re: Our Government in a Nutshell & an Acronym for how we should eat.

The following quotes were taken from a book that is supposedly fiction, and written by Barry Eisler. I couldn't agree more with the things he projects in his book as a conversation between two people. It is the reason I don't believe in conspiracy theory. 

"Conspiracies are hidden. The oligarchy is right out in the open. It's just a collection of people in business, politics, the military, and the media who recognize their interests are better served by cooperation than they would be by competition. There aren't any secret handshakes. Most of the people who are part of the oligarchy don't even recognize it's existence. If they recognize it at all, they think of it as just a benevolent, informal establishment. They tell themselves it selflessly serves the country's interest rather then selfishly serving it's own."

"The establishment is huge now, more entrenched then ever. The Roosevelt and Truman expansions were ratified by Eisenhower, Kennedy's and Johnson's abuses were ratified by Nixon. Bush Jur.'s extraconstitutional moves have all been ratified by Obama. It's a ratchet effect. There hasn't been a federal law in the last sixty years that's done other than increase the government's power and influence, and the power and influence of the corporations that manage the government by extension. The leviathan only grows."

"You can't beat the oligarchy. You can't beat it because the oligarchy has already won. The establishment is like a virus that's taken over the organs of the host. Now it acts as a kind of life support system, and if you remove it, the patient it battens on will die.  Remember the scene in that movie Alien? Where the creature attaches itself to John Hurt's face, runs a tentacle down his throat, and puts him in a coma, but if they cut it off, it'll kill him? That's the oligarchy. The establishment is a creature whose first priority is ensuring that if you try to remove it, you'll wind up killing the host."

 "So, there's nothing that can be done."

"No, there is.........the only possible solution is to manage this fucked-up system from the inside." 

My observation here is that Taylor Caldwell (among others), wrote about this some 60 years ago, in her book: "The Devils' Advocate.

"The way this system operates is based on two Japanese concepts. Honne is the real truth. Tatemae is the facade of truth. The public needs Tatemae or talismans, things like airport security, silly things like taking your shoes and belt off and leaving your six-ounce tube of toothpaste at home. On a Honne level, those kind of 'security' measures are laughable. On a Tatemae level, they convince people it's safe to fly, and the economy keeps humming along, safe and profitable for the politicians and the corporations they work for. If you are part of the Oligarchy, what's more important: that Americans be safe, or that they feel safe?"

"Or what matters more: convicting a guilty man, or having society believe the guilty have been convicted? One guilty man going free is irrelevant, as long as society believes the guilty have been punished. But if society loses that confidence, you get anarchy. And the oligarchy doesn't like anarchy."

My take on all of this: They say truth is stranger then fiction, but this came from a book that is supposedly fiction. I say it's probably closer to Honne then anything I've ever read. Our entire county is ruled by corporations, from the Economy, to the Military, to the Resources we are allowed to consume. This has been predicted over and over, by various sources, Taylor Caldwell merely one of them. I believe firmly now, that the only solution is anarchy. I never did before, and maybe it was because I had blinders on, as from the little bit of political history quoted, it's been far too late, for far too long, for anything else to have any effect whatsoever. 

I hope the Feds do hold back on Sending out SS checks in August. With 500,000 participants, marching on the white house, we will finally have the power we need to begin the change back towards a true republic, when the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Federalist papers, weren't merely "artifacts of an ancient mythology".

Quotes all taken from the book: Inside Out; by Barry Eisler.

On another note: 

I happened to catch parts of a fund raiser on PBS with Dr. Fuhrman. The gist of it was the acronym: GOMB. This stands for the priority of how we should arrange our diets, not only for health, but to beat the things that threaten it, such as: cancer, heart disease, digestive issues, etc. etc.  

The Acronym stands for: Greens, Onions, Mushrooms, Beans/Berries, and Seeds. He was talking about how just eating 10 mg of mushrooms (1 tiny button 'shroom), and 10 mgs of onion, would reduce the chance of people developing cancer, by 84%. 

Not sure where he got his numbers, and didn't know about the 'shrooms, but knew that about the onions. 

Like the acronym! :)That, along with the idea that "Salad should be the main meal", makes for an easy and quick reminder for the refrigerator door!

I am also a firm believer in the idea that salad should always be the main meal. Can't afford to send PBS 150 bucks, but what he was saying made a lot of sense. Of course, it's mainly for the average Standard American Diet (SAD) consumer, of which I have not been one for many years, but still. 

