Foreign Food

OGI

I like to make something different every once in a while. Last week I made Ogi, a traditional African fermented porridge. Traditionally it is made with much pounding and pulverising using large sticks, but I made mine with a food processor. There are two books that have recipes for Ogi, Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz. I chose the NT version, which seemed a bit easier. First take 4 cups of Millet and soak it in water for 24 hours in a warm place. Drain off the water and process the grains in a couple batches until you have  thick paste, adding a dribble of water here can help. To the paste add more water until it is quite soupy. Strain this mixture through a mesh strainer. You wan the liquid part, not the gritty bits in the strainer (compost these). Ferment the liquid by adding about 1/4 C of fresh whey or plain Kefir or plain yogurt. Lacto fermented foods have enhanced nutrition and are more fully digested. Cover your fermenting culture and put a warm (i.e. not cold) place for 24 to 72 hours until it is bubbly when you agitate it. Keep in fridge until use. To cook simply take a cup of liquid cook on the stove, stirring constantly. I am always amused by this part. The liquid doesn't seem like it will ever thicken then suddenly it does and you have porridge!!!! The taste is sour and you can go either sweet or savory. I like mine with dates, Coconutghee, and whole raw milk........ 

Making the paste in a food processor.

Adding water until it is quite soupy

Straining through mesh.

The gritty bits for the compost.

After fermenting it will bubble on it's own! It's alive now and ready to be cooked and eaten.

Monday Bunday;Rabboratory Report

During a Post-Easter Egg Delivery Wrap-up snack in the Rabboratory the Spots fell to discussing what is on the lips and in the minds and hearts of all rabbit care givers around this time of year; The Easter Bunny Problem. Sydney proposed that it was time for rabbits to taken off Easter detail, being a high profile featured animal is not helping. Agreeing, Tyler wondered what sort creature could be used instead of a rabbit. The two of them decided it would have to something that could survive on it's own in wild or urban settings. 

Ideas flew around like bats in a belfry; a rat? a mouse? a snake?  a worm? Still even these animals would have no guarantee of survival. What about, said Tyler through a mouthful of greens, what about cockroaches?  they can live in a wide range of environments and are even supposed to survive a nuclear holocaust. Sydney liked the idea, although she had been about to suggest a Dung Beetle, it too is found in a variety of habitats, including Antarctica and it could be depicted pushing an egg instead of it's dung ball. 

However, the Spots soon realized that children might not like cockroaches or Dung Beetles, either, for that matter. Then, said Tyler, it has to be something all children love but that is unobtainable. Luckily there were still some greens left in the snack bowl. Munch, munch, munch....hmm what about the Easter Dinosaur?!! Suggested one or the other or both at once. 

Here is the plan as seen by the Spots. Rabbits will continue to deliver eggs, after all it is a job they have held for untold generations and there are no dinosaurs. The sacrifice of doing the job and not getting credit is worth a lower publicity profile. All Easter paraphernalia can be changed to dinosaurs and this will certainly stimulate spending around Easter time, and supposedly that's good. Thousands of graphic designers, artists, printers and various manufacturers will have to hired to design all the new paraphernalia: result increased employment. The downside, of course, is that tons of it will end up in the landfill, but the same is true of Easter Bunny paraphernalia. What do other bunnies think about this? There remains, still, the problem of rabbit mistreatment during the rest of the year.......

We send a special shout out  to our friend Hans of Furrybutts fame for rapid and full recovery from dental surgery.

Have a Good BunWeek Everybody.

Items

Item: I have finished some Moku Hanga toads;  the print is named Toad's Eye View.  Instead of doing gold leaf, I just painted in the eye with gold ink, I was too afraid of ruining an otherwise reasonable print. I've put one up for sale on Etsy (see left sidebar).  This action earns: 2 Nose Bumps from the Spots, there would be more but printing takes away from treat time.

Item: A 90 year old Italian woman was trapped for 2 days, when rescued and asked what she did the whole time, she answered that she crocheted. Always keep arts and crafts materials close at hand in case of emergency. This action earns: 5 Nose Bumps from the Spots.

