saturday evening, banana bread & reflections
last night i fell asleep during a trip to the Taiga Region.......a small village of about 300 souls next to the Yesenia River. The Taiga Region outlines Siberia.........this entire area is about 1.5 times the size of the continental U.S.
these people live off the land. have little by way of modern comforts. one of the few nods to today was the use of chain saws to aid in the building of homes and traps. there was so much that struck me.......the incredible beauty of this remote place. the hardiness of these people, they celebrate the return of spring on March 1st.......they burn old woman winter in effigy........laugh and cheer the coming of warmth.
as the mighty river thaws it does not look like the rivers, ponds or streams of my youth. it is a huge living thing......it rushes downstream.........enormous diamonds of sparkling ice.......this incredible moving terrain looks like it is breathing...........the power & speed is unlike anything i've ever seen.
the dichotomy between these simple hardy villagers and the river in spring is so disparate......so striking. and i am very glad for the warmth and coziness of my home that offers so many comforts. i feel mildly ashamed for thinking sometimes that what i have is not enough.......that i want better or more. they have so little and they work so hard.
a man was creating his own cross country skis.......showing his son how......he passes on the skills of his father.....and his father's father. how important it is to find the perfect piece of wood with all the grain going in the same direction. it has to be long enough and straight enough otherwise the skis will snap. he carefully shows his son how to create the exact right thickness of the boards, how to bend the wood......he is modest, but sure that his skis are far superior to anything a modern ski maker could create.
i watched the only canoe builder left in the area showing others how to create a beautiful canoe. how to create the tar to cover the exterior of the boat, the right way to hollow out the wood........such painstaking back breaking work..............how to insert various sizes of wood pieces to stretch the canoe's opening to the perfect widths so that when it is finished it can carry men, dogs, supplies .....be riverworthy.......a useful tool to carry the villagers to their hunting traps, to keep them in food for the long cold winter.
even in spring they are always clothed in winter coats.........i wonder how they survive this isolation.....the hardship, it seems like early days in our own country, with few comforts.....and many trials.
i am baking banana bread with walnuts. the kitchen is beginning to smell wonderful. i sat and deliberated for an hour before deciding to get up and make something yummy. it is a push to rise and do. but once again i am glad that i decided to do something that marks this day as another gift.
i am sore and achy, have chills and wonder about much. last night before bed, i stumbled onto a post about the lightning process and the research ended with me feeling a great deal of anger. a "proclaimed 3 day seminar cure" for any and everything including CFS/ME/FIBRO and well anything from hangnails to alcoholism and or drug abuse. This program claims that is you follow the plan, if you believe, if you refrain from speaking of your illness, pain.......and embrace a positive renewal of spirit you will be cured just like that...............it makes me think of faith healers, of those who would have you believe that somehow it is your lack of belief that made or keeps you ill...........i had to shake this off.......with prayer, with a quiet belief that "they know not what they do"...........we can all work on how we interact with whatever impacts our lives........we can live in the moment, we can protect the spirit, we can continue to change how we react to things and when need be we can all throw down and have a good vent..........personally I don't want to spend to much time in anger over charlatans, snake oil salesman and other kooky quick fix cowpies...........be in care of what you read, what you choose and what you do with your time. do your research..........be wise.......weigh it all out. the thing that is so dangerous to me is that there is just enough in some of these things that make it sound "doable", that give false hope to a magic cure. and if you don't drink "their desert sand" then it is you who is at fault. beware, remain steadfast to your gut instincts........be careful out there. recognize the difference between desert sand and water at the oasis.
ya'll are special and very precious.........sure would love to share this banana bread with ya'll, it'll be ready any minute now..........nummers!
these people live off the land. have little by way of modern comforts. one of the few nods to today was the use of chain saws to aid in the building of homes and traps. there was so much that struck me.......the incredible beauty of this remote place. the hardiness of these people, they celebrate the return of spring on March 1st.......they burn old woman winter in effigy........laugh and cheer the coming of warmth.
as the mighty river thaws it does not look like the rivers, ponds or streams of my youth. it is a huge living thing......it rushes downstream.........enormous diamonds of sparkling ice.......this incredible moving terrain looks like it is breathing...........the power & speed is unlike anything i've ever seen.
the dichotomy between these simple hardy villagers and the river in spring is so disparate......so striking. and i am very glad for the warmth and coziness of my home that offers so many comforts. i feel mildly ashamed for thinking sometimes that what i have is not enough.......that i want better or more. they have so little and they work so hard.
