The Raven's Roost

1. Dr. John has died - "The music legend, guitarist, piano man, jive talker and psychedelic godfather Malcolm John Rebennack – better known as Dr. John – died "towards the break of day" on Thursday, of a heart attack, a statement has confirmed. He was 77." Soon we'll lose all these older performers and we'll be stuck with what, Justin Bieber and Kelly Clarkson? Jesus fuck. Leon Redbone left us recently as well. 

2. I was aware that Salvador Dali did a series of illustrations of Alice in Wonderland, but there is a reissue of the book along with restored versions of the images. So that's something I obviously need. 

I saw the young buck in the yard this morning, but I still haven't seen the small fawn that Fox saw last week. The buck has tiny antlers - barely as long as his ears right now, but I think he's only about two years old at this point. The deer have been in and out of the yard all morning, more than usual. There's a lot of stormy weather moving in, so maybe they're trying to feed before it starts raining? 

Today's my rest day, so no running. I'll likely finish up the mint matcha bars. I made the filling and it tasted pretty good - it's also very pourable, so in theory you could use it in a more detailed mold, though I'm inclined to simply continue using it in silicone cupcake molds. I can see how a single loaf drizzled with chocolate ganache would make for a dramatic presentation, though. 

Today is National Donut Day, but I can't really justify leaving home and driving a half hour to the nearest town simply for a sugary fried hunk of batter. I'll be back at Disney in October and can give myself diabetes then. Much as I'd like a nice hot glazed donut I don't actually care enough to bestir myself.

I'm listening to some music right now, but I find I'm not streaming nearly as much as I used to. I used to stream while working on art or reading - usually instrumental, often electronic, but lately I just want quiet. The quiet is peaceful, and sometimes even music deliberately made to be soothing or relaxing grates in my nerves. I think I simply want to be able to focus on one thing. If I'm going to play music I'd like to be able to simply listen to it. And my mind doesn't seem to need as much distraction as it used to - normally I've always played music when working on art because it occupied a part of my brain that might otherwise interfere with my drawing. 

I've also got some food prep to do today - mainly cooking up a batch of kale and lentils with whole wheat pasta. It's a simple dish I'm very fond of, the only problem with it being that the whole wheat noodles soak up so much liquid that the warmed up servings can be dry. So I am thinking of making a simple tomato sauce to balance things out.

 Alone, Not Lonely: On Modern Hermits - Modern Farmer

While being a hermit has its obvious spiritual roots, I believe it's also something that certain types of people are drawn to. And there's a big difference between hermits (hermiting? Is that a word? It is now.) and the anti-social. Your misogynistic basement-dwellers and Ted Kaczynski types. I believe it was Thomas Merton - a man who ought to know a thing or two about it - who said that anyone who goes into the wilderness merely to escape society will find him- or herself keeping company with an army of demons. So there's a gap between "I need to be alone in order to flourish" and "I hate people."

And as much as I like to put on my Grumpy Raven persona, I don't really hate people that much. I find that my threshold for being out and about, around people, talking and interacting, is much, much lower than what most peoples' seems to be. I'm not sure how deep introversion influences the ability to thrive as a hermit, but it would obviously be much harder if you're the gregarious type. For me, being around people even in the most ideal and pleasant of circumstances can be incredibly exhausting. It's rare to find people who aren't draining - Fox is one. I think and hope I am also one - I'd hate to think I am a drain on others. But even doing fun things can really take a lot out of me emotionally, sometimes even physically. My battery gets run all the way down and it takes a longer time to recharge.

In non-hermit news, I forgot to buy raw cashews so I am not making that matcha peppermint cake-thing today. But since I have a sweet potato I make make a pan of scones. The joke around here is that "it's vegan so it's practically a salad." Yes I'm aware that vegan junk food is just as much junk food as regular junk food, LOL. But I prefer to, when I am going to eat sweets and baked treats, to make my own.