Item: Despite my efforts to spend less at the Farmer's Market I have spent not much less. The reason being the music at the Market has taken a turn upward. Imagine if you will a woman playing a cello, a guy on an acoustic guitar who sings like Tome Waits on amphetamines, and a guy with a washboard. Got that? Now imagine them playing The Ramones "song" "I Wanna be Sedated" and you can actually understand the "lyrics". OK they get a dollar. Then there was this incredible duo; two guys one playing Pan pipes and the other supplying percussion by beating on a box and blowing a whistle. Fabulous, they got a dollar too. This actions earns: 5 Nose Bumps to each group from the Spots for kicking standards up a notch and a thump for me for not buying the favorite salad mix.

Item: I have to do my taxes today, I was going to get them done yesterday but, as you may know, we had no internet because several fiber optic cables got cut....... Taxes get: 5 Thumps from the Spots, they don't like numbers so very much either.

Hoppy Weekends

Errrrr...Tuesday Bunday

The Spots and I tried for the traditional Monday Bunday post, we really did. The Spots had written a bang up restaurant review and we had some great footage to go along with it, but as luck, or lack of it, would have it I couldn't get it loaded; just blackness with the time ticking away along the bottom. We refuse to take this as an ominous sign. Instead I offer a couple of pix from the Spots rose eating session. Rose petals are still on the top of the list for treats. I tried to find some packaged treats for rabbits that could do in a pinch and was disappointed to find they all had corn syrup or some sort of sweetener in them. Since then I have experimented with drying Rose petals in the sun and the Spots approved of these heartily. 

Sydney pushes her brother away (bottom left) to grab a floral bite

We have found, too, from a friend on Bunspace (see the Spots here and here) that rabbits enjoy the branches as well (thorns removed). Just to see what the big deal was I ate a Rose petal and found it quite good. It does taste mildly like it smells with a lingering atmosphere of rose. It has a wonderful mouth feel and slightly astringes the mouth in a not unpleasant way. I found a recipe for Rose Petal scones that I'm going to try when I get my grain mill up and running (I have to buy some Spelt). Though I will substitute almonds for pistachios and leave off the icing.... Tyler and Sydney will disapprove of that use of Roses, I am sure......

Tyler has an eye for Roses

With THREE WEEKS off for Spring Break I am working hard every day on a print. When I am carving away the Spots like to come in and gnaw on wood under the bed, we make very similar sounds. This time the print is of a toad, which, like the Spots, has spots, or as Tyler calls them, splots. The photo is a proof with two colors and black, the colors are way too dark, but I just wanted to see if everything fit. Because I am messy and confined to small space, I had close at hand some paper with bright blue Rhinos from a print that didn't work out, I printed a couple of toad proofs and found later that I loved the way the bright blue looked with the other colors printed sort splotchy. I carved another block of stylized foliage to fit in front and in back of the toad and to print in the light blue. I think if I do the other colors with plenty of Nori (rice paste medium) I can consistently reproduce the look I am after. I am trying to do the eye with gold leaf. I need a little practice at this.......

First proof-way too dark and I am nixing all blue in the areas except for a thin line on the belly. Also need to accentuate the splots on the body and improve leafing technique.

Not perfect, certainly, but I am finding the bright blue too yummy to resist, must have it!!!!! I like the Rhinos, but I think thoughtfully designed foliage will wear better. 

Have a enjoy another week in the Rabbit Centered Universe.

Thump Day

Shhh, Tyler is cleaning Sydney's ears!

