Yesterday we had our first snow here.

In New England.

In December.

In the cold.

Really very cold.

Today in the otherwise hibernating flower bed in front of my house?

I’m a busy lady with two small children, volunteer activities, after school sports and an up and coming career in writing.  Neglect is no stretch of the imagination for me which made my experiment all the more enticing.  Easier — considering the fact that overhauling my summer garden drained me to the bone.

And so it happened.  One afternoon, after a full day of tilling and mound shoveling, I spied my leftover watermelon rows and thought, there’s no way.  The tiller is due back at the rental store, my back is aching, and my husband is staring at me, the question clear in his eyes, Are we through here?

Yes.  We’re through here.  I have no desire to weed and till another inch let alone a ten by seventy patch of garden!  Besides, I’ve nothing to plant in these last rows, so why bother excavating when all it will mean is more maintenance?  Come spring, if I want to expand, we can scrape these weeds clean with the tractor – a much easier prospect.  So it was settled.  I’d ignore this end of the garden until spring. 

Over the next week, tiny shoots of watermelon broke through the ground.  Admittedly my first thought was more grunt than anything, but I quickly put the annoyance aside and admired the little cuties, reminding myself I was NOT weeding that section.  No problem.

Next thing you know, the vine is meandering into my peanuts, flowering, and out pops a miniature watermelon!  The kids noticed it first, with hoots of excitement (apparently, they find this sweet and delectable fruit more enticing than the cabbage and broccoli we were currently planting).  Not wanting to spoil their fun, I joined in and exclaimed my admiration, “Look at those beautiful stripes of green!”

It wasn’t until my son’s family birthday party when the real excitement broke out.  Everyone was in attendance, kids running wild in the backyard – we have plenty of them, ages five to fifteen – whereby my little “authority on everything,” intent on extolling his knowledge and know how to the others, led them to the garden.  Much to his delight — success!  Not only were they amazed he knew the name of each plant, bean and herb, he was also growing watermelon.  Watermelon! 

Well, grab the basket and run tell your parents, this kid’s got his own watermelon patch!  Unbelievable!  Indulging the children’s enthusiasm, the adults trailed after to see what all the fuss was about and sure enough, my son had already clipped and claimed a pretty good-sized watermelon for the harvest basket. 

Everyone oooohed and aaaahed over the specimen, and a nephew asked me for instruction on how to clip basil.  Pleased by his interest though surprised by his choice, I began to explain – until suddenly, my heart stopped.  From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of another nephew leaping over rows as if he were running an obstacle track! 

I hollered at him, “Stop!” while at the same time, my niece called out for permission to cut another melon.  My attention duly divided, I couldn’t respond until — thankfully – my son took over the job of teaching his cousin how to correctly traverse the rows. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, I turned to see her ripping the fruit from the vine.  “Take it,” I murmured.  It’s yours, now.

Returning to the task at hand, I showed him how to pinch the basil, the only part he wanted.  To our left, kids were swimming for sweet potatoes and to our right, they were snipping okra.  It was an amazing scramble of activity.

“Can I have this green pepper?” asked my sister-in-law.

“Sure.”

“Sissy, what’s this?”

I looked up to see her holding an eggplant.  Glancing up from the basil, my nephew ventured, “May I have a watermelon, too?”

Pleased everyone was enjoying the harvest, I replied, “Of course.”  But I can’t make any promises as to quality.  By the warm pleasure that swamped his expression, I’m not sure it mattered. 

He doesn’t know it isn’t watermelon season!

At supermarkets today we can get most fruits and vegetables all-year round no matter what the season. Convenient, yes, but what are we really getting when we choose to buy out-of-season fruit and veg?

Buying produce that would normally be out of season in our country means that it has either been imported from another country or grown in heated greenhouses. Both processes create carbon emissions, which is bad news for the environment.

Extra Food Miles

In the 1990s the term ‘Food Miles’ was coined by Dr Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at London’s City University. Food Miles refers to the distance a foodstuff has travelled from the farm to our plate, which is then calculated in terms of impact on the environment.

Food Miles don’t take in to account all the energy and materials used in growing, processing and packaging the food, but it does give us environmental food for thought.

For example, planes that import food generate 177 times more emissions than ships, but whichever way food arrives in our country it is then transported by HGV to the depot and then to the store. The final trip is the one you take to and from the supermarket.

