Thursday Open Thread 1-4-2018
Watching the skilled hands of a craftsman can be memorizing. Timeless traditions of shaping of wood, metal, clay, grasses and fibers into useful objects for daily life. So many item can be bought ready made, it seems there is no need to increase the skills of hands beyond typing and pressing buttons on the remote. Are we loosing part of our humanity by increasingly focusing on mind development?
[video:https://youtu.be/U5XRpD8m_ek?t=17]
We are never to old for the benefits of the hand-mind connection. Recent focus has been on knitting, but get a hobby was once a suggestion for mild depression and anxiety.
A 2011 study from the Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences showed that doing crafts such as patch-working or knitting during middle age, combined with watching less television, decreased the odds of later cognitive impairment and memory loss by 30 to 50 percent, and promoted the development of neural pathways.
Knitting can also improve mood, according to a 2013 survey of 3,500 knitters published in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy. When asked to describe their mood before knitting, 34 percent reported feeling "happy" and 23 percent reported being "a little sad" to "very sad." When asked to report their mood post-knitting, less than 1 percent remained sad and 81 percent described themselves as "a little happy" to "very happy."
Farm Report
Sheep are now in the upper pasture. If I don't get heavy snow they may be able to graze all winter.
Just need to look out the window to tell the direction of the wind.
On the drive to town the neighboring draft horses Clydesdale are being fed hay. Hay is pushed off a vehicle in a straight line across the field. The black one is likely a Percheron, and the brown ones are Belgians.
This guy left the hay to pose for a picture. Went back to his hay when the camera disappeared from the car window.
Stopped to get chicken feed at the local feed store: 2-50# millet, 2-40# rolled barley and a 50# of wheat bran. West side of the road still rural. Just across the street Home Depot, Walmart, Pet Smart and several fast food businesses have been built. The mountain views are disappearing to development.
Another farm property divided into lots. This one will be "ranchettes" and not high density housing.
Comments
Creating yarn, ropes and threads was done
while walking or sitting with spindles for thousands of years around the world prior to spinning wheels.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itelv4CPEb4]
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Good morning, SOE~~
I like your chicken feed combination. We might give that a try.
It's so dry here with no moisture in sight, while the east coast is in a permanent blizzard. Extremes.
Back to reality for me today. Been off two glorious weeks.
Have a beautiful day, everyone!
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
The cold front prevented us from the moisture
which caused ice and snow downstate. It’s bone dry and cold to the bone here.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Depending on the time of year
will add tamale masa flour bought at a restaurant supply house. Tamales do not cook properly with contamination from certain GMO corns and the thickeners added to retain moisture for soft corn tortillas. Mix with water to moisten the flour and wheat bran. In the coldest part of winter I add corn oil (cheapest) for extra energy and if not eaten immediately does not freeze as hard.
If using rice bran pellets instead of loose wheat bran do not need to add moisture to the mixture. Feed like pellets or scratch.
When they are not self foraging for grass and insects I throw in a flake of hay.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Good Morning
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Take one guitar, round strings and add a little energy
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS6y6YjkIUg]
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Hola Tim, finally got back to this, thanks for putting it up.
Have a good one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
good morning all
It is another cold day here too. We've been bundling up and getting in a walk everyday though. It will be a wonder if the lettuce survives under row covers and straw after several days of below freezing temps. I'll let you know next week when things moderate and row covers come off. The greens - collards, kale, and so on - will cruise through fine. Had home grown greens, sweet 'taters, and peas on New Years as southern tradition dictates. We harvested everything hard and have it stored in a good cooler on the porch. Been eating salads all week trying to use things while we have them.
Joe posted this piece in the EB yesterday about the weakening of the polar vortex
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27092017/polar-vortex-cold-snap-arcti...
...and last summer the southern and northern jet streams crossed tracks over the equator.
https://www.rt.com/viral/349034-jetstream-season-shift-equator/
Wild weather will be our fate. I've been working on the design of some geothermal/compost heated cold/warm frames. Basically creating a circulating loop between the compost bins and growing frames and build them back to back
Here's a couple of approaches
water based circulation (and much larger than my concept)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4TfmP5cA-Y (14 min)
Air circulated approach similar to my thinking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFGgZfD3G7c (10 min)
I hope you all stay warm and have a good day!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Understanding the big picture weather patterns
with graphics from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Stable and unstable polar vortex
Atmospheric rivers coming across the Pacific to the western United States hit the Vortex fluctuations for some interesting local weather.
Did not find a good graphic for a spiral cyclone pattern of a bombogenesis happening in the east.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
good morning, SOE and everybody. Thanks for the OT, SOE.
The rain here stopped late last night or early this morning, not super heavy, but long, which is good for the non-burned areas. Good for the burned ones too if it gets a chance to soak in.
Christmas is all boxed back up (weird, no?) and the outdoor stuff is already stowed away to be ignored for another 322 days or so. The inside stuff goes away today and it is time to go back to routine and/or such new ones as we establish for this cycle around the sun. Speaking of which, it is time to medicate the cat, so offo I go.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Those horses in your photos
Are not Clydesdales. The black one is likely a Percheron, and the two behind the Percheron look like they are Belgians. All those breeds are draft horses but they are different breeds.
And now I’ll get off my high horse!!
Thanks for the quick response
Corrected and added a link to a picture of the Belgian team in full harness from 2006.
Do not want an dismount injury.
In celebration of horses
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1YO3j-Zh3g]
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
And these gorgeous horses
Look like Freisians.
you do know your horses!
Thought is the wind, knowledge the sail, and mankind the vessel.
-- August Hare
Well, I am a TB Mare!
As in a Thoroughbred Mare.
grew up with thoroughbreds
frisky lot, skittish but smart
Thought is the wind, knowledge the sail, and mankind the vessel.
-- August Hare
Me too.
Hunter/Jumper world in Virginia. Then had 24 years in the Jersey suburbs with no horses. Then to Vermont for 8 years and got into Eventing. What a blast cross country is, and what a zen challenge Dressage is. I’ve sworn off TB’s now that I’m 60. We’re in the Hudson Valley now with a Quarterhorse, a Paint, and an Appaloosa. Good old, safe boys to play with. Life is good.
yeah, we had to let the race horses go
had an appaloosa mare and shetland gelding after. Experienced a "fox hunt" in VT a few years ago. Old aristocratic customs, kinda funny to see all the formal riding wear. Mostly 1/4 horses, some morgans and others. We got to ride in the range rover as "whippers" for the hounds with 2 way radios. Beautiful fall scenery and bloody mary's back at the barn.
Cheers!
Thought is the wind, knowledge the sail, and mankind the vessel.
-- August Hare
In random thoughts generated from the above posts
it occurred to me that I could drive in at least two directions 5 minutes and photograph Scottish Highland cattle in the snow. But I won't. Snow fog is developing up here in the hills. Currently 22, temps should begin to drop to sub-zero by tonight. I am so pleased that I have a brand new car battery!
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Good to hear of your new battery. From your weather report,
it sounds like a good day to stay indoors all the same.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
I was all gung-ho about learning to knit
So many people I know do it, and a handful of them are experts. Two years ago, I asked a friend to jump-start me with a few lessons, and I watched a ton of YouTube tutorials.
Turns out I suck at it!
We're not getting the "bomb cyclone" here in Vermont, but lots of blowing snow; and temps will dip back into the negative double-digits overnight. Grateful to have shelter and heat.
Be well, everyone!
Type of yarn and color makes a big difference
on ease of learning to knit and crochet. Kept overthinking when trying to learn, tried to make every stitch perfect and was using a slick yarn on slippery needles. Almost gave up.
Initially found variegated yarns were the easiest for my eyes to follow and watch only the section being worked on at the moment. Used cotton yarn and slowly worked on dish and dust clothes until my hands could feel when the stitch was right or wrong. Some projects I simply use a loom, they have a long history of common use.
Keep your hands comfortable. Knitting styles became fashionable way to identify social class and some techniques are more likely to cause repetitive stress injuries.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Good advice!
I may eventually try it again. I was using neon fuschia yarn on large-gauge wooden (straight) needles, but still couldn't manage ten rows without either dropping a stitch, or adding one or more! Laughing at the absurdity of it as a type.
Fortunately, I've discovered the joys of digging in the dirt with bare hands and trying to grow things! Just picked up a book on how to start a home-based food business, too. Don't know if it will ever go anywhere, but it's fun to think about.
Late, SoE, but your posts bring me weekly peace...
Many thanks for sharing!
I am late too ...
Enjoyed reading and watching. Busy today. Starting a braided rag rug, cooking, baking, laundry. Covered garden plants but afraid to look at them after this cold spell.
Love your pics. I have never seen those grains at our feed store, but will look for them now.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo