At least not the extremes we've so recently experienced. Why is this? Wouldn't you think as Day Eight of the "conflict" explodes into a 10,000 troop ground assault the market would have teetered by week's end? No, you wouldn't think that.
Not when weapons sales are so profitable. It is a most upside down backwards situation where delusion and terror reign supreme over the Earth. This isn't how its supposed to be, not what we thought life had in store for humans, but reviewing history, it IS what IS and always has been, only now technology is in place to speed it all up, like its on meth. Meth, another profitable weapon. How sane is that? And how sane, if true, is this? The Gaza Bombshell
I have come to hate the word "foment". Its never used in context with decency, is it.
Nothing prevents evil activity accompanied with blatant denial to run the whole show anywhere. Give it time. Its like you are walking down the street passing by a theater marquee that reads "Upcoming Features: Ethnic Cleansing, Genocide, Humanitarian Crisis".
Reminder: If you are not repairing the Dignity in dry dock, or sailing on your own, don't forget to continue to put into practice your personal survival strategies at this time. Doing nothing is not an option. In case you missed it last summer, I am reposting Charles's amazing piece Where Rubber Meets the Road for working solutions:
."..This isn't an exhaustive list but it's a start. Much of it will not be popular because it isn't a "high tech solution" and it all requires work, learning, responsibility and paying attention--all the traits which our "entertainment" obsession erodes, discounts and destroys."
I can tell by my spam and suspect email cache that the retailers are losing ground. Last fall it was free shipping, now items that were once $149.00 are going for $10.99. Many catalogues in the mailbox have stickers on the outside saying "You have not purchased anything yet!" Newsflash guys, we are not going to, either. If we are going down, who cares about doing it in a Leopardskin smoking jacket with matching open-toed mules?
Meanwhile, firewood gathering and stacking, burning, fireplace cleaning, ash disposal, adjustments to the fire itself for greatest warmth have all become a nonstop, never-ending routine
around here. There has been much snow, hail, ice rain and now, today, drizzle and fog. Wood fuel foraging and storage will have to continue all year long, summer is no exception. Charles is RIGHT, it is work, hard and dirty work, it isn't entertaining, it is survival. Survival as you know, is freedom. Sodabox at High Noon
for William Carlos Williams
14" x 20" watercolor on Arches
Summer 2007
92 comments:
Nina, I've been kicking around the idea of getting an old franklin(style) cast iron wood stove. As it turns out, the traditional fireplaces I have are incredibly inefficient when it comes to providing any meaningful warth. Luckily, where I'm at, the climate is mild in the winter. The fact that they don't radiate much heat, will help with keeping cool while cooking.
You're right, by the way.... survival is freedom. That is humanity in it's basest and most glorious form. Oh, how I wish I could be self-sufficient. Damned thing is, I can't grow stuff. I've tried. I'm really horrib;le at it.
Nina,
I have learned to trust the female intuition and have become much more in tune with my own--For the past week or so I have been experiencing some type of dread with a heavy dose of reality mixed in--I have been wrong every time since 911 as days have come and gone- because I have not let things flow--sometimes I try to push things--but am learning to be more patient--I just have such a totally different feel for this time we are in right now-it is not of my wn making-there is just something tangible in the air--what more does your antenna say?
Michael had a wonderful comment over at origami that comes close to some of my feelings--I'm not scared and much better prepared than most--I hope you can read into what it is I am trying so poorly to say--Not asking for a prediction but whatever you can offer
Jj
Stacy, you better just hustle on over to John's inspiring blog Paintings Art etc. and take a look at his new restoration project. Wood burning Stove He's the possessor of genuine "stovular" information. This, btw, is a great place to start. We are finding that using the fireplace isn't enough. We have to close doors to other rooms in order to heat the primary living area. Our issue is high ceilings. On the other hand, I visited some friends down the road who live in a steel barn, loft style, with one woodburning stove providing all the heat they need. That thing heated the whole place like late spring. Its good they got it, they live down a winding dirt cattle path that no propane delivery truck would attempt. And if they did, they'd probably add some nasty off-grid service charges. We are putting in a woodburning stove this spring and adding a small door to firewood storage. People do what they have to do, sometimes, like now, trial and error improves the orginal goal.
Somebody else grows what you'll need. Don't you have some electronics skills to trade? You would be a very valuable guy in a local demurrage system trading goods for services.
Taking steps towards your own freedom builds confidence.
Jj, I think I know what you are saying. I've had a similar intuit stretching back at least 8 years specifically about the state of affairs on Planet Earth.
I saw Michael's excellent comment.
Whatever is going to happen, it won't be limited to a distant land in a faraway place. It always trickles down to you and your relationship with your peers. Think about Iraq for a minute and the chain of events that have led to this moment in your life. Nothing has stopped those events, they just go on and on. There's nothing to prophesize about then, is there. There is a verse in the Tao concerning winning battles which in essence says "know your enemy". This is where 'survival is freedom' comes in. I don't want to be paying for wars or our children's children destitue paying for war and I bet you don't either. At what point does this end? It has the potential to self-destruct like a grand Ponzi scheme in a few hundred years more or less. But maybe we'll be pulling ox carts under a whip before the scheme collapses.
I'm not a tree hugger by any means but I do appreciate nature and the simplicity and diversity--Just before going to bed last night, I was given (or my brain made it up) that what I was feeling was the earths pain--not humans, but the earth--I tried to change it around to god-universe--whatever and it kept coming back to the earth--the very soil so to speak--it was tired and spent due to us--on some level.
Jj
On the stove issue--we have a nice one that we had put in when we moved into this place--put it in the basement over a ceramic tiled floor--our generator won't run the furnace or the hot water heater when the power is out, but it will run the furnace blower and the blower on the wood stove--actually it's a wood/coal stove--that way you can avoid the catalytic converter that wood stoves have--when our power was out for 8-9 days last christmas, it kept the house pretty toasty--don't know how it would do without the blower running but heat rises--plenty of insualted coveralls in the house and quilts--insulated sleeping bags, etc--the boys slept out on the deck one night when it was 15 degrees with some of the bags and were quite warm--good to practice--we keep a good supply of firewood and living in ohio, there is good hardwood that burns quite well and long--have a chainsaw and plenty of extra chains--would like to buy a splitter but have a couple of mauls if needed-also some bow saws but the blades they make these days really suck--one key is to keep the house warm all the time even when the temp goes up--even if you have to walk around in shorts--once the house cools, you'll play hell getting it warm again--another tip is if you are "hunting", have a waterproof place to keep your firearms outside--if you bring them in and then out, they may lock up due to the moisture inside--when you take them back out--if it's real cold outside
Jj
Notamobster Please do not get a Franklin style stove as in the first place they were originally designed to burn coal and when it comes to burning wood they are about as efficient as lighting an oil drum full of wood in your living room, and just about as safe.
