so anyways, it's nice, it's good

Sunday night + Biscuits

2012-01-30T00:24:00.000-08:00

Plain, tangy, slightly lumpy and grainy, where you have to stir in the separated whey on top yogurt. I am quite particular about the kind of yogurt I like. It's one of those foods whose health benefits has been severely changed, distorted and marketed the hell out of to the point of it becoming bad for you. Like 30 grams of sugar, chemical flavors, and always saying they're better than other Leading Yogurt brands. (Yoplait won't even say what's in their yogurt on their website.) It's like politics: if you're good, you don't need to be nasty about your competitors. And don't get me wrong, I don't have a perfect diet.

Anyway, a good trick I learned in the good state of Wisconsin one time was to check the sugar levels of even the most organic, raw yogurt on the supermarket shelves, especially the fruit or other special flavored kind. They can be near up to 30 themselves. So buy(/make your own) plain yogurts and add the fruit or other flavors yourself. Common sense. Of course, splurge when you want to, in moderation. Plus then, you'll have it on hand to make very tasty biscuits!

A long term goal of mine is to know how to cook or bake without needing a recipe. Of course, cooking is easier, baking harder. I have down pat now a great non-gluten-free, non-vegan dough recipe from memory.
-- 1 cup flour
-- a little less than 1/2 tsp. of sea salt or to taste
Sift together.
-- 5.5 - 6 tablespoons, very cold unsalted butter, diced into small cubes (You'll learn the best way to do this.)
Cut this into flour mixture until you have a crumble-like texture. "They" always say pea-sized pieces but that only sort of makes sense.
-- 3+ tablespoons of ice-cold water
Add water until your dough becomes a ball. Flatten into disk, wrap completely or cover in bowl with plastic wrap or something else that could be more environmentally friendly, and let rest in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. (The recipe I learned from says 30, but I've pushed it and it hasn't been negatively affected that I've noticed.) Roll out as needed. The disk can also be frozen for future use.

This makes one 9" pie crust.

I use my hands to do all the mixing. Not opposed to food processors or utensils.

Now for biscuits, it's a spin on this. 2 cups of flour gives you 12+ biscuits depending on the size you make them. + you'll need about 2 tsp. of (non-aluminum) baking powder for them to rise. (Goal: learn about baking powder.) You can use eggs and milk as your liquids-- or just yogurt for a most moist, delicious biscuit. Add as much yogurt as needed for your dough to again, become a ball. You can also cut it with water. Don't overwork dough. On a floured surface, pat until about 1/2" thick. Cut into disks with cup or cutter.

**A biscuit tip I learned in the great city of Chicago is to place biscuits on cookie sheet/pan/whatever you have, touching eachother. This keeps 'em plumper and maybe even moister.

I really like the idea and practice of baking just by knowing texture and your own tastes. I've found that some of the women I've met from South America are excellent bakers, just by experimenting with liquids and solids and not following recipes.

Next: Gluten-free and vegan versions!

Vacation in California

2012-01-22T20:39:00.000-08:00

Craig and I took a little vacation to California this past week to visit his mom up north in Humboldt county, stay with a friend there, and then visit friends in San Francisco! I had never been to San Francisco before, so it was all the more titillating.

First we flew over some very cool scenic sights, then landed in San Francisco where we extemporaneously rented a Prius suggested by the rental car agent which was amazing, rolled down it's windows because it was near 70 degrees(!), and stopped to have some Thai food for lunch before proceeding over the Golden Gate Bridge to begin the 6 hour drive up north. I was really excited to be in that warm weather and see the buildings painted in such colorful colors.

The drive up 101 went by pretty quickly. I realized that I think it was because I was just so comfortable in that Prius. And Craig did a good job of driving. We wound our way through some redwoods and stopped when we needed breaks. We really enjoyed our time in Eureka and Arcata.

I love this frozen yogurt so much!! And I've never even been that big of a frozen yogurt fan! Except TCBY's white chocolate mousse! This tops that though because it's an independent store, they have non-dairy and organic flavors, on-the-spot-prepared waffle cones and my newly found delight of toffee bits topping. I always got the berry and non-dairy vanilla flavors of the day swirled. (Day #1: organic mixed berry and coconut milk-based vanilla; Day #2: organic blueberry and almond milk-based vanilla.)

Then there's the best burrito I've ever had in my life from La Chiquita taco truck in Arcata. 2nd time around proves it again. 1st time was 3 years ago.

Neat to see all the vineyards in Sonoma County.

Sunset in San Francisco

So many things were in bloom in San Francisco. What a treat.

Our flight was canceled two days in a row trying to get back to Seattle because of the snow blunder, but it didn't even matter because that meant we got to spend more time with great friends in the city and their silly cats!

And while I really enjoyed the warm'ish weather in California (it didn't stay 70'ish for long and we had a stormy night while in San Francisco), I also enjoy blustery, rainy Seattle-area. Today I really felt the need for my whole rain suit to take care of some things outside because it was raining sideways starting in the morning.

Booties

2012-01-11T20:20:00.000-08:00

For a newborn boy back in the Catskills. They might fit him when he's 2. The pattern is from this very nice book.

2011-12-13T21:48:00.000-08:00

Living a quiet life

2011-12-02T18:55:00.001-08:00

What the snowfall looked like in the morning

Garlic planting in October

I went and had dinner with a woman from work and her husband before moving, and also got to meet her deer, Lucky. She had rescued this deer on the side of the road one day three years ago, as a baby, standing next to the dead mama that had been hit by a car. Now Lucky is pretty well house-trained, though has been living in the wild for a while now. She smells like the wild, a bit gamey, and has a baby of her own. Lucky still remembers her human friends though. After all, she gets tasty treats from them. And she loves being massaged and scratched. She was so sweet and really didn't seem to mind the camera.

And then, I moved back to Washington.

Craig and I spent some wonderful days staying downtown for the first few I was back. We had fun walking around the streets, going wherever our hearts desired and eating doughnuts, coffee, and a late night run to the U-District for Phad Thai because someone was jet-lagged and could barely make it to a regular houred nice dinner that had been planned. But napping took over (even for non-jet-laggers!), only to wake up hungry.

Also, my sister and her Dutch boyfriend were in town, so we had some lovely days together, going for walks and hikes.

Then, it was my other sister's 40th birthday! We spent it eating yummy pizza from a local brewery and then bowling. Followed by presents and some delicious cupcakes made by mom.

The birthday girl. We also spent her birthday on San Juan Island. It was pretty much a week long celebration.

The madrona trees are really amazing. As a fun little sidenote, I just learned upon needing to use the word 'madrona,' wondering if it was actually 'madrone,' since I've heard that before too, that, 'madrone' is used south of the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon/northern California, and 'madrona' to the north. And in B.C. they're known as their Latin name, Arbutus. No wonder I've always known them as madronas! And the fruits are edible.

Then, I finally moved to my new place. My boy helped me so much. I've been stoking the fire all day while unpacking and arranging. I walked the property today and took some pictures.

Now it's all about country vs. city. I love both. I love romping around the land doing tasks and getting to know the plants. And I love getting vegan, organic donuts in the morning, Phad Thai late at night, taking the bus, and hopping in and out of shops all in the same day. Those things though, I've learned, I like as extras. I like first to live by the things that I want to study and do with my every day life. It's a weird tension, loving both country and city, that I'm going to have to learn to live with, and that could alternate back and forth.

There's really nothing like...

2011-10-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

drinking a cup of tea while looking out the window and watching snow fall.

Especially in anticipation of a storm that's forecasted to bring 8-12" of snow. It's a rare October blizzard! Also especially when you have nowhere to be. Or if you have garden work that you could hurry out and take care of before things get too bad. That feeling of taking care of things, and, it's-perfectly-okay-to-not-go-anywhere. Yesterday, these are some of the garden activities we did to prepare:

**Bioforked about 800 sq. ft. of garden beds;
**Spread and incorporated compost;
**Hay-mulched the garlic;
**Dug, potted up and brought the lemon grass to the greenhouse;
**Unfurled hoses to let the water drain out;
**Refurled hoses and brought them inside;
**Unfurled row cover to let the snow and frost from the previous night melt during the day and then covered the rosemary with it;
**Made a new compost pile with some old sheep poo that I shoveled from the barn and the lemon verbena plants that got frost damaged last night;
**Brought in potted fig tree and bay leaf close to the building, and covered with Re-may, like tucking them in for bed.

We worked until dark and then I went directly to the grocery store to stock up on things that I needed in the event of strandedness. -eggs -milk -butter -ricotta cheese -kiwis -oranges -granola -Peanut Butter Cup Ben & Jerry's.

A little before and after.

...

Enough about snow and activities. Here is some calendula and fennel.

Of the bronze persuasion

just for fun

2011-10-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

i miss my boy.

Snoop Dogg

2011-10-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling especially sensitive to sounds right now. I don't know why. Mostly like annoying people sounds. Humming, talking to one's self, not turning off the chat message ding on your computer settings, dramatic soap opera sounding tv, etc. But I have a rice, cauliflower, Norwegian brown cheese, smoked sausage, onion layered casserole in the oven with an herbed soft cheese spread over top, then additionally topped with halved cherry tomatoes and breadcrumbs. Bowow. I should check on it. I took care of this dog again this weekend.

Sunday in September

2011-09-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

My sister came to visit this past week. It was wonderful. I took the whole week off and we got to romp around all over the place. We camped, she coughed, we kept smelling skunks, we kept drinking cappuccinos with pastries, we saw a show at the Bowery Ballroom, we were yelp'ing bingo at one point, we went bowling at 4pm on a Wednesday afternoon and blasted Kings of Convenience on the jukebox for ourselves, had a few rounds of Dance Dance Revolution, drove past the penitentiary a few times, and almost had a pedicure just so we could use a lodge's pool. Instead, we went into an older man's multimedia studio in Woodstock who called us cosmic twins(!), and then saw Our Idiot Brother. It was a real "play-sure." :) She'll be in the Netherlands and China for the next few months. And then back to the Netherlands for a year!

Local showcase

2011-09-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

I realize I am especially lucky to make this post. This morning I woke up to some stories on NPR -- a nice woman's voice talking about her husband who died in the garage of the World Trade Center; the opening of an opera in San Francisco this weekend, based on the book 'Heart of a Soldier,' which is based on the life of a 60-something-lifetime-soldier-hero-turned-security-guard at the World Trade Center who helped 2,700 Morgan Stanley employees out of the Twin Towers, disobeying orders for everyone to stay in the building, and using one of his strategies to strengthen the inner heart to perform such acts of courage: singing with or to each other as they evacuated. After getting what he thought was everyone out, he went back in just to make sure no one was left, and then he died in the building, leaving the new love of his life behind; the third-- the story of a a new documentary opening in NYC this weekend, following a group of young soldiers in Afghanistan from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, one having bombs explode on him 10 times, now back home, diagnosed with TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and recounting the time when he was out with his best friend from the military after coming home and having a another guy say to him over and over again, "Your war is stupid," and getting so upset that he beat the guy up, and then after the fight, fell over into his friend's arms balling and not knowing what to do, but so thankful to have his friend. He said that while recovering from injuries in Army medical facilities still in Afghanistan, he would fake being alright, so that he could be released to be with his friends again; he couldn't stand them going out without him. He'd rather blow-up than have his friends die.