In the UK, the transportation of food alone is responsible for 25% of the distance clocked up by HGVs. Buying food grown in your local area can cut this down dramatically, however this may not always be the case if you buy your local food from a supermarket.

Even food grown down the road from you may have had to travel to the supermarket’s central distribution depot before it comes back again to be put on the shelves in your store.

I am only scratching the surface of the environmental impact of out-of-season foods here, but if you want to know more, the article ‘Food Miles’ by Caroline Stacey on the BBCs Food pages expands on the issue.

Ever-Decreasing Nutrients

Other factors of importing fruit and veg, are the time it takes and the handling and storage that is involved. These can all affect the nutritional content of the food.

From the moment fruit and vegetables are harvested they begin to lose nutrients and taste. You’ll know this yourself if you’ve ever ‘grown your own’.

A carrot eaten minutes after being pulled from the ground is vibrant in colour, smells amazing, is crisp, juicy and full of taste. Each day that that carrot sits in a fridge, box or shelf, affects its quality. Its colour becomes dull as it begins to dry out, it loses its smell and taste, and eventually it becomes bendy. The invisible side-effect of this is the loss of nutrients.

Fruit and veg that has been imported can sit in storage containers, trucks or on supermarket pallets for days and weeks. During this time it can be exposed to oxygen, light and heat, all of which will rob nutrients.

Modified for Transport

Because food can spoil in the transportation process, through bruising from handling and packing, many fruits and vegetables have been modified to help them better survive the journey.

These modification have included thicker skins (which doesn’t do any favours for the taste) and changes to shape and size so they can fit more uniformly into their boxes.

Is it Really so Convenient?

So, yes, supermarkets are convenient, but when it comes to shopping for fruit and vegetables, it’s easy to see how these days more and more of us are steeping back and really starting to think about our choices.

Con el video que hoy pongo la neta me faltan siempre palabras. Lo pongo porque les quiero compartir una rola -y video- que siempre que escucho me conmueve y me parte la madre. Es una mezcla perfecta de nostalgia y melancolía, si están dispuestos podrán sentir ambas.

Les dejo a Beth Gibbons y Rustin´Man con Mysteries.

Así es, ambos eran/son de Portishead, otra banda para la que sobran las palabras.

from: eurekalert.org

“Mary had a little lamb, but only once a year. However, Cornell Sheep Program researchers have discovered an unusual form of a gene that prompts ewes to breed out of season as well as conceive at younger ages and more frequently.

They conducted a simple genetic test to identify the presence of the unusual form of the gene, the so-called M allele that other researchers had suspected might be correlated with out-of-season fertility, in their test flock and then validated the gene’s relationship with aseasonal breeding by observing that trait in the flock.

The finding, published in the August issue of the Journal of Animal Science (Vol. 87, No. 8), may be a boon for the sheep industry worldwide, especially when combined with the Sheep Program’s STAR system – a method to manage ewes to lamb five times in three years rather than once a year.”

Full Article Here

Για την Beth Gibbons συστάσεις δεν χρειάζονται. Η ονειρική και σπαρακτική φωνή της, στοιχειώνει τα εφηβικά μας όνειρα, ξερνώντας από τα ηχεία  “Nobody Loves Me” με τη συνδρομή των Portishead. Το 2002 η Beth έκανε μια μικρή στάση. Πήρε το φίλο της Rustin Man και μαζί έγραψαν το Out Of Season. Αφήνοντας κατά μέρους τα trip hop κατάλοιπα, το album είναι σχεδόν σε ολόκληρη την έκταση του acoustic. Σκοτεινό και μελαγχολικό, έρχεται για να επιβεβαιώσει (για άλλη μια φορά) το πόσο σπουδαία φωνή είναι η Beth Gibbons. Enjoy… 3,5/5.

outofseason.virtek.com

myspace.com/bethgibbonsoutofseason

The classic Caribbean honeymoon with the classic honeymoon pricetag.

Ah the honeymoon – a chance to relax post-wedding, and drink in your new-found coupledom in total peace and solitude. Oh no, what’s that knocking? Oh yes, it’s the Back Of Your Mind reminding you how much the honeymoon is costing you per minute.

