Deck Visitor and The Question and Sourdough

That is a male ringneck pheasant on our deck.  For reasons I don't really understand, some are released on the island each year. Ostensibly by and for hunters, though I've never heard of anyone hunting one.  And the release point isn't that close so it is a bit is a bit surprising for one to turn up here. There are rumors that another group may be releasing females (which may or may not be permitted) so it is possible this one is native born. Whatever, he is a beauty and the chickens stare at him in worried wonder. 

 Today (Tom is off in Boston for his treatment) is one of those days where 3 or 4 people have asked me how Tom is. I know they want to know but I get the feeling I sometimes handle the question better than other times. I'm uncomfortable just saying he feels fine but really isn't and I think that leads to telling them far more than they really want to hear. It probably is just when I need to vent/talk about it a little. But it may be a bit hard on my audience sometimes.  And if I apologize for dumping on them, they feel even worse. Giving and getting sympathy is hard to do gracefully!  Oh well. It is a small problem compared to the big picture, I know, but I wish I hadn't made those people a bit uncomfortable.

On a different, fermenting, note  we started a real sour dough starter yesterday and I've been feeding it all day. Once it is started and bubbly, it needs a bit more flour and water every couple of hours. To keep the starter from getting too acid, 1/2 of it isdiscarded before you add the next dose of flour. It seemed silly to throw out a perfectly nice but young cup of starter so I sort of made up a sourdough pancake recipe for lunch. Needs work but wasn't bad.