Notices by Deborah Makarios (dmakarios@theres.life), page 2

An interesting study just out in Australia:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/515266/what-kind-of-diner-are-you-6-types-of-diners-who-avoid-plant-based-meat-dishes

I think I'm closest to a Type 4. I prefer to eat vegetables that are honest about their identity, and not heavily processed into masquerading as meat.
That said, when I go out for dinner it's a special occasion, and I'm more likely to order something with meat.

I don't know why the study focusses on restaurant meals instead of the more common home meals. At home I eat meatless dinners about 3/4 of the time (and always meatless breakfast & supper).

What type are you?
#PlantBased #environment #food

"The ancient Egyptians, incidentally, treated arthritis with electric catfish—or, as the hieroglyphics call them, 'angry catfish'. Remarkably, electric catfish can be trained to stun on cue, which seems like something coastguards and river police should be looking into before a supervillain does."
—The Ambition of a Potato
https://deborah.makarios.nz/the-ambition-of-a-potato/
#books #fish #history #AncientEgypt #TheAmbitionOfAPotato

@rose_myrtle That's further than we got. Thanks!

Can any kindly reader of Japanese tell me what this paper bag is so desperately trying to communicate? Many thanks!
#Japanese #PleaseTranslate

Pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa). Sometimes called the New Zealand Christmas tree due to its flowering season.
Just about every NZ scenic calendar's December page features a pōhutukawa on a sunny day at the beach. Here it is on a cloudy Christmas Eve.
#BloomScrolling #NewZealand #trees

@rose_myrtle The chickens are assisting, but they don't seem to dig deep enough to get at the mint roots. Maybe I need to confine their activities to a smaller area?

Seeking gardening advice and encouragement!

Some previous occupant of my house planted a more or less inedible member of the mint family which has since spread to infest the entire back garden.

I've tried digging clear patches (heavy clay: backbreaking, and it just grows back), and building no-dig beds (worked for a season, then failure to thrive due to root competition).

Does anyone have any suggestions that don't presuppose either a fat budget or boundless energy? I'd prefer not to do anything that is going to destroy all soil life, but I'm getting desperate and am open to suggestions.
#gardening #InvasiveSpecies

If, like Gandhi, you were to have one thing in your daily life which symbolizes what you're trying to achieve with said life, what would it be?

https://deborah.makarios.nz/blog/2023/09/07/gandhi-chaplin-and-the-symbol-of-non-violence/

#Gandhi #Chaplin #Luddites #SpinningWheel #LifeGoals #History

I still haven't got over supermarkets labelling green coconuts as "dry" (you can hear them slosh for pity's sake!!) and now we have this!
If only there was some simple, natural way of protecting the delicate wee coconut from the hardships of life...
#packaging #food

Today I learned that Louis XIV of France had seven sons named Louis and four daughters named Louise. (And that's just counting the ones of whose names history is certain.)
So I'm pretty sure Louis still holds the record, despite George Foreman with his five Georges and one Georgetta.
#history #names #LouisXIV #GeorgeForeman #TIL

As much as I support #VisibleMending, I must say I'm pleased with the low-contrast nature of this darn. For one thing, you can't see the wonkiness of my stitches.
#mending #darning

How to create visual peace! Including the role of earthquakes, the true meaning of vignette, and the reason why Sigismund III was the only person who ever used All The Pillows.

https://deborah.makarios.nz/blog/2023/08/10/finding-visual-peace/

#decluttering #decor #simplicity

@rose_myrtle Sometimes. But I try to leave the shears where visitors won't trip on them as they come in.
Which reminds me that the job I got the shears out for has been done without their aid, so I guess I should put them away...

@rose_myrtle I guess it's hard to just toss your head and go "it's vintage, darling" at that age!

Ever come across something touted as "not your grandmother's [insert craft here]!" That really gets on my nerves/up my nose/on my wick. Here's why:
https://deborah.makarios.nz/blog/2023/08/03/not-your-grandmothers/
#crafts #knitting #sewing #dressmaking

My trusty hand-crank sewing machine. Only does straight stitch (including in reverse) but can do it at anywhere from 6 to 30 stitches per inch.
This is my idea of a #GoodThing: it's functional, reliable, durable, eco-friendly, and beautiful.
#Sewing #SewingMachine #Vintage

Sometimes my very haphazard forlorn-hope gardening actually works out.
Some time ago (a year? two? three?) I cut back a #lavender and scattered the withered dead bits in the sodden weed-infested bed that accompanies the path to my front door. (It needs all the organic matter it can get.)
Then some smaller time ago, when ripping the weeds back yet again, I found this little seedling - now transplanted for its own safety.
Sometimes #gardening is an endless struggle against the invasive...and sometimes there's a moment of grace when it just happens.

@rose_myrtle Machine-made pottery has been around for ages, but people still value handmade pottery. And blown glass. And hand-carved sculpture. Human-crafted may not be the only game in town any more, but it still has value.
I do hope your daughter persists in honing her craft. After all, "even the very wise cannot see all ends."

@rose_myrtle My sewing machine isn't even fancy enough to do zigzag! It's an old hand-crank, no electricity required. I love it.

Turns out a full-length full-skirted one-and-a-half-times-round wrap skirt has a whole lotta hem. Good thing hand-hemming is so relaxing!
(Skirt based on Liz Haywood's free three-gore wrap skirt pattern - see https://lizhaywood.com.au/free-pattern-3-gore-wrap-maxi-skirt/ )
#sewing #HandSewing
Photo credit Deborah Makarios, CC BY-SA