Maebius Musings

Spot. (aka: Mr Moo)
Now resting in the clearing at the end of the path (aka, our freezer)

This time, our son was old enough to realize that ‘The Moo’ we had been feeding and tending to for the last year and a half was going away, not because he was sick or dangerous, but because he was loved and healthy, and will feed us this winter.   He cried.

Later in the day, especially after seeing the guy walk willingly into the truck and be driven away with “his family” (some other steers on their way to slaughter from the nearby farm), and a gentle reminder that beef=cow, he seems to ave realized what I consider the “rightness” of the situation.

I understand those who follow a vegetarian lifestyle, and respect that.  For us, an important thing for our son to know is where food comes from.  Be it the garden or the pasture, or the coop.   We raised Spot (and a brother who passed away last winter unexpectedly) with the intention to become “meat”.  He was loved, he had fresh grass and a building all to himself (seen in the background of this image), and a pond to drink from whenever he was thirsty.  Daily buckets of grain or cracked corn were an expected treat each evening after school.

I much prefer the beef we’ll receive from his life, to one of commercial farmed produce.  We put ourenergy and love into the spirit inhabiting this cow’s bo, and will receive it back again to nourish us.

R.I.P.  mister Moo.  You were part of our ‘family’, and will be part of us forever.

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I recently talked about Perspectives in terms of seeing wildlife in your backyard as a boon, and a symptom of imbalance.  I had been pondering that lately, and realized that the two options were not mutually exclusive, and to look at them in terms of extremes was jsut as bad as ignoring one side of the question itself.

For today’s musing, I present to you this:

What is it?  

A few options present themselves to my mind.   For example, it’s an apple, Obviously.  Thinking further…

• A fruit.
• a red -skinned food-item
• a healthy snack
• a worm house
• the fall of mankind via Eve
• a potential tree
• a jpg file
• an electronic pixilated representation of a physical object
• …etc.

I could probably think of a few other increasingly esoteric and creative answers to “What is that?“, but I think the point has been made. The question of “which is the correct answer?” is somewhat moot.  They are all correct.

The same ‘thing’ like that apple pictured above, can be many many things depending on how you look at it.   It’s a less extreme example of the three blind men and the elephant.

Like our own concepts of Spiritual Truth, I believe that just about all of them are valid, for the honest practitioner.  Some may call a spade a spade, and others a shovel or a playing-card, but there is Truth behind the respective words, that has validity.

Think about that the next time you dismiss someone as “wrong” in some subjective topic.  They may be less Right to you’re perspective, granted.  We can also change our own minds in light of continued evidence.  Yet, I am finding that the idea of wholly Wrong-ness is the cause of most troubles in society lately.

Lets stop comparing those apples to themselves, and just make fruit salad with the oranges we find too.

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PS: Happy Blue Moon!!! *

Edited note: The photos apparently bork the website layout, so I’ve changed them to links. Click on the links to see the actual images. Sorry!!

Meet the newest members of the Everthorn Farm Family: Jake, and Spot!

The bull brothers were born three days apart, around Dec 23 & 26th, but I forget which one is older. They will hopefully be trained to ride (like a horse) and handle a yoke for some emergency garden-plowing if necessary (you know, in 2012 when the world blows up, hehe)

If the temperment and personality starts to get a bit “Bullish” then they will join their energies to our family as dinner, as ‘Norman’ did in the past.

Also, for your viewing pleasure, a few recent pictures. First, the rare and elusive Tree-monkey, who lives in our lilac bush and enjoys ice-cream and pop-tarts for breakfast.

Next, the vicious Hound of Everthorn, cousin to that one in Baskerville.

Finally, two more of the bull-brothers. Jake’s head,, and another with his half-brother Spot.

Enjoy!

*PS: Pre-Script BlueMoon greetings, rather than Post-script, because it’s one of those kinda days where things are all mixed-up at work!

