Horseless Rider (aka learning a new hobby)

Teresa of Carmen recently noted in her post that the horsey blogland has gotten quiet, and I tend to agree. In fact I have had to diversify my social media content just to get my daily fix.

In my case it's not just the lack of my primary subject matter (my horse) but the sheer volume of change and content that has jumbled my mind. Many days are still such an emotional roller coaster that I have a hard time completing an idea let alone a blogpost.

Being horseless is really not so bad. A lot of bloggers and facebookers comment on feeling bad for us. Well, don't feel bad for me. My horse has incredible care and the barn owner and her team have really stepped up on all the extras giving my Q his best life. He has triple the turnout from sunrise to sunset with his two pals plus two colts that Q just loves playing with. He gets lunged and groomed a few times a week to limit how feral he might become. :-)

Here is a quick funny video I created this month for the barn owner that recaps some of the awesomeness of our barn. I certainly miss the trails but the snow is still melting and there are icy patches in the shaded sections. So, Im not missing much.

I received a cute video this morning from the barn showing me how well (and fat) Q is doing. So many friends for him to play with that he would rather play with his neighbours over the fence. He really likes to play bitey face.

And I have been keeping pretty busy. Aside form the daily press conferences, and stats watching, Im also working, teaching, doing yardwork, plenty of home cooking ... and I have fallen down the rabbit hole of sourdough bread.

In hindsight, this all seems so cliche now. It started with wanting to bake, then not finding yeast. But now, just like my sourdough starter, it has taken a life of its own. I feed three starters a day (instead of stuffing my horse with carrots) and watch them grow and fizzle out before I start the cycle again.

This last week I did my first batches of loaves, and did some pizza and sourdough waffles too. My loaves were not a success. At least not at first.

I then had to spend many more hours watching youtube videos and reading blogposts on sourdough baking until I got my first glimmer of success. At least on the outside it looked good.

But when I cut it open, oops. It was so sad I threw it out.

Sourdough baking is so elusive. More videos, more blogs ... and then I joined a group on facebook called "Perfect Sourdough" ... it is literally the dressage queens of sourdough. And they showed me the way. In no time I had my "levain" popping its lid, I had mastered the bulk fermentation by providing more time and plenty of cozy warm temperatures. I achieved the mecca of crackling crust and airy interior. It had a little tang.

Very yummy!

If anyone wants to develop a new hobby that is part technical, part craft, part artform, that requires daily feedings and provides great satisfaction, let me know. Ill hook you up!