It's amazing the things people go through. Sometimes these stories instantly make me cry. I write this because I'm about to post pictures of nice things. And I just know how lucky I am. I look out the window and see beautiful green everywhere. Everyone has the right to be living in the most life-giving conditions possible. It's our task to create that for ourselves and every being and thing around us. In my sleepy state, after hearing that nice woman's voice, I felt a deep-panging, simple question in my heart: WHY do people kill each other and make such terrible environments. I know the answers of money, power and domination of all forms... but it's still so unbelievable why people want to do that to others.

Okay on that note, I am going to continue onto the thing that made me feel good this morning. First, my favorite tea came in the mail. It's from Kenya. I hope that the earth and people are being taken good care of there.

Second, I realized that in my cupboards I have a lot of things from around this area, that make this place really nice and special. The Catskills are really beautiful, but there are some really depressing people and places. There are also many people who aren't depressing and make these things because they care about that life-giving quality. So I took some pictures, resulting in a little local showcase of some Catskill Mountain goods that are in my cupboard at the moment.

-------------------------------

Neversink Farm eggs

-------------------------------

Catskill Comfort maple syrup

-------------------------------

Catskill Mountains Pure Pollen

-------------------------------

Evans' Farmhouse butter

-------------------------------

Upstate Harvest granola

-------------------------------

nycheese

-------------------------------

Farmer Ground flour

-------------------------------

DanaRay Farm's sauerkraut. Actually from New Jersey

-------------------------------

Hawthorne Valley Farm lacto-fermented dilly beans

-------------------------------

Flour Power Bakery rye bread

-------------------------------

Calkins Creamery cheese

Three pictures today

2011-09-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

One of the coolest bugs I've ever seen. It's hanging on this unidentified plant/weed that has nice red berries, but that most people tend to say they wouldn't eat. I myself wouldn't eat the berries, not even knowing what the plant is. I've pointed it out to several other people and they all agreed, "Noooo, I wouldn't eat those." And they don't even know what the plant is either. We still have some instinctual intelligence! I actually think the plant is in the nightshade family because it looks very similar to potatoes. And the beetle looks like some sort of Colorado beetle of some sort.

I've been in a pie/quiche making mode. It's been with steamed carrots, carmelized'ish onions, possibly a cut up piece of panfried bacon (inspired because the first one I made had no intention of being with bacon, but the cheese I bought from a roadside stand in rural New Jersey labeled as a horseradish cheese, must have been mislabeled, or else horseradish processed into cheese tastes incredibly like bacon), with a white wine de-glazed pan, tossed together with red wine vinegar, a handful of chopped fresh basil, maybe some parsley too, salt, pepper, and maybe some other spices, grated cheese sprinkled on top and a few halved cherry tomatoes to go around. The tomatoes are very good. This week was with broccoli because that's what was in the csa share!

Lacksadaisy

2011-09-07T07:30:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I last posted, but don't they all say that. No, I think I've been spending my weekends more busy this past month or two, as I've exhausted the amount of time I can spend by myself when not working. But busy-ness doesn't mean no blogging! I just also couldn't find my camera for a while, and well, pictures just make everything better. Right now, I should be working on a garden budget plan, and well... these days are rare-- to stay home and work! Hence my bellpepper/onion/cheese scrambled eggs, peach, and corn-on-the-cob breakfast.

So I should make this quick. Just a few more pictures of some gardens.

This is a new area we installed this year. It was weeds and rubble before.

Happy day to you all.

dogs and squash

2011-07-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

And insects too.

Three squashes, one green...

two yellow, too few.

For this recipe amounted to something quite new.

Fanned and breaded, pan-fried! And my socks were blew!

Not too much later though, and a storm did come through.

Dark at first, then real rainy, but then a sure clearing with even blue.

A spider dropped down, not too sure why. Maybe he or she just wanted to say 'hi,'

either to me or to the bottles, golden in hue, housed on the windowsill, filled with cloves ready to be used.

Alas, the dog keeps us company again,

finding new toys, but abandoning them when...

this week

2011-07-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

A perennial phlox

Hollyhock

Kiss-Me-Over-The-Gate

White Oriental Lily

Meadow rue. Regretfully, I didn't get a picture of the whole thing.

food break

As you may becoming aware, I like muffins. Here are some of the most delicious muffins I've made yet.[recipe 'Get It Ripe']

~ Zucchini Date Muffins ~

And the cooked muffin finally made it into a picture, dark and small.

Hungry

Cold cucumber soup, broiled cheese bread with olive oil, and watermelon

Simple man's meal of millet and black eyed peas with garlic

Hungry again

Pincushion flower or Scabiosa

Crownvetch as a wild ground cover in the parking lot

Echinacea

Fly on a poppy

Yarrow

Japanese beetle on an echinacea flower

My breakfast this morning. Fried eggs with homemade sourdough toast, from my boss, and black tea

And a fresh bouquet for the weekend. Dyer's Tickseed coreopsis and hyssop

This plant is used as a dye. See below!

Also this week, I learned what 'a moveable feast' means. I always liked Hemingway's title, but still don't know how the book relates to what I learned because I've never read the book (This is also quite timely after seeing 'Midnight in Paris' not too long ago!). But it must be based on the origin of the phrase (indeed it is so, I just read such information on wikipedia)-- which comes from religious holy days (holi-days!) not being a fixed day because they are dependent on the rhythm of the moon. More to this we can be sure.

2011-07-08T10:42:00.001-07:00

Happenings in the garden

2011-07-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

Ornamental Catnip front, Veronica back

Ornamental Catnip and Veronica. I always like to see a picture of the whole plant when I can. These are wonderful perennials. Bees and butterflies love them.

Oriental Lilies of some sort. Look at those 3's...

This was at sunrise on a day we sprayed horn silica. Silica/quartz is especially related to light (note all the angles and glimmers and rainbows when you put quartz in the light, eh?!). One reason for this spray and these materials is that this light aspect helps with fungal issues (spring, wetness... or anytime it's wet. Throughout summer too).

photo: wikipedia

Clary Sage

Harvesting bee balm, aka bergamot (and other names)

Harvesting lavender with Nancy and Gladys

2011-07-02T12:10:00.001-07:00

Have any of you ever learned about this? I've been living under a rock; I've never heard about this until my internet surfings of today.

2011-06-26T13:40:00.001-07:00

I made some scallion biscuits for breakfast this morning.

And I found some free shoes yesterday! Brazilian beach shoes I've been informed.

And a little more catch-up. My blog lives it's life in the past.

Broccoli, Cauliflower Pie and an Iced Coffee

Two things I was thankful for.

Rosemary White Bean Soup with Jumbo Croutons & Fresh Basil [recipe by Dreena Burton]. I de-veganized it (:( not necessary, but I wanted a little more tang and creaminess) by adding quark and a sprinkle of Romano, and de-prohibitionized it by adding white wine. Very tasty. Her cookbook, 'eat, drink & be vegan' is very good.

Also, I had the opportunity to go to a piano concert by a man named Romayne Wheeler this weekend, hosted by my work. He has a pretty exceptional story. He played this song by Franz Liszt - Un Sospiro, 'A Sigh,' and I can't get it out of my head.

Enjoy this video in Spanish.

Mysterious Muffins in the Making

2011-05-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

I have some backlogged photos of muffins that I've made [recipes from Get It Ripe], but in both cases, I never took a picture of the final result. Your imagination will have to fill in that mysterious blank. I was probably too tired by that time to take a picture. Here we are.

Spiced Squash Muffins
I don't remember how these tasted.

Blueberry Buckwheat Muffins
These are a really neat muffin. They involve soaking whole buckwheat overnight, which is the base of the muffin instead of flour, giving you that whole grain boost we all desire. Flavorwise, they open your taste buds' world a little; a hint of anise promoting that. Almost like a delicacy that your palate becomes accustom to. The texture is moist and fluffy.

If anyone wants the recipe for either of these, I will gladly share.

2011-05-28T17:27:00.001-07:00

Preetttyyy, preettyyy, pretty good.

2011-05-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

Was surfing the net this morning and found this-- quite enjoyable in a sort of embarrassing way.

A weird thought and a possible reminder

2011-05-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

that we aren't as adept at evolution as we think we might or should be... we still want to itch our bug bites and scabs because they still ITCH SO BAD, causing them to be further wounded and prone to infection.

Things on a Saturday

2011-05-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

A tiny bouquet

A finished bookmark

Also, I was at a graduation celebration today, speaking with a lady from work, who has told me many times about the deer who eat her plants. Today, this deer-eating-plant anecdote began with currants, then moved onto the day when the deer was in her house, knocking the vase off her kitchen table that held her once-Mother's Day roses no longer. After remarking that that was incredible that the deer was so comfortable entering her house, she revealed that she had rescued this deer when it was a baby, off the side of the highway, next to it's dead mother, brought it home, fed it, and raised it! Three years later, Anne must run back and forth in her house trying to keep the deer from going upstairs. All this time, she never said anything about that... Just that "the deer had eaten all her plants again." And then she ended with the part where "Lucky" slobbers her with kisses! I think I'll go meet her one day! Very excited for this.

2011-05-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

Purple Potato and Green Bell Pepper Omelette with Calkins Creamery 'Pastuered Paulin' Cheese, undressed greens, toast and Earl Grey

Stinging Nettle Soup

more things

2011-05-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

you know it's windy when your sailing instructor's memory has been jogged to remember the time he sailed in a hurricane for fun when he was 14 and his sails started ripping. although, i was glad to hear that story.

so i'm taking sailing lessons on monday evenings. yesterday was a windy one out on the Hudson rio. it was the two gentlemen's first time putting up the jib sail when we got into real choppy waters, and the jib wasn't going to go up anytime soon. then Gill and I, attempting to put up the main sail (also my semi-first time), were dealing with a broken zipper to get the sailcover off. water was a splashin', bow was a slammin', halyards were tangling around the shrouds, el instructor had to abandon the helm to check the jib situation and leave it with the Belgian visitor who hadn't sailed in many, MANY years she said. the back of the boat with motor was plunging in and out of water, which caused the motor to turn sideways, right as we were nearing the side of the river, causing us to head straight for shore. el instructor ran to the back to kick the motor straight. meanwhile, Jeff and Dave held onto the whipping jib and sidelines for dear life and so as not to lose the sail. i clung to the boom and my hat.

once we got the sails up, el instructor took the helm the whole way upwind, as we had a pretty nasty heel, and strategic tacks were extremely necessary (and none of us know what we are doing). Gill and I were on "jib crew," standing off the side of the middle of the boat on the windward side, or the side that was highest out of water, hanging on to the shrouds (the tight wires that steady the mast) to add a little of our weight to bring it down. not sure if this helped at all, only frightened me a bit, but I got more used to it.

sailing with the wind is much, much calmer. on our way back we students did some sails. it's pretty exciting to use the wind as your propellor and have to adjust the sails just right.

