I went look for beautiful cat pictures and the Art Institute of Chicago had several prints of Japanese woman playing with cats. Cats were brought in to help control rats and mice at some point during the 1700’s. As a result the silk industry, under the control of women, grew tremendously. So, art!

Courtesan and Her Child Attendant Playing with a Cat. c. 1768. Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木 春信. Japanese, 1725 (?)-1770. Art Institute of Chicago. Public domain.

I also learned that rolled oats and old-fashioned oats are the same thing. I have to relearn this periodically. Steel cut oats are different and quick oats are even more different. I made a loaf of bread (two loaves) from a King Arthur recipe that called for soaking 1 1/4 cups of rolled oats with 1/2 cup of boiling water. The oats drank that water right up, but the loaf, which also included sour dough, some whole wheat flour, a can of Guinness stout and a lot of mistakes, is in fact, very moist and flavorful. Pretty sure that’s the oatmeal. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-beer-bread-recipe Just for honesty sake, I baked this as regular sandwich bread in regular loaf pans, without the super hot oven and stuff that I don’t have the equipment for.

We visited the Twin Bears Bakery in Frederick, Maryland. Sourdough bakery items are its specialty as well as using fresh local flour. (https://twinbearsbakery.com/) I went to chat with them about local wheat, and that’s an ongoing discussion. However, they make (sourdough) chocolate babka muffins which I didn’t even know existed. Babka is a braided sweet bread, with the layers defined by chocolate or cinnamon or poppy seeds or hazelnut swirl. Twin Bears always has bagels and bread but other things change daily. They usually have sourdough chocolate chip cookies and I did buy one, but the babka is so rich and wonderful that I’ve been trying to make it last, and haven’t gotten to the cookie. The bakery also had frankenbread. ? At the end of the day if there is a little dough leftover from the olive oil sourdough, or the rustic whole wheat, or the oatmeal honey it all goes together into a loaf or two, that changes everyday. No waste. Fun place.

Very important lesson learned this week!!! If there is a stink bug in the bathroom, check your toothbrush before you put it in your mouth. Obviously, the stink bug wasn’t on the toothbrush. Neither I nor the stink bug is that dumb, but the stink bug had trailed itself over the brush, and then gone to sit on the curtain and laugh at me. I’m using that brush to scrub things now. Other things than my teeth, I mean.

Have a great Pentecost. Also celebrate the giving of the Ten Commandments.