Some folks know I've been dabbling in cooking with cannabis a bit over the last several years. Much to the surprise of our sons and Mr. M. I've even looked at retirement job opportunities in the industry and haven't yet ruled it out. However, in the course of my trials and triumphs there have been some lessons learned that will be cause for amusement...
My first time at a cannabis dispensary was with a friend in the medical field. WE were literally like kids in a candy store - and didn't realize there was a limit to how much product you could buy in a single visit. NOW we know how to work around that rule...
She was caring for her grandmother who would often forget to eat or forget if she had eaten and grandma's MD was concerned about her recent dramatic weight loss as a result. We purchased some small single serving chocolates and caramels for G-ma. She gained 8 pounds that month with the appetite stimulation. She was eating more volume and more often when taking a 1/2 dose twice daily. Of course, we had to sample the products and were quite giddy that evening... but slept like toddlers...
The cost is prohibitive for some, and ready made products are costly as well. This is why I chose to learn to generate my own products and self-test strains, edibles and topicals that worked well for my issues. I did not find smoking or vaping to be helpful as my lung system totally rejects that method of delivery. Topicals provide short-term relief and sublingual doses (1/2 ml dropperful AM/PM) provide the most consistent long-term pain relief for me, if consistently taken. If I miss 2 days, I'm right back where I started.
I tend to lean toward high CBD cannabis strains to self-treat migraines and joint pain (pun intended). The THC is the chemical that produces most of cannabis' psychological effects - the "High". CBD affect the nerve system the endocannabioid system that registers pain and inflammation. This video explains better the difference. I also use some 1:1 THC/CBD strains where the psychological effects are mitigated by the presence of CBD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZqVx1M3daQ
#1 - My first baking class was found through Living Social. Six very different women gathered at a private kitchen on a Saturday morning and made 4 different snack foods. We were not allowed to imbibe while cooking but soon realized that a contact high is possible just by not turning on the ventilation fan... rookie mistake. Licking the spoon or beaters is also a no-no in this venue... I was nearly booted from bake class for a violation.
#2 - When preparing raw "bud" for cooking it is wrapped in tin foil and then baked for 20 minutes at low consistent heat to "sweat the oil" from the terpines (plant cells). Then the plant is infused in a fat based liquid - butter, oil or honey are top choices. Do not UNDER ANY circumstances LICK the tin foil after baking the bud. Ancient ancestors and former pets were communed with on that day...
#3 - When baking several dishes of cannabis treats and sampling as you go - make SURE you have non cannabis infused snacks to cure the munchies. Otherwise, see you next Tuesday... Damn, nothing to nibble but more canna-kibble... Advanced preparation for baking IS necessary beyond just what is to be baked. Prep for the after effects... something else I SHOULD have learned in high school, but I was busy being boring.
#4 - When sampling homemade edibles for the FIRST time, cut into 1/4 pieces - take 1 and wait 1 hour before a second dose. And on packaged products, pay ATTENTION to dosing suggestions - if it says one and it looks like a Barbie-sized cookie; only take one - it can pack a wallop depending on the strain used. 'Well, two squares broke off and I'm not a newbie, I should be fine.' I'm seeing dead people and convinced Dan has a contract out to kill me... 2 hours later. This is why I stay away from THC products, 'paranoia will destroy ya...'
#5 - Get a set of Tupperware with GREEN lids and label EVERYTHING that has ANY cannabis in it. Once it's in the black hole of your freezer or fridge it's easy to utilize the wrong butter when making family dinner... or a major temptation in some family gatherings. YOU legally must tell anyone that there is cannabis in anything they eat and may not serve it to someone unknown.
#6 - Anything with cannabutter in it will have a "planty" odor or taste. Use other seasonings or sweeteners liberally. Using 1/2 infused product and 1/2 non-infused product will mellow the "bite".
#7 - When you clean up the "overspill" on gummies, candies or other edibles, factor that dose in to the ones you take after product is done.
#8 - When going to the dispensary, go on a slow day early in the AM, so you have all day to visit others to get the full gram you need to actually cook a decent amount of goods... also to have good service from your budtender...
#9 - Research strains online before you go to the dispensary - for sales as well as intended outcomes. Indica and Sativa strains have varying levels of chemicals that affect people differently.
#10 - IF you are going to cook with cannabis often, it's best to have a separate set of cookware and utensils that are seasoned each time you cook. Metal utensils will affect the overall taste. Ceramic, glass, bamboo are recommended. The bamboo will absorb a little essence every time used, but not in a detrimental way.
