Blood Beaver Moon

 Really close to a Lunar Eclipse. The Blood Beaver Moon is about 97% Full Eclipse. It is also the longest eclipse we can see in around 1229 years. The last eclipse like this was in the year 1440, and the next is in 2669. The moon is close to its apogee, which is the farthest away from Earth in its orbit. This makes the Moon appear smaller, and apparently spends more time in the Umbra, Earth's shadow, making the eclipse last longer. Another thing that makes this lunar orbit unique is there will also be a Solar Eclipse on December 4, 2021. One Orbit, Two Eclipses, rare, and unique indeed...

 

21st Century Star Map

 Starry Night Software is the 21st Century Star Map.  When I first started Stargazing all we had were paper maps.  OK, we are working outside, at night, with people that were sensitive about stray light, so using a flashlight was not a good idea.  Having a Full Moon helped, but was bad for deep sky observing.  So, tricky situation.  I've seen a lot of impromptu ways to accomplish the task, but we needed something a lot better.

Starry Night Software has dynamic annotations that change with your zoom level, and observing angles.  You can zoom at any portion of the sky up to like 65,000X.  Typically the zoom factor will be much smaller.    The zoom factor is the blue box at the lower, left part of the screen, and this shot is only 2.32X.  But say you wanted to look at M42 exclusively, letz go zoomin...

Now at zoom factor 11.5X, you can see other objects become bright enough to see, and get annotated.  The annotations have a number of selections as well, from large scale things, like planets, and moons, to the very finest NGC objects.  You can even track satellites, and space missions.

The shot above has a few LEO satellites which are SXM8, STAR ONE D2, and SBIRS GEO-5 (USA 315).  Low Earth Orbit Satellites track with the movement of the Sun, so they are stationary to the rest of the stars.  Then there also a couple geostationary satellites that are IRIDIUM-36, and SL-16 R/B.  The geostationary satellites will go flying past your viewpoint, and it is a neat feature.  With each object viewed you can click on the object, and get information on demand.  What is IRIDIUM-36?  Click on the object, then go to the description tab, and you get a synopsis of the object.

There are also real time information tabs.  When you hover the mouse over objects it provides some information about it.  When you zoom in to planets, and moons you can also get surface detail data.  The zoom factor in the Moon shot is 40.3X, so the movement of the sky becomes a factor, and your view keeps trying to get away.  So, another feature lets you freeze time, so you can take a long look.

The with the help of a GIF editor you can make these nifty animations.  This helps to explain the way the sky works visually.  Various motions that celestial bodies make are not always plainly obvious.  One way to understand these motions is to collect a bunch of data, and run it in a sequence.  Like making a little movie, but with astronomical data.  Starry Night Software is a pretty neat tool to use as a Star Chart, but also has voluminous information, some really neat space photography, and will even drive your telescope for you, LOL!

R U Sirius?

Sirius, The Dog Star, is now visible on the eastern horizon early in the morning. The first sighting on Sirius in the late summer is a harbinger of cooler weather coming, at long last. Sirius is a part of the constellation Canis Major, which literally means Big Dog, or Great Dog. LOL! I know something about that. Also in Canis Major you can find Messier 41 (M41), or The Little Beehive Cluster. Nice Stars this morning...

 Shot of M41, The Little Beehive Cluster...

 

June Solar Eclipse

 The Solar Eclipse yesterday happened before dawn here in Denton County, Texas.  So, we really didn't get a chance to see it.  So to get a shot I've used the Starry Night software once again.  This is just after the Eclipse, right at dawn...

Wild Brambles

 My neighbor calls this stuff Devil Weed.  Botanically they are Brambles, more info here https://northernwoodlands.org/knots_and_bolts/wild-brambles.  Brambles are wild berries that are like Blackberries, Raspberries.  OK, yeah I like berries, but not in my front lawn.  The Briar Patch comes to mind when thinking of this patch in my yard.  The Brambles attempted to take over the southwest corner of my house.  Lets call it a sticky situation.  The Brambles are covered with millions of tiny thorns.  This is much worse than Roses, which have large easily identified thorns.  Brambles have tiny thorns, that get microscopic...

The Brambles are all through the Euonymus shrub, but down the front of the house about 10 feet, and back another 10 feet.  The Brambles, like the berries, are vines, called canes, and everywhere they touch the ground they put down roots.  The only way to control this one is to get the roots out.  If you just pull the tops off they come back, stronger.  So, itz kinda of a perpetual task, and if you let it go too long it will turn into the Briar Patch.

