Knowledge is Power

Roald Amundsen, in Alaska about 1925

On PBS this week, Nova aired Arctic Passage : Ice Survivors about about Roald Amundsen's successful expedition through the Northwest Passage in about 1905.

He made it chiefly because he studied before he left--He read everything he could get his hands on about previous expeditions, including the failed Franklin expedition. He knew what worked, and what failed ... and he made adjustments, accordingly :

* He bought a smaller ship to navigate the shallow and narrow passageways.
* He altered his route to avoid ice flows
* He learned from the Inuit how to survive in that Arctic desert.
* He learned fur was warmer than wool
* He learned snow shelters ("igloos") were cozy and warm inside, despite frigid temps outside
* That sledge runners need to be coated properly to glide effortlessly over any terrain.

Just think what could be accomplished if people took the time to study up, and learn from the people who already know ... why we could do anything in this world!

Amundsen is a great example of "Knowledge is power." I like to think he must have been a great library user. (What can I say--I'm a Librarian by profession.)

Dr. Zhivago : Another Great Winter Film

Lara's Departure


Winter Scenes -- for those of you who've been away from snow for too long.

The Coldest Day of the Year ...

When I was a kid in the early 1980s, I remember a blizzard blowing outside, while a sandstorm raged on the tv as we watched Lawrence of Arabia ...



It was so cold that weekend, we all slept in the living room, and closed off the upstairs of that drafty old farmhouse.

I had inadvertently forgotten about the goldfish in my room. When I thought of it, there were chunks of ice floating in his bowl -- looked like slush. The amazing thing is that he was mostly OK when he thawed out--must explain why fish survive winters in a frozen lake ...

Gift from a Summer's Day

On the coldest of January winter days, I offer this gift from last summer.

One day before I left for work last August, I saw this single leaf, hanging by an invisible spider's thread. It was dancing and twirling in the breeze. I was mesmerized. It made me stop and notice this small and amazing thing ... so take a breath ... slow down, and appreciate the gift this moment was.

I hope it captures you for a moment, too. Enjoy!

World AIDS Day - What can a 7yo do? [or Planting the Seeds for Making a Difference]

I know I'm late with this one. December 1 is long past ... but the fight for awareness and a cure for AIDS goes on all year.

We've been watching RENT. I got the DVD and soundtrack for Christmas. Oliver really likes some of the songs, too--especially "Rent."

At 7-1/2 years old, the story is a little above his head [rated PG-13]. He hasn't seen the whole thing yet, but he plays the first 3 songs over and over and over. And we play the parts for the different characters--it's fun!

This weekend, he was asking about the characters and what happens to them (he still hasn't seen the whole thing). We started to explain HIV/AIDS, that some of the characters had this disease that knocks out their immune systems ... 1 character died ; 1 was sick at the end ; a few others had it, but were not sick. The rest of the group didn't have it.

Oliver would ask during the opening credits while they are all on stage singing "Seasons of Love," "Does he have it? ... What about him?"

Later, after supper, Oliver seemed pretty glum and quiet. He was working things out ... When he went to bed, the story he told Papa was about going to the rain forest to find a cure for AIDS. He talked with the local people and found "a red flower with an orange root." He brought home some of the seeds and grew them in greenhouses, and developed it into a drug to cure AIDS. Then the President of the United States gave him a gold medal, dinner in a nice restaraunt, and lots of money ...

I told him that if he could find a cure for AIDS, it would help millions of people in this world--not just the people who are sick with it, but their families and friends, too. He would be a hero.

I am pleased we are raising a kid with compassion for humanity. He doesn't know about "gay plagues" and the hate that has dogged people with AIDS. He sees the characters in RENT as people he likes, and he worries about them enough to want to find a cure for AIDS. WOW! Rent IS a powerful musical.

Maybe everyone should see it?

Get more information on World AIDS Day here and here.

"Ah, What Noodles, Boys" *

Our friend Vicki M. invited Oliver over to make home-made noodles.
He's been working the pasta machine for clay projects, so the equipment was nothing new to him. It was great fun!


The dough is a simple mixture of 2 cups flour, blended with 2 eggs, salt, and a little water until it's the right consistency.

Then they run it through the pasta machine a few times, sprinkling it with more flour, again until it's the right consistency--which is why it's a good idea to do this with someone who knows what they are doing.

