The old Hopi prediction says something about when the ocean turns black, it is another sign of a major change to the human race. In one way, prophecies are very interesting because they are sign posts to watch for but in another way it doesn't matter because I live my life only controlling my little space. I have little power.
Today I will build an arbor over my blueberries. Between a rainy spring and a little better care of my bushes I have bumper crop this year. The man at Lowe's was very helpful and experienced about listen to senior aged women talk about the need for arbors over blueberry bushes, he even referred to his grandmother. I found that interesting, probable is my gray hair that made him think of her. My design is truly simple or I could not undertake it.
The strawberries this year also benefited from all the spring rain, they are unusually large and with the sun of the last few days they have sweeten up. The thing about strawberries is they multiply like a good weed, I have been all over the yard. So it pushing me to the point I may have to make jam this year. I really never thought of myself as a jam maker. I have frozen many packs of berries in the past but never got into preserving them any other way. I need to think more on that .
My garlic is probably still a month off because we have not had the heat. I am cutting the curly tops off and using them daily . Unless you are a grower you can imagine what a special treat, extra bonus these scapes are for a cook.
I have let a whole bed of kale go to seed. It is the backbone of my winter and spring greens. Many of us realize that kale is so much better to spend time growing that lettuce or other greens. My tomatoes are a month behind, their little yellow flowers are just starting to appear.
Read the other day that Victory gardens produced 40% of the food during that time period. There are laws against that now. Neighborhoods rules say that weed free lawns are the best use of land.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Bud Vases
Even as a frugal young bride I bought daffodils in the spring to brighten up my apartment. Flowers placed in vases brought in the sunshine of the outdoors, sometimes the scent.
Through the years, I have collected vases and have developed some strong opinions what makes a good holder of flowers. Size, design, height, color all service a purpose of adding or detracting from the main event of the freshly cut flowers.
During my middle years I would travel the side roads and cut from the fields, ditches or abandoned houses or properties. A famous family story is the time a man pointed a shot gun at me and told me to drop the flowers I was taking from what I thought was an empty house. It was scary and the rest of the summer I picked only from the ditches and open fields.
On my last move, I sold off many of my vases. I pictured in my mind the great evenings those vases held large bouquets for gatherings. Flowers were always the first time I arranged before starting the setting of the table or cooking the food. My flowers were the calming form of preparing for a party. No two bouquets were the same because they were made of what was available.
I tell myself I don't grow flowers at all anymore but it is not true. In my yard, I have roses, lilies, iris and some gladiolus, the last as an after thought in the corner, they were hand offs of someone. Each year I manage to plant to seeds for narcissus. I love how they trail over the edge of my vegetable beds.
Late in the afternoon yesterday, I cut some of the climbing roses from my arbor and put them in two small vases I bought back from China over 25 years ago. These little green cloisonnes vases bring back memories of that trip but also symbolize how my world has changed. I look at the smallest of these vases and think about the size of my world now, not much bigger than this yard and these tiny containers.
Through the years, I have collected vases and have developed some strong opinions what makes a good holder of flowers. Size, design, height, color all service a purpose of adding or detracting from the main event of the freshly cut flowers.
During my middle years I would travel the side roads and cut from the fields, ditches or abandoned houses or properties. A famous family story is the time a man pointed a shot gun at me and told me to drop the flowers I was taking from what I thought was an empty house. It was scary and the rest of the summer I picked only from the ditches and open fields.
On my last move, I sold off many of my vases. I pictured in my mind the great evenings those vases held large bouquets for gatherings. Flowers were always the first time I arranged before starting the setting of the table or cooking the food. My flowers were the calming form of preparing for a party. No two bouquets were the same because they were made of what was available.
I tell myself I don't grow flowers at all anymore but it is not true. In my yard, I have roses, lilies, iris and some gladiolus, the last as an after thought in the corner, they were hand offs of someone. Each year I manage to plant to seeds for narcissus. I love how they trail over the edge of my vegetable beds.
Late in the afternoon yesterday, I cut some of the climbing roses from my arbor and put them in two small vases I bought back from China over 25 years ago. These little green cloisonnes vases bring back memories of that trip but also symbolize how my world has changed. I look at the smallest of these vases and think about the size of my world now, not much bigger than this yard and these tiny containers.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Planet of Fools
A sane person have to ask, how is it that so many fools, live at this time, on earth?
The president of the US tells the country that the gulf will be made whole again and that 90% of the spill will be stopped. In what lifetime, is he talking about? Geologists I heard talk of a shelf and possible collapse of that shelf causing a tsunami.
Another story out of Russia and the EU TIMES
http://www.eutimes.net/2010/05/toxic-oil-spill-rains-warned-could-destroy-north-america/
Everywhere I turn fools are in control.
