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 My blog was filled up. I'm too lazy to clean it out. So I started a new one. |
| I have had a smoothie made by a nutritionist that wasn't bad. (I don't buy them ready made.) The healthy homemade one had almond milk, fruit, greens, maple extract and crushed ice. It wasn't bad. The banana was a little overpowering. But we only had small samples. She told us to use any fruit, substitute any milk or Greek yogurt and blend. I have tried this before with The Magic Bullet, but none were memorable or worth repeating. Today, I tried her version. I didn't have kale or spinach, so I used leaf lettuce, which is flat, thick and firm. I used a few baby carrots, grapes, blueberries, 1/3 banana, 1/4 red pear, with a spoon of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of nutmeg. It was drinkable, but next time, I will stick to a recipe. Lettuce was not a good blend. I have learned when making my own soup to keep the portions small. I can't waste food, so I have to consume whatever I mix up, as long as I don't burn it. I usually start with a recipe but make substitutions on some ingredients. Sometimes it works. Sometimes, not. I recently leaned how to poach fish. So I have experimented with that and have found success, using the cheaper varieties. So not all my experiments fail. I predict I won't be fixing a lot of smoothies. |
| I have known some people who were certified Master Gardeners, not professional, just by hobby and classes. I don't aim to work that hard, but have decided that in some things I am a master gardener without a certificate. I decided this today as I pulled up my 3rd harvest of poison ivy. This one was the biggest haul yet. It really grows in the spring. I not only have an abundance of poisonous plants, but tons of dandelions, something that resembles a dandelion but with out the deep roots and a smaller leaf, buttercups,and creeping charlie. I saw in Southern Living that there is a dreaded ground cover called creeping Jenny. I have something in my lawn that must be akin to creeping charlie and creeping jenny, but it looks different. It is invasive, prolific, and crawls along like a vine on the ground. I don't know the name but it is a creeping cousin. Then there's periwinkle or vinca; it has a lovely purple or white flower in the spring with an ivy like leaf. It has a tuber, like a tiny potato for a bulb, and attaches to other flowers or grows independently. Its job is to choke out whatever it can. Did I have an abundance of those purple flower weeds?! Also, a no-no per Southern Living horticulturists. Yes, I have English ivy. So does everyone else in the region. It cracks open brick walls and lives on tree bark, destroying gigantic trees. I also have invasive vines that nature lovers are trying to get out of the region because they are destroying native plants. These vines will grow across the ground, magically jump up 2 feet to wrap around a cable and twist around it until it can get into a tree or shrub. I had one behind the shed that had climbed up the rope on an extension ladder tying it to a tree. I couldn't move the ladder, even after I cut the roots and detangled it up to my height. Someone had to come with a saw to cut the ladder free. I may not have a bumper crop of luscious tomatoes or prize winning blooms. My climbing rose has climbed over to the bird feeder and wrapped around it and through it. I am going to take credit for growing weeds and whatever Mother Nature sends to me. |
| I was flabbergasted. I discovered a TV channel this afternoon called So Yummy. It has only minimal commercials, which is a plus. But it intended to be somewhat educational. Short videos showing the making of snacks, using a pastry dough and fruit, no sugar added, were shown in rapid fire succession. No printed recipe or ingredient list appeared. I tried looking it up online. I only found general information, not the specific items featured today. There were quizzes about food, about French dishes, about Italian food, so, I had to watch those. Then came a special documentary. A young reporter narrated and demonstrated wild rice in Canada. No cooking directions given, only the how's and who's of harvesting. The wild rice seed is not native but introduced in the 1800's to Saskatchewan. Over 50% of wild rice comes from here. Indigenous people make their living caring for and harvesting the rice and carrying it to the processing plant. The video makes it appear that women are very involved in this harvest. They use air boats to harvest the rice. It can grow in water inches deep up to six feet deep. The front of the boat has something that looks like a dump truck loader. They explained you have to go along at the right speed, not too fast, not too slow to avoid damaging the rice beds. They take a load to the bank where a clean canvas or tarp awaits them. One on the ground, the workers use a lightweight special shovel (looks like a snow shovel) to scoop up some rice and put in a big bag. The bags will weigh around 60 pounds and are placed on a scale. Each