There’s nothing fun about a holiday so ludicrously lavish that you spend it worrying about how you’ll ever clear your overdraft. So here’s how to honeymoon on a shoestring:

1. Keep it short. You don’t need to be a Nobel Prize winner to work out that a 3 day mini-break will be cheaper than 3 weeks away. A mini-break is long enough to breath out slowly, gossip about the wedding with your beloved and write your thank-yous.

2. Don’t be a lemming. If you choose popular honeymoon destinations and stay in honeymoon suites in honeymoon type hotels you’ll pay honeymoon prices. Try the Finnish Lakes rather than the Bahamas, Java rather than Barbados or Damascus rather than Marrakech. Anything that makes the Top Ten Honeymoon Destinations is likely to cost you.

3. Go out of season. If you insist on going to Hawaii, go May – June and September – December (before Christmas). Otherwise the Caribbean is off season (and hotter) from Spring – July.

White sand beaches can only truly be idyllic when they're as empty as this.

Look for low season discounts:

Asha Cottages is a tiny family-run boutique eco-hotel in Kenya with just five guest rooms During low season (now) B&B goes down to 50 euros per night per person. You can really easily just spend a week chilling there, getting massages, eating great food and lolling on the beach without it costing and arm and a leg. Yippee!

Asha Cottages, on Diani Beach on the South Coast of Kenya near Mombasa

5. Play the ethical card. Volunteering could be your way of affording a tropical destination. Oh, and yes, it might help you both be better people. Help out at orphanages, painting, cleaning, washing and preparing meals in Thailand, South Africa, Kenya and Fiji through Hands Up Holidays.

At least 10% of profits made are given back to community partners that you are involved with on your honeymoon. Sweet.

6. Lie. Pretend to your friends you’re going on honeymoon and then switch off the phones and create a holiday from life in your very own backyard. Bring on the take aways, roll out the DVDs.

Welcoming in Spring and Summer 

Do you find yourself rooting through back closets for suntan lotion and baseball caps, or through your storage shed for lawn chairs and charcoal, or maybe through your bottom drawers for shorts and t-shirts?

Make life easy on yourself and take an afternoon to “Do the Great Exchange”. It is the time of year to pack away the fall and winter clothes and stuff and unearth your spring and summer apparel and gear.

Begin with your clothes. While you’re at it, take a few extra minutes to sort and purge before you pack your fall and winter clothes away.

Do you remember the old 80/20 rule? It’s true! We do tend to wear 20% of our clothing 80% of the time. As you take the time to sort and purge you’re off season clothes, make it your goal to purge a higher percentage of your clothing so that you LOVE and KEEP what you will actually wear. Don’t you love it when you’re on vacation and you have a suitcase filled with all of your favorite clothes? It simplifies both your choices and your laundry.

If you’re having a difficult time figuring out if you should keep a specific item of clothing, ask yourself the following questions:

Is the item in good condition? Does it have stains or tears or is it too worn? Can it (or will it) be mended? Is it still in style?

• Do I love it, or even like it? Does it make me feel great to wear it?
• When was the last time I wore this? If you didn’t wear it last season, you probably won’t wear during the next season!
• How many do I currently own of this type of item? How many do I realistically wear or need?
• Does it fit? If not, is it within a reasonable number of size ranges of my current size to keep it?

Now that you have determined which fall and winter clothes you will be holding on to, it’s time to consider where to store them. If space allows, simply move the off season clothing to the back of the closet, bringing the spring and summer clothes to the front of the closet. Then, rotate them back as the season’s change. Alternatively, you can move your off season clothes from your closet to a spare closet. If you don’t have room within a closet, consider purchasing a freestanding closet to store in your finished basement, finished attic or guestroom. Finally, you can store your off season clothes in a bin labeled with your name and “Fall/Winter Clothes”.

Before storing away off-season clothes, take these 3 simple steps to protect them: Clean, Contain, and Repel.

• Clean – Moths and carpet beetles are the primary pests that can cause damage, and they are attracted to natural fibers like wool and cotton. They also feed on organic stains. Always clean clothes before storing them away.
• Contain – in a clean, dark and dry location, such as a closet, freestanding closet, storage box or bin to deter pests
• Repel – Use all natural cedar to repel pests

It’s also the perfect time to take note of any clothing needs for next fall and winter and take advantage of those last winter clearance sales.

Next, switch out the snow suits, gloves and hats for the beach towels, goggles, and suntan lotions. Find a home for these items near the front door, where you will be coming and going all spring and summer.

