DO THIS: A thoughtful guide to slowing down and reconnecting with your life.
Mark Boroyan
The Contents
The Thinkings My Thinking Muir's Thoughts
12 14
The Doings Nail Mustard Bars #1 Pots Fire Yerba Read Tourshi Camp Feeder Porridge Hike Neil Horse Sprout Ocean Avo Pop Dog Bars #2 Wood
16 20 24 28 32 36 38 52 54 58 62 66 68 74 78 80 84 88 90 94 98
My Thinking Not many people take an initiative to make anything anymore or experience life off a computer. Practical and inherent ways to self-sufficiency and human virtue are thinning out due to a high demand for technology, abundant accessibility and fast paced lifestyles. The human condition has been altered. My objective for this book is to deliver instructional design which will introduce the admirable and ambitious expression of the will to provide and connect. Through this expression, my intent is to offer truth in accomplishment, enthusiasm, and all the completeness the Earth has to offer and to pass this certainty down within families for the generations to come. Serious human skills and coordinations will also be acquired yet go unnoticed while being built. Teach your children well. SHARE IT : Mark Boroyan Spring 2010
WARM UP: drive a nail The concept of driving a nail supports the entire meaning behind this book. It may sound like a trivial and boring task but it requires finesse and consideration. This learning will not only give you an appreciation for hard work, but it will introduce the difference between knowing what something is and knowing how to do it. This is when you start to understand what the connection is all about. MATERIALS: hammer surface nail
DO THIS : 15 – 16
spicy guinness mustard 1
Combine ingredients in a nonreactive mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1–2 days so that the mustard seeds soften and the flavors meld.
2
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a food processor and process, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, until the seeds are coarsely ground and the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a jar and cover.
3
Refrigerate overnight and use immediately or refrigerate for up to 6 months. (The flavor of the mustard will mellow as the condiment ages.)
DO THIS : 19 – 20
eat fruit & nut bars Take these with you on the first hike of the season or throw some in your bag before you challenge the day. You’ll feel good knowing exactly what you are eating and what you are not. Why make the same batch twice? MATERIALS: chopped almonds 1 cup sunflower seeds ¼ cup warm water ½ cup ground flax ½ cup dried fruit 22 0z. hemp ½ cup vanilla 2 tsp. oats ½ cup
fruit & nut bars 1
Preheat the oven to 350. Oil the baking dish and set aside. Combine the oats, hemp, almonds, sunflower seeds and flax and toast in the oven for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
2
Remove the dry mixture from the oven and stir together with the fruit and water.
3
Turn the mixture into the prepared baking dish and press evenly with bricks until firm. Bake for 25 minutes at 300 degrees and allow to cool before cutting into squares.
DO THIS : 23 – 24
make seed pots from newspaper Making pots for seedlings is a great way to recycle newspaper and save money gardening. These recycled newspaper pots are relatively easy to make and make transplanting seedling to the garden effortless. Making pots this way removes the need for any tape, glue, string, or staples and results in a sturdy recycled newspaper pot. MATERIALS: newspaper strips pot mold (bought or not)
newspaper pots 1
Wrap newspaper around pot mold.
2
Fold in the ends on base and push and turn into mold.
3
Remove from mold and fill with starter mix and seed.
DO THIS : 27 – 28
build a fire The original television. Here are four different fires to keep your friends warm and safe while helping you look like a pro.
Tinder
{
MATERIALS: dead dry plants wood shavings dry needles birch bark pine pitch fire sticks moss paper wax lint
Kindling
{
wood pieces cardboard small logs dry twigs
Fuel
{
animal dung dry grasses dry wood peat coal
build a fire 1
Log cabin method – Stack layers alternating in direction, forming walls around a tepee. Air between sticks allows circulation of air. The chimney effect will suck air in through the bottom and let it exit through top as strong flame.
2
Tepee – Arrange tinder and a few sticks of kindling in the shape of a cone and light the center. The outside logs will fall inward and feed the fire. Burns well with wet wood, however the fire position also burns wood rather quickly.
3
Pyramid – This is like the log cabin method, except the layers get smaller as they reach the top, and there is no tepee inside. Place two small logs or branches on the ground so that they’re parallel to each other, then put a solid layer of small logs or branches on top of them in a perpendicular direction. Add three or four more layers, each time alternating the direction, and each layer being smaller than the one before. Light the top of the pyramid on fire, and it will burn downwards on its own.
4
Fire wall – Building a fire wall with logs or rocks will reflect the fire’s heat, especially if you’ll only be on one side of the fire. Place the tinder in a pile of kindling that’s spaced loosely enough to let air circulate, but close enough so a flame can spread through. Light the tinder and add kindling. As the fire grows, add firewood.
DO THIS : 31 – 32
prepare an yerba mate For centuries, South America’s Ache Guayaki tribe have sipped yerba mate from a traditional mate gourd for its regenerative effects. These rainforest people find tremendous invigoration, focus, and nourishment in yerba mate. The leaves of the rainforest mate tree naturally contain 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, and abundant antioxidants. The Paris Scientific society in 1964 concluded “it is difficult to find a plant in any area of the world equal to mate in nutritional value” and that yerba mate contains “practically all of the vitamins necessary to sustain life”. MATERIALS: gourd bombilla mate water
yerba mate 1
Pack the loose mate into the gourd just about half-full.
2
Place your hand on top and turn the gourd upside-down. Shake the gourd vigorously to move the more powdery leaves to the top.
3
Turn the gourd onto its side and give it several light shakes back and forth. This will bring the larger stems to the surface.
4
Insert the bombilla (filter straw) into the gourd and gently roll the gourd over until some of the large stems cover it.
5
Add cold water to protect and moisten the mate. After it is absorbed, drink it and fill with hot water.
6
The mate gourd can be refilled many times until the flavor is gone.
DO THIS : 35 – 36
read John Muir Muir was noted for being an ecological thinker, political spokesman, and religious prophet, whose writings became a personal guide into nature for countless individuals, making his name ubiquitous in the modern environmental consciousness. According to author William Anderson, Muir exemplified “the archetype of our oneness with the earth�. MATERIALS: yerba mate book
make tourshi Keep the farmers market in your house all year round. Jars work well but why not make a huge vat and keep it down the cellar?
2x
MATERIALS: cabbage celery carrots cauliflower garlic dill
{
½ tsp peppercorns ¼ tsp red pepper flakes 3:1 ratio of water to vinegar ( 4½ qts : 1½ qts ) 1 cup sea salt ¼ cup sugar six, ½ gallon jars with lids grape or oak leaves (optional)
sleep outside There are many reasons to camp. But there is no better way to connect with the earth than to sleep on it. MATERIALS: bug repellent sleeping bag toilet paper first aid hatchet lantern water knife rope tarp tent
build a raised dog feeder Let your dog pretend she’s fancy even if she licks her butt. MATERIALS: MDF: 1@ 11x22 2x4 : 4@ 11” 1x4 : 2@ 24” 1x4 : 2@ 12” screws saw drill
raised feeder 1
Trace the bowls on the surface of the MDF and cut them out with a rotary saw. Cut down into the center and make your way out and around the shape.
2
Attach the side supports to the legs and stand the whole thing upright.
3
Lay the MDF into the support base and screw into the legs.
4
Place the bowls in the cutouts and accept praise from your dog.
DO THIS : 57 – 58
eat porridge Well balance and packed with protein for kids and grown ups. Add anything you want like mulled hemp seed, ground flax, spinach, or apples.
Ground Mixture
{
MATERIALS: 2 T. brown rice 1 T. millet 1 T. Quinoa 1 T. Barley
blueberries water
porridge 1
Place approximately ½ cup of porridge mixture in large sauce pan and lightly toast over medium heat .
2
Add two cups of boiling water to the mixture and simmer uncovered for around 20 minutes. Stir frequently so bottom doesn’t stick to pan.
3
Smash up some blueberries and mix into the porridge. Put on some old Dead and enjoy your work.
DO THIS : 61 – 62
hike in Big Sur The Native American tribes Ohlone, Esselen, and Salinan were apparently the first people to inhabit the area now known as Big Sur. They seasonally followed local food sources, living near the coast in winter to harvest rich stocks of mussels, abalone and other sea life, and moving inland at other times to harvest oak acorns. Bedrock mortars, which are large exposed rocks the natives hollowed out into bowl shapes to grind the acorns into flour, can be found throughout Big Sur. The tribes also used controlled burning techniques to increase tree growth and food production. MATERIALS: 10 essentials mountain
Always bring common sense and know the *limits of yourself and the people you hike with.
1. WATER 2. FOOD
10 essentials
3. KNIFE
7. GPS
4. MATCHES
8. HAT
5. FIRST AID
9. CAMERA
6. HEADLAMP
10. WHISTLE
DO THIS : 65 – 66
play Neil Young music Young is an outspoken advocate for environmental issues and the welfare of small farmers, having cofounded in 1985 the benefit concert Farm Aid. In 1986, Young helped found The Bridge School, an educational organization for children with severe verbal and physical disabilities. He’s been a cult hero, a chart-topping rock star, and all things inbetween, remaining true to his restless muse all the while. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame in 1995. MATERIALS: patience guitar soul
build a saw horse The best man on the crew. The wooden sawhorse was used as a barricade in the NYC landscape for decades. Most notable when soldiers from the Korean War marched down Broadway in 1951, Beatles fans spilled forward outside the Plaza Hotel in 1964, when the Yankees won the World Series in 1977, and in front of the Dakota apartment building when John Lennon was killed in 1980. MATERIALS: plywood 2 @ 2x6 2 @ 2x4 2 @ 1x4
saw horse 1
The top is made from a 2x6 cut 33” long. The ends each have 3 ½ inch by 1 ½ inch notches cut out for the four legs. Each leg is cut roughly 27 ½ inches long from a 2x4. The legs are nailed to the top with 12d nails but don’t nail them all the way home just yet.
