Winter Learning

As you know, I attended one of the winter mountain workshops with the New Hampshire chapter of the AMC (in specific, I believe my class was called "intermediate winter wilderness travel" or something like that).

Left work early Friday and carpooled up with some other people who were attending from the Boston area. Had some classroom sessions and went out for some hikes with our groups on snowshoes, did a 2,900' or something the first day, and bushwhacked up to a smaller hill and over to an old cellar hole (where there used to be a house like a thousand years ago, probably less than that). We slept in a lodge in bunk beds. We ate a wooden tables in a dining hall with giant timber beams across the ceiling. Like probably 2' deep or something. Nothing like could be built now. I believe the lodge was built in the 20s or 30s, so there were still some big trees like that then. It was kind of paradise there. Got back Sunday evening and had a couple friends/family members over for a little birthday toast.

Things I learned (or did for the first time):

• Learned the symptoms of hypothermia, what to do if something like that happens, what the biggest dangers or things to avoid are
• Carry extra set of socks, dry long underwear, in your pack
• Learned to read a compass/setting bearings
• Bushwhacking (going off the trail, just through the woods, using your map and compass to get from point A to point B)
• Saw where a moose had chewed the bark off of trees. The type of tree was called striped maple, I believe, but the nickname is moosewood, because they sure do love it. 
• Saw snowshoe hare tracks
• Broke trail (this is very fun, basically you are walking in the front of the group, on the fresh snow, and you may or may not be finding the way to go, depending if you are following a trail or bushwhacking)

Things I learned (or remembered) about myself:

• I love being outside
• I love being active
• I love learning new skills
• I am excited to be the first to do something
• I like to notice things and try to figure out what is going on or what caused it to happen or be that way
• I'm not cold when I'm moving

We were packing up to head home and somebody said "back to the real world" and to be honest I was a little bit bummed. The weekend really was spectacular. But then I wondered. Is where we were, in the forest, in the mountains among trees and snow and open sky, isn't that more the real world than almost anything? In a way, yes it is. It does remind you how fragile you are, as a creature, how much we need clothes, shelter, heating, insulation, things like that to keep us warm. That is pretty damn real. We kind of live in a bubble that we can take those things for granted.

In a way it was like a dream too, so so so beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful. So much fun. And there wasn't anything to worry about really, they fed us, told us what to do, taught us what we needed to know. Really the main thing to worry about is not dying, and you do worry about that, a tiny bit, but only from time to time.

Which is more real? I guess all of it is IT IS ALL REAL.

NBPM: Life Flashing Before My Eyes

Did one from October for today's: If your life flashed before your eyes, what are 5 moments you know would be included?

Things that have taken up a somewhat depressingly large portion of my life and therefore would be more of an honest representation of how I have spent my days:

• Studying or attending class, daydreaming or doodling
• Sleeping, trying to avoid waking up
• Cleaning, cooking, eating, pooping, showering, etc
• Riding on a train/bus/bike or in a car
• Sitting in my office cube, working on the computer

Things I'd actually want to remember:

1. I'm small. My hair in a long braid down my back. My grandpa, my mom's father, drives me and my brothers and sisters in the back of his rusty pickup truck up a dirt road in the mountains. The air is breezy, whipping strands of hair as we bump over potholes. He pulls over finally to a place with thick green beneath the trees. Gives us each a tin coffee can with a loop of string to hang around our neck. We pick blackberries - hundreds of them. So sweet. So fat. Careful of the thorns! Fill the cans up. Dump them into a big plastic bucket. Pick more. Empty the cans again. Almost as many going into my mouth as into the coffee can. Come home. Make blackberry crisp and jam and pie.
2. At my parents' house. It's dinner time, maybe thanksgiving, maybe a birthday, maybe a relative has died and we are telling our favorite stories in rememberence. Piles of food, all types. Maybe there is a debate. Maybe there are some passions flying. Maybe we are laughing. Loosening our belt buckles or changing into sweat pants to make room for more food.
3. I'm scrambling up a rocky mountain, half graceful, half totally out of control. There's a bit of wind rustling the leaves and there is some moss but not too slippery, and I'm feeling my way up and over and around boulders. Breathing slightly heavy from the intensity. Get to a clearing. The sun bursts out over the valleys. The view is extraordinary. I almost want to die from how awesome I feel.
4. Sitting with friends or family around a campfire, possibly on the beach. Wearing a cosy sweatshirt. Breathe in. Smokey on the breeze. A tiny bit chilly on the backside, warm on the side facing the flame. Crunchy pine needles or damp cool sand underfoot. Sky getting dark. Stars coming out. Some mosquitoes coming out too but we swat em. Maybe we are lucky, see some fireflies.
5. Probably if anything important or life-changing ever happened to me, like meeting the person I was going to spend my life with or seeing my son or daughter for the first time, that would be the fifth thing.

