How to Beat a Moose

• Buy one candy bar of the near-3-oz size.  Preferably 70% chocolate content (or darker).  Mint-flavored is very nice.
• Put ice in a large bowl.
• Put a small bowl inside the large bowl, on the ice.
• Pour water into large bowl so that ice water comes half-way up small bowl's sides.
• Put candy bar in kettle.
• Add 1/3 cup water to kettle with chocolate in it.
• Melt water and chocolate together.
• Pour melted chocolate (and water) into small bowl.
• Whisk like fury.
• Stop whisking when chocolate (and water) is the consistency of soft whipped cream, or thick, home-made chocolate frosting.  It shouldn't run off the whisk.  (*Edited in to say it shouldn't run off the whisk too much.  We've discovered in practice that the amount of chocolate in the bar relative to the amount of Other Ingredients makes a big difference.  Orange-flavored Lindt bars don't work at all.  But if it's still runny, it may set up quite nicely in the fridge.  And if you whip too much and it gets solid on you, you can still eat it, though it will be dry.  But you can also scrape it back into the kettle, rewarm it, and try again.)
• Dump out water and melting ice.
• Pour chocolate mousse into small bowls.  
• Refrigerate as long as possible until temptation is too great to resist.
• Eat.

For those of you who would like to watch a demonstration, as well as listen to a nice chemical explanation in a pleasant British accent, the following you tube video provides such.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g28-9NVUHj0

Seriously, best mousse ever.

Would anyone care to tell me what having a utility bill has to do with getting a driver's license?  I'm a bit peeved with my favorite state in the Union.  Apparently, a social security card and a previous driver's license are no longer enough to prove that you're a citizen; you now have to bring proof in the form bills, rental agreements, pay stubs or... a hunting or fishing license.  

What about people in this uncertain economy who have moved home to live with their parents as adults and aren't paying rent?  Who have been laid off from their jobs?

What about people who have lost their homes and are living out of cars?  

You can't be a citizen unless you're rich?  

Information gleaned from various conversations:

If you are rushing someone to the hospital for an urgent matter (not via ambulance), call and let them know you're coming.

I want to mention a little program I saw mentioned in the Reader's Digest, and tried last night.  It is called f.lux (you can google to find the website; I don't remember it off-hand).  And what it does is change the tint of your computer screen from blue spectrum to more amber colored.
 
It also has the effect of making the screen seem less glaringly bright.  During the day, I don't notice my screen being either blue or too bright; but at night, I am always feeling like it glares and I can't get it dim enough to look at comfortably.  But this handy little program fixed both of those problems for me.  :D  It leaves your screen normally colored during the day, it says, and changes the tint as it gets dark (judging when that is by where you live).

And it's free.  :)

I have mentioned this in passing before (though possibly not here), but I am feeling moved about it again.  Canada geese are really ... well, let's just say that if you grew up firmly believing in geese who flew south for the winter, you would be sorely disappointed by these.

Now that it's fall, they do seem to have some vague notion that they should be doing something.  Flying.  Somewhere.  So you will see long skeins of them V-ing across the sky in proper goose fashion.  So far, so good.  The problem comes in if you watch them for a little while.

This V is flying vigorously in a southwesterly direction.  Over there, another V is coming ... going northwest.  They pass each other, honking happily, and about 10 peel off from one V to join the other.  10 or so more take off entirely on their own, veering around until they're heading almost straight north.  I guess you get to pick whose navigator you like best!

Eventually, they start to circle - and will land on the river.  The same river they took off from - and probably not all that far from where they started, either.  They do this for the next couple of months, on into the winter (at which point, I can only guess that it's become calisthenics, not migration).

On the other hand, it does have some benefits.  Next spring, they'll have a head start on housekeeping over any geese foolish enough to actually buy into that rumor that they are supposed to go south.

I would like to report that my tooth care regimen:
*floss
*brush
*eat lots of really dark chocolate
has passed its first test with flying colors.  Three years with no dental appts whatever, no cleanings, no nothing - and no cavities.
Go Chocolate!

Am now back in Great Falls, the richer by 2 small agates (one sent home with Dad for polishing) and numerous memories.  We stopped by the Blackfoot river on the way up, and spent half an hour or so 'stretching our legs'.  ie: wandering the gravel bars of the river looking for rocks!  Whee.

Dad and I listened to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on the way over; I think rock hunting would fit right in.  Possibly under Strange Rituals.  "... consists of people walking silently around a pebbly plain, staring at their feet.  Occasionally, they bend over to pick something up, look at it, and throw it away again..."

I was wishing the whole way over that we'd thought how brilliant an idea it would have been to drive the truck and bring Mom and Dad's new kayaks!  When you have a kayak in mind, there is water everywhere!  Nearly...  There was certainly water all over the place on our road, begging to be paddled through.  However, it's a good thing we didn't, because the trip would have taken much longer, and not nearly so much would have gotten accomplished.

From 68 (and damp) to 86 (and dry)... I am finally warm.  Clearly, I have finally lived out in MT and WY long enough to get used to the weather - this is the first time I remember going home and being cold.  In the summer!!  Being too hot is a far more common occurrence in my life.

Yes.... Yes, I am still alive, though I dare say some of you begin to wonder.  I had a lovely time in Washington.  After conventions, I had some time with my folks who have bought a new house recently.  We went through boxes, recovered chairs, hung up pictures... and went to the beach and kayaking!

I saw someone kite-surfing for the first time.  It looked like fun - and like a lot of very extremely hard work.  I think it would be harder than surfing from what I could tell watching, because it seems like not only do you have to keep your balance on the waves which are coming ashore, but you also have to keep your balance against the wind, which was blowing at an angle along the beach and would snatch the kite away - and you with it.  The man we watched fell once, but then he got up again and zig-zagged down the shoreline.  The kite they use is enormous - and doesn't have any solid structural parts at all!  Even the ribs are only hollow tubes that they fill with air until they are rigid.  Hook said kite to your harness (being sure to put on your wet suit first), hop onto snowboard looking deal, grab handle and away you go.

Truthfulness in politics?  An oxymoron, likely.  http://news.yahoo.com/fact-check-perry-romney-twist-records-debate-021556685.html

And we are here.

It rained solid from Billings to Sidney. This was a Western Washington in November rain - complete with chilly temperatures and solid grey skies. Yes, we were really glad to see it stop. No, the sun isn't out - it just stopped raining. Yes, there are puddles and ponds everywhere. No, the farmers aren't getting very much done re planting things.

Need some water anyone? We'd be glad to share.

Off to Dagmar!

Shawna and I are going up early to help out. So we leave today after lunch. Which means I'd better go get my packing done...

Alas, I have sad news to relate. Our Killdeer-To-Be are no more. I'm not sure how they could have gotten run over by a car, with the flag and the rocks, but I suppose it was possible... and I would prefer to think that, then that they were stepped on deliberately by a child. Marylee said she saw some boys out near the nest and asked them to leave, earlier.

We had a small moment of silence at the grave. Dustin and Brock were the buriers. Scott and Tessa gave short eulogies. The remainder of us were mourners, and all of us dripped. Very rainy day.

I read that killdeer often have two nests in a season, so I am pleased they can go start again - but I hope they don't do it in our gravel patch this time. :( No way I can keep them safe during convention, if they didn't even manage one big workday. The mother bird sat near where her nest had been and cried for a while and then she was gone - doubtless to build again. Lesson of the day: don't let one disaster keep you from ever trying again.

Ft. Killdeer

Killdeer Watch Day 6

Successfully survived marauding dogs and several days of torrential downpour.

I am rather impressed by mother's uncanny ability to choose one of the only spots that remained puddle-free after a very Pacific NW day and night and day and night of continual rainage.

The nest is between the rocks. I put them there in hopes of directing cars around it during workday. It's not right in the path of normal driving. If you enlarge the picture and look to the left, you can see the bird that was sitting on the nest, but is now running away, trying to draw my attention off.

I forgot - I promised a picture of my project when it got to the picture-taking stage. So here it is. Not finished yet, but as much as will be done before I give it to Mom. She'll pick what colors she wants for the border and stuff. The scissors at the top give an idea of size. And the colors aren't quite right. :(

Day Two of Killdeer Watch

I missed Day One, as you, my brilliant readers, may have picked up on. That was because Day One was yesterday and I was busy. And after I was busy, I was tired.

So. The Killdeer Saga, beginning yesterday, is as follows:

There is a wide expanse of gravel between the kitchen and the girl's dorm. Farm trucks and other vehicles drive across this gravel regularly. And this is the gravel in which a killdeer has decided to build a nest. I noticed it doing its broken-wing imitation as I walked across once; and looked around for the nest - they are astonishingly difficult to see, even when you're very close. So I walked away, and then waited until she (or he - they both sit on the nest, by turns) went back to it. Then I got a rock to put next to it, so I could direct traffic around.

I don't know when they were laid, but Google assures me that they will hatch in 24-28 days, so if they aren't stepped on or run over, they will be hatched before convention. This is good, because it's going to be difficult enough to keep her safe during workdays - during convention would be impossible. Also, she would die of sheer, exhausted panic, trying to lure so many people away. And the eggs would freeze. So all in all, it's good that they will hatch before that point.

I hope they will hatch before that point! Killdeer babies would be much cooler than broken eggs.

May 19, 2011

"I have not failed 10,000 times; I have successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work."

~attributed to Thomas Edison

I read an article saying how that standing up as opposed to sitting down all day can reduce your risk of heart attack by 54%, so I was going to post it here. But a little googling only showed me four instances of that information, all written by the same person. Being therefore uncertain of the viability of this news, I will just tell you about it and let you come to your own conclusions. According to the writer, this lowered risk was seen in people whether they exercised otherwise or not.

