After a difficult summer, where we endured smoke filled skies, from all the forest fires raging in our province, I was reluctant to greet Autumn. I hadn’t had enough summer. So I dragged my feet, as the new season emerged. Slowly, ever so slowly, I greeted the brisk mornings, fresh with the sweet smell of apples ripening on the trees. Ever so slowly, I greeted the changing colour of leaves, rich in jeweled hues of red, orange and yellows. I sadly said goodbye to my garden; pulling up tomatoes plants still heavy with green fruit. cutting back my raspberry canes, and was even gifted with one, perfectly red, delicious strawberry. A final farewell from the passing season.
When our oldest son Clark came into the kitchen late one afternoon, gratefully sniffing an aromatic stew, and saying how happy he was to greet warm and hearty fall meals once again, and our youngest three, started chatting excitedly about what they wanted to be for Halloween, I felt a tiny bubble of joy come to the surface, over the arrival of the autumn season.
I really must share the recipe for this stew…..it was delicious and although it was meat filled, you could exchange that for vegan sausages and lots of pumpkin seeds….read more about that later in this post
I had a few days where time flew, as I raked leaves with abandoned delight. I pruned shrubs and swept walkways, I stashed away our summer furniture and patio umbrellas, starting to anticipate the long, cold days of winter. I was looking forward to spending the early parts of November continuing on this theme and believe me, there was still lots to do; plant garlic, do some trench composting, pull the last of the spinach, kale, leeks and lastly winterize our chicken coop.
Then two days after Halloween, as I was sitting with my writing group in the historic 100 year old, former home of the artist, Sveva Caetani, it started to really snow. It had started on my drive over but it really started to dump as we all shared our writing. Warmly, sequestered inside this old home that had viewed many winters, I felt encircled and safe. Glancing outside the windows, framed in rich wood, I was swept away by the beauty and timelessness of it all. That was, until I went out and tried to drive in it.
A picture of Caetani house BEFORE, all that white stuff started to magically fall
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one to greet winter unprepared; as our city snow plows and sanding trucks were nowhere to be seen. They didn’t make their appearance until the wee hours of the next morning. I did make it home from writing group, although the roads were horrendous. I was hardly able to drive up the hill into our snow laddened cul-de-sac, I decided it would be prudent to just stay put. I spent the better part of the rest of the afternoon, calling our piano teacher, cello teacher, violin teacher, and emailing a swimming coach; to let them know, our children would have to miss their lessons due to the dire weather situation.
BUMMER!
That’s my latest new word and the other day, when I heard our little Victoria say it, after she was majorly disappointed about something, I had to laugh. It also made me aware that I had better come up with a more appropriate adjective. At least one that sounds more fitting coming out of a six year old. When I think of language, it does define a person. And when I think of the word, “bummer,” I have a vision of a woman with wavy hair to her waist, wearing a long peasant type skirt, serviceable ankle boots, a thick, knitted sweater and a wool hat to match or not, but homemade for sure, all wrapped up in a thick wool shawl. That’s the image I aspire to portray, but until my hair grows longer and I find some funky clothes, alas, I must search for a new word to describe my annoyance of the season.
By the way…..anyone want to teach me to knit this winter?
The miracle of knitting is turning a simple ball of wool into something remarkable…kind of like the seasons of our life
Anyway, the point of it all, is that I was annoyed about the arrival of fall coming and now, just as I was getting into the season of being thankful, November has arrived, dressed in a heavy, white wool coat, looking a lot like winter.
DRAT!
But then, maybe there is a lesson to be learned from all of this. Ha! That’s me for sure;” Hope.” I’d like to believe that this word defines me better than all others. I’d like to believe I radiate, maybe not always, but for the most part, a childlike sense of faith in the goodness of this world.
I’m always trying to glean something positive from my emotions. My negative ones hold the most promise for enlightenment. And as one of my writing buds said to me recently, if we don’t have darkness, there can be no light. Yes, this is so true. The world is full of contrast and it’s up to us to decide what colour we want to paint our life with.
As reluctant as I was to welcome the season of fall into my heart, I realize, I’m doing it again. Not accepting the change of season with grace and ease. Always trying to make things harder for myself with a touch of angst. When William and the little girls came home from school last Friday night all excited about the abundant snow and the endless weekend ahead, they asked with expectant shining eyes, if they could go sledding. I growled, “NOOOOOO, too cold.” And yes, it was something like 14 below freezing that night and I wasn’t looking forward driving to our sledding hill, but the bigger reason was that I didn’t want to embrace the season fully.
I didn’t want to open my door in greeting, even a crack.
Every morning for the past five days, I wake hoping I have dreamed it all. I stumble into my bathroom with cold feet, “brrrrr” and hope, I will see fall colours and blue sky…… but nope.
It’s a frosty world of blue, grey and white.
I guess I am coming around to accepting winter weather is here, early November or not, I captured this image last night from our lower deck
My husband David, says, I better get use to it ’cause winter weather is here to stay for the next 4 to 5 months.
After driving the kids to school this morning, all bundled up in snow pants, coats, hats, and mittens, which took FOREVER to put on, I returned home and decided that THIS morning I would get into the spirit of the early winter weather by making myself a cup of steaming, “London Fog.” Our oldest daughter Alyssa, who spent two years teaching and adventuring in London recently, introduced me to this Earl Grey tea concoction. Recently, my husband David took me out on one of our date nights and and we stopped at Starbucks for a treat,…..you guessed what my selection was; a London fog. Of course it was delicious there but it’s really easy to make at home and you know that’s what this blog is all about…..doing things I love in a sustainable way.
Here’s a link to one of my new fav blogs; Kara Newman’s, “the Tasting Table,” where she helps us make a London Fog:
To accompany that aromatic tea, I also made a steaming, hot bowl of oatmeal, loaded with almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, cranberries, and PUMPKIN seeds. (more about that later) and sprinkled with my homemade pumpkin spice mix. If you want to read my blog post about making pumpkin spice latte’s…interestingly written this time last year, click here to read my Simple Pleasures post where I share my pumpkin spice mix recipe. Oh how the weather was different then.
My London Fog, made from Early Grey tea, steaming almond milk and vanilla…and oatmeal loaded with pumpkin seeds and other healthy additions…perfect for a snowy Autumn morning
Now back to this year’s blog post…..
Time is a funny thing. If we take too long processing the changing seasons of life, our life is over before we know it. I don’t want to live like that; dragging my butt into one season after the next. I want to be excited, like my children who were thrilled with the prospect of snow arriving. They still remember how to live in the moment, excited and grateful for all the beauty and gifts of each season. And like the word,”Bummer,” which Victoria recently adopted, my children have influenced me.
