Okay, so the title isn't thaaat cool. It sounds kinda cool though. : ) The title is telling you what I will write here: about my internship, and about making lye.
Starting now, on Thursdays I am interning at the Stone TABLE restaurant. Run by someone in our church. It is high quality, without being over the top expensive. He does lunch, dinner, and caters. He doesn't do breakfast, but has a few book clubs and such that meet on a regular basis for breakfast. Right now, I am learning, and not getting paid (at this point I would feel bad if I was getting paid), my pay is learning, which I am fine with. I am not tight on money, I don't have many costs (besides a few hobbies : ) and I have opportunity to earn money on catering jobs they do.
The first day, last Thursday I arrived a few minutes after 10am, took off my coat, put on an apron, and was introduced to the staff. For the lunch crew he has 4-5 people who work, he had to let go his dinner chef last week, and he does dinner now. I washed my hands (did it about 3 dozen times while working), and peeled potatoes for mashed potatoes. After that I sliced up some turkey, and followed Matthew around, watching him and the other 2 chefs.
At 1:30pm, I left with Matthew, he had to run a commercial with a local radio station. That was kind of cool. I got to be in the room when Matthew and the broadcaster had the commercial, saw the broadcaster edit out all the uh's. : ) What you really here on the radio is NOT what is really said, just an edited version, it's all a lie. : )
We went back, finished up lunch, the crew left, after the Japanese chef gave me a Japanese plum to try. It was quite sour/bitter, not quite sure how to describe it. He said I handled it quite well, with only my face turning red. : ) It had a slight plum flavor, but was devoid of sugar! Like nothing I've had.
After they left and lunch was closed we were able to sit down and eat. I had had a small breakfast, and Matthew doesn't eat anything, just runs on coffee until about 2:30 when we had lunch. Mashed potatoes, some ham, grits (quite good, haven't had grits in a long time) and salad.
Then we prepared for dinner. In the restaurant like his, everything is preparation, having everything ready to cook, or serve, vegetables or meat. He had me using my knife skills on cutting up scallions for garnish, that was good. He also had me cut up mushrooms, and then cooking them. We started off with some olive oil (olive oil and kosher salt are stables, the olive oil keeps the flavor of the food on the tongue, the salt seasons, he likes to have the food so that you do not have to season it.), and he showed me how to flip the mushrooms. Take the frying pan (big, has to be lightweight) and shake it away from you so that the food starts to slide up out of the pan, then with a flip of the wrist bring it back in, catching the mushrooms. This coats the mushrooms, cooking them evenly, without having to stir them with something. Next we seasoned with kosher salt. The reason for kosher salt is the coarse texture, that allows you to grab it with your fingers, feel it. Next we put in some Chardonnay to add acid to it. He had me try it. Typically I don't like mushrooms, but under certain circumstances I like them. Usually when I'm cooking, like then, or when I have a lot of relatives around, like for a wedding (I have specific times in my head). I like them this way, quite good!
Next we made clarified butter. The reason for clarifying butter is so that it has a much higher smoking point. We melted 2-3 pounds of unsalted butter. For cooking it is better to have unsalted butter, so that you can adjust the seasoning your self, so that it doesn't offset the recipe. We cooked the butter for quite sometime until it browned some. We took it off the heat, and spooned off the foam (not much) some of the other solids had gone to the bottom and browned. We poured off the 'middle', the part we wanted. The foam he did not keep, but said you can save it for adding into mashed potatoes and such to add good flavor.
Then he had me cut up some other things. If you are in the restaurant business you will learn french. Because most of what is in the kitchen is called by its french name. I'm still learning it. I cut up roasted red peppers.
At around 4:30pm he had me mix up Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake for breakfast, he had some group of people who come every Friday. I should have known better, but didn't put the clues together. He told me how many cups of blueberries to use for the syrup (double the amount called for), but I never heard him say he was doubling it. So, I doubled the blueberries, but nothing else. I made the whole recipe, and then realized what I had done. I really like Matthew, laid back, and said it was fine. So I got a different pan, put everything in it, the batter, than cream cheese, then blueberry syrup.
I started the second batch, assuming he would want to have two, like he had planned to do one double batch. So, I got the sugar and flour, mixed it, added the butter, cut it in. And then, I asked Matthew about something. He said that one cake would be enough. I thought on that. I then said, ooook, ummm...I had already started on the second one...again, laid back like he is, it was fine. It was 20 till 6pm (when I was going to leave, it had taken up until that time to make the first one), he said since I already had made one, it wouldn't be long to whip up the other one. So, I quickly threw together the next one, leaving everything ready to be put into the pan.
It was a wonderful day, quite fun. I dread a lot of appointments, like flute lesson, and other things I do outside the home, but, I will look forward to each Thursday! I feel quite at home in the kitchen!
And now, onto Lye and gardening.
This is a long post, but hopefully it will make up for the long silence.
I ordered from Johnny's, quite expensive, because I was ordering 250ft of agribon row cover, and 100ft of greenhouse plastic, those together, with shipping were over $120. I also ordered some pumpkin seeds, and red potatoes. I am hoping today maybe to get the agribon over one of my beds to see how it does.
I am buying onion sets and white potatoes from Lowes, and also any seeds that I need. I have most of my seed, leftover from last year, and from what I grew and saved seed from.
Lye. At church friends of ours had been saving wood ashes from their wood stove for me. I got quite a lot, 3 trash bags worth, which is about 2-3 5 gallon buckets worth.
On Saturday I rendered some ham fat, and put together it with bacon fat I had been saving. Totaling an amount of about 3 cups or so, weighing I would guess to be around 2lbs.
Today I took one of my 50gallon barrels, sawed off the top, drilled a hole, plugged it with a cork. Filled the bottom 2" with sand and rocks, added 6 inches of hay to it, then the ashes. Made a depression, packed it down some, and filled it with about 4 gallons of rain water (2 gallons from the gutter collection, and 2 from the creek).
So, we shall see what I get. I've been trying to find out EXACTLY what the pH for potassium hydroxide (wood ash lye) should be. Finally found one place that said pot. hydr. is 11pH while sodium hydroxide (commercial lye) is 13pH. So, I have pH test strips and will be checking the pH to see if I need to boil off, or run through again, to obtain higher or lower pH.
Once I have that, I will be trying to get an EXACT ratio of lye to fat. Most things are quite general: get lye strong enough for egg to float just a quarter. get lye strong enough so that it just starts to dissolve a feather when added. etc. etc. etc. WHY DON'T PEOPLE HAVE HARD FACTS??? Anyway.....I'm tired of writing for so long, and will go.
English Vintner
p.s. Here is a link to the Stone TABLE: http://www.stonetablemonroe.com/
Monday, 14 February 2011
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Night Vision
Nightwalking : Exploring the dark with Peripheral Vision
by
Nelson Zink and Stephen Parks
It all began one afternoon a couple of years ago. We were talking about people who have the ability to see farther or more deeply or more clearly than the rest of us, those exceptional individuals who can easily master complexity and ambiguity and arrive at startling insights.
