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Muesli Cookies
I mixed a 24 ounce jar of applesauce together with 6 cups of my muesli mix. Formed into "ping pong" balls on a cookie sheet and baked for 2 hours at 300F. Then let them cool for several hours.
The muesli cookies are intended as convenience food which is easily eaten with the hand. The taste is apples and oats, and quite pleasant. I definitely want to add chopped walnuts to the muesli mix next time. Next time I would bake them at 250F rather than 300F. It is more of a drying out process, there is no need to brown the cookies.
Today I ate a microwave dinner, a Mediterranean Style Chicken Quinoa Bowl. I was surprised how good it was and it seemed to be healthy. I wonder if with good, healthy recipes it would be easier to buy frozen microwave dinners than cooking on your own. I could cook, but I don't think the results would have been as good or healthy as the frozen dinner. If they were to substitute beans for the chicken, it would have been ideal for my food goals. I don't think it was that expensive either. Maybe that is the future of food? At least for someone who wants an easy way to eat good quality, healthy food.
I am trying to uncomplicate my life by reducing the things I need to maintain. It is slow going and it seems like I get further and further behind with maintenance. Part of that is caused by my laziness and my enjoying the day rather than dutifully working away. I think that reducing the number of things that I own and simplifying my lifestyle will eventually result in lower maintenance responsibilities. I do get things done at present, usually two or three little jobs a day, but new jobs materialize faster than I can get them done.
My canoe project is making me excited and eager to try out the canoe. I also want to take the canoe out of my garage so I can clean up and start to dispose of things. Three things that do not go together: Epoxy boatbuilding, Sewing of backpacking gear and Maintenance of gas engines. By taking on this long canoe project, I cannot do other things in my workshop due to the dust and the need to keep things somewhat organized. Maybe another month?
Muesli
I mixed my own muesli today.
5lbs Oats, Thick Rolled
2lbs Chopped Dates
1lb Roasted Salted Sunflower Seeds
1lb Pepitas, unseasoned
1lb Dried Flaked Coconut
I think this will last about 4 months. I usually eat about 2/3 cup a day. Sometimes dry, sometimes with milk or water added to it.
I may add another pound of chopped dates and a pound of chopped walnuts.
The canoe project is coming along slowly. The epoxy work is coming to an end, soon I will move on to sanding, then painting. When I get to the point of being able to test out the canoe, I may add additional steps to the project, such as sail rig and outrigger. I want to see how it works as an oar powered beach camper first.
I installed a high efficiency fridge in the camper van. I have added one battery to my bank of two batteries, but may upgrade my battery system. The fridge is a Truckfridge TF130. It seems to have difficulty keeping the fridge cool in hot weather, but I need to improve ventilation around the condenser. At the moment it is backed into a corner and the fan is on a side facing a cabinet wall, when it should be on the back to pull outside air in to the condenser. I will pull the fridge out and move the fan and see if there are improvements in performance. In cool, sunny weather, the 200W solar power and my 270 Amp-hour battery bank can keep the fridge going with no problems. Hot, cloudy weather may prove more difficult.
We recently returned from van camping in Virginia and North Carolina. Very impressive mountains and ocean beaches. I don't like driving in mountains much, it is much more difficult than in the flatland. But the scenery is fantastic.
This trip was a nice reset from Covid mentality to post-Covid freedom. I am hoping that there was some healing and escape from the lockdown mentality, we shall see how life unfolds.
My microgreen soil reuse experiment has failed. I have learned that cobweb mold will feed on cut microgreens and it is very difficult to stop cobweb mold from forming. I still need to try adding earthworms to the soil in the tray.
Still walking daily, today and yesterday 4 miles. Warm weather! No coat, just a hoodie and I was sweating.
2 Miles. Green smoothie with just broccoli microgreens and water. It tastes kind of vegetably, but not too bad.
No walking today.
2 Miles.
2 Miles. I had hoped to write words of wisdom daily with a bit of nonsense sprinkled in. Today, the only wisdom I have is that a walk outside does wonders to eliminate the frustration of cabin fever. Muesli for breakfast, green smoothie for lunch. Hopefully something healthy for dinner. I feel like I am on the upswing again.
2 Miles.
After being a lazy slug through most of February, I went for a walk today. I also made a green smoothie with microgreens. I feel pretty good. My goal for March is to walk every day.