With successive passes through the pasta machine, the dough gets thinner and more spread out. Finally we could run it through the spaghetti spindles :




We use a wooden dowel to catch the noodles as the come off the pasta machine. This also makes for an easy transfer to the drying rack.


The next task is to separate all the noodles on the drying rack so they don't stick together as they dry.


Vicki and Oliver with their Noodles!


This is the batch of dry noodles we brought home.


The Happy Chef with his bare noodles!


These noodles are also delicious with Renaissance Farms Pesto and the Sartori Asiago Cheese made by my cousin, Mike Matucheski.

My mom remembers her Bohemian grandmother making noodles when she was a kid. She said the kitchen was draped with noodles drying on every available surface. What a memory!

Vicki is wearing the apron her mother wore so many years ago. She gave Oliver the apron she used to wear all those years ago. We knew this was a moment for making memories!

* The quote in this post's title is from an Italo Calvino short story called "All at One Point" in his book, Cosmicomics. Listen to it at This American Life ("All at One Point" starts about 48 minutes into the hour, if you don't want to listen to the whole show.) Mrs. Fink always seemed to be making noodles ... "The only one of us that none of us has forgotten ... "Oh, if I only had some room, how I'd like to make some noodles for you boys" ...

Happiness

In case you're wondering what we DO with all that home-made vanilla in the last post ...
CL loves to bake cookies, and keep the home fires burning (literally).





Here are some things that make me happy :


Read Maggie's story here.
She's the original "Comeback Kid" in Dog form. She makes me happy, because she's a dog so full of JOY these days. What a difference from when we got her 2-1/2 years ago.

Oh yeah--and Oliver, too. This is what makes Oliver happy :
Pikachu, Dungeons & Dragons, and Little Blankie.

Real Vanilla (DIY)

The basic ingredients :
151 Rum (or Vodka)
* This is not for drinking.
* You need something with enough alcohol to pull the flavor out of the vanilla beans.

Real Vanilla Beans (4-6 beans) Try Penzey's.


Open the bottle of rum.
Pry off the flame-retardant cap.


Slice the vanilla beans length-wise.


Scrape out the seeds.
Take a moment to ENJOY the wonderful smell!


Drop both the pod/husk and the seeds into the open bottle of rum.

Then let it all cure quietly for 2 months.
On the bottle, write the date (2 months from now) when your Real Vanilla will be ready.

We use this in baking.
1 bottle lasts us about 1 year.
1 bottle of real vanilla costs about $30 for ingredients.

The Audacity of Hope

Never before have I felt like I wanted a picture of an elected official in my living room -- until now.

Doesn't he look like someone you could actually talk to, someone who actually listens? who inspires? I know we all have our work cut out for us in the coming years.

I am hopeful for a better world.

[Photos from the Barack Obama website.]

Marriage = Heart + Heart

Up until now, I've tried to keep Hidden Passages non-political. But I can't stand it anymore ... I have to speak up. On 37 Days, Patti Digh gave a call to action to become an advocate, to make a difference. "We want to counter those images and messages of divisiveness, exclusion and prejudice with images of inclusion, equality and acceptance." So here is my passionate stance :

Marriage = Heart + Heart.
Love is Love. It's as simple as that.

Gender doesn't come into it at all. Religion doesn't come into it at all (or it doesn't have to). I simply do not buy the Bible-thumping arguments about morality. It's bunk.

I'm still floored that the good people of my own state (Wisconsin) voted in favor of adding an (anti-) marriage amendment to our state constitution. This means our constitution now says that it's perfectly ok to discriminate against a whole group of people who don't number enough to make their own majority.

It is NOT okay. Gay people have hopes, dreams, loves, joys, fears and sorrows just like the rest of us. They ARE the rest of us. We're ALL in this world together. If a couple wants to celebrate their committment to each other, that should be supported.

My little family is NOT threatened by the gay couple down the street. In fact, I worry about their stability in a society that doesn't support their relationship. THAT instability is what threatens my little family, what threatens all of us.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." --Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I truly believe this is an issue of civil rights and human rights and social justice.

"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more... by Jack Black

While I like the sentiment, talking in a language conservative elements understand means framing it in economic terms. I prefer to appeal to the heart. Whatever works ... These hateful efforts will be defeated.