So this task involves careful precision, and attention to detail.  If you get tangled up in the Brambles you will get all scratched up.  My forearms have scratches all over them.  I used heavy leather garden gloves which spared my hands.  You can see the difference in the last picture.  I found three Hearty Hibiscus plants in there.  Several saplings were also in there, one Live Oak, one Pecan, one Pistache, and a Bradford Pear which sprouted by a Rhizome from a close tree.  What a mess...  I'm still clearing out some dead wood from the Artic Blast last winter, and at least I am getting to clean up the front beds really well.

Super Blood Flower Moon

 The Lunar Eclipse is happening right now. But, the Moon is over the horizon, I can't see it. That makes it difficult to take a picture. With the Starry Night software I can change my viewing location. So, I took a quick trip to Honolulu, Hawaii to look at the Full Moon, and Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse is simulated in the Starry Night software, and appears red like the eclipsed moon should. That is why it is called a Blood Moon...

It is a Super Moon because the Moon is at the Perigee of its orbit, appears larger.  It is a Blood Moon because it is a Full Lunar Eclipse.  Then it is a Flower Moon because it is May, and the Flowers are blossoming...

Carne Guisada

 OK, think somewhere between Pot Roast, and Chili.  Carne Guisada is slow simmered Beef, and Vegetables, but with Southwestern Spices.  If you go looking for recipes you'll find a hundred, and they'll all be different.  That makes me believe that this recipe is open to interpretation.  So this is Carne Guisada ala Z.Monkey.

I started with a Pot Roast trimmed well, and then large diced.  That will brown in some Butter while we prepare the vegetationz.  It's a Pot Roast so I'm gonna put in the usual Potatoes, Carrots, and Onions.  I am not adding Flour to coat the Beef, something you find an a normal Pot Roast Recipe.  The Chili spices will thicken the liquids, and make a Chili Gravy.

Here where the deviation starts to occur.  I'm adding a couple fine diced Jalapenos.  Now we heading into The Chili Realm.  Add a 16 oz. Can of whole, peeled Tomatoes chopped cruda with the Tomato water.  Add a 8 oz. can of Tomato Sauce.  I also added about 2 tsp of Cumin, 2 tbsp of Chili Powder, and 1 tbsp of Paprika for the Chili Spices.  You'll also need to add a little water to cover the Beef, and Vegetationz.

Then stir the Guidasa up really well, cover it, and simmer at a really low heat for a couple hours.  Once the Guisada is simmered down it is very tender, a lot like Pot Roast, but you have the Chili flavors, and a little heat.  It's good rainy day comfort food...

Mid Spring Brussels Sprouts

 We have had relatively cool temperatures, and a lot of rain.  The Brussels Sprouts are looking really nice.  I have been on the lookout for those white moths, and have the sprayer ready.  They are really neat plants, and I'm looking forward to trying them.  Another couple months...

2021 Garden Start

 I already had a small start this year with some Brussels Sprouts, and Onions that have been growing over the winter.  We actually got a decent amount of snow this year, and it knocked the garden back all the way.  I planted the Brussels Sprouts, and Onions after the Arctic Blast in mid February.  Then this past weekend I planted a whole bunch of seeds.  Here is most of them...

Then I also had some Cilantro, and ornamental Pumpkin seeds.  So it doesn't look like much now, but in a couple weeks I should have sprouts everywhere.  After I got the seeds planted I had a little rain come through the area.  It's always good to have some natural water when sprouting seeds.

Corned Beef Hash and Eggs

 On St. Patrick Day I made Corned Beef.  It was kind of small for a Brisket, only 3 pounds, so it didn't last long.  But I did have some leftovers, and decided to use it to make this Corned Beef Hash, and Eggs.  There are cans of Corned Beef Hash to be had, but those pale in comparison to this.  I'm going to cube the Corned Beef, and Potatoes.

Then we'll fry them in a little too much butter.  You gotta get that crispy brownness on the Potatoes, and having a little crust on the Corned Beef doesn't hurt.  There is a huge difference between this, and what comes in the can.

Then once the Potatoes, and Corned Beef get a little brownness, add some whole Eggs right on top, and cover.  A tight fitting lid helps get the eggs perfect.  The steam will cook the top of the Eggs.

Once the Eggs have got the desired doneness slide the whole mixture on to a plate, add a little Black Pepper, and maybe some hot sauce.  Corned Beef Hash, and Eggs is something I ate  a lot when I was a kid, and I don't remember liking it very much.  That is probably because of that can.  This one is a lot better.

