The Joys of Friendships...

A couple weeks ago, I lost my grandmother.

Today I found out a close friend had moved to Hawaii.

I have some depression issues, and anxiety issues, so this changed my happy mood into an screwy, emo-type "I'm losing all the people I care about again! Please, don't let more of this happen soon!" mood.

Those who know me well will know these moods come around, from time to time, and have since I was a child.

The difference now, is that I have my three closest friends. One I have known for almost ten years. He introduced me to the other two, who I have known for about half that.

I was always the one left alone and teased, etc, in school. Once I hit my teenage years, it became clear that I didn't get along with the majority of my family. I had nobody, except for the first friend. Now I have my litte circle, because he and I were willing to stick together.

Their friendshp has proven more valuable than even the love of my own siblings, sometimes, and thus I have adopted them, in all ways but legally, as my brothers and sister.

Friendship can heal the heart and soul of a person who's having major problems. And when you're having problems, you learn very quickly who your real friends, and even your real family,are.

But turn to those people around you, who are willing to help. Sometimes it can make all the difference, when it comes to beating the problem.

Pokeberry Wine?

Earlier, I donned latex gloves, and picked some pokeweed berries. I then mashed them up, dumped in some yeast, and set them to fermenting.

No, I'm not making wine. I'm making ink.

Why the gloves, you may ask? Pokeweed, also known as inkberry, is toxic. There are some folks that eat pokeweed, (I won't give you cooking instructions here, and I don't recommend trying to find any and cook it yourself.) but I won't touch the stuff, no matter how many times it's boiled. And the last thing I want to do is ingest any of this stuff.

Ink made from fermented pokeberries was used to write the Declaration of Independence, or so I've read. I figure, why not try making some, myself, and using it with my calligraphy pens? It couldn't hurt, right?

You can find instructions for making this sort of ink on the internet, but take my advice, and be careful, if you do so. I wouldn't want anybody to accidentally poison themselves. Wear gloves, and mark containers well.

If you're willing to take the risk, though, this is a fine natural alternative to buying ink in stores.

"Let There Be Light"

Ah, yes, gotta love that new blog smell.

Well, if you've found this blog, you've either stumbled over it via a friend of mine, or word of mouth (sound of type?)...

For those new to my life, I am an on-again, off-again gamer. Currently waiting for my copy of a new manual, so I can hopefully get back to playing.

I am also into semi-healthy eating, growing fruits and veggies, and finding natural alternatives to stuff I use in everyday life.

So, yes...

This blog, as the title says, is full of... Well, it can only be described as oddness.

Have fun reading, if you so choose.