Month: September 2015

Havesting Wisdom~oops I meant Potatoes(potato wedges)

/ Lee Reynolds

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
                                                                                                         ~Robert Louis Stevenson~

It’s harvest time on my homestead. A few weeks ago, we harvested the potato crop I almost didn’t plant for lack of room. Late in May, I was running out of garden space but when I saw the Yukon Gold seed potatoes at my garden centre, I couldn’t resist.

I dug deep holes at the edge of my garden and planted several prepared seed potatoes in each hole. I didn’t have much hope for them since my cucumber, squash and zucchini plants were also planted close by but you know, if you don’t plant it, nothing will grow.

After a few weeks, the first green shoots appeared and I quickly covered them with dirt and grass mulch from our newly mowed lawn. We had a hot, dry summer and I wanted to keep them nice and moist. By the end of August I had huge potato plants growing in mounded soil, all along the edge of my garden. The squash, cucumbers and zucchinis didn’t seem to mind sharing their space and everyone was doing their own thing.

Potatoes are the easiest thing to grow and amaze me every time I harvest them. You know they are ready to harvest, when the plant has withered and literally died back down to the earth. That’s when  you can get a shovel or fork and carefully dig down to see what has been growing underground.

From the looks of the garden, you wouldn’t think anything worthwhile is under the ground

I was not disappointed. Hole after hole was abundant with potatoes. The little girls helped me dig them up and were so excited each time they had a potato in hand, you would think they had found gold. Well, in a way they had found a treasure. Although we have a diverse agriculture industry in the Okanagan Valley, in the winter we rely a lot on crops from California. The continued drought there has meant higher prices at the market, making produce very expensive. Being sustainable at least part of the year, is such a gift…..but it takes time and energy.

I didn’t have to dig far before I found our first potatoes…..nice sizes too

As I watched the little girls dig in the garden, where moments before there had been old, decaying potato plants, I was thinking often in life the best treasures come to those who either have gone through darkness and come out the other side with their hearts full, or it occurs naturally as we age. Our wrinkles start appearing, our hair thins and goes grey, but inside, with a life time of living, our soul blossoms into a beautiful, compassionate and loving spirit.  We learn so much about life from nature.

Kate loves to dig in the ground…it feels so good and when you find food….WOW!
I love it too!
Treasures!

 

Victoria and Kathryn, didn’t want to stop for pictures…they were having so much fun digging up potatoes.

Since I’m an older mom to young children, I’d like to think that this is one of the spin offs for parenting later in life. Although I don’t believe that I personally have less energy than I did parenting our first children, I know that I’m aging, from my reaction to the precious moments in life, like witnessing little people digging for treasure and being thrilled by the smallest things in life….like potatoes. I don’t take these moments lightly anymore.

My sister C, said something really profound to me in one of her emails last week and it really spoke to me about harvesting wisdom. She wrote, “Mourning really turns a life around doesn’t it? The beauty is when, even though our hearts are broken open, they start to mend and everything feels renewed. You can reset and re-balance life in the new direction you’ve grown into.”

Yes, yes, YES! Kind of like how potato plants grow in the dark. When the plant finally dies and looks its bleakest, there is something beautiful left that can nourish and sustain us. And that is why, in my darkest moments, I know in the end everything is worthwhile. We just need to keep laying seeds and experiencing the deliciousness of life…..full of treasures. 

Last night, was one of those moments. We had a harvest moon party at our homestead. The kids were beyond thrilled, as while eating a yummy stir fry with lots of produce from our garden, we told them all about the harvest moon (also called a blood moon) that would be occurring later in the evening. After dinner, they were bubbling with excitement as they played in our hot tub. (a great way to save water….I can’t tell you how many times we have forgone a bath for a hot tub soak instead) Once they were little prunes, they dressed quickly into warm pajamas and gathered in the family room where I had popcorn ready and a Netflixs movie all ready to go. They watched a cute animated movie called, “The Croods,” about a prehistoric family, while we waited for darkness to drop her curtain. (I thought it was an appropriate movie since the family in the movie knew little about the world they lived in, yet they knew what was important)

The timing was perfect because once the movie was over, it was nearing 8 pm and was already dark in our part of the world. As we ushered our family outside, you could see the moon rising over the mountain, full and red. The children were in awe as they whispered, “this is better than Halloween!” 