Conjunction Animation

 OK, we had the Capricornus Conjunction back on March 10. The planets, and constellations have moved around since then. We had another conjunction on March 13 which was the Sun, the new Moon, Venus, and Neptune. To describe how these things happened I compiled this animation which shows the movements in the sky.

 

March 9th Conjunction in Capricornus

 Itz all cloudy this morning, Bummer. Well, not going to see a conjunction that way. OK, we'll use the Starry Night Software instead. The software can embellish illustrations of the constellations for a more dramatic effect. I also adjusted the filters to see the relevant stellar objects, and not all the stuff we don't want to see.

 

Prelude to a Conjunction

 Prelude to a Conjunction. On Tuesday, and Wednesday this week we have a formal conjunction in Capricornus which is the Conjunction of Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. This conjunction will be low on the east horizon, and right at dawn, so it will be difficult to see outside. But, we need to look at a little bigger picture. On March 9th, and 10th we'll see The Sun, The Moon, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto in 60 degree section of the sky. This is the biggest collection of astronomical objects in the smallest portion of sky that I have ever seen. Also, of you want to widen the window a bit you could also include Eris, Ceres, and Uranus. From the signals I am getting from fellow astronomers, and astrologers the last time the eastern sky was this crowded was in the late 1700's.

 

Big Country Breakfast

 Dallas, Texas, has been sacked, snowed under, by two inches of snow.  Snow Day!  Whoo Hoo!  LOL!  Now what we need on a Snow Day is a Big Country Breakfast.  I've been craving Biscuit, and Gravy over the last few days, and I wanted to get some of those canned biscuits at the grocery store.  Well, the grocery store is closed, Doh!  So, I made home made Rosemary Biscuits.  We're gonna need Sausage, Gravy, and Eggs too.  Oh yeah, gonna need a nap after this.

This is all fairly easy to make, just a little time consuming.  I cook from scratch when I have the time, and it is well worth it.  Home made food is always better.  If you take the time, and make it right, it is nutritionally, and culinarily better.  It is made by you for you and yours.  Specific custom made food for your pleasure.  So fry up the sausage.  Then use the fat from the sausage, some flour, and milk to make gravy.  Pan fry some eggs, and then pile it on a plate.  Om Nom Nom Nom...

Snow Day Nom Nomz...

Rosemary Biscuits

We are all snowed in.  In Dallas, Tx., a couple inches of snow will shut everything down.  I'm craving Biscuits, and Gravy, and none of my favorite breakfast places are open.  Wut to do...  Wut to do...

Well, I've got all the stuff to make Biscuits, LOL!  There you go...  Lets make Rosemary Biscuits...

Biscuits are one of the easiest breads to make, but there is a specific process to make them light, and fluffy.  It's not a difficult process, but very specific, and thermally dependent.  OK, we're baking right, so we need heat, but cold is just as important.  OK, we are going to start with two cups of flour, a stick of butter, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, and some Rosemary sprigs.

Biscuits, a Quick Bread, depends on a chemical reaction for leavening.  The Baking Powder will react with the milk when heated, and produce Carbon Dioxide gas which causes the Biscuit to rise in the oven.  The leavening makes the Biscuits light, and fluffy as they bake.

There are a lot of different flavoring that you can add to your Biscuits.  This time I am using Rosemary.  I have a tremendous surplus of Rosemary, so I might as well use it somewhere.  So, I pull the leaves off the Rosemary sprigs, and then chop them thoroughly.  Rosemary is a very healthy herb, so get it in your diet where you can.  Next we need to "Cut" the butter into the flour.  This is a special process for Biscuits that make them light, and fluffy.

Cutting the butter into the flour is exactly what it means.  This is where the cold comes in too.  You want to take very cold butter, and cut it into small pieces.  Put the small pieces of butter into the flour, and coat them with the flour.  Chop up the whole stick of butter in this manner.  Then use a couple butter knives to shear the butter into smaller pieces, in the flour.  This coats the butter with flour, and as you continue cutting the pieces of better get smaller, and smaller.  Then, at the end of this process I even get my fingers in there, and grind the butter into even smaller pieces.  The flour should look mealy at the end of this process.  Now we'll add 2/3s of a Cup of Milk, and mix just enough to incorporate the Milk.  Do Not over mix, or over work the Biscuit Dough.