Apples and Things

2011-05-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

Although it's not quite apple season here in New York, I made some applesauce today from apples that I had purchased on sale at ShopRite that were organic, though not local, and marked down on the clearance rack. Making homemade applesauce is probably one of the easiest homemade things you can do.

- 8 medium apples, cored & chopped; peeling is optional. Better to do if don't have an electric mixer. I also added two old pears that I had rotting in the bottom drawer.
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Cinnamon (optional)

Place apples and water in pot over medium heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender-- til you have that feeling that it's done and not over or under done. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and cinnamon, and mash or use a stick blender (so good). Allow to cool slightly before serving or using, and cool completely before storing in the fridge.

MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS.
Recipe summarized from "Get it Ripe," Jae Steele.

There were some amazing clouds on my drive to Middletown this morning to procure a hat.

Dork factor in hat picture.

Breakfast was oatmeal with walnuts, dried wild blueberries from Main Street Farm in Livingston Manor about 20 miles north up the highway, milk and brown sugar; two strips of bacon, & a pot of Earl Grey. Also, some morning lemon tonic to wake up my intestines.
The blueberries are bursting with the deepest blueberry flavor. @ $24.99/lb, they are like purchasing a rare ration, something that you do only once in a while, and savor every moment of it. Two nights ago, I realized I hadn't opened them up yet and they seemed like the perfect treat for that moment-- but for a second I felt like I shouldn't eat them plain out of the bag, but rather in some scrumptious baked good or something. But then I began to drop handfuls into my mouth, one after the other, standing up, in my room, realizing that that was the best way I could've possibly spent my $10.00. Then I became conscious of the moment when I didn't want anymore, so that I didn't waste any.

Azalea

Forsythia

Unidentified constrained, solitary patch of tiny "weeds" in grass

The Life Center Garden

On Thursday afternoon we did a spray of horn manure and barrel compost. The soil was to be warm and rain was to be absent, the sun was going down, the Earth was retreating inward for the night. All conditions were met. We stirred both preparations for an hour and then sprayed the soil of a few of the gardens using backpack sprayers. Here is Kat, my co-worker; Gladys from Ecuador and Nancy from Peru-- interns for the year, also co-workers.

Sweet Pea & Passion Flower blooming in the greenhouse.

my first'ish movie/homemade music video

2011-04-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

ha :/

Breakfast

2011-04-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

was millet this morning. It's a really nice alternative to oatmeal. Warmed with milk, dash of salt and cinnamon, and a little maple syrup. It tastes really good just like a comforting, basic (pretty neutral flavor) porridge. And I had made a batch (1 cup dry gives about 3-4 cups cooked) a few days ago, so it took only 5 minutes to heat up on the stove. Millie, the nice Czech woman who works at the co-op and in a few of the Center's cafés, and drives an old beatup silver Toyota Corolla that has perfectly duct-taped spots and little duct tape hearts in the back small windows, turned me onto it. I heard her telling someone else that she enjoys it for breakfast, so in my eavesdropping I took mental note.

It's 100% gluten free, although, like other grains that don't have gluten, like buckwheat, these grains do have "prolamines that are similar to the alpha-gliadin of wheat," and are often excluded by folks who have intestinal diseases caused by gluten sensitivity, like celiac, and maybe others... (The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. Murray, Michael, N.D. 2005). Though the Encyclopedia does say it's "debatable." So maybe a little of these grains won't be a problem.

Toast variation

2011-04-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

with quark and honey.

White Beans

2011-04-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

One can of cannellini beans with an absurd amount of white onions (sauteed first in olive oil), an absurd amount of garlic, salt, white pepper and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Really good.

I will serve this on a bed of millet to myself.

Catch up, Part 1

2011-04-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

Packing up

Driving away

Unpredicted first stop in Bellefonte, PA

A Dickens-feeling town with carolers and horsedrawn carriage rides alive in it's own little, dark, rural place of America

Favorite breakfast spot in Chicago

Windmills in Minnesota

Snow banks post-evening blizzard, MN

Rapid City, SD

Getting out of dodge

Rockies in the distance

Getting closer

Motel 6, Montana

Idaho. Craig drives.

More wind machines in either Idaho or Eastern WA

The next photo in line. I guess I didn't get any of the Cascades. It was bare and wet, but snowing at times. I was driving. We arrived.

Important news for all kidney bean cookers, eaters and lovers!

2011-04-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading this book:

It's so fascinating. Mysteries of life are revealed in a very poetic way. For example, I learned exactly why plants are green today. (Not sure if I could repeat it back to you; I'll need to re-read a few times. And maybe draw some pictures. Involves P_r and P_fr ratios.) The greater Mystery remains unsolved though really. As it ever will. The green plant info was included in a chapter on germination called "Fierce Energy" that had this subheading, a quote from George Bernard Shaw:

      Think of the fierce energy concentrated in an acorn!
      You bury it in the ground, and it explodes into an oak!
      Bury a sheep, and nothing happens but decay.

I thought I'd share something from the next chapter, "Sorrow's Mysteries," on poisons from plants because it's not just applicable to the science of plants, but also in our cooking and eating lives! (Not sure there's ever any differentiation). The chapter title came from a quote by John Keats, included as the subheading:

      No, no! go not to Lethe, neither twist
      Wolf's-bane, tight-rooted, for its poisonous wine;
      nor suffer thy pale forehead to be kiss'd
      By Nightshade, ruby grape of Proserpine;
      Make not your rosary of yew-berries,
      Nor let the beetle, nor the death-moth be
      Your mournful Psyche, nor the downy owl
      A partner in your sorrow's mysteries;
      For shade to shade will come too drowsily,
      And drown the wakeful anguish of the soul.
      FROM "ODE ON MELANCHOLY"

Ok, so on to the point (but beautiful ode, no?)-- kidney beans. Don't cook them from scratch in a slow-cooker or at any low temperature without first doing a hotter boil. They contain a toxic compound called phytohaemagglutinin. Many beans do, but kidney beans are the most concentrated (red and white (cannellini), though white has about 1/3rd less). So if you intend on cooking them from the dry stage (the optimal healthiest way) as opposed to from the can (hoping that bean companies know this-- they probably boil the hell out of their beans, so probably not to worry- but hence the optimal healthiest way is at home), you need to boil them for at least 10 minutes at or over 212°F. This will degrade the toxin. Recommended by the FDA is also a minimum 5-hour soak before the big boil. (Which is also the common way to cook most beans from the dry stage anyway- a good soaking overnight). And then following the big boil would be the actual cooking of the bean- a couple of hours in a boil of a temperature that probably doesn't need to be maintained above 212°. The slow-cooking can actually potentize the toxin! Beans that are cooked at a temperature of 176°F or less, slowly, are reported to be up five times as toxic as raw beans. Woo!

So a re-cap for cooking kidney beans:
1. Sort out pebbles from beans.
2. Overnight soak, drain soaking liquid. Rinse.
3. A minimum 10-minute boil at or above 212°F, guessing to drain that boiling liquid as well. Water level should be about 1-2 inches above level of beans.
4. The cooking boil-- somewhere around 1.5 hours. Same water level as above. About 3 cups water:1 cup beans.

Doesn't this look appetizing?

A sakura (Japanese flowering cherry-- appropriate for this time of year!) and white kidney bean paste delectable made by Sheryl.

And oh yeah, what could happen if you eat as few as 5 improperly cooked kidney beans is some fever, vomiting and diarrhea for a few hours. Usually you can recover without the need of a doctor.

2011-04-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

Bach - Keyboard Concerto in F Minor

Breville Tea Maker

2011-03-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

This morning I made a pretty good cup of coffee. I didn't want to take any chances of being disappointed so I looked up on the internet "how many tbsp coffee per ____" google filled it right in. I knew it was something like 1 for 6 oz. or 2 for 8, but those numbers were getting jumbled in my mind. First, I thought I had my answer: 1 level tbsp per 8 oz. Then someone wrote that both Alton Brown and The Silver Palate say 2 tbsp per 6 oz. So I went to Alton Brown's site and he says, 2 HEAPING tbsp per 6 oz. So I measured out exactly 18 oz. of fresh water for the kettle and put 6 heaping tbsp of the coffee I had on hand-- a probably sort of old, unopened, non-one-way valve, pre-ground bag of that Jim's, though probably great quality, maybe not supremely fresh-- in the French press-- (the one that this girl unloaded to me on the curb about 3 years ago on her moving day! Along with a rug and a broom and a plant maybe). It has those chocolatey undertones that I like. I liked learning from Alton that it's better to do more grounds than less and add hot water at the end if you don't like it as strong, because if you do too little grounds that means overextraction, and overextraction = bitterness.

The reason I started this post though, was because while having my coffee and ruminating on the enjoyment of a precise process, I was thinking about that with tea because I usually drink tea and only occasionally coffee. I sort of like leaving the coffee up to my partner in crime, there's something satisfying about him being really good at it (though I might be too now) because he likes it so much, and making it for the both of us, and me being the tea master, because I like it so much. My body or mouth just can't really handle coffee everyday. I've seen those hot water heaters that heat water exactly for the type of tea you're gonna have. xxx° for white tea, ___° for green, etc. This morning I found this, and man I would love to have it:

It's gotten nothing but really good reviews. Not only a water heater but also a brewer. $300.00!! I'm lusting over an expensive material object that may not be entirely necessary. This is what "progress," innovation, desire, demand, and other economical terms that I don't know, lead to. While I don't necessarily want everything to be electronic in my life, this is an interesting study in "What is simplicity?" I have no qualms about getting an automatic tea maker that may make beautiful tea (excepting if it was made with slave labor, and the production fumed out toxic gases, etc.etc. Quite possible. And then if it broke, it would never decompose in the landfill, but maybe 1,000's of years from now, anthropologists and schlepping survivors of all major catastrophes could use the carafe to gather water from the few and far between water resources when the earth is almost all dried up. Ok, diarrhea of the mouth/stream-of-consciousness typing.) But funny, because at the same time I am thinking about getting this electronic tea maker, it makes me want to be up in the hills of a foggy, green countryside, with a real tea master, using mortars and pestles, and wearing robes while scuffling about in a wooden open-aired structure, doing whatever tasks needed to be done for the day, at a nice, slow pace, sitting on rugs. I'm dreaming away the day.

just drinkin some Blue Sky Ginger Ale and watchin Paula Deen

2011-03-25T16:21:00.000-07:00

Man, Paula Deen was on fire this episode! She was really making me laugh! It featured Mama Rose and they made chicken and biscuits and some gooey looking dessert. I don't normally appreciate her unnecessary fattening recipes, but I DO appreciate her sweet southern attitude. I've been watching hours of Food Network this week. Mostly Chopped and I got sucked into TWO hours of Cupcake Wars. Wasn't planning on it, but then the secret ingredients got me hooked. Tonight I plan on making Ina Garten's Spring Green Risotto. I've never watched Barefoot Contessa before yesterday. Mostly her show really relaxes me.