If your going the wood route please do yourself a favor and get a airtight wood stove like a Fisher, Plainsman, Woodsman or the like. They all stem from the same design are very efficient and come in many sizes.
...I was feeling was the earths pain...
That is just amazing. Yes, I empathize completely. Will be looking out for this experience. When we are tired, our defenses are down and truth reaches us more easily than when we are alert and engaged with self-assigned responsibilities.
The dirt, that layer the "ologists" refer to as Earth's crust, is just leftover matter from living things in the process of breaking down into infinitely smaller particles for rebirth. What a massive chore, imagine doing that for millions and millions of years without pause. And then to have western civilization come along with its hi-tech psychopathic rapists ...
Here we have the highest strangeness: We exist in the most perfect, glorious garden and yet many are bored, preferring to sneak matter out of Eden and process it into material with which to annihilate the program.
I admire and respect your sharing that moment Jj. Your head and heart are in the right place.
Dear Silverfish, good morning, it is delightful to have you visit. Have you looked at English John's Woodburning Stove? Its a "Villager" and he seems to have created something life-sustaining out of discards. Have a look and come back and give us your take on the matter.
Thanks & HNY to U!
Thank you Nina for responding--If you have ever really held and smelled rich fertile soil--or soil that is in woods surrounded by trees where no man has ever built and rarely tread, it goes on day by day with no time ever passing--it just is. I get the feeling of my spirit becoming one with that richness and being happy--perhaps an omen of sorts--but it's cool--I'll be in it someday I suppose--but I feel my spirit took a holiday and is rolling and laughing in the richness that is-like kid discovering a mud puddle and no grown-ups around to keep them out-cool, my funk turned to a positive--
Jj
I swear Jj, you are reminding me of a hip Tom Joad today.
Now I don't want to be redundant, but English John has something for you too. He's been running around with his fabulous camera in the exact kind of place it would be so sweet in which to disintegrate: the bowd
I tried to comment yesterday over there more than a few times with no success. Maybe today the Force is with us. Stay positive!
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Franklin-Cast-Iron-Wood-Stove-Atlanta-Stove-Works_W0QQitemZ300190032185QQcmdZViewItem
So, Silv... stay away from this type?(above) My Dad had one and it worked well for cooking. I'm just looking to heat one room 18x20 and cook food when the time comes. I'm running the AC today, if that gives a better idea of the climate I'm in. What are the safety issues?
Jj - catalytic converter???
Nina, thanks for the links. When Jj was describing the soil, I was thinking of just such a place. Those pictures are phenominal!
Oh, by the by, I have considerable degree of mechanical /electronic/electrical acumen. I don't know how to build things or grow things, but I'm hoping to build a green house and grow tomatoes, and other food stuffs. Just need to read up and learn how and seek the wise counsel of those who've been there...
Thats where I am--forever in one of those photos--stop by any time and chat--you may not hear back--but isn't that the point--
Jj
http://www.amazon.com/Vogelzang-BX42E-Deluxe-Boxwood-Stove/dp/B000765NXQ/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1231106330&sr=8-1
This is more like the one my Dad had.
Also, and I'm sorry to be hogging the blogging, a friend suggested something they do at their camp:
They ran the stove pipe at a 90 approx 2' from the top of the stove to a steel tank and ran the stove pipe up, out of the other side. He said it worked wonders for heating because it traps the rapidly escaping heat that would normally just go outside. Is this something I should consider?
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200339127_200339127
This looks like a very helpful accessory. Anyone have any experience with such?
NOTA, I just asked the Fire Teacher about stove pipe construction and the response is "the more bends you get on the pipe, the worse the draw". FT is a lifetime builder/craftsman/cabinetmaker and knows about these things, although he has never heard of this tank idea.
My own opinion is it sounds good, but don't trap the smoke which could, after enough use and residue buildup, send the smoke back down or leak out of the fittings at minimum. Its the kind of unexpected thing that likes to happen when you are showing off the wonderful new survival stove to your dinner guests.
Your tool link did not work for me. What is the name of the tool? Thanks!
PS I kinda like that idea and think I will build a small model to test it. Foil pipe and tomato paste can. Without more than one bend, it seems like it would work well. What I already know is that the pipe itself radiates heat.
Hi Nina-
I deleted my post, revised it a little, and put it over where it fits in a little better, Visible Origami.
xoxo
Michael
Awww man, I was just working on a little response for you. I so hang on your every post. I better go and see what you did this time.
BTW, I left a comment for you on your site and on Messy Pallette during the holiday frenzy. I don't remember what I said, but I really want right now to say I am so glad you did not disappear. I got the idea you might have been swallowed into bongo drums on the beach or something.
Stove: Be sure that your chimney stack goes above your roof line by a few feet to help the draw--use guide wires if necessary--ours goes out at a slightly raised 90 degree through a brick wall, up through the back deck and then through the eve on the roof probably goes up another 8' from there--I added another stack piece because it wasn't drawing well--check with your insurance company too--they go apeshit over wood stoves--you'll also need a metal plate/board on the wall behind the stove if it's near a wall--we just used some wood blocks to keep it from touching the wall to let the heat dissipate--even though the wall doesn't get hot at all--insurance again--our chimney (the 90 coming off the stove--it goes up a couple feet, and then 90's out the wall--at a slight angle up) has a flapper vent on it that works quite well when it's windy out--it draws in some extra air--also, leave a window--the closet one cracked slightly to allow air to be drawn in from the outside--and put a carbon monoxide/smoke detector in the room--helpful if you ever get a backdraft and the smoke is blowing back in--use the ashes on your garden--but not too much--
Jj
Jj, it sounds to me that you are not only talking the talk but walking the walk. Power to the people.
