Illinois Forecast

The Erin Go Bragh that keeps go braghing
So, this will probably be the only post this week. Today is technically my Friday. My mother-in-law flies in tonight and I'm taking the rest of the week off from work. Like a good husband, I will function as cartilage for the next few days.

But you're wondering, James, what's in store for us in Jabboland? What's next?

Good question. Here's your answer.

Cheese, Grommit!
I'm going to make my own. I found the website of a professor slash homesteader out of Pennsylvania who makes his own cheese. He posted step by step instructions on a variety of cheese types. He starts you with yogurt and works you up to mozzarella.

So, we're starting with yogurt. I used some birthday cash to start my cheese making supply collection.

If you look now, my lovely assistant Piglet will show you the stash.

Now, this guy is a serious homesteader. He eats real food and grows most of his own. He makes his cheese from the milk he's milked from his own goats. He's got everything like instructions for how to build your own cheese press with supplies from Home Depot, good substitutes for cheese cloth, and pictures of how to finger-test your own curds. If you know what I mean.

Illinois is for the Birds
And so am I. We've figured out most of the trees around here, so it's time to take a serious look at the winged denizens of this fair state. I've bought some bird books.

I've been promised a pair of binoculars for my birthday (which I haven't seen yet), but once I have them we are hitting the bird trails.

I will be a birdwatcher. There's a distinction between birdwatchers and birders similar to the distinction between cavers and spelunkers. Cavers and birders are a serious bunch that consider everyone else base amateurs. I've checked out a couple Birder Websites. These folks maintain libraries of recent edition bird books, keep extensive lists of every bird they've birded, and buy expensive equipment. They say, well, if you're not going to drop at least a grand on a pair of binoculars, then you might as well stay home and collect stamps. I have stamps. I want to see birds. I don't want to spend a fortune doing it. So birdwatcher it is.

Just as a gesture of good faith, here's a recent picture of our old friend Turdus migratorious, the American Robin.

Back by Popular Request
We're still on the look out for National Historic Register sites and, after the spring thaw, we'll have some more Illinois Ghost Adventures. This weekend we're heading to Chicago and Bloomington-Normal, two exotic locales I've visited either once or never depending on the locale.

So, we'll see you next week with more local Illinois flavor.