We began to speculate on the possibility that these people weren't just smarter or more creative than the average person but perhaps literally saw the world in a different manner. As we looked for direct connections between the literal and figurative meanings of words like sight and vision, it slowly became apparent that we were onto something.
We reviewed the physiology of sight and discovered that neural structures exist within the eye which facilitate a way of seeing that is radically dissimilar from the one we're accustomed to using. We confirmed that there is, indeed, a neurological basis for a distinct "second" type of sight, and that this way of seeing is available to all of us all the time. (Usually we are so absorbed with our focused vision that we're unaware of its power.)
Perpheral vision
Could peripheral vision possibly be related to Vision, to Insight, to all those capitalized powers of perception? Searching for references that might shed light on second sight, we found that while many individuals weren't particularly aware of how they accomplished their achievements, the reports contained eery similarities.
We found a succession of texts from the Taoists of early China through the books of Carlos Castaneda that spoke of a certain kind of all-seeing gaze. It was often difficult to determine whether the authors were speaking literally or metaphorically, but it was perfectly clear in the case of Miyamoto Muksashi, the legendary swordsman of fifteenth century Japan, who had the clearest and most insightful description of the powers of peripheral vision we found.
In The Book of Five Rings, Musashi refers to the two types of sight which he calls Ken and Kan.
Ken registers the movements of surface phenomena; it's the observation of superficial appearence.
Kan is the profound examination of the essence of things, seeing through or into. For Musashi, Ken is seeing with the eyes, Kan is seeing with the mind.
The difference is akin to that of style versus substance. Musashi gives instructions for developing Kan sight: "It is important to observe both sides without moving the eyes. It is no good trying to learn this kind of thing in great haste. Always be watchful in this manner and under no circumstances alter your point of concentration."
While Musashi certainly didn't understand the physiology of sight, he was acutely aware of the difference between cone and rod vision. We reviewed the science of vision and read that the retina of the human eye is composed of three distinct areas: the fovea, macula and peripheral region. Each area performs a distinctive visual function and contributes to the sense we call sight. Because these different functions operate simultaneously and blend into each other, they aren't normally differentiated.
The fovea is a small circular pit in the center of the retina packed with an unbelievable concentration (160,000 cells per square millimeter, an area about the size of the head of a pin) of color- sensitive receptor cells called cones, each with its own nerve fiber. The fovea enables the average person to see most sharply within a circle less than an eighth of an inch in diameter at a distance of twelve inches from the eye.
Surrounding the fovea is the macula, an oval body of color-sensitive cells. Macular vision is quite clear, but not as clear and sharp as foveal vision, because the cones aren't as closely packed as they are in the fovea. We use the macula for reading or watching television, among other things.
Moving away from the central portion of the retina, the character and quality of vision changes radically. The capacity to see color diminishes as the color-sensitive cones become more scattered. Fine vision associated with closely packed cones, each with its own neuron, shifts to a coarser vision in which two hundred or more of a different type of receptor cell - the rods - are each connected to a single neuron. The effect of the connections between rods is to amplify the perception of motion and light while reducing the capacity for distinguishing detail.
For our purposes, we began to think of the retina as divided into two areas: the fovea and macula, both with high concentrations of cones, and the periphery, where rods predominate - in short, cone and rod vision, responsible respectively for focused and peripheral vision.
A quick way of understanding the extent of these two regions of sight is to extend your fists directly in front, side by side. Your fists cover the approximate area normally seen by cones; the rest of your visual field is largely rod mediated. Thus it's apparent that only a small percentage of our total visual field is clearly focused. Attending only to this region results in what is commonly called tunnel vision - figuratively and literally, as we've come to believe.
It became evident to us that many of the special perceptions we sought came from the ability to observe the world and ourselves from a "different point of view," in a broader, unfettered context.
In time the obvious struck us, that the experience of insight, rapid learning, invention, creativity, intuition, and perhaps even personal change have a direct connection with second sight, a sight dependent almost completely on the brain's capacity for processing peripheral vision.
We decided to try to develop a technique which would effectively stimulate this special way of seeing. After some trial and error we originated an exercise and designed a simple piece of equipment which seemed to enhance our access to second sight.
On the bill of a baseball cap we mounted a metal rod welded to a binder clip, extending about a foot in front of our eyes. On the tip of this rod we glued a small bead of plastic resin about the size of a baby green pea. This created a fixed point on which to focus. We reasoned that with our focused vision on the bead, any physical activity would necessitate the use of peripheral vision.
We chose hiking.
We drove out into the countryside near our homes in northern New Mexico, found a place where we wouldn't be interrupted, donned our caps and set out. In the beginning, disoriented and functionally blind, we made our way cautiously along an old jeep trail. Soon we noticed that our feet seemed to know what to do. We stepped over and around obstacles on the ground without consciously being able to see them. It became apparent that our non-conscious minds could see the ground directly in front of us perfectly well.
Within an hour our field of vision began to clear, and we both became engrossed with the phenomenon of seeing double. Walking behind, one could watch two identical people moving up ahead, walking side by side, each making identical movements. A sort of Zen paradox arose as to which was the real one. We later understood that the solution to this and other "reality" paradoxes was an important part of learning to use and trust second sight.
As we walked we began to notice that other senses such as hearing, balance and touch naturally expanded and became more acute, as if we'd gradually become conscious of the peripheral regions of these senses too. Concurrently, the perception of "weight" shifted lower in our bodies, to the hips and on down to our feet.
After a couple of hours of walking along the road we began to experience a deep sense of relaxation. We noticed our hands had warmed considerably, an indication that stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system was somehow related to the experience of second sight.
Each time we have walked (probably a hundred times by now), a sense of deep calm has been experienced. It took a while to understand what was going on, but our theory is this: Walking while relying only on second sight requires that the conscious mind trust the non- conscious, and this inter-mind trust is the essence of relaxation itself.
On the next few outings we picked steeper grades and rougher terrain. We found we could easily control fatigue and pain by using an application of will - focusing attention on the tired body part, for instance, and moving the discomfort off to the edges of awareness, virtually the same process as moving our attention about in the great field of peripheral vision without moving our eyes.
In our reading we had been reminded that in darkness, peripheral (rod) vision is far superior to focused (cone) vision. Night vision relies almost entirely on rods, which because of their neural connections and physical makeup are very sensitive to light. Rods need about thirty minutes of dark or dim red light to activate fully, and then, it is claimed, they have the capacity to detect a single photon - the equivalent, in clear air, of detecting the flame of a candle that is ten miles away.
In the dark, cones are for the most part visually useless, and so we figured that walking in the dark would force us to become even more dependent on peripheral vision. It was time to up the ante.
We modified the headgear by painting the beads with luminescent paint and increased our daily intake of Vitamin A (necessary for the formation of visual purple, a substance which enables the eyes to adjust from bright light to darkness) to 50,000 IU for a week to make sure we weren't deficient.
We picked an area where we hadn't walked before and started out around sunset. For the first hour of walking we noticed all the familiar inner shifts and sensations. And then something strange happened: we entered the night.
We really don't have better description. When it became apparent that we could see perfectly well, the night became alive.
Rabbits hopped by, nighthawks and bats flew past to check us out. Our steps got lighter, walking was approaching the status of flight. We felt like we'd fully entered the experience of second sight.
Other senses expanded even more than we'd experienced before. Balance became much more sensitive. Later we developed a very slow- waking kind of Tai Chi just to enjoy this exquisite sense of balance. Our skin started to feel peculiar, more "solid" perhaps, and we found we could walk comfortably in quite chilly air without any clothes.
Probably due to our increased ability to concentrate and the air qualities of night, hearing and smell were vastly improved. As we became proficient at seeing in the dark, we found that we could run down arroyos and climb steep banks in the dead of night, all the while focusing on the luminescent beads. With the calm of Nightwalking, we discovered that anxiety and fear of the dark, so common in our culture, are effectively eliminated.
Fear, anxiety and even physical pain are seemingly associated with focused vision, while peripheral processes engender relaxation and delight, a state we have half-seriously dubbed Sense-Surround.
A friend heard what we were doing and tipped us off to Alexandra David-Neel, who for some years studied and toured in Tibet.
In Magic and Mystery in Tibet, she describes her encounter with and investigation of Lung-gom-pas, Tibetan spiritual walkers of extraordinary ability. According to David-Neel, "The walker must neither speak, nor look from side to side. He must keep his eyes fixed on a single object and never allow this attention to be attracted by anything else.
When the trance state has been reached, though normal consciousness is for the greater part suppressed, it remains sufficiently alive to keep the walker aware of the obstacles in his way and mindful of his direction and goal." We felt in good company.
Nightwalking became one of the most consistently relaxing and exhilarating experiences either of us had ever had. The reports, ancient and modern, turned out to be true - employing second sight did facilitate a distinct change in perciption and sense of wellbeing.
Not only were we learning to travel freely in the dark; it was becoming apparent that this capability connected us more directly to the non-conscious. Far from being a storehouse of fear, we found it an incredible protector, dedicated to our safety and happiness.
Just to make sure we weren't doing something that might cause undue eye strain, we thought it might be wise to take an optometrist on a Nightwalk. We contacted a respected Santa Fe practitioner who initially sounded skeptical but agreed to join us.
Not only did he give us a clean bill of health, but by the end of his first walk he was speculating about the possible value of Nightwalking in treating myopia.
We began wondering whether Nightwalking would prove as exciting and useful for others as it did for us. So we planned a training which was divided into four sessions of about three hours each, covering various terrains and their attendant challenges.
The first group of a dozen trainees assembled shortly after sundown in the dry stream bed of the Rio de oa Truchas, on Bureau of Land Management land between Santa Fe and Taos. Hats and rods were passed out along with simple instructions: Watch the rod tip and keep it up near the horizon, walk slowly and start to notice the scenery to the sides as you pass by. With a sense of mystery and excitement this first group set out, walking single-file into the twilight.
Musashi had given instructions for a particular kind of stance to practice while using second sight. We had fiddled with it early on but found that the stance came naturally while engaging in second sight.
We wondered if people would automatically adopt this stance as they became more proficient at Nightwalking. They did, and we found we could tell if a particular person was using second sight just by watching their walk.
After the third session everyone could run over the rocks and gravel in dry stream beds in the dark using only second sight. By the fourth session members of the group could take the lead and find their way unerringly on the darkest of dark nights.
After twelve hours of practice, virtually every one in the group could enter second sight at will, which had taken us about a year to figure out and master.
After the training we queried participants about the lasting effects of the experience. Most of them reported shifts in their worldly perception and daily lives. Several commented on their increased ability to quiet "brain chatter." Virtually all walkers said their awareness of the world around them was broadened, and they were less "stuck" in their heads.
As someone in a later group aptly pointed put: "This is really about convergence. It's about taking a whole bunch of things that are semi-clear and converging them into a single crystalline vision."
TIPS ON NIGHTWALKING
For people living outdoors, peripheral vision is critical for staying alive. It may be time to rediscover it. Here are a few tips. Fix yourself a modified cap and adjust it so the rod tip is directly in line with your nose at eye level. Focus on the tip as you walk around your house. Then try walking around the yard.
Avoid places where there may be traffic or drop-offs. In the beginning your vision will seem blurred. Pay attention to the total field of vision, far to the sides and up and down. Slowly you'll be able to perceive a fairly clear field of vision with only the center (cone vision) blurred, doubled in fact. As your field of vision begins to clear take it as an indication that you're switching over to second sight.
Later you can begin to examine elements in your field of vision by simply moving your attention to them. Notice that we say attention, not eyes. Your eyes should remain constantly on the tip of the rod.
This is really what second sight is about, using just peripheral vision and the mind to gather and process visual information. The first part will take about three hours, the second about the same length of time.
By keeping your eyes focused on the rod tip while walking, you will eventually break two strong visual habits - relying only on cone vision and moving the eyes to new points of interest. Find a place to walk in the dark which is out of the range of artificial lights.
Pick a night with little or no moon; take a friend.
Because of the rods' extreme sensitivity to light, you may see unusual light phenomena. Some of this is imaginary, caused by "overcharging" of unused optic nerves, the rest results from natural or bioluminescence.
Over time Nightwalking sensitizes the eye and brain, so some of what you see may surprise you. We've become aware of light-emitting bacteria in rotting logs and along the veins of certain plants. Fireflies seem like strobe lights. Glow worms are blinding. A quarter moon rising on a clear night can bring tears to your eyes with its brightness.
Nelson Zink is a psychotherapist and author. His first book, The Structure of Delight, is available from Mind Matters Press (Taos). Stephen Parks publishes inside Art, a newsletter covering the Now Mexico art scene. Together they run The Embudo Center, where they offer instruction in Nightwalking. For more information, write P. 0. Box 181, Embudo, NM 87531
So, for any of those who got through all that, what did you think? That was taken from a website, rexresearch, and I thought I would post it.
English Vintner
by
Nelson Zink and Stephen Parks
It all began one afternoon a couple of years ago. We were talking about people who have the ability to see farther or more deeply or more clearly than the rest of us, those exceptional individuals who can easily master complexity and ambiguity and arrive at startling insights.
We began to speculate on the possibility that these people weren't just smarter or more creative than the average person but perhaps literally saw the world in a different manner. As we looked for direct connections between the literal and figurative meanings of words like sight and vision, it slowly became apparent that we were onto something.