New(t) Project

I've been feeling this weird 'manic' energy lately. It's funny, Bubber was mentioning feeling it and I realized OMG ME TOO. A strange power and creativity and diminished sense of risk that we jokingly attribute to our famous ancestor on the Italian side.

Art by Jane Gough.

So yeah. Manic/creative energy. I'm channeling it into starting an Etsy business. To begin with at least, it will be primarily a card and wall print store. Mediums:

• Watercolor
• Pen and ink (and colored pencil)
• Block printing
• Paper collage

I'll make stuff with those mediums (I've got some pieces I can maybe use already, or at least are examples of what I will do), create high-quality copies/prints of the original work and sell them at a pretty reasonable price.

• Thank you cards (pack of 6) - $10-12
• Greeting/wedding/birthday card - $2.00-$3.75
• Prints for nursery, bathroom, kids rooms, other places - $5-25 depending on size and quality/detail of the piece

Also I'll probably sell originals at a bit higher price, maybe like $20-120 or something (again depending on size and quality/detail of the piece). So that's the idea for now.


Tell me: would you pay that much for something handmade? Also, would you be interested in any other types of products?

Some watercolors. I'd probably sell this kind of thing as prints. Maybe it could work as a card too.

And of course butterflies I posted before and that kind of thing. Next up we have papercraft cards. They are pretty, but I'd either have to find some way to easily mass produce them or do color prints of them - but that would lose some of the texture, so this one's still up in the air. 

Some pencil and pen drawings. Cards of these kinds of drawings would probably be cheaper.

    

Ink block printing I sent as Christmas cards last year. If I could do a really nice one with no mess-ups I'd make color copies of it, but otherwise I could sell prints themselves for slightly more.

Of course I'd take a bit more professional photos too. And I ordered a small paper cutter for straight lines - heheh.

Snow Miracle

It snowed here. A lot.  I might write about Christmas holiday at some point, but now I am just so happy about this beautiful snow.  Here's something I wrote about our first, little snow last week, it still applies, perhaps more:

AHHHH snow is so pretty! Walking to the train this morning was a little bit thrilling. Neighbors out shoveling. Little doggies making tracks on the sidewalk. The ice on the river, covered in white, except for a few swirly patches here and there. The roofs of the buildings, white. The swings in the playground, people’s front steps. White. Also, I like that the snow kind of shakes everyone back to reality. Everything looks so different. The world looks so different, the same trees, cars, sidewalks, but somehow all brand new.

Snow found its way everywhere. 

Not even the birdhouse was spared.

Three in a row. 

Ice, ice, baby. 

Drippy.

The snow collected in a narrow cap along the top of the fence.  

Trees.  Branches. Snow.  Sky.

Snow barf on everything.

View from front porch.

I have a ton more where that came from, but those are just some highlights.

I woke up with a killer headache and called in to work saying I needed to go back to bed.  When I awoke for real and had something to eat and drink, I checked to make sure it was fine if I took a 'snow day' for myself.  I then proceeded to lounge around for awhile as snowy wind howled around the apartment.  After I had enough of coziness, I bundled up, went out on foot with my camera and my HP7 book, sat in a cafe for awhile, sipped some hot cider.

Bubs and I tried to go skating but it was closed because of THE WEATHER.  Silly.

So we found ourselves having Vietnamese and watching TRON: Legacy.  We both ended up pretty happy with that series of events.  Movie recommended if you're in the mood for a fun, action-y film with fun,  action-y soundtrack.  3D not required.


A song my mom used to sing.

It snowed last night, it snowed last night.
The sky bears had a pillow fight,
Tore up all the clouds in sight, tossed down all the feathers white.
Oh, it snowed last night, it snowed last night.

Another Recipe

Made this tofu mash and broccoli last night, then I ended up eating it for breakfast and dinner as well.

I heated the following:

• 1 package tofu, drained and crumbled
• 1/2 onion chopped fine and mostly-cooked (in olive oil)
• 1/2 t turmeric
• 1 T soy sauce

in a skillet and added oregano, taragon, paprika, salt, and black pepper, to taste.  Also a bit more olive oil and a little water.  Then I lightly steamed some broccoli, added olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper.

I ate it with buttered wheat bread, but I imagine it could go well with some brown rice or something too.


I wrapped some of my presents and put them under the little tree in the living room.  Festive!  Time to go get something for the office yankee swap gift exchange tomorrow.   I feel like my blog posts are kind of dumb lately.

Gratitude

Anyway, a couple friends on FB have been posting things they’re thankful for, and Rachy just made a Thanksgiving post. I think it’s good to do that. It really gives you perspective on your life, and a lot of joy to realize how much you really do have. So, things I'm grateful for:

• My fun, loving family - they are not perfect, they occasionally drive me crazy, but I have to say they are one of biggest factors in who I am today
• Friends - I have been blessed with kind and funny and supportive friends who make life not only tolerable but oh so joyful
• Wonderful living situation
• Employment
• Enough to eat
• Overall health
• Modern utilities, including the internet
• Facebook
• Walking
• Warmth
• The rain
• My hands
• Love
• Discovery
• Seasons, time, days, nights, cycles 
• Plants
• Colors
• Dunkin Donuts hash browns (not gonna lie, I am grateful for them) 
• The new day that always comes
• And eyes to see, ears to hear, skin to touch all the beauty that exists in the world around me.