We watched the sky for quite awhile and it took me right back to another eclipse when our oldest daughter was about 7 years old, her brothers were 4 and 1. I remember piling all the kids into the van and driving up the mountain, which hadn’t been developed yet. We got out of the car and stood in a field where we could see the expansive sky. Our baby at the time, Mitchell, was happily bundled in a backpack and his older brother Clark, just a preschooler, was bursting with questions about eclipses, the moon, our sun, and our solar system. It was one of those moments in time that you just know you are planting something deep into your child and fueling a passion.

As I was going down memory lane, our oldest son Clark drove down the drive way after being out with friends for the evening. He’s all grown up but still loves looking into the sky and learning about astronomy. As I watched his tall figure stand with his younger siblings, looking at the moon, I was overcome with joy that we were all together experiencing the wonders of living on earth. 

What are you harvesting this fall? With wisdom we use our energy to plant the seeds we want to witness growing. It’s rather EXCITING isn’t it? What do you want to grow?

Well, of course with our size of family, our potatoes haven’t cured long in the garage, and we are already enjoying them in meals. As I move our family closer to being fully vegetarian, with a strong movement towards eating raw foods, I help our older children transition smoothly into this way of eating by including their favourite…..which is yes, potatoes, for many of our evening meals.

Our oldest son Clark hasn’t ever met a potato he hasn’t liked…helping me with our potato harvest….it seems like a blink of an eye ago when he was a little blonde boy looking with excitement at a lunar eclipse

Recently, I made some lentil burgers, a salad, and of course my famous potato wedges. 

My wedges and lentil burgers…all ready for a harvest dinner

Hope’s Potato Wedges

Ingredients

8-10 cut up, quartered potatoes…with skins left on
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1 tbsp of cumin
1 tbsp of rosemary (I cut up some fresh from the garden)
Sea salt and fresh pepper to taste. 

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Mix all ingredients really well, into a baking pan and put in oven for 30 minutes. Turn every 10 minutes to ensure they get well browned…we like them crispy.

Serve with homemade ketchup.…or delicious plain too.

My lentil burger, with homemade buns, salad and treasured pototoe wedges



Next year I plan to make a dedicated area for growing potatoes and want to grow enough to keep us going for a good portion of winter. How about you, do you have a place to grow one of the many varieties for your family?


As I close this post, I just wanted to share a song I love by Neil Young…. (if you can’t see the video below click on the hyper link)   Neil Young, called, “Harvest Moon.” I hope you have the time to listen to it as it’s dreamy and fills me with so much love for this time of year…and for my family and friends. Thanks for coming and being a part of my life. Together we are “Helping Our Planet Earth….aka being hope”

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

 

Black Bean Quesadillas~Summer’s End

/ Lee Reynolds

All summer long I have had a mantra. “With Grace and Ease” let summer unfold.” Now here we are nearing the end and I’m not ready to say good bye. Is it just me, or is saying goodbye hard for you too?                

Along our life’s path, our moments of letting go are numerous and I often feel that if I could just get this surrender thing down pat, then I would be ready to truly live in the moment. This easy, free flowing process eludes me, although I think I do a pretty good job based on how I feel. Happy and content most of the time. Tremendously grateful always. And yet, saying goodbye, or transitioning into another phase of life is tough for me.

Looking back, this past summer held so many lovely memories that I will hold close to my heart. A few highlights are the following……

Mitchell brought his guitar out when we went camping in July

 

Kate, Tori and Will, taking in the lake

 

This week was the hottest week of the whole summer…and of course we are camping!

 

Grace and Harrison are chilling but in the evening they are competitive scrabble players….lots of great words!

 

David and I on the rock behind our campsite

 

My best friend T comes to visit in July…I took her up the mountain behind our house and we snapped a selfie

 

My sister’s C and J, explore the lavender gardens after a morning of making lavender wreaths

 

I got some great ideas for garden design at the lavender farm….don’t you love this iron work?

