WENDELL WEDNESDAY.
Sleeping in the warm high tunnel these days.Oh and don't mind his weird giant bone. We find a lot of these around the house.
GULP: A REVIEW.
"Those who know the human gut intimately see beauty, not only in its sophistication but in its inner landscapes and architecture." - Mary RoachMy obsession with fermentation, and the effects of fermentation, have beget infinite curiosities over the years (approximately). But perhaps none have been more persistent than my interest in the workings of the human body––digestion specifically. How does it work? Why doesn't our stomach digest itself? Do I really need to chew? What happens to food before and beyond the gullet? So when a book appeared that explained said curiosities––to those of us who don't read Doctor––I saved my pennies and bought it.Then I learned and laughed. A lot and aloud. What Mary Roach has done with her latest work "Gulp" is a taken a mostly taboo subject––the alimentary canal and all it's fascinating goings on––and turned it into entertainment. In this book, Roach explores such themes as chewing, swallowing, digesting, and, ahem - the science behind the behind - then renders them riveting. In fact, "Gulp" is some of the most sophisticated and well-researched toilet humor I've ever experienced.The reader finds themselves thinking differently about saliva, gastric acids, etc., or the reader finds themselves thinking at all about saliva, gastric acid, etc.. You follow the history of each of these extremely fine-tuned inner workings in a book that is equal parts science and hilarity. Could Jonah actually have survived in that whale? How DO they get cell phones into prisons? What important medical advances has our cultural revulsion to feces inhibited? The answers to these questions and many more can be found in the pages of "Gulp"––found and thoroughly enjoyed.- Jesse.
NEW ROOMMATES.
With cold temperatures in the forecast (25 degrees to be exact), we had to spend this past Thursday doing a very extensive relocation project. Remember all those butternut squash we stored in the loft of the barn? Well, those guys don't do so well in during freezing temps...so we had to move them. Indoors.Nearly 300 of them went into the Smith's cabin, under the beds of their children. And the rest (along with an abundance of acorn squash and pumpkins and ginger and sweet potatoes) came into our house.It is kind of lovely to live among your food. To be surrounded by bookshelves and windowsills nearly overflowing with food. This is literally what we will eat this winter - there won't be much else growing once January sets in. I feel comforted by the sight of this produce, crowding our tiny cabin, a visual reminder of food security and the rewards of a bountiful season.- Hannah.
FOUR.
This little Olivia just turned four last week. I kind of can't believe it. When Jesse first interned at Bugtussle, she was just 6 months old! We were happy to join in the celebration, spending a cold afternoon with some chocolate cake, chai tea, and some of our favorite people in this world.Happy birthday, Livi.