There are laws coming up (fast) concerning emissions that basically mean at some point in the near future Californians must prove they are cooking on the woodburning stoves in order to use one. Thus, it is recommended woodburning stove people add a swing arm to the structure on which to hang a pot for boiling water. These laws are already in effect in many locales and spreading statewide. Keep an eye out for new regulations and stay within code. Just because its happening in CA, does NOT mean your municipalities nationwide won't adopt the idea or find ways to collect revenue out of your hide.
Michael, as bloggers we know comments come to our mailboxes as well as our comment pages. I have a copy in my e-mail of the post you deleted. You did not put anything like it on Visible Origami. Your original comment was very appropriate to the dialogue here.
This Obama Stimulus Plan has those sitting on the fence convinced waiting it out is good. "This" while everything in our real lives is saying exactly the opposite. You addressed this point extremely well and said it better than I did in the original post. We had better move on our survival plans asap or we're sunk. It is not going back to the fairytale good old days, ever again. Amidst the crumbling infrastruture and mass poverty, it is totally up to us do the heavy work of healing and renewal.
I am beginning to see half the battle for survival is confidence in our own abilities to embrace something different. That's what I was saying to Jj about talking the talk and walking the walk. We need to understand the basics of why we are doing what must be done and keep those reasons in the forefront as we go about the hard tasks of providing for ourselves and our peeps.
PS-
I had to laugh about your news that CA is going to make people prove their stove is used for cooking. How long do you think that's going to last with the whole state budget going in the tank? Think they will have money to pay wood stove enforcers? Hell no, the whole state and every city and county in it won't even have enough in their "coffers" to pay the pensions of their retirees. By next fall people will be burning old tar shingles and telephone poles they chopped down in oil drums in the living room.
We have made other "plans" as well but the main thing to remember is that you are where you are--there will be no running anywhere so plan accordingly. We are fortunate with where we are in the sense that it's in the country and, for now, certain things are plentiful--we have 15 acres with woods and raised gardens and access to much more wood--the deer are fairly abundant but that would change in a hurry in some scenarios--best move we made so far is biting the bullet and putting in a hand pump well--we had an amish guy drill it "for agricultural purposes" so we don't need any permit, tests, etc. My most recent concern is the "Voluntary-Mandatory service plan that they are going to require--we have had "draft" angst for a while with two teenage sons--that is one of our lines drawn in the sand that will not change as to "response and action". I am fortunate to have a wife who is in cahoots with me, or me with her--certain purchases have just been agreed upon without much discussion needed--we have also been fortunate to have been able to afford things but that seems to be changing along with everything else--I guess we'll all sink or float together----I'm planning on doing the backstroke--
Cheers,
Jj
JJ, Michael, will be back tonight. Must run now. Thanks. XXOO
Sink or swim together, eh? I had the distinct pleasure of meeting the remaining Indianapolis crew in 2004. They sank or swam, together, too.
They had not been properly trained in group water survival, because that training wasn't invented until they created it. They locked arms, backs in, shoulder-to-shoulder. The sharks took a great many, but those with determination and a blessing or two managed to survive... As for the insurance concerns, they can kiss my nuts!
Thanks, all for the help inre: stove. Jj - I have drawn an immovable line at the draft, as well. There will be no backing down, or half-stepping when it comes to my children...
Nina - the 'tool' is labelled as: Ecofan Airplus Heat-Powered Fan for Wood Stoves, Model# 802CA-KBX
It starts turning when the fire reaches 150f and turns faster, the hotter the fire gets. as the fire cools, the fan slows and stops at 150f. Sounds neat...
Master_a - I'm with ya on the shingles and phone poles... they won't have the money or the people with the will to enforce these ridiculous laws, much longer!
In case I haven't said it much. I love you folks! I mean that in the most absolute, and pure way possible. You folks are simply amazing.
stacy
We love you too Stacy. I think we have become a little family.
oh yeah, Jj - I've been kicking around the idea of putting in a hand-pump water well. Near as I can tell, it'd be about 2300-2800 dollars. Ouch, but a small price to pay when you're the only one w/ drinkable water for miles. I live on a bayou(2 blocks away), but the operative word was "drinkable" water. I'm prepared to carry water and boil, but I don't relish the idea.
(I removed the post as "Rights of Man" and reposted as NOTA. sorry, trying to eliminate confusion if someone else joins this wonderful conversation)
You just have to wonder why Home Owners Associations hate this kind of thing - like your own wells on your own land. Like so what? Can it be they like to emulate little monarchies or can it be they are ahem, funded to do so by floride interests. Maybe its more like prevention of a movement to end water meters and water bills and interest and service charges on their little postards with the ever advancing figures?
Michael, that is a very good point about these ordinances. Things are going to look very different this time next winter. When a person lost in the tundra, starving and freezing, is rescued, he will ask for warmth first. He knows if he's been rescued, food will come along soon. I've experienced more than a few days here without firewood and it takes away the apppetite. An obsession to find dry wood takes over. In a tanked economy, no one affording propane, whole regions could be deforested quickly.
People living in hurricane prone regions have been reported to dismantle and burn their decks to get the barbque going during the aftermath. Remember kudzu? She did that.
Nina- What you wrote made me think of the Dr Zhivago movie where they were freezing in a mansion in a blizzard and broke up the furniture to burn.
All of those hyper-ordinances that California has will soon become things of the past. It's likely true what I wrote about the pensions owed being more than the tax income too. I'm sure you already know that though the supposed US Gov't debt is 10-12 trillion, the actual debt is at least 5 times that due to "unfunded liabilities" like SS and pensions. I'm thinking every city, county, and state in the USA are in similar straits.
When I lived in Washington State the people passed an initiative to cap the yearly motor vehicle license fee at $30, rather than a % of the vehicle value; under the old system some were paying a lot to license their car. The State fought it tooth and nail but it sailed through.
So what did the State do? Did they cut back on any of their usual expenses? Not hardly. They cut services to the people. The rural transit bus routes were the first to go.
I recall going to Olympia to get a business registered. When I found the place it was a brand-new high rise brick and black glass office building with fancy landscaping, right on one of the main commercial arterial streets. I went in the main entrance and there was a hallway about thirty feet long with another set of doors at the other end reading "Authorized Employees Only". Off to the right of the entry hall was a small office with a narrow waiting room and plastic chairs, filled with people waiting to pay their license fees. Two women worked behind the counter. The entire rest of this probably twenty-story office tower was off-limits to the public who paid for it. The public got to wait in line in a cramped, understaffed room with threadbare carpet.
