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helwenWe went up to town this morning as I had some things to put in the mail, and also Saturday is the day the local baker delivers fresh baked goods to the store next to the post office. We picked up a lovely multi-grain loaf, and a gallon of milk too (a little pricier at the little store than at a supermarket, but it's close to home, and the milk is from western MA dairy farmers). Lots of snow out there. It's tapering off at the moment, but that doesn't mean we won't get more.
L and crew are out, shoveling snow off the sugarhouse roof first, and then up the hill to work on the pipelines. They need to clear off as much as they can over certain areas because there's supposed to be a freezing rain on Monday or Tuesday, and we don't want the roof to collapse.
I think they will start tapping this weekend. It was a debate with William, who thinks we should wait, but L thinks W's forgetting just how long it takes to tap all the trees. We put in around 1,800 taps usually; that doesn't happen in one day. W's concern is that there's so much snow on the ground that even if it warms up this coming week, the tree roots won't feel enough of it. All we can do is our best, though.
When I'm feeling better I'll go up on the hill and tramp around some of the trees, to get the snow down a bit... not that I can get to all the trees, but it's nice up there anyway, so might as well do something useful while I'm out. Just have to make sure I don't overdo it -- which is probably why I have a cold right now....it isn't too bad, just persistent. I'm treating it somewhat aggressively in order to keep it out of the lungs. So, no outdoor work for me...
Instead, I'll do some more work on my mom's book (starting Chap. 3 today), and move things around in the apartment. And maybe nap.
***
The spear heads arrived yesterday! I was so foggy that I forgot L had brought the box in and put it next to my desk... noticed it late last night, so of course I had to open it and look right then and there. Even by monitor-light they looked pretty nice. This morning they look even better! And more detail than I remembered, on the socket part. picture here of spear head. It's a pretty good photo, but reality is better.
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fitzw will be making the shafts for them to go on, but probably not until April... another reason for me to keep working on organization -- need a place to put stuff for summer/Pennsic.
***
Still doing my PT, even with the cold. It's a lot harder right now, so I'm breaking some of the exercises up into smaller portions throughout the day. Had to grit my way through the 10 measly knee pushups last night, not because of pain (pain is bad!), but because it made me so tired and foggy.
***
Brought some boxes of books upstairs from the hallway today -- L wants to sort through and pick some to keep out. I'll go through them as well, since it's a mix of sci-fi and history books. My African history books were in one of the boxes... definitely enjoyed that course! We weren't allowed to specialize for a bachelor's degree in the History department, but nevertheless I took ever medieval course I could. One of the degree requirements was to take history classes on non-'western' countries/cultures, which is how I ended up taking an African history course, because the teacher was covering early history into roughly the 14th/15th century. It was a great course, not only because I got to learn more about African history (if only in a broad overview), but it tied in so well with the European history I'd learned. I ended up doing an independent study with the same professor, and reading about Ibn Battuta's travels. Now there was an interesting man, with a great facility for remembering detail. Some historians will contest that he could remember everything he put in his memoirs, but my mother, who is nearly 80, can remember how much the donuts cost at this shop in SF, where she and the other kids would stand after school and watch the donuts being made (the donut maker was in the store window), and I myself remember how much stamps, paperbacks, and pay phones cost when I was a kid.... some things stick in the mind better than others...
It's interesting reading other people's notes on what they think of a source, and think about what it means. For instance, some historians doubt Ibn Battuta made it all the way to China, and say that he may have gotten some of his information from other travellers who came from there (they don't seem to contest that he made it to Istanbul/Constantinople -- probably because of his memories of being incredibly cold and miserable for parts of that part of his journey) -- but, they don't contest the knowledge that he relates about China. Now, some of it they could confirm from other reports and records of the time, but what makes it really interesting is that he notes an historical battle in China that previously historians had thought had happened _later_ than Ibn Battuta said it happened -- in fact, it would have happened after he'd been to China, so he wouldn't have heard of it at all.
Studying a subject in a way that seems unrelated or lateral to the subject, can sometimes bring in valuable information that you wouldn't have otherwise. Lots of things are like that, not just history. Many arts and crafts are like that too.
L and crew are out, shoveling snow off the sugarhouse roof first, and then up the hill to work on the pipelines. They need to clear off as much as they can over certain areas because there's supposed to be a freezing rain on Monday or Tuesday, and we don't want the roof to collapse.
I think they will start tapping this weekend. It was a debate with William, who thinks we should wait, but L thinks W's forgetting just how long it takes to tap all the trees. We put in around 1,800 taps usually; that doesn't happen in one day. W's concern is that there's so much snow on the ground that even if it warms up this coming week, the tree roots won't feel enough of it. All we can do is our best, though.
