Ummmmm....

My Dear Reader,

Well my post on dorodango has been delayed a bit.  This has been a hard week in many ways and as such I have not been thinking much about dirt.  I also found Facebook this week.  Never in my wildest dreams did I realize how needy my friends are, and as such I have felt obligated to humor them with a few postings.  Fear not, though, dorodango will come to fruition.

Dorodango Dandy! An Introduction.

It's hard to identify the reasons why we are drawn to something, especially when that something is a little (cough cough) outside the mainstream.   (This post will not attempt to delve in this deep and vexing mystery.  There is no  need to worry about a philosophical  anthem of abstract and totally impractical ideas flowing from my fingers.  That type of post takes work and real thought, two things which I'm opposed to theoretically.)   I will admit that in some unnaturally wholesome way I'm attracted to dirt.  Not all dirt, mind you.  Not the dirt I scrape off of my children or the dirt that breaks sacred trust by crossing the boundary of my habitation, or the dirt that is almost dirt.  But clean, unsaturated, free range, primeval dirt is something to get excited about.

My interest in dirt started as a kid in Kansas.  Kansas doesn't have much, but it definitely has quality dirt.  In fact it is difficult to be the breadbasket of the country without it.  My grandfather was a farmer's farmer and as such he was always working in dirt.  Ploughing, planting, weeding, harvesting and discing were the rhythms of my childhood along with plenty of dust.  Fortunately my grandfather encouraged me to work with him and so as much as possible I was underfoot trying my best to be a farmer.  This was a rich childhood, full of crops, muddy tracks, and varied farm experiences, most of which had to do with dirt.  In retrospect, I guess this was the foundation where it all started.  Thank you Grandpa Regehr!

Anyone who knows me very well. as an adult, knows that I have a passion for the American Southwest.  This attraction is hard to explain and can only be understood by someone who has felt it themself.  A part of the enigma of this love, is the unending panorama of landscapes!  It seems as if around every corner there is a different world waiting to be explored, a cacophony of vibrant colors, geological formations, and whispering voices.  


One other thing it's got is nice dirt. Red, yellow, blue, pink, and purple dirt is just lying around all over the place waiting for someone to want it.  I have always had it in the back of my mind that it would be fun to start collecting the different colors, but I never seemed to get around to it, mostly because I couldn't think of an interesting way to display it.


And then along came the Myth Busters on the Discovery channel.  I don't remember the circumstances exactly but I do remember the episode in which they attempt to polish "almost" dirt.  Here it is for your viewing pleasure.

This episode introduced me to dorodango, the art of making dirt look really good by using only elbow grease and a little bit of water.  Over the next couple of weeks I would like to try my hand at this, and thought that I would invite my two readers along for the ride.  Now in the background I can hear my 2 brothers laughing at me for this peculiar interest, which is ok, because it will help them forget all the other stuff in my life which is the usual ammunition for their pointed barbs.  Laugh away, because soon dorodango will be a household word for the masses, not just Japanese preschool kids.  You my reader are on the vanguard.

....to be continued.

The Clarity of Blindness: Seeing Minds

Over the last few days I have been working on a post about a subject that interests me very much.  As that post slowly takes shape, I stumbled upon this letter written by Helen Keller which I thought I would post in the meantime.


For some reason this letter affected me, and will probably, in some small way change the way I think about people who are blind.   A lot of thoughts rattle through my head as I think about what she said, but the fact that she could see so clearly despite her physical limitation is utterly impressive.  


Here is the letter as posted on the venerable lettersofnote.com  (thank you to Paul Page for bringing this site to my attention)


Helen Keller's View From the top of the Empire State Building

It's All in a Name!

I was looking for information about my grandfather George E. Regehr on google tonight and I stumbled upon this little graph about the names of people who have lived in Inman, KS.  (For those who don't know this is the community into which I was born and raised and where my parents still live.)  I thought it was interesting, so I thought I would post it even though very few of my 2 readers will get excited about it.  I also intended this as a practice to see if blogger really links up with G+.  


I learned two things from this little graph.
1.  I grew up in a German community.
2.  I grew up and was nurtured by long livers.

Click to Enlarge!

Believe Everything You See on TV!

In an effort to counterbalance all the healthy food I've been seeing on here I would like to give a brief review of 3 exquisite culinary creations that have been advertised on TV between Basketball Games.  I NEVER eat fast food but I thought I would try these 3 scrumptious looking delicacies for the sake of balance and fairness.

Wendy's: Bacon and Bleu Cheese Burger:  Very Good...I compared it to the Baconator and I have to say the Bacon Bleu Burger wins.

KFC:  Boneless Chicken Filet - I had high hopes for this one as I like Chick-Fil-a sandwiches very much....It was good, tasted like KFC without the hassle of bones and the distraction of bread and pickles.  Fried Chicken in all of its healthy glory!

Taco Bell: Pacific Shrimp Taco -  Good enough to blog about but not good enough to keep to myself.

I should make a note that none of the 3 tested culinary delights were given to me in the condition shown in the pictures.  I wish I would've taken pictures but the Bacon and Bleu burger was not nearly as plump and snappy crisp as shown in the picture.  Same for the Shrimp soft taco, it looked as if it had been assembled by someone who was bored or maybe didn't care about food aesthetics.  As for the Chicken Filet it was the closest but even so fell short of the picture.  I wonder if these pictures are airbrushed similar to our celebrities?  I would eat all three of these vittles again.

I have to say though that none of them compare to Ruth Bloom's quick, easy and indomitable Ratloaf.