Here is the risotto that I did not make last night but today. Someone only had a bowl of cereal for dinner. It took 3 out of the 5 grocery stores nearby to collect all the ingredients! This is due mainly to each place being either a big, non-natural type, ahem, ShopRite, or a teeny mom & pop filled-to-the-brim with good stuff but not everything. That was a Saturday morning type of activity. Plus a coffee and scone gathering moment.

I would definitely make this again when non-frozen, local asparagus rears it's rising spear and rolls around. (Sorry for the semi-non-poetic visual imagery). Nothing was wrong with the frozen, just another appropriate time. Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it.

New abode

2011-03-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of my new material possessions. Car and house. Temporary house, don't own.

I've done quite a bit of work on the inside, cleaning nooks and crannies, scrubbing grease on the walls, emptying and dumping out dresser drawers... I believe it's been Peruvian men that have lived here for the past few years, and then prior to that, who can know (<- in honor of my roommate last year, Jose, in a different house. He would say, "Who can know," in his best English accent instead of "Who knows." Hehe.) This little treasure has tipped me off to knowing that it's been at least two years that South American men have been living here, as I know the previous, different Jose from last year:

Here's a little before and after. Those curtains got a good washing. And I discovered the (shower) curtain (ahem, table cloth) soiled in the basement. Washed that too on hot:

Found these on the desk. Funny if someone had worn them out in the fields:

And I'm not sure who's responsible for this, perhaps Jose, Juan, and the crew of 5 Mexicans that come up every year to work on ze farm.

It's hard to let go sometimes

|-- --|

I just saw this blown up huge in the DMV getting my new license plates today, as you may have noticed absent pictured above. The logo reminds me a bit of my little bungalow type house:

These are the new, New York state plates. They're called Empire Gold. The one above was first issued in 1993. Not sure if they've stopped making them. Here's the Empire Gold, brand new as of last year:

But a throwback to these!:

Pre-Empire Gold's were the, I should say CONcurrent, "Empire" series. New York is now a two-license plate state since the original plan to require switching to the Empire Gold last year to generate $130 million for the state failed. People got mad, signed petitions, and now it's not required to get the Empire Gold's. So you can stay with your "Empire" series. I happen to like the Empire Gold's better. My coworker disagrees and isn't biased because of being rubbed the wrong way by NYS government. She's a New Jersian/Coloradan/Oregonian. I like how people have different tastes in these sort of matters. I don't know why I've taken the time to learn so much about New York state's license plates, but there you go. I DO like the images on the "Empire" series, but they're really too small to even see when on the vehicle. I also have never liked how the little picture of the state is 1.) Hard to recognize at first that it's depicting the state instead of a dash, because of 2.) It looks like Goofy.

While we're on the subject of New York state history, I found this awesome blog of a photographer's visit to a rundown resort nearby here. This man takes cool photos of abandoned things, it seems, as is evident on his flickr stream.

A little preview of -- Modern Ruins - Grossinger's Resort --

photo courtesy: Walter Arnold

There are a lot of run down things around here. I've taken a few pictures myself, and always find myself out and about wishing I had a better camera:

And if you're in the mood for some youtube, here's a little video on some hotels in the Catskills. It's an interesting area in this way. Sorry, the footage gives a ~~slight~~ extreme headache inducing effect at (most) times. You probably shouldn't even watch this.

You wanna know what I did after work today?

2011-03-08T17:14:00.000-08:00

Played this ridiculous game for a few hours. I love getting enjoyment out of things I hardly do anymore. I seem to go in phases with computer/phone games. And work seems to make me wanna zone out afterwards, while using my mind, but not any part of my body, not even fingers moving yarn, at least not for a few hours. Thanks Go-Go Gourmet!!!

And oh yeah(!), during work today, I was able to test drive what will be my new but used car! I'm really excited. I couldn't have been luckier. I've been scouring craigslist ever since I got here to NY for cheap cars. There was one possibility of a $400 '92 owner-proclaimed very reliable Subaru-- no response. Probably too good to be true. Then a $700 GeoTracker, standard transmission-- someone got to it before me. Then a '95 Jeep Cherokee-- same story. There were these, and then also the $850+ not-even-running cars! Many of these! Anyway, one little question I asked of someone here at work led me, 3 degrees separated, to someone who was selling their car. It's a '95 Volvo wagon that has been meticulously cared for and from one of the nicest men on earth who couldn't be more honest. It's a little extra money, but gonna pay for itself in allowing me not to have to walk to the grocery store and back anymore. During these walks I've had the time and space to think about life without fast transportation. Kinda fun. I'm excited. Mine definitely won't be as shiny as this, and does have a few things wrong with it, like no AC, but here it is:

Good Gondry

2011-03-05T14:18:00.000-08:00

The Thorn in the Heart

Update

2011-02-28T13:10:00.000-08:00

Hi friends,

I have moved back to upstate New York. I arrived to Newark and was picked up by a friend, and was craving something substantial to eat so we went into the city, thanks to Yelp, to a place in the West Village called Taïm, a falafel and smoothie bar. I had the Sabich sandwich which was amazing. I should've taken a picture but I'll steal a few from the internet and thank the smart people that remember to do so:

This is where I'm staying for now, a semi-bed & breakfast type place owned by The Center:

This may look colder than it was. It's a high of 46 today.

In other news, I was semi-productive on my winter sabbatical. Here are a few things:

A scissors case

Some jar jackets

Some mini granny squares that I sewed together to make a bookmark. (Idea from a magazine).

And a blanket I am still in the process of making.

2011-02-25T23:50:00.000-08:00

I'm sad. I will no longer have my car. I have driven it since the year 2000 probably. That's 10 years. It is a '93 Nissan Altima, SE. 4 doors, Green/Blue, spoiler on rear. It has 196,415 miles on it. I probably put most of those on it. It is missing passenger side mirror. That got bashed off by someone in the U-District in college. It dangled by a wire for a while. The electric has gone awry with the windows, Drivers side is the only fully functioning one. Moonroof is off it's tracks. So, only in the past year, has water leaked in. It needs to rain very hard and very long for this to happen. It has carried many friends. Many family. Cats, dogs. Plants, flowers, herbs, vegetables. A lot of other crap. It's driven all over the state of Washington, from Washington to Chicago, All over Chicago, from Chicago to Wisconsin lots, Chicago to Michigan a little, from Chicago to New York, from New York to Cleveland, Cleveland to New York. All over New York. Then New York to Washington.

I am mostly ready to give it up, due to it's faults. But I've had her repaired a few times, and now, she could last another 10 years, who knows. I have to donate it, as I cannot leave it on the street in front of my mom's. I could've left it at my dad's but I would've had no way to get back from his house to my mom's. I am donating it to KPLU's Car Talk Vehicle Donation Program. I am hoping someone who works really hard, has to walk or take the bus to work and to do all their errands gets it. It may just be sold for it's parts, but I'm hoping on the former.

I'll miss how comfortable it is. No new LED lights on the dash that blind you at night. Just a good ol' skinny orange stick. It feels like the seat is formed to my body. I'll miss that. Just the right amount of cushion and sink. I've slept in it a little. Hour long catnaps here and there where I just may have been escaping from something I didn't want to do.

Ok, I should sleep now. Goodnight.

2011-02-15T22:54:00.000-08:00

If I were a rapper

2011-02-10T13:06:00.000-08:00

So for a few times these past weeks, I've been using heavy whipping cream as my creamer for my tea because I only used half of a half pint of it for the thing I made, and I didn't want the rest to go to waste and didn't see myself making something too soon with it because of my current schedulings. ANYways. I was just enjoying my cup of tea, looking at the heavy whipping cream container and thinking about how it was in my tea, and for some reason, a rap started coming into my head. A horrible rap beacuse I'm not a rapper. This is how it goes:

Heavy whipping cream
in my tea and coffee.
That's right.
When I went to the doctor, she
said, "You need more Omega-3's
and twenty three of these
supplemental acai's.
Each at 14 dollars a piece."
Just low enough
so you think you can afford it.
But that's three times a day,
every single day.
So I said back to her,
"I eat my food straight up.
With a little help from Organic Valley
and my maker of kim-chi and pure honey.
If I die from a heart attack too soon,
you can donate my body to science, scciiience,"
I said to her all long and drawn out.
I'll start a food log and then blog,
so you'll all know exactly what clogged
my arteries.
Was it the full fat of the cheese
or the torture,
let's discover what's for sure.
--

I think this is kind of funny, because with rapping, I really like how they (some) make social/political/whatever commentaries on stuff. The TRUTH, you know. But I also think it's funny when it's entirely broad and sometimes over-generalized. Like, with this, it kind of sounds like food science is all a bunch of b.s., but really, there's nothing wrong with food science and research, and finding which nutrient does what for you. There's just a whole lot to it.

2011-02-09T02:52:00.000-08:00

I can't get this song out of my head. I guess it's a little old. There's another song of theirs that I swear one of you readers posted or told me about recently too. Weird how things can be completely forgotten and then come around again.

uhhh

2011-02-03T23:47:00.000-08:00

sometimes all you need is a spitoon

2011-01-28T03:42:00.000-08:00

that saying just came into my head bc i needed to spit. hey guys, it's 3:43AM and I'm still up! Are you surprised?! Neither am I! I just took some melatonin, so I hope to be "trippin" soon. zzzz sweet dream zzzz

Sick

2011-01-23T20:09:00.000-08:00

I've been sick for what feels like a week but has only been three days. I haven't left the house in 2. Needless to say, I'm not only sick but have cabin fever. Because of my sickness I'm posting an unusually large amount of blog posts. And taking an unusually high number of baths. And in these baths, I've been getting to read more of a book than I thought I would! I randomly found this at Half Price Books, looking for something entirely different.
"FutureFashion White Papers is a collection of 30 compelling essays by scientists, retailers, farmers, dyers, models and others in the industry, including Diane von Furstenberg, Julie Gilhart, and Shalom Harlow. FutureFashion White Papers take an in-depth look at the fashion industry and provides a thoughtful, wide-ranging analysis of how a transition to sustainability can be achieved. Diane von Furstenberg notes, "FutureFashion White Papers is an exploration that signifies movement towards a more sustainable fashion industry. It is an opportunity to think about and evaluate the fashion industry as it stands today."
While I'm not really obsessed with the fashion industry, one quick peruse over cotton farmer, Sally Fox's essay, "Cleaner Cotton Grown In Color," and I knew I'd enjoy it. All the kind of information you'd want, gathered together in one place.
The other essays so far have been pretty good too. I just wanted to share one about leather. It's something I really don't know much about, and coincidentally it came up as dinner conversation the other week with my family. So it's nice to be able to answer some of our questions! Now go bring your computer with you into the tub and take a read. :).

