Are bugs really "bad"? Are unwelcome plants really "weeds"? Are opportunistic plants really "invasive"?
I am reading an EXCELLENT book entitled Invasive Plant Medicine by Timothy Lee Scott which is challenging my preconceptions about so-called invasive or non-native plant species. As I study some of the world's least appreciated plants otherwise known as "weeds," concentrating initially on their medicinal uses, I have noticed in my own understanding a change of direction.
Just as many people, I was raised with a non-specific belief that all bacteria were bad. It went something like this..."bacteria are GERMS, GERMS are bad because they cause disease, and to kill germs is GOOD because to do so is to kill disease!" And then the pairing of the idea of soap and antibacterials were akin to being really really CLEAN. And of course, clean is good! So went the rationale of my childhood and early adulthood.
And so went the assumptions of most everyone I know who has never learned the full story of bacteria, that without bacteria there would be no life. To eradicate all life, of course, eradicates bad "germs" but also eradicates all the others as well.
This germ theory is the basis of much of modern western medicine, though perhaps the general public is becoming a bit more educated as our assumptions have oftentimes failed us.
I won't make this post about the germ theory of medicine, good gut bacteria, anti-vaccines, and so on. But I'm saying all this to demonstrate my own change of direction in these areas. As my awareness of the world of bacteria changed (I'm all about vitality and encouraging the "good" bacteria and flora), my mindset changed about things such as insects considered "pests" and plants considered "weeds." I am, in fact, rather in love with the weedier of plants after discovering they are the heros of our plant world, staunchly surviving our attempts at eradication and yet continuing to offer to us their (often unsung or unrealized) benefits. If anyone begins to study plant medicine, especially herbalism, they soon find that these little tough survivors are rather our allies instead of being our adversaries. Not only are they best suited for improving human health (as opposed to synthetics or components divorced from their herbal whole), but they are also fantastic soil cleaners and nutrient restorers. I HIGHLY recommend the aforementioned book. I am in the process of reading and rereading it.
I just today found a very good article via Facebook contrasting the proliferation and actions of so-called "pest" insects when existing in a diverse food-forest style planting versus a managed planting lacking natural diversity (in this case, a hydroponic planting). I'm not posting this to refute anyone's chosen style or type of planting, but rather to urge us to rethink terms such as Pest and Weed. When I see insects on our plants any more, I don't cringe. I wonder if there is some imbalance making that plant susceptible. Something in me just KNOWS, some sort of wisdom or reluctance, I guess, buried under those years of "Kill it!" responses to bacteria and bugs.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this article called Food Forests and Natural Pest Control, by Angelo Eliades. I'd love to hear your thoughts after reading!
Monday, May 20, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Of Car Repairs and Culvert Dreams
I can hardly believe how time flies!
Where did the first part of this year go??
A little Land update, before the month's gone...
I had secretly hoped nothing would require funds by this point of the year, and that we would be in the thick of fencing the property. We have two sets of end posts up, the perimeter has been cleared (yet needs widening, oops!), and some clearing has been done along the front ditch.
Long before now, the culvert was scheduled (in our flexible mental checklist) to be installed, which includes scraping more of the ditch, transporting equipment and the actual culvert itself, digging fill dirt from somewhere on the property (or ordering some shell from a nearby company) and getting it all positioned just right and filled over properly. Initially, the estimates of all that came in looking much lower than they do now. I'm not sure if it's because the prices have gone up or if we simply didn't tally the ACTUAL costs, all of them, before when doing our mental tally. It turns out the long distance to and from rental sites to the Land do cost quite a bit in delivery. We don't have vehicles and trailers to haul heavy equipment. Other equipment that's not so heavy we still lack much of and are at the point of having to decide whether to purchase or rent...not an easy decision either way.
There is also the issue of overnight security for things parked on the Land. We are not there to watch it overnight (yet) and as yet there is no fence and so on. Opportunistic or just plain destructive individuals are known to take advantage of vacant sites out in the hinterlands, and it's just not wise to park equipment out there on trust alone.
None of this is a complaint, it's a reality.
Instead of hoping we get the whole fence perimeter done this summer, the first thing I really want done is the culvert and entry. That, to me, will FEEL like progress!
On Thursday Jack and I were headed in the truck to run errands when the truck began behaving badly. The AC was not cooling, then it jerked as if gasoline were not being delivered adequately when accelerating, and then I smelled a smell. One look at the gauges showed the hot and cool gauge registering the hottest temp, so we pulled right over into a service station, at which point steam was billowing from under the front hood. A hose had completely disconnected from something important (see? I'm a real mechanic! ha) All I could see was dollar signs swimming before my eyes...
and so on. After all was said and done...(until The Big Fix in a few days??)...a hose was routed temporarily to Something until this and that hoses and gadgets can be cleaned and replaced and such in a few days. More dollar signs.
I swear, will we EVER stop having repairs in time to do something else important at the Land??
Add that to the necessary brake repairs already queued up to do.
I'm still at 2 workdays a week due to the knee. In June I hope to add another day per week. I am THANKFUL for any days I can work!! I am restless to make forward progress and stop this backward slide.
Until we are situated on site on the Land, we have to use our vehicles for very long commutes, which means constant maintenance and repairs and means gasoline expense. When we are on site for the long term, we HOPE this will mean we gain (or recover)... by losing the need for those expenses. It seems illogical to us to try to maintain this hamster-wheel cycle, which is one reason to press forward in the timing of trying to be ON the Land as soon as possible.
This is our learning curve about transitions. We've had some transitions and relocations in the past that were immediate and very hurried, even moving states away. THIS transition has been over YEARS, if we count the two properties we owned for a few years but were never able to gain access to....until we sold them and bought this property that does have access and is closer at hand... and so many factors are different now, which is why it is more deliberate and much slower than we would like. But it is what it is.
What's growing where you are? What changes do you hope to see this summer in your homeplace?
Saturday, May 11, 2013
A Passing, and Update
When I first began writing this blog, I took more time to write about the individual events of my life. Now, not so much.
Sometimes I feel it would be redundant. Sometimes life happens very quickly shotgun-style and there are too many fractured and unrelated happenings to make much sense. Or else I'm already glad they're behind me and am ready to just put them to bed rather than to further their existence a moment longer on the written page.
:-)
Maybe the blog will limp along as nothing more than a series of nonsensical updates, but it is what it is (I say that phrase a lot these days), as is life right now.
Yeah, I'm still smiling. And, it would appear, settling for the occasional rambling update here. So here goes...
1. I saw someone die. It was one of my clients whose body had been fighting every which-a-way to thwart her good nature and desire to be active and fully-engaged in life's daily activities. I'm not ready to write about her in detail yet. I still miss her too much and I'm only now beginning to recover from the upside down schedule of the last two weeks as much of that time was spent revolving around her final hospital stay and the diplomacy necessary to keep things calm as distant family descended.
I'm appalled at how there seem to be few compunctions on the part of greedy relatives when they sense an older relative is vulnerable and dying. I feel so strongly opposed to the ugliness of that sort of thing that it WORE ME OUT to maintain a professional demeanor in the midst of it.
It was a privilege to be able to be the one person at my client's bedside when she died, and thankfully it was entirely a peaceful passage for her. I think the only way I can describe it now that it's been a few days is to say it was a sacred moment. I've been her caregiver for over 14 months, regularly, usually for 10 hours a day. That's more time together than most married couples have. I do miss her. I'm still ...I don't know...adjusting. And missing her. I think that will be the case for quite a while.
2. After having sat vigil on nights I was not scheduled to work, I have made the decision that no matter how bad my knee is, if I have any other options I will choose to NOT work nights. I had thought about seeing if I might change from days to night work, but it throws all the other days off for me. I have to have daylight. My body just doesn't adapt to changing back and forth any more.
3. Patience, patience. Not exactly my strong suit! We thought we would go ahead and get the next step going at the Land. We have a list of what needs to get done and which things are bigger projects that must be planned for and saved for. Life has a way of interjecting a few odds and ends in there to slow down the process at times. The latest delay tactic Life employed was my car needing to have a fuel line replaced and some sort of crucial ring thingies replaced. Sort of car CPR, must be done now, to wait another day would be disastrous, and all that. So there went the Most Recent Land Project Money, carefully hoarded, and now my work schedule's down to almost nonexistent due to my lovely knee issue. If I thought pulling my hair out might help anything, I'd do it. Pppptttthhhhhhhhhtttttttt.
4. Everything has its trade-off. I dearly love being home, and clearly I've not been home much in the past year, judging from the nice frosting of dust that's needing to be excavated. Boy, do I need to deep clean. Tackling so major re-organizing in small increments has helped my need to make some forward momentum. I just can't think about how slowly this momentum is compared to past years when I'd have it all done in a day or two. Whatever. I'm able to pay more attention to stretching our food dollars with better homemade meals and putting reserves into the freezer. Nevermind that I have to lay about with the leg up unless I want to gimp around till kingdom come. If I don't rest enough, the inflammation renders the ol' knee painful and useless, so the rest is not optional at this point. And again I try to gracefully learn patience. The P word. P!@#$%tience. :-)
5. I adore my husband. And my daughter. I remain GRATEFUL to God for His goodness!!
6. I need to get back to studying my herbal curriculum and doing the lessons. I feel like I'm in slowwww motionnnn.
7. It's spring and outdoors it's bursting with birdsong and green growing things. The baby plum trees must have started some pollinating ju-ju last fall because one of the trees has a few baby plums. Too young to have a real crop. I'm reminded of the command in the Torah of waiting 4 years before harvesting from a tree. I'll have to look it up, but it's in that range. These plums will be for the birds. I wonder if they can be transplanted or if they'd die if we tried moving them to the Land.
8. Jack has embraced the Hugelkultur thing. He digs what looks for all the world like a long shallow grave and then layers trunks and branches of the moringas and the loquat tree trimmings into the trench. He dumps our "compost" scraps (the lazy man's compost, I suppose you'd call it) and now we have two calabaza plants volunteering from the midst of the Not Yet Covered With Soil Hugelkultur bed. It still needs to be covered with soil. We do NOT sod ours over, however, because down here if ANY Bermuda grass takes hold, it's so invasive it chokes out all other plants and you'll never evvvverrrrrr get it all the way eradicated withing nuking it with pesticides, which we won't do. So we compose a shallow grave for tree debris, in the meantime. Otherwise known as the Likely To Become Snake Pit. I hope it gets covered with soil soon. I shudder to think of what creeps among those limbs and stuff.
9. Kaleb has had his yearly embarrassing haircut. We're too cheap to take him to a groomer for lo unto 90 bucks or so, so he gets the Scissor job once or twice a year. Whenever his double coat and the weed seeds align with the planets and turn him into a walking poster dog for matted hair removal. He and his truly bad haircut have insured that he is happy happy happy, much cooler as the heat amps up outside, and he has also been scrubbed clean within an inch of his privileged doggie life. I realize I am the queen of the most horrible run-on and grammatically-errant sentences. Ppppphhhhhhtttthhhhhhttt.
10. I continue to get craiglist spam on that sole canning jar Want Ad. HOWEVER, there was one legitimate woman who contacted me. She had canning jars and other stuff. We met and she had other things she threw into the mix for the same price. It was remarkable...a set of dishes from the 1940's, a food mill, meat grinder, and few other things. She also hand wrote two pickle recipes she used to use when she lived in Lancaster county, PA and was a Mennonite wife. We talked and talked as if we'd known each other for years. That was such fun!! And tonight I set a pretty table and pulled out the old dishes for shabbat...I think those are now our official "shabbat dishes"...just right!
11. There are still more things on my To Do list than things that actually get done. But I get to be home and with my husband a LOT more than I used to, so the happiness-O-meter around here reads pretty darn high :-)
What's going on in your neck of the woods? Is everyone planting already?
Sometimes I feel it would be redundant. Sometimes life happens very quickly shotgun-style and there are too many fractured and unrelated happenings to make much sense. Or else I'm already glad they're behind me and am ready to just put them to bed rather than to further their existence a moment longer on the written page.
:-)
Maybe the blog will limp along as nothing more than a series of nonsensical updates, but it is what it is (I say that phrase a lot these days), as is life right now.
Yeah, I'm still smiling. And, it would appear, settling for the occasional rambling update here. So here goes...
1. I saw someone die. It was one of my clients whose body had been fighting every which-a-way to thwart her good nature and desire to be active and fully-engaged in life's daily activities. I'm not ready to write about her in detail yet. I still miss her too much and I'm only now beginning to recover from the upside down schedule of the last two weeks as much of that time was spent revolving around her final hospital stay and the diplomacy necessary to keep things calm as distant family descended.
I'm appalled at how there seem to be few compunctions on the part of greedy relatives when they sense an older relative is vulnerable and dying. I feel so strongly opposed to the ugliness of that sort of thing that it WORE ME OUT to maintain a professional demeanor in the midst of it.
It was a privilege to be able to be the one person at my client's bedside when she died, and thankfully it was entirely a peaceful passage for her. I think the only way I can describe it now that it's been a few days is to say it was a sacred moment. I've been her caregiver for over 14 months, regularly, usually for 10 hours a day. That's more time together than most married couples have. I do miss her. I'm still ...I don't know...adjusting. And missing her. I think that will be the case for quite a while.
2. After having sat vigil on nights I was not scheduled to work, I have made the decision that no matter how bad my knee is, if I have any other options I will choose to NOT work nights. I had thought about seeing if I might change from days to night work, but it throws all the other days off for me. I have to have daylight. My body just doesn't adapt to changing back and forth any more.
3. Patience, patience. Not exactly my strong suit! We thought we would go ahead and get the next step going at the Land. We have a list of what needs to get done and which things are bigger projects that must be planned for and saved for. Life has a way of interjecting a few odds and ends in there to slow down the process at times. The latest delay tactic Life employed was my car needing to have a fuel line replaced and some sort of crucial ring thingies replaced. Sort of car CPR, must be done now, to wait another day would be disastrous, and all that. So there went the Most Recent Land Project Money, carefully hoarded, and now my work schedule's down to almost nonexistent due to my lovely knee issue. If I thought pulling my hair out might help anything, I'd do it. Pppptttthhhhhhhhhtttttttt.
4. Everything has its trade-off. I dearly love being home, and clearly I've not been home much in the past year, judging from the nice frosting of dust that's needing to be excavated. Boy, do I need to deep clean. Tackling so major re-organizing in small increments has helped my need to make some forward momentum. I just can't think about how slowly this momentum is compared to past years when I'd have it all done in a day or two. Whatever. I'm able to pay more attention to stretching our food dollars with better homemade meals and putting reserves into the freezer. Nevermind that I have to lay about with the leg up unless I want to gimp around till kingdom come. If I don't rest enough, the inflammation renders the ol' knee painful and useless, so the rest is not optional at this point. And again I try to gracefully learn patience. The P word. P!@#$%tience. :-)
5. I adore my husband. And my daughter. I remain GRATEFUL to God for His goodness!!
6. I need to get back to studying my herbal curriculum and doing the lessons. I feel like I'm in slowwww motionnnn.
7. It's spring and outdoors it's bursting with birdsong and green growing things. The baby plum trees must have started some pollinating ju-ju last fall because one of the trees has a few baby plums. Too young to have a real crop. I'm reminded of the command in the Torah of waiting 4 years before harvesting from a tree. I'll have to look it up, but it's in that range. These plums will be for the birds. I wonder if they can be transplanted or if they'd die if we tried moving them to the Land.
8. Jack has embraced the Hugelkultur thing. He digs what looks for all the world like a long shallow grave and then layers trunks and branches of the moringas and the loquat tree trimmings into the trench. He dumps our "compost" scraps (the lazy man's compost, I suppose you'd call it) and now we have two calabaza plants volunteering from the midst of the Not Yet Covered With Soil Hugelkultur bed. It still needs to be covered with soil. We do NOT sod ours over, however, because down here if ANY Bermuda grass takes hold, it's so invasive it chokes out all other plants and you'll never evvvverrrrrr get it all the way eradicated withing nuking it with pesticides, which we won't do. So we compose a shallow grave for tree debris, in the meantime. Otherwise known as the Likely To Become Snake Pit. I hope it gets covered with soil soon. I shudder to think of what creeps among those limbs and stuff.
9. Kaleb has had his yearly embarrassing haircut. We're too cheap to take him to a groomer for lo unto 90 bucks or so, so he gets the Scissor job once or twice a year. Whenever his double coat and the weed seeds align with the planets and turn him into a walking poster dog for matted hair removal. He and his truly bad haircut have insured that he is happy happy happy, much cooler as the heat amps up outside, and he has also been scrubbed clean within an inch of his privileged doggie life. I realize I am the queen of the most horrible run-on and grammatically-errant sentences. Ppppphhhhhhtttthhhhhhttt.
10. I continue to get craiglist spam on that sole canning jar Want Ad. HOWEVER, there was one legitimate woman who contacted me. She had canning jars and other stuff. We met and she had other things she threw into the mix for the same price. It was remarkable...a set of dishes from the 1940's, a food mill, meat grinder, and few other things. She also hand wrote two pickle recipes she used to use when she lived in Lancaster county, PA and was a Mennonite wife. We talked and talked as if we'd known each other for years. That was such fun!! And tonight I set a pretty table and pulled out the old dishes for shabbat...I think those are now our official "shabbat dishes"...just right!
11. There are still more things on my To Do list than things that actually get done. But I get to be home and with my husband a LOT more than I used to, so the happiness-O-meter around here reads pretty darn high :-)
What's going on in your neck of the woods? Is everyone planting already?
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Craigslist and Canning Jars, Actual Responses
Having read some other folks' glowing reports of posting want ads on Craigslist and of their being bestowed with a bounty of canning equipment, I tried my hand at it for the first time. I've browsed Craigslist before, and we found a buyer for a past vehicle of ours that way, but I've never submitted a want ad.
Here's pretty much what my posting said, and these are the exact wordings of the actual emails I received in reply today. Craigslist has been a fulfilling experience in every way so far. Here's how our ad read:
-------------------------------------------
I am looking for inexpensive or free canning supplies for home
canning, especially canning jars and a pressure canner. I am not a
professional -- I just need to feed my family affordably and want to do
like my grandmothers did and put away some food throughout the year. I
can be contacted via email, thank you! :-) (craigslist email hyperlink) --------------------------------------------
I had no idea how provocative I am in print! I mean, I guess the Need Canning Supplies tagline is the ultimate Craigslist pheromone, and I am the jar-less naughty Nannette of the Florida swampland.
I am greatly honored to have been contacted by these notables who took time from their busy schedules to drop me a quick Craigslist line. (Please note how subject-appropriate are there responses to "Need Canning Supplies"). Without further ado, the email responses to my want ad:
---------------------------------------------- Sender: Mathis Smyre Message: (hyperlink deleted) -- you can reach me. No fakes keep that in mind. -----------------------------------------------
The scrupulous Ms. Smyre prefers the minimalist approach to parting with her used canning jars and will conscience no fakes. No fake what? Is Ms. Smyre referring to fakes as in fake parts? I can't afford a knee replacement yet and I have acquired no other fake parts to date, not even the snazzy cosmetic sorts. Yet.
Let's see what else is in the In Box.
------------------------------------------------- Sender: Vars Cabana Message: I'm intrigued in you and your ad. I need to find out more and was
wondering if you could call/text me with where you live? Please get hold
of my cell phone # on my private page, you have to signup first but no
lies there's no charge. This way I am protecting my private information,
I have cash set aside already. I just need to ask you something over
the phone and check this is not a scam. Thanks! (hyperlink deleted) -Sent via my iPhone -------------------------------------------------------------
This sender's name indicates he/she is most likely Swedish (Vars) and is checking the most important Canning Jar listings while throwing back a few fruity drinks at a tiki bar (Cabana). He/she is intrigued with the idea of my needing canning jars. It appears urgent that I immediately call or text V.C. to tell him/her the exact location of my private house so that he/she can GoogleEarth me in zero point six seconds to find out exactly where the Canning Supply Deficient Zone is. To make sure I don't consider his/her invitation to share my private location too forward, I am invited to look for V.C.'s cell phone number after accessing a private page, signing up (oh goody, does the page need my social security number, I hope??) The requirement seems to be that I am not allowed to lie. And there's no charge!! See, there IS a reward for honesty!! V.C. is thereby protecting his/her private information, because you KNOW that when some people ask for canning jars they really want canning jars AND a full rundown of the seller's medical history/offshore bank account numbers/names of children and what schools in which they're enrolled! Gosh, I guess I'll have to settle for just canning jars. Sigh. I am buoyed from wallowing in despair at this apparent setback by V.C.'s assurance that he/she has cash set aside already! Wow...canning jars AND cash!! V.C. just needs to ask me something over the telephone and make sure I'm not scamming him/her. I wonder is there's a secret password or phrase I'll be given ahead of time so when we talk by phone, I can say "the eagle flies by night" and those canning jars will be ALL MINE!! Oh, goody!!!
But just in case this golden opportunity doesn't pan out, there's the next email: --------------------------------------------------------- Sender: Margosian Klawitter Message: Check this out if you're legit and go through my direction. My pix and
cell phone # are
uploaded on my non-public profile so if you like what you see then
obtain my # and text/call me asap. This is the ONLY way to seperate
pyschos and to double check you're a good guy
especailly since I want to host at my home. Im not a bot so stop
doubting me. If you think I am not real then move on. Im a sexual girl
in bedroom so want to tell you over the phone what I am looking for in a
guy rather than wasting my time and typing here. I just hope you are
the real deal too! xoxo
(deleted hyperlink) -Sent via my iPad ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You had me at Klawitter. I had to Google it. Under "A Brief History of Klawitter" I read that the name dates back to 1590 when the king of Poland granted an area of land to a man with that surname. And the name Margosian is an Armenian patronym. So obviously M.K. is a male Armenian Pole. Or a male Polish Armenian. Who obviously wants to sell me some canning jars, hooray!! So the message goes on to instruct that if I am "legit" I will "go "through (his) direction." What direction is Armenia from Florida? Or would that be Poland? Well, let's not get bogged down in details yet. He goes on to tell me I can upload his cellphone number on his (squee!) NON-public profile so if I LIKE WHAT I SEE I can text or call him ASAP! Wow, I have to say this is very accommodating. It's not just everyone who would give me private access to a non-public profile for the purpose of downloading some rocking pics of a private canning jar stash!!! My cup overflows!! OK, Margosian goes on to say it is the only way to separate psychos and see if I'm a good guy since he wants to host at his home. (I don't recommend separating psychos. Kind of like I don't recommend separating dogs in a dog fight. But I digress.) Host what?? Wait, I know...A canning party!! It's a canning party, folks!! And of course, psychos are NOT welcome at canning parties (I always find they put a damper on things). He says he is "not a bot." I was not sure what this meant, so I looked it up. A bot is the larva of the bot fly, an internal parasite to some farm animals. Margosian, buck up, man. Of course you're not a bot! You'll hit your stride at the canning party and realize you shouldn't demean yourself with unfavorable comparisons with fly larvae. But then we get to the disappointing part. Oh dear. Margosian is not a guy, she is a girl, probably under age and putting on too much eyeliner and lip gloss and typing on her Mom's IPad while her mom is fixing dinner (or canning!) and she is typing inappropriate things unbefitting a Canning Jar Responder. Real deal? That's exactly what I'm looking for and don't seem to be making a lot of headway on...
But wait, perhaps one Klawitter is not like another! Perhaps my Craigslist canning jar acquirement aspirations are not in vain...
The next email: ----------------------------------------------- Sender: Holmes Klawitter Message: Read this if you are legit and go thru my direction. My photos and cell
phone # are
placed on my private profile so if you take delight in what you see then
find my # and text/call me today. This is the ONLY way to prevent
pyschos and to make sure you're a good man
precisely since I want to host at my place. I am not a phony so stop
questioning me. If you think I'm not real then leave me alone. Im a
kinky chick in bedroom so rather tell you over the phone what I am
trying to find in a man rather than wasting my time and typing here. I
just hope you're the real deal too! xoxo
---------------------------------------------------------- Evidently Margosian (see former email) has...a brother, Holmes?? (Holmes, you should have a talk with your sister, she's derailing and in need of some good 4-H classes) These siblings' writings styles are either nearly identical or one of them lacks in the originality department. Same instructions as the Margosian email, right down to the hosting the (canning??) party. Holmes seems concerned that I not believe him to be a phony, too, and I am to stop questioning him. What? What if I need to ask you if the canning jars are perfect or chipped? What if I need to know if they are pints, quarts, or half gallon? What about if they're Mason, Ball, or Kerr?? OK, OK, I'll stop. Anything for canning jars. He encourages me to only proceed on my canning jar quest with him if I think he is real. If not, then leave him alone. Elementary, my dear Holmes. I will have to focus, to deep breathe, to find my focal point and remember some of that Lamaze training. I will have to suppress all my questions and reserve them for only those fleeting moments of pure crystalline canning jar enlightenment tainted with no doubts about your authenticity and sparkling with glittering rainbows and little pink dancing grass-fed unicorns!! Done. Call Oprah.
I find the next sentence rather confusing. You are a kinky chick in the bedroom?? I have no idea how baby chickens got into this conversation, nor bedrooms. I don't care what poultry you prefer or where you keep your Rhode Island Reds, but I am a bit uncomfortable with the mention that you only are interested in selling canning jars to men and that anything else is a waste of your time. Obviously you and your sister have some issues to resolve before you respond to any more Craigslist ads. And chickens free-ranging in the bedroom, not the best idea, but you'll probably find that out soon enough.
Ah well.
One final email in the Inbox. Let's not give up yet...I'm no easy quitter. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sender: Tarka Lovensheimer Message: We are near to one another so why not meet up for
alcoholic beverages in near future? I'm
aware this is for sales but I could not
withstand it, you sound incredible. Could we chitchat immediately, I
have used this site prior and it's actually good - I was hoping we could
get over there and find out
each other much better! ;) I have already uploaded
confidential photos for you, all you have to do is sign up (do not
worry, there's no cost). I will message you as soon as I see you
sign on. I promise you will NOT be unsatisfied! (deleted hyperlink) -Sent via my IPad --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tarka! I had to look your name up, too, and in Sanskrit it means Argument, but if you have some canning jars available, you'll get no argument from me! Are we actually near each other? If your name is Sanskrit I might have wrongly assumed you were on the Asian continent nearer India or Pakistan. But it's amazing we're nearby!
