Brew @ MindSay 
The people in the Family are possessed of talents. Some cook or bake, some sew or fashion leather garments, chain mail. Some farm, some do metal smithing, paint or make music. Others' talents lie in the areas of warcraft, statecraft or are the keepers of tradition and the well of stories and the past.
One of my talents is that I brew...something which starts out as Adult Fruit Salad. Please note the word 'adult'. Coming from California to Texas, it never occured to me to explain any farther than this was 'adult'...meaning loaded with alchohol...in this case rum....a lot. There are now certain people who eye anything I make with the word 'adult' in it as suspect and approach with caution. This adult fruit salad is sweet and strong and sneaks up on you....
Recipie is a watermelon cut in half, scooped out, bunch of other fruit cut up and added to large bowl, large bottle of rum poured over, stir often and let marinate for minimum of 24 to 48 hours. Scoop fruit back into watermelon shell and serve. KEEP what ever juice and fruit is left over.
Add any fruit salad or juice left..mash fruit. Put fruit and juice into sterilized jars with plastic wrap between the metal jar lid and the jar. Shake every other day for 3 months. Strain. Rebottle into clan sterilized jars with plastic wrap and lids. 2 months later strain again until all setiment is gone....= Evil brew. Or what has other wise become known as "The Man's Birthday Rum".
The Man is eagerly awaiting the current batch...which should be available by Thanksgiving, with a late summer batch just recently having been jarred which should be available around Valentine's Day/May Day.
For those who scoff at making home made brew...in this case enhancing a product, or that this is actually done... A photo montage accompanies this post.
Having just reported that, "I write about love," here I am sitting at my local coffee retreat, thinking I want to write casually on a different theme this morning. What more appropriate topic than the one I'm enjoying at the moment?
Coffee!
So, come along with me on this recent retiree's morning coffee train.
What is it about that first morning cup of coffee? I know for many it is simply that: "that first morning cup of coffee." Just the caffeine jolt. I think I remember a time when that was my perspective.
Like most of the rest of this physical experience, it depends upon "where you are" in life. For me, at this time, it seems to be about anything but that.
Analyzing My Coffee Ritual
1. Brand 4. Cost
2. Brew 5. Scenery
3. available refills 6. Sociability
Let's review. At home, the brand of coffee I generally brew is Gevalia - good coffee, especially the dark roast. It brews into its own very portable carafe - 10 full cups, if I so choose.
One cupboard in my kitchen has a whole shelf devoted to coffee mugs, some reminiscent of great vacations all over the world, some gifts from friends and family, and others just ones I picked up here and there because I liked them - all perfect receptacles for my morning coffee.
The cost of brewing a whole pot at home is far less than purchasing one cup at a local "coffery" (newly coined word? Works for me!)
Few settings are more pleasing to my spirit being than the view from my backyard swing. Sitting there, I'm almost totally hidden from view by a bed of taller-than-human lillies, backdropped by three hawthorne trees. There I can secretly watch the cardinals, wrens, robins, chickadees, hummingbirds, and other winged friends cheerily feast on the variety of foods I've strategically placed in five feeders, out of the reach of the squirrels.
Ah, yes, the squirrels - not neglected in my backyard sanctuary. They have their own "corn fest" feeder attached to a tree for convenient dining.
And the chipmunks! Not even a two-minute time-out for them, ever! - always scurrying about, chasing one another, or creating unique excavation projects, the designs of which are unclear until the following summer season arrives, revealing isolated plants that have popped up in theretofore private beds. Nature practicing unity! I love it! LOL.
Even casting my eyes at the ground in front of my swing is one of my favorite walkway stones, declaring "In my garden I am closer to God than anywhere else on earth."
Contrast that visual with my current surroundings here where I sit writing this: seated at an outdoor table at the edge of a parking lot which abuts the busiest, noisiest thoroughfare of my community.
The one remaining topic in my original outline is "sociability." That must be the draw to me currently, in this new retirement mode. There is no longer a workplace providing daily sociability. I am indeed retired. Certainly could not have spent mid-morning hours sitting around a coffee shoppe previously.
One would think that those able to be here at this time of day must be similarly situated. So, I guess this is providing to this particular retiree a "community" of a different type.
Self employed artists meet me here for "coffee." The social nature of those meetings is always very uplifting. Today a bronze sculptor, a stone sculptor (and gallery owner) and I enjoyed this ritual together. The new gallery opens tomorrow. Much to do before then. But I digress. I'm very prone to do that.
We three watched an exterminator remove the newly crafted bird nests from the signage attached to the building. I shed a few tears. They comforted me, assuring that there were plenty of other places for those birds to nest......and there were no eggs in any of them. I consulted a coffee shoppe employee about the necessity of this removal. After contemplating being one of the many recipients of the birds "gifts of nature" in their coffees, on their clothing, in their hair, I was much more easily comforted.
I do respect and appreciate communities - perhaps a good topic for tomorrow.
For today, I hope you enjoy your coffee, however, whenever, wherever you partake of it.......or tea, if that be your preference.
Hugs and kisses to all...............xoxoxo
This about a brew that i made using Poppie seeds. This is not a review of opium, but mearly this variation of its use. Don't take this a review of all opiates.
I'd also like to thank Erowid.org for the scientific information that i am going to provide you here. The rest, as always, is based on my judgement as an experieced psychonaut. I still don't take responsibilty for your actions, this is mearly educational. This is NOT advice to USE any of the substances I discuss here. If you do decide to use any substance talked about in this blog, be aware that it is YOUR choice to use it. I had no influence, and only priovide you with information. If you beleive my information to be false, please inform me. For the rest of you, trust my knowledge, and know that i want no hand in malicious activities.
Plant -
Family - Papaveraceae
Genus - Papaver
Species - somniferum
Common Name - Poppie
Active Chemical - opiates
Psychoactive Class - sedative, euphoriant
Primary Use - decoration, intoxication
Other Uses - spice/flavor
Dosage - The method that i used to ingest poppies was through brewing seeds. I can't quite judge what a high or low dose would be on this. I can tell you that through reading information that every batch of seeds is different in active chemicals. Some people report overdosing on doses that were abnormally low to them. These doses are high for most people however.
Method of extraction - This seems to be the best way to brew an average batch of seeds. You can take this and use it yourself to acheive simular results as i have, or modify it to your likings. I used 400grams of poppie seeds in the brand name of Food Lion. I poured them into a pot and added 12oz of water, and 8 oz of lemon juice. I have read that lemon juice helps the extraction, but can be distastful to some people. I proceeded to heat the mixture and stir constantly until the mixture got to a soft boil with constant steam. I noticed a brownish film apearing on top of the mixture. I proceed to let the mixture sit at heated temprature for about 10 minutes. I then poured the liquid through a strainer into a collection dish and noticed that i had only about 10oz of fluid. I poured 8 additional ounces of water into the seeds and stirred them and strained them again. this time i waited and allowed most of the fluid to drain out. At the end i had 16oz of brownish fluid. Totally i used 28oz of fluid. the seeds must've absorbed some of the water, but the heat brought out thier chemicals. there is some room for error and lose of product, but the extraction worked and the desired effects were achived.
Duration - Opiate durations are average.
Onset - 15-30 mins after ingestion
Peak - 1 hour after ingestion
Plateau- once peaked the user will feel the full effects for about 3-4 hours
Coming down - about 4 hours after ingestion
Normal After effects - about 12 hours after ingestion
Risks - As with all opiates, they tend to be addicting, and have adverse withdrawls.
Health (0 - 10) "3" (watch for allergic reactions, they can be fatal if you are alleric to medicines such as codine or morphine.)
Addiction (0 - 10) "4" (though opiates are addicting, most of the time its with other forms besides Poppie seed brew. This is still, however, simular to other opiates. I doubt you'll go to great lengths to brew Poppies everyday, but i beleive it could happen.)