There are men sitting in Utah at a computer screen dropping missiles on village houses in Afghanistan daily. Think about the insanity of that.
As allies peel away from the forces supporting our war efforts there is an article on rich mineral deposits in the country. 1985 the Russia documented this information, now we have army advisors assisting the Afghan government about this, a government that has lived off opium and foreign aid. A world of fools play these war games and use this opium drug money.
Our supreme court has decreed that any amount of money can be spent by any corporation or union for any election in the United States. What a gathering of fools on the supreme court. Who are they protecting? Who do they service?
Those five men that head up the five largest oil companies that testified yesterday in front of congress, any one of them or all five of them will pick our next president, our congress and our local members of the Natural Department of Resources and the local board for zoning . Our vote, our elections are meaningless except for the profit of corporations.
Do those expensive suits father children? Do they have ears for song birds or eyes for marine life? Someone needs to define 'small people'--are they shorter? ---or less important? --or less money?
I realize in history there were period of imbalances but never before have human folly destroyed the earth.
The president of the US tells the country that the gulf will be made whole again and that 90% of the spill will be stopped. In what lifetime, is he talking about? Geologists I heard talk of a shelf and possible collapse of that shelf causing a tsunami.
Another story out of Russia and the EU TIMES
http://www.eutimes.net/2010/05/toxic-oil-spill-rains-warned-could-destroy-north-america/
Everywhere I turn fools are in control.
There are men sitting in Utah at a computer screen dropping missiles on village houses in Afghanistan daily. Think about the insanity of that.
As allies peel away from the forces supporting our war efforts there is an article on rich mineral deposits in the country. 1985 the Russia documented this information, now we have army advisors assisting the Afghan government about this, a government that has lived off opium and foreign aid. A world of fools play these war games and use this opium drug money.
Our supreme court has decreed that any amount of money can be spent by any corporation or union for any election in the United States. What a gathering of fools on the supreme court. Who are they protecting? Who do they service?
Those five men that head up the five largest oil companies that testified yesterday in front of congress, any one of them or all five of them will pick our next president, our congress and our local members of the Natural Department of Resources and the local board for zoning . Our vote, our elections are meaningless except for the profit of corporations.
Do those expensive suits father children? Do they have ears for song birds or eyes for marine life? Someone needs to define 'small people'--are they shorter? ---or less important? --or less money?
I realize in history there were period of imbalances but never before have human folly destroyed the earth.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Duck Fat
My garden this spring is challenging. The complaints of weather is always presence with farmers and gardeners. On the national map the weather is off every where and on the total we are not suffering as much as some regions. After winter, the spring season is the time of fulfilling all the dreams the seed catalogs have created in my head.
I continue to read blogs and books on growing one's own food. The whole issue of food traveling 1,500 miles from farm to plate is having an impact on everyones' life. The quality of nutrient in that food is less, the taste is not there and the environmental facts can not be denied. Fireflies were common when I was a child but my grandchildren lost that sight by way of all the pesticide spraying done on behalf of the industrial food producers. Fireflies, bees and canaries are all creatures telling us about our world.
In the course, of reading I found two astounding facts. The first was the story behind the decline of eating eggs. There was a shortage of fresh eggs in the mid 60's.
“When the price of eggs rose to unprecedented levels in 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered his surgeon general to decrease demand by warning his fellow Americans of the health hazards of egg consumption,” Roach writes. “The evidence against the lowly egg was at best shaky, and recent studies suggest that the health risks from eggs, if any, were greatly exaggerated. Nevertheless, millions of health-conscious Americans dutifully altered their diets, secure in their belief that eggs must be bad for one’s health. Evidently, because most physicians of the day accepted the marginal idea that eggs are worse than other foods."
Along the same time the drug industry was coming up with drug that would take care of high cholesterol.
The other practice in the kitchen that changed is even more surprising, the use of animal fat. If you have ever roasted a duck you will remember the amount of fat that is on the bottom of the pan. As this cools it is the pure white of snow. Every knowledgeable French housewife treasures this fat. My mother also did. Along with the jar of bacon fat that was keep near the stove top. Think about the centuries of different cultures around the world that cooked this basic method.
Today, most health experts tells us eating any animal fat, butter or lard is very risky. Of course, that was after corn oil, soybean oil and the drug industries figured out the change in our eating habits benefited them and the AMA went along with the new guide lines.
Imported olive oil is a treat for salad dressings but actually on a daily bases we need the nutritional values that nut and animal fats give us. The website explains it better than I can.
http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/561-know-your-fats-introduction.html
Another way of eating and supporting the food production of local people is changing the cooking oil and rethinking fresh eggs. My jar of duck fat is in the refrigerator, it is amazing how little it takes compared to any other fat for cooking and the jar lasts for months. What was traditional maybe has to be revisited.
I continue to read blogs and books on growing one's own food. The whole issue of food traveling 1,500 miles from farm to plate is having an impact on everyones' life. The quality of nutrient in that food is less, the taste is not there and the environmental facts can not be denied. Fireflies were common when I was a child but my grandchildren lost that sight by way of all the pesticide spraying done on behalf of the industrial food producers. Fireflies, bees and canaries are all creatures telling us about our world.
In the course, of reading I found two astounding facts. The first was the story behind the decline of eating eggs. There was a shortage of fresh eggs in the mid 60's.
“When the price of eggs rose to unprecedented levels in 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered his surgeon general to decrease demand by warning his fellow Americans of the health hazards of egg consumption,” Roach writes. “The evidence against the lowly egg was at best shaky, and recent studies suggest that the health risks from eggs, if any, were greatly exaggerated. Nevertheless, millions of health-conscious Americans dutifully altered their diets, secure in their belief that eggs must be bad for one’s health. Evidently, because most physicians of the day accepted the marginal idea that eggs are worse than other foods."
Along the same time the drug industry was coming up with drug that would take care of high cholesterol.
The other practice in the kitchen that changed is even more surprising, the use of animal fat. If you have ever roasted a duck you will remember the amount of fat that is on the bottom of the pan. As this cools it is the pure white of snow. Every knowledgeable French housewife treasures this fat. My mother also did. Along with the jar of bacon fat that was keep near the stove top. Think about the centuries of different cultures around the world that cooked this basic method.
Today, most health experts tells us eating any animal fat, butter or lard is very risky. Of course, that was after corn oil, soybean oil and the drug industries figured out the change in our eating habits benefited them and the AMA went along with the new guide lines.
Imported olive oil is a treat for salad dressings but actually on a daily bases we need the nutritional values that nut and animal fats give us. The website explains it better than I can.
http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/561-know-your-fats-introduction.html
Another way of eating and supporting the food production of local people is changing the cooking oil and rethinking fresh eggs. My jar of duck fat is in the refrigerator, it is amazing how little it takes compared to any other fat for cooking and the jar lasts for months. What was traditional maybe has to be revisited.
Monday, June 14, 2010
The #15
While my two granddaughters from afar were visiting the last ten days I told them about the magic of the number 15. The two ways that I know about that number.
All children love to talk about farts, it is an instant laugh, particularly among boys. The subject is not discussed in polite company for many reasons. It is experienced by everyone and children know of it's secret existence and this lack of acknowledgement.
It is not every grandmother that tells the secret but human beings fart on the average of 15 times a day and it is important to spread this common wisdom and learn the polite ways of dealing with the noisy ones. My granddaughters stared in amazement as I was explaining these bits of lore. Information of this type are not often shared by parents because they are dealing with the big subjects of survival and cleanliness.
The other way that the number 15 is part of each life is in the return of random acts of kindness. With the changes in society where our best friends are on the screen of the computer, the blackberry or the end of a phone number, it is easy to forget about empathy. It is said to be a characteristic lacking in people under 30 today. How can a child develop understanding or intimate feeling of other's emotions when they are not in the presence of their closest relationships. Pity, compassion and empathy are outside of one's self interest and it have to be developed early on in life. My story of 15 comes to play with this thought.
Any act of kindness is returned 15 times and because of this law of human beings we must be looking for chances to act out opportunities of empathy and helpfulness. This belief of spreading benevolence is very closely tied to the number 15 I have observed, I told my granddaughters. I encouraged them to make notes of this affect in their own lives and practice keeping the number 15 in mind. One of them immediately reminded me that she was born on the 15th. Another reason this number is special!
All children love to talk about farts, it is an instant laugh, particularly among boys. The subject is not discussed in polite company for many reasons. It is experienced by everyone and children know of it's secret existence and this lack of acknowledgement.
It is not every grandmother that tells the secret but human beings fart on the average of 15 times a day and it is important to spread this common wisdom and learn the polite ways of dealing with the noisy ones. My granddaughters stared in amazement as I was explaining these bits of lore. Information of this type are not often shared by parents because they are dealing with the big subjects of survival and cleanliness.
The other way that the number 15 is part of each life is in the return of random acts of kindness. With the changes in society where our best friends are on the screen of the computer, the blackberry or the end of a phone number, it is easy to forget about empathy. It is said to be a characteristic lacking in people under 30 today. How can a child develop understanding or intimate feeling of other's emotions when they are not in the presence of their closest relationships. Pity, compassion and empathy are outside of one's self interest and it have to be developed early on in life. My story of 15 comes to play with this thought.
Any act of kindness is returned 15 times and because of this law of human beings we must be looking for chances to act out opportunities of empathy and helpfulness. This belief of spreading benevolence is very closely tied to the number 15 I have observed, I told my granddaughters. I encouraged them to make notes of this affect in their own lives and practice keeping the number 15 in mind. One of them immediately reminded me that she was born on the 15th. Another reason this number is special!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Wounded Earth
There was a popular item about ten years ago called a gratitude journal. Humble idea to exam one's life each day and write about something to be grateful about. Sunny day, the freedom to travel, realization of warmth of a friend are all the simple but wonderful ideas for this journal. In a way, it is a simplistic idea but it forced the writer to think about the day, to appreciate, to feel with the heart and think with the soul, to experience a moment of meditation.
Even today, as we realize the hardships of unemployment, the endless Pentagon war machine and the tragedy of the gulf I sense some life is going without a view of the world, without an acknowledgement of empathy. Where is the outrage? Where is the understanding that the earth is seriously wounded and corporations must change for the survival of human, animal and plant life?
A study recently stated that the more wealthy an individual was the less able to appreciate the taste of chocolate, the wonder of a water falls or the beauty of music. It is assumed that the scarcity of an item puts value on it. Maybe MR. BP knows that he can go to a different home in the North Sea, or Hawaii or Southampton, he doesn't have to look at the oil off shore and remember it as before, smell it, taste in his drinking water or experience health problems or lose his family business. This period of time is annoying but not forever for a man of BP wealth.
A gratitude journal in today's world could only be focused on the personal only because the world at large is lacking in ethics, empathy or consequence. Where has the collective consciousness of this nation or corporate world gone?
Even today, as we realize the hardships of unemployment, the endless Pentagon war machine and the tragedy of the gulf I sense some life is going without a view of the world, without an acknowledgement of empathy. Where is the outrage? Where is the understanding that the earth is seriously wounded and corporations must change for the survival of human, animal and plant life?
A study recently stated that the more wealthy an individual was the less able to appreciate the taste of chocolate, the wonder of a water falls or the beauty of music. It is assumed that the scarcity of an item puts value on it. Maybe MR. BP knows that he can go to a different home in the North Sea, or Hawaii or Southampton, he doesn't have to look at the oil off shore and remember it as before, smell it, taste in his drinking water or experience health problems or lose his family business. This period of time is annoying but not forever for a man of BP wealth.
A gratitude journal in today's world could only be focused on the personal only because the world at large is lacking in ethics, empathy or consequence. Where has the collective consciousness of this nation or corporate world gone?
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Gems from the news
"Talent is God given; be humble.
Fame is man given; be thankful.
Conceit is self given; be careful
Ability is a poor man's wealth"
All truisms of John Wooden. Wisdom can come though the newspaper and no matter what field a person works in. Saints walk among us in plain clothes and angels are everywhere.
The news out of the gulf is changing our society and maybe the tragedy has to be this enormous so our culture understand.
Our way of connecting to each other, environment or the earth will not be the same after this summer. It is a fast movie version of showing our ability to destroy our nest. The earth will recover even is it takes a million year, it is the short life of the current generations that will be killed off, people and animal life.
"I would like this over and to get my life back." That statement from the CEO explained the whole problem. His lack of ability to see beyond his self interest and the complete lack of empathy for the people in the region or the life of the sea.
The lack of empathy for others is the disease or illness of our times. It is all over the political scene, the driver of the economic model and the righteousness of organized, religious power structures of today.
Some thinkers has said people will enter a golden age soon, the gold will be as a compassionate sort but the metal. The flexible will make it to survive, the rigid will have a difficult time.
I look forward to a simpler world.
Fame is man given; be thankful.
Conceit is self given; be careful
Ability is a poor man's wealth"
All truisms of John Wooden. Wisdom can come though the newspaper and no matter what field a person works in. Saints walk among us in plain clothes and angels are everywhere.
The news out of the gulf is changing our society and maybe the tragedy has to be this enormous so our culture understand.
Our way of connecting to each other, environment or the earth will not be the same after this summer. It is a fast movie version of showing our ability to destroy our nest. The earth will recover even is it takes a million year, it is the short life of the current generations that will be killed off, people and animal life.
"I would like this over and to get my life back." That statement from the CEO explained the whole problem. His lack of ability to see beyond his self interest and the complete lack of empathy for the people in the region or the life of the sea.
The lack of empathy for others is the disease or illness of our times. It is all over the political scene, the driver of the economic model and the righteousness of organized, religious power structures of today.
Some thinkers has said people will enter a golden age soon, the gold will be as a compassionate sort but the metal. The flexible will make it to survive, the rigid will have a difficult time.
I look forward to a simpler world.
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