The Music of the Vegetables

Last week while I was writing about goat song, 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.

   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 Mongolian Throat Singing. 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.)

    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. This 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.

   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 (heita3).

 It's the next big thing, I assure you.

I want to meet this guy.

I want to shake his hand.

What other musical bits from around the world have I been missing out on? 

Do share.

Goat Song

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.

Goat Song, by Brad Kessler, was just what I expected it to be, a romanticized snippet of goat farming.

 I thought it was super.

 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.

One of my favorite sections of the book was the author’s discussion of the word Pastoral 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 kulning up on YouTube for a while...I'll be here when you get back).

Another of my favorite of Kessler's discussions is best summed up by this quote he used from the naturalist Henry Beston,

"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 think I appreciated it so much because I have been thinking about all of the things we don't 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 cows think we’re silly, or whether elephants 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 raccoons 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.

But ask the animals, and they will teach you,

or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;  

or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,    

or let the fish in the sea inform you. 

Which of all these does not know    

that the hand of the LORD has done this? 

In his hand is the life of every creature    

and the breath of all mankind.

Job 12:7-10

From my field work
(nothing to do with the field work, or with goats, just a fascinating little creature).

The Hardest Part of My Job is Remembering All of the Acronyms

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.

     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.

Among other courses this summer, I took the 40 HAZWOPER (HAardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response) course.

Here I am in HAZWOPER training doning type A protective equipment…minus gloves.

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 mehndi type designs. 

After the first day I decided I might as well make cards.

So look out, they may be coming to a mailbox near you.

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.

Green 360 cones ensure we inspect our vehicles all the way around before driving away.

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.)

I do paperwork with gloves on, yes siree.

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 Nomex gear), which has been nice considering the heat of up to 102°F (real degrees, not just the “feels like”), though it has for the most part been only 96 or 98°F.

As an additional benefit, we get to see cows…

I wave to  them and say hello every morning.

They really are pleasant. 

If I could I would serenade them like these fellows do.

(Lucy gets the credit for finding this video and knowing how much I would enjoy it.)

The site also has alligators and water moccasins, but the cows are more fun.

So what's been keeping you busy?

What new twists and turns has your life been taking lately?

Oatcake Fiction

 
    Nathanael and I enjoy reading to each other in the evening while dishes are being washed or pecans 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 Sir Gibbie 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 Lucy 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.
     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 Sir Gibbie, The Castle Warlock or Malcolm 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).

A friend gave us a neat little notebook where we record the books
we've read and movies we've watched...with ratings of course.

 
     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 granola 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.

Scottish Oatcakes
from A Feast of Scotland by Janet Warren
1 1/3 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/4 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon of Butter or Lard (Oil would probably work out alright)
6 Tbs hot water (approximately)
A bit of flour to dust the rolling surface; any variety will do.

1. Mix the oats, soda, and salt together.
2. Melt butter and pour into the center, then add enough water to make a stiff dough. Stir briefly with a wooden spoon.
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.
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.
Serve with butter, honey and marmalade for breakfast or with soup and cheese for lunch.



Do you read to each other in your family (or with your roommates)?
What's on your summer reading list?
I would love some good recommendations! (And yes, we read non-fiction too!)

A bounty of Dill

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?"

   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 pickles, 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 ton of dill.

  

If I were a Black Swallowtail Butterfly (also known as Parsley caterpillar), I might spend my whole life surviving on the stuff, and wandering around looking resplendent. 

Papilio polyxenes asterius

These guys were rawists...dill-ists in fact, but had no recipes to share with me.

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 Veg Recipes of India. 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.  

Dill Potatoes yield 4-6 side servings
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 big bunch of fresh dill leaves, chopped (about 1 cup or more when hard stems are excluded) 
3 to 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch rounds
5-6 medium cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and black pepper to taste

1. Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan. Add the oil, and once heated add garlic and saute for one minute.

2. Add potatoes and saute for a few minutes until they begin to soften, perhaps 6-7 minutes.

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.

4. Remove the lid and cook until liquid has evaporated and potatoes are very tender.

Serve as a side dish, or with dal and rice or chapatis.

*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.

What recipe comes first to your mind when you think about having boatloads of fresh dill?

New Under the Sun

Don't worry, I'm still around....
But it's been an exciting week and a half!

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 nine things.
    To quote Nathanael,"I just want to know whether it's life threatening..."

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.
...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.

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.

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!!!)

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.

No one could make a lemon squash look more dapper.

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..."Wait, did I hear that beep or imagine it?"

Do any of you have tips for me on meal planning and time management as I head into a whole new schedule?

Weekend Links: Batik-Mehndi-Paisley

Sister Batik on etsy 

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.

The Sari: Styles, Patterns, History, Technique

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.

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 my own interpretation when I doodle. The latest was on an Easter egg. A batik of sorts.

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 Fiona on Flickr (found via Epheriell Designs). Apparently they were just whipped up for a party, but I think they would make splendid wedding favors or cake replacements.

Really beautiful.

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 amandajames1 on etsy, who has a collection of antique Indian designs.

    

I might yet choose one (someday) and just use it on my handwritten correspondance.

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. 

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)? 

Have you learned any of those arts from a relative?

I lace making and doilies might qualify...perhaps I should learn.

  Dolce Crochet on etsy