tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8519372697769955872024-03-12T19:24:31.954-05:00Harmless ColorHarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-5681283551107640482012-08-28T18:03:00.002-05:002012-08-28T18:03:15.762-05:00Memphis...and us with spots.<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7739175590/" title="IMG_7166 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7166" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8290/7739175590_f6d692d75a_c.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Back in the middle of July, Nathanael and I took a long weekend to help Nathanael's brother Gabriel and his fiance Nelly (who has since become my sister-in-law, yay!) prepare their apartment in Memphis...so they wouldn't arrive after their honeymoon and have to sleep on layers of cardboard on the floor...not that anyone would do that of course...<span style="font-size: xx-small;">cough cough.... </span><br />
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Nathanael and I are very excited that they will be moving so close. Even though a few years ago 6 hours away did not seem "so close", now that we have lived at least 18 hours from immediate family (and 10 from some extended family) for two years, we are ecstatic to be able to drive to see them for an occasional long weekend. Plus they're super fun!<br />
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On the way to Memphis Friday, with the help of some scrap paper, sharpies and safety pins, Nathanael and I took advantage of Cow Appreciation Day. (Really, who could turn down a free chicken sandwich and a free reason to to wear a costume on an ordinary day?)<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737689462/" title="IMG_7103 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7103" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8165/7737689462_e249172554_c.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737687174/" title="IMG_7106 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7106" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7270/7737687174_e8d00f6e04_c.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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That baby in the background came as a farmer, and the rest of his family members were cows. When the family was getting out of the car (really well decked out as cows), the 3 year old boy asked, "Where are we going, Mom?"<br />
(Oh I love children!)<br />
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When we arrived, we helped with moving large pieces of furniture, and organizing...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737677076/" title="IMG_7118 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7118" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7138/7737677076_cdc59044af_c.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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Then we got some authentic Memphis barbecue.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737672520/" title="IMG_7123 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7123" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8431/7737672520_b9f92d9967_c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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These wet wipes were very necessary for eating ribs.<br />
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On Saturday morning the guys picked up a washer and drier while the girls spruced up and decorated. Then, around lunch time we got some very good news. This is photo shows our happiness when we got the phonecall telling us we would all be Aunts and Uncles come March. We were so glowing that we blurred the picture.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737668488/" title="IMG_7127 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7127" height="300" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8292/7737668488_d0b5ff22da_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In the afternoon we picked up some supplies at Lowe's...well, the others did; Nelly and I had better things to do.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737657764/" title="IMG_7140 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7140" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7253/7737657764_f109771a98_c.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737660218/" title="IMG_7137 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7137" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8427/7737660218_b9f467528e_c.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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I love how this picture shows how oblivious the rest of the family was to our escapades. <br />
Nelly and are going to have fun being related.<br />
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On Sunday morning we visited The Blue Plate Cafe in downtown Memphis for breakfast. As it turns out, The Blue Plate Cafe is just the place<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7739188012/" title="IMG_7151 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7151" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8282/7739188012_e0d108db48_c.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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to be fed as though you are an army. <br />
The egg based breakfasts for one person (breakfast burritos for example) came with sides of beans, biscuits <b>and </b>a stack of pancakes. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7739184502/" title="IMG_7155 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7155" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8289/7739184502_6de9973dbb_c.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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If you ever visit, you might want to split a meal with a friend...or a few friends.<br />
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After breakfast we wandered the downtown a bit and took some fun pictures.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7739179720/" title="IMG_7161 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7161" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7262/7739179720_3c4c81b1c5_c.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />I have no recollection of what was going on, but I thought my Mom might appreciate that one.</span>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7739176428/" title="IMG_7165 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7165" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7251/7739176428_b38b5f756f_c.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7739167266/" title="IMG_7176 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7176" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7127/7739167266_39f8c770a8_c.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7739182118/" title="IMG_7158 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7158" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7272/7739182118_4a18f279b4_c.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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(This is not in downtown Memphis, but I had to sneak this one in here because it is a bit of show and tell.) Back in the apartment, this is Gabe's desk which he and Nelly topped with a layer of pennies and then epoxy. They also painted it black with copper fixtures. This picture doesn't capture how super it is.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737652268/" title="IMG_7150 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7150" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7265/7737652268_a2159142bc_c.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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We had such a restful and soothing weekend.<br />
I love these people.<br />
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HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-90559990271146385392012-08-19T15:49:00.002-05:002012-08-19T19:45:17.568-05:00Diamond Hunting in Arkansas<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737168788/" title="IMG_6956 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6956" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7737168788_220e44524c_c.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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Though I was thrilled to finally get to <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2012/08/camping-in-arkansas.html">camp</a> with Nathanael,
the thing that really drew us to Arkansas was diamond hunting.</div>
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<a href="http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/">Crater of Diamonds State Park</a> claims to be the only diamond mine in the world where average
people can dig around (with a state park entrance fee) and keep anything they
<a href="http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/digging-for-diamonds/recent.aspx">find</a>. A former diamond mine, the park has been open to the public as a state park since 1972. Nathanael and I thought diamond hunting sounded like a really fun thing to try out, and a neat way to get to know this
part of the country a little bit.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_2097071853"><img border="0" src="http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/!images/int/cod_photos_horz_final_07.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/">From Crater of Diamonds State Park Website</a></td></tr>
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The raw diamonds typically found in the park are rounded, feel smooth, and have a metallic shine that makes them stick out from the other rocks they are among. The most frequently discovered diamonds in the park are white, then brown, then yellow; though there are different shades within those categories. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As evening fell on the first day of the hunt.</td></tr>
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The park website is fairly detailed, but before embarking on our adventure we weren’t sure
exactly what to expect. We were both a
little concerned that the high temperatures might make the day of digging feel
really long, but we were pleasantly surprised by the visitor friendly
arrangement of the diamond field.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The morning of our full day diamond hunting.</td></tr>
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Notice the funny green tint of the soil? The diamond rich soil within the "crater" is distinct from the light brown soil elsewhere in the area.</div>
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If you are in the mood to get a tan, you can dig and sift through the soil in full sun, but most people choose to sift for diamonds
using water, which actually makes it a wonderfully cool activity for a hot day.</div>
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The park has two large pavilions, each with ~2.5ft deep troughs of water where you can use
successively smaller screens (your own or rented) to remove the large stones
and dust, and allow you to sort through clean small stones to look for something shiny.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737207944/" title="IMG_7023 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7023" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8426/7737207944_b0086017a5_c.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Additionally, since diamonds are dense, they will shift to
the very lowest part of your screen as you sift your rocks in the water. To take advantage of the density even more
directly, some people have circular screens called <a href="http://www.minerscamping.com/saruca/">sarucas</a> that they would use to sift and
spin the rocks in order to move the densest stones to the very center.<br />
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We rented square screens from the park. </div>
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After gathering buckets full of soil (step 1), we had one screen with wide mesh to remove the large stones
and break up clusters of clay (step 2), and then a fine mesh so that the small rocks
could be washed of clay (step 3). <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Removing the large stones and breaking up chunks of clay.</td></tr>
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After the small rocks were sifted, we flipped them onto the
provided wooden counters to look through them very carefully (step 4).</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737105262/" title="IMG_7010 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7010" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8424/7737105262_57f6fc461c_c.jpg" width="640" /></a> </div>
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Usually, if you didn't flip the screen with too much force, the densest stones like quartz or jasper would be on top.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737106798/" title="IMG_7009 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7009" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8289/7737106798_f97b7a3de8_c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Step 5, A glowing diamond! Ok, ok, it's quartz.</div>
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For most of the day I was under the pavilions, sifting the
bucket loads of soil that Nathanael dug for me, so with my arms in the water, I
stayed perfectly cool.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737130314/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="IMG_6987 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6987" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8424/7737130314_0f61a01596_c.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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But after more than seven hours being wet, my hands were
very pruney and also a bit raw from rubbing the rocks through the screens. So I took a break, and Nathanael continued on
until park closing time at 8pm.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At this point my hands had recovered from their prune-ness and I was building sandcastles with my sifted rocks.</td></tr>
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We did not find any diamonds during our hunt, but not for
lack of trying.</div>
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We did encounter a lot of pretty rocks,</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nan's pretty rocks.</td></tr>
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and a lot of interesting people. </div>
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There was a large boy scout troupe that had camped across from us, and their leaders had the good
idea to give them each the goal of collecting ten different varieties of
rocks. There were a lot of families, sometimes
working in teams, and often multiple generations sifting for diamonds,
including one grandpa that insisted his 4 inch kitchen strainer was totally the
way to go. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My pretty rocks.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">There were some people who came from far away, like the family who came from Ohio for the weekend, or the teacher from NYC who was there for a week and was pretty intense about the whole deal (he taught us about the </span><span style="font-size: small;">sarucas</span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> ).</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our pretty rocks.</td></tr>
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And then there were people who came a few
times a year, and kept diamonds from past years in little boxes in their
pockets, and in hindsight had something gambler-ish...or even Gollum-ish about them. They really made Nathanael and I think about
how there are many fun and carefree activities in life which can, if we are not
careful with ourselves, lean toward obsession.
It made me wonder which activities in my life would draw that kind of
tendancy out in <u>me</u>. I think in making myself or my home look good I can probably border on that kind of attitude, but I
will be watching...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My satisfied prospector after a long day of work.</td></tr>
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Have you ever hunted for precious metals or minerals? </div>
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Are there any little known adventurey places in your home state?</div>
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HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-69878915798464518772012-08-12T14:06:00.000-05:002012-08-12T14:20:26.544-05:00Camping in Arkansas<div style="text-align: center;">
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Remember how I wanted to get some time outdoors? Well, on a weekend between our other travels, Nathanael and I decided to take a 6 hour trek to Arkansas to camp at Crater of Diamonds State Park, somewhere we had been really wanting to visit.<br />
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But I can't tell you about the diamond hunting in this post. Not yet. That portion of the trip will have to wait, because this post is going to have too many pictures of camping to make room for any of the others.<br />
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When I finished my Masters Degree, my parents gave me a tent as a graduation present. My family did a good deal of camping while I was growing up, so it was an exciting present for them to give me right before Nathanael and I got married. But, even though we are getting close to completing our third year of marriage, this trip was the first time we had been camping together.
Needless to say, I was pretty excited. As a result, my photo documenting makes it look like “Nathanael’s camping adventure storybook”. I am still developing the goal of getting more pictures of us together.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737199272/" title="IMG_6933 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6933" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8281/7737199272_51b4d25764_c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Nathanael getting out the tent.</div>
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Nathanael scoping out the tent pad.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737190024/" title="IMG_6938 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6938" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8423/7737190024_311a0b998b_c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Nathanael putting the tarp down.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737188086/" title="IMG_6939 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6939" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8433/7737188086_7cc5986447_c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Nathanael laying the tent down.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737186150/" title="IMG_6940 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6940" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/7737186150_1596d4e440_c.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Nathanael putting the poles in.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737184514/" title="IMG_6941 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6941" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7737184514_aa642a6b74_c.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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The tent popped up, </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737181416/" title="IMG_6943 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6943" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8421/7737181416_aa6b7ce2b3_c.jpg" width="640" /></a> </div>
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and the fly on.<br />
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When we planned our trip, we discovered that the park (or maybe the state?) had a burn ban. Some part of my mind assumed that driving mostly north for six hours, and going to a campground to be surrounded by trees would somehow grant at least slightly less heat and humidity than the 99 to 109<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">°</span>F that we had each been working in all week, but as we began setting up our tent I wondered if we <i>would</i> fall asleep, or just steam cook all night in our spacious shelter. </div>
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I did help with the tent assembly. Really.
