Tail end of the fall colo(u)rs

Spend to save (or: another Zojirushi gadget!)

Backstory: First, Frederick eats a lot of chickpeas.  We're talking more than a can a day some days.  And as cans are (a) expensive and (b) full of sodium, I decided to give dried chickpeas a go.  Second, I have discovered that I have an arthritic toe.  ("Not to worry," says my doctor brightly, "I know somebody in Flint who does big toe joint replacements!")  So, third, I have decided, on Jami's urging, to give gluten free a try, as she swears it cured her arthritic vertebra, if only just to prove that it doesn't work for me.  (Unfortunately, it seems to be helping.)  Since I can't eat any bread, I need to find a replacement, and the obvious candidate is rice.  So, long story short, it would be good to have something that both makes rice and cooks chickpeas.  I know: a ricemaker!

Here it is.  We have owned one before (can't remember why we got rid of it - what fools we were) and it was also Zojirushi, the maker of both our bread machines as well.  (Look for the little elephant, the mark of quality Japanese workpersonship.)

Does that really say "Neuro Fuzzy"?

Yes, apparently it does.  God knows why.  Anyway, I got it last week and it has been running pretty much non-stop.  Not only does it make perfect rice (overnight if you like), it makes perfect chickpeas and perfect steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast.  Yum.

Turns out I'm quite handy

 So, as regular reader(s) will know, I managed to crack supposedly unbreakable ceramic glass on our woodburning stove.  Above you can see the cracked glass removed - the tape is to stop the tiny shards scattering everywhere.  Getting it out required getting special Allen Key (tip: they're not called that here - or at least, not in Home Depot) drill bits because the (surprisingly cheap and few) screws holding it in were apparently slightly melted and unbudgeable by Simon-power alone.

 Here's the incredibly expensive (presumably because of the stupid shape, including special bite removed to make way for the handle in the - I now realize - stupidly designed door) replacement, with gasket already glued on (although I'm worried about that little gap at the bottom).

And Bob's your uncle!  Let's hope the now-only-three (because the other screws were irreparably damaged in removal) screws hold it in for the duration.

October is the prettiest month of the year

Seems a shame to eat them...

Hey - Flint made the Guardian!

And not for our excellent Institutes of Music and of Arts...
UPDATE: All's well that ends well!

First fire of the season and then...

October really has come in with a blast of cold air. So yesterday I lit the first fire of the season:

And then today I was trying to force a too-big log into it, and...

Jami, who would never in a million years attempt such a thing, says this video makes repairing it look easy. Especially if you have a lathe and in general a fully-equipped metal shop.

In 20 years you can say "I knew him when...."

Or something like that. This is a peek into Thomas's future, or so he believes at this time:
Here is how Thomas describes it: "Music for the first world in the hit video game, Blorp's Adventure. This piece evokes the boisterous and innocent emotions of beginning a grand adventure, with a pleasant repetitive guitar melody backed with the rich bassoon. Composed by esteemed musician Thomas Cushing." There are loads more (Dungeon Dirge is a pretty affecting, too.) Just go to the XYoshiApipomX YouTube channel to check them out. Designing computer game music really is a career, I kid not. Thomas made the game, Blorp's Adventure, a few years ago as part of a freshman year long project. Composing music is how he fills the evening hours. Last night seemed to require a lot of frenzied tap dancing. I'm not sure WHAT that was about since we aren't allowed to enter Thomas's room at any time (unless there are loose turtles or angry wasps in there) we can only speculate that Blorp was entering the Land of Flamenco Dancers.