At first it will seem like there is not enough liquid to hydrate the Biscuit Dough.  Dread Not...  Dump the Biscuit Dough out on the cutting board, and knead it.  Make sure you incorporate all the flour.  Press it down, fold it, press it down again, get the loose flour in there, fold it over, press it down again.  Then finally form the Biscuit Dough into a half inch thick mass.  Notice here that all the flour has been incorporated, the Biscuit Dough is evenly hydrated, and the cutting board is clean.  You have to knead the Biscuit Dough a while to get the Milk evenly distributed within it.

Now, at this point, you can use one of those biscuit cutter forms to make nice round biscuits.  I don't need mine to be that fancy.  I'll just make some geometric cuts to divide the Biscuit Dough into some number of pieces.  This is not critical, and you can form them into whatever shape you like.

Then I'll offload the Biscuit Dough on to a well oiled baking sheet, and bake them for 15 to 20 minutes in a 425F Oven.  I give them a little space between the pieces so all the sides can get some color.  This is where the Magick happens.  The Milk reacts with the Baking Powder, produces Carbon Dioxide Gas, and causes the Biscuit Dough to rise.  The butter melts, and lets the Biscuit Dough have flaky layers.  The Milk Solids in the Butter add protein to the Biscuits, as well, as the Milk.  Rosemary Biscuits are very hearty, and you are probably going to need a nap after breakfast.

2021 Snow Shotz

 

 The Garden Fence

Snowy Rosemary

 

The Smoker is now an Icebox

Condenser Fan pattern

Detroit Style Pizza

 Pan Pizza is nothing new for me, but the Detroit Style Pizza has it's own way of being.  It is a Pan Fried Pizza, but the way it goes together is a little different than anywhere else.  The Cheeze goes directly on the crust, then toppings, and sauce on top, but not everywhere, just a few stripes.  I guess it is sort of like Cincinnati Chili, kinda weird to us South Westerners.

Now, since this is my first Detroit Style Pizza, I had some trouble shedding my old ways, and did the toppings like I usually do.  Sauce on the dough, then cheeze, and toppings on top.  Maybe I'll do it more correctly next time.  It turned out good, and very filling, much more dough than my normal Pizza.

It's a standard pizza dough crust with flour, yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil, and water.  Also mixed  together just like I usually do with my other pizza dough.  The main difference is the way that it is risen.  First I'm going to make the dough, then place it in a oiled bowl, and let it rise for several hours.

Then we'll gently form it into a pan.  Give it a little stretch, but not too much, you don't want to break the gluten chains.  The double rise will give the dough a sourdough consistency, with lots of air pockets inside.  This makes the inside of the dough soft, while the fried exterior will get krunchy.  Then we'll let the dough rise again for another hour.

After the second rise the dough is puffy, the gluten chains have loosened up a bit, and we can push the dough into the corners of the pan.  We'll punch it down a little with this final form fitting the pan, but the dough will rise again in the oven.

This works best if you can get the dough all the way into the corners.  We don't want the sauce, and the cheeze to get down to the bottom of the pan.  I had a little trouble with this on my first attempt.

I'm going to sauce the dough all the way to the edges.  This pizza will be in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, and the exposed dough will get blackened.

I'm also going to run the cheeze out to the edge of the crust as well.  In the corners I slopped the cheeze off the edge of the crust, and it wound up burning.  With a traditional Detroit Style Pizza you want the cheeze to go over the edge of the dough, but not get down to the bottom of the pan.  This is a process feature that I haven't mastered yet.  I can see that correctly making a Detroit Style Pizza is an art that takes some practice to master.

Then for the toppings.  Traditional Detroit Style Pizza is Pepperoni only, but you know I have to add my favorites.  I was tempted to make a special with Pepperoni, Sausage, Green Pepper, Onion, and Mushroom, but decided to keep it simpler.  So, in addition to the traditional Pepperoni I added Kalamata Olives.  They have been a recent favorite of mine.  Then we toss the Pizza in a 475F Oven for 15 to 20 minutes...

Bam!  Detroit Style Pizza, ala Z.Monkey...  Meh, fairly close, Mo Betta next time...

Planetary Conjuction March 9, 2021

 There will be a planetary conjunction in the constellation Capricornus on March 9. 2021. Plus the crescent moon will join them. But if you take a little wider view there are two more planets in the vicinity. Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, and the crescent moon will be in Capricornus. But within close proximity will also be Pluto, and Venus. Venus is close to the Sun in Aquarius, and Pluto is the other direction in Sagittarius. I think the last time I saw 5 planets in such close proximity was back in 2015.

 Here is another shot with the constellation stick figures...