My children have been my best TEACHER’S in life. I am going to learn this lesson well and allow it to translate into other areas of my life. Instead of warming up to any occasion and carefully dipping my toe in, I plan to enthusiastically take a run and dive in with abandoned glee. As I come to the surface, I will ask my friend, “the changing season,” what do you have planned for us this year?”
So cheers!….lifting my red mug full of my homemade London Fog. Here’s to another winter season!
And before I close I wanted to share a bit of what I learned recently about the power of Pumpkin Seeds.We were blessed with a lot of pumpkins this year. We grew four small ones in garden. Then around, Oct 9th, my hubbie’s birthday, we took the little kids to our local pumpkin patch and got four more. Then as if we didn’t have enough, our twins went on a field trip with their grade one class to a local farm orchard and selected two more pumpkins. We were abundantly wealthy in Pumpkins!
David’s birthday where I made him a chocolate zucchini cake with the last of my fresh zucchini’s from the garden
Children of the corn…..at our Anne’s Road Pumpkin Patch
Oh I’m wishing upon the GREAT Pumpkin said William with his sisters, Kate and Tori
When David and the kids were carving them last week, for Halloween, (was it just a week ago?) I made sure that they set aside enough seeds to replenish my seed supply for planting next spring but also, I wanted some to roast. I knew the seeds were a good source of zinc but after a bit of research, I found out even more and I thought, what a good blog post to share with you.
The night before Halloween the kids drew up pictures and David carved their pumpkins
Kathryn, Victoria and William, all dressed up on Halloween morning….ready for the School’s yearly costume parade
Our front door with corn stalks from our garden, a homemade spider over head, wisps of spider web, and pumpkins….we had pumpkins all down our drive way too….we also play scary music coming from our garage. Sadly, we only got 19 kids this year!
My princess, Darth Vadar, and our Witch, heading out with their dad for an evening of trick or treating…it’s a bit rainy tonight and our spider leg’s are really moving….scary~~~
Groovy Grace heading off with her Elf fairy friend….this may be the last season of trick or treating for her…BUMMER!!!
All I learned about pumpkin seeds……
Did you know that those little kernels are loaded with way more than zinc? They are particularly beneficial to vegetarians and vegans, as they are packed with protein as well. Further, the seeds are an excellent source of vitamins and essential omega 3-6-9’s as well and have an unparalleled payload of minerals. A quarter cup of the nutty kernel has 73 per cent of the recommended daily amount of manganese, 47.7 percent for magnesium, 16.8 per cent for zinc and 15.7 per cent for iron. There is compelling research as well, that this little green seed, may help you side step Alzheimer’s,(something we should all be concerned about as we age) cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, (something that happens to me in the winter) immune dysfunction and osteoporosis. Do I have to say more?
Well if you insist, this little seed boasts a dizzying array of carotenoids, polyphenols, and plant sterols that have been shown to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties.
WOW!
So if you already threw out all your pumpkin seeds after carving your jack-o-lanterns, you can always pick them up at your nearest bulk store and toss them in your salads, in your oatmeal, like I do, or even throw them on top of your winter casseroles and toss them in your stews. Who needs meat!
If you did save them,…yahoo!…. let’s roast some and have a stash in our pantry. It’s easy to roast pumpkin seeds.
How to Roast Pumpkin seeds:
Simply, remove them from the pumpkin and let them dry on a cotton dish towel. Pat them dry and remove any lingering pulp off of them. Then spread them evenly on a baking sheet to let them dry for about 48 hours. Once they are dry they are ready to roast. Simply pop them into a pre-heated 200 degree F. oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Watch carefully that they don’t burn. When you pull them out you can sprinkle them with some sea salt, or some garlic powder, or cumin…great if you are using them for snacking. Since I put these seeds into everything, I wait to season them depending on what I use them for. In my oatmeal today, I sprinkled my homemade pumpkin spice on top and it was so yummy.
Tasted like the best of fall and WINTER!!!
So my dear family and friends, that’s the latest from the homestead. As we travel through the last days of fall, I hope you relish each day wherever you are in the world and whatever weather you are experiencing. Mother Nature is always filled with delight and goodness. Sometimes we just need to look under the snow.
Okay, so you’re probably wondering what homemade salsa has to do with mental health. Well, if you hang in there, I hope I can make the connection by the end of my blog post but first, I want to tell you what’s been going on around here. Did you know that October 2 – 8th is Mental Health Awareness week? Tomorrow is the last day for the heightened focus of this issue, but for me personally, it’s going to be a permanent fixture inside of my brain.
I’m a pretty typical person, in that yes, I’ve had bouts of anxiety and some depression in my life but it’s never been anything that is so dark, or debilitating that a certain amount of time and learned coping mechanisms didn’t solve. I really haven’t thought too much about mental health in the past, until this last year that is, because like cancer for instance, where there is only a 6 degrees separation from anyone affected, mental illness is the same. In fact, in my own family we have several members who are affected and suffer in varying degrees, and for each, it manifests differently. When I started thinking of it, are any of us truly immune from mental issues to some degree or another?
So when I heard about a Mental Health talk being given at one of our local high schools (Seaton) on Tuesday night, I was motivated to attend. Any further light that could be shed on this topic was only an asset in my opinion.Thankfully, a few of our older children were home and agreed to help with their younger siblings, so my husband David and I were both able to attend.
As it turned out, it was an inspiring evening but not in the way I had expected. I walked into the high school theater feeling still at arms length from mental illness and was stunned to realize I was walking out, not only better informed but realizing it was closer to home than I had thought. If I truly believe we are ALL connected, then this is right on my back door and knocking to be heard.
The main speaker, Sam Fiorella, was the father to Lucas Fiorella, who killed himself after suffering from depression in secret for a number of years.. Lucas was just 19 years old when he died. His passing was a great shock to his family and all who knew him, because Lucas was the most unlikely person to end his own life. He had three passions in his life: being a friend to those in need, snowboarding, and robotics. At the time of his death he was studying Robotics at one of Canada’s Ivy League Universities, Carleton in Ottawa. You would think that he would be in his glory studying at such a prestigious University doing what he loved, but the fact was, he had been silently suffering from depression for years.
After he died however, several high school and University students came forward to share with his family, how he had taken the time to recognize that they were suffering with mental illness and helped them in the process. In one instance, a high school classmate was contemplating how she was going to commit suicide. She decided she couldn’t do it at home since she had a stay at home mom, instead, she went to school and was just sitting in silence, trying to sort out what she was going to do when Lucas approached. He offered a simple hello and sat down to talk, but mostly listened to her. After she poured out her feelings and how she was planning to kill herself he said, “how about we go and tell your mom.?” Which was the beginning of saving that girls life. It started with “hello.”
“One’s life is not measured in years but by the positive contribution made to the lives of others.” ~Sam Fiorella~
Here is what the organization is trying to achieve:
“1: The Friendship Bench Our efforts are built around this iconic yellow friendship bench, which is installed at secondary and post-secondary schools. It serves as a permanent, physical, and year-round reminder to students to take a moment out of their day to sit, breathe, and talk (or think) about their mental health and that of their friends. It’s intended to inspire peer-to-peer conversations about mental health in order to reduce the stigma and encourage more students seek help.”
The Seaton high school had arranged for Sam Fiorella to come and speak, in conjunction with this Mental Health Awareness week but he was also there to present the school with a bright yellow bench that the 1996 Alumni group had fund raised for, in memory of their classmate, who also had committed suicide after struggling with mental illness.
The realization that this story could be mine, (Grace of God and all that) since we have a son who is also a top student, a high achiever in all areas of his life. Everything always seemed to be easy and natural for our well liked, straight A son, but little did we know he was experiencing episodes of anxiety, even as a young child. I always thought when he would wake up in the middle of the night, hyper-ventilating and unable to catch his breath that it was his allergies. We even took him to the Doctor to discuss allergies, because mental illness wasn’t even on my radar.
Over the years, he has learned to cope and he deals with his episodes of feeling disoriented and anxious by taking deep breaths and meditating, which helps to calm him. There have been times though where he’s told me he’s isn’t happy and he is just going through the motions of doing what he must do. Oh, my heart just breaks when I hear this, as I’m just like any mom, and my biggest wish is for my children to be happy. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK? I’m glad he has been able to talk to us but it scares me at the same time. Even though he says he’s okay, when does it stop being okay and will we be there for him when it’s not?
Thankfully, the stigma against mental illness is breaking down, opening up and coming to light since mental issues does affect a lot of people and we are starting to talk about it. To break the down the wall further, we need to teach our children from a young age to recognize their feelings and share them. Thankfully, in our children’s kindergarten classes, they are teaching the Zones of Regulation, which is a huge step in self awareness and communication.
Our son has been telling us for awhile now that he’s not always doing great and after Sam Fiorella’s talk, we finally really took it seriously. (Although I have to say, we did encourage him to talk to someone, which he did. On his own, he went to speak with one of the school counselors but it wasn’t a very effective meeting) Why it took so long for us to actually take the reins and get directly involved, I can’t tell you. If our son had been suffering from a physical ailment, we would have made sure he saw a medical physician, so why is his mental state of health any different. The day after the talk we contacted our son’s University, and booked an appointment for him to talk to a clinical psychologist. Hopefully that will be the first step to help him deal with his mental issues.
All this week, I have been talking to people, via Facebook, friends, family, teachers, and now I’m blogging about it. I hope like a pebble in the pond, I’m doing a small part in changing society’s ideas about mental illness now, for I believe there is still a stigma. Why else didn’t I see it before now? I’m really sad that Lucas had to suffer in silence, and others like him who finally felt they had no option but to take their own life. I’m going to do something about it now….because you know what Maya Angelou says?
And now you are wondering what Salsa has to do with mental health….well……along with talking about mental health all this week, I’ve been making salsa. And while chopping tomatoes I’ve been thinking about my own mental health and the things I do personally to try to stay healthy. I was thinking how fortunate I am to be able to quit my career as an Insurance/Employment Officer with the Federal government and now be able to do what I love; raise children, care for our home and garden. It’s not always easy and we have had to make a lot of financial trade offs but I swear, digging in my garden, working in my compost pile and creating beauty in my yard, has saved me a number of times over the years. Those and the great hugs I get from my kids.
The most difficult thing about living in today’s society, in my humble opinion, is many people are not able to do what they love. We have set the world up for our children to have a certain expectation of what’s considered a successful life. Accumulations of wealth and property, is still the benchmark considered, for the measure of success. As parents, we try to give our children the best education and we expose them to all sorts of after school enriched activities, so they can compete to get into the best Universities, obtain the best jobs, and all the while, we have forgotten to look at them as individuals. Hey, I’m guilty of it ALL!!! But I’m hoping, with some conscious awareness, like Maya says, I will do better now.
Thankfully, our new school curriculum is moving in that direction. Recently, in our Province teachers have been trained to move in the direction of “inquiry based learning,” which allows children to follow their interests and the teachers act as facilitators in guiding them. There isn’t any score card or level of attainment. The children are the judge on what is individually successful. Yes, we all have a long ways to go, but with any journey, it takes a vision and the goal to create a healthier, happier society.
And back to my gardening, growing tomatoes, and making salsa…well, gardening has been my therapy.
A cute quote…but seriously, if you need a mental health check up…GET professional help!
Digging deep into the dirt, allowing some of my daily problems and concerns to be dug in and turned over, so I can contemplate my life and put my issues into perspective has been crucial for me, along with knowing the tiniest seeds I’m planting are growing into beautiful plants.
This is a heritage Brandywine tomato plant I put in the ground last May (plant your tomatoes deep is my advice)
In this picture you can see my tomato plants next to the pool fence which works great as a stake. I have just added grass mulch which improves the soil as it decomposes, keeps the weeds down and keeps the soil moist
Observing how graceful the changing seasons flow, also teaches me to look at the bigger picture in my life and know that this too shall pass when problems that may overwhelm me take hold.
Even when I’m stressed with house stuff, kid stuff, financial stuff, world stuff,… when I come back to the simple tomato harvest, picking, cleaning, chopping and cooking, it allows me to let go and realize how great a few jars of salsa feels to create. In the process of growing my tomatoes and peppers, my body received some exercise, some Vitamin D, and now will benefit from the Vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium and lycopene that my spicy salsa provides.
If you have an abundance of tomatoes right now or want to buy some from your local farmer (I noticed in our local paper, farmers have U pick fields and the prices are great) and want to join me in contemplating mental health, while providing your families with a spicy salsa, check out how easy it is and yes, while it’s cheap to buy salsa….does anything compare to homemade?