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I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday, and for those outside the US of A, I hope the last few days have been likewise Thankful and Blessed as well.

I’m recovering from the turkey-day feasts (we ate at our house, with Chef Maebius presiding over the bird and associated sides.) and the back to a normal day-shift schedule of work, so it’s nice to enter December with a fresh outlook on things.

In place of a real muse-worthy post, I’ll redirect you to this one from around this time in years past.
http://everthorn.net/musings/2008/12/monday-muse-countdown-to-christmasolstiyule/?p=312

We hung the ‘Advent’ tree and started filling it with treats for the kid starting tomorrow.   This tree needed soem serious repairs as mice or other furry critters found their way into the plastic storage bin it was kept in (chewed a hole through the side?!) and thus some parts of it were eaten up.   Soem deft green felt patches later, and its’ at least suitable for this year.    Sadly, this probably means I’ll be re-designing another big crafty one for next Yule.   Any suggestions, or should I keep the general festive-tree theme?

Enjoy, and I’ll see you all again shortly once I get back in the swing of things.

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At church yesterday, the theme was of the coming Harvest Holiday, we here in the USA call Thanksgiving.  As part of this, our UU Minister read a few words from Rev. Max Coots, relating to friendship, community,  and gardens.  I’d like to share that here, since it really was awesome.

Garden Meditations

by Rev. Max Coots

Let us give thanks for a bounty of people.

For children who are our second planting, and though they
grow like weeds and the wind too soon blows them away, may
they forgive us our cultivation and fondly remember where
their roots are.

Let us give thanks;

For generous friends…with hearts…and smiles as bright
as their blossoms;

For feisty friends, as tart as apples;

For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers,
keep reminding us that we’ve had them;

For crotchety friends, sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;

For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants and
as elegant as a row of corn, and the others, as plain as
potatoes and so good for you;

For funny friends, who are as silly as Brussels sprouts and
as amusing as Jerusalem artichokes;

And serious friends as unpretentious as cabbages, as subtle
as summer squash, as persistent as parsley, as delightful as
dill, as endless as zucchini and who, like parsnips, can be
counted on to see you through the winter;

For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time,
and young friends coming on as fast as radishes;

For loving friends, who wind around us like tendrils and hold
us, despite our blights, wilts and witherings;

And finally, for those friends now gone, like gardens past
that have been harvested, but who fed us in their times that
we might have life thereafter.

For all these we give thanks.

So, for all of you reading this, be ye garlic or rhubarb, or corn or zucchini. Thank you, and may your Thanksgiving season be as blessed and bountiful as possible.

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Forgive the somewhat cliche and lengthy title, but it sums up my mood today (monday).

This weekend, we took the long five hour+ journey to PA to help out a friend and get some things done that needed done. It involved shopping, and sawing, and such, but was not overly strenuous in terms of physical chores.  Still, there was much productivity and Things Got Done(tm).

The amazing thing about the whole weekend, was the transformation that overcame our family (or at least my wife and I) over the course of it.  Lately, things have been a bit grey and mundane.  We dealt with a death in the family, a relative’s unrelated auto accident, and one of those every project at work deadlines Today times that crop up.  The fact I had to miss my herb class made the weekend seem initially like just another Chore.
(no insult intended to those we visited, we still were going to come regardless. *grin*)

In reality, with such an unexpectedly relaxed atmosphere, and high productivity, it felt like this was a weekend quite well spent!  The trip down was made in record time, so much so that I am almost convinced that my joking comment about “taking the moon roads” (a ley-line shortcut) was partially correct.

The shopping resulted in new shoes that make walking comfortable, and thus firming the foundations of my family.   We ate tasty food that nourished our bodies as well as my heart (huevos rancheros = divinity on a plate!).   I played at the park and watched my usually shy son wander right up and get himself involved with both a pick-up Baseball game, and a Soccer match!

It was one of those weekends that just worked. Things went right, the sun shone unseasonably bright and warm, and a myriad of magical minutiae happened.