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You can see evidenced by the following:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737180164/" title="IMG_6944 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6944" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7737180164_322a64974a_c.jpg" width="480" /></a> </div>
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Nathanael’s knot to keep the fly attached to the stake
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737178662/" title="IMG_6946 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6946" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7737178662_c2ee59ca62_c.jpg" width="480" /></a> </div>
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Sarah’s knot. </div>
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Nathanael asked me what kind of knot it was. That’s just it, it’s a Sarah knot. </div>
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Nathanael and I took a short walk, then spent two hours doing some diamond hunting. As the 8pm closing time drew nearer, intense winds and horizontal rain gave everything a thorough soaking, and cooled the night down significantly (cooled down = good sleep). For dinner we filled tin foil packets with potatoes, carrots, onions, ground beef and seasonings. To my hungry self they were the best food ever. (“We should make these all of the time!”)<br />
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Nathanael had coordinated all of the food for our weekend away, and when I awoke in the morning he was coaxing his home made wood burning backpacking stove to sit in the low-air-flow grill area and burn charcoal for the cooking of chocolate chip pancakes.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737146318/" title="IMG_6974 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6974" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8429/7737146318_a4905de736_c.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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My morning view. Ahhh.</div>
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The fire ban rules required that we not cook on the ground, and that our fire not burn wood, so the stove was not using all of its typical high heat potential. It was fun to watch Nathanael’s pancake arrangement, and it was a delicious start to a long day of hard work.</div>
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The camping stove poised for pancakes</div>
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Nathanael tending pancakes</div>
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Our vintage maple syrup, from a case of them saved by Nathanael's grandparents. <br />
(Wise grandparents. If you're going to save a case of something, real maple syrup is the way to go.)</div>
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For lunch we took a break for some ham sandwiches,</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737118632/" title="IMG_6998 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6998" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8286/7737118632_f0ab735011_c.jpg" width="480" /></a> </div>
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and moved our tent from the camper site it was on, to a primitive site (made for tents, but without a spout or grill, so we walked across to the camper sites when we needed to cook).<br />
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When we moved it we just took the stakes out and carried it a few hundred feet away, which was certainly faster, though more of a workout then taking the tent down. When you are holding an already constructed tent with your arms spread wide to hold the poles there are a lot of muscles being used (and a lot of balance skills failing if you are me). What is even better though, is with a tent as large as ours it looks like you are carrying an elephant, so despite the slightly tired muscles you feel really strong. (Ok, so I felt strong, Nathanael probably had a better grasp on reality.) </div>
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Coordinating sheets. That’s right. We that’s how coordinated we are.</div>
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In actuality, the sheet matching the tent was completely accidental, but from here on out that will be deemed the camping sheet. </div>
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When our day of diamond hunting was done we followed it with a late dinner of chilli with fritoes. We discovered that you <i>can</i> have too much cheese on your chili, and we were also teased by surrounding campers, “Do you have other people staying with you in that tent?”, “Do you think that tent’s big enough?”. A six person tent is plenty spacious for the two of us right now, but we plan to have some little people in there with us someday, so we are glad my parents have our long term camping career in mind. </div>
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For our final morning we had bacon and eggs for breakfast,</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737308430/" title="IMG_7045 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7045" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7251/7737308430_f7ee2de703_c.jpg" width="480" /></a> </div>
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and fashion.</div>
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And then packed things up for the trip home. We are still reading the C.S. Lewis space trilogy and just finished the second book, Perelandra. It was intense. If you are unfamiliar with the writings of C.S. Lewis (thanks for asking <a href="http://lieslmade.wordpress.com/">Liesl</a>!) , I would recommend starting with his most well known work, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lion-Witch-Wardrobe-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B001I45UFC/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344794187&sr=1-5&keywords=chronicles+of+narnia">Chronicles of Narnia</a> (I prefer them in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Narnia">original published order</a> instead of the currently published order, because it leaves more surprises to be discovered, but that is really up to your preference). Though it is a children’s series, there are some really beautifully presented truths throughout the series, which is one of the reasons I always think of C.S. Lewis’ (and <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2011/05/oatcake-fiction.html">George MacDonald</a>’s) books as “teaching fiction” rather than plain fiction or fantasy. If you prefer to read one of his adult books, The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Four-Loves-C-S-Lewis/dp/0156329301">Five Loves</a> (non-fiction), <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christianity-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652888/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344794444&sr=1-1&keywords=cs+lewis+mere+christianity">Mere Christianity </a>(non-fiction) and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Great-Divorce-C-S-Lewis/dp/0061774197/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344794469&sr=1-1&keywords=cs+lewis+the+great+divorce">The Great Divorce</a> (fiction) are also fine works. C.S. Lewis books have been available at every public library I have visited (which is quite a few now!), so be sure to take advantage of that!</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7737283922/" title="IMG_7063 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7063" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7246/7737283922_9f02e59257_c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I would love to hear about your summer adventures, and maybe get some ideas! Have you spent some time sleeping outdoors this summer? What have you been reading?<br />
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Do you have any favorite camping foods or fun tips?<br />
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<br /></div>HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-33561443775793375922012-07-28T20:04:00.004-05:002012-07-28T20:05:06.745-05:00Mystery Date<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7402741128/" title="IMG_6401 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6401" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7402741128_d06c79cedf_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></u></span></div>
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Nathanael and I have been going on all sorts of trips and adventures. In addition to occasional <span style="background-color: white;">field work (i.e. nights in the hotel) during the last few weeks, we were away from our </span><span style="background-color: white;">apartment for 3 weekends in a row. This weekend we are having a restful break at home with a </span><span style="background-color: white;">bit of gardening (and home digging out) on the side</span><span style="background-color: white;">, which means I get to start sharing the stories and pictures with you. </span><span style="background-color: white;">I am excited about it, because I have been having so much fun with my dear Master of Science </span><span style="background-color: white;">Nathanael, and I really want to share that fun.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">A few weekends ago, perhaps even the first weekend after Nathanael’s MS was completed, while </span><span style="background-color: white;">I was still at work on Friday he sent me a message saying that he had a non-food date planned for </span><span style="background-color: white;">us to take on Saturday. I like when he plans dates, so that was exciting in itself, but the non-food </span><span style="background-color: white;">part left me imagining all kinds of things. Perhaps we were visiting a goat farm? Perhaps the ice </span><span style="background-color: white;">cream factory? Oops, no that’s food. (At least they’d </span><i style="background-color: white;">better</i><span style="background-color: white;"> offer samples.) So, goat farm was </span><span style="background-color: white;">just about the only thing I could think of, but as it turns out we were not even leaving campus.</span><br />
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Nathanael brought me to the special exhibits library, and I got a name tag that said “Audubon <span style="background-color: white;">Day 1pm showing”. I was a little disappointed then, because I thought we were just going </span><span style="background-color: white;">to sit and watch a video (there was a room with one playing, featuring birds). But I was very </span><span style="background-color: white;">pleasantly surprised when we went into a room with a good bit of natural light to find the pages </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">of four gigantic leatherbound books being turned by gloved archivists. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Pag</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">es <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">39.5 inches tall by 28.5 wide to be exact.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7402745370/" title="IMG_6389 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6389" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5156/7402745370_f8e99edb95_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></u></span></div>
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Those books were the four volumes of Audobon’s Birds of North America, one of only 119 copies known to have survived.</div>
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From<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">1826 to 1829</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>Audobon had the outlines of his original 435 watercolor paintings made into </span><span style="background-color: white;">copper plates and printed. Then a team of watercolor artists were commissioned to hand color </span><span style="background-color: white;">each print, and the people who had subscribed to receive the collection (mostly wealthy people),</span><span style="background-color: white;">were issued 5 watercolors at a time. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7402711432/" title="IMG_6476 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6476" height="480" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5349/7402711432_83e8781fc8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></u></span></div>
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When the collection was complete, most owners had them <span style="background-color: white;">bound, but since each subscriber was in a different location and of different status, each binding is </span><span style="background-color: white;">different. The one that we viewed was bound in leather with gold leaf designs.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7402711922/" title="IMG_6475 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6475" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8014/7402711922_76a9b66b3d_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></u></span></div>
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It is so embellished because this copy <span style="background-color: white;">belonged to the </span><a href="http://www.alnwickcastle.com/" style="background-color: white;">Duke of North Umberland</a><span style="background-color: white;">. (His castle may look familiar....yes that castle, dear muggles)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7402723332/" title="IMG_6445 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6445" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7402723332_bd62442872_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></u></span></div>
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I have seen selections from Birds of North America for as long as I can remember. Partially because my Mom is an artist (and would have loved to see this exhibit with us), and partially because these are probably the most popular bird paintings ever, and grace the walls of many doctor and dentist offices. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7402710374/" title="IMG_6478 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6478" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7402710374_c84f91f877_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But, I had never appreciated them, or even wanted to learn more about them because in general they are poorly displayed and the colors are poorly reproduced, making them look drab and stuffy. I am just further contributing to that with my photos, I know. But in person they are <i>magnificent</i>.<br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7402718918/" title="IMG_6456 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6456" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8164/7402718918_d73c4abc67_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></u></span></div>
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The placement of each bird in with the plant it perches on, the food source it chooses, preditor or prey it would encounter in the wild resulted in so many phenomenal details.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7665211964/" title="Fish from Fish Hawk by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="Fish from Fish Hawk" height="431" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8289/7665211964_209ce7a363.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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And the writing, like so many documents from days past is exceptional and elegant.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7402708758/" title="IMG_6466 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6466" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7402708758_19f9d15156.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7402726332/" title="IMG_6438 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6438" height="272" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8025/7402726332_672aba66b9.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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This one took my eyes a second to adjust to<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7402743536/" title="IMG_6395 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6395" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7075/7402743536_92f0757675_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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If you ever hear of a viewing of one of the copies of Birds of North America, go. </div>
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Go.</div>
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7402733554/" title="IMG_6421 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6421" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7086/7402733554_a87033a411_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></u></span></div>
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Until then, play around a bit with the online <a href="http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?sort=audimg_ti;sortsubmit=sort;rgn1=ic_all;view=thumbnail;med=1;c=audimg;q1=audimg;back=back1343520475;size=20;start=181">Birds of North America</a>, which has been scanned in high quality (though not adjusted perfectly for color by my judgement) from the copy owned by t<span style="font-family: inherit;">he </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15px;">University of </span></span><span style="line-height: 15px;">Pittsburgh</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15px;">. If you flip through the plates, be sure to enlarge the box and zoom way in to see the details. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15px;">And don't just get stuck on the turkey. Everyone has seen the turkey. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15px;">There are 434 others waiting to be appreciated.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="line-height: 15px;"><u><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7402716936/" title="IMG_6461 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6461" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7233/7402716936_41eb7c8d7b_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></u></span></span></div>
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Real people made these things. </div>
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Drew the originals, carved the plates, and hand painted each stroke. </div>
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<i style="background-color: white;">Note: Actually, on the way to the mystery date, I got pooped on by a bird for the first time (I’ve been</i></div>