Clean off the snow boards, skis, and sleds and store them away for the summer, while pulling out the volleyball nets, croquet and badminton set, lawn chairs, and charcoal.

The rain IS  going to stop! And you will be ready to enjoy the season.

Happy (and organized!) Spring.

THIRD (2008)

No se como paso pero se nos fue el pedo para subir este disco, ahora ya esta completa la coleccion; aunque tardaron 10 anios en entregarlo no perdieron ni tantita onda a pesar de todo lo que se pensaba. Portishead volvio con este discote que experimento mucho con la onda industrial. Dejen sus coments si les gusta… o sino tambien.

http://www.mediafire.com/?dyh34mjjmdz

PORTISHEAD – ROSELAND NYC LIVE (1998)

Portishead acompaniado por los 22 musicos de la Orquesta Filarmonica de NY, ufff, grabado en directo en esta presentacion y acompanado en un principio por un video VHS (jajaja) y despues reeditado con un DVD con videos y el short film con el que se dio a conocer la banda To Kill a Dead Man, definitivamente mi disco favorito, les recomiendo buscar el DVD vale muuucho la pena.

 PORTISHEAD – PORTISHEAD (1997)

Su segundo album los consolida como uno de los grupos mas influyentes de la segunda mitad de los 90’s y amplia su base de seguidores. Toda una joya al igual que el primero.

PORTISHEAD – DUMMY (1994)

Uno de los discos mas representativos del genero, que hizo que el movimiento de Bristol alla en los mid 90’s ganara respeto y notoriedad en todo el mundo. Con atmosferas densas y oscuras, voces intrigantes y desgarradoras, el uso de scratches y musica de pelicula le valio al grupo ganar el Mercury Prize en el 95, sus canciones se usaron y se siguen usando en comerciales, programas de TV y peliculas.
Dummy dejo en claro que este grupo tenia mucho que aportar a la musica: Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow y Adrian Utley toman el nombre de la banda de la localidad naviera del mismo nombre a unos kilometros de distancia donde crecio Barrow.

Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man – Out Of Season (2002)

 Este es el bonus que no debe de faltar, si bien aqui Beth Gibbons, voz y alma de Portishead se acompania del bajista Paul Webb alias Rustin Man, entrega un trabajo mucho mas desnudo y acustico, acentuando todas las emociones que puede transmitir su melodiosa y desgarradora voz. Disfrutenlo… o sufranlo ja.

A couple of days ago, I was on someone else’s site and once again found a sidebar page that was titled Twenty Things About Me. I always read those because I find them interesting as well as informative. At one point, I found one that said, 101 Things About Me. Found that number somewhat intimidating, but also envied the individual the courage to do such a thing.

Decided I would do a 101 list in increments and today will be the first twenty. I have not prewritten any of this, haven’t even thought about it until this moment. So here goes:

1. I take my name very seriously. I do not like being called Liz under any circumstances. I chose to be Elizabeth as an adult, after being called Betty as a child. I did that for very good reasons that have to do with definitions. A  shortened version of my name narrows that definition, considerably.

2. I love words and writing. That should be obvious to anyone who comes here, but sometimes it is best to state the obvious.

3. I have made it one of my purposes to encourage others to write. I truly believe it is one of the healthiest and cheapest forms of therapy available. Besides, I really don’t want to be doing this alone. It’s a good idea to also state ones ulterior motives in order to lessen shock value later on.

4. I love Chocolate. Milk chocolate to be exact, and especially when it is crossed in any form with caramel, nuts (especially pecans), or coconut.

5. I was recently diagnosed with diabetes, which makes number 4 a true tragedy, but one that I have found is still workable in moderation.

6. I believe in the subconscious mind, as well as the collective unconscious. I have spent a great deal of my existence exploring both and find them paths to untold and incredibly rewarding adventures.

7. Because of number 6, I believe in the deep value of symbolism, mythology, dream work, story (written or spoken), connective links between all things, and several other areas that don’t necessarily have a mainstream value with the majority of people. I also believe in the necessity of building bridges.

8. I am opinionated, but also a good listener. I have been known to change my mind and am willing to admit when I’ve gotten it all wrong.

9. I think that laughter is the best healing medicine the human race owns. Used regularly, it ranks right up there with apples, but is also readily available and still free out of season.