Leather for Life
Matt Richards, Head Tanner
Rowan Gabrielle, President
Stacie Wickham, Vice President

Organic Leather
20 Sunnyside, Suite A199
Mill Valley, CA 94941
www.organicleather.com

Modern leather tanneries and the leather they make are frighteningly toxic. So toxic, that there are more tanneries than any other business on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Superfund list, the list that identifies the priority environmental cleanups in the U.S. So toxic, that 95% of U.S. tanneries have moved their operations overseas to avoid environmental oversight penalties. So toxic, that many old tannery sites can’t be used for agriculture or built on or even sold.

Leather making wasn’t always a toxic activity. Originally, ancient peoples all over the world used benign wood smoke and natural oils to make soft and durable leather very similar to today’s chamois. With the advent of agriculture, bark tannage came into use. This new method yielded firmer, denser leathers, which were well suited for horse gear, hard-soled footwear, belts and armor. In addition, alum, a naturally occurring mineral salt, was used in many desert regions to make soft leather that retained a smooth-grain surface. As societies grew and ideas traveled, these tanning methods were combined to create a wide variety of leathers that met a wide variety of functional needs. Before plastics, leather was what you reached for when you needed something very flexible yet very strong.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, virtually every U.S. town had a tannery to service the local populations’ need for footwear, horse gear, gloves and the like. As the industrial revolution began to grow, manufacturing became more specialized and concentrated in various regions, but was still done with the same natural materials as before. The chief negative environmental consequence became the increased quantity of effluents being dumped into waterways.

In the 1870s, as the chemical and industrial revolutions merged, a new method of tanning based on hexavalent and trivalent chromium (chromium (VI) and (III) respectively) was developed. By 1890, it had entered into commercial production and was quickly becoming the dominant tanning method. Quick and permanent, chrome tanning creates soft leathers, dyes easily and lends itself nicely to mechanization. Unfortunately, the chemicals used are also extremely poisonous and persistent in the environment. In addition to chromium, modern tanneries typically use synthetic chemicals such as sodium sulphide, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, sulphuric acid, various solvents (which release volatile organic compounds), bactericides, paints, dyes, degreasers and surfactants.

In the late twentieth century, the tanning industry’s heavy use of chemicals came under intense scrutiny. The reaction of the leather industry has taken three forms: lobbying the EPA to relax rules or to not implement them; moving tanneries offshore—primarily to China and India—where there are no (or less stringent) environmental rules; and mitigating and cleaning the effluent that they do create. While this last effort is a measurable improvement over past practices, nevertheless, many worrisome toxins cannot be completely eradicated, and those still constitute a huge problem. As a result, the tanning industry all but disappeared in the U.S. Most remaining operations focus on the finishing (re-tanning, dyeing and softening) of hides that are chrome tanned off shore.

Chromium (VI) is the most persistent toxin used by the leather industry. It is a known carcinogen with the following documented human health effects:
  -Skin rashes
 -Upset stomachs and ulcers 
-Respiratory problems 
-Weakened immune systems 
-Kidney and liver damage 
-Alteration of genetic material 
-Lung cancer 
-Death
Because of these, most tanneries have switched to chromium (III), which is considerably less toxic. However, chromium (III) commonly oxidizes into chromium (VI) during the tanning process. As a result, the finished leather and the tanneries’ effluent often contain chromium (VI).

Even as a compound in finished leather products, chromium (VI) is known to cause allergic reactions such as skin rashes and ulcers, and because of its oxidized nature, it easily moves across membranes such as human skin. According to the EPA, 95% of all leather produced has been tanned with chromium. If you own a leather jacket, shoes composed partially or entirely of leather, a leather handbag, leather upholstery or the like, you can be virtually assured that it has been chrome tanned and that you have been exposed to chromium (VI).

Thanks to consumers’ increased environmental consciousness, steps have been taken to create natural leather. In Europe, there is a large movement to eliminate chromium from leather, generally by replacing it with glutaraldehyde, syntans and other metallic salts such as titanium and phosphonium. Syntans are manmade tanning agents that come in a wide variety of forms. Some are known carcinogens and environmentally hazardous, and some haven’t been tested enough to know one way or another. The main advantage of these chromium substitutes is that once the tanning is done, the chemicals are bound firmly to the leather and do not pose a serious health risk to the consumer. Some are, however, very dangerous to the tannery workers and to the environment.

Our brand, Organic Leather, focuses on creating high-quality and stylish leather goods as we work to transform the leather industry and educate consumers. Organic leather, the material, returns reverence to the practice of working with leather. It pays homage to the tribal peoples of our world, and it encourages respect for the quality of animals’ lives, from the way they are raised to the way they die. As a byproduct of the meat industry, harvesting hides and skins for leather does not encourage the killing of more animals. Rather, it makes sure that no part of the animal already being harvested goes to waste. Moreover, we are strongly concerned with the chemicals used in the tanning and dyeing processes and their effects on the natural environment and the health of both workers and customers. Because of these considerations, we have chosen the farmers and tanners that we work with very carefully, developing partnerships to create change in the leather industry.

From our experience, people who are educated about leather would prefer to wear the skin of an animal that was treated with respect; they want to minimize the amount of toxins in the water and wear a material that does not threaten their health. Of course they also want their leather to be beautiful, supple, and strong. The leather we use in our designs satisfies all these desires.

At present, Organic Leather uses three grades of leather, which we define ourselves. There are two parts to being certified organic leather. One is that the animal has been raised organically and the second part is that the tanning is organic through the use of plant and non-toxic materials. The three grades we use are:
1. Certified organic leather comes from certified organic livestock that is then organically tanned.
2. Natural leather comes from animals raised on small family farms that have been humanely raised but have not received organic certification and they have been organically tanned.
3. Naturally tanned wild harvested leathers come from wild game animals, such as deer, that are hunted in a sustainable fashion and then tanned with our organic tanning process.

For the consumer to trust that the leather they are buying is truly green, and to encourage tanneries to produce truly natural leathers, it helps to have a third-party certification program. The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) certification is a start, and we are in the process of becoming the first tannery in the U.S. to attain that standard. However, under current USDA NOP rules, organic leather must come from an animal that has been raised on a certified organic ranch, and then tanned in a certified organic tannery. It would be preferable to have a certification specific to the leather tanning process—“certified naturally tanned,” for instance. There are many animal skins that are naturally raised but do not qualify as organic for one reason or another. There should be an incentive to tan these naturally. We’d like to take every hide we can get our hands on, tan it naturally, get it into the hands of consumers, rinse, and repeat.

In order to bring leather tanning back to an ecologically balanced position we need to use natural tanning agents such as tannins, alum, earth minerals, fish oils and wood smoke. All of these are still used in modern tanning methods, albeit usually combined with chrome or other chemicals. By applying natural agents in a modern manufacturing context that takes advantage of advances in clean technology, we can turn the tanning industry around.

Natural tanning can be done using the same modern machinery employed by chemical tanning. Granted the cost, while still very reasonable, is somewhat higher due both to the fact that this is a small, new industry and because the harsh chemicals are occasionally replaced by hand work. At this point, one significant cost entailed by the organic tanner is hide transportation. Compared to conventional ranchers, organic ranchers are literally few and far between, which results in the tanner having to truck smaller quantities of hides from multiple locations, which tend to be located further from the tannery. The organic tanner may also need to pay a slightly higher price for the organic hides so that the ranchers will not sell them to the non-organic hide buyers with whom they have established relationships. These added costs, though significant at present, should largely dissipate as the organic meat industry continues to grow.

Further costs are incurred due to the longer-than-conventional tanning process. Modern conventional tanning chemicals, such as sodium sulphide, cut the time required to soak and de-hair hides from about a week to mere hours. They are so potent, they turn the hair into pulp and allow the entire de-hairing process to take place in a large spinning drum without human interference. The hides stay in the drum throughout the wet stage of the tanning process while different chemicals are added and drained out as required. Of course, the downside to this convenience is the fact that the chemical-laden pulp ends up in the sewage system, where it binds with oxygen, leaving none for the aquatic life.

Without sulphides, hides must be soaked in hydrated lime for a week until the hair can be pushed off by machine. This process is imperfect, so each hide must be inspected and de-haired by hand as needed. The longer tanning process requires considerably more capital and therefore entails more risk for the tanner. In addition, obviously, the labor cost difference is huge—but so is the environmental impact. The conventional tanning industry has spent time and money trying to remove sulphides from the de-hairing process. So far, however, it has only mitigated their use on the grounds that financial profit outweighs cost to the ecosystem.

As these examples illustrate, some organic leather tanning costs are driven up by the natural inefficiencies of scale. We expect these to dissipate as the industry grows. Others are caused by technological failings. These may or may not be solved through research and development.

We have started working with willing tanneries in the U.S., helping to replace ones that have moved oversees or have been closed down. (We are also building fair trade partnerships with tanneries in developing nations, helping them convert from chemical to natural processes.) Because they use natural agents, our partner tanneries’ waste is completely benign (it can even be shoveled onto fields as fertilizer); their workers enjoy safer conditions, and last but not least, the end product is safe for the consumer. Meanwhile, the quality of the leather is not compromised. Naturally tanned leathers are beautiful and can be produced in a wide variety of thicknesses, colors, and with performance characteristics such as washability, breathability or water-resistance, stretchiness or firmness, drape or rigidity.

Natural tanning proceeds roughly as follows: The frozen or salted skin is rehydrated in fresh water and then soaked in a de-hairing solution, typically composed of hydrated lime and an enzyme. Historically, this enzyme resulted from allowing the leather to decay. Thankfully, scientists have isolated the relevant enzyme, allowing us to skip that stage. Next, the skin is mechanically fleshed and de-haired, and the lime is neutralized.

The skin is then soaked in whichever tanning agent will impart the desired quality of leather: alum for soft grain leathers; cod oil or wood smoke for soft, breathable, washable suedes; and plant tannins, which, depending on type, create either dense, thick leathers (think belts or saddles) or soft grains and suedes. Tanning agents can also be combined to achieve desirable qualities. Alum plus woodsmoke yields soft, washable grain leathers. Alum plus sumac or gambier tannins yield soft yet durable leathers that dye easily. Wood smoke plus tannins produces similar qualities but with improved washability.

After tanning, the skins are dyed (or not), oiled, dried and softened. They can then be buffed or polished depending on the finished surface desired. Colors readily available to the natural leather tanner include white, creams, yellows, tans, browns, reddish browns, blacks and reds. These colors are attained through the tanning process (alum-tanned hides are white; smoked hides are various hues of cream, yellow, golden or brown; oil-tanned hides are a classic buckskin yellow; tannin produces cream, yellow, tan, red and browns). Tannin-based dyes can also be used after tanning to create any of the tannin colors or black with the addition of iron salts, without significantly changing the nature of the leather. Cochineal (a beetle that grows on prickly pear cactus and is commonly known as Carmine) makes a variety of reds and lavenders. Blues and greens are possible, but not as colorfast.

