HOW TO… love, clamdiggin
Campfires are fancy.
Once the only option, campfires are now a luxury.
Limited by lack of time, lack of space , or outlawed.
Luxury list:
Efficient heat source
Sleep aid
Keeps unwanted animals away
Can be used as a signal
Attracts mates
Good for drying off
Cooking
Amazing lighting
Charcoal the next morning for big drawings
Real real pretty
For reference please view the HOW TO sheet below:
Easy as 1 2 3. Get candles, light them and pursue your night by candlelight. Since the invention of the light bulb, candles have been limited to romance, death, and faith.
1 or 2 nights a week of pure candlelight sets up a new adventure. Cook and clean early so you avoid dishes in the dark. Then it’s on to storytelling, make out sessions, drawing, picture perfect reading with a lantern, singing, playing instruments, re-working nightly rituals with a new light source. NOT TO MENTION!!!!! If everyone in Manhattan had 1 night of candle light night a week we would avoid approx 5 millon tons of carbon dioxide being released into the air over the next year. That’s embarrassing.
Candle light night can be supplemented and/or exchanged for campfire night, resources pending.
16th century hunters in the Phillipines hid in trees and threw a yo yo of rock and string beneath them to hit wild animals.
By 1765 the yo yo had travelled to the upper classes where you could find portraits of French girls with yo yo in hand as a status symbol - pure fashion. During the French Revolution the aristocracy were forced to flee due to “peasant uprisings”, they left in droves taking their yo yo’s with them which by now were made of glass and ivory. They gave them many nicknames two of which were, L’emigrette or Koblenz, one of the cities they fled to.
Used as a stress reliever the yo yo was available to reduce tension for those on their one way trip to the guillotine. In drawings, General Lafayette and his troops were rendered flinging yo-yo’s. French playwright Beaumarchais, “The Marriage of Figaro”, places Figaro entering a scene nervous and tense while using a yo yo to deliver the famous line,
“ It’s a noble toy which dispels the fatigue of thinking.” I love that woe.
At Waterloo, Napoleon and his army were known to relax with their yo yo’s before fighting.
No solid proof can confirm country of origin, from Greece, Asia or the Phillipines, leaving us with our favorite, parallel invention.
Wealthy, cash poor, huntress, fighter, worker, lover,
pioneer, history groupie, carpenter, child at heart, first date or at happy hour, it’s officially tempting to play more yo.
Yo yo, archery, lantern nights………….. fall 2007
the posters that were on congress street for the Hotel Congress show.
prepwork
washtenaw rooftop cumulonimbus, chicago
a few views in the cup cafe, best burger in town, tucson.
the lifecycle of a typical north american freshwater pond on chalkboard.
Patsy reigns over the east lobby wall at Hotel Congress.
lobby wall south end.
the whole east wall.
more water ?
Arizona Illustrated on PBS/KUAT: Just add water
more rainwater harvesting ?
harvestingrainwater.com
The truth about bananas!
They are yellow, haven’t always been.
It was really simple for us. We looked in to the banana and now we actually think of them or refer to them, which means we have a good chance of getting one of us to ingest one.
The list that did it:
Sluggish and tired.
Bananas contain three natural sugars, sucrose, fructose, and glucose. Combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant and sustained boost of energy. Two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout (we like Scottish oatmeal with bananas and chopped walnuts).
Pissed off.
Bananas contain tryptophan, a protein the body converts in to serotonin. Serotonin is known to soothe. Vitamin B6, also found, regulates blood glucose levels and calms the nervous system. They are high in iron. Iron stimulates the production of hemoglobin in the blood.
Morning after cocktail.
A banana milkshake sweetened with honey can help. The banana calms the stomach, the help of honey builds up depleted blood sugar levels and the milk/rice/soy soothes and re-hydrates the system. Bananas have natural antacid which helps with digestion. Now it’s time for brunch.
At the beach.
Rub insect bites with the inside of a banana skin. This tends to reduce swelling and irritation. Multi-use. Superb. Like limes, squeeze a lime on your hands to sanitize, refresh, and deodorize after eating. Good for taco stands, picnics, dive bars, hiking and beach blanket dinners.
POTASSIUM:
The vital mineral. Vital because it helps normalize the heart beat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed our metabolic rate rises and this reduces our potassium levels. If stress = less potassium we can’t think of anyone that doesn’t need a banana.
