Sadhguru, Animal "Farming" and Kvetching - My Mind Is All Over the Place Today

Thank you for all of the comments on yesterday's post about source and resource. I want to give credit where it is due - the theme for yesterday's post came from a question raised to Sadhguru on his "Save the Soil" initiative. It struck a chord in me, and it seems it also struck one for many of you. 

I like Sadhguru. He's human - there are times he speaks 
and I wonder why he said what he did. But the majority 
of the time, I learn something from him, or I learn a 
different way of thinking about a topic that I find 
helpful. He's a fascinating man and I recommend his 
books to you if you haven't read them already. 

The idea of exploiting a resource bothers me in the same way that "farming" an animal does. I don't think it's possible to "farm" an animal. I'll stretch it to crops, but when I hear the term "pig farm" or "goat farm" or others similar in nature, it grates on my nerves. These are living beings with personalities, goals of their own, and lives to live. They feel fear and pain, they have feelings for one another - good or bad - and who are we to say they don't have goals - short-term though those goals may be. 

Animals have feelings to - they bond to their young, they 
have friends in their group, and some others they don't 
like as much. They probably have goals but I'm sure 
they're different goals than our own. They are 
living creatures, not a "crop". 

How a person can "farm" an animal, a fellow being on this earth, disturbs me a great deal. I'm not sure if the term "ranch" is any better, although the terms "farm" and "ranch" are actually not interchangeable. But in my mind, ranch equates with a large area of land, minimal fences, and herds of cattle scattered over it. Throw some horses into the equation and you've got my "ranch". Farm, on the other hand, equates with silos, clusters of buildings with several barns, animals in smaller stockades, and crops taking up the majority of the land. The farmer isn't planting and harvesting his pigs, yet he's "farming" them. It's confusing. 

There's actually a "Pig Farmer of the Year" award. This is 
the winner from 2019, Chris Hoffman from Pennsylvania. 
Who knew there was such an award? Don't we choose the 
oddest things to honor people for? 

Today I have a 10:30 am appointment with my orthodontist to get my molds made and specific measurements taken. I burned my tongue yesterday, and have at least one place where my gums are sore, so I guess I'm stressed a bit, subconsciously. But this is a minimal appointment. The one in November, where they actually apply the bands and wires - that one will be worth some stress. This one ... I'm just being silly. In the longer picture, however, this is something I've wanted for a long time - more than 30 years - and it's starting to finally come true. So no real complaints here, just kvetching. 

Every now and again I kvetch. Don't take it 
personally, I need to keep my hand in. To 
kvetch well requires periodic practice - LOL. 

Have an excellent Wednesday. I'll have to squeeze in my grocery shopping between my swimming and my orthodontist, but my afternoon might be available to start photographing the next batch of crystals for Etsy. I can try, at any rate, between the laundry and making dinner. Otherwise, it'll be Friday's agenda. Enjoy your day and Slava Ukraine. I'll be back tomorrow. 

A Drought, A Tree Update and A Mitzvah - Such Goings On!

I'm awake, my morning meditation completed, and the first load of laundry in the washing machine. The thunderstorms which were very busy overnight, have moved away from my direct area, so we should be fine for the outdoor pool today. Yippee! It was quite the light show at 1:00 am or so, though. A very definite heavy storm running through. Hopefully we got some good rain from it. It's been a very dry year and the grass is looking horrid. 

Our lawn has been looking more yellow than green lately, 
with our drought. It looks terrible. A little rain and it will 
come back a bit, but we're behind on our usual rainfall 
amounts too. For a land with 10,000 lakes to be in a 
drought is rare, but we've had one for the past few summers. 

My next door neighbor, Chris, texted me last night to update me on the tree removal. Remember that huge branch from his silver maple that came down into our yard a bit more than a week ago? Originally he had arranged for a tree company to remove it on Monday last week, but that didn't happen. I don't exactly know why, but it's not hurting anything, it just needs to be removed. So Chris said he had three different tree companies out to look and bid on the job, and has chosen one. They are waiting on a sign-off by the local utility company (utility lines run on the south border of our joint properties), and then they can begin work. 