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<i>told it won’t be the last). And though I didn’t see it, I think it was a particularly talented bird, </i><i style="background-color: white;">because somehow it managed to hit my face and glasses, and the skirt of my dress, but nothing </i><i style="background-color: white;">in between. This picture was taken after I cleaned it off, though you can still see it on my </i><i style="background-color: white;">skirt…and before I knew what the date was. (No hard feelings, birds.)</i><br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><i><u><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/7402747260/" title="IMG_6383 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6383" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5461/7402747260_fc54f6aac5_z.jpg" width="300" /></a></u></i></span></div>
</div>HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-37853217713129905362012-06-21T13:19:00.002-05:002012-06-21T13:20:41.741-05:00Inner and Outer Space<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRmF4aNXtBTk5Gb5aYYuuIF_ef7vj2kVP3yM8hNoDz64hHGrO-8riDWowdc4qh5K3a-pifGl_Lic9pKnv9vWtOrayWZWOid220SsXQyc2iBjQfdTw8z6hGLKEHsAHiuDSWxwc22FGJ2UZ/s1600/471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRmF4aNXtBTk5Gb5aYYuuIF_ef7vj2kVP3yM8hNoDz64hHGrO-8riDWowdc4qh5K3a-pifGl_Lic9pKnv9vWtOrayWZWOid220SsXQyc2iBjQfdTw8z6hGLKEHsAHiuDSWxwc22FGJ2UZ/s640/471.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cypress near our garden. This is a mystifying new landscape for me.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Despite our continual busyness, Nathanael and I have been enjoying our thesis-free time immensely. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">We have already put much more work into our garden, but even that time has felt more relaxed, both because there are no obligations awaiting us at home, and because the drive between home and the garden ins much shorter.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwGeljBO_zENjW8rXnBC_fp-jKHhw6A5BqiE2_euazA_GoJ530L0uu29eDTb5fEj0898ufjdGSU3EgAqXmJA_dVtkHqd3-_An-AVkt0kmVwG5cFunbAZUvSqquGOE9gXzELILAuYbncuC/s1600/474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwGeljBO_zENjW8rXnBC_fp-jKHhw6A5BqiE2_euazA_GoJ530L0uu29eDTb5fEj0898ufjdGSU3EgAqXmJA_dVtkHqd3-_An-AVkt0kmVwG5cFunbAZUvSqquGOE9gXzELILAuYbncuC/s640/474.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our garden a few weeks ago, when we were just beginning to plant</td></tr>
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Nathanael is building a few rows of woven bamboo trellis to train our beans, melons, cucumbers and gourds upon, and they are such pretty structures. (I don't have pictures of those because he finished building them in the dark, but you will see them soon!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_PgMBKn-m1Wb1CNGEz-IIqb-15N8iyi6N027lAczUgzBqi2xoc4la0cU8feQvBTDaKZ0CBxhpYZDQC7609p_f14zMfpZy3P57cqg-OxlFh2ITuiC9jCH-UFRGJBCooKBiylX1TGbtjOSo/s1600/484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_PgMBKn-m1Wb1CNGEz-IIqb-15N8iyi6N027lAczUgzBqi2xoc4la0cU8feQvBTDaKZ0CBxhpYZDQC7609p_f14zMfpZy3P57cqg-OxlFh2ITuiC9jCH-UFRGJBCooKBiylX1TGbtjOSo/s640/484.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZpWOXz0kbUGxBARMbkwid5NAvreoXDxnAU2zceY8rnh9VxvezG285NptKc0J9f5e-AJdhQRiz2CMdvjEYmvdwD8i1vxSIJ-oqf-G9Eaj7pgZOgzrKi3g_kzL2GR8-VsDht9hLOSUbAlq/s1600/487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZpWOXz0kbUGxBARMbkwid5NAvreoXDxnAU2zceY8rnh9VxvezG285NptKc0J9f5e-AJdhQRiz2CMdvjEYmvdwD8i1vxSIJ-oqf-G9Eaj7pgZOgzrKi3g_kzL2GR8-VsDht9hLOSUbAlq/s640/487.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYNqjXMg78UkdUsunMbaz6f5zR7P7WMNND32q9lMikZEWNNxTqo7eESd-uXFW3ajMt1MgTmHidvbGpbtTsO1BaR2ia4EM3t2Xf7kGSAsnqPNYmM0qZcmjN1YlU2dm4RE9GqWJMCE3WWXR/s1600/488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYNqjXMg78UkdUsunMbaz6f5zR7P7WMNND32q9lMikZEWNNxTqo7eESd-uXFW3ajMt1MgTmHidvbGpbtTsO1BaR2ia4EM3t2Xf7kGSAsnqPNYmM0qZcmjN1YlU2dm4RE9GqWJMCE3WWXR/s640/488.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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It is really relaxing to work in the garden a few evenings each week, and it also feels productive. The landscape surrounding our garden is beautiful, and gives us more pieces of Louisiana to appreciate, like the majestic cypress or the ever intriguing horsetail plants<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgJwWVQ4QeA_OfPv8mxqUfPR9qvmXPmU6JFyQExGy6r5PwGouQv2UHJwazyrLdNVy2lonjbfeRgh3bTQqegSzcY_uw8Gp8Db6UGtNF2TmM24GjQFpppWt5g1lilHclPEQ5Dx-E7qr33vg/s1600/389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgJwWVQ4QeA_OfPv8mxqUfPR9qvmXPmU6JFyQExGy6r5PwGouQv2UHJwazyrLdNVy2lonjbfeRgh3bTQqegSzcY_uw8Gp8Db6UGtNF2TmM24GjQFpppWt5g1lilHclPEQ5Dx-E7qr33vg/s640/389.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the plants with highest silica, those ridges are good for scouring and buffing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1vPhyxv10dfMwrYAF1_UptIKh_yLkqpHeFnK-tzDRwU9k0YOU6apkXWxFtZQlVdcPGuN4HD3mnOPEXM5VOQKv2R9VFh9hm1ULAf8aql3SPmUPu8o3ydcprToJgFJrEmTDwlrqhgLwNsD/s1600/391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1vPhyxv10dfMwrYAF1_UptIKh_yLkqpHeFnK-tzDRwU9k0YOU6apkXWxFtZQlVdcPGuN4HD3mnOPEXM5VOQKv2R9VFh9hm1ULAf8aql3SPmUPu8o3ydcprToJgFJrEmTDwlrqhgLwNsD/s640/391.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each of these segments "pops" out and will click back into place...though it won't grow after that.</td></tr>
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While moving some wood we uncovered some mysterious looking creatures that we have yet to look up. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxIdmdhfTx-Ho9dqmEE9wGn2spgHrXw3ziZABwWuDX5VK9Tz3MesF87yB5qiKo1WlruLOW57R1Cr0F-13AkVFB6eN8t2q__WtdlsSmGHWqPxBKYIHWm5C7IGFTmfPO7JXohB9JNNgybRu/s1600/394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxIdmdhfTx-Ho9dqmEE9wGn2spgHrXw3ziZABwWuDX5VK9Tz3MesF87yB5qiKo1WlruLOW57R1Cr0F-13AkVFB6eN8t2q__WtdlsSmGHWqPxBKYIHWm5C7IGFTmfPO7JXohB9JNNgybRu/s640/394.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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They look like a cross between a stick bug and a crawfish.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsLhWmX3vyLMto9otGa-7fLUX6WEdQdM23B4SyqQFgEc2cCGd-dW2GbXleUaO8ZASGGFXJqC0L7SZ8xJy2nplmIbQsGj1KyDQC_tItzjmy3hwovdvlO1cBZWIU548sETkzTJUV12nwuZ9/s1600/395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsLhWmX3vyLMto9otGa-7fLUX6WEdQdM23B4SyqQFgEc2cCGd-dW2GbXleUaO8ZASGGFXJqC0L7SZ8xJy2nplmIbQsGj1KyDQC_tItzjmy3hwovdvlO1cBZWIU548sETkzTJUV12nwuZ9/s640/395.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Though I don't plan on eating one.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoug1f_B5n23ur5DlHOfDwofLIbhisvbD5pzVRvwx5MwISRrnGDi0SUIZGMVP-qrCl8gnqlkG35c-VqU-2OUiILgYYk0lVShlAPRyHFGnN_G5gEi7Be5CGAQSiF-_A6xQ_vD5rGcrxWB6/s1600/396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoug1f_B5n23ur5DlHOfDwofLIbhisvbD5pzVRvwx5MwISRrnGDi0SUIZGMVP-qrCl8gnqlkG35c-VqU-2OUiILgYYk0lVShlAPRyHFGnN_G5gEi7Be5CGAQSiF-_A6xQ_vD5rGcrxWB6/s640/396.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Seriously, if these came from another planet, how would we even know...why are we not as intrigued by their presence here as we would be elsewhere. Who knows, they may be trying to communicate.</div>
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In the evenings after gardening we have occasionally have a cup of Mexican hot chocolate (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nestle-Abuelita-Mexican-Chocolate-19-oz/dp/B0000GH6UQ">Abuelita</a>), while Nathanael reads C.S. Lewis' space trillogy to me. We are on the first book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Out-Silent-Planet-Cosmic-Trilogy/dp/0007157150/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340127134&sr=8-1&keywords=out+of+the+silent+planet">Out of the Silent Planet</a>. <span style="background-color: white;">I have never read (or listened) to them before, but so far I am intrigued and my imagination is getting some good exercise. Additionally, C.S. Lewis' carefully crafted English makes listening (or reading) feel as though you are discovering the truest form of written communication, and when you are reading all of it aloud your mouth feels privileged to have such fine things to say.</span>
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So Lucy,<br />
I have selected this song for you this week because I have been thinking about exploring and about outer space, and actually a <a href="http://www.spacex.com/">lot</a> of <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ilTYQ5leYgO5wbQVJw8iQcuBp_YQ?docId=8385575ee6ba4abea105b5608d8553de">people</a> have been thinking about outer space this week. And though we now know that none of the planets in our solar system have any (conspicuous) unearthly creatures and giant purple forests, the lands and spaces we will never personally visit will always drive our creative minds, whether those far away places be the in depths of the ocean, in the corners of the solar system or on other earthly continents. Or actually, living right here in a state where didn't grow up has shown me creatures and forests to which I previously gave no thought, so I am beginning to realize that I don't need to travel far to be surprised. For this song of the week, I have chosen Mercury from Gustav Holst's the Planets. I think we all end up listening to the same ten or twelve classical music pieces all of the time (thanks pandora), while missing out on so many exciting and imaginative compositions. So please enjoy, while thinking of planets (and earthly spaces) undiscovered.<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Note: Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis is a story about a trip to the planet we know as Mars (while the silent planet is earth), but I was more in the mood for </span><span style="background-color: white;">Gustav Holst's Mercury. So, different planet.</span></span></i>HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-19023701346120074752012-06-12T19:35:00.001-05:002012-06-12T19:35:09.483-05:00Can You Canoe?Nathanael's Masters of Science in Agronomy: Weed Science is officially complete. He flew to Wisconsin to defend it on May 25, and again to submit the paper copy in person on June 8.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathanael with his cane knife. <br />
Very old Louisiana of him, though he was using it for bamboo, not sugar.</td></tr>
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And me? Well I have been here building up my expectations for our new found time, without taking note that high expectations don't mix well with fatigue from multiple light night/early morning drives to the airport...even if you do have a full picnic dinner on the way.<br />
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Last night my tired self was having a hard time using my arm muscles, and at the same time sad that we were not hiking, biking and frolicking through fields already...since Nathanael had been back a whole 18 hours. But Nathanael humored me, ate cupcakes with me, read me a bedtime story, and made it a fun night despite my <strike>floppy arms</strike> incapacities. I'm silly, I know...if you think my tired self is silly, you should meet my <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2011/04/humming.html">half awake</a> self....<br />
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My<i> fully</i> awake self is a little more rational, but still itching to get out of buildings and into the wild. (We'll get back to that in a minute.)<br />
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My friend, and graduate school roommate Lucy, (who I have mentioned a few times) and I have decided to exchange a song with each other each week. We also decided to post the songs on our blogs (<a href="https://lucymade.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/a-song-for-sarah-and-a-pillow-for-mom/">Lucy's post this week</a>) to share with our friends, and others who enjoy discovering a wide variety of music. And, since we did not establish rules, you will be encountering a wide variety of music. Lucy and I like to have fun. Sometimes we have classy music selections (I gravitate toward xylophones, banjos, hammered dulcimers and ukuleles; and Lucy gravitates toward Newfoundlanders), and sometimes we just feel like listening to <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1174763668"></span>Saturday Night <span id="goog_1174763669"></span></a>on repeat for a while (ok, ok a short while). <br />
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So Lucy,<br />
Since I am set on roaming with my friend Nathanael, as you've heard, when this song came on NPR a few days ago it held fast to my subconscious. So despite it being a kid'song, I present you with Can You Canoe, by the Okie Dokie Brothers, and since you are also an outdoor's lady, and since the guys singing look silly every time they say the word "canoe" throughout this video, I think you will enjoy it.<br />
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Please pretend I am right there with you this evening, with all my banjo loving self. Though, I am most certainly at the opposite end of the Mississippi as these fellows and their canoe.<br />
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<br />HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-43796683184018976282012-05-19T12:11:00.000-05:002012-05-19T12:11:46.275-05:00May the Vegetables Rise Up to Meet You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Spring is glorious. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Though now that I'm on the topic, I'm not sure we get spring here in Louisiana. I think the two seasons are probably summer, and "summer lite".</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are gardening...well, breaking ground for a garden.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> It is starting off very very slowly partially because we have been busy, partially because our garden has moved. Jennie (of the former garden property) moved, and since we didn't know if we would have a new location, we did not tend the good old garden during the <strike>winter</strike> end of 2011. But by the grace of God and through the love of friends, and people soon to be friends, we have a new and exciting garden location for which our exotic vegetable dreams are even more elaborate. More on that once there are actually seeds in the ground...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The weekend before Jennie moved out we removed all of the stakes, tall dead plants, and fence from our old garden and released it too the wild.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCwofahHIDjwpkroQhZBmTAYdUD6OvYLlt5OorTkDAI6HeJLS2DcMTR5US9MXPxM0eSH27QYkQYEqqXnyC6LAXpqdjrkMlX0hmqp0cN9VqXvTyxDeR0dxYNSHwtjVK451TwTpNqIfhxdG/s1600/FormerGarden2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCwofahHIDjwpkroQhZBmTAYdUD6OvYLlt5OorTkDAI6HeJLS2DcMTR5US9MXPxM0eSH27QYkQYEqqXnyC6LAXpqdjrkMlX0hmqp0cN9VqXvTyxDeR0dxYNSHwtjVK451TwTpNqIfhxdG/s640/FormerGarden2012.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It looks like an extremely diverse patch of meadow in a sea of sparse turf. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So what </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">has</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> been keeping us so busy?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DjvHyM4YuUAZgzVCllMgCK_jVj1yw5ox_zQ2_ZslRzttPPbdGuQCA94NwJeYfliTIcQOAZrCH772lxIqx4DkCcnql34PYzff4sAXg2tVkx2x5wkmtiw-sedmL8AcWAvQGlmtuY-3FpJW/s1600/HempSesbania2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DjvHyM4YuUAZgzVCllMgCK_jVj1yw5ox_zQ2_ZslRzttPPbdGuQCA94NwJeYfliTIcQOAZrCH772lxIqx4DkCcnql34PYzff4sAXg2tVkx2x5wkmtiw-sedmL8AcWAvQGlmtuY-3FpJW/s640/HempSesbania2012.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">Well, Hemp Sesbania (</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"><i>Sesbania exaltata</i>)... </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">....and Indian Jointvetch (</span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;">Aeschynomene</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"> </span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;">indica</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"> L. )...</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">and the study of the influence they have on rice yield.</span></div>
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</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px;">Nathanael has been away from home for long hours each day planting rice and weeds in far off locations with his research group. A few weeks ago he did some germination studies (pictured), and he used the germination rates to calculate how much weed seed to apply to his research plots. Then he and I weighed out Hemp Sesbania and Indian Jointvetch seeds carefully and packed them into little whorl-pak bags to be distributed for his studies.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBArBRdlyWeWmEGkvqQyPyCmN-nAj8wc5mtOGl7lYzqnWrWSX5Y0BdNVKllKeyTJxL8pf_5Qg-GXz6yup58r1aHk6o0IKHqOFGaqOgcTFRp_7W9w3kdx8eB38uIXkycZDSN4ZU-oAMlsD/s1600/NanInLabMarch2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBArBRdlyWeWmEGkvqQyPyCmN-nAj8wc5mtOGl7lYzqnWrWSX5Y0BdNVKllKeyTJxL8pf_5Qg-GXz6yup58r1aHk6o0IKHqOFGaqOgcTFRp_7W9w3kdx8eB38uIXkycZDSN4ZU-oAMlsD/s640/NanInLabMarch2012.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I really like this guy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PbYtENrT6E6fXre7Du0HaK_KFXw3bl4k6es4goSOUeeobsLNNhm1q4XCCV2Sp9mWebtUc2ENN2Rx6z0fsNYwgN5Hn5ydfSfYATZsmEtCejWftMKFWXXpD6Plr4slxMh1jUiXB5Z2TwUx/s1600/NanCloverMarch2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PbYtENrT6E6fXre7Du0HaK_KFXw3bl4k6es4goSOUeeobsLNNhm1q4XCCV2Sp9mWebtUc2ENN2Rx6z0fsNYwgN5Hn5ydfSfYATZsmEtCejWftMKFWXXpD6Plr4slxMh1jUiXB5Z2TwUx/s640/NanCloverMarch2012.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He has been working so hard. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In addition to his PhD research during the day, he has working on the end of his MS for Wisconsin at night. (His thesis for Wisconsin is also in Weed Science, but instead of rice, his research was in corn an soybean, and looked at more northern weeds.) After weeks and weeks of writing and low sleep he finally has a defense date<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">May 25</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I think I am going to make it a family holiday from this year forth.</span></div>