We reviewed the physiology of sight and discovered that neural structures exist within the eye which facilitate a way of seeing that is radically dissimilar from the one we're accustomed to using. We confirmed that there is, indeed, a neurological basis for a distinct "second" type of sight, and that this way of seeing is available to all of us all the time. (Usually we are so absorbed with our focused vision that we're unaware of its power.)
Perpheral vision
Could peripheral vision possibly be related to Vision, to Insight, to all those capitalized powers of perception? Searching for references that might shed light on second sight, we found that while many individuals weren't particularly aware of how they accomplished their achievements, the reports contained eery similarities.
We found a succession of texts from the Taoists of early China through the books of Carlos Castaneda that spoke of a certain kind of all-seeing gaze. It was often difficult to determine whether the authors were speaking literally or metaphorically, but it was perfectly clear in the case of Miyamoto Muksashi, the legendary swordsman of fifteenth century Japan, who had the clearest and most insightful description of the powers of peripheral vision we found.
In The Book of Five Rings, Musashi refers to the two types of sight which he calls Ken and Kan.
Ken registers the movements of surface phenomena; it's the observation of superficial appearence.
Kan is the profound examination of the essence of things, seeing through or into. For Musashi, Ken is seeing with the eyes, Kan is seeing with the mind.
The difference is akin to that of style versus substance. Musashi gives instructions for developing Kan sight: "It is important to observe both sides without moving the eyes. It is no good trying to learn this kind of thing in great haste. Always be watchful in this manner and under no circumstances alter your point of concentration."
While Musashi certainly didn't understand the physiology of sight, he was acutely aware of the difference between cone and rod vision. We reviewed the science of vision and read that the retina of the human eye is composed of three distinct areas: the fovea, macula and peripheral region. Each area performs a distinctive visual function and contributes to the sense we call sight. Because these different functions operate simultaneously and blend into each other, they aren't normally differentiated.
The fovea is a small circular pit in the center of the retina packed with an unbelievable concentration (160,000 cells per square millimeter, an area about the size of the head of a pin) of color- sensitive receptor cells called cones, each with its own nerve fiber. The fovea enables the average person to see most sharply within a circle less than an eighth of an inch in diameter at a distance of twelve inches from the eye.
Surrounding the fovea is the macula, an oval body of color-sensitive cells. Macular vision is quite clear, but not as clear and sharp as foveal vision, because the cones aren't as closely packed as they are in the fovea. We use the macula for reading or watching television, among other things.
Moving away from the central portion of the retina, the character and quality of vision changes radically. The capacity to see color diminishes as the color-sensitive cones become more scattered. Fine vision associated with closely packed cones, each with its own neuron, shifts to a coarser vision in which two hundred or more of a different type of receptor cell - the rods - are each connected to a single neuron. The effect of the connections between rods is to amplify the perception of motion and light while reducing the capacity for distinguishing detail.
For our purposes, we began to think of the retina as divided into two areas: the fovea and macula, both with high concentrations of cones, and the periphery, where rods predominate - in short, cone and rod vision, responsible respectively for focused and peripheral vision.
A quick way of understanding the extent of these two regions of sight is to extend your fists directly in front, side by side. Your fists cover the approximate area normally seen by cones; the rest of your visual field is largely rod mediated. Thus it's apparent that only a small percentage of our total visual field is clearly focused. Attending only to this region results in what is commonly called tunnel vision - figuratively and literally, as we've come to believe.
It became evident to us that many of the special perceptions we sought came from the ability to observe the world and ourselves from a "different point of view," in a broader, unfettered context.
In time the obvious struck us, that the experience of insight, rapid learning, invention, creativity, intuition, and perhaps even personal change have a direct connection with second sight, a sight dependent almost completely on the brain's capacity for processing peripheral vision.
We decided to try to develop a technique which would effectively stimulate this special way of seeing. After some trial and error we originated an exercise and designed a simple piece of equipment which seemed to enhance our access to second sight.
On the bill of a baseball cap we mounted a metal rod welded to a binder clip, extending about a foot in front of our eyes. On the tip of this rod we glued a small bead of plastic resin about the size of a baby green pea. This created a fixed point on which to focus. We reasoned that with our focused vision on the bead, any physical activity would necessitate the use of peripheral vision.
We chose hiking.
We drove out into the countryside near our homes in northern New Mexico, found a place where we wouldn't be interrupted, donned our caps and set out. In the beginning, disoriented and functionally blind, we made our way cautiously along an old jeep trail. Soon we noticed that our feet seemed to know what to do. We stepped over and around obstacles on the ground without consciously being able to see them. It became apparent that our non-conscious minds could see the ground directly in front of us perfectly well.
Within an hour our field of vision began to clear, and we both became engrossed with the phenomenon of seeing double. Walking behind, one could watch two identical people moving up ahead, walking side by side, each making identical movements. A sort of Zen paradox arose as to which was the real one. We later understood that the solution to this and other "reality" paradoxes was an important part of learning to use and trust second sight.
As we walked we began to notice that other senses such as hearing, balance and touch naturally expanded and became more acute, as if we'd gradually become conscious of the peripheral regions of these senses too. Concurrently, the perception of "weight" shifted lower in our bodies, to the hips and on down to our feet.
After a couple of hours of walking along the road we began to experience a deep sense of relaxation. We noticed our hands had warmed considerably, an indication that stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system was somehow related to the experience of second sight.
Each time we have walked (probably a hundred times by now), a sense of deep calm has been experienced. It took a while to understand what was going on, but our theory is this: Walking while relying only on second sight requires that the conscious mind trust the non- conscious, and this inter-mind trust is the essence of relaxation itself.
On the next few outings we picked steeper grades and rougher terrain. We found we could easily control fatigue and pain by using an application of will - focusing attention on the tired body part, for instance, and moving the discomfort off to the edges of awareness, virtually the same process as moving our attention about in the great field of peripheral vision without moving our eyes.
In our reading we had been reminded that in darkness, peripheral (rod) vision is far superior to focused (cone) vision. Night vision relies almost entirely on rods, which because of their neural connections and physical makeup are very sensitive to light. Rods need about thirty minutes of dark or dim red light to activate fully, and then, it is claimed, they have the capacity to detect a single photon - the equivalent, in clear air, of detecting the flame of a candle that is ten miles away.
In the dark, cones are for the most part visually useless, and so we figured that walking in the dark would force us to become even more dependent on peripheral vision. It was time to up the ante.
We modified the headgear by painting the beads with luminescent paint and increased our daily intake of Vitamin A (necessary for the formation of visual purple, a substance which enables the eyes to adjust from bright light to darkness) to 50,000 IU for a week to make sure we weren't deficient.
We picked an area where we hadn't walked before and started out around sunset. For the first hour of walking we noticed all the familiar inner shifts and sensations. And then something strange happened: we entered the night.
We really don't have better description. When it became apparent that we could see perfectly well, the night became alive.