At the time of this writing, our designers at Organic Leather work with a somewhat limited palette of colors, qualities and textures. The number of options will dramatically increase as the industry grows; however, the fact remains that organic leather tanning cannot achieve all the effects that chemical tanning has made us accustomed to, for instance uniform deep colors, and the rubfast high gloss of patent leathers. Nevertheless, for conscientious designers, knowing that the material they use is sustainable and aesthetically current allows creativity to flow freely.

When we started this business, we asked ourselves a very important question: How do we produce a material that can be used in a beautiful design that honors the environment, that has incredible longevity and durability and that creates a product that consumers will love? With organic leather, we believe we have answered this question. Leather grows and changes as you wear it and is one of those magical materials that gets better and better with age. We are not simply creating a fashion brand that follows the seasons or trends, but a brand for life.

---

I'm now attaching a picture of me wearing my down knee-length jacket (should investigate these feathers) inside the house because it is very cold in here, and the last time i turned up the heat, my mom came down sweating from her bed. I am also drinking orange juice in that mug, with some cheater's vanilla ice-cream to possibly aggravate my clogged up headcold, and also increase enjoyability.

My cat meows at the front door, beckoning for me to let her out. She likes the outdoors. I must go.

New looker

2011-01-22T16:18:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to try this... sometime:

Recipe can be found here: http://gliving.com/blueberry-barley-cobbler-bite-this/
This is the kind of thing that cures sickness, boredom, loneliness.

Resurrected happiness, enjoyment

2011-01-21T01:34:00.000-08:00

These are very good. Combined with excellent cheese. They satisfied my high-quality hot dog craving tonight when I wasn't able to get one because there are no 24-hour groceries around. And they probably wouldn't carry the type of thing I'm looking for anyway. (tho I'm sure if there was one I would probably cave.) I began to ponder the humor that lies in the existential condition of mankind, they're that good. Very happy with this product. Got em at Grocery Outlet Bargain Market to boot for $0.99. While I don't normally condone supporting businesses that don't usually contribute to the well-being of our communities, I am making an exception for G.O.B.M. until I find horrible reasons not to. They carry about-to-expire or misprinted-label items, PLUS items such as organic bamboo cutting boards for $5.99 (2-pack). I forgot to look to see if they were made with slave labor. I will do that on my next trip. Plus Ben & Jerry's for $1.39!!

Ohh booyy

2011-01-14T01:04:00.001-08:00

CHECK this OUT! Life is complete. I haven't looked at the cost of these things, but it's fun even just looking. I've wondered about this kind of thing before and haven't ever stumbled upon anything (really haven't looked too hard). Do any of you know of other cool wallpaper resources? I don't even have a place to put any (unless my mom is willing to volunteer her house to me, which won't happen). If there's one thing I love in life, it's a room smothered in neat wallpaper.

Charm Heaven

2011-01-12T14:37:00.000-08:00

A bit of town...

This past weekend we made a trip out to Whidbey Island to explore a little. Before going, we needed to find a place to stay for one night, because it's always more fun, and a better use of time when you're short on it, to wake up for breakfast in the new place. My mom had recently stayed at Anchorage Inn, a cute bed & breakfast in Coupeville. Not having stayed at a bed & breakfast since I was about 9 years old for my sister's graduation at Penn State, I am sort of hesitant of the idea. In fact, I actually REALLY like the idea of a bed & breakfast, but I'm nervous of the awkwardness between host and guest. What if I'm not in the mood for eggs? What if I don't like the breakfast? What if I sleep in until 11? I need to research these things in depth and I didn't have the time to do that for this. These customized questions veered me to search elsewhere.

It would have been awesome to stay at the state park's Ben Ure cabin for $85 a night, but you need your own "beachable human-powered watercraft" to get there, as it is located on it's own little island in Cornet Bay. Which also would have been awesome, if only I had a rowboat and a car to put it on easily accessible to me in about 30 minutes or less (the amount of time I would have wanted to spend on that). So, I called the next cheapest place which I saw somewhere for $75/night at Fort Casey Inn, in the Eagle's Nest room, which is different from their rentable houses, being just a one-roomer attached to an old, large military building (Garrison Hall), thus being cheaper. Catch = 2 night minimum. Another place I called was out of business, but she recommended two other places. One of which was Cottage on the Cove. I gave that a ring, a nice man answered and said, Yup it's okay for one night, someone is staying in it on Friday, but it's available on Saturday (tomorrow).

To wrap-up this long explanation, Cottage on the Cove is great. It's right on the beach which was one of my preferences, and walking to town is no problem, as it's on the Main Street. If you're ever looking for a getaway in Western
Washington, this is a great place. Though the town is extremely tiny, and has only a little bit more than a smidgeon to offer, neglecting to account for the beautiful scenery and it's location on Penn Cove of famed Penn Cove Shellfish, (a cute tea shop, a couple of excellent sounding restaurants with an emphasis on I'm sure very fresh seafood (Toby's Tavern for mussels and a local bar, pooltables flavor), a little natural grocer with coffee and pastries on the boardwalk, bakery & early-closing cafe, bookstore, ice-cream shop, I'll leave the rest up to you) it's very centrally located. The only criticism we came up with is, "It needs a punch of good art and hippie food," though it has some galleries and gift shops that we didn't give too much of our attention to, so it could be better than we saw.

And all you do is call Reverend Barry, give him your credit card number, be charged about $135/night with a 20% discount for 2nd and all subsequent nights, get the code for the key lockbox, arrive after 2pm and enter without seeing anyone or signing anything. This is a great feel for staying solo, for two, or the place sleeps up to 6. Comes complete with dvd player, bookshelf, and dominoes. And maybe the pistachio ice-cream we forgot in the freezer.

A few portraits of an 1899 house

2010-12-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

miss family

2010-11-29T17:43:00.000-08:00

It's so nice being pleasantly surprised by new good music. Just when you think it can be so hard to find more. (until you guys tell me about it). I ordered this CD by way of Amazon recommending it to me and it came in the mail and I am pleasantly surprised. One take from the album:

It makes me think about the sweetest, quietest voice saying, "Hello Auntie Kirsten" from 3,000 miles away and wanting the best for this child and every child. I'm quite sure I could be very late on listening to this. But enjoy, if you haven't already. I do recommend the whole album too if you like the sound of this.

This guy and gal, I will get to see soon:

Sorry for the sentimental overload.

Cookie Monster

2010-11-26T21:29:00.000-08:00

I missed this story a few weeks ago.

I hate to join the noise that is talking crap about Sarah Palin, but she has pushed me over the edge. She is going OUT OF HER WAY to keep junk food in schools. And she's charging $75,000 for it. WHY are people paying for this??! Well, I guess I know. It's because she's appealing to people who don't want government involved in their lives. People who have bought into this phrase, who are scared of "big government," that they'll be led into a socialist dictatorship or whatever and lose all the freedoms they know. COME ON PEOPLE!!! Sarah Palin is not going to save you from this thing that won't happen. She'll be sitting on her stale cupcakes for ideas wondering why she can't come up with anything smart and then she'll look down, see the chocolate Duncan Hines icing she's sitting in, wonder why she did that, ask someone who she thinks might know who will tell her, that it's so far up her butt that the lard is filling her brain cavity causing all functioning to slow down. Then Palin will try and figure out why that has happened and in the meantime, fill up on some cookies that contain more lard because she got hungry and that's all there was to eat. But no one is there to suggest she not eat the cookies to stop the lard and reverse the situation. Poor Sarah. Everyone's paying to supply her with cookies, but no one will give her something healthy. Sounds like Palin's own plan she came up with herself! But she shur does look pretty with her hair and make-up all did up!

How fun is this story?!!

mmm Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T09:49:00.000-08:00

I loved drawing and/or coloring cornucopias when I was little. Not sure why I liked large cornucopias so much. Seeing or drawing them gave me that tingle of excitement. Same as when it was a dark, rainy weekend morning and I could play Barbie's with the lamps on inside the warm house. I love remembering those things!

I thought this was a pretty cool float from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (kind of dorky):

Hope you all have a wonderful day.

always

2010-11-16T19:56:00.001-08:00

If I had to pick three people and their musical YouTube videos to have crushes on right now, they would be:

Maybe always

Not Huey Lewis

almost 10:10 of 10/10/10!

2010-11-10T19:10:00.000-08:00

i just looked at the clock and it said 10:10 so i got a little excited that it is 10:10, 10/10! But then I realized it's November. oyyy.

dumbest post in the history of all posts.

blowin in the wind cream

2010-11-08T17:12:00.000-08:00

DEAR FrENDZ,
If you haven't already had your mind blown by this culinary invention, now is the time.

C a s h e w C r e e m
recipe by jae steele (courtesy of original inventor, Caroline Dupont?)
from
(real good cookbook)

The author writes:
Caroline Dupont, my friend and author of Enlightened Eating said I could share this raw recipe with you here...

Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in enough water to cover for 4 hours or overnight
- 3/4-1 cup filtered water
- 2 tbsp maple syrup, brown rice syrup, or raw agave nectar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp sea salt

Directions
Drain the water off the soaked cashews.

Transfer drained cashews and remaining ingredients (starting with 3/4 cup water) ***my note: I've found 3/4 cup water is plenty and maybe start with even a little less for cashews soaked for 12 hours or more*** to a food processor or blender and process for about 2 minutes, until smooth, adding extra water if necessary. (not necessary for me at a 12 hour soak).

Keep in an airtight container in fridge until ready to serve. Store any leftovers in fridge for up to 3 days. Or in freezer for up to 2 months.

MAKES 1 3/4 CUPS (ENOUGH FOR 2 PIES).

Halloween

2010-10-31T15:05:00.001-07:00

UPDATE!: 1 trick-or-treater so far! I actually got kind of nervous to answer the door. He was a ... 2,3,4 trick-or-treaters! and possibly 5 as i heard a scream and then a voice from below the steps. This music might not have helped:
5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13.

