Take the purple ones.   Ready or no?  We also have green ones that will stay green even when ripe.   We learned that the hard way a few years back when we waited too long to pick them. ( They were green the entire time!)

Cheryl with her new Soap Cutter.

Cheryl continues with soap making and experimentation.


 She

Stacking up waiting for
the soap to cure. 

purchased a new Soap cutter to help get even cuts and uniform bars.  She is thrilled with the results!

Plum Fermentation. 

Culturing wild yeast! How exciting. 

And lastly,   the plums are beginning to ferment!  This is very exciting as the sugar water clouds up and the bubbles begin forming on top.   From what we have learned,  the fruit should stay inside the bottle until they float to the top.   At that time, the sugars should all be exhausted?  (I think...)   So we will need to remove them.   After that, I think we can freeze the yeast culture and prepare for WILD BEER!  Or maybe some other fermented concoction. ( Apparently, I like that word, as I have used it twice in this post for two different liquid formulas.)  And how often do you get to use a word like that in every day conversation?

So now we wait for the tree guys to cut down our last remaining tree.   A very large Common Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)  .  A fascinating tree I only recently discovered when I decided to look it up yesterday.  I always thought it was a Choke Cherry tree. It is a hearty tree that can withstand the winds and dryness of the Great Plains!  But it looks like this one did not get that "wind" part.

Not really a defect.  Caused by mites or fungus stress. 

An example of a Witch's Broom. 

I shall see if I can cultivate a few of its seedlings to perhaps grow in its place.   The Sun beating down  where the missing branch used to be is now overwhelming!   We certainly will miss its shade.  It also had these little "Witch's Brooms" in the upper canopy. ( Witch= Hag...  Hag Berry,  eventually Hack berry... See the progression?)  Isn't nature fun?  Sorry about the long post yesterday...  looks like this one is equally as long.  But thanks for stopping in anyway.