Interesting Information: “What History Teaches Us About Walls”

Interesting Information:  June 4, 2016

What History Teaches Us About Walls

Whenever I hear Donald Trump say he is going to build a wall between the US and Mexico, my mind jumps to the Maginot Line in France.

That “wall” didn’t work so well.

Nor did the Great Wall of China.

Nor did, really, the Berlin Wall.

People find ways around walls…

How many human efforts to create literal walls have worked?

Of course, there is a history of walls out there.  (History isn’t Donald Trump’s long suit.  Inciting peoples’ anger is.)

There are some really pretty pictures in this article.  Of walls…

Source: What History Teaches Us About Walls – The New York Times

Turkey Tracks: Saturday Breakfast

Turkey Tracks:  June 4, 2016

Saturday Breakfast

We are (again) being promised rain for later tonight and tomorrow.

So far, my rain dances have not worked.  Maybe this time.

Anyway, I mowed last Friday, so I knew I had to mow before we got soaking rain that might take several days.  Often, that means a third day for my grass to dry out enough to mow.

So…

Yep.  I needed to mow TODAY.

At first we had overcast cool, then, suddenly, in the way weather happens in Maine, the skies cleared and the sun came out and it started getting warm enough to dry up the morning dew.

First though, I fixed myself a “Saturday Breakfast.”  Normally I don’t get hungry until nearly noon.  But today I needed to be mowing around noon, AND I am having dinner early evening with friends at Chez Michel’s in Lincolnville, Maine–just up the road from Camden and across from Lincolnville beach.  Somehow, I’ve never been to this restaurant, so when friends discovered I had not, an outing was organized.  (I have great friends.)  

Over a cup of tea, I pondered what to eat for breakfast.

My tea:  I get the most extraordinary Irish tea from our local coops.  It’s from a Vermont company and comes in little grains.  It makes a “bold” cup of tea.

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I heat the water in my copper kettle, and say what you will, water heated in that kettle tastes gorgeous–very unlike water heated in another pot.  I’ve had it for 25 or so years now and love it to pieces.

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I pour hot water over the loose tea through a basket thingy

that fits over my cup.

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This tea can take a second pour over too, which I usually do sometime during the day.

Of course I add LOCAL raw WHOLE milk from Jersey cows (Milkhouse milk) and about a tablespoon of raw, UNHEATED local honey–which I get in big jars once a year from my local beekeeper, Sparky’s Honey.  I take him the jars, and he fills them.

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On the refill, I don’t add the honey.

OK, chives are in full bloom, so I snipped some and brought in one of the lavender chive blooms to crumble into my eggs.

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Over the years, the chives have spread in my garden.  And look at the stand of tarragon to the right of the big clump of chives.  Along this path I have several types of sage, several types of thyme, my grandmother’s mint (which I’ve had for over 40 years), some garlic chive (blooms in August), lavender, and some rosemary.  I LOVE it when I have herbs in the garden.

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I recently learned that one can trim the chives back to to or three inches in mid-summer, and they will grow back up and, often, bloom again.

I put a big pat of local raw butter in the pan and heated it until it sizzled.  Threw in the chives and dropped in two eggs.  While they set a bit, I hit them with local sea salt and some black pepper.

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I just take a fork and run it through eggs to scramble them.  If I were to add cheese, it would be just as they are broken but still runny.

I had some gluten-free bread from HootinTootin bakery out of, I think, Belfast.  I get it at the Belfast Coop.   AND some homemade blackberry jam.  (This year will be a blackberry year.  Last year the patch had to be cut down to allow it to regenerate without so many weeds.)

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Delicious!  And the mowing seemed really easy after this good start.

Interesting Information: “2015 Dietary Guidelines Include Healthy Revisions”

Interesting Information:  June 1, 2016

“2015 Dietary Guidelines Include Healthy Revisions”

In this article, Dr. Joseph Mercola analyzes the 2015-2020 USDA Dietary Guidelines.

Here’s how the article starts:

On January 7, 2016, the U.S. government released its 2015 to 2020 dietary guidelines 1,2,3,4,5 many of which are steps in the right direction. Perhaps one of the most promising changes is a shift away from focusing on specific nutrients toward a general focus on eating real food.

Gone are dietary taboos against dietary cholesterol.

But, the saturated fat myth remains.