The State exists to serve itself.
Wonder what they will be burning to keep warm in that 20 story office tower in Olympia next year? :-)
There have been proposals going around the past few years that they are going to put meters on wells and charge you for the water you use-with state budgets down, look for all sorts of things like this to gain revenue-Actually went to a meeting where the Soil and Water Conservation guy mentioned this-after we asked him the question--he said it was just a proposal--looked like he was gut-shot when we asked-the meeting was actually about the chipping of animals for the NAID--we definitely woke up some amish who were in attendance--the soil guy was back-stepping so fast he looked like ginger rogers--good thing we didn't sign in--lol.
If you have to go out any distance--I mean any distance and carry something that weighs 8-10lbs per gallon, and then light a fire to boil it--you are really opening up yourself to attention that you don't want--even cooking outside will draw people from far and wide--stealth is key--don't cook what you absolutely don't have to--lay low till you figure out whats going on--observe--observe--observe--
Get a shortwave radio (be sure it has the HAM radio bands)and run a wire antenna-and ground it well-also, a CB radio will come in very handy for "real" local news and from truck drivers passing through--anything else will be from the shills--don't even plug in the microphone--just listen--a good matched antenna is needed as well. You can also rig up a "clip" style power cord and run it from a car battery--an inexpensive solar panel should keep the battery up or just use the car and plug it in the lighter adapter--get a set of cheap headphones too--silence is golden!!Also, if you are not broadcasting, the battery should last a good long time--my guess is that there will be plenty of batteries in cars left on the roadside to choose from--
Jj
Sorry for getting off track--my train of thought left the station without me........
Jj
Night before last the story of the Black Panthers (Power to the People) was on late night TV. I caught it while hogging the hearth. Interesting similarities between now and then, lots of flashbacks. Conclusion, I have to say we already know the story. What was done to them finally was a "neutralizing" through mass distribution of cheap heroin.
Maybe mass distribution of genocides accompanied by mass distribution of failed wealth is another neutralization? Or just heroin by another name, or maybe the fruits of the record poppy harvests are next on the list?
Jj, there is no such thing as off topic here. Its okay to let the conversation go where it will. Everybody commenting has something valuable to say. I guess trolls don't like art.
Michael, maybe if they stopped leveraging debt on all those Darth Vader costumes they'd have some cash.
I know you know your California, but did you ever think maybe people were not meant to live here? When you have to put up netting on the mountains to keep the rocks in place from mudslides after wildfires took down all the vegetation, just maybe its a sign from God...
Stacy, the fan sounds great. If you are going to do something along the lines of English John's Villager, you might not need it, but if you think there is a possibility you will not get enough heat distribution, you will need it. When it breaks down, as all these things do eventually, be sure you have the knowledge and materials to repair it. That's the kicker. I think you could maintain it, but I couldn't. Maybe I could paint it. Heh heh. OK, ok, I know at least three people locally who can make blades.
Add to list: Make friends with metal sculptors.
Either they don't like art, or they hate us for our glowfish... I love that painting. It's absolutely stunning! I have a shortwave/am/fm radio but it only has 4 bands of shortwave. It's protected by my faraday cage, in the garage (microwave oven), along with the key chain led flashlights. The radio has a 16' retractable wire antenna. The shortwave bands are 5.20-18.30mhz
FM covers from 75-108mhz (this includes a bit of the emergency frequency. I currently have a police radio with all of the local agencies and military primary/alternate emergency channels on it. This one will do no good in the event of an EMP, but the shortwave would survive. The question I have is: would an EMP and the resulting compton scattering effect interfere with shortwave transmission due to the interference in the ionosphere?
NOTA
NINA - check out the latest at www.all-enemies.blogspot.com hope you don't mind!
Stacy
The same guys must have built the $700 million new embassy in Iraq--wonder if it's up to code?
On the subject of Heroin, we have a friend who's daughter got hooked--it's only $10 per balloon--dirt cheap and readily available--even here in the sticks--the kids just go to a local city--not even one of the big ones and bring it back--our county and the surrounding ones have more meth labs than check cashing places--sure will be nice when people can't get their "prescription" drugs let alone the illegal ones--should be some alcoholics hitting maximum density about the same time--
Stacey--if you're only 2 blocks frum da bayou; (that's cajun) try diggin down about 6' right in your yard and see what comes up--the soil between you and the bayou may filter the water quite well (pun intended)--around here, the cops use a repeating trunking system and the scanners are expensive so I would rather put my money elsewhere--they are the least of my concerns--another tip is to get a chainsaw and use it to whack trees and "detour" traffic from heading your way--just drop a few across the roads--
Keep posting--we may get more in here than over at mirrors--and it's much friendlier here--I submitted a new post over there about why there has not been "The Big One" would like to hear your thoughts if you have any--yeah, that's a question I have to ask this group--lol
Your newest painting has really grown on me Nina--I slide into it every time i come in--
Jj
Just to clarify a few things:
In ghetto vernacular, outside means in addition to a primary, or "inside", relationship. So the figures shown are forever-friends, not bound by the rules and expectations of socio-religious dogma. The original piece has the frame as shown today.
I posted more details on Glowfish at Stacy's All Enemies blog today, just a comment about red pencilling the errors of evil ways.
I wouldn't mind a tool in eblogger that would allow us to red pencil ignorance like we received in elementary school when we turned in what we thought was a smart piece only to have it come back circled in red.
Michael and Stacy might have such a tool figured out by now.
Something else we need to think on is homeopathic medicines. This became obvious to me after a dental experience yesterday. Pain relief without addiction... is that actually possible? We need to make sure our knowledge backpacks are reliable and free from "solutions by the Illusion".
Mrs. Jj (Juli) is very up on homeopathic/natural/herbal. If you have specific questions, I'll see if she has the answers--might be fun!!