There is a house just down the block on the other side of the street. It's a two story with a red door. Posted on the front, next to the red door, is a 1 by 4 foot sign that reads "Torture is Wrong". The woman who lives there is very enthusiastic about organic farming and cow shares: eat local, know your source, grow everything you can; that sort of thing. And I quite approve. She is even putting large planter boxes in her front yard with herbs in them for neighborhood use. It all seems very well and good. On the other hand she is raising rabbits for food. She has children and she has convinced them if they eat the rabbits they can let the rabbits have more babies and there will always be a supply of baby rabbits to play with and they won't have to put up with the infirmities of an older rabbit. (What will they do with her when she gets old and infirm?) Apparently, at one time she did have pet rabbit that required many trips to the vet as it got older. Emotionally, of course, I am horrified. Intellectually, I understand. People will eat meat. I eat meat. We try  to make sure that our meat is a clean source with humane treatment of the animal from birth to death. I wish I didn't eat meat, but to maintain any sort of energy level, it seems I must. I don't eat a lot, just enough. For goodness sake, the Dalai Lama eats meat, but probably not rabbit. Here's an interesting take on meat: When the Christian Missionaries were trying to convert the Tibetans they insisted that fish be eaten on Fridays, but, having done the math,  the Tibetans balked. If each living creature is a sentient being and a cow can feed 350 people and a fish only one, wouldn't it be better to eat the animal whose death provides the most food? I know there can be other math involved with meat like carbon foot print,  but the Tibetans weren't concerned about that. Back to the woman who lives in the house with the red door, there isn't anything that can be done, but we give her the maximum 5 THUMPS for her dietary habits. Just to be safe, I'll be keeping Tyler and Sydney away from that side of the street. They'd much rather break into the study than go outside anyway. 

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP

The Spots suggest you give your rabbits extra treats today.

Monday Bunday

Good Bunday to all, Tyler and Sydney are resting up from the Bunny Benefit Bash. Binks and visits to the salad bar can wear a bun out. We wish Cadbury and Bunnygirl a well deserved rest for the successful event, if you missed it you can catch the wrap up and see the video HERE.

"It sure was fun to see all our bunfriends and a soft snuggle is the best thing to come home to."

Saturday yielded the first red poppy of the year. Front yard is full of them, and the front strip, by the street is just poppies (carefully transplanted and thinned by, guess who?). This one is from one of the resting vegetable beds in a place that I tried to grow what turned out to be some very sad snow peas. The volunteer poppy was perfectly happy. 

There are also California poppies and Breadbox poppies that have popped up in the backyard, but no blooms from them yet....

Ready, Steady, GO!

Our friends Cadbury and Bunnygirl are hosting an on-line Bunny Benefit with a virtual band that is actually a book that Bunnygirl has written (she writes a lot of books). In case you don't know about this you can check out the band's site and read their stories HERE. Their name is Maelstrom and, well, it is all quite entertaining and funny! There's going to be a video with  40 bunnies from the rabbit blogosphere,  and that's a lot of lagomorphs to capture and cooordinate. Our hats off and ears up to BG and Cadbury for all their hard work. We'll see everyone at the party and will be donating some money to the choosen rabbit charity, Rabbit Rescue where our bunfriends Fez,  Norbert, Abbey and Miss Jack originated. 

We'll be looking for you at the party.

Thump Day

Hop Softly and Chew on a Big Stick

Rabbit services have returned to their pre-illness level, pen is clean and training will re-commence; Disapproval rating is slowly dropping. Yesterday, in a round-about way, I was informed that I will not be teaching next year, all part time teachers are being released. This has been my best year yet, I guess it is good to end on an up note. Life Drawing and Color Theory are finishing next week, then I teach Relief Printing  to the 9th grade, and so it will end. Since teaching is half my income I suppose I am only half worried. In the big picture of melting glaciers, homelessness, human and animal rights atrocities, and such like, it is a small thing. But the Spots may have to sacrifice their pricey salad mix until the local economic situation improves.

Monday Bunday

Humans are still fighting the URI (Upper Respiratory Infection) mentioned in previous post. It would seem to be a nationwide epidemic of sorts and by all accounts can last for three weeks. I seem to have mine minimized with herbs, supplements,  and sinus rinses, not having to resort to DayQuil or NightQuil, as, it would seem, most the population has. It is so slow in going away, the best thing so far has been laying out in the sun (with maximum skin exposed) and getting really warm then taking a nap, then, for awhile,  I feel like it's gone, but we haven't had the weather to implement this course of treatment with any regularity.  My students have partially taken to more hygienic practices in class and are especially fond of the hand sanitiser; cleaning hands with dramatic flourishes upon entering the classroom. It's a start.