So instead of a link for that, I will give you this one instead. http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110415/ts_yblog_thelookout/closer-look-lead-codices-spending-cuts-and-the-deficit-problem

Funny how people are always wanting to forge things.

Also? It's snowing. The glee in my voice when I say that is fading swiftly. I like snow. But I like sunshine too, and in this part of the world, you rarely have both. So I am plenty ready for it to stop with the snow, and start with the sun.

This is incredible.

I have embarked on a project, that for the sake of sounding more impressive (and because the original /is/ quilted - and mine will be too, if someone other than me does it) I am calling a 'quilt'. Happily for me, it has only 5 actual seams so far - will have 4 more for sewing the outside edges together - and thus I can do it without wanting to pitch either the sewing machine or myself through the window. :D Everything is cut-and-paste. It's glorious. You find material you like, iron stuff on the back, put it all in order, pull off the paper, and iron it onto a background. Add stuffing and backing, stitch together, find someone else to do the quilty part, and voila!

Something that looks somewhat vaguely not dissimilar to this.

I'll post a picture of mine for comparison purposes when I'm done.

1. I really like automatic carwashes. I like sitting inside your car while they squirt soap all over everything. It's like a little private cave for a moment. Next best is when they have those long ribbon-like strips of felt (or whatever fabric it is!) that come swishing over your car. And then it rains.

2. It's a very strange feeling to sit in a hot-tub when it is extremely cold outside. I love doing this; it's the only time I can stay in the water for longer than about 15 min without overheating. But when the little hairs on your upper arms are all encased with ice while the rest of you is roasting hot... it's strange. That is all.

3. Dark chocolate is good for your teeth. I already put that up, but I like it so much I'm repeating it. And investing in 80% dark for 'flossing' purposes.

CHOCOLATE! What I want to know is...

Why add it to your toothpaste when you can enjoy the real thing??**

Benefits for the Heart

Research conducted in Stockholm County, Sweden, as part of the Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Program, showed that patients who regularly ate chocolate were less likely to die after their first heart attack. Patients, hospitalized following a confirmed heart attack, were given a questionnaire and asked to report their consumption over the previous 12 months.

Three months after discharge, the participants underwent a health screening and were followed for hospitalizations and death over the next eight years. When compared with those who never ate chocolate, the results were better for those who consumed it two or more times per week.

Benefits for the Skin

Research shows that eating cocoa can protect the skin against harmful ultraviolet lights. However, the chocolate used in this study was prepared to be higher in flavonols than conventional dark variety. A new manufacturing process may be needed before this benefit is readily available to consumers.

Benefits for the Teeth

Fox News reported that research conducted by Tulane University doctoral candidate, Arman Sadeghpour, shows that a compound in chocolate called theobromine may help harden tooth enamel, which helps to prevent cavities. In the future, this white crystalline powder may be added to toothpaste.**

Benefits for the Brain

A study performed at the University of Oslo in Norway shows a direct correlation between chocolate cocoa and brain function of the elderly. The study included 2031 participants who were given cognitive tests both before and after eating chocolate. The results were better after eating a small amount of chocolate. Cocoa products, especially the dark variety, are associated with increased blood flow to the brain. This may be especially helpful for conditions with decreased blood flow, including dementia and stroke.

In another study at the University of Nottingham, Professor Ian Macdonald found that consumption of cocoa-rich drinks boosts blood flow to certain areas of the brain for a short term, two to three hours. This study also raised the possibility that chocolate could be used in the treatment of dementia and strokes.

I think I mentioned Quirky.com a little while ago. I'd like to mention them again. I am extremely impressed so far.

I asked Mom to order me a PowerCurl - which is a handy little gadget that has a spot for your macbook adapter in the center, and clips for the cords to wind around the edges. Is exactly what I needed to keep cord fitting into its designated spot in my bag.

So I got it the other day, only to find it was the wrong size. Alas and woe! They'd sent me the one for the Macbook Air, instead. Upon inquiring how to exchange for the correct PowerCurl, here is what I was told:

"We'll send the right one out to you via FedEx. You should get it in 5 to 7 days. Don't bother returning the first one; if you have a friend who has a Macbook Air, give it to them. Have a nice day!"

Thanks! I will!

Anyone out there have a macbook air and want a bright orange powercurl??

The news from Ronan.

Lots and lots and lots of snow. And more on the way, say the weathermen.

I got up here last night, caught a ride with Dee. The bus wasn't too late. It got into Missoula about 9:20 pm instead of 9, and Karen T picked me up.

Had a nice quiet night and morning, and got to go to the biblestudy with Lori. Nice to see her again! She reminds me of that verse in Eph: Having done all to stand...

Last week, biblestudy was cancelled because of the snow, but this week, all looks well. It snowed last night, but only about 3", so the roads aren't re-blocked.