Cuba: It's Complicated

During a trip to Cuba in January of 2024 it was discovered that the picturesque photos you see of Cuba, is not the real Cuba.  The real Cuba is very different from how everything appears on the surface.  It is a country full of extremes and contrasts.  The one phrase that best sums up Cuba is:  It’s Complicated. 

10 Fantastical Things Learned from the Garden - 2024 Vibes

"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."

- Confucius

Pondering things learned

Apparently I'm on a two year cycle of writing a new top 10 things learned article.  The first one was in 2020 and the second in 2022 and now the third is upon us.  No intro is really needed so alas here is latest and greatest, top 10 fantastical things learned from the garden:

1. Stay on top of the weeds and they will go away with time.  Weeds are indicative of a soil health issue plus the ground does not want to be bare.  If you have bare ground, weeds will grow - this is the earth trying to heal itself.  If you plant something and weeds grow instead, you've got a soil health problem.  There are two main approaches to weed control 1) obsessively  try and pull every single weed or 2) let the weeds grow a little bit, then right when the seed heads start forming just cut the seed heads off, when your ready for the entire weed to be gone, just cut it off at the base and let the body of the weed decompose back into the soil.  This makes the weed spend all of its energy into growing then it can't reproduce so over time your weed problem goes away.  Keep an eye out for useful weeds - such as dandelions - which you can eat, make wine out of, or a hand balm, etc.  Just because it's considered a weed doesn't mean it's useless.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

2. You do not know everything despite what you think you already know.  Not even close.  Approach every day in the garden with a mindset of "I know nothing, what can the garden teach me today?"  Do that and you will learn an immense amount every single day.  The garden / nature has a infinite amount of wisdom it's willing to share with you... if you are willing to listen.

3. There is such a thing as too much compost.  Compost is jam packed with nutrients.  If you are producing a high amount of compost and you have a somewhat small growing area, it is certainly possible to add too much compost and overload the ground with nutrients that the plants then can't absorb.  Too much of a good thing... is a thing.

Bee Sting Remedy

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."

- Albert Einstein

Bee loving the dahlia.

Stung by a bee?  This is all you need to make the pain and swelling go away, fast:

-Honey

-Lavender

Grind up the lavender in a mortar and pestle (or in-between your palms).  Mix it in with a little bit of honey.  Apply mixture to the bee sting.  Cover with a band aid.  The pain starts going away almost instantly.  Leave the band aid on as long as possible.

Seeds 2.0

"The tiny seed knew that in order to grow it needed to be dropped in dirt, covered in darkness, and struggle to reach the light." - Sandra Kring

Seed getting planted - 2024

An update to the original Seed article is in order!  It turns out that all seeds are not created equal.  As plants grow, they adapt to their local environment then when they produce seeds those seeds are better adapted to that specific climate that the parent plant grew in.

If you take these seeds across the country to a different environment, the plant may struggle, because they're in a completely new environment that has different conditions than where they came from.

A Year in the Cold

"By forcing yourself to embrace the stress of cold exposure as a meaningful self-directed challenge (i.e., stressor), you exert what is called ‘top-down control’ over deeper brain centers that regulate reflexive states. This top-down control process involves your prefrontal cortex – an area of your brain involved in planning and suppressing impulsivity. That ‘top-down’ control is the basis of what people refer to when they talk about “resilience and grit.” Importantly, it is a skill that carries over to situations outside of the deliberate cold environment, allowing you to cope better and maintain a calm, clear mind when confronted with real-world stressors. In other words, deliberate cold exposure is great training for the mind."

- Andrew Huberman, Ph.D, Neuroscientist and Professor at the Stanford School of Medicine

Favorite ice bath spot to date - July 2023 - Mountains of Colorado - 10,500 ft.  Glacier... check.  Mountains... check.  Trees... check.  Fresh mountain air... check.  Beautiful scenery... check.  Sunshine... check.  Very cold water... check.

Eyes closed, deep breathe in... deep breathe out...  I hear distant footsteps on the trail that's about 50 feet away and past a thin layer of trees.  Even 4.5 miles from the trailhead that starts way off in the middle of the mountains of Colorado, you're bound to run into at least one person.  Especially if you're sitting in a lake in your underwear.  You might not see someone all day, but if you're going to see someone... it's definitely going to be when you're almost naked... in the lake... and it'll probably be a big group...

I laugh as my mind wanders off to this random thought.  Back to my breathing...

Deep breath in... deep breathe out...

A minute later I hear laughter close by followed by, "What are you doing?"

I open my eyes and turn my head to see a group of about 8 hikers all staring at me as I sit in my underwear in the crystal clear lake with water up to the bottom of my chin and trying to be as still as I possibly can to avoid heating my body up.

"I'm hanging out in the hot tub!"  as I keep my focus on my breathing.

They shoot each other inquisitive and confused looks.  "Isn't it cold?" One of them asks  As they glance at the snow and ice that's directly next to the lake.

"Yyyuuuppp, it's pretty dang cold, but that's the whole point, gotta get comfortable with the uncomfortable.  Plus it feel great on the leg muscles."

They shrug their shoulders and continue on their way.

Deep breath in... deep breath out...

Roast Squash Seeds

Squash seeds roasting

Roasting seeds is a quick, easy and enjoyable snack or topping on a soup or perhaps even a meal all by itself - if you have enough of them.

If you cut open a squash, instead of throwing the seeds out, roast them instead!

All you do is pull the seeds out with your hand or a spoon.  Clean the squash strands off of the seeds and pull the seeds apart from each other at the same time.

Set the oven to 350, drizzle some olive oil in a pan.

Add squash seeds to the pan and spread them out so they're not all clumped together.