Ahem, excuse us, but we'd like a word about the recent drop-off in services. The frequency of treats has dramatically plummeted and we are actually missing jumping in a lap for our dinner. Our pen could be a bit cleaner, too, what is up with the maid?

Do you see this foot?

(That's Sydney's foot)

And do you see this foot?

(This is Tyler's foot, pointing accusingly)

We are putting our feet down and they will be thumping 

if things don't turn around pretty soon!

Be good to rabbits everywhere.

Bunday Night at the Movies

Rabbits Eating Rose Petals

Monday Bunday

Prepare for lift-off

 or 

White Punctuated with Rabbit

A Post In Which........

This is a post in which I describe how I single-handedly took on public health at a small high school. I've been sick most of this week with a pretty ripping cold. It is the same disease, doubtless, that flies through the air at some 300 mph every time one of my students coughs and doesn't cover his or her mouth. It is the same one that exists in the tissues they do not throw away, and the same one that they share with each other via that communal bag of potato chips. Although I have only missed one day at school I have missed enough to my other job as Acupuncturist to total over $300. (I should say that the three days I taught I had my symptoms quite controlled with herbs and supplements, so I didn't feel like I was putting anyone more at risk than they already were.) But worse than loss of income I can't pet the rabbits, or do their training because rabbits can catch colds from humans, I read this in the House Rabbit book. And BF is quite unhappy that he may be the next victim. Today I presented my 11th grade Drawing class with the following:

I should say that students are encouraged to come to school sick for the morning classes, lest they miss an important experience. This certainly doesn't help keep the healthy population unexposed. It would seem, too, that although they have had some sort of health education in terms of sex and drugs and such like, the handling of contagious diseases of the respiratory sort has been overlooked. Once they voiced their opinion that I was just mad because I got sick, they did have to concede that pretty much the whole school was sick because during morning exercise (a whole school activity) once one person coughed the whole school was coughing. A poll revealed that everyone except one girl had been sick in the 11th grade. I suspect her extended vacation in Mexico may have cooked the virus out.  I bought some very nice essential oil hand sanitizer and soap too, and some bleach wipes. Though I don't use bleach for cleaning myself I do have a certain respect for it in terms of germ extermination. Several years ago one of my brothers had a bone marrow transplant for a tricky cancer. I took care of him, post procedure, at "The Transplant House" where all the patients are walking around with someone else's parts. Caregivers had to keep the communal kitchen very, very clean and the rule was you had to wipe down all surfaces with bleach wipes. It is imprinted in my mind as something you do in an extreme circumstance; like epidemics. Although these purchased substances and my presentation brought a certain amount of mirth quite a few students used the hand sanitizer and everyone covered their cough (approximately one third of the class was coughing). I found out that another teacher was telling them to cover their mouths with their hands for coughing, this was not followed by the order to wash hands, resulting in a mass of germs on the hands that go all over desks, door knobs, etc.......(sigh......)  I put a flyer with a short explanatory note in every teacher's mail tray and invited them to follow suit. At the very least my classes will have a higher level of hygiene.......

Sydney says "Rabbits are self cleaning mammals, why can't humans follow our lead?"

Monday Bunday

From Above, A Bun Below......

Sydney is an active rabbit, quite a sprinter and a binker,  recently she has been doing a lot of bunny-ups, not sure what's up with that, no pun intended, and when she stretches out, she stretches across too. This has been my first week of being heavily scheduled for teaching, aside from not knowing if this my last year teaching because of budget cuts (well, budget balancing), and aside from having to scrounge or pay for a supplies because there are no more supplies funds, it has gone pretty well. I did have to confiscate a cigarette lighter which was going to turn into a classroom incendiary device, but that was rather exciting. And really this has been only the tip of the iceberg, this week because I could go on, but really I'm looking forward to a whole new week!