Exposure (0 - 10) "0" (Its very unlikely anyone can tell you drank a Poppie brew, unless you told them.)
Legal (0 - 10 "2" (you can buy the ingredients at the store, but i remember readings somewhere that extraction for the point of intoxication is illigal. Very unlikely you'll get caught doing it in your house.)
Lose of control (0 - 10 "3" (in a worse case scenario i could see someone that got addicted and would steal masses of poppies from the store to come home and brew an overdose and die. Unlikely...)
Effects - The effects are mostly physical, with a bit of mental relaxation and thought inspiration. Withdrawls are obvious. Most effects are normal living though.
Functionability (-10 - 10) "0" (Funcionablilty is normal.)
Time Perception (-10 - 10) "0" (time flows normally.)
Fiend/Jones (0 - 10) "5" (Not compulsive to repeat, but obvious agitation after the experience has passed.)
Euphoria (0 - 10) "5" (relaxation, giddieness, laughing, smiling.)
Motivation (-10 - 10) "-2" (little more relaxed than usual.)
Visual Hallucinations (0 - 10) "0" (I had some interesting dreams, but not visuals.)
Auditory Hallucinations (0 - 10) "0" (no hearing disturbances.)
Body High (0 - 10) "5" (very relaxed, peaceful, warm flowing feeling.)
Values/Morals (-10 - 0) "-3" (withdrawls can make you iritable)
Energy (-10 - 10) "0" (normal levels of energy.)
Sexuality (-10 - 10) "0" (sex drive is normal.)
Social (-10 - 10) "1" (laughing and joking.)
Thought Stimulation (-10 - 10) "4" (interesting thoughts, creative even.)
Perception (-10 - 0) "-1" (little blurred, nothing major, and not to cause any problems)
Paranioa (0 - 10) "3" (as earlier, withdrawls can make you have undesired thoughts.)
Tolerence - (0 -10) "? - 5" (I haven't noiced any tolerence in myself, but i haven't done enough to get to that point. *based on reads* - Most opiates build tolerence quickly..)
Intesity - (0 - 10) "3" (noticeable relaxation, but generally not intese.)
Overall (0 - 10) "6" (Its a nice relaxing buzz. The withdrawls aren't too bad, but obvious. The brew doesn't taste that bad either, great way to kick back.)
Advice - Make the brew the way i did at the top and you'll be alright. Its a good way to come home after work and chill. Have an opium drink instead of fermented grain! you'll see the difference :)
Experience -Well i came home and brewed my drink like mentioned above and consumed. It was bout 15mins when i noticed i was feeling pretty damn good. Laughing and joking at usually interesting things, but not something i'd do alone. I had some nice smiling and warm feelings. Just felt really good overall. Went and played games with my cousin. When i went to sleep i had some really intense dreams, but the sleep wasn't that good. I guess its an awake relaxation. After it wore off in the afternoon, i found myself a bit irritated with people being around me all the time. I mean there was a lot of poking me and talking about stupid stuff and other agrivating things. I'm not usually one to get mad, but it bothered me really bad for some reason and i snapped at them a bit. Obviously the withdrawls. I'd definatly do it again, but its not an everyday thing.
this is a picuture of my brew...
and a pretty sky picture from yesterday :P
What a fitting start to a day I wasn't really looking forward to...
Been having weird sex dreams lately. That is, weird dreams about sex, not dreams about weird sex, if you can see the distinction. And no, I will not describe them for you, pervs, but I'll say this: it's typical of my subconscious to create scenarios in dreams that will really get something going, and then turn them around and in the dream it all turns out to be either a horrible trick or a mistake. I hate dreams. I always sleep soundly when I'm writing, so to remember dreams so vividly means I'm clearly not getting enough mental exercise.
Ughh... off to school. Prey for my soul while I'm writing either of the two tests I have due today.
Keep on rockin
-Scotto