a man was creating his own cross country skis.......showing his son how......he passes on the skills of his father.....and his father's father. how important it is to find the perfect piece of wood with all the grain going in the same direction. it has to be long enough and straight enough otherwise the skis will snap. he carefully shows his son how to create the exact right thickness of the boards, how to bend the wood......he is modest, but sure that his skis are far superior to anything a modern ski maker could create.
i watched the only canoe builder left in the area showing others how to create a beautiful canoe. how to create the tar to cover the exterior of the boat, the right way to hollow out the wood........such painstaking back breaking work..............how to insert various sizes of wood pieces to stretch the canoe's opening to the perfect widths so that when it is finished it can carry men, dogs, supplies .....be riverworthy.......a useful tool to carry the villagers to their hunting traps, to keep them in food for the long cold winter.
even in spring they are always clothed in winter coats.........i wonder how they survive this isolation.....the hardship, it seems like early days in our own country, with few comforts.....and many trials.
i am baking banana bread with walnuts. the kitchen is beginning to smell wonderful. i sat and deliberated for an hour before deciding to get up and make something yummy. it is a push to rise and do. but once again i am glad that i decided to do something that marks this day as another gift.
i am sore and achy, have chills and wonder about much. last night before bed, i stumbled onto a post about the lightning process and the research ended with me feeling a great deal of anger. a "proclaimed 3 day seminar cure" for any and everything including CFS/ME/FIBRO and well anything from hangnails to alcoholism and or drug abuse. This program claims that is you follow the plan, if you believe, if you refrain from speaking of your illness, pain.......and embrace a positive renewal of spirit you will be cured just like that...............it makes me think of faith healers, of those who would have you believe that somehow it is your lack of belief that made or keeps you ill...........i had to shake this off.......with prayer, with a quiet belief that "they know not what they do"...........we can all work on how we interact with whatever impacts our lives........we can live in the moment, we can protect the spirit, we can continue to change how we react to things and when need be we can all throw down and have a good vent..........personally I don't want to spend to much time in anger over charlatans, snake oil salesman and other kooky quick fix cowpies...........be in care of what you read, what you choose and what you do with your time. do your research..........be wise.......weigh it all out. the thing that is so dangerous to me is that there is just enough in some of these things that make it sound "doable", that give false hope to a magic cure. and if you don't drink "their desert sand" then it is you who is at fault. beware, remain steadfast to your gut instincts........be careful out there. recognize the difference between desert sand and water at the oasis.
ya'll are special and very precious.........sure would love to share this banana bread with ya'll, it'll be ready any minute now..........nummers!
Replies
I am leery of all snake oil salesman but I have a great admiration for someone who can make top of the line banana bread with walnuts. That bread always works wonders for me. Unlike Mick I do \"satisfaction\" from a big slice of it. Now I am hungry for some of it.
Hey there, you are motivating me as two ripe nanabans call my name from the kitchen.........I\'ve used up as much as possible in smoothies, so guess I\'d better Google a recipe for said bread..........?
One of the many things I love about DS is the opportunity to share Ideas we find on the internet to see if they ...R 2 good 2 B tru??? and this is a good reminder to not forget to do this ;-).
Good TV and banana bread! AWESOME!
I know the post you are talking about. I think the poster herself, realized after she posted, that this Lightening Process is just a bunch of hoopla. Really scary to think that newbies to chronic illness and pain could get caught up in this crap and spend much needed money to fund these evil people!! It does take time to weed out the real help!! The true answers. The real honest people. It\'s a job. We can\'t be too careful!!
Rest well tonight, Ruthie!
Banana bread with walnuts! YUM!
Banana bread, be right over!!! I take tea with that, no serious anything, just goofing off for the fun of it!
BTW, enjoyed the vent, so colorful :)
Big hugs, Connie
mmmm I can spell your banana bread cooking. Walnuts is a new one on me - sounds good, though.
\"If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is\" - good advice for all these quickfix cures.
Love and hugs
Angel
Banana bread....yummers...love the smell. I put marachino cherries and poppy seeds in mine, sometimes.... enjoy your Sunday! xo
Really enjoyed reading about the ppl that still live very close to the earth. I envy them in a way... community is survival for them. Our technology has driven us apart in some ways.... I envy how they were in touch with the earth, felt her pulse right under their feet, and rely on her richness....with appreciation and not taking that goodness for granted. I\'ve always thought I wld make a good native Indian. I know their life span is shorter....but in so many ways richer...but I\'m saying all this while sitting on my expensive mates, under a cool fan, and with electricity.... i love feeling grass, and, water, dirt, ....with my feet. I have to have that fix every day... concrete and asphalt keep me from hearing and feeling God. Loved ur post... so glad to catch up with you.