 

Here’s the wreath I made…it smells great in our guest bath

 

While everyone isn’t looking in this picture (namely Will and Grace) I loved the picture of Sunny, my sister’s dog

 

My sister C and brother in law D, and their sweet dog, Sunny

 

 

The kids were endlessly bringing up great produce from our garden…I’d turn our whole yard into edible space but having a bit of lawn is a great source of mulch to retain the moisture in the ground

 

Our oldest Daughter Alysa came home for a brief time this summer as her best friend was getting married. We walked down to the lake one day and the smoke from forest fires was so thick that you couldn’t see all of the beach I think she was happy to return to London where she will spend another year teaching and experiencing life in the U.K.

 

Mitchell showing me his green transportation that he will use when he returns to University….I asked him if he was going to use a helmet and this is the look I got…..”Mom!”

 

When kids grow up, who knows when they will be together again? Alyssa and Mitchell the day before Alyssa returns to London

 

My sister C and I at our family’s goodbye party for Alyssa and Mitchell

 

A final, early morning huddle before Mitchell leaves for University….Alyssa flies out later the same day…BOO-HOO!

 

A final goodbye….have a great year at school Mitchell!

 

My first baby getting ready for the big trip back to the U.K. on August 31st….If you can go to London….you can do ANYTHING!

 

If I wasn’t reading about eating raw…I was reading about being a minimalist

 

Here comes a massive cucumber….looks like we are eating a Greek Salad tonight
Victoria and Dugan…..Aunti B and Uncle J’s new puppy…Victoria would love to KEEP HIM!….Below, Uncle J and Doogie….this puppy is so easy and laid back

 

 

My sister B and I on the morning that they are leaving…we were watching the owl in our birch tree
Will puts down his binoculars to say cheese with his beloved auntie, B

 

It’s hard to say Goodbye

 

Can you see the owl in our birch tree? He spent the whole day sleeping in our tree

 

 

At the end of the day, he left the tree and spent about an hour sitting on our roof…he was screeching like crazy every few minutes……really surreal! to see something so wild, so close.

 

Here are all the kids looking at the owl. D brought out his computer and matched up the owls vocals with a computer web site….looks like this is a great horned owl

We have had evening visits over the years with owls but we have never had one linger for the whole day around our house. It was a bit strange and then even more strange when I looked up the symbology of owls.  

If an owl has visited you, an incredible gift has been bestowed.

On the day of our owl visit, I dug up some potatoes and had Clark carry them up, since he LOVES them.

So many great moments. How was your summer? Will it be hard for you to say goodbye to it too?

I have glimpses of what the next season will hold. Our little girls started their first ballet class last week and they are beyond excited to be dancing at long last.

 

As I was sitting in the ballet school’s waiting room the other day, it occurred to me that this was the LAST, first day of ballet, I will ever experience. All of our daughters attended this ballet school and it was bittersweet thinking that the first day will never come again……and so is the nature of life.

There are firsts and lasts and it’s up to us to decide how we want to experience it all.

This month is the 50th anniversary of my Dad, Marvyne Derwent Clark’s death. I’m now older than he was when he passed away and in a way I feel I’m already living on borrowed time. When you live to an age beyond the age your parent(s) lived, there is a sense at any time, you could also be leaving the earth. We just never know, do we?

My mom Ethel and my dad Marvyne Clark

 

I remember my dad smiling always, and in the evenings I would fall asleep hearing him tapping away on his typewriter or playing his voilin.

 

My 3 sisters with mom and dad…I’m in Dad’s lap

 

Little did we know that Dad would only be with us for only a few years more

This weekend, since the weather was warm we heated the pool and the kids swam, albeit in rather cold water, in what I told them probably is the last swim of the season.

After a barbeque dinner, we roasted marmellows and ate s’mores, since the campfire ban had been lifted. We laid on the trampoline, bundled in blankets and under a star filled sky, we counted shooting stars and made wish after wish. Today, as David painted the window frames, (a job needing to be done before winter arrives) Harrison and I made “his” famous dish, “Black bean Quesadillas.