It's soooooooo easy to fall off the wagon and forget how to eat right. My stomach has been so messed up, for so long, that I haven't been following the plan, which I know works, and which is how I used to eat, before my surgery and subsequent stomach issues. 

Well, so, it was a good reminder and since I have salvation by way of oxy-powder, I was encouraged to try and do it, today. we'll see what happens. :)

Signing out from Rara Avis at the House of Found Goods. :)

re: Why Vermonter's HATE "Flat-Landers".

Well, yea, so, I've been trying to fight Japanese Knotweed on our property, (as well as a piece of the neighbors property, which is actually where the mother-ship plant is), for anywhere from 5-7 years, now.

At first when the neighbors would come up from Connecticut for their annual one week odyssey to Vermont, they were like; "hey, thanks for taking care of that problem for us; everything looks great".

It seems like they think the problem is over, as they've now decided to put in a fence. They tell me that it will be a modest split rail fence, whatever that is.

What they don't know (and what we tried to make clear to them) is that the knotweed is farrrr from being decimated, and will just come zooming back, the minute they break holes in the ground, for the fence posts.

When we talked to them today, they were just like: "well, we'll just have to keep up with it" More of what they don't seem to realize is that "keeping up with it" is a full-time job, and unless they plan to retire, and spend their days either pulling it, or mowing it, that ain't-a-gonna happen. It just ain't.

Well, heck, maybe they are planning on retiring up here as it seems like he's actually thinking he's going to dig the mother-ship up, all by his lonesome (he came over and marked where I thought it was). This is actually pretty funny, since a strong young lad and myself, couldn't do it, which is why we started trying to smother it, and the neighbor is in his sixties, if he's a day. :)

The other problem impacting this situation, is that there WAS a fence there, once upon a time, and because that bank is full of springs, (water leaking from an old, unused, dug well, on THEIR side of the boundary line); the fence got first rotted by the standing water, then the knotweed got so big it knocked it over and  proceeded to creep across the boundary line, where it made a right nuisance of itself; turning into an impenetrable dark thicket. (This was before we owned the property). This stand was roughly 40 feet by 200 feet, and NOTHING else would grow there.

Well, with lots of hard work, and persistence, there are now wildflower gardens, trees, shrubs, and other landscaping, there, creating a lot of diversity for the birds, of which we have at least 4 different pairs, hatching chicks this spring.

Here's some photo's.

The surveyed boundary line is to the right of this garden. This garden was made from all the old rotten fence posts I found, from the original fence (which I think, WAS cedar.) Cough, Cough. (Pretty much everywhere you see bark-mulch, in these pictures, is where the knotweed was growing.)

Their surveyed line is to the left of this arbor, and when they install the fence, it will pretty much make our driveway almost unnavigable. Like I said, I think they must figure they will glom onto all the work we've done and establish their dominion, with a fence.

I almost died laughing this a.m. when they told me it was merely a pine fence (the cheapest one they could get, apparently), which I will run bets on, if anyone's interested. Between the standing water and the pressure of fourteen foot high knotweed; I give it 2-5 years, before THAT fence also disappears. With that kind of standing water, the only thing that would even last over 5 years, would be pressure treated cedar posts at least 6-10 inches around. Pine just ain't gonna' do nothin' except need constant care and upgrade. Like I said; I'll give that fence a year or two at the most, to stay standing. I'll also do odds on when the knotweed will turn back into a problem and obscure the fence, entirely.

That's the funny part, if you have any kind of sense of humor.

The sad part is going to be seeing all my pretty flowers engulfed by the knotweed. One season of not-treated growth, and it will be back, stronger then ever, trying to encroach.

The really maddening part is that with their fence in the way, now, we won't be able to treat our side of the line organically (like we have been doing, with cardboard and bark mulch). Instead, will have to use something like black plastic, or landscaping fabric, which are both a pain, and neither  of which are very environmentally friendly. (I will no longer be able to drive my truck up into my yard, and I am simply too old to hump entire loads of stuff up in bags and wheelbarrows).

The good part is that I DO have a vid-cam; so I've gone out and video-taped everything, and will do so, again, once they install the fence. That way, when the fence and pretty gardens disappear under the avalanching knotweed, I can stand there and say: Uh-Huh, and just shake my head (like I have seen many Vermonters do, when faced with the utmost stupidity of some people..........cough...........flat-landers, mainly).

