In Contemplation of –
Are Carbs Really “Evil”?
Over the years, we’ve been through more diets than one can count. I’ve read Wheat Belly, Grain Brain and a myriad of other books. As I loved potatoes, I was never quite determined enough to commit to the strict non/low-starch/carb for the love of one stem tuber! However, as my Doberman got older and finally diagnosed with breast malignancy and degenerative myelopathy and gradually losing control of her hind legs, I put her on an all organic mostly fat, limited protein and extremely restricted carbohydrate diet. The clickable title will take you to the astounding results in the full post….
No Time for Outrage
“I am two thousand years old, and I’ve never had the time for the luxury of outrage,” the Doctor recently told his young companion Bill.
Today, outrage dominates the world. It consumes us, exhausts us and provides us with a false sense of action. All the while, it distracts us from “saving the world”, internally and externally
The Clickable title takes you to my thoughts on the matter.
Natto – the Marmite of Japan
Natto is traditionally made with soybeans.
Not a big fan of soybeans due to its estrogen mimicking effect, I experimented in making natto with black turtle beans.
For me, the end result was delightful – just like Marmite for me, except tons more health benefit.
The clickable title will take you to this experiment, and a fan story….
Companions or Meat?
Traditionally we separate companion animals from livestock in order to protect our own emotional selves: a way to prevent us from getting “hurt” when livestock becomes dinner. Children are discouraged to play with livestock and directed to forge friendships only with their pets.
Is it necessary?
More importantly, is it healthy to insist on such an “artificial” categorization?
What can we learn from wolves and caribou?
The clickable title will take you to my contemplation.
Euthanasia or Murder
What is the difference between euthanasia and murder?
A few years ago, I killed my wolfdog. Recently a dog called Malachy was killed.
The clickable title will take you to my thoughts on the difference although the actions taken was the same.
Night Droppings Come to the Rescue
One morning my American Chinchilla doe hid in a corner of her cage and refused her favorite food. She produced no droppings and no urine that day.
It was a sorry sight.
The clickable title will take you to how she was “cured”….
Creatures of Habit
Chickens and humans are both creatures of habit. A slight change may interrupt the “flow of things” and elicit an often undesirable reaction.
Does the swiftness and ease of adaptation represent emotional health?
The clickable title will take you to my thoughts on the matter.
Sexing Chickens – A Coin Flip
Misguided self-confidence does not match accurate results – sexing chickens turns out to be one of such unfortunate events that fits the statement.
My supposedly 5-hen-flock has 3 rooster-imposters, providing me 40% of the egg production….
The clickable title will help any homesteader avoid such disappointing results while saving time and money.
From Nell to “Chick Mirror”
Most of the time, it is much easier to see the “outer clothing” of the matter than perceiving the “deep truth”. The latter requires clear-sightedness, which may not be possible with our sophistry and neuroses in the way.
As a result, a lone chick may die of emotional deprivation….
The clickable title will take you to the subject matter.
From Karl Hammer’s Chickens to Human Self-Creation
“Our chickens are welcome to stay and free to leave,” Karl Hammer said about his “working chickens”. It is indeed a high expression of chicken-hood.
Do humans “measure up”? How? Why not?
Often times, patients come to therapy but hesitate to look into the core of their internal life. The psychic injury of the past seemed still a fresh wound in their mind’s eye. The courage in facing what is “there”, as Karl’s chickens, instead of imagining what one believes is “there”, like my patients do, is no small feat.
The clickable title will take you to my thoughts on related matters.
Soap Making
Any serious homesteader should try soap making. It’s fun, meditative and creative.
I don’t mean using one of those “fake” melt and pour soap base. Those have lots of “junk” added to them so there isn’t much of a difference between your own “fake soap” and store-bought “junk soap’.
I mean using a few organic raw ingredients and nothing more.
There are “cold process” and “hot process” – each with pros and cons. You should try both before deciding what suits you better.
The clickable title will give you my experience, my preferences and more.
What Everyone Needs to Know about Chicken Hatchlings
Teaching chicken hatchlings were not only a lot of fun, but taught me plenty of their “birdness”, their individuality and how they learned best as well.
The clickable title will take you to my adventure with my young chicks.
Chicken Feed – Homemade Organic
Having had a close and intimate relationship with food and food making, it was not far fetched for me to want to make organic chicken feed for my hens. After all, I’ll be eating their eggs. Not to mention that they would most likely prefer the tasty variety than the extreme-heat-treated, artificially-vitamin-fortified factory-made everyday-is-the-same commercial feed.
The clickable post title will take you to not only the practical how-to on this matter.
A Cockerel in Our Midst
Whoever said that only roosters crow had never met my wolf.
There wasn’t supposed to be any rooster in my supposed all-hen-flock….
The clickable title will take you to the fun post of surprising facts.
My Lesson on Life & Death
Incubating chickens taught me many lessons.
The most important one was that impatience, my “signature trait”, may have grave consequences, including, but not limited to, life and death.
The clickable post title will take you to the revealing text of how I became an unwitting killer….
Getting to Know My Hens-To-Be
Ten days after I obtained my 7-week-old hens-to-be, I was in for a few surprises.
Fun, puzzling and most of all, surprises that I had never, for the life of me, imagined birds may have delivered.
The clickable title will reveal what I have learned….
Homemade Incubator – Anyone Can Do It
Nobody should have to spend hundreds of dollars for incubators if you simply want to bring about chicks for your own homestead.
Gather a few items you most likely already have in the house and a few minutes of your time would let you build an incubator that works.
The clickable title will take you to all the how to in a few easy steps.
Focaccia
Focaccia is undoubtedly my little helper, as the process of making it delivers me into a meditative state. In this case, a focaccia is never just a focaccia even though the concrete result of a beautiful focaccia would not last more than a few minutes after the steamy hot bread is out of the oven.
Life coaches or psychotherapists who don’t like the process of focaccia making would be hard pressed to find other ways to clear their minds….
The clickable post title would certainly boost your confidence in turning out a loaf of focaccia – anyone can do it, the simplest bread ever existed – and much more.
The Validity of “One-Sided Relationships”
Stuart McLean died. The world is a worse place without him.
A happy life is not necessarily a healthy one. For me, emotional/mental health means that one’s existence in the world makes it a better place.
Mr. McLean led a healthy life from this perspective. And much more….
The clickable title takes you to my contemplation on his life, death, and the concept of “one-sided relationships”.
The “Cake Dilemma”
Vatican priest Krzysztof Charamsa resigned, on the arm of his lover, and stepped in front of myriad of news cameras. He seemed to be expecting applause – of course he received aplenty.
Why?
In the heart of the matter, does this have to do with gay rights? Vatican’s recently published guidelines for the training of seminarians? Should he be forgiven? Is it understandable that one may negate one’s previous vocational choice as grave as becoming a Catholic priest? Or, does the real matter have to do with pride? Entitlement?
Click on the post title to read my thoughts on an important matter of internal self-creation.