Some folks say they are starchy. Good starch. A whole 80-95 calories of starch that comes from a gorgeous palm that sparkles in the sun and looks amazing in the wind. Don’t eat a dozen.
Note: clamdiggin does not enforce nor pursue one palate for all. We aim to have a greater understanding of the food and resources around us.
clamdiggin is dedicated to and inspired by day-to-day activities, the great outdoors, pioneer tendencies and accessing images, information and people that can facilitate a crush on back to basics.
Daily Maintenance
Trimming trees keeps up shoulder and back muscles, gives you fresh air and maintains the health of the tree. In turn you have your picture perfect yard, an outdoor glow and a stockpile of wood for fall fires and activities that match. This brought us to the mesquite tree, which happens to desperately need a spokes model due to it’s popularity for adding flavor and scent in foods at restaurants and in the home grill.
Know your nature
More than 200 plant and animal species depend on the mesquite and it’s role in the ecosystem. It’s called a “nurse plant” because it repairs and protects other species from the extremities of the desert. Ideally we want to stop wrecking havoc on the majestic mesquite. SO EASY. The flavor and aroma actually comes from the beans that hang on the tree not all the chopped wood. The beans are considered a renewable resource cause they come back seasonally, not the 50 years later it takes to grow another tree. Hand picking the beans creates economy and the trees are not stripped of the density they need to do that thing they do. Then we hear that the beans also make good jams, cosmetic products, candy, booze, and flour and flour makes pancakes and....
Hydrate…
with watermelon
When picking watermelon slap it with an open palm and listen for the perfect deep-pitched tone. Look for a creamy yellow spot on its underside. That spot is where the melon sat on the ground to ripen. Unlike other melons and fruits the watermelon does not ripen any further once cut from its vine.
Watermelon is 92% water hence early explorers using one as a canteen. It contains more of the antioxidant lycopene than any other fruit or vegetable including the tomato. Tons of Vitamin A, B6, calcium, potassium and the always wanted dietary fiber that keeps our digestive systems working well.
Every part of the watermelon is edible, even seeds and rinds. Yummy with salt, but we’ve only ever seen that trick in Mexico.
The watermelon you see in most stores is called red tiger. Grrrrrrrr.
Hydrating
v.tr.
1. To rehydrate
2. To supply water to a person i.e. in order to restore or maintain fluid balance.
In certain semi desert districts the watermelon is an important source of water during dry periods. They are still cultivated for this purpose.
It is believed that the watermelon originated in the Kalahari Desert where it is abundant then it was transported through good ol’ merchant ships.
China exports the most watermelon. Fun fact for a Thursday night.
Cucumis sativus
From the sumptuous squash family.
Slice them year round, but they are at their best May through July.
The flesh is mainly water w/ lots of vitamin C, the cuke is a natural hydrator. These are ingredients that soothe skin irritations, reduce swelling and benefit one’s complexion.
Classic uses:
cucumber on the eyes or
when preparing cucumbers for consumption take slices of skin of the cuke and pat them over your face for a cooling affect
gently rub any sunburned part.
The deep green skin is rich in dietary fiber, which helps your body process food and naturally regulates cholesterol. Silica, potassium, and magnesium also found in the cucumber, all beneficial minerals. Silica, silica, silica is a component of healthy connective tissue. Some recommend cucumber juice as a source of silicon to improve the health of skin.
Oh, chopped cucumber. A discreet addition to all salads including tuna and chicken.
Our summer solution. In short, drop slices of cucumber in to cool water. It tastes good and sits pretty on the table.
Adventure alphabet
By clamdiggin
Things one may encounter while on adventure. Things that would make an adventure easier to steer.
Oh the things we could do with our adventure alphabet and the things we could learn about each letter. B for Bikini. Who makes the best ones for quick escapes to land or boat and who carries them? U for Uruguay, what would we love about Uruguay? Y for Yurt, why is a yurt so efficient? J for Javelina, a peccary found in the southwest, not very pretty but absolutely confident, and hairy. Our alphabet is dedicated to being more prepared.
Tucson has the gift of time. clamdiggin is all about it's mission regardless of our resources. After all a stove for tea and tarps to protect us against the monsoons are all we need. The guard dog is a bonus except when he gets hungry.
