spoons

Wooden Spoons, that is.

I've carved several, and I'm getting pretty good at it. Also got lost in facebook. Way too much fun there.

I've been keeping it simple and really just enjoying life.

I spent last weekend taking care of sick family and getting a few garden beds weeded and ready for planting. Did you know that if periwinkle gets away from you it can take over an entire bed in a single summer? I didn't know that. I'll pay much closer attention to it this summer!

Simplicity for Simplicity's Sake

I've been thinking often about my simple life. Some would say that my life isn't simple at all. But I think it is.

I refrain from watching TV, which gives me enormous flexibility in my time.

I cook my own low-fat, plant-based vegetarian meals. Some would say that is way too complicated, but like all things practice makes it easy.

I enjoy working in the garden. There is always something to do. This weekend, I've been mulching leaves that I scavenged from the neighbors leaf raking efforts. They so nicely bag them up, and then I come along and grab up the bags full, and take them home, and run them under my mulching mower. I then spread them over my garden beds about 2 to 4 inches deep. Not hard work, but it does fill the day.

I enjoy exercising with Mary. Our afternoon walks are a joy, even when the weather turns colder. We have a "hand holding" glove specially made so that we can hold hands inside it. Simple joy there.

Other simple joys.
A fire in the fireplace in the autumn chill.

A hot cup of tea to warm me on the inside.

Hot banana bread, fresh from the oven.

Warm waffles with pecans and real maple syrup.

Minestrone soup with home-grown Swiss chard.

A clean kitchen with counters clear so that I can easily cook.

Looking in my love's eyes, and enjoying her smile, a mirror of my own.

Keep it Simple, Silly!

Dinner!

'Shrooms!

I took about a dozen shiitake mushrooms off the log in the kitchen this afternoon, and cut them into thin strips. I then went outside and cut a huge handful of purple basil. Then I peeled lots of garlic cloves.

I wound up with a wonderful mushroom centered meal. I'm serving the concoction over bow-tie noodles and I'm having trouble waiting for Mary to get home. The house smells absolutely wonderful!

I think I've already got my $$$ worth out of the purchase of the spawn for the mushrooms. Wow. If I had to buy all those mushrooms at retail prices, I think it would break me.

It's a shame there isn't anything for vegetarians to eat! (light sarcasm)

Anyhow, enjoy your dinner...

More 'Shrooms!

That log I brought inside over the weekend has decided to fruit! There are mushroom buds coming out in many different places on the log. I have a large clear lawn-and-garden bag draped over the log to provide additional moisture retention. It seems to be working.

I showed Samuel the mushroom buttons coming out and he seemed excited. Miriam was not thrilled, or at least she didn't seem so.

I'm very excited that we'll have fresh 'shrooms for our dinner this week. And if we have too many, I'll dry what we can't use right away. I'll have to let the log rest for a couple of months, then I'll see if I can get it to fruit again.

Not bad for waiting a year to let the fungus grow in the log!Lentinula edodes: Shiitake

I plugged them last year with Lentinula edodes spawn. That's the Latin name for Shiitake mushrooms.

Here is a picture I found on the net that shows what a fruiting log looks like!

Now I lay me down...

To sleep, perchance to dream.

It is autumn now. It wasn't really obvious here until this week. The tulip poplar trees are now turning yellow, and some leaves are falling. The temps have dropped, and the house is cooling down. I've started making lots of soups, chillies, and other dishes that warm you up from the inside.

I've begun to put the gardens to bed. I've pulled the tomato plants and made some changes to the outside.

We had our first shitake mushrooms last week. Mary suggested that I bring one of the logs inside. So I found a large plastic pan (used for concrete mixing) and took a large piece of flat pine and made a stand to hold up the log. The shitake log is now in our family room next to the orchids, so that I can keep an eye on it, if it decides to send out 'shrooms. I'll keep it watered and such to make it really good for the mushrooms. Hopefully we'll get some through the winter. I have 3 other logs outside, and I'll let them do their thing there. Miriam came in while I was getting dinner ready and said, "We have a stump." I told her what it was, and she just shrugged and went back to her room. I guess she thinks her step-father is crazy.

Flannel sheets are on the bed, and Mary and I have gone back to closing all the windows and curtains at night to hold in as much heat as we can.

So the garden goes to sleep, and the trees get ready for their winter's nap. And I have already ordered seeds for spring...

Bowed Psaltery

After wanting one for 3 years...
Wait, let me start at the beginning of this story. It is short, but makes more sense this way. (Clicking the image will increase the size.)

I live in Maryland. We have one of the best Renaissance Festivals around. Anyway, three years ago, my wife and I went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival and enjoyed ourselves very much. It was a wonderful day, and we saw many shows, and heard lots of music we liked.

As Mary and I were walking along, there was one stand where a young lady was playing an instrument that I had never seen, nor heard before. She was pushing a small bow across the metal strings, and it was making a fantastic sound. Very simple, and very pleasing. She let me try it. I was able to rough out a tune in just a couple of minutes. I was hooked. But the price tag at that time was more than my family budget could afford. So I passed.

I went back to the festival last year and heard the instrument again. Again I wanted one, but didn't get it. I wasn't sure that I would actually make time to teach myself to play it.

This year, we went to the festival on opening day, and I decided I wanted that instrument. I discussed the purchase briefly with Mary and she was supportive in this purchase, because I think she wanted to play it too. When we arrived at Unicorn Strings, we played a couple and chose the one pictured above.
So I bought it, with a soft padded case, and two bows (for advanced playing.) It came with a book, extra strings, rosin and a demonstration DVD.

I've been spending some time learning to play some simple tunes on it. I've been having a ball. I love the sounds it makes, and the way the strings resonate when they are played. Very rich sound.

I'm having a bit of a challenge with the music theory, and am teaching myself again how to read music. It is a C instrument. It has 2 1/2 octaves, and has the beautiful wood work on it. I've been looking on the internet for sheet music to old tunes, and figuring out how to make them work on the Psaltery.

How does this purchase fall into the frugal and sustainable areas of my life's philosophy? First the frugal. I've put off the purchase for 3 years. It isn't a survival item, but it does help pass the time, and also allows me to make my own beautiful sounds (I can't sing that well) when I want to. As for the sustainable aspects... I'm helping keep alive a sound from the Elizabethan and earlier times, as well as supporting the artists, woodworkers, and musicians who built the instrument.

APLS Carnival

I took part in this little exercise of definition. It's called a carnival. And APLS sounds so much better than leaf-lickin' tree-hugger!

So link on over and read a bunch of great posts on what others are doing to achieve sustainability and a simpler lifestyle.