Oh how I love a good laugh in the morning! Or, any time of day. This is a Substack, The Farce Feed, I just found and I just have to share today’s post, soo funny.
My favorite part of this post: “with bonus points for dramatic reenactments of historical injustices.” 😂. What’s yours??
“In a move that has highlighted the absurdity of modern day politics, Democrats have announced plans to host the first-ever “Oppression Olympics,” a series of tournaments aimed at determining who holds the prestigious title of the most oppressed and marginalized person in the world.
The five-day event, scheduled to take place in Portland, OR, is sponsored by The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and promises to be a spectacle like no other. Below is a partial list of scheduled games.
“Mental Gymnastics”: Contestants will dodge facts and reason for dear life using as many logical fallacies and false equivalents as they can muster up in a given time, with virtue signaling prowess taken into consideration.
“Microaggression Marathon”: Participants must navigate a course filled with tiny, seemingly harmless comments and actions, earning points for the most exaggerated reactions.
“Privilege Pole Vault”: Athletes compete to see who can vault over the highest bar of privilege, with extra points awarded for creative excuses, responsibility rejection and privilege-checking mid-air.
“Gender Pronoun Juggling”: Contestants juggle multiple gender neo-pronouns while engaging in casual conversation, with penalties for any slip-ups or misgendering.
“Triggered Triathlon”: A grueling test of mental fortitude, participants must navigate through a series of triggering scenarios, from controversial opinions to unexpected confrontations, all while maintaining their composure and resisting the urge to rant on TikTok.
“Safe Space Synchronized Swimming”: Teams of synchronized swimmers perform routines while staying within the confines of their designated safe spaces, complete with emotional support dolphins.
“Woke Weightlifting”: the point is to see the least amount of weight contestants can lift before breaking a sweat, while replenishing with soy protein shakes in between half-assed sets of bicep curls.
“Inclusive Interpretive Dance”: Dancers express themes of diversity and inclusion through interpretive dance, incorporating elements of different cultures and identities while avoiding any hint of cultural appropriation.
“Snowflake Snowboarding”: A group of extremely easily offended participants snowboard down a course made with artificial snowflakes, and the winner gets to cut ties with the other competitors over a minor difference of opinion.
“Critical Relay Race Theory”: Teams of runners pass infinity stones of wokeness to one another while espousing divisive Marxist ideology.
“Defund the Polo” (AKA “Pro-Crime Cycling”): contestants will attempt to one-up each other by stating the most egregious crime they’re willing to excuse and decriminalize, including rape, murder and necrophilia.
The winners of each competition will face off in a final battle, the “Oppression Obstacle Course,” where competitors navigate a course filled with obstacles representing various forms of oppression, from glass ceilings to institutionalized racism, with bonus points for dramatic reenactments of historical injustices. First place champion will win the coveted position of Harvard University president, complete with a $1.5 million salary, while second and third place will be awarded positions of their choosing in the Biden administration, in addition to sponsorships from feminine hygiene product companies, unless, of course, they are biologically female.
In response, Republicans have announced “Based ball,” where chuds will compete in a game of moral convictions, righteous indignation and moral panic, with an emphasis on cult of personality, excusing obvious flaws and colluding with the opposing team among the higher ranks.
“We believe it’s important to recognize and celebrate the struggles of the oppressed,” said one Democratic organizer, struggling to keep a straight face. “And what better way to do that than by turning it into a competition?”
Critics have been quick to point out the absurdity of the event, accusing Democrats of trivializing genuine issues of oppression and marginalization in their quest for woke virtue signaling. “This is just another example of the left’s obsession with identity politics,” remarked one skeptical observer. “Instead of focusing on real solutions to real problems, they’re busy staging a circus of victimhood.”
But supporters of the Oppression Olympics argue that it’s a necessary step towards anti-racism and decolonization, and anyone who disagrees is a homophobic, transphobic Nazi deserving of physical assault and cancellation.