I've purchased a Magic Butter machine that keeps all the mess to a minimum and a separate small crockpot for infusing oil, honey and butter for later baking use. The Magic Butter machine looks like a small alien spacecraft and makes a heck of a racket, but effectively heats and infused the materials and even makes clean up pretty simple when one is jonesing for a power nap.
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Make America Care Again... THAT is our route to greatness
Last night attended Lights for Liberty with my parents and about 12 fellow church members. We assembled for snacks and poster making and had a loose itinerary of where to attend an event at Saltwater Unitarian Church http://saltwaterchurch.org/ in Des Moines in conjunction with the national Lights for Liberty event. We encountered gracious hosts, convenient rest rooms and stood side by side with lit candles, voices raised in song and prayer to right the wrongs of this administration's policies.
We listened to people who are watchers and reporters who have spent time in a detention camp in Florida - just validating that the children there are seen and cared for by waving to them from a stepladder over a fence at a distance imposed by government regulations - which change daily.
#Don'tLookAway from refugee mistreatment.
We heard from a young woman who fled from Nicaragua without her child for her own safety - the mother's and the child's.
We heard from a group AidNW www.aidnw.org that mans (persons) a donated RV to receive newly released detainees in the warehouse district of Tacoma with literally only the clothes on their backs that they have been wearing for up to 6 weeks without benefit of shower.
This group has an Amazon wish list, takes donations and would prefer several small to one large donation as they exist purely on donations. Volunteers are on site from 2-7pm daily to welcome, provide care, compassion, food and clean clothing and toiletries, opportunity to communicate with family, make plans for their transition to freedom and whatever else is needed. TO VALIDATE that these people MATTER and that the policy of our government is NOT the will of our citizens.
Otherwise, these detainees would be released in an area of Tacoma that is bleak, unpopulated and without resources nearby and without a clue of what their next steps should be. AidNW is working in cooperation with Tacoma Police and ICE to exist and is dedicated to peacefully coexisting in the area they serve to KEEP serving for as long as they are permitted.
AidNW serves ALL detainees being released - not just those from Latin America and Mexico as all refugees and asylum seekers are being detained prior to being allowed to start legal processing to remain in the country.
Would you go to a country by choice to be detained for an undisclosed amount of time before being permitted to apply for asylum if you did not have to?
Could you sleep with the lights on among 1200 other unwashed persons?
Could you relieve your biological needs in those conditions?
Could you manage without human contact of those you love? No communication?
We have no clue what kind of situation made the decision necessary and cannot in good conscious judge until we've walked 800 miles, 120 days and countless losses in their shoes.
We HAD MONTHS to prepare a program and policy to receive the caravan of people headed to our borders. And THIS is the best we could do? It's abhorrent conditions are Making America Ghastly Again in the eyes of the rest of the world. This is not greatness, this is not even remotely appropriate. This needs to end.
Ever feel like an organization was put on your radar for a reason? I'm feeling compelled to get involved and support the efforts of AidNW in case that is not apparent. I explored the location today, plan to deliver non perishable food snacks later this week and if I still feel so moved, to take steps toward volunteering in the RV as appropriate.
Many of us feel that there is nothing we can do about the current refugee detainment crisis.
I may not be able to solve the problem everywhere on my own with one action, but collectively, together, my ONE action may be THE one action that makes a difference in one LIFE.
There is no way I can NOT do this.
We listened to people who are watchers and reporters who have spent time in a detention camp in Florida - just validating that the children there are seen and cared for by waving to them from a stepladder over a fence at a distance imposed by government regulations - which change daily.
#Don'tLookAway from refugee mistreatment.
We heard from a young woman who fled from Nicaragua without her child for her own safety - the mother's and the child's.
We heard from a group AidNW www.aidnw.org that mans (persons) a donated RV to receive newly released detainees in the warehouse district of Tacoma with literally only the clothes on their backs that they have been wearing for up to 6 weeks without benefit of shower.
This group has an Amazon wish list, takes donations and would prefer several small to one large donation as they exist purely on donations. Volunteers are on site from 2-7pm daily to welcome, provide care, compassion, food and clean clothing and toiletries, opportunity to communicate with family, make plans for their transition to freedom and whatever else is needed. TO VALIDATE that these people MATTER and that the policy of our government is NOT the will of our citizens.
Otherwise, these detainees would be released in an area of Tacoma that is bleak, unpopulated and without resources nearby and without a clue of what their next steps should be. AidNW is working in cooperation with Tacoma Police and ICE to exist and is dedicated to peacefully coexisting in the area they serve to KEEP serving for as long as they are permitted.
AidNW serves ALL detainees being released - not just those from Latin America and Mexico as all refugees and asylum seekers are being detained prior to being allowed to start legal processing to remain in the country.
Would you go to a country by choice to be detained for an undisclosed amount of time before being permitted to apply for asylum if you did not have to?
Could you sleep with the lights on among 1200 other unwashed persons?
Could you relieve your biological needs in those conditions?
Could you manage without human contact of those you love? No communication?
We have no clue what kind of situation made the decision necessary and cannot in good conscious judge until we've walked 800 miles, 120 days and countless losses in their shoes.
We HAD MONTHS to prepare a program and policy to receive the caravan of people headed to our borders. And THIS is the best we could do? It's abhorrent conditions are Making America Ghastly Again in the eyes of the rest of the world. This is not greatness, this is not even remotely appropriate. This needs to end.
Ever feel like an organization was put on your radar for a reason? I'm feeling compelled to get involved and support the efforts of AidNW in case that is not apparent. I explored the location today, plan to deliver non perishable food snacks later this week and if I still feel so moved, to take steps toward volunteering in the RV as appropriate.
Many of us feel that there is nothing we can do about the current refugee detainment crisis.
I may not be able to solve the problem everywhere on my own with one action, but collectively, together, my ONE action may be THE one action that makes a difference in one LIFE.
There is no way I can NOT do this.
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Word of the Week - Freedom
Isn't it strange when one theme is repeatedly woven into your consciousness in unexpected ways? This week it has happened with the word freedom. This week we celebrate freedom from British tyranny. In the sermon at church last Sunday - the essence of which boiled down to freedom being free ONLY when given away to others in service. Then Monday in yoga class of all places - the theme was repeated in describing the concept of Moksha - enlightenment through freedom, release or emancipation. As well as Dharma being the moral order of the universe and how it relates to Moksha. But I digress...
Freedom isn't free unless all who desire it share in it. I spent this afternoon in downtown Tacoma silently holding a sign that read "WE cannot celebrate Freedom and Independence while CHILDREN are in CAGES!!!" The sign elicited comment from people of all walks of life, cultures, creeds, colors and only two negative comments I refuse to dwell on. But I did find the grace to pray for the offenders. It garnered support from the many honks, thumbs up and nods I received, even from law enforcement personnel.
In grade school when I learned of the Nazi Germany history that included the concentration camps, I could not fathom that no one had the courage to stand up and stop it before 6,000 people died. Did no one reach out to the rest of the world? I realize now that those who spoke out against the policy were most likely among the 6,000. Until no one remained to speak out for fear of death.
It was at that time that marked on my very being that if I saw injustice, bullying and history begin to repeat itself, I would use my 1st Amendment freedoms to speak up, protest, resist and not give up until someone somewhere heard and registered that this was wrong. I'm seeing it now and am not willing to let us go further down this path.
Can you imagine what this debacle will do to our foreign policy?
How are we ever going to repair these families we have now destroyed?
What is it costing us to keep these people detained in subhuman conditions?
Who or what corporations are profiting from it and can we boycott them?
What are the effects on the officers responsible for these detention centers?
If you didn't vote in 2016, please commit to doing so in 2020. If you voted for a third party just to keep from voting for the two main candidates, realize the numbers work against you.
If you don't feel strongly enough for any one candidate, ally with the one candidate who can win against the opposition. Someone with integrity, a plan, credibility, diplomacy and who will work with both parties to unite our country instead of destroying through ignorance and insults.
Work for freedom for all, PEACE, justice, care of creation and celebrate the cultures that make this country unique. For someone to come here and face separation and incarceration, what worse horrors must they be fleeing?
How can we celebrate America's freedom and independence
when a government policy exists that tears families apart
as they attempt to follow the process to enter our borders
resulting in parents and children being detained indefinitely
in subhuman conditions?
In grade school when I learned of the Nazi Germany history that included the concentration camps, I could not fathom that no one had the courage to stand up and stop it before 6,000 people died. Did no one reach out to the rest of the world? I realize now that those who spoke out against the policy were most likely among the 6,000. Until no one remained to speak out for fear of death.
It was at that time that marked on my very being that if I saw injustice, bullying and history begin to repeat itself, I would use my 1st Amendment freedoms to speak up, protest, resist and not give up until someone somewhere heard and registered that this was wrong. I'm seeing it now and am not willing to let us go further down this path.
Can you imagine what this debacle will do to our foreign policy?
How are we ever going to repair these families we have now destroyed?
What is it costing us to keep these people detained in subhuman conditions?
Who or what corporations are profiting from it and can we boycott them?
What are the effects on the officers responsible for these detention centers?
WE have NO idea what the long-term effects of this stupid process will be -
but I guarantee we will feel those effects
long after this administration is gone.
Hopefully 2020 will start the healing.
If you don't feel strongly enough for any one candidate, ally with the one candidate who can win against the opposition. Someone with integrity, a plan, credibility, diplomacy and who will work with both parties to unite our country instead of destroying through ignorance and insults.
Work for freedom for all, PEACE, justice, care of creation and celebrate the cultures that make this country unique. For someone to come here and face separation and incarceration, what worse horrors must they be fleeing?
Called to Action...
One of my favorite Eleanor Roosevelt quotes is, "Do one thing every day that scares you." This week I found myself with a little extra time and an inexplicable compulsion to purchase poster making supplies. Our church is preparing to participate in a local PRIDE event... but apparently that was not the reason for this.
Upon returning home, our internet connection was not operational. I could however, access facebook on my cell phone. The first post I saw alerted me to a protest occurring the next day within 30 minutes of my home at a time I had nothing planned. If you believe in God winks, I was about to get a swift God kick in the backside. This protest was about closing the family detention camps that our government is using to detain children in cages. Oh. heck. yes.
I now had the location, the time, the materials and the means to participate. Ever since I first heard of Nazi Germany in grade school I have been unable to fathom how people didn't provide enough opposition to obliterate this awful part of history. I now understand that those who opposed usually joined the population IN the concentration camps until no one was left to protest and all protesters were silent to protect themselves and their own families.
But I have this elusive thing called white privilege and what better way to utilize it than to defend those unable to defend and speak out for themselves. I went to the SeaTac detention center when all of this immigration, wall rhetoric and closing the border crap started. AND WE'RE STILL PROTESTING this policy.
We had MONTHS of monitoring people forming a walking caravan to approach our border to escape horrendous conditions in their own countries. And we couldn't come up with a better plan than separating families and holding children in cages? With insufficient basic human necessities? You think concentration camps made Nazi Germany look bad? The US is going to have a hard time living down this atrocity.
2,363 children separated from their parents at the border.
A portion have been deported.
Some have chosen to stay and pursue citizenship without their parents.
Few have been reunited with their parents.
In WA, we have 167 detainees in the federal detention center. Beds have been requested for up to 12 months. There is no record of how many of these people are parents who have been separated from their children.
$145.19 per day to detain adults in Washington
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/07/236724/help-migrant-children-at-border-crisis
Upon returning home, our internet connection was not operational. I could however, access facebook on my cell phone. The first post I saw alerted me to a protest occurring the next day within 30 minutes of my home at a time I had nothing planned. If you believe in God winks, I was about to get a swift God kick in the backside. This protest was about closing the family detention camps that our government is using to detain children in cages. Oh. heck. yes.
I now had the location, the time, the materials and the means to participate. Ever since I first heard of Nazi Germany in grade school I have been unable to fathom how people didn't provide enough opposition to obliterate this awful part of history. I now understand that those who opposed usually joined the population IN the concentration camps until no one was left to protest and all protesters were silent to protect themselves and their own families.
But I have this elusive thing called white privilege and what better way to utilize it than to defend those unable to defend and speak out for themselves. I went to the SeaTac detention center when all of this immigration, wall rhetoric and closing the border crap started. AND WE'RE STILL PROTESTING this policy.
We had MONTHS of monitoring people forming a walking caravan to approach our border to escape horrendous conditions in their own countries. And we couldn't come up with a better plan than separating families and holding children in cages? With insufficient basic human necessities? You think concentration camps made Nazi Germany look bad? The US is going to have a hard time living down this atrocity.
2,363 children separated from their parents at the border.
A portion have been deported.
Some have chosen to stay and pursue citizenship without their parents.
Few have been reunited with their parents.
In WA, we have 167 detainees in the federal detention center. Beds have been requested for up to 12 months. There is no record of how many of these people are parents who have been separated from their children.
$145.19 per day to detain adults in Washington
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/07/236724/help-migrant-children-at-border-crisis
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