Fill Up Your Pockets, Fill Up Your Nerves

Talking to an old spark today (I'll never use that term again, promise), I got/stole some good ideas for projects this summer. More so, it coincides nicely with material I've been reading about - of course - death! Woot!

In old Slavic folklore, it was believed that Death, a figure which is popularly seen as a skeleton with a scythe in Western culture, came in the form of a woman dressed in all white, an everlasting green sprout in the palm of her hand. If one were to touch the sprout, according to legend, they would fall into an eternal deep sleep.

Although the symbolism of the everlasting sprout is fairly obvious, the significance of it, combined with my friend's musings on things-to-do-when-you're-bored-out-of-your-skull-and-nearly-applying-for-Teach-For-America, got me to thinking. One of the only ways to defeat or avoid death - aside from a nice, lengthy visit to Luz - is to create new life. As I love growing plants and using them in a practical way, whether for ingredients from my Basil or Rosemary plants or simply for breathing, I decided to take it a step further: Jam-making!

As it's already well into June, I'm pressed for time for berry-picking. On top of racing against the ripening clock, blueberries are pretty hard to come by in Western, Pennsylvania. So, perhaps it's time for a road trip over toward Lancaster and New Jersey for some moonlight misappropriation. Strawberries, however, won't be a problem. Normally, the season for strawberries lasts into September, so I've got some time. What to do with this jam, however, is still undetermined.

From the same source of my new inspiration to concoct sugary treats, it's been reported that birth control is allegedly fucking with our love lives. Taking the pill or stopping use can purportedly reverse the compatibility in genes between men and women, thus increasing the likelihood for accepted excuses for cheating. Read about women gone wild here!