The Lazy Faire

This was an interval punctuated by travel. First we spent a week in Oak Island, NC hanging out with friends and relaxing. Then Avdi was off to Boulder, CO, to get started on his new job. Despite spending so much time out of the house, we somehow managed to make this one of the most productive frolics yet.

Stats:

Points worth of effort planned: 28
Completed: 17
Missed: 11
0 Unestimated

What went well:

• We felt we were more mindful of the tasks we were trying to accomplish, which led to getting more of them done.
• Stacey and the kids got on just fine without Avdi for a week.
• Stacey and L. found costume supplies, and L. manufactured fairy wings and other costume parts for the Fairy Festival
• Avdi’s trip to CO went well
• Stacey made some awesome raw foods
• Avdi started his polyphasic sleep experiment
• Stacey and L. had a good time at the PA Herb Festival, came home with lots of new plants
• We reconfigured the living room to a layout we’re much happier with
• Passover was a success, with lots of good friends and good food - despite almost zero prep time.
• We toured a property for sale that we liked so much we’re accelerating our home-buying plans
• Stacey started on a food elimination diet to track down the source of her allergies

Things that didn’t go so well

• Didn’t get started on Fairy Festival costumes early enough
• Kashti has entered into an ear-splitting “squawking” phase

Ideas for the future

• Start prep. for Fairy Festival (or similar events) two months in advance

I am a woman in need. In need of chocolate, dairy and sugar. Most women, and some men, will understand this without my explaining further.

However right now I cannot have those longed-for things because I am on a Food Allergen Elimination Diet. The goal of the diet is to determine if there is a food that might be aggravating my asthma and eczema. We have zeroed in on pollen as a reason for the asthma and the cold, dry time of year as a reason for my eczema, but is there anything else that might be exacerbating it?

Anyway, so chocolate, dairy and sugar are strictly out for the next two weeks as well as this past week.

Being in need as I am, I decided I had to come up with a solution. Here it is, Hot Carob Drink:

1 cup homemade cashew milk (substitute whatever non-dairy, non-soy “milk” you prefer)
1 Tbsp carob powder, raw or roasted as preferred
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine in saucepan, heat over medium-high to desired temp and enjoy! I could see one blending this up with some ice for a cold drink rather than heating it if one wanted something cool on a hot day instead.

I enjoyed a carob coated rice cake alongside the drink. It’s certainly not chocolate, but for now it will have to do. Besides it’s pretty darn good!

From a post on the ruby-talk mailing list:

I am writing today to say my goodbyes to Ruby
but also to computers and everything else which
we know is destroying our planet, yet which we
continue doing in our denial and madness towards
inevitable annihilation.

This is not a suicide letter, I am going to study
permaculture which I think is one of the few chances
we still have. I am going to try to make a small dint,
but it is only in mass that we will succeed. This is
the endgame.

One of my little rules of thumb is that given any large problem, the people visibly panicking about it probably aren’t part of the solution. Reactionary living is no more sustainable than conspicuous consumption. Zealotry burns out, and the rare person who has the stamina to maintain their zealotry eventually finds themselves marginalized to the point of ineffectiveness. And they have no one to blame but themselves.

Sustainability has to be holistic in order to be, well, sustainable. You can’t contribute to global balance if you have are not yourself at peace. Freaking out can be an important wake-up call; but the daily work of abundance requires steadiness, playfulness, joy.

Surely somewhere someone has documented a recipe for a “Kosher for Passover Quesadilla,” but at my moment of inspiration I didn’t have a copy handy. I started out thinking I was going to make myself a grilled cheese sandwich using matzoh, but then it expanded into this! So here’s what I did, and no it’s not Primal friendly:

2 Kosher for Passover matzohs
~ 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salsa
sour cream
fresh cilantro sprigs
olive oil cooking spray

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Pour hot water over the matzohs and allow to soak while shredding cheese. When griddle is hot, put on 1 of the soaked matzohs. Matzohs will be flimsy and will break easily so put them on carefully and mindfully!! Scatter around the cheese on top of the matzohs then top with the other soaked matzoh. You’ll need to cut the quesadilla while cooking into fourths. Once the bottom is golden brown, flip each quarter and heat through. Serve with salsa, sour cream and cilantro sprigs.

Summary

This frolic was complicated by illness and a late start. We got a great deal done anyway, but much of it went un-planned and un-recorded. Highlights: Avdi exited his old job, and finished the family’s 2009 income taxes, despite being sick for a week. Stacey put together a traditional American Irish St. Patrick’s Day dinner complete with good friends and lots of Guinness. Avdi partially rehabilitated two laptops. And we prepared for our long-awaited vacation to Oak Island, NC.

Stats

13 points of effort scheduled, down from 29 in last frolic.

7 points completed, down from 18 in last frolic.

6 points left incomplete.

3 un-estimated tasks completed.

What Went Well

• We had good food and a lively table of friends for St. Patrick’s Day (not included in the plan)
• Avdi’s exited his previous job smoothly despite being sick the whole week
• Got far more done than we actually tracked
• Stacey and Lily made fabulous food for the CSA pot luck
• Figured out the correct cat food portions – no more whiny underfed cats.
• We were very social – lots of get-togethers.

• Massive reduction in grocery costs, thanks to new coupon know-how and the discovery of a bargain grocery store (thanks Kimberly!)

• Lily’s snake finally shed

Not So Well

• We all got sick

• Still no trip to the zoo

• Got frolic board cards posted a week late, which led to reduced task visibility, which led to getting fewer of our planned tasks done.

• Didn’t track as much of what we did as we did last frolic.