Homemade Salsa for Canning Ingredients 20-30 med to large tomatoes…if you can use the Italian Roma variety, they have less seeds 3 onions (I used my homegrown yellow onions…..but you can use 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 white) 3 sweet peppers and again, if you use one of each green, red and yellow, that is a nice variety 3 to 4 hot peppers 1/2 cup of lemon juice 3-4 minced garlic cloves 1 tbsp salt 1 tsp freshly ground pepper 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro or if you don’t like the taste of cilantro..some people, like my oldest son think cilantro is soapy…you can use parsley Directions 1. Sterilize your canning jars, lids and rings. I put my jars in the dishwasher and time the cycle to end when I’m ready to fill the jars so they are still hot. The lids and rings I put in a saucepan, cover completely with water and boil for several minutes and then set aside to dry Modern canning advice says you don’t have to sterilize the lids and rings if you are using a water canner for over 10 minutes…but I’m old fashion and still like the idea of sterilized everything. Here’s a link to Modern Canning advice. 2. Clean tomatoes and place them whole into a large pot of boiling water for a couple of minutes. The time really depends on how ripe they are. The riper your tomatoes, the quicker the skins will start to split. Remove and place them in a colander, when drained well, place into a large bowl. I found I had to do this process about three times before I was able to boil and loosen the skin of all my tomatoes.
3.Now the big job of removing the skin on all the tomatoes and cutting and chopping them into chunk size pieces. Place all chopped tomatoes into the same large pot you used to boil them in. 4. Cut the onions and sweet and hot peppers into a large bowl. (Just typing about it now makes my eyes water and I start to cough. Something I find helpful is putting my onions in the fridge...there is something about them getting cold that helps to reduce the watering of eyes.) Add the chopped cilantro. (Some people use a food processor but I like to therapy of cutting up everything with a knife.
5. Add the lemon juice, the garlic and the salt and pepper.
6. Now add the onions, peppers, lemon juice and spices in the large pot with the tomatoes and heat them up. Bring to a boil and then simmer until ready to put them into jars. Stir really well. At this point, I do a taste test to check the spice level. If you want it hotter, add more pepper, or garlic but keep in mind that the processing of canning will increase the heat and intensify the spice. 7. When the jars are done in the dishwasher, fill them with the salsa mixture, leaving 1/2 inch space at the top of the jar. Wipe the top edges of the jars before putting the lids on, finally screwing the rings on tight…but not too tight.
8. Place filled jars into the boiling water of the water bath canner, making sure the water covers all of the jars by a few inches. Cover and boil for 15 minutes. 9. Remove the jars from water bath canner and cool them on the counter.
10. Before storing the jars tighten the rings and make sure the lids have sealed by pressing down on the middle of the lid…if they don’t move, it’s all good.
So that has been my week.
Whew! Big stuff!
Now the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend is upon us and I can only think, “how grateful I am.” Grateful for my family, my friends, for a peaceful country to live in, but mostly for the freedom to express my thoughts and ideas. Also, I’m thankful for Canada’s health care system, as we can get help and all it takes is a visit to a physician for a referral to a mental health professional.
I hope you share with me in spreading Lucas’s story and ensure the loss of his life was not in vain.
I’m also thankful to you, my readers for coming to visit me here. Thank you!
I open up the sun roof on our van, and we crank the tunes….and we all sing really loud, “Ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough baby…to keep me from getting to you.” I hope they are taking in the words really well…and we are singing loud enough that their big brother away at University hears them and knows, we are there for him.
Listen baby, ain’t no mountain high,
Ain’t no valley low, ain’t no river wide enough baby
If you need me call me no matter where you are,
No matter how far; don’t worry baby
Just call my name; I’ll be there in a hurry
You don’t have to worry,
Oh baby there ain’t no mountain high enough,
Ain’t no valley low enough,
Ain’t no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe
Remember the day I set you free
I told you you could always count on me darling
From that day on, I made a vow,
I’ll be there when you want me,
Some way, some how
Oh baby there ain’t no mountain high enough,
Ain’t no valley low enough,
Ain’t no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe
Oh no darling
No wind, no rain
Or winters cold can stop me baby, na na baby
‘Cause you are my goal
If you’re ever in trouble;
I’ll be there on the double
Just send for me, oh baby, ha
My love is alive
Way down in my heart
Although we are miles apart
If you ever need a helping hand,
I’ll be there on the double
Just as fast as I can……..
Let’s be there for one another and start talking and LISTENING….. That is my HOPE!
Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
I’m a big list maker. Ever since I can remember, I have made lists. Everything from the daily chores I want to accomplish, the books I want to read, places I want to travel and things I want to experience. Having laser eye surgery has been on my wish list for years now.
Each January, I update my master list. As I look over my previous year’s dreams, I’m always in awe over the things I have manifested. In the last 25 years, D and I have created a comfortable home and a beautiful family. It hasn’t always been easy, as most of our married life we have lived on one income and our last 4 children took a long time to come. Finally, after years of “holding my vision,” followed by tremendous intent, focus and action, our family is complete.
As a mom to 8 children, our family’s needs are always at the top of my wish list. Making sure our kids have a comfortable place to call their own, space to dream and activities that feed their soul, has always been a top priority. Hence, doing some sort of renovation to our home each year or buying a new musical instrument, as well as saving for our children’s extra curricular activities, to accommodate their wishes, has been my prime focus..
Will starts cello lessons this fall
Our latest reno job…the new stairs to a room over the garage for Harrison to have his own space
Last January, priorities shifted slightly, after visiting my optometrist.
My already degraded vision had worsened once again and my Dr. had also discovered several small cysts on one of my eyes. These were most likely caused by wearing my rigid gas permeable contact lens, (RGP’S in the optical bus) too long each day. As I left his office, the health of my eyes was paramount to me. As D and I discussed the options later that evening, the idea to investigate laser eye surgery suddenly seemed to be the prudent thing to do. After all, if I were to purchase a new pair of
glasses as well as another set of RGPs with my latest prescription, that amount alone would pay for a good portion of my eye surgery.
On a referral from my optometrist’s office, I went to an eye clinic in Kelowna. (our nearby BIG city) The ophthalmologist who operates the clinic is well respected and the clinic itself has a good reputation. After the eye exam, they told me that, YES, I would be a candidate for laser eye surgery. I was jubilant, until they told me the cost of the procedure. Bummer! On top of that, they mentioned that it may be a good idea to consider having my lens replaced due to my age. A large percentage of older folks develop cataracts and this procedure would circumvent this condition from occurring even though currently my eyes were in perfect health. (I didn’t mention that I live sustainably and throwing out perfectly good things, or lens in this case, wasn’t my idea of a good idea) Still, this was yet another thing to consider.
On the drive home, D and I were both quiet. How could we manage to come up with this amount
with an already stretched budget.
If I have learned anything in my years of manifesting dreams, it’s that you have to have the vision FIRST, before it can come to you. And so, I held onto the vision of having laser eye surgery.