Craft Time

How to mount photos on foam core: step-by-step instructions with pictures (!) by Newt. It doesn't have to be photos, it could work with anything paper-y really. 

1.You will need: glue stick (not shown), metal ruler, utility knife or X-Acto knife, pencil.

Glue stick not included. 

2. Measure the width of the photo.  These were standard 5x7 photos, so the width is 7".

 Seven inches wide. 

3. Draw a line that distance from the edge of the foam core.  I measured 7" at several points and used the ruler to connect the lines.

It is tough to hold a ruler with one hand and take 
a photo with the other. 

4. Place the foam core on a large piece of cardboard or something else destructible so you don't ruin your floor or table.  

5. Hold the ruler along the line you drew and use it to guide your knife as you cut along the line.  Foam core has three layers: foam sandwiched between smooth paper on either side. Be sure to cut through all three layers.

See?  It is the same width as the picture.  
If you measured correctly. 

6. Measure the height of the picture (5" on these) and make perpendicular pencil lines at that interval across your entire strip.

 

I sure hope the lines show up in this image.   

7. Cut along your pencil lines, again using the ruler to guide the blade.  Cut all the pieces in this manner.

The foam pieces also make great toys for children. 

8. For each photo, apply glue to one of the faces of the foam core AND to the back of the photo.  Be sure when you are applying the glue to the photo that you place it face down on a smooth, clean, dry surface so you do not damage it.  I made a box with the glue to get all the corners and edges and then added some squigglies inside. 

9. Place the photo onto the piece of foam core so the two glue faces are touching.  Do it slowly so you can move it around a little before it sticks.  Press it down carefully - I used the sleeves of my sweater so as not to smudge it with fingerprints. 

Voila!  You now can display your works of art.

See them on the floor? Maybe some 

day they will be on the wall...

October Mountain

Family campout weekend. This place was called October Mountain. Fitting, huh?

We went hiking on Saturday.

The noteworthy things which happened or which we saw included a sprained ankle, lots of 'poison ivy', a sick sister, a cell phone falling into the marsh (gone forever), four different people reaching around in the muddy water for the cell phone, fraudulent leech scare... another sister throwing up, some landscapes, another sister working on a grant application on her laptop, and some fungus/leaves/trees.  Beth somehow managed to look SASSY in all the pictures in which she appears. 

I came. I saw. I conquered.

Amber waves of grain.  

 

Fungus 1. 

Fungus 2. 

Pretty.

Sasseh. 

Birches. 

So intense.  So vivid. 

Sickie/sprained ankle pup. 

'Oh. My hair doesn't look that bad'. 

The roots from a fallen tree provided a lot of entertainment for us.

Their new album cover.  

Why hello there father o' mine. 

Time for walkies. 

Marshlands.  Formed by beavers.  We did not see the beavers. 

Beth carried little gimpy pup.  You know you're loved when...

Tinfoil dinners.  YUMMY. 

And milk.

Plum Island

I awoke today, a special day, a bike ride day.  I packed some snacks, bundled up, and headed downstairs to find the following special autumn surprise in the basket of my bicycle.

We had several diversions along the way.  Inflating the tires, stopping for a sandwich/banana bread, etc. What we'd hoped would be a 10:00 am departure time became a 12:00 noon departure - OH WELL WORSE THINGS HAVE HAPPENED.

In the car, we talked about weighty matters, such as which colors of leaves were our favorites.  Orange was the clear winner.  At one point, were so engrossed in the leaf conversation that we completely missed our turn.  We continued down the little country road for a way in hopes that we hadn't, but it became clear that we were not in the vicinity of the nature reserve.

However, we did NOT miss the charming roadside farm stand selling pumpkins.

We chatted with the farmers, posed with the tractor, and each purchased a pumpkin. They threw in a couple of squash into the deal. After some directions from the friendly farmers, we were on our way again. 

Plum Island is a barrier island...

...with the Atlantic Ocean on the east...

...dunes and forests in the middle...

...and marshes along the protected channel to the west. 

 What do you see Kaci?

'This:'

All in all, a pretty fun day.  We stopped for french fries and fried clams on the way home and got back pretty late and exhausted.

More photos, for your enjoyment.

 Windblown pups.  

 Footprints, human and gull.  

Skinny! Legs! 

 

 Gone fishing. 

'All animals have a comfort zone.  If an animal moves away 

from you, you are too close'.  Good advice for humans too. 

 A lot of linear feet of boardwalk. 

 It was chilly by the water.

The 'plums' for which the island was named.