My poor next door neighbor. Not only does 
he have to come up with money to remove the 
tree branch, but he also has lent his in-laws 
one of his cars since theirs was stolen. He has 
three kids in private school, and I know he 
doesn't make a lot of money. It's going to be 
a hard year for him. 

I texted back that I was relieved to hear it, and thanked him for keeping me in the loop. Then told him I thought they might be on vacation or something since one car was missing from their driveway. No, it turned out the car belonging to their in-laws was stolen! They have been loaning their second car to the in-laws until they can either find their own car, or get a different one. It never rains but it pours,  poor guy! But, DH did a kindness (because the weeds were annoying him) and mowed the strip of ground between the sidewalk and the street yesterday in front of Chris' house. Good reason or poor one, it was a mitzvah. 

What is a Mitzvah? Unless you're Jewish or speak 
Yiddish, you might be unfamiliar with the term. 
Basically, it's doing a kindness. Chris did a mitzvah 
for his in-laws by lending them one of his cars, and 
Jim did a mitzvah for Chris by mowing his strip of 
land. The world would be a better place if more of 
us did a mitzvah every day. 

So, I'm off to the pool. Since the thunderstorms are south of us and things look clear to the west, we'll be able to swim outdoors, which will make me very happy indeed. We might even have a really fun sunrise if there are any interesting clouds in the sky. I've got a super busy day today, starting with a 7:40 am mammogram, so I'm out of here and off and running. Hope you have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Thoughts About Books Inspired by Gutenburg

Today's "Google Doodle" celebrates Johannes Gutenberg, the man associated with movable type and the beginning of printing for the masses. As with most inventions, similar equipment was also invented by other people, but Gutenberg managed to get some breaks falling his way and getting the contract to print "The Bible" or "The Holy Bible" or whatever name they chose for that edition, that was a 'plum' contract. And that contract, fed his family, and put his name on the map of "Oh Yeah! Great Invention" pegboard. His ability to cast type quickly, and load pages up quickly, allowed him to make his name in the printing industry and allowed the printing press to bring books to the masses instead of the super-rich. 

The ESV Illuminated Bible is unique - it's almost 
monochromatic, with an arts and crafts look 
to it. No splashes of color here - everything is 
metallic gold and bronze and black and white. 

The days of having hand-illuminated volumes in a library, the most valuable tomes actually chained to their reading stands, was eliminated with a single swoosh of a weighted platen against an inked bed. The printing press allowed heroes of romances to shop in back alleyways for small gems, meet the man of their dreams, and ride off into the sunset together, each reading their own adventure pamphlet. It allowed Martin Luther to affix his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the All Saints Church in Wittenburg (although this more than likely is a folk story, not based in fact). 

According to the story, Martin Luther posted a complete copy 
of his Ninety-five Theses to the door of All Saints Church 
in Wittenberg, which started a revolution that ended up 
in what's known as the "Reformation". Such a huge movement 
that came about because of many factors, including the 
invention of movable type and the printing press. 

But more than anything, the printing press, and the many variations after the 1400's, allowed the common man to possess and to read the lore that had been reserved for those in the clergy, the law, or who had the monetary stability to purchase or commission tomes of their own. It brought knowledge into reach for those who had never dreamed beyond the next sunset or the next harvest., It allowed for public schools instead of just religious schools, and it opened a vast door for authors to write tomes that in their own times would shake the world. 

The Gutenberg Printing Press looked like 
this. If you want to see how it works, 
here's a link to a YouTube video. 

Now, the printing press, although still quite healthy, is being matched by the electronic press. No longer do we stand, affixed, as we look through titles on the shelves of a bookstore or second-hand store. Now we download our books, read on our phones or tablets, and carry libraries of hundreds and thousands of books in our hands. It's wonderful, it's intoxicating, and it lacks a certain "something". 