As the world braces itself for the spectacle of the century, one thing is for certain: the Oppression Olympics are sure to be a gold medal-worthy display of absurdity, proving once and for all that when it comes to the delicate art of offense-taking, nobody does it better than far-left extremists. What are your thoughts on this newly announced series of competitions, and are there any games you’d like to see added to the list? Let us know in the comments below!”
I think they’re new, so I hope you’ll go there and send some love! 🥰
This blogger has really got me thinking today. I’ve been following her for quite a while now because she lives in a gorgeous part of the U.S and has similar interests and has an innately creative eye. She typically posts awesome photos of birds and her huskies and mountain views and has been growing in her homestead lifestyle a bit more all this time.
Except this last year she went on an extended road-trip across the country with her hubby who has a unique job.
The part about the trip that interests me is not so much about his job, but about her observations. And this is not a post to put her on the spot to tell more of her stories, though that would be great I think!
Actually I’m just wondering if anyone else would care to share?
She feels more committed now than ever to extend her homesteading efforts. She saw a lot of drugged-out loonies and homelessness, across the country.
Like I mentioned to her in the comments, we don’t get out much anymore. We don’t trust the media much. We aren’t on the major social platforms—which means we don’t get nearly the propaganda, or on the flip side, the true accounts of the mass of folks.
So, I would honestly like to know. How’s it like in your corner of the states or the world?
I wish to express to her by sharing this how valuable her observations and insights really are, because these are tough conversations to have, and too easily avoided, and it seems high time to start talkin more about it. ALL!
Thanks for reading, and sharing, it’s a beautiful thing we can still do here!
Such an exciting season around the wee homestead! We’ve got mostly happy snaps and cute vids to share this post—growing piglets and bees and veggies—yippie!
I’ll save the unsavory stuff til the very end, that way those who must can just skip it. (Mighty generous of me, eh? 😆)
Let’s begin with a bumper crop of piglets, 11 of them, here trying to figure out the basics. This is just one day old, my aren’t they some quick learners!
Later we have a couple more from today, at one week old.
She’s been an excellent mama, Patty, this is her 2nd litter.
The garden is going strong already and this is definitely the earliest I’ve seen bumble bees out and about. March 15 is our average last frost date around here, for whatever that’s worth. Considering we’ve seen snow-covered Indian paintbrush before, we don’t put a lot of stock in that date.
If we don’t get a late frost this year it will be our earliest ever for summer planting. I’ve already got cucumbers in! The tomatoes are just about to go in and the peas are presenting perfectly.
Peas and fava beans planted together. If it gets too hot too quickly they will be a bust, but we do love when they succeed.
On left in the basket is celeriac, another fav of mine I try ever year, but like the fava beans and peas, it all depends on the temperatures if we’ll see a harvest. Next to them are tomatoes started under lights indoors and hardening now before planting in a day or two. I’ll plant some indeterminate varieties in about a month, hoping they’ll last longer through the heat. On right, the onions and garlic are looking great.
The old pears have already flowered over a week ago, here you can see Papa Chop napping while surely enjoying their sweet scent wafting on the breeze. Along with the bees!
On the right you can see me filling up the new hive with bees that over-wintered in the nuc where they positioned themselves last spring.
This was such a memorable experience last year that we managed to catch a bit of on vid—well worth the watch as the colony we just captured as a swarm moves from the hive I tried to put it in into the nuc I’d placed as a bait hive, moving themselves within just a few hours from one side of the garden to the other.
This was a swarm we caught and first tried to transfer to a different hive on the other side of the garden. The bees had a better idea.
This was the swarm last spring. It was just a small one and I guess they just didn’t feel quite ready yet for the big hive I tried to place them in.
Thank you ma’am, but we prefer it over here!
Well, this time they were a little more receptive to my preference and they are in their expanded home doing fine. 🤗
The piglets are so cute it’s hard not to take multiple vids watching them. I don’t edit yet, but maybe someday I’ll venture into more serious farmish filming.