Rabbits hopped by, nighthawks and bats flew past to check us out. Our steps got lighter, walking was approaching the status of flight. We felt like we'd fully entered the experience of second sight.
Other senses expanded even more than we'd experienced before. Balance became much more sensitive. Later we developed a very slow- waking kind of Tai Chi just to enjoy this exquisite sense of balance. Our skin started to feel peculiar, more "solid" perhaps, and we found we could walk comfortably in quite chilly air without any clothes.
Probably due to our increased ability to concentrate and the air qualities of night, hearing and smell were vastly improved. As we became proficient at seeing in the dark, we found that we could run down arroyos and climb steep banks in the dead of night, all the while focusing on the luminescent beads. With the calm of Nightwalking, we discovered that anxiety and fear of the dark, so common in our culture, are effectively eliminated.
Fear, anxiety and even physical pain are seemingly associated with focused vision, while peripheral processes engender relaxation and delight, a state we have half-seriously dubbed Sense-Surround.
A friend heard what we were doing and tipped us off to Alexandra David-Neel, who for some years studied and toured in Tibet.
In Magic and Mystery in Tibet, she describes her encounter with and investigation of Lung-gom-pas, Tibetan spiritual walkers of extraordinary ability. According to David-Neel, "The walker must neither speak, nor look from side to side. He must keep his eyes fixed on a single object and never allow this attention to be attracted by anything else.
When the trance state has been reached, though normal consciousness is for the greater part suppressed, it remains sufficiently alive to keep the walker aware of the obstacles in his way and mindful of his direction and goal." We felt in good company.
Nightwalking became one of the most consistently relaxing and exhilarating experiences either of us had ever had. The reports, ancient and modern, turned out to be true - employing second sight did facilitate a distinct change in perciption and sense of wellbeing.
Not only were we learning to travel freely in the dark; it was becoming apparent that this capability connected us more directly to the non-conscious. Far from being a storehouse of fear, we found it an incredible protector, dedicated to our safety and happiness.
Just to make sure we weren't doing something that might cause undue eye strain, we thought it might be wise to take an optometrist on a Nightwalk. We contacted a respected Santa Fe practitioner who initially sounded skeptical but agreed to join us.
Not only did he give us a clean bill of health, but by the end of his first walk he was speculating about the possible value of Nightwalking in treating myopia.
We began wondering whether Nightwalking would prove as exciting and useful for others as it did for us. So we planned a training which was divided into four sessions of about three hours each, covering various terrains and their attendant challenges.
The first group of a dozen trainees assembled shortly after sundown in the dry stream bed of the Rio de oa Truchas, on Bureau of Land Management land between Santa Fe and Taos. Hats and rods were passed out along with simple instructions: Watch the rod tip and keep it up near the horizon, walk slowly and start to notice the scenery to the sides as you pass by. With a sense of mystery and excitement this first group set out, walking single-file into the twilight.
Musashi had given instructions for a particular kind of stance to practice while using second sight. We had fiddled with it early on but found that the stance came naturally while engaging in second sight.
We wondered if people would automatically adopt this stance as they became more proficient at Nightwalking. They did, and we found we could tell if a particular person was using second sight just by watching their walk.
After the third session everyone could run over the rocks and gravel in dry stream beds in the dark using only second sight. By the fourth session members of the group could take the lead and find their way unerringly on the darkest of dark nights.
After twelve hours of practice, virtually every one in the group could enter second sight at will, which had taken us about a year to figure out and master.
After the training we queried participants about the lasting effects of the experience. Most of them reported shifts in their worldly perception and daily lives. Several commented on their increased ability to quiet "brain chatter." Virtually all walkers said their awareness of the world around them was broadened, and they were less "stuck" in their heads.
As someone in a later group aptly pointed put: "This is really about convergence. It's about taking a whole bunch of things that are semi-clear and converging them into a single crystalline vision."
TIPS ON NIGHTWALKING
For people living outdoors, peripheral vision is critical for staying alive. It may be time to rediscover it. Here are a few tips. Fix yourself a modified cap and adjust it so the rod tip is directly in line with your nose at eye level. Focus on the tip as you walk around your house. Then try walking around the yard.
Avoid places where there may be traffic or drop-offs. In the beginning your vision will seem blurred. Pay attention to the total field of vision, far to the sides and up and down. Slowly you'll be able to perceive a fairly clear field of vision with only the center (cone vision) blurred, doubled in fact. As your field of vision begins to clear take it as an indication that you're switching over to second sight.
Later you can begin to examine elements in your field of vision by simply moving your attention to them. Notice that we say attention, not eyes. Your eyes should remain constantly on the tip of the rod.
This is really what second sight is about, using just peripheral vision and the mind to gather and process visual information. The first part will take about three hours, the second about the same length of time.
By keeping your eyes focused on the rod tip while walking, you will eventually break two strong visual habits - relying only on cone vision and moving the eyes to new points of interest. Find a place to walk in the dark which is out of the range of artificial lights.
Pick a night with little or no moon; take a friend.
Because of the rods' extreme sensitivity to light, you may see unusual light phenomena. Some of this is imaginary, caused by "overcharging" of unused optic nerves, the rest results from natural or bioluminescence.
Over time Nightwalking sensitizes the eye and brain, so some of what you see may surprise you. We've become aware of light-emitting bacteria in rotting logs and along the veins of certain plants. Fireflies seem like strobe lights. Glow worms are blinding. A quarter moon rising on a clear night can bring tears to your eyes with its brightness.
Nelson Zink is a psychotherapist and author. His first book, The Structure of Delight, is available from Mind Matters Press (Taos). Stephen Parks publishes inside Art, a newsletter covering the Now Mexico art scene. Together they run The Embudo Center, where they offer instruction in Nightwalking. For more information, write P. 0. Box 181, Embudo, NM 87531
So, for any of those who got through all that, what did you think? That was taken from a website, rexresearch, and I thought I would post it.
English Vintner
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Work
This doesn't have much to do with anything in particular...just something I was thinking about recently. Work, should we enjoy what we do as work? If you don't, maybe you should? Maybe God has you in that job for a reason, to be a light to those around you. Maybe you shouldn't be looking for that job that you like that will 'fulfill' you. The fact is, without Christ you will have no fulfillment in life. However, that wasn't quite what I was going to say when I wrote the topic title of work. I was remembering times with my best friend.
Last year, my cousin came over to my house for several longish periods of time. The main reason was to help on my garden, that was what we did. Those are some of the best times in my life. We would wake up at 6am, get out axes, picks, and tools. Spend the whole day working. Take a shower, and enjoy sometime talking before bed. Wake up and do the same. Ahh...those are the days. Spring, the ground is warm, the mornings are cool, and you enjoy working the soil. I look forward again to those days of spring. I won't have as much work though now. I have to keep up with what I have. Which means, tilling the ground again, weeding, keeping down weeds, and planting on time. You feel most motivated in early spring, you've gone months without green leaves covering the trees. It has been cold for so long. The days are warm, the nights are cool. Just the right temperature to keep you getting up early and working, and then resting in the shade when it gets too hot.