I would recommend that you all get color photo plant books specific to your region--very helpful. Also, remember to get BOOKS on the subjects that are important including books you agree with on spirituality--the net may not be available down the road and there may not be time to learn--the dental one is a great question due to the pain aspect as would be certain wounds--no first aid kit should be without feminine napkins and duct tape for stopping bleeding--a few tubes of super glue will do in place of stitches in a pinch also. You can get an emergency dental kit at the store--you can use wax to plug a cavity and keep it from getting painful. I also recommend flossing and using baking soda and food grade hydrogen peroxide to brush your teeth with-3% or so--prevention is key-might even be able to use waterproof epoxy to fill a cavity--Another good idea is to pick up some bags of psyllium husk to keep things moving through the system in the event that you're eating a lot of foods that don't digest too well.
About inside/outside, I wonder what it would be like to raise children with no outside world influences--saying yes to everything and just see where it leads..and where we are led by them
Sweet thought--
Jj
Nina, I hope you laughed about the wallpaper. But maybe that's an old joke, I'd never heard it before; I was just reacting to your comment about trolls not liking art.
Thanks for the clarification of outside. I had heard that used that way before, but didn't make the connection because of the bib overalls.
I once built several wooden 3-legged footstools which had legs with the profile of a ballerina doing a toe-point. Visual pun. No one got it, so I had my girlfriend who was good at those things paint one up with powder blue ballet slippers and pink silk bows. Still no one got it. Oh well.
Re backpacks: I've done a lot of backpacking and traveling/flying around with backpacks. I wear out a small one every year or so, and I've had many full-size packs too, since age 12.
Here's my take on them:
#1 criteria is lots and lots of zippered pockets on the outside of the bag. This goes for any size of backpack.
Backpacks go through fashion just like skiwear and just about as fast. You want pockets on the outside so you don't have to open the main body of the pack and dig for things. You should only need to open the main pack sack at night or to change clothes.
It may or may not be easy to find a backpack with lots of zippered pockets on the outside, but if you can find a quality one, that's what you want. The more the better. They must be strong, good zippers.
Any good backpack zipper will have two zipper pulls, one on each end so if one jams the other end still works. The two ends can also be wired or tied together to keep someone from easily getting at your stuff if you have to leave it somewhere or in a luggage compartment when traveling.
Forget a bunch of water bottle pockets and little expando-mesh bags. One outside expando like that is plenty. Zippered pockets. Outside. :)
want more?
Michael,since you heard it before, why would bib overalls, known as Farmer Brown's in ghettospeak, throw you off?
I got my backpack in a college bookstore, I trust it. Double zips and all. Built to carry weighty volumes and costume changes plus pocketbook contents. But if I had a heavy duty sewing machine, I'd make my own duffel bags.
You have a way of being funny and edgy and wise and sarastic all in the same breath. You could probably rip this site apart piece by piece and make good sense out of doing so and I would find it an amusing and an enlightening activity.
And then too, I am a big fan of the heroes you mentioned, so that kind of let me know you really saw it. But that raises the question, if something you never saw before appeared, would it have value?
You're joshing, no? There really is a Misses J.j, the Juli j. and a Mister J,j.?
That reminds me of the old joke about Shutup and Trouble meeting the cops. Everyone knows it so I won't repeat it.
Anyway our list of importance is thickening. Based on the skills between us we have an excellent start. I guarentee you I will be in touch by email as issues arise and I expect the same from you. We can even copy the others in the address to keep the information flowing and available. Make hard copies before the power fails or best, just live them now.
Stacy, thank you. See your blog.
Nina my love-
One thing that anyone who works with me will hear is "steal from the best". It's only partially a joke. It's shorthand for "take all of the best in and make it your own". All of us who create with our hands owe an incalculable debt to those who came before and made it possible to start where they left off. Try making blue paint or steel from scratch. The Matisse forms are echoes of the rock drawings of ages past; only the work left on rock in a sheltered spot survived, what else was lost? The eye is the vesica pisces. None of creates an original vesica pisces; the form already exists. The painter paints what they see with their eyes as interpreted by the mind, colored by the library of the mind, or they paint from the library of the mind, drawing from the extent of that library as sparked and driven by inspiration. Inspiration, the muse, does not copy from the library, she owns the library.
Your "Outside" piece was strikingly different from any other of the small amount of your work I have seen. I saw elements in it of many disciplines and past masters, put together in such a wonderful and original way that I wondered if you had hidden a secret bit of humor in it, because it made me smile that way. It was an honest question, because like you I see deeper than most, and I wondered if you had hidden it there only for those with eyes to see. It was one master craftsman seeing something curious and cool in the work of another. If I had an honest criticism of your work, you would hear it privately and simply, not in a flippant manner. In no way was I inferring that it was derivative. That is not at all what I intended and I apologize if it came off that way.
I chuckled to myself all afternoon about the absurdity of comparing your work to wall paper samples. You were supposed to laugh. What I wrote that you can take seriously is "excellent posing of the figures. Like it a lot."
Peace, my good friend. I approve.
Got an email from Stacey and will head over to his place soon to take a look around--Like Michael, I always feel blessed to be able to come in here and swim through what you create--it's like swimming without getting wet your paintings are beyond alive--they are on a level different than where we live--very inviting--
If you look at our email address, you'll see where the Jj came from--Les actually started it when I sent him my original email and he just used the Jj from that--I just kept it that way so he would know where future comments came from--
And now you know-----J is for Jim--J is for Juli---and the N and C are for the boys---
I posted another comment at mirrors if you head over there--the point being that they numbed us up before Gaza this time with all the scandals--bailouts--foreclosures--job losses--they didn't need a cover up--"nobody cares, they have their own problems" is the scenario created prior to--
Jj
My first hiking pack came from the old Marlboro Miles program. I got it when I was 17. It looked really good, but turned out to be an utter piece of shit. My second was Mil-spec. Made by the lowest bidder, but holds up really well.
This is a nice one: http://www.bdrgear.com/cfp90-backpack-black-p-87.html?currency=USD
This is what I have in olive drab... large alice pack. http://www.battledressuniform.com/2266.html
As for toothaches/broken teeth - superglue works great, but don't breathe in the fumes. Make sure the mouth is dry,put baking soda in the hole and apply a drop of glue, then allow to dry before breathing in through the mouth. (concentrated exposure to cyanoacrylate fumes causes damage to the lungs). The baking soda and CA form a fiber adhesive which works wonders in an emergency. The glue can be used as a skin bandage on scrapes and minor to severe cuts. As long as the wound is dry it will work better than stitches. I use electrical tape (preference only) for bandages, because it stretches and the adhesive seems to bond the cut better, and it doesn't leave a nasty residue.