And another ….
But, it’s not all peaches and rainbows for the piglets. Because you know, ‘male privilege’. Last year Hubby learned to castrate, which is an absolutely necessary skill if you’re serious about raising pigs. He did the deed, he’s gotten rather quick and good at it, so we made a couple of vids this time. Here’s the intro.
I’ll refrain from posting an example of the dirty deed though, which I could barely film! Yes, I admit one of my many bad qualities is squeamishness. But in my defense, I know many others way more squeamish than me!
If you really want to see it, you’ll have to send me an email. Don’t worry, I won’t judge. 😉
And in other bad news, yes, they still spray our beautiful days away. 😩
Still, it’s a beautiful life, and while we may complain, we know how to appreciate it all, too.
When all else fails, learn from Bubba.
“Oh, you only meant to dry the cushions here for freshening? Let me test that out for ya.” ~So Says Bubba
Thanks for stopping by, wishing y’all a glorious spring!
Shadow pointing out which wild cherry suckers I should try to grow into trees.
So many stories not told. They don’t fit the mold.
While the same stories are repeated over and over. The approved stories, with the approved arcs and twists, capturing audiences beyond time and space.
Hero or Villain? Victim or Culprit?
The ordinary stories of ordinary folks are bypassed. Not sexy enough. Not dramatic enough. Too slow-paced. Not Catchy. Or spicy. Or click-baity.
Not nearly sticky enough.
Stories must be sending the right message. Clicking the right boxes in the right moments in the accepted paradigm according to the right models.
Triumph over adversity are ultimately the only stories allowed. Even the stories of failed heroes are spun in such a light, otherwise they are considered ‘dystopian’. And even then we see tragic heroes ‘set free’ by their surrender to the ‘greater force’ or ‘liberated’ by a merciful death.
How the stories are told indicate what the audience will perceive. Here I provide some examples.
These are all still ‘my stories’, just spun to be acceptable, or not. My goal here is to get folks to question WHY certain stories sell. Is it a matter of authentic taste? Of expectation? Of social programming?
Is it the audience who choose, or someone else, perhaps more subtly who chooses for you?
Here are some stories never told, true (ish) stories from my own life. You be the judge/critic/pretend publisher and let me know.
***
While in NOLA, a hurricane. The story that would sell: Young teacher moves to New Orleans for her new position at a prestigious Southern university one week before the most devastating hurricane in its history. She evacuates to a remote part of the Louisiana bayou and learns about Creole and Cajun history and music and cuisine and finally settles in the region of the native Caddo tribe to study Pre-Colombian cultures of the Deep South.
The story that won’t sell: Young teacher moves to New Orleans for her new position at a prestigious Southern university one week before the most devastating hurricane in its history. She evacuates to a remote part of the Louisiana bayou and learns about weather modification and clandestine military operations pertaining to centralized, unelected power structures controlling the U.S. government.
***
While in Galveston, a hurricane. The story that would sell: Couple not long ago evacuated from New Orleans experiences second 100-year hurricane evacuation after just three years. After being forced to split up in order to continue working, they blow through a decade of savings, suffer marital issues and nearly divorce, but are called by God to settle in the remote hills of East Texas to build a homestead.
The story that won’t sell: Couple not long ago evacuated from New Orleans experiences second 100-year hurricane evacuation after just three years. Wife begins seriously researching ‘chemtrails’ and learns about the 70+ years of weather modification that leads her to the ongoing Geoengineering projects—that is the global ‘climate remediation’ experimentation, much of it covert operations of global public-private partnerships with zero accountability or known oversight.
***
While in Elkhart, a tornado. The story that would sell: Couple experiences third weather disaster and nearly loses home and wife talks of ‘meeting death’. She finds God, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Enlightenment and starts a fundamentalist cult which then gets attacked Waco-style by the government and all cultists die in flames.