Seriously, when that date comes it will be the first time since before we got married that Nathanael won't have <i>something else he should be doing</i> every evening and weekend. I always feel bad for distracting him from writing, but less than a month from now I can distract all I want!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /> I have so many fun plans that have been building up. We are going to go camping, and hiking, and visit goat farms, and take an airboat ride in the <a href="http://www.atchafalaya.org/content/wildlife-nature-water-tours">Atachafalaya Basin</a>, babysit our friends kids so they can have date nights (and we can have play time), and maybe even dance in the evenings.<br />Nathanael said he is getting intimidated by this new life we are going to have...it might be because I have some new plans for the chore chart too...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMIJUlASQjci6ujQFCl_kD12_FvLBhC13UfOX8CXQbCHgxOJ6m9NrHj0A_jayZUlL7IL73xPSvlJ18AKGasFkO7gLDTnSMsApEL7xQ_A4uqkk9smSnZupEHVF_Bu2lXmJynb2UJb57Mgk/s1600/NanCloverTwo2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMIJUlASQjci6ujQFCl_kD12_FvLBhC13UfOX8CXQbCHgxOJ6m9NrHj0A_jayZUlL7IL73xPSvlJ18AKGasFkO7gLDTnSMsApEL7xQ_A4uqkk9smSnZupEHVF_Bu2lXmJynb2UJb57Mgk/s640/NanCloverTwo2012.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Don't get me wrong, we've been having plenty of fun with the time we do have together, but what a wonderful relief it will be for both of us to have a more balanced schedule. (And for him to regularly get more than four hours of sleep.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVWF9jebl9AvCCk0pajoDF4vKu2cPjBFwaXt-1TIVQcEHVi-EpC0nuag1_hsNWUGMMNUc9euxoYLwGA92nk3do-Xbm_9GSHmyoFVrscVWuIjO-L7VhyphenhyphenYiIgsAJpMySnQhCxw7x0GkI_Zk/s1600/Sarah&NanApril2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVWF9jebl9AvCCk0pajoDF4vKu2cPjBFwaXt-1TIVQcEHVi-EpC0nuag1_hsNWUGMMNUc9euxoYLwGA92nk3do-Xbm_9GSHmyoFVrscVWuIjO-L7VhyphenhyphenYiIgsAJpMySnQhCxw7x0GkI_Zk/s640/Sarah&NanApril2012.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am so excited!</span></span></div>
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<br />HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-73559630361071178612012-01-28T15:14:00.000-06:002012-01-28T17:14:15.046-06:00Birthday Bounty<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6777802527/" title="230 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="230" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7008/6777802527_480b3877e5_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I am 26 now, as of last Friday.</div>
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And a glorious day it was. </div>
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Friday has always been my favorite day of the week.</div>
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I have been thinking about the placement of birthdays, and I am glad to have my birthday at the beginning of the year. </div>
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Probably each month has its benefits, but <a href="http://grooveshark.com/#!/search?q=january+white+sleeping+at+last">January</a> has a crisp newness that is bigger than me. I like that. Plus, now that I am old enough to forget how old I am, being born at the beginning of the year makes it easier to calculate, which is probably why most of Asia <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asian_age_reckoning">traditionally</a> adds a year to their age on the Chinese New Year regardless of their month of birth. (Happy Year of the Dragon by the way.)</div>
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6777648939_1cb1b01e9d_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6777648939_1cb1b01e9d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Nathanael was the crafter of almost all of the things that made my birthday so fantastic.</div>
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The main thing I created was the wonderful brightly colored outfit that is not shown here...but probably would have landed me a part as one of the Wizard of Oz munchkins back in the day just so that Technicolor triumph could have been fully appreciated. Though, Nathanael did help me decide that it was not too ridiculous for work...being that it was Friday and all.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6777644859/" title="Jan2012 Foods 024 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="Jan2012 Foods 024" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6777644859_6b66e6f3f1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Isn't this wrapping job fun? </div>
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Newspaper never looked so fine.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6777893903/" title="Jan2012 Foods 029 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="Jan2012 Foods 029" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6777893903_b9d8909837_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Nathanael received some restaurant recommendations from people in his office, but he decided that he could make a more delectable meal at home (and without spending our using up all of our money). So, while I relaxed in the living room reading some junior fiction, he created a mystery dinner masterpiece. The first course, was beer cheese soup fit for any Wisconsin palate.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6777652283/" title="Jan2012 Foods 035 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="Jan2012 Foods 035" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6777652283_f139c76360_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Next was a salad of romaine lettuce, pecans, craisins, and apple poppy seed dressing. </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6777654383/" title="Jan2012 Foods 041 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="Jan2012 Foods 041" height="456" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7033/6777654383_7f9d10aca4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Next, because our kitchen is small, he brought these into the living room to cool, which should have probably keyed me in on the main course, but I was still oblivious...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6777653051/" title="Jan2012 Foods 037 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="Jan2012 Foods 037" height="431" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6777653051_04ea3a4556_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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to the seasoned hamburgers sizzling away.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6777656131/" title="Jan2012 Foods 045 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="Jan2012 Foods 045" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7151/6777656131_8923ac04c4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But once I figured it out I was pretty excited about both the burgers, and the toppings; red wine caramelized onions, slices of avocado, and shoe string potato chips for a bit of crunch.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6777657279/" title="Jan2012 Foods 046 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="Jan2012 Foods 046" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/6777657279_79f3510129_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I went to bed stuffed to the top.</div>
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Then, the next morning, my second day of 26, Nathanael took me out for a mystery breakfast. I was a little worried he was taking me to ihop (I love waffles, but I just wasn't in the mood for that particular atomosphere). Not only was I not disappointed, but I was quite excited. He brought me to a beignet shop. The setting of which is more like a European cafe. </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6777658185/" title="Jan2012 Foods 055 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="Jan2012 Foods 055" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7033/6777658185_7689680cc1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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(Taking more pictures of the two of us together is my one New Year's resolution. As you can see, it is in its early stages. Also, those are the clothes we are wearing indoors and out these days.)</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6777659689/" title="Jan2012 Foods 056 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="Jan2012 Foods 056" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7165/6777659689_7c5e02ac50_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ah <span style="text-align: center;">beignets.</span></div>
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If you haven't tried them...</div>
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well...</div>
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get yourself down here to Louisiana to visit us!</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-56842121822306760482011-10-28T11:10:00.000-05:002011-10-28T11:10:41.647-05:00Weekend Links : The Alphabet<br />
The alphabet, she inspires me.<br />
And even though I have a <a href="http://otherthings.com/uw/syn/">leg up</a> in that department, here are a few prime ways for everyone to have fun with all 26 letters.<br />
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<a href="http://owlybaby.blogspot.com/2010/12/easy-fabric-alphabet.html"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5kD1t7qs86M/TRvjZ7-aJiI/AAAAAAAAAqA/xrplMNDiKdk/s1600/macy%2527s+8th+floor+2010+kodak+075.JPG" /></a></div>
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Small fabric scraps can be used make a <a href="http://owlybaby.blogspot.com/2010/12/easy-fabric-alphabet.html">fabric alphabet</a>, which is not only a fun learning toy (I love these <a href="http://www.happytogethercreates.com/2009/07/rag-quilt-letters-tutorial.html">big letters</a> for toddlers, or smaller, magnetic ones for new spellers), but the letters can also be clipped to a ribbon and used for a birthday banner or bedroom <a href="http://www.made-by-rae.com/2010/10/felt-letters-for-clementines-room/">name bunting</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/266554/leaf-alphabet"><img border="0" src="http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/243144703_w0DaUAM4_c.jpg" /></a></div>
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You could also make a <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/266554/leaf-alphabet">leaf alphabet</a>. It's just about the perfect craft right now if you live somewhere with changing leaves. I have always appreciated creative alphabet books, and this project reminds me of <a href="http://www.eric-carle.com/video_misterseahorse.html">Eric Carle</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://society6.com/garretsteider/prints"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/230179828_SyIDg9fJ_c.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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Another thing that might be fun to attempt on your own, <a href="http://society6.com/garretsteider/prints">Garret Steider</a> created a food alphabet, with prints available to decorate your kitchen and entertain your guests.</div>
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<a href="http://www.thehandmadehome.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/alphabet_wall_art_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.thehandmadehome.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/alphabet_wall_art_3.jpg" /></a></div>
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If you aren't in a crafty mood, but would still love to decorate with letters, whip out the cardstock and try these well designed <a href="http://www.thehandmadehome.net/2011/05/freebie-of-the-month-club-alphafantastical-insta-decor/">free printables</a>!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="309" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/29274467?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="550"></iframe></div>
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Finally, this fantastic alphabet montage might just shoot creativity straight into your mind.</div>
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More alphabet fun:<br />
homemade <a href="http://bronmarshall.com/?p=697">alphabet pretzels </a><br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/77442984/food-alphabet-for-kids-16x24-print?ref=sr_gallery_8&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=food&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_noautofacet=1&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade%2Fart">food alphabet</a> on etsy<br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/77489622/animal-alphabet-poster-color-punch?ref=sr_gallery_38&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=alphabet&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade">animal alphabet</a> on etsy<br />
whimsical <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/79442356/abc-german-alphabet-poster-8x11-inches?ref=sr_gallery_30&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=alphabet&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=4&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade">German alphabet</a> on etsy<br />
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(And if you're in the mood for reminiscing, why not watch everyone's favorite giant yellow bird being <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dZ8mZhdGuw">ridiculous</a>? If you didn't watch Sesame Street as a child, this video is a very important part of your cultural education.)<br />
<br />HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-57716431623345587312011-10-20T21:12:00.001-05:002011-10-20T21:12:27.058-05:00Fall Gardening in the Land of Ever Growth<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6216291910/" title="IMG_4756 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4756" height="640" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6059/6216291910_e5a9ac6626_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I told you about the Indian peppers already.<br />
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But they are not the only thing growing while we slack off on our tending. You see, gardening in the<br />
"fall" he<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">re <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;">is a little different than gardening in <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2009/11/pumpkin-aplenty.html">Wisconsin</a> in the fall. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Our pumpkins and other squashes were planted relatively recently, as were the root vegetables, because </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">the weather was just too hot for them earlier. However, the exotics we chose are still growing with delight.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6215769055/" title="IMG_4623 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4623" height="640" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6212/6215769055_ce5dbfbe77_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Gongura. </div>
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Beautiful, no?</div>
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We planted a row of these plants by the name of Thai Roselle for their flowers, and each plant turned into<br />
a gigantic bush taller than us in all directions. The dried flowers are often known in tea as hibiscus (not the<br />
same as the ornamental hibiscus) and turn herbal teas--like Tazo <a href="http://tazo.com/tazo.asp?init=">Passion</a>, and Celestial Seasonings<br />
<a href="http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/herbal-teas/raspberry-zinger">Raspberry Zinger</a>--purple and tangy. Well, all summer the flowers fell off, and we figured we would never<br />
have a use for the giant bushes. But one day, a friend of ours from India noticed the plant and told us how<br />
excited she was to see that we were growing gongura. </div>
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And now that we have been taught to concoct Indian chutneys out of these tangy leaves we are pretty excited too.</div>
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However, with the cold nights we have been having, the flowers are finally persisting to maturity.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6216277716/" title="IMG_4601 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4601" height="640" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6157/6216277716_8e9d0190f3_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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And these leaves?</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6216279294/" title="IMG_4602 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4602" height="480" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6218/6216279294_06ff4141c3_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Okra. A local favorite.</div>
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These were our first five, and we fried them up for a crunchy cornmeal dinner. But, I do have a very good<br />
recipe for something more interesting (and spicier) to do with okra that I will be sharing shortly.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6236434404/" title="IMG_4525 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4525" height="640" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6158/6236434404_eb06aeb5d5_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br />
Yes, our vegetables are in that pecan tree.<br />
Getting them out was a group effort, as you can see, but getting them in was the work of one man...<br />
I'll let you guess who.<br />
This particular handsome fellow trained our <a href="http://rareseeds.com/vegetables-d-o/gourds/angled-gourd/sweet-honey-sponge-gourd.html">Sweet Honey Sponge Gourds</a> to grow up this particular tree<br />
because we like to do fun things with our gardening. And having edible gourds hanging higher than a pruner<br />
or fruit picker could reach really was entertaining. </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6216257416/" title="IMG_4523 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4523" height="480" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6214/6216257416_141272b3ee_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you think you're not familiar with sponge gourds you are probably right and wrong. Because, while you<br />
may not have eaten them as a vegetable (like a looser, sweeter echo of a zucchini), you probably have seen<br />
them sold in the bath section by their other name, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Length-Natural-Loofah-Fiber-Sponges/dp/B003XKQ0T4/ref=sr_1_6?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1319160622&sr=1-6">loofahs</a>. If we let them grow past the young tender eating<br />