Jj - thanks for the info on digging a hole! I knew that from years back, but had forgotten it. Wonderful info. Thanks for the reminder.
A good one for homeopathic medicine seems to be(I've never tried it, but there is much solid info via the googles - I got this info inre my posting about preparedness some time back): bentonite clay (???)http://www.eytonsearth.org/
Stacey: Just use a post hole digger to see what results you get--won't freak out the neighbors with a big hole in your yard that way--get some barrels and let the dirt and solids go to the bottom and then take a bucket and pour into another barrel and let it settle--you can never have enough barrels--if full and in the basement--it keeps you from having to go out more--never assume you will be able to go out the next day, or the next and get more water--
Tough to tell sometimes but you can get some pretty decent stuff at sportsmansguide.com--military surplus, etc.
Jj
Michael, what happened? It was a great little joke, a funny remark, and like I said before you mentioned my heros who absolutely influence me. I regret you deleted that post. I regret you think I must have felt criticized unfairly, which wasn't it at all. I just didn't get back to you in time. My fault.
When I had a few cents once, I got a couple of sticker books of "great artists" and stuck up postage stamp paintings all over the place so that when I worked, I looked up and saw what Rivera did with leaves. Other inluences are Gaughin, master of textiles, and Hopper, Homer, Wyeth, Eakins, Prendergast and Whistler. I was havily into Picasso during school as a printmaking major. And Matisse is unavoidable beause my Mother was a big Matisse fan.
What is backwards about my work is the purely imaginative super-colorful pieces happened up until Iraq 2003. After that, in disgust/private protest I went solely into refinement of technique. As soon as I finish two favors, I'm going back to being mice elf again.
But I wanted to make wallpaper on this blog, so many people have made screensavers of works here, it might still happen if I can figure out how to do it. I have no idea what else is being downloaded, I see book publishers fishing around sometimes. Well, they can have it if they share it because I'll never run out. Just credit me please.
Now, read above the comments box where it says "Free Speech Zone".
Besides, you don't need to assume how I might handle your posts. We've been talking about many things here and more often than not I don't have the mental space to remark on every line. What I really like that we do here is take off and fly with ideas. It doesn't even matter if we heard it somewhere else because everyone has different needs and this is a new day. Everybody contributing on this one could be considered going off-topic somewhere else, but this is not a rigidly monitored forum and it never will be.
mice elf.... hah! I love it. I don't know what you're talking about here, I never go off topic. Did you hear the that Obama's stimulus is to be more than $1.2T by the time Congress is done w/ it? ;-)
Nina, when you wrote " if something you never saw before appeared, would it have value" I figured I had done something bad and you were not happy.
(my answer is: that depends.)
I do original work, with the caveat that I may copy something, close anyway, one time just to get the feel of it. I've done many pieces that no one ever saw anything quitelike before, as I'm sure you have too, but one still needs to be able to sit on a chair or hang a painting on the wall. :)
Ever see art furniture? The chairs one can't sit on and the unusable cabinets?
I had a 12" x 18" oil painting for a long time that I picked up unframed and dusty from the Goodwill store. It was a 1/3 portrait of a woman in '40s style dress and hair sitting with her elbow on a table and her chin in her hands. The backgound was dark green fading into black and faded back perfectly from her, though she was light skinned. She was very elongated. Everyone else hated that painting, even my so-called artist friends. They seemed to think the painter couldn't paint. How wrong they were, in my opinion. The painter (it was unsigned) did a masterful job depicting exactly what they wished to depict.
On the subject, somewhat: Once I'm done with a piece I lose all attachment to it. Not that I don't appreciate it any more, it's just that I'm done with it. Next? On the other hand I had a friend who could not let go of any of his pieces. He was a draughtsman and sculptor. Could not let anything go. Ended up working as a laborer.
As far as art goes, I just like what I like--what draws me to it repeatedly--There have been musicians I saw that I really liked the first time--not so much the 2nd or 3rd--I can only say that I feel refreshed or solemn, sometimes joyful but always touched when I come in here--it's like Su's poetry it effects me--
Nuff' said--
Jj
Oops, and Michael's writing--especially lately--something wonderful is growing--Michael--stop explaining it and let it stand on it's own--that's an order!!!!
Jj
Speaking of things standing on their own, frame is off Outside Woman Outside Man, a wise artist friend emailed me about it. I even told Susanna when she made her exquisite poem there was more to the piece and I would be putting it up in it's totality soon for comparisons. Comparison is done now.
Over and out, back in a few. I'm just taking a little break...
Oh, oh, oh... Stacy, mice elf is in a Sly Stone lyric: "I wanna thank you for lettin' me be mice elf again". Sounds like what people think when the romance is over or they get fired, hunh?
Hi Jj.
Stacy, don't you think its silly, likely intentional snubbing, that John Howard was booked in Blair House for the exact weeks the incoming president and family should have been expected ... like, who's doing the booking anyway, or was it promised to a willing ooalition partner in exhange for Aussie deaths? Obviously a willing coalition partner no longer in office is a lot more important than an incoming president.
They leave no stone unturned, No Child Behind, etc.
Jj, thanks for the compliment. Can't really let it stand on its own; I demonstrated the unedited version a few days ago. Stream of blablabla. But I can quit explaining.
nina, I like your story about putting up famous painting stickers so you could surround yourself with that influence and study it at leisure. I study a lot of subjects and always strive to pick the best examples; I want my mental library to be broad and complete, but there is no sense bringing home trashy novels just to fill the shelves.
That's one of the major reasons that I don't watch movies. As an empath, I've had film mess up my life very seriously some ways down the road. I have to be careful what I let in when my guard is down.
Just scrolled down and found Ventanas. Of course it would be too easy to like that one, but it warms my heart. That culture is about as close to home as I get. First time I spent any time in the Southwest I was nineteen. My girlfriend and I had made a lot of money with a little crafts cart on the street in Vancouver BC at Christmastime and decided to go to Mexico to warm up and dry out. We planned to cross into Mexico at Nogales, but got there late at night so we pulled off a few miles North on a road with a sign saying Pena Blanca State Park and slept in the car. Next morning before driving on to Mexico I decided to take a drive over the next hill and see what was there. Ended up spending the next six weeks camped there and never mind Mexico.