The story that won’t sell: Couple experiences third weather disaster and nearly loses home and wife talks of ‘meeting death’. She turns to herbalism and organic gardening and a life of quiet reflection about the nature of evil and tyranny and the statist system broken beyond repair and the inadequacies of every group-think solution to this issue, including the anarchy renamed voluntarism and the so-called ‘mystery schools’ and the exhausting rehashing of ‘Prophecy’ and is just generally permanently dissatisfied with all the solutions and proposals she’s ever heard, and she’s heard a fucking ton of them by now.
She discovers a mass effort at brainwashing against the ‘victim’ —some kind of crazy signaling effort of victims to rally other victims, and wonders who does this attitude really serve? So, we ‘victims’ are now considered by the establishment as of a ‘dark triad’ type (witches?) if we don’t spin our circumstances to always be whistling while we work, in whatever chaotic wind they care to bare down on us. Or so it would seem.
“Victim signaling, defined as ‘public and intentional expressions of one’s disadvantages, suffering, oppression, or personal limitations’ is strongly correlated (r = .52) with Dark Triad personality traits”.
I’ve just added a new page to our Herbal Explorations section, Elderberry, thanks to Gavin Mounsey’s excellent work.
This is only an excerpt, so I encourage a full reading of his article!
Medicinal use of Elderberry:
Elder has a very long history of household use as a medicinal herb and is also much used by herbalists. The plant has been called “the medicine chest of country people”. The flowers are the main part used in modern herbalism, though all parts of the plant have been used at times. Stimulant. The fresh flowers are used in the distillation of “Elder Flower Water”. The flowers can be preserved with salt to make them available for distillation later in the season. The water is mildly astringent and a gentle stimulant. It is mainly used as a vehicle for eye and skin lotions. The dried flowers are diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, galactogogue and pectoral. An infusion is very effective in the treatment of chest complaints and is also used to bathe inflamed eyes. The infusion is also a very good spring tonic and blood cleanser. Externally, the flowers are used in poultices to ease pain and abate inflammation. Used as an ointment, it treats chilblains, burns, wounds, scalds etc. The fruit is depurative, weakly diaphoretic and gently laxative. A tea made from the dried berries is said to be a good remedy for colic and diarrhoea. The fruit is widely used for making wines, preserves etc., and these are said to retain the medicinal properties of the fruit.
Some of the medicinal benefits of Elderberries include:
One of the most well-studied elderberry syrup benefits is its powerful immune-boosting properties. The berries contain chemical compounds called anthocyanidins, which are known to have immunostimulant effects.
Research actually shows that elderberry is a safe, efficient and cost-effective treatment for the common cold and flu. A 2021 systematic review screened 1,187 records and five randomized trials on elderberry for the treatment or prevention of viral respiratory illness. Researchers found that elderberry may reduce the duration and severity of symptoms related to colds and influenza, and there’s no evidence that it overstimulates the immune system.
A 2016 study published in Nutrients showed that elderberry supplementation was able to reduce cold duration and symptoms in people using air travel. People using this herb from 10 days before travel until four to five days after arrival overseas experienced, on average, a two-day shorter duration of their colds as well as a noticeable reduction in cold symptoms.
Several studies have found benefits to support the use of elderberry syrup for flu symptoms as well. Specifically, the flavonoids in the extract bind to the H1N1 human influenza virus as well as the H5N1 avian influenza virus.
A 2009 study randomized patients into two groups. One group was given four doses of 175-milligram proprietary elderberry extract daily, and the other group received a placebo for two days. The group treated with the extract showed significant improvement in most flu symptoms, while the placebo group showed no improvement in symptom severity. Researchers conclude that the extract is effective in controlling influenza symptoms.
The group treated showed significant improvement in most signs of flu, while the placebo group showed no improvement in symptom severity. Researchers concludedthat the extract is effective in controlling influenza symptoms.