--Me being a blade of grass.--

And the spooky basement that doesn't need any decorating

--These are REAL chicken feet. I thought they might just be fakes, like candle holders possibly, so I grabbed one, and it has a soft, gushy, cold-sweat feeling to it.--

morning internet education

2010-10-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nomurajelly.svg

funny photo of jellyfish next to diver to compare size. was unintentionally reading something about the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea, which then made me have to read about eutrophication and it said that the Nomura Jellyfish in Japan actually may increase in population instead of die out from eutrophication.

anyway, jellyfish are kind of beautiful. and a little scary. funny to think about them swimming around as we speak.

http://www.hodag.info/

taking pictures when i probably shouldn't

2010-09-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

which is when i'm driving. this is from chicago to the catskills in late april. i won't do it when you're my passenger.

minor life details

2010-08-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

these caught my eye, looking like hedgehogs. what do you think...

groovy

2010-07-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

2010-07-24T20:05:00.000-07:00

i've been getting radio hits stuck in my head

found some pretty nice rugs: it'd be neat to have one of them. check it.

few and far between

2010-07-23T11:52:00.001-07:00

this post is 4 months and 2 days since my last post.

now i don't know what to say.

i suppose i have nothing.

food, diet, health, farming, the nation's food system, other nation's food systems... all are still on my mind.

i want to make soap.

i like the idea of not having to report to anyone at a certain time every workday. i like the idea of working on my own, but i also like working with people that i like, doing their thing alongside me, so we can catch up and visit when we want to. i like having a coworker who does the same thing as me so we can take breaks together, is nice to talk to, is interested in similar, interesting things, is laidback, mellow, enjoyable, likes to laugh, likes to be silent, likes to discuss noteworthy and unnoteworthy things alike.--this is my current coworker. i feel lucky. strange being sentimental over a coworker.

...
agricultural research -- cosmological botany; research on herbal preparations to improve plants, soil, health; how to get lower income, lesser educated folks access to and desire for(?) whole foods.
i daydream about having a farm of my own, growing food for a good price. it's hard work i'm beginning to understand. my body is sore all the time and i'm not doing a quarter of what would need to be done.

this song popped into my mind. i'm not sure how it makes me feel.

Ingenious nacho cheese dip [no cheese involved] + something of importance

2010-03-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

I picked up this book a few weeks ago

-------------------------------

----------------------------

It's really good. Quite informative. It partially caused for the below posting to happen.

Q: Did you ever love melting Velveeta with a little milk, salt, and salsa and dipping tortilla chips in it as an after-school snack?! I did. I wouldn't do it all the time because I think I knew it was bad for me, but I don't think I thought about it too hard, and didn't really care-I was young and it was really delicious. But now, my level of caring is much higher and makes me really not want to do this. A bit of happiness may have ceased due to that practice being cut short, though my lifespan probably can't say the same (budumbum);). But I came across this "lifesaver" (yow) and I may or may not have bought this cookbook basically for this one recipe (not really, well, maybe, but there are many more good ones in it too). I couldn't believe my eyes when I read the title. Alright, less talk. Here she goes:

A: NACHO CHEESE DIP [no cheese involved-my note not the authors.]

Makes about 3 cups

--------------------------------------

-2 cups water

-1/4 cup cooked white beans, drained [I'm supposing this means any kind-cannelini, butter, navy?- I used cannelini]

-1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos or roasted red peppers, drained

-1 cup nutritional/brewer's yeast flakes

-2 tablespoons cornstarch

-1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

-1 teaspoon salt, or to taste [I found it needed more- not sure how much more I added, maybe 1/4-1 tsp]

-1/2 teaspoon onion powder

-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

-1/2 teaspoon cumin, heaping

-1/4 cup salsa or picante sauce

---------------------------------------

>Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan and whisk constantly over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Simmer, whisking constantly, at least one minute until thickened. [I found it took a while to come to a boil, so stick with it for 3-7 minutes or so].

>Serve as a dip with tortilla chips and vegetables.

VARIATIONS: Add some Mexican-style vegetarian burger crumbles, black olives, diced chiles, or pickled jalepenos to the finished dip.

ALLERGEN INFORMATION: Gluten-free, wheat-free, soy-free, nut-free. Contains corn.

I love how creative vegan cooking is!

P.S. There will be a strong temptation to try this as soon as it is ready. I will warn you, a burnt tongue may ensue. Once tried, you might possibly be surprised at how good this is!

It's 3AM

2010-03-08T01:01:00.000-08:00

I must be lonelaaaayy...
This is what I've been doing at 3AM these days:

My body clock is on a 3AM-12PM sleeping schedule. I find this really relaxing to do in bed, until my pencil's eraser acts more like a smudger and makes me frustrated. in addition to the puzzle being really hard. i have no idea how people do sudoku(sp?)/if there is a trick that makes the "beginners" puzzles not seem impossible. it seems like all the people ive ever seen with a sudoku puzzle in their grip is so joyous with smiles on their faces, skipping down the hallway, just having completed yet another one(!). no entiendo. it seems like a horrible trick, but i do find it relaxing. until my eyes are burning and there is no blood left in my right-writing-arm. right-right, that made me think of the 7th Guest and its labyrinth...did anyone ever play that computer game?! (i know im gonna get a hitload of responses on this one.)

Three C's: Change, advoca-C and normal-C

2010-02-28T14:47:00.000-08:00

POST ALERT: My small thoughts.

Sometimes I think about how much change, advocacy and normalcy there is. Some is good, some is bad. It's all very interesting.

scenario "what?"

2009-12-14T22:46:00.000-08:00

Some communicational psychotherapy analysis:

This is a scenario that I found rather interesting as it seems to capture the subtle nuances of the way people interact and how they affect each other.

In summary:

Speaker 1: "I went to the store today."

Speaker 2, somewhat inaudibly: "What?" Sounds possibly like "Why?" to Speaker 1.

Speaker 1 needs clarification: "What?" quite clearly. (Speaker 1 has been conditioned not to repeat the word that is thought is heard as that has been said to be annoying and frustrating).

Speaker 2 pauses, looks at Speaker 1, and repeats their: "What" close to the way a capitalized "WHAT" might sound like, as if it is the fault of Speaker 1 for not hearing.

Speaker 1 is upset that Speaker 2 uses a tone that sounds frustrated. He/she is in turn frustrated and additionally saddened that this simple communication set cannot go smoothly.

Once Speaker 1 has been taken aback by the reaction of Speaker 2 in repeating his/her "what," he/she causes Speaker 2 to feel as though he/she is being criticized. Speaker 2 remarks that he/she wasn't frustrated at all and becomes quite upset about feeling criticized and tells Speaker 1 that they need to change.

How can this situation be resolved?

...

recap

2009-10-07T19:44:00.001-07:00

-every town needs a cleaners. doesn't it?
-is that fly dead on my head?
-one dreadlock hanging down where it's not supposed to be.
-there's the hole i really don't want to twist my ankle in that, watch for that hole.
-i could do laundry, the laundry could be so easy to do, would be nice to get it done. could make me feel good. i will do it. turn the light on. no. i really don't feel like doing it right now! i will do it when i feel like doing it. turn the light off. yes, this is how it's good.
-i have no time to poop this morning.
-i have no time to poop because i have given in to the other needs and desires in my life. the others. and because i am on a tight schedule. a schedule with other people counting on me.
-his sweatshirt has one of those wolf and moon scenes. he is wearing white two-large-strap velcro tennis shoes.
-his laugh sounded like a turkey. just for that second.

there's still hope

2009-08-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

sometimes thoughts like these make me start to feel gross and frustrated, albeit very good that this isn't necessary:

does anyone else experience this?

but a few months ago, on a walk, these were found just off the path a little ways down a hill under leaves, pressed into the dirt with a corner exposed, next to really old tin buckets:

cool old bottles filled with dirt and dry remnants of what might be some sort of elixir? or substance? the white smells of sulfur. the metal screw-cap was so rusty and falling apart into crumbles.

note: i don't think "the city" is entirely bad. the city is actually very good, for many reasons.

reality

2009-07-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

i kind of feel like speaking about some frustrations. recently, i've been not wanting to "vent" because i don't feel like...i wrote cycling the negativity at first...but i think i'm really just scared to be negative because i'm afraid it might make me unhappy or i'll be unable to get out of being negative or...yeah, it will cause a ripple effect on other things, like not being able to enjoy the things that i usually enjoy, all by being negative. i'm sure there is a plethora of other reasons why "being negative" is something that my brain swishswashes and struggles with and i end up feeling not like myself and hating myself and feeling confused. until i accept my negativity and then i see the light and i feel positive again. (problem solved). but i AM also afraid that by speaking to people in my direct vicinty, or cycling the negativity (good kirsten, that was good, fine) that it will spread to them, and i'll never be able to forget it because i'll know that they know and then i'll be thinking about them knowing and...then it will be harder to forget. but over the past week, i think i'm starting to realize that how things are, are just changed by timepassing and there's nothing you can do to have things stay the same. well, you can, but events happen in reality that cause for a thinkingperson's emotional state to be altered. and once the emotions are altered...where do they go?

so, many things happen.

teacher has a fixed theory that some students form a clique. not altogether untrue, but, there was no malicious intention--they simply enjoyed complaining to eachother a lot. i was not a fan because it was too much complaining. about dumb stuff that didn't really matter. but now, i feel like i want to complain more because things are effecting me more. and i guess that's why i'm writing this because it feels strange to have what i was once pretty positive about, to have it be hard to deal with now and wanting to complain, but not wanting to, because i don't want to "get sucked in." confusing. there are many dynamics to this. won't explain all. or any. too hard.

anyway, i just don't like when people talk "at" you instead of "to" you. there's a difference. i also don't like when people don't consider what your activities were or what you might have been doing or thinking prior to telling you things. i also don't like when people don't leave the possibility for self-directioning or discovery, i.e. always telling you what to do, especially very obvious basic things, not even thinking that you may have been doing it right all along but just telling you the right way to do it. maybe this is all in the way these things are said. i like to leave people room to discover things for themselves. and then they find ways that work for them, while also enjoying the time.

--
i don't know about any hard and fast rules for being negative. when someone needs to talk, they need to talk. sometimes the person "being negative" just needs to be understood. there is no "insistence," just a natural feeling of talking to someone, and until feeling understood, the need to "insist" (which is a negative term to describe the situation) perhaps may not be "insistence" but rather the desire to connect. both parties hopefully have an awareness of the "complaining" or even simply the speaking of one's thoughts that's going on, and the listener can do his or her best to imagine the person's trouble and maybe indicate a sense of understanding (ha, that would indeed be nice), and the speaker can hopefully feel this sense of understanding, they can understand together, and the speaker can then stop speaking. ha, those sound like hard and fast rules. but really, imparting understanding without criticizing for length of time or insistence. come on. the faster the understanding, the quicker the end of complaining. maybe. hopefully. just having this mindset--i am opposed to negativity--it's like it creates this "ideal" of what isn't really real. and then real, genuine emotions=surpressed and no common understanding or genuine connection. hmm, maybe.

ok, bye.

i like unperfectly formed sentences and uncuteness

2009-07-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

i don't care what is right or wrong or true or false, i'm kind of tired of living under constant thought-clouds of what might considered good or bad. i kind of just like honest reactions and no formulations. anyway, what is that. thoughtthoughtthought. have a good time. don't be annoying. don't know it all. anyone, anyone. don't wanna be nice. don't wanna be mean. too much to do. maybe i'm unhappy. maybe one day i'm going to go crazy. (really). just want to sit together and not talk and know together that you're sitting together and not talking. and it doesn't matter. but then talk, talk whenever you feel like it. ehhh. maybe a fuse has gone loose. don't you worry? don't worry about the recession. anyways, be boring. i like boring. maybe i'll be embarrassed. ass of embarr. ummm, this is a funny mood. it's making my forearms tingle. i think because i've not been a free agent for the past week. walkwalkwalk. dododo. do do go, man! i've probably terrified you all. but seriously, maybe i'm bored. with a lot to do.