I am more at home in the Sonora than anywhere; more than the Dakota prairies of my birth or my adopted Pacific NW. In general deserts and I get each other, but oh that Sonora. It is the Amazon Jungle of deserts.
Maybe Ventanas is a little more New Mexico flavored, but it makes me think of the Sonora.
Regarding Backpacks:
I would recommend a bare aluminum pack frame to anyone if they can pick one up. I mean just the aluminum frame with a folding shelf at the bottom and the shoulder straps, webbing, and hip belt. I've heard them called a sherpa pack. A good one will carry awesomely huge loads, like a deer or a full-size loaded cooler or an injured person sitting comfortably. Bungee cords are a recommended accessory.
There is a red canvas ribbon, maybe 20' long, with a brass toothy clasp on one end. Wherever we were strapping things on the rig, we use the red belts now. Amazing things. They take care of problems that bundgees usually are not long enough to address and they are super stong, strong enough to strap an entire houseload of furniture onto a longbed. However, bungees will suddenly become every popular, especially among the evicted and streams of inexperienced travelers on the move, so it is wise to pick up both, more than you think you could ever need - soon. Forget about NAFTA continuing to supply our every desire. Although I have no doubt they will continue to push until the bitter end. As it becomes inreasingly more deslolate, there's not going to be any running out to the shop to pick up something you need. What shop? What gas? Ooops, what money?
Typo Advisory: My C and F keys on the laptop have stopped functioning. I am using the on-screen keyboard to fill-in and sometimes fail to see where they are missing during the proof.
...Michael--stop explaining it and let it stand on it's own...
heh heh, you would NEVER do that, would you Jj.
I agree Jj, Su has a gift.
Nina,
Frame off I love it.
Frame on I love it.
I know the straps. We used to call them motorcycle tiedowns but I think they are just called tie-down straps now.
Funny, but I don't recall even seeing them down here. I haven't been doing much truckin' though. I actually haven't even driven for over two years, just ride my bicycle anywhere close, take a bus anywhere else.
Here I am in the land of 20cent a gallon gas and I don't even get to burn any.
I got my driver's license on my 16th b-day and have driven all over the US plus much of Canada and Mexico and you know what? I don't miss driving at all.
Most of the rural US, though, if one doesn't have a vehicle they are in rough shape.
Speaking of bicycles, got one? Don't know if y'all ever read about John Titor the time traveler, but back in 1999 (I think) he wrote that by 2008 the writing would be on the wall pretty clearly. He had a short list of things one would need. High on his list was a bicycle and four sets of tires. They don't make bicycle tires in the US anymore I don't think.
Inner tube strips make good tie downs for just about anything too.
Onwards
I know there is a new world coming, and I know it is real. It is not the world of horror of the New World Order. It is a place of great peace, beauty, and abundance for all. I have walked the country lanes and seen the blue skies and talked to the happy people. It is real. It is coming. And it is no other world than the one we are on right now. Do not fear the Earth changes or the warmongers or the chaos. We need not let the dark and the evil destroy our beautiful home. The forces of darkness cannot access the love, the vision, or the powers that we can. Their path is the rot of decomposition, the path of de-evolution, the downward spiral of destruction. Their rot can only thrive where there has not been sweet fresh air and the light of the sun. They are not who Terra Earth is. They are not who we are. We are the gift of Creation. The powers of Creation belong to us. They are our birthright.
All have heard or read "As above, so below". Now hear the whole passage:
From the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus:
"As above so below for the performance of the miracles of the one thing."
This is how it is done. You wish to change what is happening here? Change it the same way our Creator brought forth the Universes: See it done. Feel it done. With breath and gentle focus, knowingness, and love. Know it is done. Hold the Earth in your loving hands; see her healed and perfect. In your mind, see her bathed in that ultraviolet light a little beyond what our human eyes can see, the blue light that cleans away harmful things. With your breath, gently blow away the veil of darkness that now shrouds her glory; see it disappear into the void. Hold the vision of your own place in this new world that will be ours; see what a beautiful place she is. Let the love in your heart go out to her who has given you so much. Know it is so.
This present mess must fall apart because it is too broken to fix, but we get to decide what it will become. Let the broken useless harmful things fall apart. Let them fall, while holding joy and anticipation in your heart. Preserve what is worth preserving. We are those actors with the vision and the talent to stage the new performance. If you are feeling the pain of this world, then comfort her, see her vibrantly whole. Yes there will be chaos, but none of the grand cataclysmic destruction is needed. Out of the chaos will come our chance to create the New Earth. This is what we came here for.
"As above so below for the performance of the miracles of the one thing."
Love I You Greatly
m_astera,
What a beautiful post which comes with impeccable timing.
Still at some level believing that there is a me with volition and believing that I have a choice in where to put my attention - I have been pondering whether putting my attention on the chaos and hatred is where I want to put it.
But then I feel guilty if I don't witness the horrors of the world - because surely everyone should have to experience it.
So with these feelings rolling in the background - your post was compelling and decisive.
In the I ching there is a hexagram with the title "bearer of bright omens".
I think I am heading there, with your gentle nudging.
Last night my kids and I walked up to the dam at midnight, we swam by moonlight in the still dark water.
Its viscosity keeping us buoyant forever. Such beauty, peace and stillness in that moment.
And so much beauty and grace is in in my life that I ignore in order to place attention on suffering happening far away.
Thank you from the depths of my joyous being.
Su,
That you went and did it, took the time to swim instead of thinking the next day that you should have-wonderful-I took the dogs (and cats) out for a walk on the snow last night--finally the look and feel of winter--our first "real" snowfall--maybe just a couple inches but enough to change the entire landscape--wind was howling and I was smiling--dogs were happy and the cats just did what cats do--
Jj
It appears the greatest trick and most desperate ploy of those bent on destruction is to convince us that we are all just helpless animals in a cage, waiting for the next painful shock that we cannot avoid. That is what Gaza is all about, while the world stands by helplessly watching pure evil slaughter our fellow humans and laughing in our faces at our helplessness. That is what the fears of Earth changes and prophecies of doom and the financial collapse are at root: just another painful reminder to prove to us that we are helpless animals descended from apes. That is what the "evil sinner" lie is all about, and the threats of hellfire and damnation. That is what all of the suffering and the wars and the fear of atomic warfare are about and have been about, to keep us from finding out who we really are: That we have, within us all, that same divine spark, and that we can connect to and use the powers of creation for the betterment of all. We can change it all in the twinkling of an eye.
