Salisbury Plain

I’m watching the sunset over Stonehenge live feed. It’s kind of amazing living in the future (though, of course, we still have a lot of the living in the past that we are still doing to stop.) and seeing things that have meaning to me even though I can’t get there.

The inevitable train of thought starts in my head. Sometimes I have work backward through them because I’ve forgotten how I got so off piste in my mental gymnastics.

Today it was Stonehenge > Salisbury > Solsbury Hill (no, I know it isn’t the same place) > Peter Gabriel > Here Comes The Flood > Douglas > Oh. He’s dead. and that is where the train jumps the track.

Douglas died. He was only a few years older than me. And he’s already dead.

Another casualty of my last 7 years in hell since Tex died. Everyone died. My best friend Mikey, then Tex, then Marsha, then Tex’s mom, then… well, it just kept going.

I’m tired.

Heavy thoughts at Litha. The longest night I’ve been living through for 7 years needs to emerge into the longest day.

I bid you peace and love. So mote it be.

Blessed be, y’all.

Irish Soda Bread

No yeast? That’s ok.

Ingredients
1.5 cups buttermilk*
3.5 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

*if you don’t have buttermilk on hand you can curdle the 1.5 cups of milk with 1 tbsp white vinegar

Directions

  1. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Stir to combine.
  2. Create a well and pour in buttermilk
  3. Combine to a slightly shaggy dough, then form the ball into a nice loaf. The dough should be slightly sticky at this point.
  4. Flour your hands and form into a round loaf. (You can add a little more flour or milk to achieve the right feel.)
  5. Score the loaf with a knife into an X, then poke a hole into the middle of the X with your finger.
  6. Bake at 400 F in a Dutch oven or on a cookie sheet/pizza stone for about 30-35 minutes until the crust is hard but sounds hollow inside if you tap or thump the shell.

Share pics in the comments of your loaves!

Here’s the video where I learned how to do this: