Veganism and Dreads!

Veganism and dreads!!

                Hello everyone J it’s been so long since I’ve posted anything and yet I’ve had so much to write about! First things first… I now have dreadlocks! I’ve always wanted them and so about a week ago I finally got the guts to go ahead and get them. My darling friend came over and worked diligently on my hair for about 9 hours. Sometimes it hurt but it was so worth it. We had a lot of fun just goofing off, listening to music, and talking each other’s ears off. I’m so happy with the results and even though I know the deadlocking process will be long and sometimes frustrating, I can honestly say I’m prepared and willing to learn. I believe this journey will truly teach me patience and self-acceptance. The first question people have been asking is, “whyyyy in the world would you do that to your hair????” and my answer is always the same. By having dreadlocks I’m rejecting the conventional idea that girls of this time and age need long, straight, processed hair in order to look beautiful. Girls now days do more and more to try to fit in and make themselves look good, yet they feel worse about themselves and begin to think they can never compete with the prettier girls. I, on the other hand, obviously don’t care what people think concerning my appearance and I think I’m setting a good example by loving myself completely and accepting my natural self. After all, before brushes and shampoos designed to detangle hair, we ALL had dreadlocks, and anyone who disagrees with that is just being stubborn. In fact I would go as far to say that I believe Jesus may have had dreadlocks, and that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Dreadlocks do NOT need to be dirty and gross; it’s simply a common misconception that you can’t wash dreadlocks or make them look good. Anyways I’m extremely pleased with how mine look and I can’t wait to see how they look in the upcoming weeks.

                Another huge change I’ve made in my life is converting to veganism. I have been a vegetarian for almost two years but I never really gave much thought to being a vegan, I guess I just didn’t think it was a big deal. That all changed once I watched the documentary “Earthlings”………… words cannot describe how this movie affected me and it’s amazing to think about how great it would be if everyone watched it! We would all be vegans I swear. It contained so much graphic footage I nearly threw up and I cried for two hours straight until there were literally piles of salt resting on my cheeks. They explained how animals are killed and abused in order for us stupid consumers to be able to buy leather, meat, and how animals are treated in circuses and medical labs. If you ever thought you knew all there was to know about animal treatment, I urge you to watch this documentary. You will definitely learn things you never even wanted to know. Knowledge is power and even though I am now scarred with these horrifying images, I feel so much more in control of my life and my diet and I have given up all animal products. Surprisingly, if you put your mind to something, everything else falls into place. I’ve been making some AMAZING vegan meals and finding awesome vegan blogs online. Luckily its summer and my mother’s garden is absolutely stunning and overflowing with delicious cucumbers, zucchini and beans. My mood has lifted, my heart is lighter, and I have never felt better. Look forward to some great recipes in the near future!

Here are some pictures of my dreads, aren’t they amazing? J

Reason I dont like the Victorian era.

Reasons I truly cannot stand the Victorian era:

It’s amazing how much we think we know about a certain event or time period versus how much we actually DO know. People would be quite surprised to find out what a troubled and violent time the Victorian era was. Behind all the fancy dresses, balls and social manners, the Victorian age actually can be considered one of the scariest times to be born in, at least, if you’re a woman. During a time when domestic violence and rape was socially acceptable and even encouraged, you might have been lucky just to make it to one of those fancy balls alive.

First of all, women had no rights. Not just the right to vote or have any say so in daily affairs, you were also striped of all rights concerning money, property, and even your own children. Once you got married, which was usually at a young age such as 18, all your belongings and property went straight to your husband. In the face of the law, you were no better than a common criminal or child. Divorces and law suits were absolutely out of the question.  You were raised to be completely obedient and giving. Your main purpose in life was to satisfy your husband and do everything he asked, even if that meant surrendering your own body.