I cannot wait until the Spring time. I cannot wait to work again in the soil, feel the dirt, the gurgling creek, the warm sunny days, slowly drifting by.
English Vintner
Last year, my cousin came over to my house for several longish periods of time. The main reason was to help on my garden, that was what we did. Those are some of the best times in my life. We would wake up at 6am, get out axes, picks, and tools. Spend the whole day working. Take a shower, and enjoy sometime talking before bed. Wake up and do the same. Ahh...those are the days. Spring, the ground is warm, the mornings are cool, and you enjoy working the soil. I look forward again to those days of spring. I won't have as much work though now. I have to keep up with what I have. Which means, tilling the ground again, weeding, keeping down weeds, and planting on time. You feel most motivated in early spring, you've gone months without green leaves covering the trees. It has been cold for so long. The days are warm, the nights are cool. Just the right temperature to keep you getting up early and working, and then resting in the shade when it gets too hot.
I cannot wait until the Spring time. I cannot wait to work again in the soil, feel the dirt, the gurgling creek, the warm sunny days, slowly drifting by.
English Vintner
Saturday, 15 January 2011
Magnetic Water Trap
If I didn't have so much going on in my life right now, I would have made this by now. I guess that is not all that it is, I have not decided what trap would be best. I would like to incorporate the speaker magnets that I have.
The water, though it could be called elixir of life, is not a fast healing drink/magic potion. Rather, it works slowly, over time, healing your body from the first, and going back.
If you are serious about making one of these, or want to read more, go to this link. I've only read part of the diaries (spent 4 hours reading), but they are good.
http://www.subtleenergies.com/ormus/tw/twdiary.htm
Here is also on making a vortex trap.http://www.subtleenergies.com/ormus/research/Vortrap.htm
Subtle energies is a great place to go to research about water traps and ORMUS.
English Vintner
Thursday, 13 January 2011
SEA-CROP
An update on my SEA-CROP experiment. My plants are all doing quite well over all, though you can definitely see a difference between the SEA-CROP pots and the others. At some point next week I will finish writing up my report for the Science Fair, but the experiment will not be over, I'll continue to let the beets and radishes grow to full size.
The first noticeable difference was faster germination. The SEA-CROP germinated several days faster than the ones without it. Growth was also more substantial. Looking at them right now, you can't tell a big difference with the beets and the radishes, but the lettuce is noticeably bigger with the SEA-CROP. I'll let the lettuce go another 2 weeks at max I think before I harvest, take pictures, and record.
I sent 5 books to my cousin in law, who got me started on weird theories of different things. A couple by Viktor Schauberger, Philip Callahan, and a few others. I'm glad to share them, be able to lend them out. We've had some fun email conversations about different things of late.
I'd still like to put together some work on Copper Tools. I actually found a place that would sell a couple of trowels, a weeder, and hand cultivator for $39.99. I hope to get it soon.
English Vintner
The first noticeable difference was faster germination. The SEA-CROP germinated several days faster than the ones without it. Growth was also more substantial. Looking at them right now, you can't tell a big difference with the beets and the radishes, but the lettuce is noticeably bigger with the SEA-CROP. I'll let the lettuce go another 2 weeks at max I think before I harvest, take pictures, and record.
I sent 5 books to my cousin in law, who got me started on weird theories of different things. A couple by Viktor Schauberger, Philip Callahan, and a few others. I'm glad to share them, be able to lend them out. We've had some fun email conversations about different things of late.
I'd still like to put together some work on Copper Tools. I actually found a place that would sell a couple of trowels, a weeder, and hand cultivator for $39.99. I hope to get it soon.
English Vintner
Monday, 3 January 2011
A New Year
Well well, last year was good. The most time in one year I have ever spent with my cousin, even more so than in 2007 when we saw eachother for two weeks. Total amount of days...I would guess at least 20 days, spring break, August, and we saw him in June, and all the other short breaks he came to my house. Good times. My garden wouldn't be the way it is without him, I am muchly greatful.
Last year I grew alot, spiritually, and hope to do so even more this year, and the years to come.
This year, I have a lot of school to do. I have concentrated it down to fewer crops, main crops. I also plan to incorporate some things. If I can I would like to get a few copper tools. The newest thing I've been reading about by Viktor Schauberger. Also Sea Crop. I hope to see my yields expand more than last year. I have 1 year of fairly intense gardening under me.
I have many plans that I would like to do, but probably won't be able to do them.
We will see what this year brings.
English Vintner
Last year I grew alot, spiritually, and hope to do so even more this year, and the years to come.
This year, I have a lot of school to do. I have concentrated it down to fewer crops, main crops. I also plan to incorporate some things. If I can I would like to get a few copper tools. The newest thing I've been reading about by Viktor Schauberger. Also Sea Crop. I hope to see my yields expand more than last year. I have 1 year of fairly intense gardening under me.
I have many plans that I would like to do, but probably won't be able to do them.
We will see what this year brings.
English Vintner
Monday, 27 December 2010
Well well well
Yup, new blog back ground and other jazz. I just thought I would let you guys know about it, I'm assuming most will like it.
NC finally got some snow! 3+ inches of it! According to the persimmon seed folklore we will get lots of snow (its been right so far, we will see).
I was able to clean up my garden with my younger siblings. Mulched everywhere that didn't have cover crops.
Anyway, having a fun time with my older brother home, great Christmas, many presents.
English Vintner
NC finally got some snow! 3+ inches of it! According to the persimmon seed folklore we will get lots of snow (its been right so far, we will see).
I was able to clean up my garden with my younger siblings. Mulched everywhere that didn't have cover crops.
Anyway, having a fun time with my older brother home, great Christmas, many presents.
English Vintner
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Christmas Photos
I meant to post these with the last post, sorry, they would of made it better. Here they are, enjoy.
English Vintner
English Vintner
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
Christmas
It has been a while, not that I haven't had the time, I've just forgotten about my blog. Been going on in life without writing it. I've been busy with work, since my brother was in Switzerland. I haven't had much time for school, though I am hoping to get down on chemistry, and some math.
I turned 17 yesterday. Had to work, but got some stuff from the Blue Box Specials place, 2.5 gallons of yogurt, coffee creamer, 7 gallons of milk, 6 gallons of juice, and some other odds and ends. I also made some Farmhouse Cheddar, it is drying right now. I am hoping it turns out well, though, if not the cost was not much.
We got a Christmas tree. Most years we cut down a cedar. My older brother Josiah likes a 'real' Christmas tree. So, he went to Lowes and got a $30 dollar one. Last night we made cookies. We got out our fire place (from a wine display), a high quality image of a fire, surrounded with real looking fireplace mantle and sides. Quite charming without being the real deal.
