I just put down an interesting book, "Ritalin Nation," by Richard DeGrandpre. The author questions current psychiatric diagnoses of ADD/ADHD, looking instead to a USA culture that moves too fast and too scattered. A culture induced disorder, he suggests.
Such a shandeh! So much of this has the ring of truth to it. In the urban areas, everywhere I look, people rush about, cell phones to the ear, chasing the golden ring. No one has time for themselves, or for their others.
Leisure time is the, down time (?) for the soul. European, Mediterranean based cultures, the people there, they take their down time. The side walk cafes are for lingering and talking.
Then there is meadmaking. A wonderful hobby. Like gardening. You toil in the earth, nurture the plants and enjoy the fruits of your labor. So it is with the mead. The honey must is carefully prepared, the fermentation nurtured along, and then you have the final product. Bottled and stored away, to be opened at the right time, when it is time for leisure. Swirl the glass, inhale, sip and enjoy.
The labor is also leisure. Even sitting back and watching the process. Someone on this forum posted on this? It's true, lots of people have commented on how relaxing it is to watch the bubbling amber honey must.
So, here is my experiment. Place the carboy with the fermenting honey must on a wooden pedestal, painted black, with the back open. The pedestal should also have a hole on top, small enough to allow the carboy to be placed over it. Inside the pedestal place a mirror canted at a 45 degree angle. Now, behind the pedestal, place a flood lamp with a revolving colored wheel, the kind you can get at home improvement stores. Cover this with black plastic, so the light reaches the inside of the pedestal but doesn't go elsewhere. You want the light to be reflected off the mirror and up through the carboy, but not to be shone through the room, or allowed to heat the honey must. Choose relaxing colors for the color wheel.
Now darken the room and watch the changing colors on the carboy.
Very relaxing!
Such a shandeh! So much of this has the ring of truth to it. In the urban areas, everywhere I look, people rush about, cell phones to the ear, chasing the golden ring. No one has time for themselves, or for their others.
Leisure time is the, down time (?) for the soul. European, Mediterranean based cultures, the people there, they take their down time. The side walk cafes are for lingering and talking.
Then there is meadmaking. A wonderful hobby. Like gardening. You toil in the earth, nurture the plants and enjoy the fruits of your labor. So it is with the mead. The honey must is carefully prepared, the fermentation nurtured along, and then you have the final product. Bottled and stored away, to be opened at the right time, when it is time for leisure. Swirl the glass, inhale, sip and enjoy.
The labor is also leisure. Even sitting back and watching the process. Someone on this forum posted on this? It's true, lots of people have commented on how relaxing it is to watch the bubbling amber honey must.
So, here is my experiment. Place the carboy with the fermenting honey must on a wooden pedestal, painted black, with the back open. The pedestal should also have a hole on top, small enough to allow the carboy to be placed over it. Inside the pedestal place a mirror canted at a 45 degree angle. Now, behind the pedestal, place a flood lamp with a revolving colored wheel, the kind you can get at home improvement stores. Cover this with black plastic, so the light reaches the inside of the pedestal but doesn't go elsewhere. You want the light to be reflected off the mirror and up through the carboy, but not to be shone through the room, or allowed to heat the honey must. Choose relaxing colors for the color wheel.
Now darken the room and watch the changing colors on the carboy.
Very relaxing!
