Monday Wrapup

I’m two weeks past my shoulder operation, and practically stylin. A little better every day. I don’t get to start therapy for another 3 weeks. Right arm better but still weak. Walked 5 miles yesterday, along beach with mixmaster ocean, water tussled and murky, 20+mph cold winds from north. Walking along thinking how gnarly it was, then realized how great it was to be moving. Every single time in my life I’ve forced myself to get out there and move (run, walk, bike, paddle, skate) I’ve felt immeasurably better. Get out there, stupid!

Around the homestead:

-Olives I’ve had about 15 gallons of small green olives in water, salt and vinegar for about 3 months, and they’re practically ready. Still a hint of bitterness, but plump and flavorful.

 -Sauerkraut Another thing you just set up and nature’s microorganisms do it all. You only add salt to shredded cabbage, maybe a little water. Used our own cabbage, and it’s fermenting away in the 2-gallon Polish crock in the pantry.

 -Chickens W’re getting 12-14 eggs a day from our little beauties. I favor the Golden Seabright eggs because the birds are so beautiful; maybe the beauty may come through a bit in the eggs, who knows?

 -Green smoothies I use the Blendtec blender a lot, make a green smoothie for lunch when I’m busy. Fresh greens from garden, fruit, protein powder…

 -Nightly vegetables Lesley has provided our vegetables from her garden practically every night for months. Broccoli cooked within minutes of picking is so different — sweet.

 -Crabs It’s a lousy crab season. However, son Evan has been catching them with one of those little snare traps off a fishing rod from shore.


At the Mac

Just got an Apple Magic Trackpad, per Rick’s suggestion. Takes a bit of getting used to, but I’m finding it superior to mouse in a bunch of ways. 2-finger touch scrolling. Set preferences to “One finger—Tap to click—slick! Better ergonomics also I think.

In the shop

I’ver started making a few wooden spatulas from a piece of walnut a friend gave me. Got my belt sander outside under a roof. May try a spoon. Making a 3rd pushpin board out of wine corks. I love getting the chance to make stuff out of wood.

On the radio

Just now, Elmore Leonard and “Dust My Broom.” No matter how many times I’ve heard this, it just knocks me out with its power when it comes on. Those opening guitar notes. A little earlier Mojo Taylor played “The Fighting Side of Me” (written in 1970) by Merle Haggard. I don’t agree with Merle here (I heard him at a concert in Santa Rosa maybe 10 years ago and he recanted the anti-hippy attitude), but it’s great musically, such a rich voice. After the song, Mojo came on and said: “American musical genius, Merle fuckin Haggard…”

About Lloyd Kahn

Lloyd Kahn started building his own home in the early '60s and went on to publish books showing homeowners how they could build their own homes with their own hands. He got his start in publishing by working as the shelter editor of the Whole Earth Catalog with Stewart Brand in the late '60s. He has since authored six highly-graphic books on homemade building, all of which are interrelated. The books, "The Shelter Library Of Building Books," include Shelter, Shelter II (1978), Home Work (2004), Builders of the Pacific Coast (2008), Tiny Homes (2012), and Tiny Homes on the Move (2014). Lloyd operates from Northern California studio built of recycled lumber, set in the midst of a vegetable garden, and hooked into the world via five Mac computers. You can check out videos (one with over 450,000 views) on Lloyd by doing a search on YouTube:

7 Responses to Monday Wrapup

  1. Lloyd,
    just wondering,
    the Blendtec blender , does it actually puree everything, smooth, so it is much like a milkshake texture? We have tried several blenders, and so far always end with junks of something, even if run for LONG time.
    Looking around, for when this one crashes.

    re your shoulder…
    just wondering, you cant go for physio for a bit,
    but could you (would it be recomended/allowed) go for some gentle massage, both by human hand and electrical sort of various machines? (the physio could likely do this)

    Few yrs back had a bad injury to knee/leg and associated parts, and had the massage / electrical massages via my physio therapist, and it turned out very well. ( prior to the rehab stuff)

  2. I'm very glad you reminded me that it always feels good to get moving. I was about to call it a day after some sort of lame excuse for not getting any exercise today.

    Fortuitous!

  3. hey lloyd,
    glad you're feeling better. i so identified w/ your earlier comments about injury, pain, and oxy. i'm stuck for months being very inactive (a supreme drag as a formerly very active, outdoors person) due to a staph-infected knee replacement, the surgery to remove it and replace w/ antibiotic cement spacer, and after 2 mos, go for new knee. you're so right…getting outside and moving is the cure for most anything. wish i could, damn it! combat stagnation!
    to anonymous: would love to hear more about your electrical massages.
    jessa73@gmail.com.
    regards from beautiful vermont.
    jessie

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