Tart cherry pie. Crust made with 1/3 substitution of cornmeal for flour. For filling I substituted sure-gel starch for the flour thickener and substituted monkfruit sweetener for sugar. I will use about 1/3 less thickener and flour next time, because excess settled in the filling. Tasted good anyway. The crust was flaky, maybe a little grainy from the cornmeal.

Montmorency sour cherry pie. I used cornmeal for 1/3 of the white flour in the crust. I used sure-gel starch instead of flour in the filling, and monkfruit sweetener instead of sugar. Very flaky. Not much corn taste. so far no rise in blood glucose 🤞. Next time use less starch. #baking

Slices of air-fried cornmeal mush, also called polenta.

I made some polenta. My dad used to make it, he called it cornmeal mush. He fried his in bacon fat, and poured on some corn syrup. Instead, I spritzed the slices with olive oil and fried them in the air fryer. Sort of like cornmeal french fries. Not bad! I need to come up with a dip. #cooking

Tulips on deck, multicolored. Pink and blue fluffy clouds, sunset. Palm and other trees.

Sunset, right now. 🌱 #dogsofbluesky #dogs #Rufus

Sunny and cheerful!
Quarter circle / Drunkards Path blocks are a favorite for me. I really feel like I did something special with those.

Thank you!
I don't think Im up for presenting a webinar. I learned grafting at the old Home Orchard Society in Canby (I think). Other stuff from a lot of reading and trial and error.

I also have trellised apple trees, espaliers with various varieties on each. It takes a while to train one, but like you say, space management and accessibility are nice.

He likes horses and ponies, but only says hello briefly. Then he's on his way. Not much of an attention span unless it involves food 🍕🍳🧀😁.

Gravenstein Apple micromini dwarf apple tree, grafted onto Bud-9 rootstock. Almost finished blooming, with petals starting to brown.

Columnar apple variety "North Pole", grafted onto highly dwarfing Bud-9 roostock. This tree is only about 4 feet tall.

Apple variety 'SummerRed", grown on Bud-9 rootstock. SummerRed is a Canadian variety. In my climate, the flesh is tinged red under the skin.

Heritage apple variety "Macoun", which has dark red, almost black apples. The flesh has a hint of berry flavor. I'm growing it on Bud-9 rootstock. Macoun seems especially susceptible to the dwarfing trait, only about 3 feet tall in 6 years. In the background is a mislabeled columnar apple tree in bloom. I think it's Blushing Delight. I bought it as Tasty Red, but it isn't that variety.

The micro-mini apple trees are blooming. These are from varieties I liked, and grafted onto extremely dwarfing Budagovsky-9 (Bud-9) rootstocks. They stay 4 to 5 feet tall with a small amount of pruning. Perfect for #AccessibleGardening. Mostly heritage varieties. #HomeOrchard 🌱 #Gardening

This one blooms every year. The ads say they get fruits, but the fruits are the size of a BB and hard as a rock. Birds don't eat them, they just persist and fall off in winter.

Oddly pruned apple tree in bloom

Liberty apple tree blooming. It's pruned in the "Dr. Seuss" style due to accessibility issues for me and inaccessibility for deer. 🌱 #HomeOrchard #gardeing

Black dog and brown and white small pony

Rufus saying hi to a friend who isn't really a dog, but he's not quite certain. #dogsky #dogsofbluesky #rufus

Red flowered crabapple tree "Prairie Fire"

Red crabapple flowers

I planted this Prairie Fire crabapple about sixteen years ago. 🌱#gardening

He's wooly like one too.

Wooly black dog sleeping next to a food container.

We gave Rufus some "Premium" dog food today for his 8th birthday. He got to lick the container. Now he's in post-meal bliss. Normally I make his food. I'm always very very grateful to have the privilege of sharing his life. #Dogsky #Dogs #DogsOfBlueSky #Rufus

Thanks for the perfect reminder!
I need to get another batch for the food bank.
Oh my! That's a lot of comments 😳.

I was curious so I looked it up on wikipedia. Modern varieties from Canada with minimal toxic erucic acid toxin were named Canola. No. 3 source of vegetable oil and no. 2 source of protein meal in the world. (sorry, Im a nerd for obscure info LOL. hope that's not too annoying).

Lovely landscape!

I wanted to add this. What does that biblical discussion make of these people?

www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/u...

Very nice! What a lovely place to be!

Rev. Benjamin R. Cremer (@brcremer) Today (April 9th, 2026) marks the 81st anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s death. He was executed at the hands of the Gestapo on April 9th, 1945, two weeks before his concentration camp was liberate...

Sobering words by pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was murdered by Nazis in Hitler's Germany, in 1945. Relevant today.
#Christianity

substack.com/@brcremer/no...

I don't think they are the same either. Maga people seem to think the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, and the incident with the money changers, are liberal lies. Also the most important commandment. I don't call those people Christian.

But I know I can't change minds, so I stay quiet.

I went through the scrap box and found more of the fabric that I thought I didn't have. So, I can make a replacement block for this one.

I'll dry iron the seams. I also spray starched the pieces again to stiffen them a bit more. A few of the first set missed the starching.

Thank you! 🙏. Yes, that's the first. I try very hard to be precise. I don't always succeed, but I try! 😀

Thank you for your experience. In my next attempt, I won't steam. This is the second quilt where blocks have shrunk too much. I wonder if my new steam iron is hotter han the old one was.

Thanks. So do I!

Slice off a loaf of whole wheat cranberry walnut bread.

I made a loaf of whole wheat cranberry walnut bread. Also a little orange zest. Not as crisp crust as the Costco one. I didn't read their label. I can say for sure, mine doesn't contain a zillion added petrochemicals. Kneading bread is good for the soul. So is the aroma. #Baking #Breadmaking

LeMoyne star quilt block in multiple colors.

Pieces to assemble into LeMoyne star quilt block

My first attempt at a LeMoyne star for the quilt I'm making. I'm not all that pleased. I wonder id I should be pressing with dry iron instead of steam iron. I think things are shrinking. I don't have extra of some of the fabrics, so not sure what to do next. #MenWhoQuilt #QuiltSky #quilting

Wow Zach. Very early!

Sleeping black wooly dog

If there is anything more calming than a sleeping dog, I don't know what it is. ❤️ I should have named him Xanax.

Big change from puppyhood. Back then I called him "Tasmanian Devil". A very cute Tasmanian Devil. ❤️

#dogsky #dogs #Rufus

In the fall, a month before frosts (Oct), I sit the pots in a rain-free place. When they are dry, I move them into the garage (I don't have a basement). When Spring days are frost free and into 60s or so, I bring then out, clean them up, and water. After a day or two, I give dilute fertilizer

It's whatever my attached garage is. I think 40's F or 50's F. Never freezes and never into 60's in winter.