It got down to 11ºF last night and is suppose to make a record tonight, not since 1960s something has it gotten this cold. Right now they are forecasting for snow and ice on Thursday, I'm hoping for some, though I don't want the roads bad enough that my brother can't make it back from collage.
I just started my SEA-CROP experiment, 12 pots, half with sea crop, 3 different veggies, radishes, beets, and leaf lettuce. The Science Fair is sometime in January, around the 20th, I'm hoping I will have had most good growth by then.
I bottled some hard cider, hoping it will be good by Christmas. I will be celebrating my birthday on the 21st. Christmas week work will be light, we only get Saturday off, but we should be able to make Friday almost nothing, won't even drive the truck, just the car.
Anyway. Haven't done much planning recently for the garden, but I have been doing reading, read Ancient Mysteries Modern Visions. Good book. I'm going through a book written about a lot of what Viktor Shauberger wrote about. Water, nature, and energy. He had a 'free' energy design from the sea, using the ocean, kinda like a wind mill, using the rising action of the oxygenated water from deep in the ocean rising to the top and giving off o2. But, he also had a device using hydro power, that is 90% more efficient, gets 90% more power for it. I read about composting methods, thinking more about cold composts, that encourage earth worms. You won't really find a hot compost pile in nature, it is slow, cool, and wormy. He is real big on the egg shape. Talks about 'living' water, vortexes and such. If you drink enough distilled water you will die. Distilled water is attracted to minerals and nutrients, so it sticks to them and takes them out of your body, depleting your body of them.
English Vintner
I turned 17 yesterday. Had to work, but got some stuff from the Blue Box Specials place, 2.5 gallons of yogurt, coffee creamer, 7 gallons of milk, 6 gallons of juice, and some other odds and ends. I also made some Farmhouse Cheddar, it is drying right now. I am hoping it turns out well, though, if not the cost was not much.
We got a Christmas tree. Most years we cut down a cedar. My older brother Josiah likes a 'real' Christmas tree. So, he went to Lowes and got a $30 dollar one. Last night we made cookies. We got out our fire place (from a wine display), a high quality image of a fire, surrounded with real looking fireplace mantle and sides. Quite charming without being the real deal.
It got down to 11ºF last night and is suppose to make a record tonight, not since 1960s something has it gotten this cold. Right now they are forecasting for snow and ice on Thursday, I'm hoping for some, though I don't want the roads bad enough that my brother can't make it back from collage.
I just started my SEA-CROP experiment, 12 pots, half with sea crop, 3 different veggies, radishes, beets, and leaf lettuce. The Science Fair is sometime in January, around the 20th, I'm hoping I will have had most good growth by then.
I bottled some hard cider, hoping it will be good by Christmas. I will be celebrating my birthday on the 21st. Christmas week work will be light, we only get Saturday off, but we should be able to make Friday almost nothing, won't even drive the truck, just the car.
Anyway. Haven't done much planning recently for the garden, but I have been doing reading, read Ancient Mysteries Modern Visions. Good book. I'm going through a book written about a lot of what Viktor Shauberger wrote about. Water, nature, and energy. He had a 'free' energy design from the sea, using the ocean, kinda like a wind mill, using the rising action of the oxygenated water from deep in the ocean rising to the top and giving off o2. But, he also had a device using hydro power, that is 90% more efficient, gets 90% more power for it. I read about composting methods, thinking more about cold composts, that encourage earth worms. You won't really find a hot compost pile in nature, it is slow, cool, and wormy. He is real big on the egg shape. Talks about 'living' water, vortexes and such. If you drink enough distilled water you will die. Distilled water is attracted to minerals and nutrients, so it sticks to them and takes them out of your body, depleting your body of them.
English Vintner
Monday, 29 November 2010
Thanksgiving
Well, we had a wonderful time last week. Sunday evening I left with my brother Isaiah to go to Chattanooga where my Uncle Tim and his family live (Jether). We got in around 1am, went to bed. The ride to it was enjoyable. I got to talk about things I had been researching with my brother, talk about weird phenomenons and get his take on a lot of them. It is always good to get a 3D look on things, asking a friend or someone about it. You don't always see every angle from your perspective.
Monday morning Jether showed me his garden, and then we went to the Holly's, friends of theirs who have two milking cows. We got three pickup loads of cow manure. Fairly wet recent stuff, not very composted. We piled it in layers at the shed with sawdust in between. It made a big pile. 12ft by 8ft, maybe not quite that big, but several tons. By Spring, maybe late spring it should be good compost to spread on the garden.
Later in the day Jether showed me how to feed the rabbits and chickens and what they get. I finally got to see my cousin in laws trailer, the inside.
Tuesday my cousins had left, I fed the chickens and rabbits, brought back eggs. I made the filling for pumpkin pie and my Grandma made blueberry something. We had hamburgers for supper, and I fed the rabbits and chickens. Wednesday morning I woke up at 6am. Fed the chickens and rabbits, collected an egg, got a dumpster-dived frozen rotisserie chicken for Bear, the dog. Came back to the house, ate breakfast. By 7:28am we were leaving for Uncle Dan's. It took a little less than 2 hours to get to his house.
Now I will skip a few details. I played Pretty Pretty Princess with my 4 year old cousin, and had a tea party with her. My family arrived later in the day, around 4 pm. We heard that Uncle Scott and Uncle Bill were not coming that night after all. We were dismayed. Soon after supper (pizza) they arrived with many shouts of joy and gladness. They brought nuts, wine, sparkling juice, korean persimmons, and lots of fun!
I mixed up Sticky Bun dough around 6pm. Around 9pm I rolled it out. The yeast was pretty slow rising compared to ours, but it seemed to work. Around 10pm Uncle Scott, Uncle Bill, Isaiah and Josiah left to go to Uncle Scotts, about 55 minutes away. I slept on the couch in the living room (VERY comfortable, more so than I imagined). Around 4am I woke up (away from home etc, you know) and put the sticky buns on the counter to bring to room temp. At 6am my alarm went off (the Black Gate RotK). I put the sticky buns in at around 175F. About 7:30am I finally heated it up to baking at 350F.
We had an enjoyable breakfast of hot sticky buns and freshly roasted coffee. (Uncle Dan is the one who got me into roasting my own coffee) Uncle Scott and the rest arrived around 11am, we had saved them a few sticky buns. Around 11 I started rolls for Thanksgiving. For lunch we had vegetables, cheese (irish stout, irish whiskey cheese!), crackers and a little wine. By 1pm we were getting things starting cooking, like sweet potatoes and other dishes. We had a family coming that arrived around 4:30pm. We ended up eating Thanksgiving around 5:45pm, later than we have ever done it in the past. Usually we aim for around 1pm to 3pm. Basically so the kids can eat a light lunch and the older ones can hold off till the meal.
