"People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home." -Dagobert D. Runes
As a freshly turned eighteen year old about to graduate high school, my thoughts have turned into mature complicated things. For in about a week my dreams and plans go from being too far away to see to directly in front of me. Hawaii and the desert road trip my family and I just took have helped me come to a better view point of moving up to Quincy (well of traveling period). These next two years of my life are not going to end up like I planned. They were supposed to include the John Muir Trail and Hong Kong and traveling. For the last months I have been bitter towards the 180 turn around God has sent me on. But as I approach Graduation and the imminent car ride to my new home town I have decided something that will hopefully fix my bad attitude.
I have decided to play an elaborate mind trick on myself. Quincy for the next two years is going to be in a different country, across the big fish pond. Plumas County is now in my mind a brand new continent. California is no longer associated to Quincy accept through me- being a born and raised California girl. My dear Quincy is not separated from the house I grew up in by a simple couple of hours in a car but by hundreds of miles over rocking waves. The people there migrated from a small town in England no one knows the name of. With them they brought a small town face, and an intimate understanding of nature. I will fly to Quincy on June 5th and move into a hostel full of girls that love to play sports as much as I do. I will learn their language, learn to cook my own food, and become an addition to the culture-scape of this newly created little continent. I will not wait for these two years to end before I start my life's travels. No. They start now. I have decided that traveling is a state of mind, one that I can discipline myself into. I will observe the natives in my own home with fascination by melding a far away from home mind set with my every day outlook. There you have it. Bad attitude gone. For even though this little plan God has thrown at me was wearing a mysterious face it was actually my plan all along. What do you know God's plan was really my very deepest desire all wrapped, HE IS FAITHFUL! Yep, I think I am ready!!!!!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
My Man: the John Muir Trail
Four seventeen year old girls sit at the picnic table outside at lunch, eating their lunches and gossiping about that week's hottest guy.
"His hair is sooo cute!"
"His butt is perfect!"
"O and he's sooo funny!"
"I could follow Tommy anywhere!"
Every week it's a new guy. The star quarter back with the nice arms. The nerd who has the sweetest personality and super cute glasses. Can't these girls be devoted to one guy? Can't they set their sights a little bit higher? My man and I have been together for months. I know everything about him. He's down right beautiful. He's about 14,000 feet when he stands up straight. His hair is brown and green with pretty colors peaking out. He has tatoos too! All over him, there are bears, snakes, squirrels, birds, one or two mountain lions. He's a bit harsh and sometimes scary, but I do love him! When he hugs me, I just don't know what to do. I could get lost in his 220 mile hug for a good month. Let me tell you the story of how we met!
"His hair is sooo cute!"
"His butt is perfect!"
"O and he's sooo funny!"
"I could follow Tommy anywhere!"
Every week it's a new guy. The star quarter back with the nice arms. The nerd who has the sweetest personality and super cute glasses. Can't these girls be devoted to one guy? Can't they set their sights a little bit higher? My man and I have been together for months. I know everything about him. He's down right beautiful. He's about 14,000 feet when he stands up straight. His hair is brown and green with pretty colors peaking out. He has tatoos too! All over him, there are bears, snakes, squirrels, birds, one or two mountain lions. He's a bit harsh and sometimes scary, but I do love him! When he hugs me, I just don't know what to do. I could get lost in his 220 mile hug for a good month. Let me tell you the story of how we met!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Mr. Graves
My junior high science teacher used to love telling us:
"There are two kinds of people in the world: Weasels and weasel slappers."
Now I am young and granted haven't experienced reality yet, but my observations of the world so far have led me to separate people into two different categories. There are people that (hate to use a cliche, but cliches became cliches for a reason)make their dreams and goals come true and there are those who sit on the couch (safe at home) and think of practical reasons why they can't. In Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, T. Harv Eker was pointing out and expanding upon the differences between rich people and poor people. He said, "Rich people see opportunities, poor people see obstacles." Making your goals come true does not mean pretending like the obstacles and practical reasons for not doing something aren't there. Taking your dreams out of the Dream Bank and making them real means this:
I read another book called the Journey to the River Sea. A little girl is sent with a governess to the Amazon to live with family. The governess was responsible for the girl at all times of the day, which included her studies. As a lover of books the governess wanted to share her prize possessions with the little girl. So one day she opened up a chest that the girl had always thought full of clothes and revealed stacks upon glorious stacks, piles of them. The little girl asked the governess how she managed to buy all of them. The governess replied with,
"Most people get what they want, but they have to take what comes along with it."
