Activating Baking Soda

Baking soda is a chemical leavener that can be activated with any edible acid.  The stronger the acid, the more bubbly it tends to get as it releases carbon dioxide.  Obvious acids include vinegar, lemon juice, yogurt, and buttermilk.  Less obvious ones include honey, molasses, and brown sugar.  You can use two or more different types of acid for better effect, balancing the flavors and amount of fizz.  Explore a list of cooking ingredients by acidity.

Problems People Won't Solve

I was grimly gratified to see this article discussing something I've often pointed out: that there are numerous problems which don't get solved because people damn well don't want to.

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Asking the Right Questions

Here's a really good list of questions to ask about taxes, growth, and financial responsibility.  Sadly, city councils don't feel compelled to listen to citizens or answer such questions, but at least  you can badger them mercilessly.  The more people ask hard questions, the more they might spur other folks to think about what the government is doing with citizens' hard-earned dollars.

Just remember this basic math fact: you can't solve a money problem if the amount of money needed exceeds the amount of money held by sources you can reach.  Plus the amount you can get  from those sources is almost always much less than the total amount they hold.

Native American Wisdom

This article explores Native American wisdom about survival, and how it's rooted in the specific details of each place, in this case Mi’kmaq.  When you're thinking about choices, and the long term, think in terms of thousands of years.  What's going to last?  It has to treat lightly on the Earth.

Remember that most Turtle Island tribes have an origin story that goes, "We were starving and freezing, then a Spirit Person took pity on us and showed us the ways to live in this place."  The ones that didn't get a clue, died out.  The same thing can happen now.

I doubt my little patch of land will outlast me, but while I'm holding it, I treat it as though it'll survive the current craziness until the world rolls up and comes clean again.  Because who knows, any of my relations passing through here might be the one with just the right genes to help its species survive.  In summer, I watch the butterflies flapping their wings, and hope.

Birdfeeding

Today is partly cloudy and cool.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a large flock of sparrows and two male cardinals.