The loss of confidence

"What is really lost when a civilization wearied and grows small is confidence, a confidence built on the order and balance that leisure makes possible" Thomas Cahill - How the Irish Saved Civilization, 59

On shopping on Christmas Eve

So despite my best efforts, we still had shopping to do on Christmas Eve. So, first thing this morning, we piled in the van so we could be at Costco when they opened. That trip was pretty painless. But now I'm standing in Wal-Mart. The crowds have descended and the shelves are much emptier. We split up to get the last few stocking stuffers we needed. This will prolong the trip greatly. Fortunately, once we get home we have nowhere to go until we go to church tonight.

Books and privacy

Something I've noticed about using my Kindle is it adds a level of privacy and anonymity to reading that I haven't experienced before. I'm not so sure this is altogether a good thing. I've been reading a lot of fiction this year and no one really knows what but me. Why? My wife could be sneaky and turn on my Kindle every day or two to see what I'm reading, but that would be a little like opening up my diary or journal. I think it is mostly because she can't see the books stacked by my bed. I'm not ashamed of what I read, but there is a level of oversight that everyone needs in a fallen world. Just the other day she saw a physical book, a volume by N. T. Wright, by the bed and asked me about it. We had a brief, but helpful conversation and went our ways. I wonder what conversations we would have had over my reading The DaVinci Code?

Failed attempt

Well, my first attempt at Root beer failed. Something must have gone wrong with my ginger bug, because when I went to stir the mix yesterday, there was mold growing along the sides. So I poured it out. I will say though, that the fermentation was working. The puddle foamed up very nicely on the ground. :( I've ordered some water kefir grains as well, so I'll be beginning again pretty soon. I already started another ginger bug. I want to keep this moving until I get something worth my time.

Here are a few pictures from the initial attempt.

Here are the bottle my wife bought me for this project.

Here is my first ginger bug. It was doing great in this picture, but something went wrong along the way. I'll have to keep my eye on it this time.

Here we are stirring in the various roots and herbs that make up the concentrate for the ro

ot beer.

Here are better pictures of the pit we made the concentrate in and them whole mixture being stirred together.

Update on Root Beer

All of my roots and barks came in yesterday from Monterey Bay Spice Co. This morning we opened everything up and began the process of steeping our Root Beer base. The kitchen smells awesome as we let the concoction steep. After four hours, it will be ready to strain out and into a 1 gallon jug with the ginger bug culture to ferment for about several days before we bottle it.

Making Root Beer

I have decided to make Root Beer. I did Ginger Ale a few weeks back and was pretty happy with the results. I am using a combination recipe from the Nourished Kitchen and the Learning Herbs websites. Basically, I am using the method from Learning Herbs and a modified recipe from Nourished Kitchen. My wife bought me the bottles to keep it in for Christmas, though we just picked them up today because they were on order. I am really excited about it. I love the taste of Root Beer and can't wait to try my own. It should be a more healthy version of the drink (sans high fructose corn sugar), using real ingredients and no artificial colors. I'll let keep up a running post on the progress and the results. It should take about a month from start to finish.