Have a great BunWeek yourself.

Monday Bunday: Training Update

I've made some adjustments in the Spots training program. For a while I had them jumping up on the couch, but became concerned that that was too much excitement for optimum digestion; it just didn't jibe with the precepts of Chinese Medicine with recommend quiet relaxation during meals. Now all training is done on the floor. With horses if you over train the animal will get "sour" and refuse to do what you ask it to. To avoid this I cut back and no longer intensively train at every meal. Now the twice a day pellet rations are fed in the pen, the only requirement is both rabbits have to let me give them a brief pet and touch their ears (remember ear touching is a bonding /your are sooooo dominant gesture). Tyler is good with this and often presents himself when he knows I'm coming with pellets, it is little harder for Sydney, but she is improving. Greens involve various numbers of  "paws on". Very occasionally I will get both rabbits in my lap munching away, more often they trade off perching on my leg and eating. Tyler is quite adept at this and Sydney will, after a bit of a warm up with two paws on, hop all the way on. Behavior outside of training includes Tyler demanding more pets and being more comfortable with me being close to him while this happens, as opposed to arm's length away. Sydney will come and see me if she suspects a treat may be involved and on finding there isn't will only retreat a  short distance, as opposed to simply running away in scorn. I think she is getting closer and closer to presenting herself for petting, but if Tyler is around she'll hop off; he is top bun. I must convince her that she, too, is top bun in my eyes.

Greens for Spots; both rabbits crowd into my lap to grab a bit of salad mix. Tyler pushes his way on first!

Lap feeding can get pretty crowded, but provides exciting and challenging photography conditions.

Here is Sydney having a good long perch and munch session. 

Tyler in perching pose, he seems quite comfortable.

This picture show why Tyler is sometimes known as "Mr. Whiskers" and sometimes as "Smudge Nose".

It is always Bunday in a Rabbit Centered Universe.

Global Art

The 12th graders have  class in which they both assemble a portfolio for college admission (if they need to do that) and do an oil painting  or long term drawing project. This year as a focus we participated in The Memory Project, follow the link to learn more, or be satisfied with knowing it connects orphans in third world countries with US students through the common language of art. Apparently receiving the portraits is a very powerful experience for these children, some of whom have never seen a photo of themselves, it is a sort of right of passage into adulthood. Or at least that is the way it is presented. On our end it, in some small way, makes a real connection with people in a different culture, resulting, perhaps,  in a change in consciousness regarding life on spinning ball of matter we call earth. We worked from photos of the kids, who in all but one case, were from Myanmar (AKA Burma). With instructions to be realistic with the faces, creative with the background and that it was OK to change hairstyles in the case of girls, the 12th graders intrepidly set forth. Lessons learned were that art takes a lot longer than you think and if you talk a lot you won't get a lot done. I attempted to give kind but accurate feed back with emphasis on keeping the faces recognizable........I think they did a pretty good job and I hope their art brings some joy.

Top left : last student done, very busy with portfolio to several different colleges already accepted to the School of Visual Arts in NYC. Top right: this student had been wanting to do oils for years and is now doing an oil painting project for SR. Project Presentation, Valedictorian of class, one of our Chinese students. Lower left: another first timer for oils, although slightly less sophisticated than the other pictures it has a charm and humor which is so like the artist himself, one of our Chinese students. Lower right: Afraid I did this one, the student did not come through with a passable picture (despite my best attempts to intervene), I did this in little than a day, it is water color and colored pencil, we will pretend that a student did it.

Left: so much detail in this one, student lavished attention on the picture, I think the love comes through. Middle: actually from a 10th grader on her own making up for a missed service learning trip, I wished she had been able to spend more time at school with me, but she was just too busy! Right: A new student to the 12th grade did this, she said she hadn't done any art since 4th grade, what are they teaching in schools these days?

Next time: More training with the Spots!!!!!!!!!