Earlier this summer he made them for the first time and they were outstanding. Today, he taught me how to make them and they did not disappoint. As our family moves towards eating mostly vegetarian meals, (me having dreams of being a raw vegan) this is definitely a favourite. It’s easy to make and economical, not to mention a healthy meal.

Join us in the kitchen and we will make it together.

Along with Physics, Pre Calc, and French, Harrison is taking “Foods” on line this term, I’m looking forward to LOTS of great meals this fall…..he’s such a natural in the kitchen

Harrison’s Black Bean Quesadillas

Ingredients

2-4 tbsp of Vegetable Oil
3 cloves of garlic 
1 red or yellow pepper
1 hot pepper (we used jalapeno)
1 onion (we used 1/2 white and 1/2 red)

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp red hot pepper flakes
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper

2- 19 ounce cans of black beans
1-1/2 cups of salsa
8 whole wheat tortillas
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese

Directions

In a saucepan, heat oil and then saute the garlic, peppers, and onion. Add the seasonings and cook until onions are translucent.  Add the cans of well drained beans, and the salsa. Heat well and cook for 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat.

 

Lay a tortilla on a plate and add the bean mixture to one side. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and fold over.

Cut in half and place on a lightly sprayed cooking pan. Place in pre-heated (425 degree) oven for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the tortillas and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and top with grated cheddar cheese. This recipe serves 8-12 people. If you have left overs, this meal is perfect for freezing.

We served our quesadillas with basmati brown rice, a kale/Greek salad, and organic taco chips. You can choose the level of spice based on the salsas….we used a medium since we were serving them to our little kids, but our older kids like their food HOT AND SPICY.

D takes a break from painting…..and enjoy’s Harrison’s Quesadillas

 

I don’t know who likes eating outside, me or the kids….I like not having to sweep up rice, etc from the ground…they like being able to lay down when their tummy gets full

 

Kate, who can be a bit fussy about what she eats…loves these black bean quesadillas

Tomorrow will be the start of the last week of summer. As I spend this week, fondly remembering all the moments with my family and friends, I will also be thinking of my Dad, knowing that even though he hasn’t been physically with me for almost all of my life, he is right here in my heart. I wonder if the owl that came to visit us last week, wasn’t his spirit coming to remind me to enjoy the moments fully and let go with ease and grace.

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope
Image result for google images and quotes about winnie the pooh, keep me in your heart

What is Family?

/ Lee Reynolds

 

The problem with the world is that we draw our family circle too small. ~ Mother Teresa~

 

On Monday, Aug 31st, we got up early to say goodbye to our son Mitchell….off to University in Victoria

 

Who are your people? Wars and terrible atrocities have shadowed the world since the beginning of time and currently, we are still living with this question unanswered. It’s not surprising however since, we have been conditioned from an early age to stay close and loyal to our tribe. No matter where there is a child in the world, there is a parent chiding, “stay close, for there is danger out there.”

We grow up being fearful of anyone different from us. We grow up believing that only those like us are the right people. We are wary and skeptical that anyone, other than our immediate family are good people, worthy of our intimacy. If you have read any of my blog post, you know I’m a huge believer in the power of attraction. This Universal law brings us exactly what we are expecting. Unless, you shout down fear and embrace the idea that we are all connected, you will attract what you are putting out there. Let’s join together and sing, “we are all family.”

Over the last few days, several really sad events came to my attention. On Tuesday night, while checking my Facebook, I read that Dr. Wayne Dyer passed away on August 29th. The news hit me really hard. Although I didn’t know Wayne Dyer personally, nor did I even have the pleasure of hearing him speak in person, I felt like he was always personally coaching me over the last 10 years.

While trying to conceive, what I thought would be our last baby, (and ended up being our last 3 children….talk about dreams REALLY coming true) I read many of his books. “The Power of Intention,” was one of my favourites. I felt empowered knowing that whatever I focused on in life would manifest. If I didn’t have my nose in one of his books, I was listening to his audio collections, while driving the older children around to their after school activities. My husband D, even took Wayne’s audio collection on many work related road trips and would come back with little, inspiring catch phrases that Wayne would use. One of his favourites is,…….