Even the ride home, usually long and arduous, was filled with the three of us howling at the moon when it peeked from the clouds, interspersed with an unusually chatty kid who put away his video game to play “alphabet games”.  I’m sure any bystanders seeing a family of 3 driving slowly with faces suddenly stretched upwards to the window in a long Awwrroooooo, would think we were nuts.   But we had fun, darn it.

The root beer?   A tasty treat from Trader Joes, to ease parched throats along the ride. Nothing less, but perchance more.  It was magic potion faerie root elixir if the kid is to be believed.

I couldn’t have asked for a better vacation!

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Unfortunately, my first day of college in over 10 years was canceled due to too few people registering for it.  How sad!   Still, I heard from the teacher that she may offer the course at her home or elsewhere for the remaining interested people and will re-schedule asap.

So, instead of classroom learning, I will recount some soup we made earlier in the week while I was home to help cook.   It was the kid’s “Amazing Soup” and I am proud to reveal the ‘secret recipe’ below.

The nice thing about this was the hands-on approach the kid took with this meal.  I gave him free range to make whatever he wanted, and offered myself as ‘sous chef’ in charge of such things as sharp knives and hot stove-pans.   Whatever ingredients were added, were chosen by him.  (I made one suggestion to add some mushrooms, at the end just for my own selfish delight, and to allow him to use the Magic Bullet to powder-ize them himself)

We do this kid-cooking from time to time and while we ALWAYs make what he suggests, there have been times we secretly made a small pot of Mac&Cheese or Paste&Sauce as backup for when we know it is going to taste nasty.  I’ll have to post his “awesomeberry pie” recipe (which is actually more a  fruit crumble).

All ingredients, with the exception of the mushrooms, and the bouillon, is from our garden, or roadside veggie cart near our house.  Details of some ingredients after the recipe.

*** Maebius Jr’s Amazing soup ***

• 1 pan of water (approx 1 quart)
• 1 ear of hybrid sweet/’indian’ corn.
• 2-3 green beans, broken into 1/2 inch bits.
• 1 heaping Tbl of beef bouillon (more or less to taste)
• 1 dash of “spice mix”.
• 1 carrot, sliced thin.
• 3/4 yellow onion, “Whopper Chopper‘d” finely.
• 1/2 small Aubergine cut into ‘chunks’.
• 1 big leaf Bok Choy, ‘shredded’
• 1-2 small dried portabella caps, powdered in food processor.
• (optional: handful of pasta, as Rotelle or mini Farfalle)

Add all ingredients except Bok Choy to the pan and bring it to a boil until carrots are soft and onions are starting to dissolve.

Toss in the chopped/shredded leaves (alternately,  Lambs Quarters or Spinach) and continue boiling for another 10-15 minutes until suitably wilted.

At this point the soup should be slightly thickened.  If not, boil it a bit more with the lid off, or add pasta and simmer until done.

Serve in bowls with a clover flower garnish, and a side of bread or crackers & cheese.

The corn, we planted sweet corn along with a row of decorative ‘Variegated maize‘, and they have cross-pollinated, resulting in the sweet corn being sweet, but rather tough and having a few purplish/red kernels on each ear.

The Spice Mix is my own creation, which consists of a rotating jar of fairly random spices and dried herbs.  This collection of flavorings is generally ground together in a mortar & pestle, then put in a small jar.  When the jar starts looking half-full, I restock it with what I find around the counter at the time, so it changes and is complex by this point.  Mostly garlic powder, dried chile powder, black pepper, crumbled Dulce, sea salt, celery seed, ginger, nettle leaves, and dashes of other stuff-I-find-in-the-kitchen (basil, paprika, dill, etc).

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There comes a time in everyone’s life when we must step back, take account of our situation, and endeavor to improve it. It’s a natural human way of thinking, to continually challenge and improve ourselves.

