Ted’s essays

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intermittent fasting – getting ready for swimsuit season

I have written about fasting and published here, at Bitterroot Bugle, and Idaho Liberty. There are many forms a fast can take with “intermittent fasting” likely the most popular. The easiest of those is skipping one of our three standard meals of each day. I began leaving lunches off the table several years ago. That was rather convenient and helped my waistline a lot. I am now older and slower. I don’t even burn off two good meals a day any more. Last summer the kitchen help took a nine day vacation to visit her family. I minded the homestead and took the opportunity to do a full water-only fast. That is nine days between meals. It was very […]

April 19th, 2021 | Category: health, practical |

upright bass / bass guitar / electric bass

I responded to a friend’s e-mail inquiry about my thoughts comparing the features of my upright bass, my acoustic bass guitar and electric basses. I am sharing an enhanced version of my reply here. I have played trombone since I was 10 years old, mostly because of my appreciation for swing, blues, jazz, big band, and concert band music. That is, creating the music more than simply listening to it, though I do plenty of both. Since it is so rare to find trombone opportunities in these woods, I decided to take up the bass. My first attempt was an electric bass with practice amp. Nope. The sound, the feel, the gaggle of gear, cables, electrical requirements all conspired […]

April 12th, 2021 | Category: music, Ted Dunlap |

hair care

Via age and personality, I have approached caring for my hair a wide variety of ways. Some will be surprised that I was normal once upon a time. My hair looked like every other guy’s hair and the products in my shower were the same stuff that everybody in the country had in theirs. Once in a while circumstances would put extended periods of time between barber visits, both professional and volunteers. I was rather indifferent to that. The stuff grew. It was cut or not cut. I dealt with it either way. I have written and published several articles on why Nature tries to grow long hair on our heads and why we should respect that. I won’t belabor […]

April 9th, 2021 | Category: cultural, health, practical, Ted Dunlap |

my quest for peace continues

This is a video I recorded once I decluttered my studio. Inspired by the big, fat snowflakes gracefully floating down outside my cozy, comfy space, I chat a bit about the need to be calm and happy regardless of what is thrown at us.

April 6th, 2021 | Category: cultural, health |

finding peace

I realized an urgent need to find a peaceful place for my head. Knowing I live in one of the great places on Earth, it had to be somewhere around her if I looked. Sure enough, leaning back in my easy chair I saw it right in front of me. The clutter had to go. Hiding right there in plain sight was the studio space I had created as my personal ideal. I had simply allowed myself to move to rapidly from one project to the next without resetting my space to the order and neatness I require. Yesterday I restored it. Then I returned to music and art after a long absence. Lovely. […]

April 4th, 2021 | Category: health, household, practical |