Just holding the “intent” of having the surgery was enough at the time. I moved in the direction of having the surgery by taking the action of converting over to soft contact lens. Since wearing my RGP’S affects my cornea shape, I needed to allow the cornea to re-adjust and stabilize before surgery could even be scheduled. They said, I would have to be out of my RGP’s at least a month for each decade of wear. Since I have been wearing contacts for at least 3 decades, that gave me at least 3 months to come up with the means to pay for the surgery.
Shortly after having the consult in Kelowna, my boss from the Garden Centre called to ask me officially if I would be able to work for them in the Spring. This was another thing I wanted to do but I really didn’t see how it would be possible. The little girls were still small and still needed me at home full time. Again, I trusted things would work and told my boss that I would love to come in at least part time. I could work around D’s hours at home. Being available weekends, holidays and working the afternoon, early evening shift, would at least cover some of my eye surgery expense and allow me to experience getting back into the paid workforce which I desired.
My babies with their babies…before I know it they will be all grown up
It’s really a wonder how things fall into place when you make a commitment. After I told my bos that I would love to come back for another gardening season, I ask my family for some support. I asked my oldest sister if she could time her spring visit around my work, so if we were falling apart, she could provide added assistance. Also, both of our older sons, who were attending University, agreed to help out where they could until their summer jobs started.
When my sister B comes to visit she never puts her feet up….except if we are looking at furniture
She is hands on
Clark starting his 3rd summer back at the Science Centre but he helped me work 2 full time weeks before his job started. Thanks Clark! Part of allowing a dream to come true is to trust that there will be people who step forward to assist it its manifestation.
One day after work I came to pick up Clark from his job at the Science Centre and I had to snap this picture. Here is my Environmental Science son sitting on a garbage can that asks, “Think, What can you do?” If we keep our eyes open, the Universe is always giving us assistance and offering the questions we need to ask ourselves.
Grace and Harrison were instrumental in allowing me to work this spring and helping my dream come true…Thank you…have I told you what great kids YOU ARE!
I was elated. If I could make at least 1/2 of the cost of the procedure, maybe D, could come up with a creative way of finding the other 1/2. Somehow, I just kept moving in the direction. Believing that things would work out. I would wake up each morning and look out our bedroom window, imagining someday seeing the beauty of the outdoors clearly without having to put my RGP’s or my glasses on
These are the flowers outside my bedroom door to our backyard.
.
Things were falling into place really well in the Spring and somehow my family all helped me juggle and balance the family’s needs so I could work at the garden centre.The only thing was that D still hadn’t come up with a creative way for us to find the other 1/2 of the money necessary for the procedure. It just wasn’t there with all of our expenses and the kid’s current needs..
Me working with the kale at my gardening gig…note the stylish glasses
Then one day my sister J, came for a visit. She knew I had been looking into having the surgery and I updated her on my progress, without telling her that finding 1/2 of the fee hadn’t materialized. That is when she told me that her oldest son E, who lives in Vancouver, had had laser eye surgery recently and it had cost 1/2 of the amount that I had been quoted at the Kelowna clinic. I was amazed and then a bit skeptical. Surely, there must be a catch. Perhaps his eyes didn’t require as much correction. Did he have astigmatism as well?
This was too good to be true but you know when a door opens, you have to walk through it. The next day D called the Vancouver office to book an appointment for me. Since he would have to drive me, I needed it to work around his work schedule.
He came home that night and said, “Great news. You can have your consult in Kelowna.” Apparently, once a month, a few of their staff come to Kelowna to conduct consults and attend to their patients who live in the Okanagan and need post surgery check ups. Things were starting to fall into place.
After meeting with M and J at their satellite office and hearing that yes, they would be able to do the PRK laser eye surgery on my eyes, I knew this was the direction I wanted to take. Everything had just fallen into place to allow my dream to come to fruition. First my spring job, my family stepping forward to assist and recently my sister offering another option that would allow me to afford the procedure. I would have to pay $300.00 dollars more than my nephew E paid. I would require something called, tissue sparing, where they use a finer laser. What I found most interesting was that the final package fee worked out to be exactly 1/2 of the cost that the Kelowna clinic had quoted.
When I had my first quote, I can remember saying to D that if it were 1/2 the amount, I could do it but the amount they wanted was just too much. That is why I never question my dreams now….when I put them out into the Universe, energy is always working behind the scenes to allow my dream to come through. As in this case, the Vancouver office does volume business and therefore can offer the service for less. When you have a dream you just have to hang on and keep believing that it WILL come true. Dream BIG!
After that, things moved quickly. They suggested I stop wearing my soft contact lenes and get a pair of cheap glasses and come back for a check up the following month. I haven’t worn glasses, other than my sunglasses for years and this was really hard to adjust to, especially at the garden centre. I would have to switch from my distance glasses to my reading glasses depending on my duties which was awkward. Somehow, I got through the season. At the end of June, I met with M and J again. They were both happy to see my eyes had stabilized and it was a go to book my laser eye surgery.
At last, my dream would be coming true. Little did I know I would experience more than corrected eye sight. A life altering epiphany was part of the package.
If you have read this far into my blog…wow! I know it’s long but there is a bigger story than just my laser eye surgery. Little did I know at the time but in two days, my eyes would see more than I had ever imagined. So grab a glass of ice tea and share in the rest of the story.
My surgery was scheduled for Thursday, July 30th. We had decided we would leave home first thing in the morning, which would give us sufficient time to arrive in Vancouver with enough buffer if the traffic was heavy. My surgery was booked for late in the day but we would have to stay over night since they wanted to check my eyes the following morning. Friday, July 31st was our anniversary.
The weather was beautiful Thursday. Blue skies and warm weather followed us as we drove out of our valley and headed to the West coast. I tried not to think of the actual surgery or all the waivers I would have to sign later in the day. I held the vision that everything would be great and go well.
I had made us a lunch and other than stopping for one quick bathroom break along the highway, we drove right into Vancouver. It was early afternoon and traffic was light. As D maneuvered our family van along the highway and over bridges, I reminded myself to enjoy the experience. The last time I was at the coast, was almost 3 years ago, when we were interning my mom’s remains. She was resting next to her mom and dad in the Aberdeen cemetary, close to where she grew up. Returning to the coast always feels like I was going home. I’m a Salmon in reverse,.going out to the sea, breathing deeply, feeling the oxygen fill my lungs and letting the flow guide me.
I hadn’t been into downtown Vancouver for a number of years and as we drove closer to the centre of town, the strangeness of everything took over. D finally found Hastings street which is where the clinic was situated but we would have to drive along East Hastings first before we got to West end where the office building was located. The traffic was thicker now. There were cars cutting in front of us, large buses pulling in and away from the curb. People were everywhere; on bikes, walking on the sidewalks, wearing all manner of clothing and carrying all sorts of gear; brief cases, yoga mats, cloth grocery bags. Taxis were zipping in and out of traffic. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and then. I realized I really needed to pee. Really bad. I’m surprised I hadn’t the urgency before now as I had been drinking a lot of water all day, wanting to be well hydrated.
