Finished reading the second book of Kings today.
After King Solomon, the wise king who then makes the mistake of worshiping other gods in the first book of Kings, God breaks the Isrealites up into two kingdoms: Isreal and Judah. Basically everyone except King Josiah, right near the end of the second book, "does evil in the sight of the Lord" and "kindles his anger."
"And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose any like him." (II Kings 23:25)
Unfortunately, Josiah's good deeds (destroying false idols, etc.) are not enough to make up for his ancestors' mistakes. God finally destroys the kingdoms altogether, allowing the Bablyonians to defeat them in 586 BCE. The temple is destroyed and the priests, prophets, royals and other notable people are taken into captivity. That's the two books in a nutshell.
According to Wikipedia, the books span some 400 years in ancient Isreal and Judah (960-560 BCE).
I thought the history of ancient Isreal was interesting, but considering all the constant failure on the part of the Jews throughout this period, I have to say I'm looking forward to the New Testament already, and the coming of Jesus. I guess I wouldn't make a very good Jew.
**NEXT: I & II Chronicles
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
#100 -- Cow Milked
Cows are harder to extract milk from than I would have thought. Milking takes technique, rhythm, strength and patience (the latter being mostly on the part of the cow). It's actually pretty fun.
I went to Wildwood Farm in Pouce Coupe, B.C., a mixed organic farm that lived up to all my expectations and more. Tim and Linda Ewert and their son Woodstock and his girlfriend Gabrielle run the farm off the grid, using solar and battery power (and horse power -- Time works a team of draft horses in the fields!)
They're total hippies who started the farm from scratch, clearing the bush themselves and building everything including their house themselves, too. I really admire their philosophy of living off the land, and respecting the land and the animals that supply them. They have two small herds of pigs, a small flock of chickens, about six horses, a few beef and three dairy cows, plus a couple of dogs.
They grow all sorts of fruit and veggies, and they have bees on their farm, from which they get gorgeous white clover honey. Tim says 90 per cent of the food they eat comes from their own farm. And wow, they eat well. Home-smoked bacon, fresh eggs and organic, raw milk is better than any breakfast you could pay for at Denny's any day.
I did a lot of hard work as a WOOFer, like weeding, watering and washing dishes, but I also got to do a lot of fun things, too, like gathering eggs, feeding the piglets, and, of course, milking twice a day (7 a.m. and 7 p.m.)
It's hard to get the squeezing technique right the first time. You have to start at the top of the teet and work your way down, squeezing each finger individually until you get all the milk out and then let go and wait till it re-fills. Tim said he was impressed I managed to get any milk out on my first try. I didn't completely empty the udder that day, but for the next three days I milked in the morning and the evening and by day four I was getting all the milk out. It's pretty hard on the hands (takes a lot of strength), like squeezing a physio ball or a tubular water baloon with only a small pin-sized hole at the end, over and over again for 20 minutes. The cow has four teets, which come out of four separate chambers in the udder. Tim says it's common for one to be bigger than the others. I noticed that with both dairy cows I milked. Both Sepia and Heidi were very nice and patient cows who let me take way longer than they're used to. I really enjoyed milking first thing in the morning, in the early light in the barn, where it was quiet and cool. I'm sure my hands are stronger for it, too.
What an awesome life it is on an organic farm. Just like Charlotte's Web, come to life. I could definitely see myself living that type of life. Maybe I'll have to get my own dairy cow one day so I can have fresh, raw, unhomogenized, organic milk. I know the cow is much happier about it being done that way then a big, nasty machine in a cement-floored factory taking her milk. How could she not be? Tim personally thanks her when he's done every day and then gives her a little pat before letting her back out into the pasture.
Posts related to milking a cow:
(May 5, 2011)
(March 6, 2010)
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
#4 - Head Shaved
It took about two years to grow my hair out...
... and about two minutes to buzz it all off.
Saturday I had my head shaved at B.C. Children's Hospital for the annual Balding for Dollars event. There were loads of people there, and I was surprised and delighted to find I wasn't the only woman getting her head shaved. It was pretty heartbreaking to hear about all the people who'd been affected by cancer. The woman next to me lost her best friend last year. I felt lucky being there not because of a tragedy but just because I was able to help out a bit. I raised $385 (and got a free haircut!)