Going back on both of these failed dietary recommendations in the same year was probably too much for the panel to own up to…

Mercola includes an extended discussion of the dangers of taking statin drugs.

He concludes with some dietary recommendations, which include eating more dietary fiber found in veggies.

It’s a good article…

Source: 2015 Dietary Guidelines Include Healthy Revisions

Turkey Tracks: Funky Pumpkins In The “Parts Department”

Turkey Tracks:  June 1, 2016

Funky Pumpkins In the “Parts Department”

Several friends and I have undertaken this summer to make “parts department” blocks, the idea taken from Gwen Marston and Freddie Moran in their book COLLABORATIVE QUILTING –and to see if these blocks can be developed into a quilt for each of us.  I, of course, will also look to my Bonnie Hunter stash management system to see what I can use to make blocks.

This is an improvisational version of a round robin project in ways.

And this kind of improvisational quilt is coming out of the “modern” quilt movement.

Here’s one example in process, made by Becca Babb-Brott from a pattern (“Gypsy Wife”) by designer Jen Kingwell.

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Another would be to start with a medallion and build rows around it.

Or, to make a “row” quilt.

Who knows what will happen…

We specified low-volume fabrics and “brights” and “make at least multiples of four,” and left it at that.

The three others are working on funky house blocks, tree blocks, log cabins, star blocks and the like.

What would I do?

Well, this picture came across the screen of blocks Bonnie Hunter found forgotten in one of her quilt boxes.

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Hmmmm, I thought.

I pulled out orange strips from the 1 1/2-inch bin, and then I thought maybe I’d try to draw a foundation piece pattern–after looking at foundation-

pieced pumpkin patterns in EQ7.

That was fun, and as you can tell from the next picture, the pattern evolved as I learned how what I had drawn might actually look when executed.

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I didn’t want to get too far from “funky” or too large, but I do like the rounded pumpkin top and the whimsical bottom strip and the placement of the pumpkin within the light fabrics rather than letting it run to the edge.  This block is 8 1/2 inches so will finish at 8.  That’s large for our project, but it can take a few large blocks I think.  And, we don’t have to use everything we get from each other.

These blocks will go into the “parts department” pile to be shared, and I have new-found respect for foundation-pieced designers.

Here are some ideas made from fabrics I pulled from my “stash bins” of cut-up squares and rectangles.  These blocks are meant to be “filler” blocks.

Pinwheels, made by cutting 2 1/2-inch squares diagonally, resewing them, and sliver trimming them to 2 inches:

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Flying Geese made from 2 by 3 1/2 rectangles and 2-inch squares.  The little bitty 2-inch blocks are sewn from the trimmed triangles and sliver trimmed.  These tiny blocks could be surrounded by another layer of strips to make a slightly larger square.  Probably colored strips…

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This block is made from a 3 1/2-inch square by sewing 2 1/2 inch squares to the corners  (opposite corners first) and trimming out the excess–which also make small triangles.  Hmmm.  This small pinwheel could take some low-volume strips to enlarge the square and highlight the center too…

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The project is affording me a bit of play each day, a bit of rummaging through stash bins first.

We’ll see what happens…

Turkey Tracks: Chickie Babies Report

Turkey Tracks:  June 1, 2016

Chickie Babies Report

I went to see Rose a few days ago to have a coffee and visit with her and to see our baby chicks’ growth.

It had been about a week since I had last seen them.

They are getting SO BIG.  And Rose has them in the big hen house now–with a heat lamp when needed.

Remember, these are our special Blue Wheaten Americanas.  Can you tell which ones might be roosters yet?

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We can’t…  Though we have some lively guessing going on.

I’m wondering if the ones with blacker wings might be???

We are worried about this one.  S/he is away from the others and just does not look “right.”

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Rose picked up some adorable chicks that are meant to be hens the other day–excess ones the hardware store wanted to place.  They are two different breeds, and we can’t wait to see their feather colors when they grow up.  I forget their fancy names at the moment.  One of these will wind up being gold.  She’s in the front, to the left.  I think…  See the gold on her little face?

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It’s really hard to resist baby chicks.   And I miss my chickens’ antics and good humor.