As she said that she spread out her long skirt that had patches all over it, patches covering patches even. That's what it means. Making dreams come alive takes sacrifice, it takes taking chances and risk, but it also beats sitting on the couch.
God,
I want to be practical. I want to use my head and be well prepared. I want to be reasonable and responsible, but NOT at the expense of my dreams.
"There are two kinds of people in the world: Weasels and weasel slappers."
Now I am young and granted haven't experienced reality yet, but my observations of the world so far have led me to separate people into two different categories. There are people that (hate to use a cliche, but cliches became cliches for a reason)make their dreams and goals come true and there are those who sit on the couch (safe at home) and think of practical reasons why they can't. In Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, T. Harv Eker was pointing out and expanding upon the differences between rich people and poor people. He said, "Rich people see opportunities, poor people see obstacles." Making your goals come true does not mean pretending like the obstacles and practical reasons for not doing something aren't there. Taking your dreams out of the Dream Bank and making them real means this:
I read another book called the Journey to the River Sea. A little girl is sent with a governess to the Amazon to live with family. The governess was responsible for the girl at all times of the day, which included her studies. As a lover of books the governess wanted to share her prize possessions with the little girl. So one day she opened up a chest that the girl had always thought full of clothes and revealed stacks upon glorious stacks, piles of them. The little girl asked the governess how she managed to buy all of them. The governess replied with,
"Most people get what they want, but they have to take what comes along with it."
As she said that she spread out her long skirt that had patches all over it, patches covering patches even. That's what it means. Making dreams come alive takes sacrifice, it takes taking chances and risk, but it also beats sitting on the couch.
God,
I want to be practical. I want to use my head and be well prepared. I want to be reasonable and responsible, but NOT at the expense of my dreams.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Hybernating
To begin with I hate cops for another week. I got a ticket and my parents tore me and Wagon apart. Absence makes the heart grow fonder in this instance. Having to find rides and stuff is such a pain. I really miss having everything in my car, being able to go wherever I want, when I want. My mom decided tonight that I have to work 20 hours outside to pay it off and get Wagon back. FML
Monday, July 26, 2010
400 Sauces
Tried making my first sauce today and the authors lied. Basic white sauce is really gravy. I might go crazy if I have to wait another full year to see a different country.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Life of Pi
Imagine being named after a swimming pool.
Imagine setting sail to a different country with an entire zoo in storage.
Imagine being marooned in a lifeboat for 200 days with a bengal tiger...and surviving.
Imagine encountering a carnivorous island of algae that during the day transformed salt water into fresh water.
Imagine losing ones entire family.
Imagine attempting to embrace three different religions.
All through out Life of Pi, I was amazed and impressed with the vocabulary and knowledge of exotic animals and their characteristics. This story of survival written by Yann Martel was packed full of controversial moments brought on by desperate circumstances. Pi Patel lived his life with God and was tested far more extensively than any of us will ever be.
The blurbs on the back of the book all say the book was funny, I don't remember laughing once.
The only time I remember laughing about this book was when I first borrowed it and was looking at the cover. On the front is a gold circle that says WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE. After glancing at the front I thought that it said Winner of the man book prize and that was about the funniest thing I have ever heard in my life. Someone should start that, an award for the best "man book."
Yann Martel: Born in Spain. He went to a boarding school in Canada for his high school years. He grew up in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Canada. As an adult, Martel has spent time in Iran, Turkey and India. After studying philosophy at Trent University in Canada, Martel spent 13 months in India visiting temples, churches, mosques and zoos, and then two years reading religious texts and castaway stories. His first published fictional work, Seven Stories, appeared in 1993. Other works include Beatrice and Virgil, and What is Steven Harper Reading.
Imagine setting sail to a different country with an entire zoo in storage.
Imagine being marooned in a lifeboat for 200 days with a bengal tiger...and surviving.
Imagine encountering a carnivorous island of algae that during the day transformed salt water into fresh water.
Imagine losing ones entire family.
Imagine attempting to embrace three different religions.
All through out Life of Pi, I was amazed and impressed with the vocabulary and knowledge of exotic animals and their characteristics. This story of survival written by Yann Martel was packed full of controversial moments brought on by desperate circumstances. Pi Patel lived his life with God and was tested far more extensively than any of us will ever be.