How did that happen? Are you the person in that car that keeps driving by my house at odd hours? Gosh, well why didn't you just say so. You know, don't be a stranger, stranger!
I appreciate the offer of meeting for drinks, but most of the time I'm just good for a good tall glass of strong iced tea. It's the Southern in me (U.S., not Eurasia). Tell you what, Jack and I will talk about where we can get the best glass of iced tea and you're welcome to join us.
This is for sales, what? No, I'm buying...the canning jars, remember? Love 'em, but I'm not a distributor. You could not withstand the fact I sound incredible. Hahahahahaha!!! Oh, dear, I get that all the time! I'd be wayyy more incredible if you have some canning supplies I need...got any? You want to chit-chat immediately? So does my husband!! He's very excited about the possibility. I mean, we posted this want ad on craigslist, and nothing panned out up to this point, but WOW, this is great!
What, you sent us a link to a site? HOW cool is THAT? We just love to click on unsolicited links in emails (Yay!!! just LOVE those canning videos!!)
You were hoping you could get over here and find each other much better? Well, we'll send you the link to the restaurant when we decide. We just can't wait to comisserate with like-minded people like yourself about canning! It's SO interesting the variety of people you meet with common interests, isn't it? (by the way, you never mentioned if you do have any canning supplies. Bring them when we meet up.) We'll make it a group reservation because I know others will want to join us. There's the nice guy who heads up Neighborhood watch, he's great and wow, what tomatoes he grows. And there's the lady down the street who's our go-to person and works with Homeland Security. She jokes that her runner beans keep invading the border...don't take her comments personally.
Gosh, you've attached pictures of your canning supplies at NO COST?? Well, I figured you'd throw them in for free anyway once I decide which things I'm buying, but thanks. I look forward to your messaging my husband and me as soon as you sign on. That might be a bit of a challenge since I am typing this from the public library and don't have a cell phone. The best way to "message" my husband at work is to call his work number and ask his boss if you can speak with him. If you get the switchboard, just select "Law Enforcement" and "Non-Emergency." Be sure to leave a detailed message and he or one of the other deputies will come to the phone as soon as possible, depending on how busy things are that day. He'll even run a background on you for free! (Our thanks to you for all the free goodies you've sent us through email! )
We REALLY look forward to meeting you, talking canning, and seeing what canning goodies you have for sale. Thanks for a REALLY positive experience with Craigslist!!
No need to promise us we won't be unsatisfied. We hope you gain as much as we do from the meeting! If not, Jack will handcuff you and run your tag (hahaha, little uniform humor there to put you at ease!)
Look forward to seeing you soon!
The Lady Who Needs Canning Jars
Here's pretty much what my posting said, and these are the exact wordings of the actual emails I received in reply today. Craigslist has been a fulfilling experience in every way so far. Here's how our ad read:
-------------------------------------------
(The ad, minus my personal location)
Need Canning Supplies
The scrupulous Ms. Smyre prefers the minimalist approach to parting with her used canning jars and will conscience no fakes. No fake what? Is Ms. Smyre referring to fakes as in fake parts? I can't afford a knee replacement yet and I have acquired no other fake parts to date, not even the snazzy cosmetic sorts. Yet.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Eating Down the Pantry
It's a funny Monday. For the last few weeks when the weather was predicted to have a high probability of rain, nothing. This week when the probability was lower, nice thunderstorms!
My scheduled work days are at a minimum because my leg has to heal, seemingly in its own good time (hmmmm).
I was supposed to go grocery shopping last Friday for this week's groceries, but it turned out we couldn't and I knew we had plenty of things to get us through the weekend till today. Today I looked at the freezer and pantry and decided it might be just fine to see if we can go the rest of the week with what we have, and other than needing to buy more water (yes, we have to buy water, ours is not drinkable) I think we'll be just fine. How cool is that!
The bulk buying, doing it little by little, has paid off. So has freezing portions of soup stock and soups when I make bigger batches. There are also banana breads and a meatloaf in there, and smaller packages of meat frozen when portioned off from bigger purchases.
I actually enjoy the feeling (right now, at least) of being back home with enough time to do things s-l-o-w-l-y. I have no choice, so why not embrace it? In one hour today, I put together the ingredients for fish cakes (to fry up later just before serving), boiled a pan of Basmati rice, made 3 quarts. of chicken and veggie soup, and got a batch of brownies into the oven. I grabbed a handful of tree collard leaves from a couple of heroic plants outside the back door, and chopped those and added a handful of dried stinging nettle leaves from my medicinal herb stash...those went into the veggie soup, too. Yum! You have to love greens and herbs for ramping up the nutrition!
That's about all the time standing my knee can handle at a time between rests. It was all possible because I had the bulk ingredients on hand, and those things in the freezer.
With the exception of a dozen eggs and some water and such, I wonder how long we could go eating down our pantry and freezer?
Here's to the slower version of fast food, and homemade soup on a stormy day! I'm stoked about skipping an entire week's grocery bill!
What's cooking in your kitchen? Got any tips to share?