person harvesting has his or her own number. That number is put on the bag, then the bag goes on a wheeled pallet. When that is full, it goes to the 18 wheeler. I'd like to know a little more about the processing and what happens to it before it gets to market. How many human hands will touch it? How does it get clean? Important stuff like that. I appreciate the comments about growing in the pristine waters of the lake and the cool temperatures. The harvest takes place in August and September. The same area can be re-harvested 3 or 4 days later. One air boat driver did say the rice keeps feeding itself and growing while being harvested. They all claimed they like being close to nature and the calmness of the lake. It is very satisfying work for them. It makes me want to support them by purchasing wild rice. Not only is it better for us according to nutritionists, but is a way of supporting the indigenous people and carrying on their traditions of the last 100 years. |
| We are talking about getting older and wiser in Sunday morning Bible study. I am leading for now. Last week, using the first chapter of James, we connected wisdom to maturity and completeness. No one ever becomes wise or "complete" all the time. We have our moments. We thought about the wisest people we have known and described them. Calm was almost a universal adjective. That wise person who always seemed to be in control, at least of himself, in the midst of a crisis. The wise people I have known were excellent listeners, so I would add knowing when to be quiet and when to speak. Leo Buscaglia, very popular writer a few decades ago, claimed that in a time of grieving, not speaking, but sitting down to cry with the mourner is the kindest way to help the mourner. You don't have to fill in all the silences with empty words. Yet. we all try so hard to say the perfect things to give comfort. Maybe wisdom involves knowing a time to cry and a time to make speeches. A wise person is not judgmental. You don't tell someone their feelings are silly, or they shouldn't feel a certain way. Their feelings are theirs, and our place is only to acknowledge them. We might offer an alternative, but without invalidating that person. We are talking about getting older, and that makes people think of mortality. So a wise person won't say something like, "Oh, no. You're going to live a long time." When did we become fortune tellers? No one can predict the end, so we can't scold someone for thinking about that. Again, it seems that wisdom means knowing when to keep our mouths shut. With this subject in my mind, I watched an episode of The Andy Griffith Show, where Opie is a key figure. He really wanted to win a foot race and get a medal. He exercised and trained for it, but had a very poor showing. He lost so badly, he walked away instead of watching the awards. He moped for days. Finally, Pa had a talk with him about sportsmanship. The first one didn't work, so a second more serious one came up. Andy told him that winning didn't matter to him, but he was disappointed that Opie couldn't congratulate his friends, that he was so surly with everyone and not eating. The talked about being mature. That word triggered my thinking. Maybe the wise person knows how to be a good loser, even if she really wants to win. Maybe in our description of wisdom, we need to include good sportsmanship. The wise people I've known may have had some intense emotions, but they never let those emotions get the best of them. They were gracious in all circumstances. |
| Some shows I never saw the first time around include M*A*S*H*, The Virginian, Desperate Housewives, Reba, and Tales of Wells Fargo. I really got hooked on Housewives. There were two episodes every day. I was between jobs and watched them all in a short period. Then I was done. I don't wish to see them again. I discovered Reba late last year. Never knew she had a TV show. I loved it but overdid it. Can't stand to watch it now. And I hate her newest show that just started: Pappy's Place. The magic just isn't there this time. Some shows I can watch over and over, like M*A*S*H*, the Andy Griffith Show, Tales of Wells Fargo, Seinfeld, Frazier. There are some I liked the first time around, but can't stand the reruns, like Designing Women, The Golden Girls. and the Carol Burnett Show. I seem like a simpleton, even to myself, considering how I can spend time watching silly shows and predictable westerns. A few of them are objectionable and chauvinistic, products of their time. In a way, it's comforting to have familiar sounds and characters. And I'm one of those people who likes to do two things at once, like pay bills or sew while watching. I mostly like old movies, the older the better. I watched a British film the other day, didn't know a single star, but loved it. I suppose this has been a blessing in my old age and my infirmity. Now that I'm getting stronger, I will be spending less time in front of a TV set. At least if I get some ear phones, I can listen to books on tape. |
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