Category Archives: food for thought

Ockham’s Eraser

Posted on April 10, 2015 by michaellangford2012

“As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.”   Albert Einstein Last week, I opened an e-mail from our public library, … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, carpentry, food for thought, traditional building, woodworking | 6 Comments

J L Hammond, a working history

Posted on February 18, 2015 by michaellangford2012

J L Hammond and Barbara Hammond are two of the greatest historians you’ve probably never heard of.  In the early years of the twentieth century, they were commissioned by the British Labor Research Department to investigate the social and economic … Continue reading →

Posted in agrarian reform, architecture, food for thought, political economy | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Dublin Green

Posted on February 5, 2015 by michaellangford2012

Some years ago…a friend of mine took up long-distance running.  After training for a summer, he and a group of fellow runners entered the Dublin Marathon.  During most of that time we had been building a timber frame, sharing my tools.  I had … Continue reading →

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The Decline of Craft

Posted on February 1, 2015 by michaellangford2012

Every one is different… As winter wears on, I spend more time scheming and planning than building.  My building ideas are just on the margin of convention, and we have implemented them freely in our own house.  Mostly, to be honest, … Continue reading →

Posted in boatbuilding, carpentry, education reform, food for thought, furniture, traditional building, woodworking | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Almond flaxseed bread

Posted on December 2, 2014 by michaellangford2012

“…give us this day our daily bread.”  We have come a long way with this stuff, and it’s still evolving.  Twenty years ago, I was making cornbread from packaged mixes and realized that the leftover Irish oatmeal from breakfast could … Continue reading →

Posted in cooking, food for thought | 4 Comments

Ozone

Posted on September 19, 2014 by michaellangford2012

At first, I thought it was just about being alone on the water, floating in a small boat far away from the noise of people.  Yesterday, it occurred to me that air movement lifts ozone out of the water.  In … Continue reading →

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Looking for Water

Posted on September 6, 2014 by michaellangford2012

I went for a drive on a recent summer afternoon, looking for a place to fish.  Out of town on Hwy. 45 to Goshen, we passed Twin Bridges, the first possibility.  Headed up Blue Spring Road, there are several places to … Continue reading →

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Mending Fences

Posted on August 30, 2014 by michaellangford2012

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”  Maya Angelou As an artisan, the tools and materials you work with are concrete and finite, predictable and dependable. Humans can be capricious, contradictory, vain, temperamental, and (occasionally) … Continue reading →

Posted in agrarian reform, education reform, food for thought, metaphysical theology, unscholastic achievement | Leave a comment

The Parthenon Enigma

Posted on August 9, 2014 by michaellangford2012

“Thus, over the course of the fifth century, a new Athenian identity emerges, one carefully constructed to glorify Athens and incite fear in the hearts of its enemies.  The trappings (and overreach) of empire continued to bloat Athenian self-regard.  Still, … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, education reform, food for thought, metaphysical theology, traditional building, unscholastic achievement | Tagged | 3 Comments

Piñata of Ideas

Posted on July 11, 2014 by michaellangford2012

Ever have a really good idea, and when you float it out there, someone just can’t wait to knock the stuffing out of it.  Yeah!  Just think of it as a piñata, a little out of reach but interesting enough … Continue reading →

Posted in agrarian reform, architecture, boatbuilding, carpentry, education reform, food for thought, Uncategorized, woodworking | 5 Comments

Learning Curves 5

Posted on June 12, 2014 by michaellangford2012

  “The beginning of all things lies still in the beyond in the form of ideas that have yet to become real.”  I Ching, hexagram 1, The Creative We live on the upper part of Scull Creek, which flows west … Continue reading →

Posted in boatbuilding, food for thought, metaphysical theology, unscholastic achievement | 1 Comment

boomerang

Posted on September 23, 2012 by michaellangford2012

I just ran across this, and had to share it.  I’m reading Boomerang by Michael Lewis, about how different countries mis-handled massive amounts of credit.  So I start searching items on Wiki, just to be sure that I understand what I’m reading. … Continue reading →

Posted in food for thought | 2 Comments

a soft answer

Posted on September 14, 2012 by michaellangford2012

Is this the Fayetteville we know and love; or WHAT? The other night, we went out for a while to a benefit for one of our local artists.  Hosted by a popular restaurant, silent auction of donated art, cash bar … Continue reading →

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Rice Bowl

Posted on September 12, 2012 by michaellangford2012

“Now the first and greatest of necessities is food, which is the condition of life…”         Plato, The Republic  When I came to Fayetteville in the late seventies, to live with strangers in a rented house, and study English, the University … Continue reading →

Posted in food for thought | Tagged , | 2 Comments

New Hamburgers

Posted on September 12, 2012 by michaellangford2012

“on Saturday there was a policy of allowing people–anybody—to come in and use the shop…$1/hr…in the beginning people shared jobs, and we also shared wages.” JKM One Saturday morning, in the fall of 1988, I wandered into a basement workshop … Continue reading →

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juneteenth

Posted on February 13, 2012 by michaellangford2012

Juneteenth The best thing about summer in Arkansas was that you could go fishing every day, except Sunday of course.  A quick turn through the barnyard and you had all the worms and crickets you’d need for a mess of … Continue reading →

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