Monday Bunday: Treat Box

I tried to set up a little display, but Sydney barged in and went straight for the dried roses decorating the soap.

Firstly, we are constantly wishing our bunfriend, Fiona, a swift and thorough recovery from her digestive imbalance. 

Received recently from Nottingham, that's Nottingham as in England like in the Robin Hood stories, received recently from across the seas, a box. In that box was a little something perfect for everyone and everybun. Miss Eve and Neville's bunny slave, YowlYY, sent it to us as a thanks for the the little bun-bonding card I made for the happy couple. Many thanks to our Nottingham friends. Who says art doesn't pay? 

There was much milling around of rabbits, Sydney looking for the soap and Tyler wondering what all the excitement was about.

We got a card with a spotted bun on it; a box of dark chocolates (yum, yum, they are almost gone and the box itself is particularly excellent, I am looking forward to storing my rubber stamps it it), some absolutely wonderful, handmade, Rose geranium, soap, and two eggs of bunny treats (described in the card as "bunny crack" but described on the customs slip as rabbit treats).

Tyler wonders what is in the egg? He seems to remember having to deliver a number of these last Easter. Rabbits are lucky, they only have to work once a year.

 To me the whole rabbit blogosphere seems unique, though I am sure there are parallel blogospheres for other animals and interests, I do feel fortunate to have electronically connected with all my visitors. Such a kind, humorous and talented bunch of bunny slaves,bunnies (and all the rabbits are so photogenic), and rabbit friendly people,  you are! 

After sampling the contents of the egg, just one piece each, the Spots decide not to deliver these particular eggs elsewhere on Easter.

The other day, just to see who was next door in the blogo world, I hit the the "Next Blog" button, and well, Oh my goodness.......it is not as if I don't know such things exist, but I was rather shocked to have that sort of thing going on right next door! Okay back to work. Enjoy the rabbit centered universe.

Around Here

AROUND HERE

YOU HAVE TO BE

ALWAYS READY 

FOR YOUR CLOSE-UP OR MUGSHOT

Favorite Place

A fine and private place; note: sea grass square and bag for immediate dental satisfaction

Although Tyler and Sydney do a lot of things together, like hang under the table on the double occupancy  snoozy pad, they do have separate interests which they pursue with lagomorphic tenacity. Tyler is quite fond of cardboard, Sydney would rather destroy the back of the couch (or what is left of it). He likes the closet, she prefers the study. Tyler likes, in the mid morning, to be under the bed and chewing anything. This is his space, Sydney rarely joins him.

The usual suspect, or one of them.

 Sometimes during feeding she will hop away and do binks while he is eating. Now how strange is that? Just the other night he was eating the preferred Organic Spring Mix from my hands and she was in the enclosure doing the craziest bun dance, and there really is not a lot of room in there.  Both buns wear their sunglasses all the time, mighty suspicious.

BunDesign

Called up on the Carpet.

Magic Carpet Ride.

Carpet Baggers.

Sweep it Under the Rug.

Spots Watch TV

Sometimes the Spots like to watch TV, depending on what is on. They don't like explosions and loud action flicks or much to Boyfriend's disappointment Tennis (Bandit LOVED Tennis), but documentary or quieter programs will bring them out onto the carpet.

Being unborn or a small tot for some Nixon's shenanigans, I was interested in the early years that formed the president, who in general I don't like, but who essentially brought acupuncture and Chinese Medicine to the US.

 Here they are watching the Nixon documentary that was on the PBS last night. A hay cube snack, just in case a nibble is needed is close at paw. Tyler watches out of one eye, Sydney approaches the matter with one ear up.

The Spots ask what happened to Checkers and were particularly interested in Nixon's skill at Poker which he employed while stationed in the Solomon Islands during WWII. He won several thousand dollars which he sent back to California to fund his next political campaign. 

Monday Bunday

Tyler's ears: always active, speak volumes, perceive noises imperceptible to humans.

Sydney's nose: so black,  so imperious, it cannot be denied.