stage, they gradually grow more fibrous until they are ready to decompose, and then everything except the<br />
fibers falls away, leaving a spoungey gourd skeleton (which usually needs to be washed, and sometimes left<br />
to sun bleach).<br />
I have been using one of our grown loofahs instead of a plastic "poofah" lately and I have been quite happy<br />
with it. Though mine is smaller and has finer fibers than the ones at most stores.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6215737233/" title="IMG_4504 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4504" height="480" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6041/6215737233_57577ece95_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
Also in a tree, I found this spider.<br />
I have never seen anything like it before!<br />
I would assume he is well defended from birds.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6216260842/" title="IMG_4530 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4530" height="640" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6110/6216260842_eba1f942b9_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Out of the trees and into the yard, we have also found crawfish, who like to wander especially after a rain.<br />
And don't worry, we didn't take this one's portrait and then eat him.<br />
He is <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2011/10/beneath-clemson-spinelessa-tiny-turtle.html">another</a> creature we set into the wild.<br />
And isn't he just perfect at posing? He didn't even need to be told to look at the camera.</div>
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<br /></div>HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-16318933983875265742011-10-12T18:31:00.001-05:002011-10-12T18:31:12.308-05:00Beneath the Clemson Spineless...a Tiny Turtle.<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6215739677/" title="IMG_4513 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4513" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6154/6215739677_819411db62_z.jpg" /></a></div>
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A couple of months ago, when we were uprooting the old amaranth bed, we found a dozen of what we thought were snake eggs.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee;"><u><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6148783060/" title="IMG_4518 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4518" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6198/6148783060_c30acb770a_z.jpg" /></a></u></span></div>
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We relocated them under the okra, but I forgot...and when I went to plant the spaghetti squash I found this little guy.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6215741309/" title="IMG_4517 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4517" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6236/6215741309_b970cc2cbb_z.jpg" /></a></div>
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The last one to hatch. </div>
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I think the fire ants scarred him a bit, and may have gotten to a sibling or two.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6215740585/" title="IMG_4515 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4515" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6168/6215740585_2f4e8426ce_z.jpg" /></a></div>
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He was groggy, until I put him in the water.</div>
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Only a puddle really.</div>
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Then he swam like the expert he was born to be.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6215738757/" title="IMG_4511 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4511" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6227/6215738757_d65a35acd9_z.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6216252916/" title="IMG_4507 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4507" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6217/6216252916_0edda0800d_z.jpg" /></a></div>
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We set him free.</div>HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-69362636579785900412011-10-06T21:56:00.000-05:002011-10-07T20:01:23.824-05:00Touristing<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6215729029/" title="IMG_4329 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4329" height="640" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6221/6215729029_288889f0fd_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I have been staying overnight for field work during nearly all weekdays since August began, so Nathanael and I have been making the most of our weekends. On one of the first weekends in August we decided to drive around a bit and see some of the Acadiana coastal areas. Egrets are everywhere, but we also spotted many Louisiana Herons (above)...and since seeing Herons fly always makes me think of dinosaurs, it was great. We also snuck up on some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseate_Spoonbill">Roseate Spoonbills</a> (of which I did not snap a picture), and I was very excited to finally see pink birds in person and in the wild!<br />
Flamingos are next I tell you.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6215730295/" title="IMG_4335 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4335" height="640" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6110/6215730295_a3e26a092f_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Sabine National Wildlife Refuge turned out to be a lovely place to wander, as it is home to marshland creatures galore. Unfortunately, amongst the flying wildlife, mosquitoes were the ones who seemed to mind th<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">e 100 </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">°F heat the least, so if you visit, wear long everything. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">(And no, we did not see any </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">alligators, but we know they were around somewhere.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">)</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6216247302/" title="IMG_4353 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4353" height="400" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6213/6216247302_810e72d97c_b.jpg" width="533" /></a></div>
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We had planned to swim when we got to the ocean. </div>
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It is the same Atlantic, technically, the same ocean as the lapping the beaches of New Hampshire, but instead of being hypothermic in the summer the waters are actually quite warm here. Unfortunately, that warmth and the fact that the Missisippi River drains here means all of the beaches have bacterial warning signs... permanently installed (though they have hinges and can be closed if the levels drop).</div>
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Also, the water is brown. </div>
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So now we know why the beaches of Florida and Mississippi are well known and those in Louisiana are not; everything west of where the Mississippi River hits the ocean is virtually unswimable.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6216246360/" title="IMG_4350 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4350" height="640" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6174/6216246360_28d5275218_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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But, it's fun to be at the beach anyway. Especially with a friend like this.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6148251397/sizes/l/in/photostream/"><img alt="IMG_4358" height="400" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6148251397_a43b3a6637_b.jpg" width="533" /></a><br />
If you look carefully, all of those little nubbins on the horizon are oil rigs. (Click for a closer look.)</div>
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Apart from wildlife and waters, the structures on the Louisiana coast were also neat to see. A prime example being the Johnson Bayou Library in Cameron Parish.</div>
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I love libraries, and this one would have been especially hard to resist if it hadn't been a weekend.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6216250300/" title="IMG_4376 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4376" height="400" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6117/6216250300_af58359ddb_b.jpg" width="533" /></a></div>
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Who wouldn't want to visit a library with a clearance of nine feet and six inches?</div>
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Once back to more inhabited areas, we went out for a date of po-boys and followed it up with dessert at this place...</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6216251368/" title="IMG_4412 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4412" height="640" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6176/6216251368_074f6caffc_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I got a butterfinger malt.</div>
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(Nathanael was looking more stylish than me, as usual, but I figured I should put one of me in here somewhere.)</div>
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<br />
On the weekends that we <i>are</i> home, we do still garden, though things have slowed down a bit.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6215766425/" title="IMG_4617 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4617" height="640" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6176/6215766425_0c98a5ce35_b.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
Our Indian chili peppers have been doing amazingly well, and we've been harvesting 40 to 60 peppers each week from our three plants.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6215765489/" title="IMG_4612 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4612" height="640" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6173/6215765489_bb2da909fc_b.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
We have also let a few ripen so we can save the seeds for next years crop.<br />
(The ribbon reminded us which ones we were leaving on the plant for seeds.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6215771317/" title="IMG_4675 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4675" height="640" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6175/6215771317_dc68e19e6c_b.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
The Zinnias are still growing nicely, and some of them are this unbelievably brilliant orange color that you probably thought was some kind of photo editing mistake...but no, that's really what they look like.<br />
The Zinnia plants have mixed with the weeds in the front of our garden and created what is pretty much a meadow facade covering a giant mass of underground <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2011/04/on-wednesday-i-had-planned-to-download.html">kamikaze soldiers</a>. Nathanael still risks his ankles and picks the flowers for me though.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6215770019/" title="IMG_4644 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4644" height="640" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6235/6215770019_6df5fd6e62_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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He also makes me doughnuts.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62120168@N05/6216288000/" title="IMG_4687 by konester, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4687" height="640" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6151/6216288000_d3bfa1ac80_b.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
Yum.<br />
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HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-64278678081592193092011-09-29T20:44:00.002-05:002011-09-29T20:45:00.943-05:00The Music of the VegetablesLast week while I was writing about <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2011/09/goat-song.html">goat song</a>, I sent Nathanael a video demonstrating yodeling and told him he should learn take it up. Over the previous few weeks we had been discussing how a banjo would suit his persona nicely, and I always associate the two; banjos and yodeling.<br />
<br />
As you know, on YouTube, one thing leads to another, and by the time I got home the next day he was learning a couple of methods of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNVrmW0VL2I&feature=player_detailpage">Mongolian Throat Singing</a>. I had heard bits of throat singing recordings in the past, and even a few that a friend had recorded in Tuva, but I had never recognized the amazing overtones (whistling type sound) that can be created. And even though Nathanael had only had one day of practice, his demonstration for me produced the same reaction I had the first time I had heard yodeling: giggling. (Despite the variety of wonderful videos on the internet, there really is nothing like hearing these things in person...thus the laughter with glee.)<br />
<br />
For some reason I had also assumed that only guys had the ability to throat sing, but woman (in Mongolia and elsewhere) can, and do throat sing. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO4Uh-Mini4&feature=player_detailpage">This</a> video is a good example of both a woman throat singing, and a good example of the overtone aspect of throat singing, because the familiar song she chose helps you pick out the melody.<br />
<br />
And just as yodeling leads to throat singing, searching through obscure Asian videos of people making music in their living room leads to a man playing vegetables as a musical instruments (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/heita3#p/u/40/NS526Mu5tHc">heita3</a>).<br />
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It's the next big thing, I assure you.</div>
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<object style="height: 321px; width: 540px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_GabHGlGm14?version=3">
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<br />
I want to meet this guy.<br />
<br />
I want to shake his hand.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
What other musical bits from around the world have I been missing out on? </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Do share.</div>
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HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-24974964633714503352011-09-22T20:30:00.001-05:002011-09-22T20:33:16.385-05:00Goat Song<br />
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I have the opportunity to read a good number of books while I am away doing field work. Each week I bring a tall stack of books with me from the library and blast through them at a pace of one every day or two. So, I figured I would mention some of the ones I have enjoyed the most. The first is Goat Song.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416561005/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=harmcolo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399377&creativeASIN=1416561005"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1416561005&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=harmcolo-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" width="130" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=harmcolo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1416561005&camp=217145&creative=399377" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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Goat Song, by Brad Kessler, was just what I expected it to be, a romanticized snippet
of goat farming.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I thought it was super.</div>
A mixture of prose about nature, etymology
(that’s right, words, not insects), animal companionship, milking, mating
(enough to make you giggle), and cheesemaking. Even if you’re not interested in
becoming a goat farmer, it is a pleasurably restful book to read. Bits of
knowledge just waft off the page like steam from a warm cup of tea. I read it between batches of paperwork, I read it in a recliner, I read it by the pool, and in all of those places I felt neither a hurry to finish it, nor any boredom, just gladness that there was still more of it to read.</div>
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One of my favorite sections of the book was the author’s
discussion of the word <i>Pastoral</i> and
how it used to refer to the poetry and songs written by herders--songs often
sang only for the livestock. I also learned about the different varieties of
“singing” used in different cultures to get the attention of goat herds. Yodeling and kulning being two examples of high vocalizations to which all kinds of animals are more attentive. (This is where you go look <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfrAoakV9SY">kulning</a> up on YouTube for a while...I'll be here when you get back).</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Another of my favorite of Kessler's discussions is best summed up by this
quote he used from the naturalist Henry Beston,</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"We need another and a wiser and perhaps more mystical concept of animals. In a world older and more complete than ours they moved finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the sense we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time." </i> </span></div>
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I think I appreciated it so much because I have been
thinking about all of the things we <i>don't</i> know about the world around us. Just
as when we meet a new person we can’t know their story just by looking at them,
we really will never know how birds perceive the world, or whether the <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2011/09/hardest-part-of-my-job-is-remembering.html">cows</a> think we’re silly, or whether <a href="http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/mammals-animals/elephants/elephant_african_mourning.html">elephants</a> pass down history. And I can’t help but
wondering whenever I hear people looking for intelligent life in outer space (wondering why they are, that is).