Thanksgiving meal was excellent. Sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, rolls, gravy, turkey, ham, vegetables, cranberry sauce, and other side dishes. We had some Merlot, Cabernet, Shiraz, Muscat, Concord, Fig Port, and Sparkling grape juice, and still cider. We had a great time. After the meal some people went to watch football (never quite understood that part of Thanksgiving, but...), and we watched movies that my grandfather took of my dad and his brothers growing up in Korea.
Thursday night we played a round of rook, Uncle Dan came up top. Around 10pm we, Londa, I, Josiah, Isaiah went with Uncle Scott and Uncle Bill. We enjoyed hanging out with Uncle Scott at his place in the morning. Around 11 we headed to the movie theater to watch Tangled. We arrived early so we went to Home Depot to pick up an electrical outlet cover for Uncle Scott. Tangled was very good. I really enjoyed it. Uncle Scott bought some popcorn and 1 free refill. We got 2 free refills. : )
We got back to Uncle Dan's around 3:15, Uncle Dan made some coffee, and Uncle Bill changed the oil in his car. That night we had devotions, talking about things we were thankful for, and then praying. After that we had some more rook games. Late that evening, around 11pm Uncle Scott and Uncle Bill left. Before they did so we went out to say good bye and all. The rest went in, but while Uncle Scott was getting in the car Uncle Bill turned on Taio Cruz - Dynamite, and started dancing to it. It was an awesome 10 seconds! Music blasting us all moving around!
Saturday morning we packed up, said good byes. And headed over to our cousins house, our grandparents live in the basement, and that is where we stayed. I did the rabbits and chickens. After supper Josiah, Isaiah and I played Catan. Sunday we left to go to the OPC in Atlanta, where our friend Scott Willet and his family are. Scott Willet was our pastor from 94-99.
Sunday afternoon after eating with them we left and came home. Today I worked for 11 hours, got tons of stuff from the trash, and went to our choir concert (performed).
I work again tomorrow, but hey, its TUESDAY!!!! I LOVE tuesday, Josiah has set a passion in me for Tuesday's, I love them because he made me love them. My dad and I are planning on watching the third Bourne (he hasen't seen it yet).
Well, I should go now. A LONG post! : )
English Vintner
Monday morning Jether showed me his garden, and then we went to the Holly's, friends of theirs who have two milking cows. We got three pickup loads of cow manure. Fairly wet recent stuff, not very composted. We piled it in layers at the shed with sawdust in between. It made a big pile. 12ft by 8ft, maybe not quite that big, but several tons. By Spring, maybe late spring it should be good compost to spread on the garden.
Later in the day Jether showed me how to feed the rabbits and chickens and what they get. I finally got to see my cousin in laws trailer, the inside.
Tuesday my cousins had left, I fed the chickens and rabbits, brought back eggs. I made the filling for pumpkin pie and my Grandma made blueberry something. We had hamburgers for supper, and I fed the rabbits and chickens. Wednesday morning I woke up at 6am. Fed the chickens and rabbits, collected an egg, got a dumpster-dived frozen rotisserie chicken for Bear, the dog. Came back to the house, ate breakfast. By 7:28am we were leaving for Uncle Dan's. It took a little less than 2 hours to get to his house.
Now I will skip a few details. I played Pretty Pretty Princess with my 4 year old cousin, and had a tea party with her. My family arrived later in the day, around 4 pm. We heard that Uncle Scott and Uncle Bill were not coming that night after all. We were dismayed. Soon after supper (pizza) they arrived with many shouts of joy and gladness. They brought nuts, wine, sparkling juice, korean persimmons, and lots of fun!
I mixed up Sticky Bun dough around 6pm. Around 9pm I rolled it out. The yeast was pretty slow rising compared to ours, but it seemed to work. Around 10pm Uncle Scott, Uncle Bill, Isaiah and Josiah left to go to Uncle Scotts, about 55 minutes away. I slept on the couch in the living room (VERY comfortable, more so than I imagined). Around 4am I woke up (away from home etc, you know) and put the sticky buns on the counter to bring to room temp. At 6am my alarm went off (the Black Gate RotK). I put the sticky buns in at around 175F. About 7:30am I finally heated it up to baking at 350F.
We had an enjoyable breakfast of hot sticky buns and freshly roasted coffee. (Uncle Dan is the one who got me into roasting my own coffee) Uncle Scott and the rest arrived around 11am, we had saved them a few sticky buns. Around 11 I started rolls for Thanksgiving. For lunch we had vegetables, cheese (irish stout, irish whiskey cheese!), crackers and a little wine. By 1pm we were getting things starting cooking, like sweet potatoes and other dishes. We had a family coming that arrived around 4:30pm. We ended up eating Thanksgiving around 5:45pm, later than we have ever done it in the past. Usually we aim for around 1pm to 3pm. Basically so the kids can eat a light lunch and the older ones can hold off till the meal.
Thanksgiving meal was excellent. Sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, rolls, gravy, turkey, ham, vegetables, cranberry sauce, and other side dishes. We had some Merlot, Cabernet, Shiraz, Muscat, Concord, Fig Port, and Sparkling grape juice, and still cider. We had a great time. After the meal some people went to watch football (never quite understood that part of Thanksgiving, but...), and we watched movies that my grandfather took of my dad and his brothers growing up in Korea.
Thursday night we played a round of rook, Uncle Dan came up top. Around 10pm we, Londa, I, Josiah, Isaiah went with Uncle Scott and Uncle Bill. We enjoyed hanging out with Uncle Scott at his place in the morning. Around 11 we headed to the movie theater to watch Tangled. We arrived early so we went to Home Depot to pick up an electrical outlet cover for Uncle Scott. Tangled was very good. I really enjoyed it. Uncle Scott bought some popcorn and 1 free refill. We got 2 free refills. : )
We got back to Uncle Dan's around 3:15, Uncle Dan made some coffee, and Uncle Bill changed the oil in his car. That night we had devotions, talking about things we were thankful for, and then praying. After that we had some more rook games. Late that evening, around 11pm Uncle Scott and Uncle Bill left. Before they did so we went out to say good bye and all. The rest went in, but while Uncle Scott was getting in the car Uncle Bill turned on Taio Cruz - Dynamite, and started dancing to it. It was an awesome 10 seconds! Music blasting us all moving around!
Saturday morning we packed up, said good byes. And headed over to our cousins house, our grandparents live in the basement, and that is where we stayed. I did the rabbits and chickens. After supper Josiah, Isaiah and I played Catan. Sunday we left to go to the OPC in Atlanta, where our friend Scott Willet and his family are. Scott Willet was our pastor from 94-99.
Sunday afternoon after eating with them we left and came home. Today I worked for 11 hours, got tons of stuff from the trash, and went to our choir concert (performed).
I work again tomorrow, but hey, its TUESDAY!!!! I LOVE tuesday, Josiah has set a passion in me for Tuesday's, I love them because he made me love them. My dad and I are planning on watching the third Bourne (he hasen't seen it yet).
Well, I should go now. A LONG post! : )
English Vintner
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