I asked D to find a place where I could use the bathroom and up ahead he saw a Starbucks coffee shop. They are practically on every other corner in Vancouver, Like an old time big city driver, he quickly changed lanes and pulled around the back of the building where they had advertised parking. Parking is not easy to find in the city and it’s not cheap but happily we parked in Starbucks small parking lot and we went into the coffee shop. As I went to the bathroom, he grabbed a Pike’s Place coffee with the coffee card my best friend, T had given him for driving the girls home from summer camp.
As I came out, smelling the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee, D was there with a huge smile and waving his cup towards me.He loves coffee. I don’t. I’m more of a tea gal, although I appreciate the joy it gives D.
We left the building and it was then, finally with my bladder empty, I felt like i could focus once again. I was able to look around. A few shops down, there was a beautiful community garden which made me feel so happy. It was nice to see veggies growing amongst sunflowers. D put his coffee in the car and we toured around.
After I felt restored by growing things in the middle of the city, we got back in the car, D with his coffee and me feeling a bit more balanced.
We hadn’t gone far and things changed. Drastically. Some of the store fronts were boarded over and others had graffiti painted on the walls. Once beautiful hotels, were falling apart and there was this grimy, unkempt air to everything. Then, I noticed the people. They weren’t walking in a purposeful fashion but were just singularly standing around, or in small groups talking, sitting on the sidewalk, laying on blankets, slowly pushing shopping carts. Probably loaded with all their worldly belongings. Then as we stopped for a light, I glanced down an alley way and saw a person stabbing their arm with a needle.
As quickly as we came upon this district, we moved through it and when I asked D where we were, he said we were now in the West Hastings district. Suddenly, the building fronts changed. There were high end shops, fancy restaurants and the office buildings were built of polished stone and glass. Each person seemed to be a fashion statement unto themselves. All were well dressed, perfectly coiffed, and carrying designer labelled shopping bags, leather brief cases or expensive purses. The cars around us as well, seemed to change and we were surrounded by shiny black Mercedes, BMW’s and Land Rovers.
Then the energy changed again as we drove by a sign that said, “filming in progress.” A further block down, a large, shiny bus turned towards us and on the side was a massive picture of the singer, Taylor Swift
D was checking addresses by this time and finally, he recognized the number for the Coal Harbour Eye Centre. It was located at the top of the building. The 27th floor. We drove a few blocks further until we found a place to park in front of large, well kept townhouses. Since we had made good time and were early, we decided to take our lunch and go for a walk. The Harbour was close, with lovely, tree lined walking trails and park benches scattered everywhere, beckoning us to come and sit..
I’m sure, to those of you who live in a city, this is not uncommon to observe. The contrasts of living conditions that is. We even have a few seedier parts of town within our own small community. Perhaps, I had lived too long in conservative, middle class luxury. I don’t know but my head was reeling. We walked for a bit and finally found a nice place to settle, where we could eat the salad I had made earlier in the day. It was filled with veggie’s from our garden and chunks of avocado and almonds from the market. It was blissful and yet, I couldn’t get over the scenes I had just experienced. The extremes of life teaming in the streets was overwhelming to me. I felt a bit nauseous.
Here I was about to have my eye surgery, pay several thousand dollars for the service, and there were people just a few blocks away who didn’t have food to eat or a safe place to live. As D and I talked about my feelings, which he too shared, we watched large yachts come and go out of the harbour. A steady stream of people poured past us,, some walking and chatting easily, all nicely dressed, some jogging and wearing expensive running shoes. There were young women carrying little puppies in their purses and middle aged, well dressed woman pushing high end baby strollers. In the park bench over from us, an older man snoozed under a newspaper. Possibly a resident from East Hastings area, who had made his way up the street. I was on over load.
As we got up to leave, it was then that I saw a couple of sweet houseboat moored among large yachts on the dock. It made me so happy that I had to take a picture. (you know I’m into tiny houses) All of a sudden, Vancouver seemed to be a microcosm of the world at large and although there was a disparaging difference in social status and stations in life, everything suddenly had a place and fit.
I just fell in love with the houseboats in the middle of the dock full of large yachts….they made a great statement about how we as a society live our life…what do you see?
The rest of the afternoon flew by as an efficient group of professionals took care of my eyes. There were a few moments of anxiety but I would remind myself that this surgery is second nature to Dr. Kirzner and I was going to enjoy each moment. When they were actually doing the laser surgery, and I was laying on this high tech table, trying to stay perfectly still, I had this sense of being outside my body. I knew my body was on the table, under the laser as I could smell burning tissue, but I was flying amidst brilliant light filled energy and was at peace.
Having that experience alone, was worth it all but then as I was resting in the recovery chair
less than 15 minutes after having the surgery, I opened my eyes and for the first time ever, I could see clearly. The pictures on the walls, the doors down the hall, and even D who had come in to join me in the recovery room. Then the surgical assistant walked by and whispered, “rest your eyes.” That moment was something I will never forget. It was a moment that I had had before. In my dreams.
I was the second last patient of the day and by the time we got out to the car, rush hour was upon us. As D drove us to our hotel, I just closed my eyes behind the sunglasses they had given me. Once at the hotel, for some reason I was exhausted. There were quite a few eye drops I had to use at regular intervals but between those, I rested. Falling asleep easily. Finally, at 8 pm I woke up starving and we decided to venture out and get some dinner. We didn’t travel far and found the Ole Spaghetti Factory.
It was absolutely a delight being waited on. Not having to make dinner, clean up or wash the dishes. You could have given me anything to eat and I would have appreciated it but my Thai Pasta was truly delish. Being with D was new again. We are so used to having our children around us 24/7, that it’s quiet and empty when it’s just the two of us. We talked about our life, the trip and our dreams for the future.
Day 2 after my eye surgery…..coming out of our hotel and the day is gorgeous
Trying to do a selfie with my 6’2″ husband…33 great years!
My appointment the next day went well. Without a hitch. My contacts hadn’t moved. They are like bandages and cover the eyes until the outer surface, called the epithelium, grows back.Although it would have been exciting to spend the rest of the day in Vancouver, since there was going to be fireworks and music in the evening, I didn’t know how I would be feeling later and so we drove home.
Before leaving the coast though, we stopped in at the Aberdeen cemetery to sprinkle some dried lavender on my mom and both sets of grandparents graves. Then we continued through the Fraser Valley, heading east towards home.