I can also video-tape them moving the plant, when they do their excavation on their cellar-hole, which is just full of the stuff. Last time they carted it off-site, I didn't say anything, but this time, I fully intend to video-tape them doing so, and sending it to the ANR (Agency of Natural Resources), which levies a $1000.00 dollar fine, for each incidence.

Oh! maybe I forgot to say, but Japanese Knotweed is a Class B Invasive Plant in Vermont, and is required to be quarantined (which is WHY I was doing so much work trying to smother it). This means that it is highly illegal to move it from the site. The state's recommendation is that you pull any that doesn't get smothered, stack it up to dry, and then burn it in permit season, which is what we've been doing with the stuff.

Here is the pile of knotweed we pulled from just one season of not taking care of it:

(They ran out of bark mulch last fall, at the transfer station, and I had surgery, so couldn't treat it. This pile stands as tall as me (at 5'4").)

We did let the neighbors know about the laws concerning the plant in Vermont, and they acknowledged that they did receive my email on this issue. I am hoping that they also understand that they should expect a very big problem from us, if they now decide to use herbicides on the plant, when it bolts out of the fence-post holes, and tries to creep back unto our side of the line.

Not that it will do any good; but I fully intend to sue the shit out of them, when this happens. After all, this will render our entire stretch of property on that side of the line, unusable for organic gardening, which is what we've been doing there. It will definitely impact any future income we may have been able to derive from that part of our property. (This is significant, because this is one of the sunniest pieces of ground ON our property).

We also suggested they fix their abandoned dug well, thereby making the water problem go away, but like with the knotweed, I suspect our suggestions merely fell on deaf ears.

(this is a picture of my feet, up by their well. granted, it's been a very wet spring, however, this is the top of the hillside, NOT down by the lake.)

At any rate, did I mention that this is a prime example of just why Vermonters HATE flat-landers, (people from anywhere south of Vermont) and that this is most likely one of the reasons this term was derived?

Instead of just asking us what our take is on the problem, they assume (wrongly, as it stands), that the problem is resolved, because they obviously don't have a clue (I'm not sure they even know what the plant is, exactly, as she doesn't come out of the house when they are here and didn't seem to know that it was right by her back door), and simply WON'T allow themselves to be educated.

Well, so, they are obviously going to have to find out the hard way, and may the devil take 'em.

Mona Rae, signing out, from the House of Found Goods.

Today's Meanderings.

I think it may be official that we have now had the wettest spring on record. Criminy. Well, since it's the only time I feel compelled to actually sit down and write, I guess that's okay, and what can I do about it, anyway. What can anyone do about it, actually? It's kinda like insomnia, just embrace it and let it work for you. That's my Modus operandi, when it doesn't depress me, outright, anyway.

It occurred to me over the weekend, that as a culture, we are still having an awfully lot of trouble, putting ourselves in a place where we will stretch our understanding of the cosmos and embrace the fact that we could be wrong about everything. On that note, however, I feel pretty safe saying that I may be wrong about these upcoming assumptions and opinions, but I am going to go ahead and vent them, anyhow, on account of it's my blog, and that's partly why I set it up. (To vent when I am disturbed).

I have been taking some wild edible courses now, with the same school, and it occurred to me yesterday, that even the people setting themselves up as our leaders/guru's/elders, have some serious personal issues of fallibility. For instance, the place I go is at the end of a very long dirt road, and sits on what looks to be at least ten acres of land, at the top of a hill, with no electricity. That last part is at least ethical, when you do the environmental footprint numbers. Unfortunately, it also occurred to me, when I did the math and studied the situation thoroughly, that there are some serious and significant gaps in the awareness of the school leaders, concerning sustainability.

Environmental footprint numbers (at least the ones put out by Sierra Club, who probably are also fallible), say that there is only enough land for everyone on earth to have/use 1.3 acres of resources, each. There is enough, though, truly, to feed, clothe and house, every man, woman and child on earth, if only gluttony and self-interest could be set aside to embrace the concept of true sustainability (which is good news, if you think about it). What that means to me, when I translate it directly, and tangibly, is that nobody, and I mean nobody, could own more then 1.3 acres of land. Period. Or conversely, that means that anybody who does own substantial acreage, would have to be willing to give up that acreage, or at least feed 1.3  people (for free), for every acre they do own, by putting that acreage into food production.

This is a concept that most people (who have acreage), cannot even seem to grasp, let alone embrace.

