The origins of bread-making are so ancient that everything said about them must be pure speculation. One of the oldest sourdough breads dates from 3700 BCE and was excavated in Switzerland, but the origin of sourdough fermentation likely relates to the origin of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent several thousand years earlier. ~ Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology

Sourdough Dec 2020 by Paul Sager, on Flickr


Generally however they do not heat it up at all, but only use the dough kept over from the day before; manifestly it is natural for sourness to make the dough ferment. ~ Pliny the Elder, Roman author, historian and philosopher

Sourdough Dec 2020


As mentioned elsewhere, some new equipment arrived to Chicago last weekend for bread baking. Here's some of the results from the Monday morning baking day.

Sourdough Dec 2020


There is not a thing that is more positive than bread. ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky, Russian author and philosopher

Sourdough Dec 2020


How can a nation be great if their bread tastes like kleenex? ~ Julia Childs, cooking teacher, author, and US television personality

Sourdough Dec 2020


Where there’s no law, there’s no bread. ~ Benjamin Franklin, American inventor, diplomat and political philosopher

I don’t mean to be a grinch, however.... to those of you who are placing Christmas lights/decorations in your yards, would you please avoid anything that has Red or Blue flashing lights together? Every time I come around the corner, I think it's the police and I have a panic attack. I have to brake hard, toss my wine out the window, fasten my seat belt, throw my phone on the floor, turn my radio down, and push the gun under the seat. All while trying to drive.
It's just too much drama, even for Christmas. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

I’m feeling perplexed, I’ve been dealing with eBay since it’s inception and never have I been in a situation like this. A couple months ago I ordered an paid for an item, eBay recognized the transaction and sent a message stating that the seller will soon send me a message telling when the item was shipped and provide tracking information. There was a time element involved so before I made the purchase I messaged the seller and asked if possible could he ship ASAP. The promised delivery date was between 5 to seven days after purchase. Well I waited and waited and never received a message about item being shipped. I messaged the seller several times expressing my concern about shipping.
The item had a real good price and although the seller had only three sails in the last six months he had a 100% feedback. After five days passed and not receiving answers to any of my messages inquiring the shipment hold up, I figured I’d been had, like the old saying goes if something seems to good to be true.....
Well after it had passed the extreme delivery date I notified eBay of the situation because the item was covered by their money back guarantee. I received a notice that they had reviewed the purchase and were opening a case against the seller. The following day I received another message from eBay stating that my money was refunded back into my PayPal account.
This is where it gets interesting, two days after I received the refund my item came in the mail. I opened and inspected it, just what I wanted. The item had been drop shipped from a company without an invoice or any paperwork other than a return address to the company on the box. I quickly notified eBay and explained to them that I Finally received my order and I needed to have the refund reversed back to the seller.
I received a message back from eBay stating that the seller was no longer affiliated with them because of violating their policies and they no longer had information about the sellers whereabouts. They suggested that I go to my PayPal account and reverse the transaction. So I did, but when I tried to reverse the transaction, PayPal said that the other person involved no longer exists and I needed more information about whom to forward the money. Well I went backed to eBay and explained my situation and my need for the sellers information and again they said the really appreciated my efforts to make things right but they could be of no help because of their disaffiliation.
Have this ever happened to anyone???

This outdoor headshot depicts a confident woman, who is lovely inside and out. She declined to apply much make-up for this pic, outside of the slight coloration on her lips and eyebrows. What she desired was a photo that showed her as others see her everyday, not someone else.
Lacking a dedicated, fast "portrait" lens, I pulled out my f2.8 macro lens for this.
I truly welcome constructive criticism, advice, and hints on improving my portraiture in any way. Thanks.

NMY