I started this book on 11/2/23.  Well….you know, it’s Lucinda so no explanation needed.
11/9/23 finished the book.  Celeste, a wife and mother, has the perfect life.  Until her daughter gets sick and doctors can’t figure out what is wrong with her.  Celeste’s husband turns out is not the father.
The second part of the book is an AA advertisement.  The group helps Celeste find her way.  Turns out she’s not in as much trouble as she thinks.
Book was good but not great.  Giving a 7/10

9/21/23 (day 1)
Coleman’s Sweet Bochet

2 lbs Golden Lake honey  (Bochet for 110 minutes on high in crock pot.  See chart above)
1 Gallon Niagara Water (dollar tree)
3 grams Fermaid-O
1/4 tsp Wine tannin
DV10 Yeast (1/2 packet)  Lt. Dan said this one is a killer!!!!
O.G. = 1.108
Pitched yeast at 90 degrees

10/11/23 (21 days)
Racked into clean carboy, added 1/4 tsp tannin, 1/2 cup sparkaloid and stabilized.  S.G. = 1.002 14.1% ABV

11/5/23 (46 days) Bottling day!
There was still a small amount of settlement in this gallon.  I racked into pitcher, back sweetened with golden lake honey to taste.  Labels were done.  It’s gonna be nice in a few months.  I didn’t take a gravity reading for back sweetening.  It’s “to taste” and I like it sweeter.

9/10/23 (day 1)

3 lbs Honey (Kendra’s work honey) (Enough honey left for back sweetening)
2 12 oz Jars Apricot Preserves
1 tsp Fermaid O
Red Star Premier Classique yeast
O.G. = 1.104  Possible 13% if ferments out!

Mixed all ingredients and pitched yeast at 80 degrees.  After a couple hours airlock activity was really going well.

9/16/23 (day 6)
1 tsp Diammonium Phosphate Yeast Nutrient added and degassed

9/21/23 (day 12)
S.G. = 1.040.  Added 2 tsp Diammonium Phosphate yeast nutrient.

10/11/23 (day 32)
S.G. = 1.010.  Racked into clean carboy and stabilized.  Added 1/4 tsp tannin and 1/2 cup sparkoloid.  It’s not very clear yet but after some time I’m hoping it clears out nicely. F.G. = 1.010 ABV = 12.5%

10/29/23 (50 days)
The gelatin destroyed this mead.  It did settle everything but made it cloudy.  It was clear.  I’m not letting it set any longer. I will NEVER use gelatin again for clearing.  I’m going to try adding some juice to this to see if I can salvage it.

11/5/23 (57 days) Bottling day!
So the gelatin was a bad idea.  To save this mead, because it was stabilized, I added 3 cups Juicy Juice Pineapple juice and bottled this.  It seems to be clearing nicely in the bottle but has a ton of sediment.  I didn’t take a gravity reading.  I was pissed at this batch!  It didn’t taste bad but the honey character isn’t really there.

I started this book on 10/16/23.  This one is an older one that was in my library. I finished on 11/1/23. 17 days
This is a police procedural book.  Not my favorite.  Writer is English so there are a lot of “accent” in the book.  (pygamas instead of pagamas for instance)

A serial murderer in a group home for homeless children.  Kim (The “guv” and lead detective) was in a group home herself as a young girl.  She rides a motorcycle and is a real badass.  After 3 of the 4 people who were “involved” in the cover up of the murders are murdered themselves Kim takes the case.  There are several characters that seem to get lost.  The chapters were fairly short.  I didn’t “love” this book.  I’m giving it this book a 6 out of 10.

I started this book on 10/8/23.  Quinn killed her husband Derek.  No shocker it happens on the first page.  Derek from what Quinn says was a piece of work.
I finished this book on 10/16/23.  9 days.  The story was very interesting.  Characters were well written.  Chapters were short.  All sorts of twists and turns.  Ending was (I won’t say predictable) just OK.  The twists are what kept me interested.
Quinn’s sister, married to a plumber, doesn’t have the greatest life.  Quinn does.  Derek was having an affair.  Quinn actually killed him is self defense. 