My scheduled work days are at a minimum because my leg has to heal, seemingly in its own good time (hmmmm).
I was supposed to go grocery shopping last Friday for this week's groceries, but it turned out we couldn't and I knew we had plenty of things to get us through the weekend till today. Today I looked at the freezer and pantry and decided it might be just fine to see if we can go the rest of the week with what we have, and other than needing to buy more water (yes, we have to buy water, ours is not drinkable) I think we'll be just fine. How cool is that!
The bulk buying, doing it little by little, has paid off. So has freezing portions of soup stock and soups when I make bigger batches. There are also banana breads and a meatloaf in there, and smaller packages of meat frozen when portioned off from bigger purchases.
I actually enjoy the feeling (right now, at least) of being back home with enough time to do things s-l-o-w-l-y. I have no choice, so why not embrace it? In one hour today, I put together the ingredients for fish cakes (to fry up later just before serving), boiled a pan of Basmati rice, made 3 quarts. of chicken and veggie soup, and got a batch of brownies into the oven. I grabbed a handful of tree collard leaves from a couple of heroic plants outside the back door, and chopped those and added a handful of dried stinging nettle leaves from my medicinal herb stash...those went into the veggie soup, too. Yum! You have to love greens and herbs for ramping up the nutrition!
That's about all the time standing my knee can handle at a time between rests. It was all possible because I had the bulk ingredients on hand, and those things in the freezer.
With the exception of a dozen eggs and some water and such, I wonder how long we could go eating down our pantry and freezer?
Here's to the slower version of fast food, and homemade soup on a stormy day! I'm stoked about skipping an entire week's grocery bill!
What's cooking in your kitchen? Got any tips to share?
Thursday, April 18, 2013
A Time to Prepare
Proverbs 24:27 Prepare your work outside, And get your fields ready. Afterwards, build your house.
Is anyone else ever stuck in the preparation period? I'm learning the hard way to lean into it and just enjoy the process.
I look forward to each time we can be "at the land" now...my calendar seems to go forward with those days as the highlights and most everything else marking time till the next one. Progress creeps along.
It's going to have to be ok.
I love this verse about preparation. It covers a lot, doesn't it? We are in the first part, preparing our work outside. I'd love to be at the second and third stages, because I want to be putting in trees and a garden right now that the weather is warm and the birds are sallying forth and everything's bursting with new life!
I have some decisions to make regarding allowing my leg to heal properly. It will likely affect my work schedule. I'm trying to discern during this process, because in my job people depend on me and I'm very attached to them and to their daily concerns and their happiness. I've found I really enjoy being able to be helpful and useful, and I enjoy being around older people, usually. I learn so much every time I'm with them, namely to appreciate each day and to savor relationships. To laugh and to make peace with things of the past and present that can't be changed, and to turn over the details of fond memories like the treasures they are.
I have a lot to learn and I want to keep from making mistakes of haste in each area...in the area of our transitioning to the land and in decisions related to my workweek.
I'm glad Jack lends his perspective daily. He mirrors a reflection of a better-rounded view of things than I ever have by myself. I also pray. I always need God's gentle hand and wisdom, and He's always been faithful to grant those for the asking. It doesn't mean I always know the right thing to do, though, or the wisest course to take, but often it means I know which ones not to take.
Proverbs 24:27 Prepare your work outside, And get your fields ready. Afterwards, build your house.
I'll take to heart His timely reminder that there is a time for each step, and there is wisdom in the right preparations in the right time.
Let me know how you're doing...I love hearing how your Spring has sprung!
Monday, April 15, 2013
Babes In The Hay: Paying for Our Inexperience
Friday we went back to the property to put in the second front corner fence posts. My bad knee is not a happy camper with being on my feet at work or anything else requiring being upright and active, much less tromping around on our wonderful land. I offer more moral support than mobility at this point. This is NOT ideal and was not exactly in our ideal plan, and the pain...is a pain.
I know God is in control and knows all this. We're trying to learn from it and do what's repeated so often as His response...get wiser!
Here are a few things we are learning as we go...
The Hard Way.
1. Physical limitations spell a big slowdown in progress. . Physical limitations... we realistically have to allow for them because even if we weren't coming to this equation with them yet, they are bound to happen eventually. Accidents, injuries, life. It happens. Boy, is it frustrating not being able to help like I want to in the meantime. Realistically, our bodies aren't always going to be in prime working order. We will have to deal with it as best we can while trying to think ahead safety-wise and also making things as "handicap ready" as possible, since we plan on being on the land for the long term.
2. The beauty of the natural world can be harsh. Animals are not Bambis, and nature is not Disney World. Even though I already know this, we were reminded of it last week when Jack was digging post holes for the second fence corner beside the front ditch and twice, the non-poisonous black water snakes decided to declare their presence. Not in passing, but approaching fearlessly and rather boldly...as in inches from our feet. It's more than a little disconcerting when YOU try to stay away from reptiles but THEY decide to makes tracks FOR you. Yes, it is likely the season that emboldens slithery creatures as Florida's earlier-than-elsewhere Spring may equate to breeding season around here. Or is that most of the year?? Aggression probably has a very understandable natural reason. It's just another reminder that we are amateurs at this, and this is not a Bambi world.
A second reminder of the non-Bambi nature of nature was as we sat cooling off in the truck's AC. a The day was sunny and hot with a nice steady wind making the tree branches and grasses dance around. Butterflies played on the emerging wildflowers here and there. Two lovely birds alit on a branch right in front of us, ignoring the sound of the truck engine idling. They were grayish with beautiful yellow breasts and slightly crested heads. As we were commenting on their beauty, they each took turns speeding and dipping through the air to grab....what were those bright papery things in their beaks? Ohhhhh, OK. They were voraciously eating... all bright orange butterflies. Crunching them up in a series of gulps till gone. And then off to go find more to crunch. And so we learn that the Great Crested Flycatcher does indeed catch. And I revise some of my expectations for that spectacular Butterfly Garden that exists in my dreams and pare it to something more realistic. And wonder if Flycatchers eat honeybees just as voraciously?? (grrr!) :-)
3. Mistakes are expensive. And we are NOT experts and we ARE inexperienced. This is why it's so important to ask a lot of questions ahead of time, from those who already have the experience.
We did not have the brush cut on the other side of the boundary lines, nor was the line of cut brush fully cut TO the boundary lines. Because the saw palmetto is too dense to simply whack with a bush hog, it requires either big machinery such as that of the contractor we hired, or we need a bulldozer or other scraping/pushing equipment. And it won't be a single day's work...the WHOLE perimeter needs to be expanded to allow room on both sides of the fence for fence maintenance and mowing. Lesson learned, and NOT so happy about how we both missed that one...usually between Jack and myself, we try to troubleshoot situations ahead of time and often get things right that way. We got this one wrong, bleh :-)
This is not a whining rant, but it's a picture of the realism of this step in our progress. It's not defeating us, it's a learning curve.
We are reminded....ask ask ask those with more experience. And then ask some more!
Be thankful in all things, because there is much going right amidst the things we're botching. God is very good to help us through these things, and for allowing other areas to not be the same kind of challenge.
And the timing...goes forward. With a lot of unexpected bumps in the road. But there's still a road :-)
Got any advice for us?? We'll take it! Advise away!!
I know God is in control and knows all this. We're trying to learn from it and do what's repeated so often as His response...get wiser!
Here are a few things we are learning as we go...
The Hard Way.
1. Physical limitations spell a big slowdown in progress. . Physical limitations... we realistically have to allow for them because even if we weren't coming to this equation with them yet, they are bound to happen eventually. Accidents, injuries, life. It happens. Boy, is it frustrating not being able to help like I want to in the meantime. Realistically, our bodies aren't always going to be in prime working order. We will have to deal with it as best we can while trying to think ahead safety-wise and also making things as "handicap ready" as possible, since we plan on being on the land for the long term.
2. The beauty of the natural world can be harsh. Animals are not Bambis, and nature is not Disney World. Even though I already know this, we were reminded of it last week when Jack was digging post holes for the second fence corner beside the front ditch and twice, the non-poisonous black water snakes decided to declare their presence. Not in passing, but approaching fearlessly and rather boldly...as in inches from our feet. It's more than a little disconcerting when YOU try to stay away from reptiles but THEY decide to makes tracks FOR you. Yes, it is likely the season that emboldens slithery creatures as Florida's earlier-than-elsewhere Spring may equate to breeding season around here. Or is that most of the year?? Aggression probably has a very understandable natural reason. It's just another reminder that we are amateurs at this, and this is not a Bambi world.
A second reminder of the non-Bambi nature of nature was as we sat cooling off in the truck's AC. a The day was sunny and hot with a nice steady wind making the tree branches and grasses dance around. Butterflies played on the emerging wildflowers here and there. Two lovely birds alit on a branch right in front of us, ignoring the sound of the truck engine idling. They were grayish with beautiful yellow breasts and slightly crested heads. As we were commenting on their beauty, they each took turns speeding and dipping through the air to grab....what were those bright papery things in their beaks? Ohhhhh, OK. They were voraciously eating... all bright orange butterflies. Crunching them up in a series of gulps till gone. And then off to go find more to crunch. And so we learn that the Great Crested Flycatcher does indeed catch. And I revise some of my expectations for that spectacular Butterfly Garden that exists in my dreams and pare it to something more realistic. And wonder if Flycatchers eat honeybees just as voraciously?? (grrr!) :-)
3. Mistakes are expensive. And we are NOT experts and we ARE inexperienced. This is why it's so important to ask a lot of questions ahead of time, from those who already have the experience.
We did not have the brush cut on the other side of the boundary lines, nor was the line of cut brush fully cut TO the boundary lines. Because the saw palmetto is too dense to simply whack with a bush hog, it requires either big machinery such as that of the contractor we hired, or we need a bulldozer or other scraping/pushing equipment. And it won't be a single day's work...the WHOLE perimeter needs to be expanded to allow room on both sides of the fence for fence maintenance and mowing. Lesson learned, and NOT so happy about how we both missed that one...usually between Jack and myself, we try to troubleshoot situations ahead of time and often get things right that way. We got this one wrong, bleh :-)
This is not a whining rant, but it's a picture of the realism of this step in our progress. It's not defeating us, it's a learning curve.
We are reminded....ask ask ask those with more experience. And then ask some more!
Be thankful in all things, because there is much going right amidst the things we're botching. God is very good to help us through these things, and for allowing other areas to not be the same kind of challenge.
And the timing...goes forward. With a lot of unexpected bumps in the road. But there's still a road :-)
Got any advice for us?? We'll take it! Advise away!!
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