2
Cut some ½ plywood in to 12” squares. Setting the legs about 19” apart at the base, hold the plywood up to the base and mark it for cutting it flush to the legs. Making both angled cuts equal will ensure the legs are set an equal angle. When the plywood pieces are cut you can nail them
3
Cut some 1x4 to fit all the way around the legs to fit just under the plywood, on each pair of legs and then across the length of the saw horse on both sides. Nailing these pieces on as you go. Check that the legs are square with the top before nailing the two long braces across from each pair of legs. Finally finish nailing the legs in tight to the top.
4
Don’t insult the piece by painting it. Saw Horses get beat up and deserve to look as tough as they are.
DO THIS : 73 – 74
grow sprouts Sprouts represent the miracle of birth and just so happen to be some of the healthiest food on the planet. It's really easy and pretty cool to witness. MATERIALS: lentils, mustard,or alfalfa seeds 32 oz. jar water towel
sprouts 1
Place ½ to ¾ cup lentils or seeds in a 32 oz. jar and fill with 3x as much water. Soak overnight. You can add some kelp powder to boost the nutrient content if you want.
2
Place hand over end of jar and drain water. Fill the jar and drain it three times. The water will make your hand very cold. You can use a piece of cheesecloth or a paper towel.
3
Turn jar on its side and shake to evenly distribute the seeds along the length of the jar. Use a bigger jar if you’ve accidently used too many seeds.
4
Cover with a towel and put it somewhere where you’ll be able to see it so you don’t forget about it. Do not cover the jar.
5
Repeat steps 2-4 twice a day until tails are 1” long or leaves have formed. If your sprouting leaf sprouts, move them to the window when the leaves appear. Enjoy and share the food and the idea.
DO THIS : 77 – 78
walk along the beach in Truro I'm talking about a walk here. Not just from your blanket to the ocean. Walk along the beach for at least an hour. My rule is always until you cross at least one jetty. Besides the sweet euphoria, food tastes amazing after a stroll. Experience why sleep machines have an “ocean� setting. You'll be amazed where your thoughts will take you. MATERIALS: beach you
open an avocado An avocado is a fruit and is a member of the berry family. In the past, the avocado had a well-entrenched reputation for inducing sexual prowess and wasn’t purchased or consumed by any person wishing to protect their image from slanderous assault. Growers had to sponsor a public relations campaign to dispel the illfounded reputation before avocados became popular. MATERIALS: avocado spoon knife
eat popcorn This is the only acceptable way to make popcorn. You will never use a microwave again after you taste how this is made. Afterward, you can call all of your friends sissies for using the microwave. You’ve earned it. MATERIALS: popcorn salt oil
do something with a dog There are few honest connections like being around a dog. Just sharing time is rewarding and educational for all involved participants. Do it. MATERIALS: you dog
eat granola energy bars No time for coffee and breakfast? Have both in this energy bar to start the day. Taste nothing but the pure ingredients you put in them. MATERIALS: chopped walnuts 1 cup dark brown sugar ¼ cup ground flax ½ cup ground coffee 1 T. dried fruit 6 0z. honey ½ cup hemp ½ cup butter 2 T. vanilla 2 t. oats 2 cup
granola energy bars 1
Preheat the oven to 350. Oil the baking dish and set aside. Combine the oats, hemp, walnuts and flax and toast in the oven for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
2
Combine the honey, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the dry mixture from the oven and stir together with fruit and liquid mix.
3
Turn the mixture into the prepared baking dish and press evenly with bricks until firm. Bake for 25 minutes at 300 degrees and allow to cool before cutting into squares.
DO THIS : 93 –94
split wood Don't be a wuss. It's important to understand how people used to do things with their hands. Your workout will barely be noticed when you triumphantly perceive the pile before you. There is nothing better in the winter than the sound of crackling wood in the fire. MATERIALS: boots maul logs
split wood 1
Find the widest log around 14” in height and use it as the chopping block.
2
Place the log to be split on top of the block.
3
Raise the maul overhead keeping one hand at the top of the handle at the neck and one hand on the bottom of the handle at the base.
4
Swing the maul down at the log while sliding your hand at the neck down to your hand at the base. This is how you generate the power to split the wood. It has nothing to do with strength...it’s all velocity and gravity.
5
Now admire your work and stack your wood in a nice pile so it dries out and looks pretty.
DO THIS : 97 – 98