The blurbs on the back of the book all say the book was funny, I don't remember laughing once.
The only time I remember laughing about this book was when I first borrowed it and was looking at the cover. On the front is a gold circle that says WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE. After glancing at the front I thought that it said Winner of the man book prize and that was about the funniest thing I have ever heard in my life. Someone should start that, an award for the best "man book."
Yann Martel: Born in Spain. He went to a boarding school in Canada for his high school years. He grew up in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Canada. As an adult, Martel has spent time in Iran, Turkey and India. After studying philosophy at Trent University in Canada, Martel spent 13 months in India visiting temples, churches, mosques and zoos, and then two years reading religious texts and castaway stories. His first published fictional work, Seven Stories, appeared in 1993. Other works include Beatrice and Virgil, and What is Steven Harper Reading.
Saffron
The most expensive exotic spice: comes from the stigma (female part of the flower) of the saffron crocus, a lovely lilac colored flower with six petals and no petiole.
Saffron is a bulbous perennial of the iris family.
Harvesting: should happen in October.
To harvest, cut off the open flowers at mid morning on a sunny day. Allow all foliage to grow through winter and nourish the plants for the next year. After the blossoms are plucked and laid out to dry for 3 days. The reddish gold threads (the stronger the color, the stronger the flavor), about an inch long, are then pulled out of its center. Saffron must be picked before the sun's warmth wilts the new days blossoms. Once the long labor of stripping the flowers is finished, the threads must be carefully and quickly dried to develop their flavor, and to remove moisture, which can cause saffron to rot. If this is done, incorrectly, hundreds of dollars in saffron can be destroyed. The wet threads are placed over a heat source. The threads lose about 80% of their weight in the drying process.
Growing: Saffron thrives in full sun, with rich, well-drained soi. It prefers a sheltered location, avoid windy spots, or areas that stay wet in the heat of summer, around downspouts or at the bottom of slopes. The corms or bulbs should be sown in June and July (by hand) about 4 inches deep and 4 inches apart. Gophers love them so they should be protected with a mesh enclosure.
Fields: The bulb like corms should be divided every third year, so you can build a good sized saffron patch without breaking the bank. The same field can yield saffron for seven to nine years before another crop should be planted.
It takes approximately 70,000 flowers to make a pound. Per pound wholesale saffron sells for 450 dollars. If its a good crop year 2 and a half acres will yield 6 to 12 pounds of saffron.
Money and storage: Farmers are payed in cash or scrip. Not all farmers sell immediately after the harvest. It can be kept for years if stored in an airtight vessel away from light and moisture.
Quality: based on ISO3632 standard - Tarvand Saffron Co.
Saffron is a bulbous perennial of the iris family.
Harvesting: should happen in October.
To harvest, cut off the open flowers at mid morning on a sunny day. Allow all foliage to grow through winter and nourish the plants for the next year. After the blossoms are plucked and laid out to dry for 3 days. The reddish gold threads (the stronger the color, the stronger the flavor), about an inch long, are then pulled out of its center. Saffron must be picked before the sun's warmth wilts the new days blossoms. Once the long labor of stripping the flowers is finished, the threads must be carefully and quickly dried to develop their flavor, and to remove moisture, which can cause saffron to rot. If this is done, incorrectly, hundreds of dollars in saffron can be destroyed. The wet threads are placed over a heat source. The threads lose about 80% of their weight in the drying process.
Growing: Saffron thrives in full sun, with rich, well-drained soi. It prefers a sheltered location, avoid windy spots, or areas that stay wet in the heat of summer, around downspouts or at the bottom of slopes. The corms or bulbs should be sown in June and July (by hand) about 4 inches deep and 4 inches apart. Gophers love them so they should be protected with a mesh enclosure.
Fields: The bulb like corms should be divided every third year, so you can build a good sized saffron patch without breaking the bank. The same field can yield saffron for seven to nine years before another crop should be planted.
It takes approximately 70,000 flowers to make a pound. Per pound wholesale saffron sells for 450 dollars. If its a good crop year 2 and a half acres will yield 6 to 12 pounds of saffron.
Money and storage: Farmers are payed in cash or scrip. Not all farmers sell immediately after the harvest. It can be kept for years if stored in an airtight vessel away from light and moisture.
Quality: based on ISO3632 standard - Tarvand Saffron Co.
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