Tim Kivi

I went to the supermarket today (South Australia) and there were huge crowds today; it's even busier than the day before Christmas. People are no longer panic-buying toilet paper but are now panic-buying meat and other foods. I'm not worried as I'd like to get rid of all the old carbohydrates on my shelves anyway.

If I had to store food because shopping became extremely inconvenient, my priorities would be:

1. Legumes, because they contain (1) protein, (2) fibre, (3) carbohydrates, and (4) count as a vegetable serve. Australians are most deficient in vegetables.
2. Long-life milk, for calcium.
3. Canned oily fish, for omega 3.
4. Preserved fruit, for vitamins.
5. Leafy green vegetables could grow in the garden, for micronutrients and fibre.
6. Nuts and seeds, for healthy fats.

These would cover all my nutritional needs. It's kinda interesting to see some people stocking up on chips and ice cream instead.

I looked at my blueberry plant and I didn’t want to risk harming it because it’s nowhere near as tall as the one in the video.

Today I’ve tried my usual method to see if it’ll work: put a cutting in potting mix, protect with a PVC pipe topped with a plastic cup to keep in moisture, and water daily. We’ll see if it works.

‘Easter’ is very clearly an ancient spring festival that permeates all the major religions of the Middle East, just under a different story with a similar meaning of a ‘new beginning’. It’s no coincidence, and what’s interesting is that this is the most important time for all three monotheist religions. Here are the dates for 2020:

Nowrooz, 20 March (Persian new year. Most important day in Iran even today).
Passover, 8 April
Easter, 12 April
Ramadan, 23 April

All have their own greeting but all spring from the same origin.

From what I’ve read there’s nothing toxic about aluminium for cooking or baking.

I don’t know why there’s even a wwoofing category here. People go onto the actual wwoofing websites to find a wwoof host or volunteer; if not it seems they’re either being a penny-pincher to avoid the small membership fee or are trying avoid accountability. Wwoofing is a paid service but anyone can view the many host profiles for free.

When I view the international wwoofing pages I get so excited, easily able to plan out 15 years of my life on the back of a napkin by writing the farms I’d love to stay with in very many countries. The Permies forum is very quiet in comparison, and almost entirely American-focused.

Mick Fisch wrote:Would it make sense to say, 'well, your culture says that you can beat your wife, so I guess we need to allow that, but we'll throw this other guy in jail for beating his'.  No matter how much you loosen up the rules, there will always be someone standing on the outside yelling, "Hey my behavior is only a little worse, I should be accepted also."  The logical endpoint of that is that everything including mass murder and caniballism is accepted.  You're probably thinking "Oh, that would never happen, cause I know right where the rule should go."  Well, I am seeing things now that 40 or 50 years ago would have been inconceivable.  Just cause you get accepted doesn't mean the next guy is going to stop pushing for his acceptance, and the next, and the next.  There will always be people who push the edge and people who go way out of bounds.  Society, as a group of people, has a right to protect itself.  In a democratic republic, the majority generally gets to make the rules.

Spot on.

I remember reading how in Norway some place held a childrens’ multicultural soccer match to celebrate multiculturalism. When the boys of a certain culture learnt that there’d be- shock horror- girls included, they refused to play until all girls were removed. Boys and girls playing sport together offended their cultural and religious sensibilities. The aboriginal Norwegians refused segregation, and the soccer match was cancelled as a result.

Be very careful wwoofing on Mfangano Island, Kenya.

I got scammed there years ago, and noticed there are many wwoofing hosts on Mfangano now. A bit strange for such a small, impoverished community where even internet is very hard to access there. But my host advertised on wwoofing and other sites too. Here’s a summary of what I experienced myself or witnessed:

1. Host asks for money, because they’re poor. Wwoof hosts aren’t supposed to be paid though.

2. Things get stolen from your locked room during the day while you’re out doing your volunteer work. Host has key to your room but says he has no idea how someone could get in. Maybe you’re just imagining that your stuff is gradually going missing?

3. Host needs money for something urgent, but will have to travel very far to reach a bank. He asks to ‘borrow’ some money, but you’ll never see that money again.

4. Very short term volunteers have things stolen very quickly, like their shoes being stolen outside their room. Longer-term volunteers have things stolen at a slower pace.

5. Host invites volunteer to buy land in this paradise. Local land laws mean foreigners can’t buy land, so the land will be in your host’s name. You’re now at their mercy because they now have your mo way and full legal rights to the land. Sounds stupid but I met some westerners who had actually ‘bought’ land on Mfangano based on a handshake.

People often feel guilty about writing a negative review of a host. There are still good experiences along the way. I never wrote about this until now, and it happened to me a decade ago.

Ryan Hobbs wrote:Yup. Speaking of which, I'm planning to start saying Blessed Solstice to people since many of the holidays land on or near the Winter Solstice. It's a little more understanding without being Hyperinclusive. Most cultures around the world celebrate the Winter Solstice. Hopefully, it will be a bridge for people of different faiths.

Oh dear. What about us Southern Hemispherians who are celebrating the Summer Solstice during that time? We feel left out by your ‘Winter Solstice’ remarks. The most offended among us Southern Hemispherians are those of us who choose to go live in the northern hemisphere and have to hear references to ‘winter’ in December. We’ll welcome your winter references and greetings if made in June, July or August of course, and will commend you for your inclusiveness.

We especially commend you for using the hemispherically neutral greeting of ‘Blessed Solstice’. Please omit any reference to winter when making it.

Sincerely,

Self-appointed representative of the Southern Hemisphere League of the North.

A few weeks ago I mulched heavily with fresh arborist wood chips. I’ve seen on tv that using freshly chopped wood as mulch can cause yellowing if leaves. Some of my leaves are falling off too.

I’m wondering if this is something that is able to kill the trees and plants, or if it’s just a temporary problem that will fix itself as the mulch slowly breaks down? It’s the start of summer here and it’s weird seeing roses and a mulberry tree losing all their leaves.

“When you feed a dog it thinks you’re God. When you feed a cat it thinks it’s God”.