Not because I don’t think there is any, but because there is so much mystery right
here, and just because the goats and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thzUR_mq6OY">raccoons</a> aren’t communicating to us with
radio signals doesn’t mean we have figured out what makes them tick. God has breathed life into all that breathe...I just wonder what it is like to be a goat or bird or zebra.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">But ask the animals, and they will teach you,</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">or let the fish in the sea inform you. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Which of all these does not know </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">that the hand of the LORD has done this? </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">In his hand is the life of every creature </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">and the breath of all mankind.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Job 12:7-10</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From my field work <br />
(nothing to do with the field work, or with goats, just a fascinating little creature).</td></tr>
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HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-83908381482763712452011-09-14T20:04:00.000-05:002012-01-28T17:12:26.855-06:00The Hardest Part of My Job is Remembering All of the Acronyms<br />
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The summer that has passed feels like both an entire year
and only few days, depending on how I think about it. Of all of the summer
adventures, the most significant was starting my job as an environmental
scientist. </div>
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It began with two
days of training to detail how the company is structured and the different
safety standards in place, and has continued with bits and pieces (and large chunks) of training
ever since. As it turns out, working for an environmental consulting firm means you have to be familiarized with--and certified in--a lot of areas, and even cleared with homeland security.</div>
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Among other courses this summer, I took the 40 HAZWOPER (HAardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response) course.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Here I am in HAZWOPER training doning type A protective equipment…minus gloves.</span></td></tr>
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Not only did I learn about different chemical hazards,
transportation standards, and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), but I also
discovered that the best way for me to remain attentive throughout a day long
course is to doodle <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2011/05/weekend-links-batik-mehndi-paisley.html">mehndi</a> type designs.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span></div>
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After the first day I decided I might as well make cards.</div>
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So look out, they may be coming to a mailbox near you.</div>
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Though some of the training can be monotonous, it is really
nice to know our company puts such a priority on our safety. Also, both on site and
within the office my coworkers and my supervisor have been simply splendid. I
often feel as though I am on a semester abroad or on an internship because
everyone puts in such effort to explain the things I have not encountered
before, and is so patient with my shortcomings.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green 360 cones ensure we inspect our vehicles all the way around before driving away.</td></tr>
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For the first couple of months I worked mostly in the office, and now I’ve been working about 2/3 of the time on a particular project out in the field. Initially, my primary task was to do paperwork in our temporary little office. (And between the paperwork I have been reading lots of books, some of which I will later recommend for a post-summer reading list.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I do paperwork with gloves on, yes siree.</td></tr>
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During the more than two months we have been working on this site I have also been
learning some about project management, making budgets (BIG budgets) and submitting proposals
to clients. As you can see our PPE in this area is pretty basic (no type A suits or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomex">Nomex</a> gear), which has been
nice considering the heat of up to 102<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">°</span>F (real degrees, not just the “feels
like”), though it has for the most part been only 96 or 98<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">°</span>F.</div>
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As an additional benefit, we get to see cows…</div>
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I wave to them and
say hello every morning.</div>
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They really are pleasant. </div>
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If I could I would serenade them
like these fellows do.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/lXKDu6cdXLI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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(<a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2011/03/happy-st-patricks-day-2011.html">Lucy</a> gets the credit for finding this video and knowing how much I would enjoy it.)<br />
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The site also has alligators and water moccasins, but the cows are more fun.</div>
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So what's been keeping you busy?</div>
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What new twists and turns has your life been taking lately?</div>
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<br /></div>HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-33451912757427920162011-05-23T11:28:00.002-05:002011-05-23T13:48:16.848-05:00Oatcake Fiction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EdM-cXE-Cc4/Tdp8bwrdwtI/AAAAAAAAGns/vnSY6PTqiQ8/s1600/IMG_1904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EdM-cXE-Cc4/Tdp8bwrdwtI/AAAAAAAAGns/vnSY6PTqiQ8/s400/IMG_1904.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> <br />
Nathanael and I enjoy reading to each other in the evening while dishes are being washed or <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2010/11/pecan-weekend.html">pecans</a> being cracked. Most of the time the book captivates us enough that we find other times to read, like having one person brush their teeth at a time, which is one of the current methods as we read <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2370">Sir Gibbie</a> by George MacDonald. It is best if there is some activity going on, because if we choose to read while just sitting, especially before bed, Nathanael needs to watch me carefully to make sure I am legitimately awake...actually even if I am the one reading, I may in fact be sleeping. During graduate school I read an entire chapter of Harry Potter to my roommate <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2011/03/happy-st-patricks-day-2011.html">Lucy</a> while she knitted, and despite the pages having been full of excitement I could not recall a single thing that had happened once I stood up to get ready for bed.<br />
Most of the books we read together are classic literature, and we especially enjoy the unabridged works of George MacDonald. His novels are the epitome of fiction which does not leave your brain to sit idly by, but engages it to play with philosophy, expand vocabulary, and envision situations and scenes rich with detail and feeling. I know some people who only read non-fiction, but I think they would appreciate a book such as <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2370">Sir Gibbie</a>, <a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Castle-Warlock/book-Np2_mZx2LUCjoJMt-Immyg/page1.html">The Castle Warlock</a> or <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7127">Malcolm</a> as evidence that edifying truth can often be more poignantly delivered through substantial fiction than through biography or historical reflection (though no author conveys the whole truth of course; some are much closer than others). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MBCky199VuU/TdqKKOhNTnI/AAAAAAAAGoE/rIIHZIqcJs0/s1600/IMG_3170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MBCky199VuU/TdqKKOhNTnI/AAAAAAAAGoE/rIIHZIqcJs0/s400/IMG_3170.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A friend gave us a neat little notebook where we record the books <br />
we've read and movies we've watched...with ratings of course.</td></tr>
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Since George MacDonald was Scottish, his books are mostly set in Scotland with characters who enjoy Scottish fare, and quite often oatcakes. Nathanael would probably have made a good Scotsman back in the day. Of the 30% of Nathanael that is not water, about 60% is oats. We enjoy our oats in many forms around here. We nearly always have hot cereal, often have <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2009/11/granola-colorful-textures.html">granola</a> around for a snack, and sometimes we sprinkle oats into the crackers or sour dough bread. And whenever Nathanael needs to pack a lunch and we have no bread or convenient eaten-cold foods, he packs oatcakes and goes merrily on his way. Oatcakes are a plain food, and very healthy tasting, which I enjoy and Nathanael could eat every day. They're not junk food. I think they are an excellent medium for butter and jams, or savory spreads, but Nathanael delights in them just as they are with their roasted oat essence as the main attraction.<br />
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<u>Scottish Oatcakes</u><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">from A Feast of Scotland by Janet Warren</span><br />
1 1/3 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats<br />
1/4 tsp baking soda<br />
a pinch of salt<br />
1 Tablespoon of Butter or Lard (Oil would probably work out alright)<br />
6 Tbs hot water (approximately)<br />
A bit of flour to dust the rolling surface; any variety will do.<br />
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1. Mix the oats, soda, and salt together.<br />
2. Melt butter and pour into the center, then add enough water to make a stiff dough. Stir briefly with a wooden spoon.<br />
3. Turn the dough onto a flour dusted surface and knead well. Divide in half, and roll each into an 8-inch circle about a quarter of an inch thick.<br />
4. Cook the oatcakes in a dry, heavy based frying pan. They should take about 3 minutes on each side and be golden brown and slightly crisp. Alternatively they can be baked at 325F (160C) for about 30 minutes.<br />
Serve with butter, honey and marmalade for breakfast or with soup and cheese for lunch.<br />
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<br />
Do you read to each other in your family (or with your roommates)?<br />
What's on your summer reading list?<br />
I would love some good recommendations! (And yes, we read non-fiction too!)HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-55474747622275934832011-05-20T08:48:00.000-05:002011-05-20T08:48:46.677-05:00A bounty of Dill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aZjrsXUC4ic/TdZiypkcRVI/AAAAAAAAGnM/ru3kAK0qd9E/s1600/IMG_2976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aZjrsXUC4ic/TdZiypkcRVI/AAAAAAAAGnM/ru3kAK0qd9E/s400/IMG_2976.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nathanael and I have been having a very fun time sharing our harvest with our friends and neighbors. When we have given them beans, peas, carrots, spinach or even beets, everyone is ready to share with us how they plan to use them. When it comes to herbs, however, particularly dill, most people have looked in the bag and said, "So how do I use this one?"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> I have to admit I am sort of in the same boat. I love dill, but I don't have a plethora of ideas to utilize it. My first thought is always <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2010/09/refrigerator-pickles.html">pickles</a>, but I do have a friend who always makes dill omelets. Our neighbor from Romania recommended tossing dill with other vegetables in a salad, and my dear walking partner from Iran told me she makes dill rice to go with fish (which I recommend by the way, especially with a flavorful brown rice and butter). But, despite the beloved fish and dill combination, I was really looking for a dish to recommend to everyone that would use things they already had...because we really have a <b>ton</b> of dill.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zpvQvs94PcE/TdZixipM72I/AAAAAAAAGnI/EcugHtoKzjk/s1600/IMG_2974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zpvQvs94PcE/TdZixipM72I/AAAAAAAAGnI/EcugHtoKzjk/s400/IMG_2974.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">If I were a<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><i> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">Black Swallowtail Butterfly (also known as Parsley caterpillar), I might spend my whole life surviving on the stuff, and wandering around looking resplendent.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><i> </i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UTjTQUEgi6k/TdZkUQfcd_I/AAAAAAAAGnU/tEMOj61MEB8/s1600/IMG_2801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UTjTQUEgi6k/TdZkUQfcd_I/AAAAAAAAGnU/tEMOj61MEB8/s400/IMG_2801.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Papilio polyxenes asterius</span></i></span></td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These guys were rawists...dill-ists in fact, but had no recipes to share with me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aoTnmIuEBWk/TdZkU3ViSPI/AAAAAAAAGnY/73Xn672qgiM/s1600/IMG_2807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aoTnmIuEBWk/TdZkU3ViSPI/AAAAAAAAGnY/73Xn672qgiM/s400/IMG_2807.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Inspired by the enormous bunch of dill I gave her, my friend Hannah discovered just the thing I was looking for. A very basic dill potato recipe from <a href="http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/dill-leaves-indian-recipe-dill-leaves/">Veg Recipes of India</a>. It is simple and quick, but also a perfect way to really appreciate the flavor of dill. The amounts are imprecise; you could spice it up, or add other root vegetables if you wanted to be creative*, but leaving it basic will also please your palate. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--0I0QDpFe0c/TdZizNmS65I/AAAAAAAAGnQ/WdEPS7jWW88/s1600/IMG_2217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--0I0QDpFe0c/TdZizNmS65I/AAAAAAAAGnQ/WdEPS7jWW88/s400/IMG_2217.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span><br />
<u>Dill Potatoes</u> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>yield 4-6 side servings</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2 Tbsp canola oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 big bunch of fresh dill leaves, chopped (about 1 cup or more when hard stems are excluded) </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3 to 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch rounds</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5-6 medium cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 tsp turmeric powder</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 cayenne pepper</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 tsp red pepper flakes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">salt and black pepper to taste</span><br />
<br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">1. Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan. Add the oil, and once heated add garlic and saute for one minute.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">2. Add potatoes and saute for a few minutes until they begin to soften, perhaps 6-7 minutes.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">3. Add dill leaves and spices, mix well. Then, add salt and 1/2 cup to 1 cup water, cover, and cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes. If the water dries up add more.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">4. Remove the lid and cook until liquid has evaporated and potatoes are very tender.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">Serve as a side dish, or with dal and rice or chapatis.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">*Dill and carrots are related so they are also a delicious combination. Prepare them similarly, adding about 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds to the oil at the beginning, a bit of ginger with the garlic, and some powdered cumin and coriander with the other spices.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">What recipe comes first to your mind when you think about having boatloads of fresh dill?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><br />
</span></span></div>HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-82926861940086285602011-05-17T16:38:00.002-05:002011-05-17T16:54:31.431-05:00New Under the Sun<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rcck3fQ6gaM/TdLn8ibG7II/AAAAAAAAGmU/Vwz7nwKfzbo/s1600/IMG_2983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rcck3fQ6gaM/TdLn8ibG7II/AAAAAAAAGmU/Vwz7nwKfzbo/s400/IMG_2983.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Don't worry, I'm still around....<br />
But it's been an exciting week and a half!<br />
<br />
The day after my last post, Nathanael and I spend our ordinary Saturday in the garden weeding, harvesting, exploring, and getting stung by ants. I got stung four times each by four ants on my right wrist and bitten a couple of other places. Even though I was able to keep working for the rest of the day, by Sunday morning the blisters and swelling of my most of my right arm were putting a permanent wince on my face. I have never had any respiratory allergic reactions, and I wasn't feeling lightheaded, but when a red line I noticed on Saturday continued to creep up my arm on Sunday, I decided we should go to the doctor just in case it was blood poisoning. The doctor ended up giving me a steroid shot and prescribing <b>nine </b>things.<br />
To quote Nathanael,"I just want to know whether it's life threatening..."<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sO1ICsCzaL0/TdLn8y9BDmI/AAAAAAAAGmY/JvkQ8FemGMA/s1600/IMG_2992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sO1ICsCzaL0/TdLn8y9BDmI/AAAAAAAAGmY/JvkQ8FemGMA/s400/IMG_2992.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I was not interested in feeling as though the ants never bit me, just preventing a more severe reaction. Needless to say, I talked to the pharmacy people and only ended up taking two of those things. Please friends, medicine can be very helpful, and often lifesaving, but lets not be crazy. Don't be over medicated or over medicate your children; your body can do most things on its own. Be especially cautious when it comes to antibiotics (which will kill your beneficial bacteria, one of your body's best lines of defenses, and also increase the rate at which superbacteria are created). And don't ask for them for when they aren't necessary, like for a cold or flu.<br />
