Pig-fat patriots

I was talking to my dad the other day about our blueberry harvest, and how I planned to can up all the blueberries (currently in the freezer) when the harvest is complete. I also mentioned how we're going to have to aggressively start using more canned blueberries, since we have so many in the pantry.

"Hmmm, pie," my dad said. "With the piecrust made of lard."

I chuckled over this because I'm a fairly recent convert to lard pie crusts. I had been making pie crusts for decades, but because lard had such a bad reputation, I always used margarine (like that's any healthier?) for the crusts.

But almost exactly ten years ago, I tried using lard for literally the first time, and never looked back. I've used lard for pie crusts ever since.

The lard wars harken back to the attacks on natural fats (lard, butter, tallow, etc.) as being "unhealthy," while their vegetable counterparts were given the green light. However since vegetable fats aren't solid in their natural state, they had to be hydrogenated to create margarine and shortening. Despite this chemical intervention, they were still touted as being healthier than animal fats.

"Lard tragically fell from public favor during the Great War on Monounsaturated Fats in the 20th century," notes this article. "Progressive trans-fats activists launched a bombardment of bad publicity against animal fats starting in the 1950s, often culled from inaccurate sources. Everybody loved lard in the 1960s – yet by the 1980s, nobody dared mention it. Humanity's staple foodstuffs were soon caught in the crossfire: Salt, sugar, eggs, butter and wheat were all savaged as unhealthy over the years. But the times they are a changin'. ... Lard has enjoyed a rebirth in recent years thanks largely to a heroic band of pig-fat patriots who withstood the bad-news blitzkrieg."

Let's hear it for the "heroic band of pig-fat patriots." They make pie crusts SO much better.

Breeding Maggie

When we got our cows, we knew breeding our Jersey heifer Maggie was a top priority. At the time we got her, she was a touch young for breeding, so we decided to wait a few months. We prefer to breed our heifers at about 15 months of age, which means having their first calf when they're about two years old.

Meanwhile, though, we started tracking Maggie's heat cycles. Cows go into heat every three weeks, and we could tell by Maggie's behavior when that time occurred. As Don put it one evening after calling in the cows for the night, "Somebody has pretty bad PMS. She was even chasing Fillet away from the bucket." (Filet, a seven-year-old Angus, is about twice Maggie's size.)

"Don't mess with a teenager on her period," I replied.

At any rate, the time approached when Maggie was ready to be bred. For this task, we utilized the services of a neighbor's young bull, conveniently situated right across the road from us.

Here's Maggie, waiting to get a lead rope on her.

While I had my camera with me, my hands were full dealing with a heifer who didn't necessarily want to get led anywhere. It's one thing to walk an animal around in a corral; it's a whole different thing to walk her down the road into unfamiliar territory. Still, we got it done.

Here's the neighbor's bull. He's a bit over a year old.

The neighbor took Maggie's lead rope and walked her over to the water tank, so she'd know where it was.

It took no time – no time! – for bully-boy to mosey over and investigate the new girl. Look at him speed-walking toward her.

Comically, he seemed a bit shy and unsure. Ah, young love.

We made sure Maggie was doing okay with the neighbor's other cows and his horse, and then left her to her fate. She wasn't in full heat yet (we walked her over on a Tuesday, and her heat cycle was expected on Saturday and/or Sunday), and we planned to leave her there a full week.

Twice a day, morning and evening, as we walked Mr. Darcy, we made sure the peek in on Maggie and see how she was doing. Everything seemed peaceful ... but, crucially, we saw no "activity."

Finally, a week later, we made arrangements to walk her home. "Did you notice anything?" I asked the wife.

"Oh yes!" she replied with enthusiasm. "He was all over her when she was in heat. Now that her cycle is over, she's his new best friend."

So that was good! Hopefully the breeding "took." If not, we'll walk her over again. Meanwhile, if all goes well, we can expect a new baby sometime toward late May of next year, and I'll be back in dairy mode.

Want to learn more about generators?

My friend Lisa Bedford ("The Survival Mom") just underwent a ten-day power outage in Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. Needless to say, their generator was a life-saver. They were in a position to help neighbors as well.