Another study published in the Journal of International Medical Research referenced above suggests that when elderberry is used within the first 48 hours of the onset of signs of flu, it can shorten the duration of flu symptoms by an average of four days.
With elderberry’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, it makes sense that it can help treat sinus issues. A sinus infection is a condition in which the cavities around the nasal passages become inflamed, and this antiviral herb has promise as a sinus infection natural remedy.
A study conducted by the Institute of Complementary Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine at the University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland examined the use of a product called Sinupret, which contains elderberry extract. The researchers used Sinupret to treat bacterial sinusitis along with an antibiotic (doxycycline or vibramycin) and a decongestant. Interestingly enough, those who took the combination did better compared to those who did not take Sinupret at all.
In addition to using elderberry syrup for colds, the flowers of the elder plant are also known to be an effective herbal allergy remedy. Since allergies involve an overreaction of the immune system as well as inflammation, the herb’s ability to improve immune function and calm inflammation can help provide allergy relief.
Some herbalists put black elder flower on the list of most effective herbs used for treating hay fever-like symptoms. It can be used for allergies on its own or in combination with other herbs and natural remedies.
Edible berry extracts like elderberry extract are rich in anthocyanins and have been shown to have a broad spectrum of therapeutic, pharmacologic and anti-carcinogenic properties. In vitro studies specifically indicate that the elderberry has some chemopreventive properties, which can help inhibit, delay or reverse cancer formation.
One study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food compared the anticancer properties of European and American elderberry fruits. European elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is known for its medicinal use and contains anthocyanins, flavonoids and other polyphenolics, which all contribute to the high-antioxidant capacity of its berries. American elderberry (Sambucuscanadensis) has not been grown or promoted as a medicinal plant like its European relative.
This study tested extracts of both berries to assess anticancer potential and found that both demonstrated significant chemopreventive potential. Additionally, the American elder extract showed inhibition of ornithine decarboxylase, which is an enzyme marker related to the promotion stage of cancer formation. Thus, elderberries show potential as cancer-fighting foods.
Although studies have found mixed results, some research suggests that elderberry extract may improve heart health. For example, one animal model showed that giving mice with high cholesterol and HDL cholesterol dysfunction anthocyanin-rich black elderberry extract helped reduce hepatic cholesterol levels and improved HDL function. This may be due to the presence of anthocyanins, which are polyphenols that have demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.
Another study found that elderberry extract may have beneficial effects on high blood pressure. When polyphenols extracted from the plant were administered with renin inhibitors to rats with hypertension, they reduced arterial pressure.
Researchers suggest that using polyphenols to lower blood pressure may also help reduce the side effects of blood pressure-lowering medications and improve overall quality of life.
The calcium, iron, and potassium in the berries are known to strengthen bones and increase bone mineral density, cutting the risk of osteoporosis as a result.
Experiments show the benefits of natural polyphenols extracted from the Elder (Sambucus nigra) fruit on osteoporosis regression. Extremely low bone mineral density is improved by polyphenol delivery. Thus, a dietary intake rich in natural polyphenols helps lead to the regression of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis regression due to the Sambucus nigra extract shows us how powerful these berries are for preventing bone degradation and speeding up bone healing.
Being rich in vitamins A and B6, elderberries can help prevent serious vision ailments like glaucoma and macular degeneration. The antioxidant activity of elderberries also helps ensure vision health in the long run.
One study talks about how the anthocyanins in berries (including elderberries) can help treat cognitive impairment and the resultant conditions like Alzheimer’s.
Elderberries are also replete with quercetin, which is an important flavonoid critical for brain health. Quercetin reduces the harmful inflammation at a cellular level. It also activates the mitochondria in your cells – which are powerhouses that boost cell health.
As mentioned above, Mitochondria are the powerhouses of your cells, generating energy to fuel your cells’ biochemical reactions. Via optimizing their function and promoting their rates of regeneration within your body you are building a solid foundation for health, vibrancy and longevity from the cellular level up.
Sufficient mitochondrial biogenesis (the process by which cells increase mitochondrial numbers) is necessary for efficient cell function and haemostasis, which is dependent on the regulation of ATP generation and maintenance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). These procedures play a primary role in the processes of inflammation, aging, cancer, metabolic diseases, and neurodegeneration. Polyphenols (such as anthocyanins) are considered as the main components of plants, fruits, and natural extracts with proven therapeutic effects during the time. These components regulate the intracellular pathways of mitochondrial biogenesis.
The studies available also support the ability of anthocyanins to prevent damage to mitochondria and to sustain its function. Berry extracts also demonstrated positive outcomes in different models of neurodegeneration, endothelial dysfunction, myocardial damage, metabolic disorders, longevity, and cancer. At the molecular level, major anthocyanins can modulate the expression and activity of mitochondrial proteins, apoptotic and biogenesis factors, antioxidant defenses, inflammation, and the AMPK pathway. Noteworthy, anthocyanins could balance abnormalities in ROS production, respiration, and mitochondrial fragmentation in cells exposed to toxicants or oxidizing agents.
…..
Here on the wee homestead I use elderflowers and elderberries in kombucha with delicious results! I’ve also made syrup and St. Germain.
Please visit Gavin’s full article for so much more on this ancient medicinal plant, including history, myth and folklore, habitat, recipes, and beautiful photography.
Elderberry blossoming in the garden with pumpkin, inviting lots of pollinators.
I started making cheese because I love cheese and could no longer find quality cheeses nearby. I lived on a diet of mostly bread and cheese while a student in France and while it did take its toll on my middle (I gained a pound or ten!) it felt perfectly sustainable as far as health and deliciousness to me.
Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels.com Could totally be me! 😆
Fast forward a decade and suddenly cheese was making me sick. And bread, too! Like a great many folks, I was told I was ‘lactose intolerant’ and had a “gluten allergy”. Suddenly. Out of nowhere. How very odd.
I gave up bread and cheese for a year and the problem was solved, but I was miserable. Then I started to do some research on my own.
What I learned I’ve talked about before on this blog so I won’t go into detail. The results speak for themselves: I can eat as much bread and cheese as I want, as long as I make it myself, from raw milk and organic wheat berries and all natural ingredients. We also eat homemade ice cream regularly. And cookies and cakes.
But the problem with the commercially manufactured ingredients these days is far worse than just homogenizing and denaturing. The rennet used to make 90% of cheese in this country is GMO, so it’s no wonder at all so many are being told they are lactose intolerant or have IBS and allergies and other digestive issues every time they consume dairy. And wheat. It’s become so common it’s a joke.
In reality, these non-foods are poisoning people and it should be pretty obvious by the poor state of health of a majority of the population.
Thanks to Granny for sending this article that sums up the cheese reality pretty well. And it’s not pretty.
“Genetically modified FPC — To overcome some of the shortcomings of the vegetable and microbial rennets like the potential bitter cheese taste, scientists have leveraged genetic engineering technology to create new, genetically modified species that generate these milk-curdling enzymes.
Introducing the most common alternative to animal rennet in cheese making — FPC, which stands for Fermentation-Produced Chymosin (FPC). (Chymosin referring to the enzyme that curdles milk, and is naturally present in the stomach lining of ruminant animals).
In fact, 90% of the cheese manufactured in the U.S. uses these enzymes from genetically modified organisms.9
FPC was created by the one and only Pfizer (biotech company) and is made possible by using CRISPR gene editing technology10 where the genomes of living organisms are modified. The “safety” of FPC was evaluated by a 90 day trial in rats.11”
Is it safe to consume? Good question!
“This bioengineered chymosin (FPC) was granted Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) status. Meaning, Pfizer was exempt from the pre-approval requirements that apply to other (non GRAS) new food additives.”
Food was just fine before they started screwing with it! 😖
A few of my homemade cheeses—not as difficult as you might think to learn how, and so worthwhile!
Two quick shares today—a very short peek at a few radar clips from GeoengineeringWatch.org. These ‘anomalies’ occur daily, obviously it’s not natural. Are the meteorologists all in on it? They can’t be so dumb as to think this is natural, right?
I came across a great artifact—a Monday, July 21, 1969 edition of The Odessa American, a Texas newspaper, with this particular edition all about the ‘awesome’ moon landings.
I must say, I’m rather shocked at the disgraceful condition the astronauts of Apollo 11 left their host space. I mean really, we go to the park and are ordered to ‘leave no trace’ — while they, the great men of the world, are allowed to pollute everywhere they go.
Costly Junk Left Behind On The Moon
Space Center, Houston (AP) — Two Apollo 11 astronauts leave behind one of the most expensive junk yards in the universe when they lift off from the moon today.
They discarded almost $1 million worth of cameras, tools, and breathing equipment up there. The cameras included the black and white television camera that captured their moon walk for the world. This camera cost the Aeronautics and Space Administration $250,000.
Also in the litter—a Kodak worth $50,000 and a Hasselblad camera that cost $11, 176.
After returning to the moon lander’s cabin, the astronauts opened the hatch and dumped the back packs which kept them alive during their walk. Each of these units, called the Portable Life Support System, cost NASA $300,000. Moon tools designed especially for the astronauts added to the junk pile. Tongs, a scoop, a long-handled hammer, an extension handle and other items were dropped when the space men were through with them. These tools cost $45,000.
Largest item to be left was the descent stage of the lunar module. NASA is reluctant to put a cost on this two-ton piece of metal since it’s only part of a lunar module that cost $41 million. Even if the spacecraft stage hadn’t been left on the moon, it could never have been returned to earth; it has no heat shield. An American flag was left on the moon. The space agency doesn’t know how much it cost and doesn’t want to.
NASA bought a large number of flags from different manufacturers, a spokesman said, and then removed all labels. One was selected at random. “We’ve no idea which one is up there,” said the spokesman. “This was so no company could make a big thing of their flag being on the moon.”
A silicone-water bearing electronically-reduced messages of goodwill from 78 countries cost NASA nothing. A private firm produced it at no cost to the government.
A plaque bearing the autographs of the astronauts and of President Nixon couldn’t be priced. It was made in the metal shop at NASA of materials already at hand.”
I sure do hope the next men that land there will be thoughtful enough to take out the trash! 😂
This post we’ve got some happy snaps, the usual weather bitching, a bit of pre-planning and some good news on two healing fronts.
(From bottom left: mini-mustard greens and new lettuce germinated inside about to be transplanted to replace all we’ve eaten; several types of onions and elephant garlic (which does best here, by far); and turnips for us and the pigs. 😋)
The cauliflower is long gone, the broccoli nearly so, but a new crop is already in the works inside on a heat mat. Succession planting has its limitations in our East Texas Yo-Yo Season (formally known as ‘winter’). Sometimes you get lucky with a warm stretch and get a nice surprise (yay, third times a charm, the carrot seeds finally germinated!) other times you get premature bolting (that dumb broccoli didn’t even produce a good head yet!).
Premature bolting 😖 But some nice butter lettuce still doing well by covering during cold swings
I do not appreciate it, and I think it stresses us all at some level, not just me, not just the more sensitive 4-legged and 2-legged, but all of life. Five warm days go by, in the 70s (but feeling hotter), with an unseasonal and hot stinking wind coming from the south, then suddenly, the very next day, it’s 40, lows in the 20s, and the dogs are shedding, also unseasonably.
Our ‘Arctic chicks’ — confused broody hens confusing weather whiplash for spring
Yes, we get the surprise arctic chicks on occasion. It’s nice to see a bee or two about. We get early daffodils. But we also get another lost fruit crop because it is sure to frost and now, again, everything is blooming far too early.