We need not beg the false gods they have set up. We need only to remember who we really are, and take back to ourselves the divine heritage and nature that is rightfully ours from our creation. The evil ones cannot access the power of creation. They cannot, for they are not creative. The powers of creation are not given to those who worship destruction.
We are divine beings incarnate in this human instrument; we are not helpless animals, and the evil ones know they are in big trouble if and when we figure that out.
Jj,
Well first Nina nudged me to put my attention on my kids and village and then this impulse sort of grows.
Found this disused tennis court in the middle on a nature reserve. The net has holes, termite mounds on the surface, thorn trees all the way around and on the outer periphery blue tinged mountains.
Pre summer storm so the light danced magically.
We ran, chasing these yellow balls with full attention and awareness.
Laughter would erupt. Birds circling ahead.
Africa at her best.
I have to honour the fact that life presents me with such beauty.
I would be betraying this gift if I did not acknowledge it.
Let me just squeeze in here for a minute and elbow my way to the frontlines where we all are cooking on the front burner, heat maxed on high sizzle, English John has a delicious and informative "don't miss" new piece up today. badgerland and stovular update
More later, painting calls. Why am I so inspired??
Gratitude and love to each of you.
We forget that those places English John brings us really do exist--with, or without us--I think they smile when they hear Johns camera clicking away--he is welcome there--
I get the same sense with your work Nina--It's like the colors and the bristles on the brush wonder what adventure and mischief they will get into today--
Jj
Jj - your words, most times, could just as easily have been captured by his lens, or Nina's brush...as they all seem to capture the same beauty and share their light with all who gaze upon them.
The more I allow the man to look at me, the more I see god in him--or he is god--and the woman--us--one, nothing without the other.
Jj
Jj, I've been wanting to tell you. About a post that you left over at one of Les's blogs a little while back, the one about your wife, where she is getting ready to take the dogs for a walk wearing a hoody.
That was a sweet post, man. Brought tears to my eyes. All I ever really wanted in this life was a woman like that by my side. It wasn't to be; I just didn't get lucky enough like that or my destiny had other agendas, hard as I tried and I damn well did my level best.
Good to see one of us caught the golden ring on the carousel of life.
Michael,
There are times when I just look at her and choke up-overwhelmed by all she is--
Very cool that you felt what I wrote--you understood and acknowledged--very cool--again--
Jj
http://aviewfromtheswallowsnest.blogspot.com/
Hey all, pop in and take a gander at the silverfish' site. He has some nice pics up.
Maybe it's just a temporary thing with me, not having been "around" mirrors very long, but is the neighborhood changing--not Les, but the renters?
Jj
What was that you said to me one time Nina? You didn't get a lot of comments like I did? Ha ha ha ha.
I, I actually said THAT? heh heh. How self-limiting of me. Oh, but look at you. On your way into triple digit thousands.
Leaving you now. I must balance this time with the Silver fishes.
Jj,
yes, the renters seem to be changing... but, I'm viewing it as a good thing - though most seem to be fairly low-rent - as the huge influx means one of two things:
either: a) people are beginning to wake up (in which case, we can't expect much from a lifelong mouthbreather right after they wake up) or
b) les is hitting some serious nerves and most of those commenting are doing so - that they may get hhim shut down as anti-shemitic upon reaching the lucky number of times 'Israel' is mentioned without a sucking and gulping sound...
I thought the comments at mirrors were quite good overall. Didn't notice any foaming at the mouth or rampant illiteracy. I especially liked the guy who calculated how many years it would take at 72 cremations per day. We went over hundreds of pages of the records and history over the years at libertyforum so I'm familiar with the subject and these guys know their stuff. It's good to see it getting exposure on a blog that's not dedicated to the subject and gets a lot of hits.
Marxist Socialist re-cycled his founding fathers/famous presidents against the USA piece. Either he's running out of material (doubtful) or thinks this will make him appear patriotic in some smarmy way. What a loser. I can only laugh, but if any poster anywhere ever deserved to get squished like a bug he's it.
I think Les is far more vulnerable than initially appears. I still visit every day and read everything, but the visuals over which he was deprived control intentionally weary the eye. The comments were easier to make and read with black on white backgrounds. Now, to go into SM, you have a sea of unbroken rants with hidden jewels and those jewels are easily missed and arduous to respond to without losing your train of thought. However, I get the idea the graphical problems are temporary. Eventually, he will no longer depend on eblogger and free himself all by himself. He already has his domain name, but apparently the graphic assistance he requires is doing the job on a charitable "when they have the desire" basis. Our donations, however tiny, could solve that one in a heartbeat.
Hi nina-
Trying this again. That last comment got lost in the supermarket it appears.
Good idea. I just sent $15, which should translate into about 10E. On my budget, that's not that tiny a contribution. Wish I could send more, but he will appreciate it anyway.
Did your little icon just put on a red hat?
Interesting book I read a couple of years ago by a Russian woman psychiatrist. It's about her awakening to the unseen, for lack of a better term. She was a Gov't psychiatrist during the 1980s working at a mental hospital somewhere near the Urals, I think. She went on a visit to a remote town in the mountains there and witnessed some amazing shamanic events.
Anyway, in one little vignette she was back in the city and met up with or went to visit a woman who appeared to be in her mid- to late teens, but who was actually in her mid-50s.
The "magic" that this woman did to stay young was this: She had an album of her baby pictures and pictures of her as a young girl, and every night before she went to bed she looked at her baby pictures.
Yes, well, that happened to me too. heh heh
And yes again, hat is red, was always red, but looked brown which was not truth.
I am so pleased you donated. You got the bigger picture right away, which is for those waffling, you and I and would not be reading this if it hadn't been for Les.
We are putting into practice lessons gleaned... living in the now, creating our own positive realities.
Interesting site, keep up the good work, my colleagues would love this. I read many blogs on a daily basis, and for the most part the authors lack substance, but not in this case. I just wanted to make a short comment to say I’m glad I found your blog, I'm gonna bookmark this deepintoartlifewest.blogspot.com web site. Thanks
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