As we were driving into my old hometown, I had to take a picture of this sign which really is how I live my life……
As we left the highway I quickly snapped this picture heading into the place I was born
David and I decided to stop for lunch in Hope and visit my Dad’s grave. I found it easily, as there is a little pinwheel next to his marker. As I said Hi to Dad and shook the remaining dried lavender blossoms on his grave, the wind suddenly picked up even though it had been still only a moment before. It whooshed in and the little buzzing bee pinwheel spun and spun. I could feel Dad smiling and felt love all around.
My Dad, Marvyne Derwent Clark…born in April of 1920 and died in Sept of 1965
After visiting mom who was laid to rest next to her mom and dad and seeing Dad’s parent’s together, I felt kind of sad that Dad was all alone. Then I noticed all the babies buried around him.I had lost my Dad when I was small, and many parents had lost their babies all too soon as well but my Dad and their babies were together. Reminded me that we are all connected on this earth. Coming in and going out. But while we are alive, do we remember our connection?
The trip had been filled with so many insights.
The kids were so happy to have us home as we seldom leave them for more than a few hours but they took care of each other and did really well while we were away. My eyes have been healing really fast and when I went in for a check up on the following Tuesday morning, my Dr. was able to remove my contact lens/bandages. Since then, my eye sight has been getting better and better.
The images I saw when driving from East to West Hastings didn’t leave me. As well as visiting my parents and grandparents graves. I am very aware that life is brief. We only have a blink of an eye to do what we need to do on earth, see what we need to see, and to make a difference. As my vision healed, I have been asking myself what I can do. What kind of difference can I make in the world. How can I remind the world that we are one. Then I had another revelation. I’m already well on my way.
I have been drinking my green drink each morning. I go out each morning with my little ones in tow. We collect kale, swiss chard, parsley, carrots, spinach, cucumbers and add an apple from the fridge. I juice it and then pour my green juice into a blender which has crushed ice, some almond milk, a few tbsps of ground flax seed, a banana, some yogurt and finally a few scoops of my “All Greens” powder. I blend it and sit somewhere peaceful and drink it. Our little kids love it so much and get really excited when they hear my juicer start. Our skin is all glowing.
Tori was so happy to have her mommy home and asks all the time how my eyes are doing….don’t you LOVE the glasses…the boys say they remind them of the wrestler (Randy Savage) who used to wear something similar
Tori giving Kate a “squeezes hug”…she is very touchy feely and loves to get close
Sometime throughout the morning, I sit and meditate on my yoga mat and then I do some sun salutations, work on my plank, my bridge, a shoulder stand and finally a balancing pose. The little kids sometimes join me in doing a downward dog and cat stretches. They like animal poses.
I have been working in my garden, harvesting herbs and setting them up to dry. I have picked our hot peppers and dried them in the food dehydrator (see me using it for my Kale chips below)
Looking back over the whole experience to repair my vision, I realized that I’m not just seeing things clearer with my eyes but with my heart as well.
My beautiful sunflowers…bees just love them!
The kids all help me pick beans….isn’t my garden lush…but the grass sadly is so dry. My next vision is less grass and more food…an edible oasis for a backyard
Will often eats more than he puts in his bowl
Taking a break to have a drink of water and thinking how lovely my cultivator looked lying still…sometimes we have to just be to really see
I’ve run out of room in my laundry room drying rack and moved my peppermint out to the garage…oh fragrant tea!
While it makes me sad that we live in a world with such diversity with regards to wealth, I realized that if I want things to change, I have to hold the vision of how I want the world to become. I would love for everyone to be able to have clear vision if that is their desire. Why should anyone have blurry vision when there is the technology to improve eye sight? Why should anyone go hungry, when there is food enough in the world but often it’s just a distribution issue. Surely, this is something we can solve. Why should anyone be homeless when so many of us have more rooms than we need? Why should there be medicine and yet some people are not able to access it? This list goes on.
Our world is changing though. I can see it and feel that things are moving from polarity into a unified energy field. We are coming around to the idea that we are one. That every action on earth as a reaction.
Then it also occurred to me that before I can heal the world, I have to start by healing myself.
I AM taking those steps by having my eye surgery and caring for my own health, eating as healthy as I can, practicing my yoga, staying connected to spirit with my meditation, working in the garden with my plants and my little people. And now taking time to blog about the journey, and all the people who have touched my life, are touching my life. Hopefully, making me more loving and compassionate. .
It starts with a vision.
What is your vision?
As you contemplate that question and think about your dreams, perhaps you’d like to make the following Kale Chip recipe and listen to the following song. I’ve been singing it a lot lately. Humming it under my breath, I can see clearly now.
Check it out…if you can’t see the video below, click on the hyper-link. Thanks for coming and visiting…I hope to see you soon. Here is the video of Johnny Nash’s song called, “I can see clearly now.” I hope you enjoy it…
It’s going to be a sun shiny day!
Before I went on our trip, I discovered a great Kale Chip recipe. It comes from the book called, “Live Raw” by Mimi Kirk. The recipe is below but check out her You tube video where she makes the chips. I love her! If you want further inspiration, check out her marvelous web site.
Each time I watch her, videos, her energy resonates with me and more and more, I’m eating raw. If you have some Kale and are wondering what to do with it, try making these crispy chips.Thanks Mimi…your vision to spread love and wisdom for healthy living is coming through loud and clear. Also, I have been thinking that when we eat raw, we vibrate with light filled energy…and that is a great state in which to manifest our dreams. Enjoy!
Mimi Kirk’s Kale Chip Recipe
Ingredients
1-2 bunches of curly or dino kale
For one bunch use the following measurements, for 2 bunched double the recipe. 5-6 tablespoons virgin olive oil
4-5 tablespoons gluten free tamari, depending how salty tasting you like them
Nutritional yeast, I just pour on top and mix with tongs until leaves are coated. It’s your choice how cheesy you like them. I like them cheesy.
Sprinkle in seasonings of choice, example; cumin, curry, pizza seasoning, or none if you prefer, it’s good just with the nutritional yeast.
Directions.
Remove stem from kale and place in a bowl. Try to obtain large pieces as the kale shrinks in the dehydrator.
Pour the olive oil on top and mix with tongs until leaves are coated. Add the tamari and mix again. Lastly, add nutritional yeast and any seasonings you choose, and mix again. Nutritional yeast get thick when damp, so make sure to scrape sides of the bowl to incorporate. Place on mesh screen of dehydrator tray and spread out somewhat. One bunch of kale will usually make 3 trays. Dehydrate 3 or more hours at 105–110 degrees until crispy like a potato chip.