10. One of the things I look for in others is the ability to laugh at self. That is far more telling than all the knowledge of a lifetime. That, for me, is true wisdom.

11. I have seven grandchildren, 3 grandsons, and 4 granddaughters. One I have never met, and another who is a stepchild from a former relationship. I love them all and miss them. They are each incredible individuals with tremendous potential.

12. I love going for long drives to nowhere, committing gluttony of the eye, and fishing. Not in that particular order, and they are even better when they are engaged in spontaneously.

13. I am of Native American descent on my Mother’s side and truly recognize the kinship we humans share with all living things. I also have totem animals and even believe they speak to me when I listen.

14. Music is, and always has been, an integral part of my existence. I am drawn by song lyrics that speak to me of my own experience, and my tastes are somewhat eclectic, ranging from country to funky instrumentals.

15. Writing poetry is a natural part of breathing.

16. I am fairly new to blogging and it is still a strange new world I am exploring and loving. I hope that continues.

17. I have an incredible number of friends, both online and in real time. They encourage and support me, and I reciprocate in kind. I have a tendency to view these relationships as a secret hidden treasure that I horde, defend, and protect jealously.

18. Although I am open to new things, I have to consider my physical capabilities which have decreased with the passing of the years. That only means I am willing to make adjustments and do, quite often.

19. I dread the idea of ever being confined to a wheelchair because it will inevitably narrow my choices considerably. On the other hand, one of the funniest experiences I have had was when a friend was propelling me through the doors of an elevator, in a wheelchair, and managed to get me in the chair, stuck in the closing doors. Another friend simply walked away refusing to admit any connection with either of us as we laughed uproariously and made a public spectacle to boot.

20. I love ice cream, especially the varieties that have a ribbon of fudge or caramel running through them. Because of that particular passion, I have an inordinate number of clean plastic tubs, with covers, in my kitchen cupboards. Do you have leftovers? I have a container for you, do you want to be my friend?

Click here to shop after Christmas from your favorite online retailers such as Old Navy, Rocawear, Phat Farm, JCPenney, Aeropostale, Chico’s, White House | Black Market, Hollister, ICE.com, Circuit City, Best Buy, Limoges, Zales, Target, Torrid, Missphit, ESPRIT, American Eagle, Sephora, Folica, Ulta, bebe, Pink Mascara, Shopbop, Amazon.com, GbyGuess, Revolve Clothing, Designs by Stephene, LiLash, Wal-Mart, Sears, Toys R Us, Babies R Us, Bluefly, Martin + Osa, Pink Ice, Macy’s, Shoes.com, Endless.com, Zappos, Heels.com, Beautorium, SkinStore, SpaLook, SkinCareRx, Skin Botanica, Anne Michele, Wet Seal, Singer 22, Liz Claiborne, Urban Outfitters, Chadwicks, Metrostyle, Bare Necessities, Vivre, Dr. Jays, Baby Phat, Sean John, Apple Bottoms, AND MANY MORE!

Note: Most sales will appear AFTER Christmas.

If you don’t see your favorite store listed, don’t fret! Please be sure to bookmark to the page, because we’ll updating it hourly.

The river is frozen over now
A winter dream
Suppressing a silent scream
It is so long I think
Since I last saw the sun

Too long.
I hold my breath
Awaiting its return
Longing for something,
Anything to happen

Then I reflect that some
Spend their entire lives
In this way
Waiting for something
Anything to happen

Maybe life, maybe death
And something snaps inside me
And I don my skates
And I surge forward
Shooting across the ice
Liberated of expectation

I want to go into hibernation. I want to return to my childhood home, to lie in my double bed beneath a feather filled duvet, my cat curled up on my chest, staring at the ceiling, listening to radio four. Woman’s Hour, The Moral Maze, The Afternoon Play. This would be the means by which I would measure out my days. Utterly passive, utterly peaceful.

The only problem is that he does not eat from the menu he is proposing

He is a millionaire many times over from his TV celebrity status and a chain of restaurants he owns. He wants his country, the UK, to ban out-of-season produce like strawberries from Kenya. Instead, he argues, all produce should be sourced locally. In fact, he wants the government to fine restaurants that serve out of season food.

Only problem is, his restaurants source food from all over the world. This, even after he made his statement on the state of food sourcing in the UK.

Guardian story