2009-06-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

-fruits need lots of calcium in the soil. leaf mulch is good for this, especially oak leaves.
-cabbage holds for a long time in the cooler.
-watch out for cabbage loopers and moths
-paint a mix of cow manure, finely ground silica, and something else, clay i think....on fruit trees to help with fertility and protection from pests...
-people are talking loudly, over one another right now
-no punchlines
-punchline
-plantain weed- bee stings. pick a leaf, chew it for a second to release juices and put on sting.
-johnny jump-ups-slightly spearminty, edible
-wormwood-digestion
-dog's. something--dog's mercury.-anti-bacterial
-black thorn
-mother of thousands

-phosphorous deficiency=purple turning cauliflower

-boron deficiency=hollow stems

-lace-wing moths=beneficial. eat other problematic bugs.

-fruits/perennials can get diseasy and then/so need to move around

-downey mildew=different from powdery mildew. downey is more fluffy and spotty(?). caused by cold, wet. powdery caused by hot, humid

-once summerleaf lettuce starts to point in middle, ready to go

-dill heads=use for pickling

-tip-off basil flowers and first top leaves

-comfrey and nettle tea. ferment for 2 weeks in barrel with or without water. without=need spicketed barrel to catch concentrate. with=already diluted, needs some air to get to it while fermenting but bugs will get in. comfrey=lots of potassium. nettle=water qualities, good for drought. 20:1 ratio, 20 water to 1 plant--

-foliar spray, stomata on underside of leaves, open in morning. spray foliar sprays in morning...for fungal issues spray at evening when earth breathing in to keep fungi down in soil.

-chervil-one of hardest herbs to get fresh...?

-10 more years of oil left on earth...........

-net energy yield of ethanol is quite low for the input...input 1:2 output

-solar= input 1:1,000 output

-dandelion!

-betain-accessory mineral. beets, fish, legumes. liver-cleansing. works with another compound to export toxins from body.

-beneficial wasps love umble flowers. will lay eggs on other bugs...

-mugwort=tall purple'ish flower stalks, fuzzy grey'ish green leaves.

-beets planted 2-3 per cell. 3 rows in 4' bed at 6" in-row spacing.

-romaine lettuce-3 rows, 4' bed, 12" in-row.

energyless and phone calls to make, feeling like posting some pictures, feeling alright

2009-06-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

"hello, folded mattress and stuff," ive been saying in my head for the past 4 months

sober (but not solemn) farm house evening

this view reminded me of a rococo painting. maybe, if i have my rococo right.

blahg

2009-04-29T20:29:00.001-07:00

blahblahblahblah

nice calendar.

2009-04-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

i like blizzards. i think they are fun and exciting. i don't like the idea or very great possibility of slipping off of a road. but i like driving slow and careful. this i don't mind. if i was experiencing this, i may be worried about dying, but i wouldn't be unhappy. craig drove us in a blizzard on saturday night. it was all of the above plus stress.

since being at school, i've been introduced to a publication called Stella Natura. google that sh*t if you want. !!!(i don't know why that phrase came into my mind...i think because while i was typing the first sentence i felt like i was sounding very scholarly and thus it made me think of the antithesis of scholarly. anyway, i really don't like when swearing is used unconsciously and prolifically on a very unwarranted basis. or when quoting other things. just for the record i suppose. i think it's really annoying. i think i am susceptible to being annoyed due to some current conditions. im working on that though.) anyways, the main reason for all of this are the little virtues of the month in the Stella Natura. it's a calendar and other things too. i've been wanting to post this since February but i was sitting on the little gem of wisdom it offered, noticing it. I'm doing the opposite of February's right now. but it's still really nice and applies. all the time i think.

February 2009

Virtue of the Month: discretion becomes meditative strength

Its Opposite: comment, criticism

March 2009

Virtue of the Month: magnanimity becomes love

Its Opposite: pettiness, narrowness

April 2009

Virtue of the Month: devotion becomes the force of sacrifice

Its Opposite: no concern, spring fever

mind travel

2009-03-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

mind activity is really weird. people are alive and have the possibility of thinking every second of the day. and our minds can keep talking and talking. and what do they do? what are we telling ourselves? are we thinking the same things all the time? how often does our mind break patterns or do we think new stuff?

rudolf steiner

some pictures old and new

2009-02-18T20:31:00.001-08:00

these are from a walk i took today. it was really nice because our morning meeting session was kind of cut short and became "individual project time." i don't have a very easy time just switching modes to do a completely different kind of work, in this case anyway- from what we were doing for the morning meeting session to my project which is something i really have to think about. and i really needed a break from being student robot. and i was really tired which made it harder to switch modes. i actually went back to bed first. it was so great. it's funny because Hugo was telling us last week at dinner that "project time" for last year's students he noticed always turned into what he acted out- head back and snoring. at the time of him telling this story though i didn't know if he actually said "project time" or "party time." it's pretty funny because i think it might become slightly true again.

can kinda see the rolling Wisconsin hills

i think these were some deer bones-the little half of

its hoof dangled on the hinge like it's supposed to.

not from today

change

2009-02-12T16:39:00.000-08:00

i'm living in a new place. i am attending class-like things and my day is filled from 8:00am to 8:00pm on average. there are a lot more details about that and many other things happening in my brain. so far, i do think it's what i've been needing. changes are strange. but this was necessary and i feel like i'm growing. but at the same time my brain can flip-flop and wonder what that "growing" thing really means. like it just did. i don't really know what's good for me, except for that when i say things like that i'm undermining myself and i need to stop doing that. i think i know. i mean i do know. sorry this is slightly cryptic and it's making me feel nervous (i'm making myself) so i need to relax and know that i know. i'm not sure what changes are going to happen in the future and that kind of freaks me out. katie is making pizza for me right now. we have assigned one person to each day to make dinner for everyone plus the next day's lunch. it's really nice. and kind of fun to be able to put all your energy into thinking about and making one, what i hope to be (and have had a nightmare about it not being), really good meal. i feel slightly like i'm floating through each day. this is a door i walk in and out of every day:

small thought(s)

2009-02-02T21:07:00.000-08:00

there are a lot of sensitive people.

seems like there are more insensitive ones.

maybe that was insensitive of me.

sensitive people need sensitive people.

sensitive people might be shy.

insensitives might be shy too. they just might not know it.

shyness seems like it has to be overuled by unshyness.

or maybe sensitive people might just be quieter.

quieter seems like it has to be overuled by louder.

louder usually means more.

but loud doesn't always mean unsensitive.

or does it?

sensitive and more seems like a good combination.

because it seems like sensitives can balance the more.

just might. might just.

this is late, but the person who sees this will get it

2009-01-29T19:49:00.000-08:00

i saw this a day or two after i saw your post and a couple days later i remembered to bring my camera with me

instinct dichotomy

2009-01-26T22:59:00.000-08:00

regarding our way of living: stationary stability vs. wandering mobility

lately i've been reading about hunter-gatherers and agriculture.

so there's a human instinct to roam, wander, search. embedded in our dna (actually i don't know if that's true-if it's embedded, like it's still there, or if it's in the distant past and is completely gone. or if by it being in the past-thousands of years ago-if it has any influence on us today...seems like it is-the need to get out and seek things out...) is the way of living that is of roaming, wandering and searching.

then there is the stationary, stable, secure instinct. agriculture made stability possible-abundance that is. where there were reliable returning populations of salmon, hunter-gatherers stayed, without the agriculture part. so somewhere that has been a part of us too-evolution accepted. 10,000 years ago i think was when agriculture began. i guess i should add here the question, is agricultural history the reason for our desire for stability? or did it come before then? what if we all hated stability and it was much more natural to always be moving around and traveling, owning only bare necessities, carrying one bag, constantly being in different places...weird. wack. (ali g).

i guess we can have them both today. but when do we do each one? based on our instinctual desire? how do we know when to listen to this desire? what if either one isn't that strong? but something is felt? what about others in our lives and connecting(?) ours with theirs? i should feel lucky. this question is kind of nagging at me though.

thoughts

2009-01-25T17:52:00.000-08:00

tighten the reins of your mind, we're going for a ride (adventure?)

exposed disturbances

cold chicago twilight, a couple days ago

2009-01-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

South end of Lake Michigan

more like a week or two ago...needed to get out so i went for a walk. on the way, an older gentleman in passing along the sidewalk, dressed in a warm hat and a nice coat with a veterans pin on the lapel, was carrying a clipboard and some papers. he stopped me and handed me a stapled packet of what read on the front- poetry. he said, "help out for the homeless...?" slightly confused because he didn't look homeless, i took my purse from my side and started unzipping it, saying simultaneously, "ohh, i don't have any cash with me. i'm so sorry." to which he replied, "ah, you can buy me something with your card," motioning down the street to any numerous amounts of places that i had no idea which one he was referring to. an image of me walking into a store with him, paying at the cashier and feeling incredibly awkward flashed in my head. i responded, "ah, i'm so sorry, this is not a financially prosperous time for me right now." and he said, "that's ok, love you babe."

i always walk away feeling so terrible and confused after these moments; these moments meaning they definitely happen semi-frequently, usually without the love you babe's though. i know "feeling awkward" doesn't have to be and it would just be a state of mind that i could change. but one time in the past i did some such thing and i wound up later in the evening feeling like all the other people in the store witnessing what i was doing thought i was parading in all uppity believing myself to be some sort of saint or something. i felt sort of embarrassed so i kinda decided not to do that again. but i want to help so badly. then i remember how i don't have a job and no income. i can't be giving away what i have. then of course, helping thy neighbor as thyself and giving what you can is the base voice that i believe is true. so i was thinking, what can i do? i came up with finding an organization that helps the homeless and contributing somehow through a legit source. then i wouldn't feel like i'm being ripped off or have to go through awkward situations. and later i added that i'll make little business cards with help resources for the homeless for whatever area i'm living in and keep a few in my purse.

Welp

2009-01-24T19:32:00.000-08:00

I guess tonight's gonna be the night I start a blog. I've done this in the past, and I already have a place where I write things and let people on the internet read them. But I think this'll be fun and nice. We'll see. It might drive me crazy and insane. But there are some changes coming up that I want to document so this'll kind of be for that. It seems that "blogging" is a nice way to get all of the things one's mind goes in circles, and limbs and figure 8's about, out. It also seems kinda narcissistic, but I say forget that. It might help me learn new words. It'll be nice. And perhaps therapeutic. Ayight. Here we go. No expectations, and hello to all of you. photo courtesy of: town&countrymag