Because of the huge spike in interest in the aftermath of a series of natural disasters, Lisa is holding a mini summit about different kinds of generators ... which also happens to be her husband Steven's specialty.

The summit will be comprehensive. "We have a plan for people who can't afford the big standby but still need something semi-permanent to keep their homes energized," she wrote me, "and then we have a lot of other suggestions for different types of generators, including power banks. We will touch on solar a little bit as well."

Additionally, she says participants will "get spreadsheets to help them with calculations, and a private and temporary email address so their questions can go directly to Steven. I have a private Facebook group set up, and then we have a series of four classes coming up on Sunday afternoon. It's all going to be recorded, of course, so people don't need to be there for the live sessions."

If you're interested, please register here.

More book-themed stuff

I collect links and photos of book-themed stuff as I come across them. (My last collection can be seen here.) In no particular order, enjoy my latest collection of book-themed stuff.

Outdoor books?

This made me chuckle.

Reading is healthy. In an article entitled "Get Reading: This Is How Books Can Impact Your Mental Health," the author writes: "New research suggests that reading could be hugely beneficial for our mental health, with classic books written by authors such as William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens being proven to help relieve depression and chronic pain. In a 2020 study published by Oxford University Press, 'challenging language' was found to send 'rocket boosters' to our mind that can help boost our mental health."

When I'm inclined to despair over the lack of shelf space for our books, here's a comforting article on "10 Famous Book Hoarders" which makes me understand that our (well, my) problem is trivial by comparison.

Bonus photo of a relevant book bag:

Or how about this piece on "The Joys of Used Bookstores"?

In an example of creativity, the home of actress/singer Ashley Tisdale (I had to look up who she was) was going to be featured in the magazine Architectural Digest. Distressed that her bookshelves were empty, she sent her husband to the store to buy 400 random volumes prior to the house tour to make the shelves look respectable (and then admitted it).

Comics for booklovers and writers:

Cool home library:

Uh-huh. Per the Eagles, "She is headed for the cheatin' side of town."

This library courtyard has books for bench legs, titled as famous novels. Nice.

In a bookstore called Sandman Books in Punta Gorda, Florida, the owners built a book arch from upcycled books.

I envy artistic types.

Speaking of artistic types, here's someone who created a miniature library inside a can.

Here's an article offering advice on "How to nurture a personal library," noting that "What distinguishes a library from a random pile of books is the considered process of curation."

Historical marvels. The caption reads: "A 18th century book containing tiny books on a pop-up shelf, made by a bookbinder in the Netherlands around 1757." Incredible craftsmanship.

Or this. The caption read: "300-year-old library tool that enabled a researcher to have seven books open at once." Someone's comment: "This is the early version of keeping all the tabs open at once on your browser."

An old bookmobile.

Here's a Twitter thread about a labyrinthine bookstore in Saratoga Springs, New York called Lyrical Ballad. Wish I could visit it.

Here's a neat story: "The Oldest Treasures From 12 Great Libraries." Entries include the oldest surviving cookbook in the West (A.D. 830), a compendium of medical knowledge dating to about A.D. 1244, and the oldest surviving version of the complete New Testament (A.D. 330-60).

This is an interesting article: "The Struggle to Unearth the World’s First Author." The urge to express one's self via the written word goes back farther than we think.

Books in a bathroom. While I love the look, I can't help but feel this isn't good for the books.

Cool bookstore on wheels.

Here's samples of an artist's work who uses books as a carving medium.

Hard to argue this point.

Book cart in the Appalachian Mountains (1940s?).

It takes a couple minutes for the brain to understand what the eye is seeing. Cool photo.

This appears to be the aftermath of a flood at the Alta Acqua Bookshop in Venice, Italy, in 2016.

As both a book lover and an introvert, I approve of this meme.

Poster? Christmas card? Whatever, it's cute.

Yup.

Also yup.

A tiny bookshop.

Apparently this bus-stop library is not real, but a draft of an idea.

A walking library, 1939.

The Zhongshuge Bookstore in Dijiangyan, China

Here are some interior design tips for "What to Do if Your House is Overflowing with Books." Personally I thought most of the advice was "meh," but then again I refuse to admit I have a book problem.