No other place was scarier for a young woman during the Victorian age then the bedroom. On a girls wedding night, the husband had every right to abuse and rape their new wife. One report stated that an 18 year old had been locked in a closet during her honeymoon because she had refused to yield to her husband’s harsh and cruel demands. When doctors found out that a woman’s sexual pleasure didn’t affect her ability to conceive, they encouraged men to engage in intercourse frequently and brutally.  Not having any education on sexual matters, young girls were completely unprepared and frightened. They grew up to hate and fear their sexual relationship.

Besides the sexual abuse that women suffered, they also had to deal with physical abuse such as whippings and punches. It was not illegal for a man to beat his wife, as long as the stick was not wider than the man’s thumb. Beatings were very frequent and were regarded by society as a way for a man to control his wife, who was always viewed as insuperior and irresponsible. If the woman spoke out of turn, it was common for the man to beat her down or threaten to send away, never to see her children ever again. Such threats were the very reason woman stayed submissive and quite.

You can watch as many gold trimmed movies as you want about the so called royal and noble Victorian age, but I will always think back on the savage and unmoral way woman were treated. I thank the heavens I was not born during that time.

*yes, this was an extremely random post but I just watched “the duchess” and I felt a sudden urge to pour out all my feeling about the Victorian era LOL! Thanks for reading, comment below if you want to contradict me or agree with me, either one is ok with me.

-Gloria

Mushroom farm!!!!!!!!!

MY IDEAS AND VISION FOR CREATING A MUSHROOM FARM:

I’ve been stuck by a lightning bolt of revolutionary genius and random-ness….. I’m going to start a mushroom farm! Yeah! Actually it’s not completely random. I attended this amazing VABF (Virginia Agriculture Biological Farmers) convention and took this workshop where Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain explained the entire process of mushroom cultivation and mycorrhizae (the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi.) it was an extremely visionary and enlightening class, Tradd explained that mushrooms could not only serve as a food source (that happens to be richer in protein than meat *wink wink vegetarians* but can also help create more top soil and decompose waste. I never knew that mushrooms could be used to clean up oil spills!! The knowledge behind fungi is freaking mind blowing!!  Anyways I absorbed every last drop of info Tradd had to offer, I picked up every pamphlet and researched mushroom cultivation for days on end. I can now confidently say that I am mentally prepared to go on this journey where I am going to grow mushrooms and possibly, yes, become a mushroom myself…. Kidding ha-ha

WHAT IM PLANNING ON DOING:

First of all, I’m going to start off small, I’m going to invest in some white button mushroom and portabella mushroom spawn. The spawn is basically a mix of saw dust (also called the substrate) and mushroom mycelium (stage of mushrooms before they actually fruit.) I’m going to add some spawn to a mushroom bed that I’m going to develop in my backyard and nurture it until mushrooms pop out of the ground. As I probably should have mentioned before, mushrooms can eat essentially anything, wood, compost, coffee grounds, anything. I definitely have a lot of compost due to the fact I have a large family and we eat a large amount. After I perfect the art of growing a small amount of mushrooms I seriously hope to market them and I have already spoken to some neighbors as well as some of my teachers who expressed great interest in buying from me. After all, mushrooms are delicious and well as pretty expensive. I’ll be growing them 100% organic so that’s a huge plus in my opinion. I’m super excited to start this experiment and I’ll be sure to post on every part of it.

Go mushrooms!! :D

Organic Farming Convention

VABF convention

I went on an adventure!! Yeah, it’s called an organic gardening/horticultural convention. I really had an amazing time and learned loads of stuff that I would absolutely love to share with everyone! The convention was focused on self-sustainability and organic food. I went to this convention with my mother, who actually runs a CSA (community supported agriculture) in our backyard! She has a few clients who have come to rely on her for fresh produce every week. She also throws in freshly made bread along with the nutritious, 100% organic vegetables. I always tell her she’s too generous and honestly she is. She won’t let anyone visit our house without giving them a bag of food to take home with them. ANYWAYS, back on track. At this convention I met so many interesting people who all went to either take the classes offered there or to promote their business. Some grew mushrooms for a living, (see my post about my idea to start a mushroom farm) others were soil scientists spreading the word about pesticides and the harm it does to the dirt. I felt completely at home due to the fact we were basically all environmental hippies striving to live off the land and learn as much as we can about eating healthy and growing organic food.  I really learned the importance of growing your own food and avoiding pesticides which poison us inside and out.