When I'm feeling better I'll go up on the hill and tramp around some of the trees, to get the snow down a bit... not that I can get to all the trees, but it's nice up there anyway, so might as well do something useful while I'm out. Just have to make sure I don't overdo it -- which is probably why I have a cold right now....it isn't too bad, just persistent. I'm treating it somewhat aggressively in order to keep it out of the lungs. So, no outdoor work for me...
Instead, I'll do some more work on my mom's book (starting Chap. 3 today), and move things around in the apartment. And maybe nap.
***
The spear heads arrived yesterday! I was so foggy that I forgot L had brought the box in and put it next to my desk... noticed it late last night, so of course I had to open it and look right then and there. Even by monitor-light they looked pretty nice. This morning they look even better! And more detail than I remembered, on the socket part. picture here of spear head. It's a pretty good photo, but reality is better.
fitzw will be making the shafts for them to go on, but probably not until April... another reason for me to keep working on organization -- need a place to put stuff for summer/Pennsic.***
Still doing my PT, even with the cold. It's a lot harder right now, so I'm breaking some of the exercises up into smaller portions throughout the day. Had to grit my way through the 10 measly knee pushups last night, not because of pain (pain is bad!), but because it made me so tired and foggy.
***
Brought some boxes of books upstairs from the hallway today -- L wants to sort through and pick some to keep out. I'll go through them as well, since it's a mix of sci-fi and history books. My African history books were in one of the boxes... definitely enjoyed that course! We weren't allowed to specialize for a bachelor's degree in the History department, but nevertheless I took ever medieval course I could. One of the degree requirements was to take history classes on non-'western' countries/cultures, which is how I ended up taking an African history course, because the teacher was covering early history into roughly the 14th/15th century. It was a great course, not only because I got to learn more about African history (if only in a broad overview), but it tied in so well with the European history I'd learned. I ended up doing an independent study with the same professor, and reading about Ibn Battuta's travels. Now there was an interesting man, with a great facility for remembering detail. Some historians will contest that he could remember everything he put in his memoirs, but my mother, who is nearly 80, can remember how much the donuts cost at this shop in SF, where she and the other kids would stand after school and watch the donuts being made (the donut maker was in the store window), and I myself remember how much stamps, paperbacks, and pay phones cost when I was a kid.... some things stick in the mind better than others...
It's interesting reading other people's notes on what they think of a source, and think about what it means. For instance, some historians doubt Ibn Battuta made it all the way to China, and say that he may have gotten some of his information from other travellers who came from there (they don't seem to contest that he made it to Istanbul/Constantinople -- probably because of his memories of being incredibly cold and miserable for parts of that part of his journey) -- but, they don't contest the knowledge that he relates about China. Now, some of it they could confirm from other reports and records of the time, but what makes it really interesting is that he notes an historical battle in China that previously historians had thought had happened _later_ than Ibn Battuta said it happened -- in fact, it would have happened after he'd been to China, so he wouldn't have heard of it at all.
Studying a subject in a way that seems unrelated or lateral to the subject, can sometimes bring in valuable information that you wouldn't have otherwise. Lots of things are like that, not just history. Many arts and crafts are like that too.
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no subject
Date: 2008-03-01 06:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-01 10:56 pm (UTC)I cannot remember what I had for dinner last night, the name of my first grade teacher, or the plot OR author of the book I enjoyed last week, but I can remember a heck of a lot of details about a boat and a car which exist in no example left on this earth.
Then again, my Dad can remember almost every detail of every activity he has ever done and every book he has read.
I do not question another's ability to reason, recognise, or remember any detail, I simply try to remember who it is who remembers things in this way for when I need the information later, and try to understand what themes to their ability might be apparent.
It can be hard for people who have not met a very large sampling of intelligence types to be comfortable with the idea that yes, someone, somewhen, might have had that exceptional a memory for those types of details.
Then again, Ibn Batutta may well have kept a journal.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-02 04:41 am (UTC)I'd have to read the book again, but I don't recall that he kept a journal. Although it's possible he may have written some letters or perhaps a different sort of journal than what folks tend to do on LJ and similar places... one of the journals that the folks have here mostly makes note of the weather and temps, with occasional mentions of things like going to blueberry hill.
He was trained in the law and was a doctor of theology, more or less. Part of their training was to have the laws memorized, IIRC. Someone who it would be an honor to host as a guest, at least in the lands where people held the same beliefs. He could share knowledge and teachings, help settle disputes, that sort of thing.
I have a book on him somewhere around here.... I'll have to take a poke through it, as I think the book I have is more commentary than translation, and I'd like to read it again in full. Also, lyanna_beth was asking about it, so... something else to do this week coming :)