Along similar veins, here's an article entitled "On the Difficulty of Getting Rid of Books." Ahem. 

Apparently in 2003, approximately 2.5 million unsold books from the UK romance book publisher Mills & Boon were used in the reconstruction of an M6 motorway in the UK.

Here's an article on "Why Used Books Make the Best Travel Souvenirs."

Here's a New York Public Library bookmobile from 1950.

Someone's lucky thrift-store find.

Cool lamp.

Unique shelving:

A little book humor.

I have no idea where this is or what the context is. I just thought it was a neat photo.

Unique set-up. I'm trying to figure out whether this is AI-generated.

A charming house pic.

The caption for this photo said: "The librarian at Lorain, Ohio Public Library is looking at the 50,000 book chaos after one shelf fell over and the rest fell like dominoes. 1971. (Cleanup on aisle, um, every aisle!)

Different terms for book lovers around the world. (Ink drinker! Chapter maggot!)

According to the caption, this is the "Christmas book tree sponsored by Hatchards books at St. Pancras Station" (presumably London). Additionally, "The little booths at the bottom have speakers that read you a story while you wait for your train."

Another Christmas book tree.

Nice book nook.

Here's a puzzle: "Can you spot the 50 famous books hidden in this image?" (Click to enlarge.)

And the answers:

These are "pack horse librarians" who serviced the Appalachian communities in the mid 1930s to early 1940s. They were mostly women who rode on horses or mules to deliver library books to remote communities during the Great Depression.

Apparently a family bought a house built in 1912 and discovered it had hundreds of old books in the attic. Can you imagine....?

Apparently this was posted in someone's Little Free Library.

Here's an interesting article: "'Bookshelf wealth' isn't new. So why is it taking off?"

And here's where some people get their "bookshelf wealth": A company called "Books by the Foot" (which, seriously, sounds like a fascinating place to work).

A thing of beauty:

As is this:

Here's a nifty collection of book-edge art – art painted on the edges of books.

I like the wrap-around bookshelves of this house (the Walstrom residence by John Lautner, built in 1969).

Clever corner arrangement.

Nice article: "Inside the World's Most Beloved Independent Bookstores."

A nice story: "Bookstore Was Making $12 Before Owner Asked The Internet For Help, Was Revived For A New Life."

And an interesting story: "The Book That Sank on the Titanic and Burned in the Blitz."

Lucky find! The caption read, "Found this really cool giant book coffee table on Facebook Marketplace. The 'spines' open as drawers. Each book is actually leather bound." (Excuse me while I drool.)

Neat thrift-store item someone found: Murder mystery writer's desk teapot.

Another thrift-store find:

Bookstalls at Hay Castle in Hay-on-Wye, Wales

Don't be like Lauren.  

Here's a conservatory being used as a library.

The caption for this photo read: "My husband agreed to the fixer-upper I wanted if I let him build a library. Three years later and it's finally done!" (And a beautiful job, too.)

Nice.

Apparently this is a retired teacher who now drives a portable library to encourage reading.

Another patio arrangement.

No idea where this is, but it's pretty.

Older Daughter subscribes to a program that generates AI images. I asked her to have it generate images of dusty old bookstores. Here are four of them:

This is one of a collection of 12 giant books made in 1715 by a priest in New Spain. Someone's snarky comment: "I'm guessing created before the invention of reading glasses?"

Interesting article: "Yes, It's Okay to Throw Away a Book."

Unknown time and place, but such an expressive child.

Lifehacker tips: "Three Ways to Double Your Bookshelf Capacity." Meh.

Interesting article: "Yes, People Do Buy Books; Despite viral claims, Americans buy over a billion books a year."

Interesting concept, but sounds uncomfortable.

The caption reads: "Sometimes daily commuters will know they won't get wireless service for a while, and trying to get it will chrew through their battery before the work day even starts. So they all brought books to pass the time."

I love this idea.

Abomination: Faux library.

Upcycled knife block.

A boy sits reading in a bombed bookstore, London, 1940.

Ahem. This is my default Christmas gift request every year.

And finally, this. I know the feeling.

That's all, folks! I've already started a new file collection more book-themed stuff, which I'll post at some future date.