It was while listening to Wayne that I knew, if I held onto my vision of growing our family, it would manifest. I didn’t know how, or when, or even what it would look like. I held onto the belief that when we are in a state of allowing, when our heart is open and trusting, what we desire most in the world will come to be. Sometimes it comes with even more than we ever imagined.

In my quest to complete our family, I looked into adoption and even fostering and it was then I turned another corner on my road. A child from my heart, I realized, was just as much mine as a child from my body. I had no idea on my journey to completing our family that I would embrace the idea that every child was mine.

I started looking at my children’s friends when they came to visit, differently. As though they were one of ours. When I would help out at our children’s school or preschool, (as Grace was still tiny then) I felt an encompassing love for all the children I engaged with. I even thought for awhile, maybe this was what my trying to conceive journey was creating……the realization that we don’t have to bring our children onto the earth, but they are already here for us to care for. Things flowed quickly once I opened up to these ideas and William, his sisters, Kathryn and Victoria, quickly followed. (A memoir has to be written about their coming to earth, for the lessons learned along that path were profound)

The point is, the world suddenly got very small for me and my love for all grew immensely. I also felt worthy to be here. For once in my life, I felt like I too was an important part of the world family and I wanted to inspire others to open their eyes, open their hearts to this reality.

And so having to say goodbye to Dr. Wayne Dyer, was a bit like saying goodbye to part of my family. An uncle, or older brother perhaps. His illuminated way of looking at life will be missed. What makes it bearable though, is another idea he helped to reinforce, and that is we all come from Source energy and return to Source once our body stops working. A place of love. May you rest in peace Wayne.

Then last night on the CBC “National” news there was yet another story of the Syrian refugees trying to escape from terrorism. This time, drowned victims had washed up on a Turkish beach. Suddenly, the camera showed a tiny boy’s body, wearing a little red t-shirt, laying face down in the water. “Oh NO!” I moaned. For some reason that scene was just too much for me and pain hit my gut. As the news story showed the little boy being picked up and being carried away, I watched in horror as the person, carrying him was holding him at a distance and I  called out while watching the scene, “oh, hold the baby close.”

I went to bed last night not knowing the full story, but knowing somewhere in the world there were people in great distress and grief. I was feeling it.

Tonight on the news it turned out that I wasn’t the only one horrified to see that tiny boy’s body laying so still. People all over Canada (the world) reacted strongly to that news story. Maybe, oh my gosh, I hope, the world will realize that we need to become united. That baby was everyone’s baby. Tonight on the news we heard more about the 3 year old boy, Alan Kurdi, who lost his life, along with his 5 year old brother and their mom, trying to find a peaceful country to live. His Dad survived but has horrible memories of having to say goodbye to his family. Here’s the CBC news story but warning….this is graphic.

I don’t know why but I feel as though this horrible tragedy may be a turning point in our world. Little Alan’s loss of life is not in vain. The suffering that he and his people are enduring is touching the world and we are remembering that we are ALL connected. We are brothers and sisters. Compassion and love unites us.

What can we do to change the world? We can love the people in our immediate circle. We can bring our friends and neighbours in closer and look for opportunities to help and support them. We can look within our own communities for opportunities to help those less fortunate. The ripple of our circle can extend beyond our limits and touch the world.

We can let our Country’s leaders know that we will only vote for those who are compassionate and moving in the direction of dealing with this world crisis, helping the refugees find a safe and peaceful home to raise their families.

And finally, we can hold the vision of what we want our world to evolve into. As I go to sleep each night, I say a prayer for all those suffering in the world and hold the vision of light and love circling the globe.

Please join me in listening to this following You tube song, “A Song of Peace.”  In memory of Dr. Wayne Dyer and also little Alan Kurdi, his older brother and their mom. (If you can’t see this video click on the hyper-link above)

Beautiful isn’t it? Music connects us like nothing else.

And if you have any additional time today and wish to hear Dr. Wayne Dyer’s friend and another of my mentors, Dr. Deepak Chopra, speak to the World Peace Orchestra about art and music, touching the world, check out the video below. Thank you Deepak!

Thank you for coming and visiting. Remember….you are my family and I love you!

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope