Galumpha!

Today we went to see a show at the local historic theater venue, The State Theater. The show was Galumpha, and it was awesome! A and C are working on a Galumpha inspired act for the talent show at the Good Vibrations conference this fall, as I type! Yes, I said C. My sweet unassuming husband has decided it would be cool to do acrobatic stunts with his daughter on stage in front of a room full of unschoolers. Whodathunkit?
Here is sample of the show:


Galumpha - The Blues from AWP on Vimeo.

From the Galumpha website:

Anthropologists have found “galumphing” to be one of the prime talents that characterize higher life forms. Galumphing is the immaculate rambunctiousness and seemingly inexhaustible play-energy apparent in puppies, kittens, children, baby baboons – and also in young communities and civilizations. Galumphing is the seemingly useless elaboration and ornamentation of activity. It is profligate, excessive, exaggerated, and uneconomical. We galumph when we hop instead of walk, when we take the scenic route instead of the efficient one, when we play a game whose rules demand a limitation of our powers, when we are interested in means rather than in ends. We voluntarily create obstacles in our path and then enjoy overcoming them. In the higher animals and in people, it is of supreme evolutionary value. --Excerpt from "Free Play – Improvisation in Life and Art," by Stephen Nachmanovitch, pp. 43 – 44, used with author’s permission.

Sounds like unschooling to me! I have always been the type to jump up on a wall to walk, instead of staying on the ground, or ride across the parking lot on my cart full of groceries. I like to galumph! How about you?

Sound Familiar?

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." -- Cicero - 55 BC

...fiddling while Rome burns.....

Stimulated yet?

The question of whether unlimited growth is a good thing for our world aside, this video explains why the newly signed economic bill will not lead to economic growth for our country. No matter what the money is being spent on, the fact that it comes from the hands of taxpayers, or in this case the hands of our grandchildren when they become taxpayers, and passes through the government bureaucracy, means that it is not being used in the most efficient manner possible. How can that possibly be better than leaving that money in the hands of those who earned it and setting up conditions that favor the use of that money to foster greater prosperity?

Blown Away

All I can say is, "WOW." Biochar, schmiochar, THIS is how to save the world.

A Little Hope

Now, where can I get me some biochar? Or better yet, get our local community producing it!

Bunnies!

If this isn't the cutest thing you have ever seen, you must be blind!

Today we went to meet with a local lady who raises Angora rabbits. She had this litter of French Angoras available in a few weeks. A has been thinking about getting into the rabbits-for-fiber scene as her cottage industry, so when I saw the listing on Craigslist, I had to look into it. She was so excited when Charlotte emailed back and invited us to come meet the babies and to learn all about rabbit keeping. I knew as soon as I saw them, and Charlotte told me she was the only person who raises Angoras locally, that we would be getting one. Not that the girls would have let me say no! The only problem now is which color...

A is partial to this one, called a Smoke Pearl. The color will lighten up as she grows older.

E held this one, a Ruby Eyed White, but she voted for one of the black ones. Well, it will be A's deal, so she gets to choose, but we will see what we can do to get E on board with A's choice. A has already promised that she could hold the bunny and help her groom it.

Even I could not resist the adorable softness of an Angora bunny!

Charlotte was so nice and helpful. She showed us her spinning wheel and gave the girls a demonstration. A enjoyed trying her hand at the carding machine, although with one running about 200 bucks, she will have to make do with a couple of regular hand carders! She left very excited about Angora bunnies and confident in her ability to learn to spin. Charlotte even gave the girls a hunk of fiber to take home. It is soooo soft and silky. We also got a chance to say hello to her sheep and ducks. All around good day!