Petroglyphs appear to be drawings of ancient plasma events:
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/anthony-peratt-characteristics-for-the-occurrence-of-a-high-current-zpinch
Conjecture, supposition, hypothesis:
Perhaps related to reduction in the earth's magnetic field, allowing solar radiation to enter earth's atmosphere and cause plasma auroral night sky displays. Many petroglyphs seem to be from the period of 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, which was also a period of glacial melting, flooding and extermination events. Other potential effects could be severe lightning storms and increased solar radiation threatening all forms of terrestrial life.
I wonder what it would be like to be disconnected from the web.
Sunshine and Cabin Fever!
Going through my backpacking gear list.
Packlist
Pack, homemade
compactor bag liner
1 l Smartwater bottle, flip cap
Plastic flexible bottle
Sawyer squeeze mini in a bag
bandana on pack
2 groundhog stakes, 8 shepherd hooks
poncho tarp with guys
bivy bag
inflatable mattress
blue foam mattress
quilt, homemade
doormat
pillow stuff sack, homemade
inflatable pillow
food bag
stove
canister
msr titan pot with lid
spoon
lighter
packing bandana
scrubbie sponge
hygiene bag
toothbrush, paste
needle, thread
dental floss
dropper bottle with soap
ibuprofen, claritin
athletic tape
gauze
big band aids
comb
nail clipper
bidet
flashlight
rechargeable small flashlight
wallet in ziploc
small knife
sunglasses
glasses cleaner
map
phone
cable
earphones
plastic shopping bag
hand sanitizer
can opener
scissors
windpants, homemade
windjacket, homemade
mittens
overmittens, homemade
facemask
spare socks
headnet, homemade
puffie
booties, homemade
hoodie
shorts
T-shirt
underwear
longjohn top
longjohn bottom
foot insulation
crocs
Today I am decommissioning an experiment that I worked on for many years, a plant growth chamber. I had two boxes with flood and drain trays, lights, heaters and arduino controllers. This allowed me to program the system to make an ideal environment for starting and growing plants.
It worked well unless there was a power outage, then it reset itself and caused problems. I hade code designed to start food plants and grow microgreens. The boxes were in use for about 2 years. Eventually corrosion caused problems with electrical connections. Rather than rebuilding them, I decided to take them apart and store the equipment for possible future use.
It is sad to take apart a project you have built. You see how much work you have invested into the project and wonder if it was worth it. I try to keep in mind how much I learned and that I could repeat the project in the future if I need to. Next time: all electrical connections need to be outside the growth chamber, and the controllers need a real time clock. I would probably use different lights, although the strip LED lights functioned OK before they corroded. The boxes are outside and I will probably use them to protect young plants from frost in the spring.
I tried to keep my growth chambers simple, but after tearing them down, I see a wiring harness, sensors and power supplies that are actually pretty complex. I have stored them in bins for some future use, I don't know what at the moment. So much for minimalism, another old project is taking up space in the basement. I really hate to put stuff in the dumpster, and often come back to old projects and rebuild them after a few years.
Happy 20th!
Students of Epicurus celebrate the 20th of the month as a day to gather together and eat a celebratory meal. Unfortunately, because of Covid and snow, I will remain in isolation today, but my thoughts are with other Epicureans.
I have started another 3 Day Continuous Harvest Microgreen crop. I seed a tray of broccoli microgreens every third day. The trays are under a blackout/humidity dome for the first six days, then under a shoplight for the last three days. Since I have three trays going at any given time, I can harvest every three days. I use 10"x20" trays and get about 150 g to 200 g per tray, which is 50 g to 67 g per day. That is enough for me for a daily big green smoothie.
This works when you use new potting soil for every crop. I am experimenting with reusing soil multiple times. I have no results to report yet but am learning.
Ideology and Pragmatism
Ideology is an image of reality constructed by humans which intends to explain the physical reality, often in moral terms. It often provides a framework for humans to decide whether an action is considered positive or negative.
Examples of ideology are religion, political platforms and scientific hypotheses which have not been adequately tested for truth.
Reality is extremely complex. Ideology provides a simplified model of reality for easy understanding by humans. Because ideology is constructed by humans, it is a crude model and does not approach the complexity of reality, and therefore, ideology frequently fails to apply to real world situations. In fact, due to its simplicity, ideology almost always fails eventually and is overturned and replaced by a new ideology attempting to better resolve humanity's understanding of the real physical world.