...I did (grugingly) end up taking the antibiotics they gave me so that I wouldn't get blood posioning, but I drank lots of kefir and tried to avoid sugar so my digestive bacterial friends would have all of the help they could get. <br />
<br />
Nathanael completed his spring courses and their finals (with flying colors, as always). And due to the tendonitis-like state of my hand while it recovered, I did a lot less typing, and internet-ing in general...which was quite nice actually.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kAllOwLzkvE/TdLn9V-YKZI/AAAAAAAAGmc/UvV_Ny4NQ3k/s1600/IMG_3005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kAllOwLzkvE/TdLn9V-YKZI/AAAAAAAAGmc/UvV_Ny4NQ3k/s400/IMG_3005.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>And what were my hands doing? Filling out the paperwork to accept a job! After looking for a position in my field for the last year and a half, I am excited about this one and think it will be a great new adventure. I will be an Environmental Scientist, occasionally doing field work, mostly managing data, and learning new things at all times. I will not have nearly as much time for visiting, cooking, and sewing, but it will be great to get some experience, a schedule, and you know...a quicker way to pay back those student loans...(yipee!!!)<br />
<br />
There are yet a few weeks before the job begins, so I have been cleaning the house, tying up lose craft projects (not many of the millions, but it's a nice idea), and stocking up on homemade snacks.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pT6af8lgtf4/TdLpe-3jNYI/AAAAAAAAGmg/AxK892rmQZQ/s1600/IMG_3010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pT6af8lgtf4/TdLpe-3jNYI/AAAAAAAAGmg/AxK892rmQZQ/s400/IMG_3010.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">No one could make a lemon squash look more dapper.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Yesterday I registered the car, registered to vote, got a new drivers licence, went grocery shopping, and picked up some necessary clothing items. I also got the pre-job entry medical exam, which took nearly two hours and included a full physical, urine tests, blood tests, vision tests, breath tests, a hearing test and a chest xray. I kind of enjoyed it all, but that hearing test makes you feel a little crazy...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">"Wait, did I hear that beep or imagine it?"</span><br />
<br />
Do any of you have tips for me on meal planning and time management as I head into a whole new schedule?HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-51371946232434584932011-05-06T11:33:00.000-05:002011-05-23T13:48:37.164-05:00Weekend Links: Batik-Mehndi-Paisley<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/69103868/sisterbatik-bazaar-six-decorative-pillow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_570xN.223238626.jpg" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/SISTERBATIK?page=3">Sister Batik</a> on etsy </td></tr>
</tbody></table>I have always loved batik. So, when we were in Wisconsin and had a library system which allowed access to virtually any book, I thought I would learn a bit more about the history of saris.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VMYFVY8ZL._SS500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VMYFVY8ZL._SS500_.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0810944618" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sari-Styles-Patterns-History-Technique/dp/0810944618?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Sari: Styles, Patterns, History, Technique</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0810944618" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Historically, the designs and colors on saris would denote the region they were from (a little like a tartan), and sometimes would include symbolic designs that might be chosen for special events. Machine printed fabrics are easier to make, of course, so they are popular now and usually the designs are chosen only to be pretty. Hand-dyed or beaded fabrics still take the cake in my opinion.<br />
<br />
Back in the day, paisley was Europe's interpretation of the beautiful designs they had seen on Indian saris. So, ever since I read the book I have been thinking about that, and trying to come up with <i>my</i> own interpretation when I <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2011/02/red-memories-of-mismatched-day.html">doodle</a>. The latest was on an Easter egg. A batik of sorts.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5104/5693119509_62184172e3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5104/5693119509_62184172e3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I thought it was pretty good for a crayon....but I was humbled when I saw these amazing Mehndi inspired cookies by a baker named <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarsugarcakes/with/4010456293/">Fiona</a> on Flickr (found via <a href="http://epherielldesigns.com/">Epheriell Designs</a>). Apparently they were just whipped up for a party, but I think they would make splendid wedding favors or cake replacements.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2532/4010456293_dae37183b3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2532/4010456293_dae37183b3.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Really beautiful.</div><br />
Now I think I need to work on those doodling skills a bit more. But in the meantime, if I were going to go into pottery, fabric making, or perhaps decorate a room, I would choose a few of the hand carved stamps from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/amandajames1?ref=seller_info">amandajames1</a> on etsy, who has a collection of antique Indian designs. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/65690646/hand-carved-small-wood-textile-block"></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/65690646/hand-carved-small-wood-textile-block"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_570xN.207298098.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/65761666/hand-carved-wood-textile-india-block" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.207579018.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/72599436/hand-carved-antique-india-textile-wood"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_570xN.237817897.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.237142542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.237142542.jpg" width="213" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_570xN.207554264.jpg" width="213" /> <a href="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.237142542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/65466669/hand-carved-small-wood-textile-block"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_570xN.206444474.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/72599436/hand-carved-antique-india-textile-wood"><br />
</a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I might yet choose one (someday) and just use it on my handwritten correspondance.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thinking about the heritage of beautiful designs in India made me wonder what kinds of lovely traditions have been passed down in other countries, and perhaps lost where industry has taken over. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Do you have any heirlooms in your family that would be a good example of a heritage craft from your mother country (or the country of your ancestors)? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Have you learned any of those arts from a relative?<br />
<br />
I lace making and doilies might qualify...perhaps I should learn.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/68260036/let-the-sunshine" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="331" src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_570xN.217831161.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/dolcecrochet">Dolce Crochet</a> on etsy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-86709873616123645342011-05-04T00:02:00.000-05:002011-05-04T00:02:56.088-05:00May Desktop Links<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tutsrus.com/desktop-wallpaper-calendar-may-2011.html"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://media.smashingmagazine.com/cdn_smash/wp-content/uploads/uploader/images/wallpaper-calendar-may-11/wood_work__55.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I love finding good sources of desktop wallpapers, and lately I have been on a calendar kick. Need something new for May? I have a few options for you...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tutsrus.com/desktop-wallpaper-calendar-may-2011.html"></a><a href="http://www.tutsrus.com/desktop-wallpaper-calendar-may-2011.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://media.smashingmagazine.com/cdn_smash/wp-content/uploads/uploader/images/wallpaper-calendar-may-11/jewel_bug__24.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
First is <a href="http://www.tutsrus.com/desktop-wallpaper-calendar-may-2011.html">T<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">ü</span>Tsrus</a>, where you can find a number of Adobe tutorials, has a smattering of <a href="http://www.tutsrus.com/desktop-wallpaper-calendar-may-2011.html">May wallpapers</a> from artists around the world. With 30 to choose from, you're bound to find something to make you smile...or if they all make you smile you could use one each day! (Yes, May has 31 days, but it's already May 3rd.)<br />
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<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2011/05/may_2011_desktop_calendar.php"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://chocolateandzucchini.com/calendar/2011/05/springveg_small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Or, if you would rather think about in season food, visit the blog <a href="http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2011/05/may_2011_desktop_calendar.php">Chocolate & Zucchini</a> and grab the wall paper they offer on the first of every month. While you're there you will also find some neat food tips, including the recent <a href="http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2011/04/how_to_peel_onions_without_crying.php">How not to Cry</a>, which concerns onions. I don't know about you, but I will be trying their tip out. Last week I said to Nathanael, "If anything other than onions put me in pain every day I wouldn't stand for it."<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/monkeyman504/sets/72157623102418148/detail/"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7A-YQtM_gFp1cS224KD-4aJPkCJFzixOLSSTD8SwCC6sd8A82-t4w5zpfws1o2orT1pxQCSU86lRaztD3HmlYstkcTyiGZuGbLKkwIgtYK5N5BpLz9o90wkI6gWlbI3IHhfpOHfhgJuQ/s400/5062973896_53ec4922db_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
If you want something chill and simple, check out <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/monkeyman504/sets/72157623102418148/detail/">MonkeyManWeb</a> on Flickr, where you can already find jewel toned desktop wallpapers for each month of 2011.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://thefoxisblack.com/dwpimages/barnaby-ward-blog.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://thefoxisblack.com/2011/03/23/the-desktop-wallpaper-project-featuring-lisa-congdons-a-collection-a-day/"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://thefoxisblack.com/dwpimages/lisa-congdon-fives-blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thefoxisblack.com/2010/05/13/the-desktop-wallpaper-project-featuring-steve-mccarthy/"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://thefoxisblack.com/dwpimages/steve-mccarthy-blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And finally, if you aren't really into the calendar, but want a steady source of wallpapers that will raise your eyebrow, check out <a href="http://thefoxisblack.com/category/the-desktop-wallpaper-project/">The Desktop Wallpaper Project</a> from <a href="http://thefoxisblack.com/category/the-desktop-wallpaper-project/">The Fox Is Black</a>; a design blog where a wallpaper from a different artist is shared for free at least each week, and occasionally every day. Some are colorful, some are crazy, some are even emo. Flipping through the site is like visiting a gallery...I could get stuck on it for hours. (More of my favorites from their collection: <a href="http://thefoxisblack.com/2010/02/24/the-desktop-wallpaper-project-by-atherton-lin/">1</a>, <a href="http://thefoxisblack.com/2009/09/23/the-desktop-wallpaper-project-spacetime-special-edition/">2</a>, <a href="http://thefoxisblack.com/2008/06/25/the-desktop-wallpaper-project-featuring-neil-doshi/">3</a>, <a href="http://thefoxisblack.com/2010/04/07/the-desktop-wallpaper-project-featuring-dan-matutina/">4</a>, <a href="http://thefoxisblack.com/2010/01/13/the-desktop-wallpaper-project-featuring-c86-matt-lyon/">5</a>, <a href="http://thefoxisblack.com/2008/11/20/the-desktop-wallpaper-project-featuring-megan-whitmarsh/">6</a>, <a href="http://thefoxisblack.com/2009/01/22/the-desktop-wallpaper-project-featuring-gemma-correll/">7</a>)<br />
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Have you come across any neat wallpaper websites lately?HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-9460641322600681802011-05-02T16:14:00.000-05:002011-05-02T16:14:02.849-05:00Cucumber Beetles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5187/5681132188_9bb0e99e4d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5187/5681132188_9bb0e99e4d.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elevenspotted Cucumber beetle (<i>Diabrotica undecimpunctata</i>)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Cucumber beetles are beautiful little creatures. Unfortunately, they love to munch on all varieties of cucurbits (cucumbers, gourds, squashes, melons, pumpkins, etc.)...and anything else they happen to land on apparently. Early on Saturday morning, Nathanael and I found them on the tomatoes, peppers, corn, beets, basil, peas...everything really. So despite how interesting they are whether spotted...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5186/5680568649_19ce082dc2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5186/5680568649_19ce082dc2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Striped cucumber beetle (<i>Acalymma vittata)</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">or striped... <i><br />
</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5221/5680569429_0fdf9d9662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5221/5680569429_0fdf9d9662.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Banded cucumber beetle (<i>Diabrotica balteata</i>) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">...or banded, (</span></span>and all of them fast moving and attempting to escape the paparazzi), we had to do something about the thousands of them crawling around. </div><div style="text-align: center;">So we did...we squished them. After about twenty minutes of doing it by hand, I said to myself, "If only we could vacuum them up." And then I remembered that Nathanael could with his entomology aspirator! So for about an hour more, Nathanael used that and I continued to turn my hands yellow and sticky. And you know what? I didn't mind at all, in fact I enjoyed it. Not because I enjoy killing, but I liked the idea that we were dealing with them ourselves and not in a way that will leave residue in our systems. (I was also glad they were pretty, unlike black aphids which aren't as interesting to squish.)<br />
<br />
</div><h3> </h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5189/5680568119_ae43ca036e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5189/5680568119_ae43ca036e.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">After all, I need to keep these cucumber plants alive and thriving.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5147/5681130902_8166a7950b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5147/5681130902_8166a7950b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Because cucumbers are wonderful. I can't wait to share them, and to make Greek food, and <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2010/09/refrigerator-pickles.html">Refrigerator Pickles</a>. This one will be ready before long...if the beetles can be fended off. Luckily once the morning had fully broken, the beetles started flying and the dragonflies came swooping in to devour them. Yes! I knew I liked dragonflies.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5221/5681130428_6d754d19f1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5221/5681130428_6d754d19f1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">In other garden news, the basil thinks it is at home in Italy. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5109/5667318930_2796e3367d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5109/5667318930_2796e3367d.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">And this awesome beetle is sitting around looking like a space warrior.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I think this is the most amazing looking creature! (Nathanael told me what it was, but I don't recall...I may update with that info later.)</div><br />
This caterpillar we found in the citrus trees (a pest to them), the orange dog swallowtail (<i>Papilionidae Papilio), </i>is disguised as a bird dropping and has retractable angry eyebrows, which pop out when you touch it and release a musky scent. Its scent apparently repels ants and flies which may want to bother it...but I just wanted to see its flashy accesories.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5666731999_cec2f53db5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5666731999_cec2f53db5.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5187/5666732861_db10a5d769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5187/5666732861_db10a5d769.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5149/5666734831_1152956ae8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5149/5666734831_1152956ae8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Amazing, no?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I have never been afraid of insects, but I am really coming to appreciate just how amazing and majestically they are crafted.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <i> </i><span style="font-size: small;">How many are your works, LORD! <br />
In wisdom you made them all; <br />
the earth is full of your creatures. <br />
There is the sea, vast and spacious, <br />
teeming with creatures beyond number— <br />
living things both large and small. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
There the ships go to and fro, <br />
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> All creatures look to you <br />
to give them their food at the proper time. <br />
When you give it to them, <br />
they gather it up; <br />
when you open your hand, <br />
they are satisfied with good things. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
When you hide your face, <br />
they are terrified; <br />
when you take away their breath, <br />
they die and return to the dust. <br />
When you send your Spirit, <br />
they are created, <br />