Another issue that I encountered was that of wild-crafting. The owner/teacher of the school insisted that it was okay for people who know what they are doing, to go out and wild-harvest food, and then sell it to people who don't know how to do it. In my mind, there's some serious miscalculation here. If everyone all of a sudden learned, tomorrow, how to wildcraft food, even ethically, there would definitely NOT be enough for selling, only for eating. If we look at the old ways, (which is what I think the teachers at this school are trying to teach), then food provided by mother nature, was never 'sold' for profit. Never, not once in Native American history, or any other native population's history, was food considered a commodity. It was only when colonialism collided with indigenous tribes, that food became available for sale.

Moving right along with trying to get back to the earth, then, and avail ourselves of all the bounty that mother nature has available, and at the same time, trying to move back to the old ways, it does not then make sense to say that "some" can sell food that is free, just because they are somehow more knowledgeable and/or given the gift of largess. Like I said, if everyone-all-of-a sudden-like, went out into the woods and started wildcrafting, the same thing would happen, that happened with ginseng. Most of the food would be depleted within a generation.

That's NOT sustainable, not by any stretch of the imagination. So, once again, I am bumping up against what I know to be the case, (or at least, what the numbers show to be the case), and what people are saying/doing, that is in direct conflict with the facts. To give the benefit of the doubt, I think the teachers ARE trying to teach the walk, they just are having trouble balancing their need for income, with the concepts they are trying to instill in the students. Which just brings to mind, how very, very difficult it is, for most people to not only talk the walk, but to walk the walk, as well.

And hey, I could be wrong. :) (Which is what this vid. is about). If you can't get it to load without the little circle loading symbol; go right to the TED site and do a search for: On Being Wrong. Her name is Kathryn Shultz. This was posted on FB this a.m. by my friend Erica, and was so apropos, I decided to include it, here. Enjoy!

re: Damn Rainy Spring (Again). sigh.

I feel like I started this blog, way back when, with this as my header. And now, here we are again, come full circle. I guess we should be glad it is not snow. :)

Well, I am right depressed and realize that this is not the greatest way to start a blog, but between the rain, the health issue and the fact that I cannot reach any of my friends by phone, today, I feel like the woman in Bleak House who says: "Yes, it is still raining, and I am bored, so bored, bored with the rain, bored with this house, bored with my life, bored to death". Yea, they didn't call it Bleak House for nothing, you know? I hadta' make myself a couple of latte's in order to even get interested in walking the dog. Geez.

Well, anyway, I couldn't do what I wanted to this spring, and take an 8 weekend intensive on using wild edibles, but will most likely try and do the shorter version. We'll see how the funding sugars out.

I did manage to get 12 samples of product out to neighbors (which resulted in one order); and got 2 (half-dozen individual) samples, out to two stores that look like they may have the right demographic market to sell my stuff. another we'll see.

If I had my druthers, I'd hop in my car like the old days and just go gallivanting today, (maybe go see the kids), but I know my health won't allow for it, so I didn't even try. Now THAT is cause for depression, if anything is, right?

It pisses me off that the reason I had the surgery was because I knew I didn't have the discipline to give up coffee and go on a really lonnngggg cleanse, and now, because of the surgery messing up my stomach so badly, I have to do this anyway. So, just what did the surgery get me, anyhow? Damn allopathic medical professionals, lie like dogs and are right about the same percentage of time as meteorologists, namely 30%. Not very good, if you ask me. :(

Well, so, I haven't got much else to whine about, and haven't got any cheese, either, (yet another fallout from my surgery, I've had to go pretty much vegan, like it or not)......so I'll spare those of you who actually bother to read my blog, any further complaining, and say, at least, Happy Spring!

Rara Avis signing out from The House of Found Goods.

Day Lilly Shoot Pickles

Well, good afternoon from Rara Avis Fine Foods at the House of Found Goods.

The weather is particularly snotty here today; with rain/snow, rain/snow, continually. So much for the weather forecast that was calling for clearing and cold. More like cold and freezing rain. Too bad, as the night sky was supposed to be pretty cool tonight, with the moon hanging right beneath the Pleiades, looking like a basket. Harumpf!

Well, at least I got the first installment of Day Lilly Shoots, before the rain came. I hope to get more, but April is such a persnickety month, that I may not, either. I will do my best, and if not, then the juice I have left over will just go to fiddleheads, or garlic mustard, or something. Here's the first set of spring pickles; warnings and all.