It felt good to get rid of that big mop of hair. I thought maybe I'd feel panic when I first saw myself in the mirror, but I'm pretty happy with not having to do a single thing with my hair in the mornings now. Of course, my head is cold, but that's what toques are for, and it's spring, so it's a good time to lose the head insulation.
I'd been thinking about what it would be like to shave my head for so long, and now I'm glad I just went ahead and did it.
... and about two minutes to buzz it all off.
Saturday I had my head shaved at B.C. Children's Hospital for the annual Balding for Dollars event. There were loads of people there, and I was surprised and delighted to find I wasn't the only woman getting her head shaved. It was pretty heartbreaking to hear about all the people who'd been affected by cancer. The woman next to me lost her best friend last year. I felt lucky being there not because of a tragedy but just because I was able to help out a bit. I raised $385 (and got a free haircut!)
It felt good to get rid of that big mop of hair. I thought maybe I'd feel panic when I first saw myself in the mirror, but I'm pretty happy with not having to do a single thing with my hair in the mornings now. Of course, my head is cold, but that's what toques are for, and it's spring, so it's a good time to lose the head insulation.
I'd been thinking about what it would be like to shave my head for so long, and now I'm glad I just went ahead and did it.
Previous posts related to shaving my head:
(Apr. 23, 2011)
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Bring On The Milk!
I have located a dairy cow with a full udder. I'm ready.
Joined WWOOF Canada (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, formerly known as Willing Workers On Organic Farms) online for a $50 one-year membership, which grants me access to contacts for all WWOOF farms in the country. Seems like a steep price to find a dairy cow, but what the hey. I'm that much closer to goal #100: milk a cow.
Hit a snag at first. I thought I had it all organized last week. I found a farm north of Kamloops that sounds lovely -- they said they have a couple of dairy cows, some laying hens, they grow hay, etc. in true Charlotte Web style, but I found out yesterday that their "girls" have all "dried up." This city girl needs some edjumacatin' in the way of dairying. What the hell is he talking about? Why would your cow suddenly stop producing milk? Isn't it something to do with a baby cow being around? Can't you just borrow one from the neighbour while I'm there? Anyway, I emailed the farmer back and politely declined the offer to take me on for a week. If there's no cow, there's no point.
Found another farm way, way, way up north, in Pouce Coupe, B.C. where they've guaranteed me at least one cow that won't be "dried up" by the time I arrive in two weeks. Seeing as I'll be visiting friends in Fort Saint John next week anyway, Pouce Coupe is just a hop and a jump south and I'll get to learn all about organic farming (well, let's be honest, it'll probably be more about washing dishes and weeding than anything) and a chance to find out where my 2% comes from. Yeah, okay, the milk on my Cheerios probably comes from miserable machine-drained heifers in the Fraser Valley but I'll learn something about the dairy process, which at this point I know absolutely nothing. In fact, I'm only 99 per cent sure the milk I drink actually comes from a cow.
The point is, I'm not really looking forward to all the hard work they're going to make me do, but I am looking forward to finding out what an organic farm is like, with their horse-drawn plow and old-school ways of doing things and crossing an item off my bucket list. I think it could be fun. An adventure, if nothing else.
Joined WWOOF Canada (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, formerly known as Willing Workers On Organic Farms) online for a $50 one-year membership, which grants me access to contacts for all WWOOF farms in the country. Seems like a steep price to find a dairy cow, but what the hey. I'm that much closer to goal #100: milk a cow.
Hit a snag at first. I thought I had it all organized last week. I found a farm north of Kamloops that sounds lovely -- they said they have a couple of dairy cows, some laying hens, they grow hay, etc. in true Charlotte Web style, but I found out yesterday that their "girls" have all "dried up." This city girl needs some edjumacatin' in the way of dairying. What the hell is he talking about? Why would your cow suddenly stop producing milk? Isn't it something to do with a baby cow being around? Can't you just borrow one from the neighbour while I'm there? Anyway, I emailed the farmer back and politely declined the offer to take me on for a week. If there's no cow, there's no point.