Pragmatism is a process of decisionmaking which is based on observation of nature, the physical reality, human nature (social and psychological behavior), past experience and the scientific method. Pragmatism seeks out potential positive outcomes which might be possible, and compares the level of positive impact on members of the group to select a goal to achieve. The pragmatist then studies nature, human nature, past experience and any known scientific rules of nature and suggests specific targeted actions to accomplish the selected goal.
There may be some imbedded ideals in the pragmatist, but a true pragmatist is always ready to try something new outside of an established orthodoxy in order to find a useful solution.
In times when old ideologies are failing, focusing on pragmatism and supporting pragmatic leaders is the most effective way to transition to new challenges brought upon humans by the physical reality.
I like being isolated by snowstorms. I would like to have an off-grid cabin heated by a woodstove with only a minimal solar powered battery electrical system, and a hand pump for water. I would like to have a place where I could live as a hermit for as long as I want to. I would like to have a tiny shelter which is accessed by a long single=track walking or bicycling path with no vehicle parking nearby.
Many times I have told myself that it is not a good idea to buy a second home, from the perspective of living on a frugal budget. I will try to keep this in mind. But I like the current situation of being stuck in my home by a snow storm, and would like a cabin to experience the isolation whenever I choose.
The human mind is very strange, and full of contradictory impulses. The self is just a small part of what is hidden inside the human brain. The conscious self is not fully in control of what humans do. What humans think of as their self, is actually just an accessory, that tries to make sense of the chaotic data coming from the senses. To do that, it has to simplify the sensual data and turn it into stories. Sometimes the stories are so simplified, that they bear little relationship to the reality outside. It gives people the feeling that they are in control. But that is just a comforting illusion.
This implies that you can never change people's behavior by appealing to them rationally. Human beings live in a simplified dream world. The only solution is the keep them in that dream world, and to make sure the dream world is safe and happy. The idea of appealing to a humans rationally, and thereby changing them, is pointless.
I need to reduce or prioritize my projects to reflect the resource limits of time, money and energy. I think phase I of the canoe build is most important, that is to get it to the point of being able to paddle it through the water. Then I can make improvements after that starting point. The more advanced form is a voyaging outrigger sailing canoe optimized for beach cruising.
I wonder if free and open social networking software will attract all the loony tunes and it will end up full of wannabe flat earth death cult leaders. Certainly the population is stupid enough to follow. When they offer you Kool-Aid, take two, they're small cups.
I am thinking about naming my boat "Comet".
From the ancient memory banks:
Comet, makes your mouth feel clean.
Comet, tastes like gasoline.
Comet, makes you vomit
So try Comet, and vomit, today.
Be Brave! Fellow Warriors of the Gemini!
The most important martial art weapon is the ninja sword. The most important martial art skill is chopping off people's heads.
To care for and to be cared for are a basic human need.
I have started a tray of culinary herb plants to prepare for a spring garden and plant sale. Sage, spearmint, rosemary, oregano, thyme, lemon balm, basil and chives.
My threat model (as of today) is that I see the fake news networks moving from cable TV to the internet in force. Using a Russia style deep fake strategy, where all political factions are pandered to by their own video networks/news outlets/forums that are entirely created and managed by a group or groups seeking to maintain political or economic power. Every user will be AI categorized into a silo and fed AI generated information based on past clicks or posts. This has been happening in the past, but the main goal has been keeping your eyes on the screen to watch ads. Soon there will be Trump silos, Democrat silos, Antifa silos, Occupy silos, Christian silos, Country silos, Q silos, all filled with content designed by AI to keep you tied to the latest event, and angry about the opposing team. They will probably all use the same AI technology and be under the control or at least guidance by the same tech firms.
I hope this is just a silly conspiracy theory, but it seems like a possible and likely outcome.
The most true and authentic means of experiencing reality are directly through your own senses. Any written or verbal information you receive second hand is generally subject to the communicator's desire to influence your behavior in some way, generally in their own interest.
It is necessary to keep a certain level of skepticism towards any written or verbal communication. In particular, written communication is almost always related to some type of grift (including this text!).
Your mission as a member of human civilization, should you choose to accept it, is to learn to judge the level of veracity of any communication, and base your life decisions on what seems to be the most true and valid concepts which are communicated to you.
The most effective way to show one's disdain for the current state of human civilization is to make and wear silly hats. By wearing a silly hat, one shows that one has no respect for the norms of society, and one becomes a dangerous subversive.
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