Here's what it says, if you can't quite make it out:

A WORD OF CAUTION:

Most of us have digestive systems that are no longer familiar with wild-crafted edibles, especially the “bitters”.

With that in mind, it is more then wise to follow the basic rule of thumb for all new foods: Try 1 or 2; wait a few hours, and if there are no ill effects, assume that they are safe for you to eat.

It is NEVER advisable to eat a whole jar of pickles in any case, and these shoots are no exception; they are meant to be a garnish, only. Please eat sensibly. :)

This probably won't prevent me from getting sued, but at least I can say I used due diligence to inform consumers. Who knows what'll happen with the feds, these days.  :(

Ruth's Commentary.

I was at the Therapists office, yesterday, and happened to glance at their newsletter while I was waiting for my appointment to start. 

One of the therapists had this to say about this poem: .......is written by a woman during an early phase of her struggle with Alzheimer's. For me, it described her process as her memory and physical abilities were fading." 

I actually read the poem before I read the reason why it was posted and it just spoke to me of aging, really, as there were so many correlations between the two things. (Perhaps Alzheimer's is merely an accelerated type of aging...or perhaps, it is merely the brain aging, before the body, instead of "in-sync"?) It just really spoke to me.....and so.......I am republishing it here.

I find it takes too much hurry

An scurry to keep pace

With most of what is called

The HUMAN RACE.

And I'm eyeing the sidelines now

For some sit-down space.

Here-to-fore, competition

Really stirred my ambition and blood

(Which is now all glopped up with usage

And sluggish as mud.)

Also, the other juices that used

To keep this carcass well-oiled

And in running condition

Have long since dried up-so that 

What I used to get done in 1/2 day

Takes a week-

With strung-out muscles

And bones that creak.

Too, my mind forgets to remember and

My tongue can't find the right name

Or word, to my great shame.

From now on, it's the sidelines for me.

I'll gaze at birds and trees

And runners running

While I sit by

Reading and sunning.

Or saunter away for the view from a hill

Or have a chat with a friend

Who remembers me still

Or hold hands with Bill.

Or snuggle a grandchild

Warm and soft on my breast

Let the world race by

I've found what's best.

I fell madly in love with the way in which this poem reflects not only an awareness of limitations, but an embracing of them. It is truly Buddhist in it's simplicity and acceptance of the natural (or not so natural) process of aging. I don't know who this woman is/was, but it is my intention to honor her by publishing this so that everyone may try and attain the same easing into the aging process. 

May I be as blessed. Mona.

Rich's Run-In with a Groundhog.

I know I wasn't going to post for awhile, but the strangest thing happened when we returned from picking up a chair for my daughter. I had gone in to get the camera, so I could take a photo and send it.

When I came out, Rich said there were two groundhogs fighting in the middle of the road. I guess so..............by the time I got up there, they'd moved the fight to the side of the road. The one that was winning the fight ran off when we got close, and by that time, Rich had gone to get a giant stick. I told him to keep it away while I went to get a towel and a box, as the littler one was pretty stunned. He told me when I got back, that the big one had actually charged him, which I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of. Sounds kinda' funny. I told him he should feel sorta' blessed, as how many people get to get "charged", and hissed at, by a wild critter, in their lives............:)

Anyway, he fended it off, and I got a banana box and a towel. We managed to pick up the littler one wrapped in a towel, and I put it in a box, and put it in the shed, to recover from it's obvious shock.

As you can see, it's got quite a nasty scrape on it's right rear quarter and looks pretty darn beat up. I also saw a tooth mark on it's back, right by it's spine, which made me think it might have a broken back. Hoping it's just shock. It did have it's eyes open and it's head, up, so it was alert enough.

I covered it with the towel and by the time we'd gotten back from Crown Point; it had gotten out of the box, and was sitting on top of another box, staring at the door. We left the door open, and I came in to make some cocoa. By the time I got back outside, it'd gone, so I am assuming it just had injuries and not anything too life threatening, as it wasn't crawling around the yard, or anything. There's tons of dens out there, and as much as I hate the little beasts when they get in the garden, I still hate to see anything suffer, needlessly, so here's hoping that the little bugger made it. (There was some blood in the box, so it's got at least one nasty....but I figure that even if it just crawled off to it's den, to die, at least it got that option.)

Geez, there's just never a dull moment around this place............signing out from The House of Found Goods. :)