The old hand-illuminated manuscripts were like 
miniature works of art on every page. They were 
so detailed and exacting. 

There's something so magnificent about a fully hand-written tome. These days, when there is such an item being produced, it's still usually a religious track. The latest illuminated manuscript I can think of is the St John's Illuminated Bible which was completed in 2002. But I think there is one being worked on in Minnesota at this time, I just can't find specific information on it right now. In any case, an illuminated Bible is a magnificent tome so I chose to populate this post with some pictures from illuminated texts because ... everyone needs some pretty in their lives. 

Take a look at this amazing volume. This is 
the Prayerbook of Claude de France, and I found 
this in a website of the Top 10 Most 
Beautiful Medieval Manuscripts. I'll 
give you a link to this page, it's got 
some lovely examples to look at. 

It's sleeting outside right now, with a small amount of snow on the ground. Although I have to go grocery shopping, I'll avoid doing a lot of going around from here to there today. I'm going to curl up, work on some stuff between loads of laundry, and try to have a relaxing "day off" (as far as my housework will allow). Have an excellent day and please, be kind, stay safe and wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Now It's A Waiting Game

The appropriate part, some type of heating element, has been ordered for my dryer. I still have no idea of when it will arrive or when I can get the repair person out to deal with installing it, but it's one more step towards having a functional dryer again. On a quick search, purchasing a new dryer would cost right around $700+, and this repair, when it's done and done, will cost me close to that. But, I really don't count the duct cleaning as part of the "replacement" cost because that's something I should get done every few years anyway. So I'll figure the repair will actually be around $450-$500. Still a ridiculous amount, but slightly better than getting a replacement for such a simple repair. 

If the problem is the heating element, they can be purchased 
for between $60-$150, depending on source, and the repair 
itself seems quite simple. But, I'm not the best at electrical 
repair. I'm great at mechanical repairs, but electrical has 
never been my strong point. This time I'll pay for the repair. 
If it happens again, I'll probably do it myself (I'll watch the 
process carefully). 

I'm progressing with my WildFit nutrition program and I'm loving it. I'm looking forward to loading my grocery cart with lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I've always adored produce, and the different ways I'm working with them now are lots of fun. DH has coined a new nickname for me - he now calls me "Sprout" because I'm eating so many veggies. He's trying his best to be super supportive also, which I appreciate. He thinks I'm perfect the way I am, but I want to enter my next 20 years at my very best - it's not easy to grow old and I need every bit of armor I can get for the walk ahead. 

I choose to move into my older years fully 
armored and ready to take on the world. 
With luck, I'll be able to finally do the 
things I want to help others as well as 
scratch my own artistic itch. 

I think it's supposed to be a nice warm day today, which will make dropping my laundry off at the laundromat much easier. It's a VERY heavy basket of wet clothes that I carry into the large room to put into the dryer. I don't even want to think about how much it weighs, but it's a lot. Once it's dry, it's just bulky, but a lot of the weight has gone up in steam and hot air. It's a hella lot easier to get back into the house than to get out of it. LOL

A full basket of unwashed clothes can 
weight upwards of 20 pounds. A full 
basket of wet clothes? A hella-lot 
more. I'm getting my exercise doing my 
weekly laundry while my dryer is broken. 

I have at least one Zoom class today, probably while I'm at the laundry, so it might be a bit more difficult to hear and participate. I'll also have my weekly convo with Aearwen, a treat to cap off my "day off" and refresh my week. We've been talking weekly for years now. We never have a set agenda, but seem to always find something to talk about. We're good friends who have never actually met in person, but she's one of my Sisters from a Different Mother - special and appreciated. 

On that note, I'm out of here. I hope you have a fabulous day and please, be kind, stay safe and wear your mask. We're not out of the COVID woods quite yet. I'll be back tomorrow.