2 lbs Menards honey
1 lbs Electric Works honey
3 lbs frozen / thawed / mushed Kroger blueberries
4 oz Black Currant concentrate
1 package Kveik Ale Yeast reconstituted with 1/2 cup water, dash of honey and Fermaid O
1 Gallon Dollar Tree spring water

9/1/23 (day 1)
Mixed all ingredients in Kilwins bucket.
Pitched yeast and fermenting in hot garage
S.G. = 1.104  Possible ABV = 14.2%
ALCOHOL TOLERANCE = 12% ABV (Right from website) so it may only go to 1.020….

9/5/23 (day 4)
2 tsp Bentonite clay reconstituted in 1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp yeast nutrient (Not fermaid)
1/2 tsp Acid Blend
1 campden tablet crushed

9/10/23 (day 9) (Stabilized)
S.G. = 1.000.  Yield about 1 and 1/2 gallon.
1/2 tsp Potassium Sorbate
1/4 tsp Potassium Metabisulfite
1 Campden tab
1 oz oak chips (Split between both carboys)
1 Tbsp Sparkolloid (Split between both carboys)
13.8% ABV

9/21/23 (day 20)
I racked off the oak chips and into plastic jugs.  (G.V. jugs that were sanitized).  Now we let it sit.

10/11/23 (Day 41)
I back sweetened and bottled this beautiful beast today.  It tastes AMAZING.  Can’t wait to let it age a bit and try it in 6 months.  No final gravity taken because I didn’t have to sweeten it to much.

8/24/23 (Day 1)
2 lbs Menards honey
24 oz Red Raspberries (frozen and thawed)
Mangrove Jacks M05 1/2 packet yeast
Fermaid-O for reconstituting yeast 1/2 tsp
S.G. = 1.092
                                  Possible 13% ABV if it goes dry.

9/10/23 (18 days) (Stabilized)
S.G. = 1.000 and fruit lost all color.  Racked off into clean carboy.
1/2 tsp Potassium Sorbate
1/2 tsp Wine Tannin
1/4 tsp Potassium Metabisulfate
1 Campden Tablet
1 Tbsp sparkolloid in 3/4 cup hot water added
Raspberry flavor comes out nicely.  It’s dry and will need some back sweetening.  It’s going to be clear and clean.
12.2% ABV

10/11/23
This didn’t clear very well AT ALL!!!  I bottled it today but still got a lot of sediment.  I only back sweetened a little and didn’t take a final gravity because I didn’t really use that much honey to back sweeten.  I got 1 750ml bottle and 3 375ml bottles.  It tastes good but has a shit ton of sediment.

This was my “cruise” book.  I started the book on 10/1/23 and I finished the book on 10/7/23.  6 days to read.
The story was just OK.  The characters were well defined and written.  Chapters were on the short side and easy to finish.  The ending was twisted.

April has a Youtube cooking channel that she shares her “secret” to….brownies, cookies, pie (you get it).  Her best friend Julie lives just 2 doors down and their kids play together all the time.  April starts receiving texts messages from an unknown sender.  Scary texts.  Then a new person moves in to the neighborhood.  Hot husband and April is a hot housewife.  Not the first time April has seduced someone.  Lots of secrets revealed in the book.  It was easy to read but not really my “speed” of story.  I’m giving this book a 7/10

TikTok recommended.  Started on 9/18/23.  I’ve read several chapters so far.  I like the characters and chapters are on the short side.  Written in character chapters so you get a different perspective each chapter.  Scarlett is a prof at a university.  She sees all that goes on.  She’s a killer.  No shock because it happens in the first chapter.  Carly, a shy girl from a bad home is a student.
9/30/23 and I finished the book.  Twists were good.  Ending was OK.  I’m going to give this book a 7/10.
13 days

Baise’s Pear/Blueberry cider

1 Gallon G.V. Apple Juice
64 oz G.V. Pear Juice
2 cups blueberry crumble tea
12 oz Brown Sugar
1 tsp acid blend
2 tsp Diammonium Phosphate
1/2 pack Lalvin 71B yeast (it was a little old so I don’t know about this one)
O.G. = 1.054

10/11/23
F.G. = 1.000  7.1% ABV
I kegged this today.  Back sweetened with a little honey just to make it pop a little and added some tannin to it.  Full gallon in the keg.