Interesting Information: “How The Microbiome Destroyed the Ego, Vaccine Policy, and Patriarchy”

Interesting Information:  May 31, 2016

“How The Microbiome Destroyed the Ego, Vaccine Policy, and Patriarchy”

Here’s a fascinating read by Sayer Ji, founder of GreenMedInfo:

Here’s a quote from the piece:

Source: How The Microbiome Destroyed the Ego, Vaccine Policy, and Patriarchy

The relatively recent discovery of the microbiome is not only completely redefining what it means to be human, to have a body, to live on this earth, but is overturning belief systems and institutions that have enjoyed global penetrance for centuries.

A paradigm shift has occurred, so immense in implication, that the entire frame of reference for our species’ self-definition, as well as how we relate fundamentally to concepts like “germs,” have been transformed beyond recognition. This shift is underway and yet, despite popular interest in our gut ecology, the true implications remain unacknowledged.

It started with the discovery of the microbiome, a deceptively diminutive term, referring to an unfathomably complex array of microscopic microorganisms together weighing only 3-4 lbs. in the average human, represents a Copernican revolution when it comes to forming the new center, genetically and epigenetically, of what it means in biological terms to be human.

When we work with the natural world, when we honor and acknowledge what is unknown about the complex web that we all share, we will bring back a vital health that now seems so far out of reach. When we engage technologies positioned in the war against germs and organisms, however, we are doomed to fail and to cripple not only our species but our home.

Enjoy!

Turkey Tracks: Cold Frame Lettuce

Turkey Tracks:  May 31, 2016

Cold Frame Lettuce

Do you happen to remember the recent blog post where lettuce that had reseeded itself in the cold frame–“Spring Joys,” I think?

That lettuce is full grown now and looks so pretty.

It looks even better in a salad, which I had last night:

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That’s herbed goat cheese, French breakfast radishes, avocado half, cherry tomatoes, snipped chives and chive flowers from the garden, watery cukes from far away, spring onion, red onion, THE LETTUCE, a drizzle of good olive oil, a squeezed lemon half, sea salt, and pepper.

It’s all a gift of nature.

Turkey Tracks: May’s Farmer’s Wife Blocks

Turkey Tracks:  May 31, 2016

May’s Farmer’s Wife Blocks

Those who read this blog may remember that I am part of a Coastal Quilters (Maine) group whose members are making eight blocks a month from the book THE FARMER’S WIFE 1930 SAMPLER QUILT buy Laurie Aaron Hird.  AND that I’m going to set these blocks in this lovely teal fabric.

I’m down to the wire this month–so many wonderful quilt projects and not enough time–but here are my eight May blocks.  This eight makes 40 of the 99–so not quite half way.

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On to the June blocks!

Turkey Tracks: May is Makers’ Month: Busy Hands Quilts

Turkey Tracks:  May 30, 2016

May is Makers’ Month:

Busy Hands Quilt:  “Brick Cottage Lane”

I am always looking for patterns that will use the squares and rectangles I have cut from fabric left over from other quilts.

I am more inclined to buy a few patterns in May, in order to support some of the designers, many of which are young women with families and who are trying to make a living with their creativity.

This quilt pattern came through on a blogspot feed I get every day that throws up about 20 blogs in which their system thinks I might be interested.

“Brick Cottage Lane” by Myra of Busy Hands Quilts

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I love this pattern as it uses 2 by 3 1/2-inch rectangles.  It’s hard to find interesting patterns that use these rectangles.

If you go to Myra’s blog, scroll down to find this pattern.

Source: Busy Hands Quilts

Interesting Information: Can Maple Syrup Kill Cancer?

Interesting Information:  May 30, 2016

Can Maple Syrup Kill Cancer?

Gosh, I sure hope so, as I use it to sweeten my daily latte.

And I don’t use much–maybe a tablespoon.  Just enough to take the edge off the espresso’s bitterness.

Basically, I use local, unheated honey and maple syrup to sweeten anything, and I’ve found as my diet has included more healthy, unsaturated fats, I am not drawn to sweets or baked goods.  It’s an interesting switchover…

Probably the only sugar that comes into the house is the sugar I use to make syrup for the hummingbirds.  I recently bought a new 5-lb. bag, only to find half of one buried among the glass jars in the pantry.  It was hard as a rock from sitting unused.

Here’s a blurb from this article:

New research suggests that maple syrup, despite being a concentrated source of “sugar,” possesses significant anti-cancer properties…

Note the term “suggests.”  But one can hope…

Maple syrup does have an interesting mineral load, but like any sweetner, should not be overused.

Source: Maple Syrup Is A Cancer Killer, Study Suggests | GreenMedInfo | Blog