So we are still experiencing the rain due to Harvey. We are very fortunate because we have no water problems, the electricity is on and we are both safe and dry. Watching the recovery of flooded out people on TV is a sobering experience. So many people in distress and a huge army of volunteers and professionals working selflessly to bring aid to those in need. The rain may taper off tomorrow, but a lot of water may continue to rise. Unpredictable. NOAA has a web site where they maintain 3610 river gauges. You can find it here. It is very interesting. Give it a try.

It was time to make another yeast bread experiment. Today's photo is of my yeast batch being proofed. Proofing is a good idea to make sure your yeast is healthy before you start mixing ingredients. In the photo the top half of the mixture is a carbon dioxide foam created by the yeast. It took about five minutes. It shows the yeast is healthy and that it is OK to proceed. It also smells great. My finished bread was very tasty. Ginny likes it.

Yeast is one of my favorite critters. It is neither a plant nor an animal, despite what your third grade science class told you. So why should it be a favorite? Well, it produces carbon dioxide in an aerobic environment which causes bread to rise. In an anaerobic environment it does something completely different. It produces ethyl alcohol. Beer, wine and distilled spirits all have the lowly yeast critter to thank. Oh yeah, don't forget Marmite and Vegemite.