Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pumpkin

May the odds be ever in your favor.

I'm probably not actually quite as obsessed with the Hunger Games as I appear to be (I save that for Legend of the Seeker), but I have to admit that I am having a lot of fun with the mockingjay symbol. I realize it's not exactly a Halloween image, but I couldn't resist. It was so perfect, it was just screaming to be carved.

To make the pattern, just print out a black and white image of the mockingjay symbol, then add an extra circle around the entire pattern, leaving in the black and cutting out the white.

The Origins of Halloween

Anybody who ever watched Hocus Pocus probably recalls Alison telling how Halloween is based on "All Hallow's Eve" to refute Max's conspiracy theory of Halloween having been invented by the candy companies. But where did All Hallows Eve and the belief that it was the night when spirits roamed the earth come from? The origins of that date back even further to an old European Celtic celebration called Samhain.

Samhain (pronounced sow-in in Gaelic) literally meant "Summer's End," as the Celts recognized only two seasons, summer and winter. (Samhain's counterpart Gamhain or "Winter's End" took place in early May, a tradition which evolved into the current May Day celebrations). Samhain occurred when the sun reached 15 degrees Scorpio, known as a "cross-quarter day." It was the last harvest festival and was considered the Celtic New Year.

The Celts believed that darkness was a beginning. Just as they held that a day began at sunset rather than sunrise, so too did they believe a new year should begin as the seasons were going into a time of rest and darker days (longer nights). Being the new year, the Celts also believed that on Samhain night, beings from the spirit world could come out and mingle with the living. Hence the legends of zombies and witches and such that are associated with our present-day Halloween.

A Few Thoughts on Fracking

We recently had a discussion about fracking at work, and my coworker Calvin had this to say about his experiences with fracking in Pennsylvania:

"I went to college in Mansfield PA, and have many friends still down in the area. The past few times I have gone back to what used to be a great, quiet, Pennsylvania town is now built up with hotels and has constant loud truck traffic. When sitting at the bar I used to frequent in college it was several trucks a minute going through town (oil trucks). Not to mention the devastation to the land.

I have a student who used to work for me here is Cortland who has been employed on and off again for the gas companies in PA. The treatment of employees, wildlife, and the land is unimaginable. Granted he was/is paid well when on a job, but when not (like now), he is collecting unemployment. He worked security for the pipeline. He said that they would not follow policies in place, and one example being killing animals that got in their way instead of being held up by following protocol. Another situation was that a lease with an owner stipulated that work needed to be done withing certain times. The gas company negotiated the times to build the pipeline by paying the land owner $1,000,000.

I understand some are in favor of fracking, but my position is firmly against it. Our biggest asset is the beauty of the land and tourism. Just my a highlight of some of the stories of what I am seeing and hearing. We need to think twice about the immediate gains."

This is our home, let's not frack it up.

220 Carved Pumpkins and Other Decor

This is a slideshow of the 220 pumpkins my brother, sister, and I used to carve for our annual end of the harvest Pumpkin Fest; everything from witches and skeletons to Lord of the Rings and Jimi Hendrix. We'd also go crazy decorating our house with anything we'd seen in a magazine. (Yes, we were kind of insane back then). Unfortunately everybody in the family got busy and we had to stop having the Pumpkin Fests due to lack of time. It sure was fun though.

Building with Straw

Image from solarhaven.org

Whoever said that building homes is so expensive these days, never tried building with straw! Straw bale construction is a building method that is gaining popularity due to the fact that it is less expensive than traditional building and is also many times more eco-friendly. I'm hoping to start building myself an "off-the-grid" straw bale house next spring (fingers crossed), and figure I can probably get it done for less than what a lot of people's patios. Granted it'll be small, just a little 700 or 800 sq. ft. fairytale house if I can swing it with zoning, but still, how else could someone build a new house for so little?

Straw bale home construction is exactly what it sounds like, you actually build a house out of straw bales (visions of the big bad wolf and the three little pigs are probably starting to come to mind here).

How to Make a Chicken Wire Ghost

Somebody sent me this video and I thought it was pretty cool. This guy used chicken wire (we call it that up here too) to make a glow-in-the-dark ghost. Because the chicken wire is see-through, it gives the ghost an erie transparent look. If I have time (and between farming home, 3 markets, and a part-time desk job that's a pretty big IF) I gotta try it.

Why buy new when you can buy second hand?

I am a huge fan of shopping at the Salvation Army, Volunteers of America, the Goodwill and just about any other second-hand shop you can name. For one thing I like to experiment with clothes and costumes that I'm making. I don't feel as bad if something gets wrecked when it was a used item I picked up for a few bucks at the local second-hand shop. Another reason I love such thrift shops is that the selection is so much better than in regular stores. Second-hand shops have all types of clothing, not just the latest trends or what's currently in season (I usually don't like the latest trends anyway, so it works for me). The clothing are from all trends, all brands, and all seasons, and of course, you can't beat the price. I also have a particular penchant for vinyl records (Yes, I'm one of those crazy young people who thinks records sound warmer, but play an Animals CD and then play an Animals vinyl and tell me the vinyl doesn't totally rock!) and I love finding them for a $1 in the second-hand shop (itunes eat your heart out).

There does, however, seem to be a certain stigma attached to buying second-hand, as I know several people who hesitate to shop second-hand for fear that someone might see them there. My question is: so what? Let's not forget, if someone sees you buying items in a second-hand store, it means they're doing the same thing. How they really judge you?

More to the point, second-hand clothing is not necessarily second rate. Most of the clothing you find in a second-hand store is very good quality, and many times you can even find items that still have tags on (for a fraction of the price of buying new in a store). Buying second-hand not only makes sense economically, but also environmentally (environmental being a big reason why I prefer to shop at second-hand stores). Second-hand shops are the greatest source of recycling (or upcycling if you're on the creative side) there is. If there weren't second-hand stores, all those clothing items would end up in some local landfill. Buying second-hand also helps reduce the amount of processing material that ends up in a landfill. 15-20% of material from clothing being made just ends up in a landfill. By buying used, you reduce the amount of new clothing being made (it's probably being made out of the country anyway), and therefore reduce the amount of processing waste material that ends up in the garbage.

Instead of being looked down upon, buying second-hand should be something that is encouraged. Why buy new when you can buy second hand?