One guy who was there was named Tradd Cotter who actually runs Mushroom Mountain, a mushroom growing and researching facility in South Carolina. His workshop was mind blowing and inspired me to go out and start my own mushroom farm. He was such a pro that it took my breath away. Another workshop I attended was about this amazing couple that own a CSA in New York, they have about 250 clients and own a huge farm as well as horses and cows. They supply their clients with everything, milk, vegetables, eggs, meat, and even fire wood! My mom particularly enjoyed this class due to the fact she has a CSA, I think she definitely felt inspired to expand her business and gain some more clients as well as her gardens. There was another class that was really interesting. This man made a speech on how he raised hundreds of chickens solely on compost that restaurants gladly supplied him. Do you know what that means? No more buying grain, which happens to be quite expensive nowadays.  I was so shocked that I quickly asked him if that meant he made a humungous profit, but he told me that he paid the workers that worked on his farm well. Understandable. Overall, I had the most amazing time and I learned more than I would ever learn just reading a book. I fully intend on using what I learned to my best interest by helping my mom in the garden, eating more locally grown food and attending more conventions in the future!

"Into The Wild"

         I just recently I watched a profound movie that literally changed my life and resulted in a dramatic emotional meltdown on my part. It was “into the wild.” I hear there’s also a book out so I might also try to check that out because sometimes books are better than the movie. Anyways, it’s about a true story of a guy, Chris, who had just graduated college when he decided he was tired of trying to live up to his parents expectations. Actually let me rephrase that, he was tired of trying to live up to society’s expectations. He noticed how everyone was becoming greedy and ignorant, caring only about themselves and obsessing over “objects.” He realized he didn’t need fancy cars or lots of money to be happy and he knew that he wasn’t living the life he wanted to live. So, what does he do? He burns his social security card and money, cuts his credit cards and ID’s, and goes on what turns out to be a long journey to Alaska, taking many trips to various places such as Mexico and Arizona. Along the way he meets an assortment of wonderful and sometimes crazy people. He also takes on different jobs and activities such as wheat harvesting and kayaking. He completely breaks the chains of modern society and lives on his own taking on challenges you only see on TV or read in books. The entire time he’s working his way toward Alaska with nothing but a backpack and a dream to live off the land. He finally makes it to Alaska and you get to watch amazing scenes of him living in the wild, finding food and staying alive. I wasn’t sure whether or not I would tell you the ending of the movie, but I decided I will. He ends up eating a poisonous plant and dies at age 24. HOWEVER; I’ve never watched a better movie in my entire life. It was filled with energy, rebellion, freedom, liberation, revelations, epiphanies, danger, and overall a message that will stay with me forever. The message that you can do WHATEVER you want in this life, all you have to do is seize the moment and live all out. When he died at the end, I literally broke down and cried for 20 minutes straight. I realize that the chances of you dying in the wild after eating a poisonous plant are pretty prominent but I just became so attached to the character that I felt devastated when it was over. I felt a surge of emotions overcome me and there I was, at 1 o’clock in the morning blubbering like a baby.  I realize now I learned so much from that movie and I immediately contacted a few of my closest friends urging them to watch it. It’s so good that you really have to watch it yourself to believe it. If you question authority, the government, modern society, then WATCH THIS MOVIE!! Seriously, go get it. It’s the best. Alright I’ll stop writing now so I can re-watch it. Hope you enjoyed this review and if you do end up viewing this film, by all means comment below or email me so we can talk about it!! :D

 

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmiers2/6338141481/">blmiers2</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/frankfarm/166871650/">frankfarm</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>