Such thoughts brought humanity from the fire-lit caves of ancient times to walking on the moon (and deforestation and pollution, but I’ll discount that aspect for this post).

And so, tonight I will take up my bookbag, hoist a notebook and pen, and step forward into the frightening realm of Academia once more.   I hope you’ll join me later this weekend, as I regale you with tales of higher learning, wrenched from the inner sanctums of Herkimer Community College.

…

Or, more accurately, I signed up for 4 non-credit courses at the nearby college, taught by someone I know and have on my blogroll!

Tonight is the class “Local and Bioregional Herbal Remedies“,  followed by “Herbs of Children and Family” on Oct 22nd,  the exciting “Preparations and Kitchen Herbs” in November, and finally one in December that does not appear to be updated on the site yet. 

I havn’t been to ‘school’ for years now, so am just a wee bit nervous. Gotta get my brain in gear to do some Serious Learnin…

Still, I’ve heard the teacher is kinda hot. 

Green blessings from my yard to yours.

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Short post,  life is busy (in a fairly good way) …..

The garden is starting to feel autumnal already.   We were in philadelphia last weekend with warm sunny weather, and returned home after a 5hr drive to 53 degree drizzly breezy grey evenings.    Wow,  talk about climate culture-shock stepping out of the car again. 

The beets are dug and canned or pickled, our Chard is starting to fade, and the Hops bine is laden with musky little cones to pluck and dry shorty.  It’s one of my favorite times of the year actually, though I do rather feel sad when the growing flocks of geese are wheeling southward on my way home from work.  The arrival of geese is one of my “springtime” markers, and they will be missed over winter.

Yesterday we made about 3.5 qarts of Elderberry Jelly (in small half-pint and pint jars) and STILL have berries left over to make syrup and cordials.   Yummy, and the purple stains across the stove and counter were kinda pretty until they got sponged up.

…

So, with harvest time in the air, and because I just made a side-dish of lightly steamed leaves last night from our ‘garden’ where they were interfering with the beets….  here’s Susun Weed’s informative posting on Lamb’s Quarters:  Chenopodium Album.

Go now, and eat your weeds!

(and check out Susun’s  Wise woman forum if you’ve never been there.  Good resource for weedy stuff!)

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Short random thought here, while we enjoy canning garden veggies, pick elderberries, and try to keep up with mowing the yard in the midst of rainy weather and quick-to-seed grasses. 

Speaking of mowing the yard and tending the garden, which are both “nature-oriented outdoorsy” activities….

Is it really being truly Harmony with Nature to tend a garden or pull unwanted plants from a patch of wildcrafted ‘weeds’, or is such activity merely a green-washing and rationalized front to an otherwise human need to control our environment?   And then again, is falling into such a pattern of ego-controlling modification of the world just part of our natural human-nature, and thus perfectly “keeping with Nature”?

I can see Pros and cons to the former question, in that a properly tended wilderness area may produce healthier individual results (bigger veggies, healthy grubs, etc) but at the cost of reduced biodiversity in the micro-system.   Likewise, letting a garden go to weeds will produce some of the healthiest weeds due to competition with neighboring species (which may be potentially wildcrafted for other benefits as well).

I also understand that on a larger timeframe and scale, monoculture or even tended diverse gardens and sustainable fallow/crop rotations would not last without continued intervention on our part.   Yet would that be ‘best-practice’ for the ecosyatem of the area itself?  I am considering hte question mianly in the timeframe of a human lifespan, or a generation, perhaps 50 years at most, so that the results can be witnessed by one such as myself.

Allowing it to go fallow might yield a grassland or expanse of ivy that eventually makes way for trees as neighboring ecosystems encroach on the “open plain”, and ultimately (in my limited time-scale) result in lessened biodiversity or productive value.

It’s an interesting ponderence, with many more layers I have not fully considered or researched yet.

Still, as a gut-reaction musing, what are your thoughts?   I’m curious to hear them! 

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