and you renew the face of the ground. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Psalm 104: 24-30</span></div>HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-91227743329524871952011-04-29T10:28:00.000-05:002011-04-29T10:28:56.401-05:00Mayhaw Foraging<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5666745795_dbbd1e9bdd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5666745795_dbbd1e9bdd.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5069/5667317714_bdc513434a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">On Sunday, encouraged by our success with the <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2011/04/golden-loquat-foraging.html">loquats</a>, Nathanael and I trekked to where he had seen a mulberry tree; alas, the tree was bare. I suppose others (perhaps birds) were hungry for the mulberries. However, just a couple of hundred feet away were two trees of another variety, both loaded with attractive ripe red fruits.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5667312470_83a84df00c.jpg" width="300" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We weren't sure what they were, but their morphology led us to believe them to be related to a number of delicious fruits....so we agreed to only eat one each. (Actually the first thing out of my mouth was,"They look like baby pomegranates!" But they really do have their own vaugely apple-y look.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5022/5667313434_218ab1a71b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5022/5667313434_218ab1a71b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The flesh was very soft, and tangy. It was sweet too, but mostly tangy...you probably wouldn't really want to eat very many of these fruits plain if you want to keep a settled stomach. Nathanael thought they might be mayhaws, but we still weren't sure.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5666744845_1e340f363e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5666744845_1e340f363e.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Since we already had the box he'd prepared for mulberries, we decided to pick a bunch anyway; if they turned out not to be edible the only thing we would lose was our time. And after all, fruit collecting is a wonderful and addicting activity, so even if the fruit was no good, the time would be delightful.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5069/5667317714_bdc513434a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5069/5667317714_bdc513434a.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5666745795_dbbd1e9bdd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">And <a href="http://mayhaw.org/original/">mayhaws</a> they were. That coveted Southern jelly making fruit, which I would describe as a mix between a crabapple and a rosehip.</div><div style="text-align: center;">(I had not heard of mayhaws until a few days ago, so you're not alone...but isn't my husband a clever fellow?) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5022/5667313434_218ab1a71b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5226/5667310532_eba49d587a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5226/5667310532_eba49d587a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Lovely little fruits. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5064/5666727893_3b45ffc8ec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5064/5666727893_3b45ffc8ec.jpg" width="300" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Did any of you notice I wore the same yellow shirt while picking <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2011/04/golden-loquat-foraging.html">loquats</a> too? I love that shirt. I wear it all of the time. My sister Melissa, shirt dye-r officianado, gave it to me for Christmas. She has other comfy shirt's she's created in her shop, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/EveryoneOriginal">Everyone Original</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5666738691_b9bb405e45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5150/5666728753_4a1f28b544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5150/5666728753_4a1f28b544.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5666738691_b9bb405e45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Nathanael lined a Priority Mail shipping box with a paper bag and it made such a nice container for our harvest.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5226/5666737689_f77c081151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5226/5666737689_f77c081151.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
We collected two gallons of mayhaws (not even close to cleaning the trees), and I have since turned them into 33 cups of sweet and tangy jams and jellies. I mixed some of the recipes from <a href="http://mayhaw.org/original/">mayhaw.org</a> (who knew, right?) and my pectin boxes and did my own thing. Boiling the fruit, using the clear juice for jelly, then reboiling the pulp and straining it through a wider weave for jam. <a href="http://mayhaw.org/original/"> </a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5268/5667311510_95e37ea56c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5268/5667311510_95e37ea56c.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">As far as I can tell, Southerners in the US only utilize mayhaws in the jelly form, but one of my friends from Beijing told me about a <a href="http://redcook.net/2009/11/08/haw-fruit-treats-food-medicine/?replytocom=877">haw fruit</a> from a different tree in the hawthorn family. In China it is used widely in all kinds of savory and sweet foods, but most loved (especially in Beijing) coated with a candy layer and sold on a stick much like our candy apples. It goes by the name of <a href="http://redcook.net/2009/11/08/haw-fruit-treats-food-medicine/?replytocom=877">bing tanghulu</a>. (Also, check out it's wiki: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanghulu" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','en.wikipedia.org']);" target="_blank">tanghulu</a>)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5062/5666736427_7ececb75a7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5062/5666736427_7ececb75a7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If harvesting garden vegetables while my family continues to experience snow storms didn't make me feel like I'm in a foreign land, discovering all of these unfamiliar fruits sure does. What other fruits grown in the United States that I've been missing out on?</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5268/5667311510_95e37ea56c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-50335562948470159192011-04-25T16:39:00.002-05:002011-04-26T10:50:42.167-05:00Golden: Loquat foraging<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5654613203_2152bd01ac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5654613203_2152bd01ac.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">As you already know from our <a href="http://harmlesscolor.blogspot.com/2010/11/pecan-weekend.html">pecan hunting</a>, and from our extensive edible wild plant guide collection if you have ever seen our bookshelf, Nathanael and I appreciate the merits of fresh, free food. So, after the friend sharing her land with us (for our garden) pointed out one of her trees as an unknown fruit tree a few months ago, I took special note of the developing fruit each week...and I had no idea what they were going to be. Finally, this weekend, when I saw some falling off the tree I decided to test for ripeness, and ended up biting into something wonderfully delicious!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5068/5655185048_18123e0dbe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5068/5655185048_18123e0dbe.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Nathanael thought they might be loquats, and he turned out to be correct. This warm climate<i> fruit</i> was something cold-climate-me had never seen or tasted. It is a distant relative of apples (and cherries, roses, plumbs, peaches, etc.), and has a texture like a plumb or large cherry. The flavor is sweet and tart, like a nectarine with a bit of plumb or berry essence.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5654614121_dcbd254790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5654614121_dcbd254790.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Inside, the fruit contains one to three smooth slippery seeds which pop out quite easily, and have a beautiful golden sheen. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5654614121_dcbd254790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Our friend's tree was sparse, but Nathanael recalled having seen a loquat tree planted on campus as an ornamental piece of landscaping, so we ventured out and discovered ripe fruit aplenty.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5654620071_a61c86035a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5654620071_a61c86035a.jpg" width="300" /></a> </div><br />
Nathanael was the primary harvester since he is a bit taller, and because I was eating so many loquats and taking so many pictures. But, I did collect the fruits I could reach.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5654616009_8958e2035d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5654616009_8958e2035d.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5654619045_f1774731e7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5654619045_f1774731e7.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5654613203_2152bd01ac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5068/5655185048_18123e0dbe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>This is me imagining the loquat popsicles I will make. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(And looking a great deal like my grandmother.)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5654614121_dcbd254790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5303/5655187652_5429b97380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5303/5655187652_5429b97380.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>As we walked back I told Nathanael, "I am going to have a loquat orchard." I also told him that I would enjoy being a fruit bat, so I don't know how seriously he is going to take me on the loquat situation.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I am rather enamored with this fruit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It is certainly on my top five list. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5068/5655185048_18123e0dbe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5023/5655189872_41763eb5c0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5023/5655189872_41763eb5c0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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In other foraging news, we have begun to eat the first of the blackberries.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Aren't blackberries supposed to be around in July?!</div><div style="text-align: center;">This climate continues to amaze me.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Do you ever collect from the woods or city landscaping plants?</div><div style="text-align: center;">Have you ever tried a loquat?</div><div style="text-align: center;">What new foods have you discovered lately?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</a></div>HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-54928570594384037792011-04-19T15:06:00.000-05:002011-04-19T15:06:09.998-05:00Humming.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0ZkarV9dFLonY2oJYd_DbApJLv71juGc4y2KHX5VThNsmgjcVB4HWqyOJ4LSNuQwRYikmE9NAiuLhjvcuLe_0a5seer1-W6J-b8XMeVR2whFC8C-Sl27zvBzJLHlgZ9kI-Zd_xgASVUs/s1600/IMG_2184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0ZkarV9dFLonY2oJYd_DbApJLv71juGc4y2KHX5VThNsmgjcVB4HWqyOJ4LSNuQwRYikmE9NAiuLhjvcuLe_0a5seer1-W6J-b8XMeVR2whFC8C-Sl27zvBzJLHlgZ9kI-Zd_xgASVUs/s400/IMG_2184.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Nathanael and I don't get many pictures together, because we are more often taking pictures than posing for them. It's always good to have friends who also like to take pictures who will solve that problem for you. This picture was taken by a fantastic friend of ours who turns eight today. Nathanael and I were fresh out of the garden.</span><br />
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I have found myself humming more lately. I told Nathanael I think I'm getting my hum back.<br />
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When I was little, I hummed all of the time. Songs I knew, songs I didn't know, songs I was making up, and hums that were just sparks flying from neurons to vocal cords without my taking notice of the song. But school, college, and attempts to not be disruptive to sisters and classmates squished it out of me a bit.<br />
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I fathom myself to be musical, but to tell you the truth I don't have any especial skill with instruments. I still occasionally sit at classical concerts (when they are free) and spend most of the performance wondering why I didn't work harder at practicing. But I don't particularly want a degree in music, or a different career path or fame...I think I just want a way to get the music out. <br />
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Do you ever wake up in the morning working your fuzzy brain as hard as you can to grasp the bits of your dreams you have not yet forgotten? I do just about every morning, and what I can recall usually has emotional significance with its own logic and reason, which is completely indescribable to anyone else. For example, a few weeks ago I awoke, cuddled up to Nathanael and told him, "You're my favorite standing still cow." And realizing how strange that sounded once I heard my words I attempted to clarify, "And I'm your favorite standing still cow."<br />
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I have no explanation.<br />
It was just something my heart was overflowing to tell him.<br />
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Music is the like the converse of dreams. Instead of pictures, stories, and emotions trapped in our own beings unable to be tapped into by our loved ones; feelings are melted and softened until they flow into the ears who will hear.<br />
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The more I dream, and the more I am struck by music, the more I am convinced that each of these two mysterious aspects of life are laced with elements of the supernatural. That both joyful sleeping visions and ballads that make us cry are evidence of a creative God who has constructed us likewise. With so many thoughts, and so much imagination we cannot even get it all out.<br />
<br />
And so I hum.<br />
Because I cannot play the harmonica while I do dishes.<br />
And because I cannot turn my dreams into movies.<br />
Though they would make great ones. They would make you laugh, and cry, and make you wonder <u>so</u> many things.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DdnI8K5PQPc" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(I cannot explain the photos accompanying this song....but perhaps that makes it all the more appropriate.)</span>HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851937269776995587.post-30355408439606343442011-04-15T11:40:00.001-05:002011-04-15T11:46:27.649-05:00Lately. So on Wednesday, I had planned to download my camera and make a post to share with all of you like normal, but when I began the download my computer told me it was full. No longer hungry for my photos. Alas. Over the last two days I have been doing my best to work its appetite back up by deleating about 800 MB worth of Java updates, compressing files, and moving old photos off of my hard drive...and I figured while I was at it I might as well install virus software and do all those kinds of scans too, right? It was a good plan, and still is...still is being worked on that is. I will outsmart it yet. My good old desktop computer may be 8 years old, and I know computer years are even longer than dog years, but I have no plans to be utilizing Dell's new mushroom packing material any time soon.<br />
<br />
What else have I been up to lately?<br />
<br />
Gardening...of course. Nathanel and are still having our ordinary Saturday garden days, but we are still not getting much rain, so a friend and her daughter (the most adorable little girl, the one who made the orange snake) took a trip to the garden mid week to water and plant a few things.<br />
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The seeds for the <a href="http://rareseeds.com/vegetablesa-c/beans/asian-bean/asian-winged-bean.html">winged beans</a> were so smooth and even. I could envision making a necklace out of these.<br />
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The <a href="http://rareseeds.com/vegetables-p-z/spinach/new-zealand-spinach.html">New Zealand Spinach</a> on the other hand had rough and angular seeds which look more like things that would inspire Japanese cartoon characters.<br />
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The dill is smelling wonderful and the plants are super healthy. Do you have any great dill recipes to share? I am mostly wishing the cucumbers were ready, though I do have a dill potato soup recipe.<br />
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The beets are a little on the small side still, but many of them will be ready soon...and then I will turning everything I cook pink just for the fun of it! (You know that's why I like beets, right?)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDOmIRQIwmrUKUy3BrVvf9rPy3pjwlCPjUPUeCcxkjlE589KwgOwD2XABvOMnZKxMBu_h9osoiocEjBb1RJ-KomC9EIIN5KbYpAbhKKNhn1Z2iUj57ExCaCuTaxTMc3d2VKWY7sxOpJyU/s1600/IMG_2198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDOmIRQIwmrUKUy3BrVvf9rPy3pjwlCPjUPUeCcxkjlE589KwgOwD2XABvOMnZKxMBu_h9osoiocEjBb1RJ-KomC9EIIN5KbYpAbhKKNhn1Z2iUj57ExCaCuTaxTMc3d2VKWY7sxOpJyU/s320/IMG_2198.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>The snow peas surprised us by pulling through and producing wild amounts this week, despite the low rain and temperatures very far from snow. <br />
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The mystery plant continues to grow and look more like itself. Come on, take a guess. What do you think it could be?<br />
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And I continue to become more allergic to fire ants. Despite wearing shoes and high socks with shorts (you only wish you could be so fashionable) they manage to reach me. This was just one bite/sting on my right ankle, a day after the ant got me. The red itchy patch continued to spread and swell...two weeks ago I got four bites on each ankle and that was really a sight, they looked like they belonged to the Michelin Man. I think my reactions are getting slightly worse...what do you think I should to to build up immunity? Ant smoothies perhaps? Sneak ants into my baked goods?<br />
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I am also a guest blogger on <a href="http://www.afterninetofive.net/guest-recipe-blonde-brownies/">After Nine To Five</a> with a recipe for <a href="http://www.afterninetofive.net/guest-recipe-blonde-brownies/">Blonde Brownies</a> (no ants included)! They're golden, but will not be appearing here, so catch 'em while you can! (Really. They are <u>so</u> delicious.)HarmlessColorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16633709706840987528noreply@blogger.com5