And it seems to me, the more folks are catching on, the more the establishment pushes back, with the gaslighting and the misdirection and the normalizing.
Going back to the 1800s! And how’s that working out for us?
Despite the man-made manipulation, or maybe because of it, I’ve come to appreciate the old adage ‘Let nature take its course’ on a whole new level. We’ve had two overlapping critter health issues these last months, both with their unique challenges.
Shadow’s blood-spurting ear was by far worse, but still, in every case, I don’t like not knowing what to do, stressing about my lack of knowledge, feeling useless, and that’s how I felt during Chestnut’s ordeal as well.
Please allow my whine for just another moment, it’s been illuminating for me, in a way.
Self-reliance is a cornerstone goal for us. Relying on vet care is not an option for a number of reasons, beginning with the cost, ending with the lack of trust we have for the medical establishment, and with a very long and convoluted journey in between where we try to figure out how to bridge this enormous gap, with no training.
We are lucky for the internet, but you know how that goes. One problem, a dozen conflicting pieces of advice. We ask around as well, we are certainly grateful the many suggestions offered, but still it’s nerve-racking making ill-informed decisions, and no matter what anyone might pretend, health is not an exact, one-size fits all kind of science.
Chestnut was acting strangely, very suddenly. She went from just fine to a few hours later she was lethargic and not eating much and separated herself from the herd.
My goat friend suggested Ivermectin and it seemed to work fine. Then she quickly developed an abscess on her side. Related? No clue. It looked terrible, but it was not bothering her at all. I read lots of advice, but decided to let nature take its course after reading one description that sounded most similar to what I was seeing. Though they recommended lancing it at the end stage to avoid ‘infection’. (In the above photo you can see the ‘before and after’, the photo on right taken yesterday, sorry for the blurriness.). It got very large and it was not easy to do nothing!
It’s been over a month now, and it is healing nicely. Patience was the correct remedy, not lancing. I think we have an addiction to unnecessary interference in our culture.
The ordeal with Shadow was a serious challenge. You might recall the middle of the story from our last Happenings post. It started all the way back in November with a little nick on the tip of his ear. The cat?
Who knows, but it was shockingly difficult to get the blood flow under control.
We had much advice, some of it new and excellent (thanks again Kath and Zoe!), but wow, did that take some patience and perseverance, which mostly landed on Hubby, as per usual. (Male privilege! 😂)
Three months later and it is completely healed and all’s well that ends well, thank heavens!
What exuberance, no one around here can keep up with him! He runs circles around us all, then sits patiently by Hubby’s side until the next round.
We LOVE potatoes, but they aren’t the easiest to grow here. This ‘barrel-layering’ technique has proven to be more successful.
We love potatoes so much we also buy them in bulk when they’re on sale and Hubby cans them up and they fry up in tallow so quick it’s like a delicious fast food that’s a cheaper and healthier alternative to the industrially processed varieties.
It is a long and labor-intensive project, that’s 45 pounds of potatoes there, it took him the best part of a day to do, but we’ll be appreciating the effort for 28 delicious meals. 😊
Looking ahead we’re doing a bit of planning—I’ll be giving another beginner’s fermentation course next month and Hubby’s got some good livestock trades in the works, we’re committed to foraging more for mushrooms and cultivating our own.
Patty, our mama-to-be, eating up the last acorns. Already many of her piglets claimed for bartering deals. 😁
Here’s a current little visit with our herd, including, hopefully many healthy, expectant mamas with kids growing fine.
Not that little guy, he’s our first buck, we call him Teaky.
5 expectant mamas among our St. Croix-Dorper flock
Incorporating more permaculture design in the garden and orchard is an on-going big goal. We have a couple spaces empty and I’d love to try something really unique like this:
Permaculture-Inspired image I’m dreaming about!
Where I’d be including my fun garden-art projects, like these:
Lots of grand plans in the works, always, but it’s the simple things that make the hard stuff worth while.