Found another farm way, way, way up north, in Pouce Coupe, B.C. where they've guaranteed me at least one cow that won't be "dried up" by the time I arrive in two weeks. Seeing as I'll be visiting friends in Fort Saint John next week anyway, Pouce Coupe is just a hop and a jump south and I'll get to learn all about organic farming (well, let's be honest, it'll probably be more about washing dishes and weeding than anything) and a chance to find out where my 2% comes from. Yeah, okay, the milk on my Cheerios probably comes from miserable machine-drained heifers in the Fraser Valley but I'll learn something about the dairy process, which at this point I know absolutely nothing. In fact, I'm only 99 per cent sure the milk I drink actually comes from a cow.
The point is, I'm not really looking forward to all the hard work they're going to make me do, but I am looking forward to finding out what an organic farm is like, with their horse-drawn plow and old-school ways of doing things and crossing an item off my bucket list. I think it could be fun. An adventure, if nothing else.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Big Sisters, Step 3
Training session. Monday night I sat with about 10 other young women (definitely all much younger than me! I'd say they were all around 23) listening to the facilitator talk for three hours about all the basics of what it means to be a Big Sister and what to expect and how to protect a kid from abuse. That was basically it, with a booklet and a PowerPoint presentation. And veggies and dip.
Now the training is done and I will just wait to hear from my counsellor at Big Sisters when they come up with a "match" for me. I'll be away for most of May, so it'll be in early June. Nervous about our initial meet, but I'm also looking forward to meeting my "Little."
Now the training is done and I will just wait to hear from my counsellor at Big Sisters when they come up with a "match" for me. I'll be away for most of May, so it'll be in early June. Nervous about our initial meet, but I'm also looking forward to meeting my "Little."
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Half Marathon
Wow. I'm sore. But I'm halfway to a full marathon!
Finished a half today in 2:06:14, which I'm fairly happy with, though I was gunning for under two hours. The BMO Vancouver Marathon is a nice course for the half -- goes through downtown and around the sea wall. The hill up to Prospect Point was a bit of a killer, but after that it was (almost) all downhill.
After all the training in the cold, dark nights of January with the Runner's Den clinic, it was so great to cap it off with the big finale, 21.1 km! The first 11 km felt like nothing. Then between 11 km and 15 km my legs started to hurt. Somehow I managed to find another gear after the hill but then I think I must have slowed again at about the 19 km mark. Felt pretty good basically the whole way, though. The hill and track training definitely helped. So great to have a nice sunny day to run after this long, tedious spring we've had.
After the run it was champagne and orange juice, a post-race tradition my mom started years ago.
Then a long, hot shower and a nap before the running clinic after party. And now I'm totally pooped and am walking like an old woman. Going to take off at least two weeks from running (Paul, the Running Den owner, says you should take off a day for every mile you run in a race, so I am allowed to take 13 days). Going to keep up with yoga, walking, climbing, maybe a bit of cycling or swimming and then resume running in June.
And start training for a marathon!
Finished a half today in 2:06:14, which I'm fairly happy with, though I was gunning for under two hours. The BMO Vancouver Marathon is a nice course for the half -- goes through downtown and around the sea wall. The hill up to Prospect Point was a bit of a killer, but after that it was (almost) all downhill.
After all the training in the cold, dark nights of January with the Runner's Den clinic, it was so great to cap it off with the big finale, 21.1 km! The first 11 km felt like nothing. Then between 11 km and 15 km my legs started to hurt. Somehow I managed to find another gear after the hill but then I think I must have slowed again at about the 19 km mark. Felt pretty good basically the whole way, though. The hill and track training definitely helped. So great to have a nice sunny day to run after this long, tedious spring we've had.
After the run it was champagne and orange juice, a post-race tradition my mom started years ago.
Then a long, hot shower and a nap before the running clinic after party. And now I'm totally pooped and am walking like an old woman. Going to take off at least two weeks from running (Paul, the Running Den owner, says you should take off a day for every mile you run in a race, so I am allowed to take 13 days). Going to keep up with yoga, walking, climbing, maybe a bit of cycling or swimming and then resume running in June.
And start training for a marathon!
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