“Don’t compromise yourself. That’s all you’ve got.” – J. J.
Author: christinestaffa
My life's journey has taken me from the streets of New York, up the Hudson Valley, to a little goat farm under Vermont's highest mountain.
Samovar
A kitty kat named Sammy that I take care of sometimes when his people are away.
Nothing But Thankful
I was thankful this morning to wake up in a warm bed and hear the wind blowing outside.
I am thankful Xopher is my life partner.
I am thankful to live in a time and place where food flows like manna. Especially today.
Xopher’s homemade pie crust of lard & whole wheat pastry flour, before & after filling… my gingerbread with its secret ingredient… and my holiday staple, let’s call ’em zucchini poppers.
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
I passed the test!
A newly certified AWS Cloud Practitioner sits in the Northern University of Vermont library after her exam.
Book Corner 2019.52
Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
This made Louise Penny look like the finest literature. It was so cheesy. The treatment of homosexuality was so dated. Nobody had any personality. Not a moment was believable. No more mysteries, book club!
Books, Fiber, Food. Is that all there is? Not exactly; there are a few other things like work. Tomorrow I take an exam to become a certified Amazon Web Services Cloud Practitioner. I need it for work. I have been studying very hard. Almost all of my team has already passed, and it would be super embarrassing if I didn’t; so I’m nervous. I have to drive 50 miles to Lyndonville, VT, to take the test. I hope to post good news tomorrow.
Book Corner 2019.51
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Why don’t they write stories like this anymore, at least not for adults? Is this a children’s story? What makes it a children’s story?
I won’t do too much of a plot synopsis for such a well-known and beloved book. It’s a story about bunnies who have a lot of allegoric adventures. It is reminiscent of LORD OF THE RINGS in many ways – unlikely heroes set off on a quest, and battle evil, for the sake of saving the peaceful life of their idyllic pastoral home. It’s a ripping good yarn. And there are allegories and messages and morals to be learned that don’t whack you over the head.
Two topics I found myself mulling as I read it, and the first was the treatment of male vs. female characters (bucks vs. does) and how it shows the book’s age. Had it been written a few years later than it was (1972), we might have had female characters saving the day now and then. As it is, does are gentle, not unintelligent, and brave, but they are subordinate to bucks. Every buck has a name; a few does do, but most of the time they are “a doe” or “the does.” Look, I don’t know what rabbit society is like. I’m sure it’s not as enlightened as 21-st century human society in terms of gender roles. It’s just an observation.
The most puzzling episode I found myself mulling over was the significance of the warren the heroes found, where rabbits were indirectly fed by humans, for the purpose of occasionally being snared and killed. The rabbits in this warren had developed visual art and profound poetry. Indeed – I disliked most of the detours into rabbit story-telling that didn’t advance the plot, and I famously hate poetry; but the poem recited by the rabbit in that warren, I found to be beautiful. That very poem fills Fiver with horror and dread. The heroes ultimately run away from the warren when they discover what’s really going on with the snares. But they are filled with horror not only at the killing, and the warren rabbits’ acquiescence to it, but at the art and poetry as well. They deem this unnatural and a distraction for the warren rabbits so that they forget their miserable position. What is Adams saying about art and poetry? What are they a distraction from? I’m assuming he has some message here for humans, not just rabbits, but what is it? What should we do or face instead of distracting ourselves with art?
If you don’t care for questions like this, it’s easy to get caught up in the story without searches for deeper meaning. Just curl up and enjoy some rollicking good bunny adventures. ( 
)
Again with the Fiber
I was going to make a multi-colored blend next… but when I opened the box of “Butterscotch” it’s all I wanted to spin next. Something about this color I just love! The delicate yellow… And, the locks are BEAUTIFUL. Janet is a nice goat. THIS is why I didn’t consign anything this year, so I could hold onto the good stuff!
Those blue things buried in the right-hand basket are just some of my tools, thrown in there to help weigh things down. The fluffed-out fiber tends to fly, otherwise.
One
I didn’t consign any of my leftover mohair after the Fair this year – I kept it all to self-process… and here is Skein #1.
Keep Shavin’ Em, Keep Savin’ Em
S’E2S’E project #7 is in full swing, Lincoln Longwool dyed “Santa Fe” style, carded into 5 batts so far; I usually use 8 in a skein. I’m really liking the Lincoln because it’s much like a coarse mohair which makes it familiar to work with.
Why Do I Follow Recipes?
It’s six o’clock, I enter the kitchen and take out the recipe for black-eyed peas I had printed out – the source was “Forks Over Knives,” a vegetable-forward publication. I begin slavishly following the directions because that’s how I roll. I find myself spooning tomato paste and other ingredients into a pot of water and dried black-eyed peas that have soaked since last night. Then I realize… tomato paste? You’re not supposed to try to cook dried beans with tomatoes or anything acid!!! They won’t cook!!! Those IDIOTS. Now look what I’ve done.
I let them cook for an hour, finding other stupidities throughout the recipe as I looked harder. Why is there only salt at the end!? What fat am I supposed to “grill” these onions & mushrooms in, anything!? Etc.
The beans did pretty much cook, though they certainly weren’t creamy. I took it upon myself to salt and spice everything in sight and add butter to the onion/mushroom thing.
No more stupid recipes! Don’t I know how to cook by now?!