Fresh kale from the garden…after juicing and making salads with it…I love to make Mimi’s kale chips…
My kids love it too and now I wish I had planted more Kale!
The dehydrator makes really crispy kale chips and is a really useful appliance if eating raw food is your thing
Even Harry likes it and that is telling you something
Thanks again for hanging in there and reading this whole blog post. I know it was L o n g….I appreciate you visiting so much and helping me ….”Heal Our Planet Earth”….let Hope be our vision.
Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
Hi! Come on in and let’s talk about hummus and growing healthy children.
As you may know from reading my blog, I’m currently homeschooling but perhaps for not much longer since it looks like the Province and the Teachers may have struck a deal. Only a vote away will tell whether I’m a home-school mama much longer.
It’s been a lot of fun. Overwhelming at times managing different age groups and certainly challenging to stay a step ahead of everyone but rewarding to see the kids light up as they learn. I’ve decided to shift my perspective with regards to education. Yes, the teachers have our children for 6 to 61/2 hours everyday, but they are all mine after school and on the weekends. We can continue working on things they have shown an interest in and continue our homeschooling in that fashion. So while the school bus may be coming next week, (Will is excited about that) I will look at the time they are gone as prep time for when they come home.
In the meantime, we have been working on all the major subjects with our older children but with the little ones, we have been practicing following a simple set of instructions and accomplishing small projects. Sitting still and keeping their hands on their own work is a journey unto itself but we are making progress. I try to have some baroque music on while they work, to stimulate their brains.
Of course we are doing lots of reading and sounding out words while remembering our sight words. We count all the time, from the moment they wake up from how many buckets it will take to rinse the shampoo out of their hair, to how many apple pieces are on the plate and calculating how many each child receives.
I found a great web site I wanted to share with my blog friends, who have young children and want to print off simple sheets for their little ones to colour, perhaps cut out and paste.There are also many activities and even a Whiz kid math program if you have older children. (This is a U.K. site…waving Hi to my oldest daughter Alyssa teaching in the U.K.)
Here is the cool web site, “Activity Village” I have found and these are the sheets that I have printed off for the kids. Every day we do a new letter and when completed we put it their own individual books to look at throughout the day.
I found these under printable alphabet sheets….on the Activity Village web site
And while the kids are happily colouring, cutting out and pasting their pictures, I like to take a few moments and make one of our favourite snacks. Hummus.
A few of my friends have asked how we encourage our children to eat their vegetables since their children won’t touch anything in the veggie category. This is so simple that I don’t know why other parents haven’t figured it out. “We” are the ones who do the shopping and prepare the food. If the kids want to stay alive, and they do believe me, they will eat anything you put in front of them, EVENTUALLY!
Having your children help you in the garden, growing food inspires them to try all sorts of vegetables.
There have been studies done on healthy eating showing children who have been given a wide range of vegetables from early age develop a desire to eat those same foods later into what would normally be their picky years. Plus, here is another benefit; they achieve higher IQ’s.
Now I have to tell you we have had our fair share of picky eaters out of our 8 children. It was frustrating at times but we just kept offering them healthy choices and encouraged them to try a little bit of everything. Sure, there was a time when they resisted foods that mixed together, like soups and casseroles but those same (older children) are food cultured now.
So be persistent and positive with your little ones and I hope you try my hummus recipe
.Here’s what you need to make hummus.
Do you have chick peas, garlic, olive oil, tahini and lemon juice?..you have the makings for hummus
Hope’s Hummus recipe
1- 19 ounce chick peas drained and rinsed 2 tbsp tahini 1 or 2 garlic cloves….I prefer my hummus really garlicky 2 tbsp of virgin olive oil….maybe more if you like your hummus really smooth 4 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
Now, for the easy peasy instructions. Into your food processor, put your chick peas, tahini, garlic and lemon juice and mix it really well, then slowly add your olive oil until the hummus is the texture you desire.
Well that’s it…now decide what you want to eat your hummus with. Today I cut up some vegetables and served them for snack time. My oldest daughter likes to put her hummus on a piece of celery and put a line of raisins in a row…yes she is 24 but some of us never truly grow up.
The old ants on a log is great with hummus
The cool thing about making it today is I have some hummus for the twins preschool snack tomorrow
.BONUS!
Come and get it!
Dig in girls
Will has loved hummus since he was a toddler
And on the topic of growing healthy children, if our children are going to watch T.V. or videos, I like the message they are receiving to continue with the theme we are trying to teach at home. Like the following as it just emphasizes my thoughts about junk food.
My kids are obsessed with The Berenstain Bears books and videos lately. Check out this one below however note if you are using an Apple product, you may not be able to view it…check out the link below.
D and I have been reading these books and watching Berenstain Bear videos with our little ones for over 20 years now. They never get old
I hope you enjoy the hummus recipe. A great source of protein and lovely as a snack with veggies. And as far as growing healthy children, whether we have them ourselves or not, we can all contribute to raising the next generation of healthy children. I believe that statement Hilary Clinton made about it taking a village to raise children.
It does.
I’m glad my village is close to getting our kids back into the classrooms.
Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
I discovered my love for pesto when my new friend Susan, whom I met while working at D.S. Gardens this past spring, brought it to our employee luncheon party. Although the picnic table was loaded with delicious and healthy food, all I wanted to eat was her pesto.
After that, I believe I was solely responsible for selling out all of the basil plants we had in stock. If I saw anyone walking around with a tomato plant, I would bring over one of our beautiful 6 pack basil plants and say, “Did you know that basil is a companion plant for tomatoes?”…and then I would offer them a free sniff. As soon as the basil was under their nose I knew I had sold another 6 pack. My motives weren’t to just make money for the garden center but to ensure no one left without having what I think is THE BEST herb for their garden. Well, I do like oregano, dill, sage, parsley, ha….okay I like herbs, but Basil is at the top of the list. There were a few occasions where customers wavered even after a whiff of the herb but all I had to say was, “do you like pesto?” and that would be it. They would smile and take my 6 pack, sometimes two packs.
Suffice it to say, I planted a lot of basil myself this spring, right in front of my tomatoes. And it wasn’t long before I was making pesto several times a week. We even started putting it on our pizza instead of our classic tomato sauce. Yeah, we love pesto around here…and did you know it freezes well too?
So on the heels of my post about what to do with all the tomatoes, I have to share my basil pesto recipe. I hope you grow to love it as much as I have this spring/summer. Next year, I’m going to plant even more because I want to freeze it….it never makes it into the freezer with our family. I’ve been eating so much this year I won’t have any to dry either. Oh, and don’t you think all that green is good for our bodies! You bet…up there with Kale! Here is my recipe and some pictures.
Here are the main ingredients,,,thanks for the garlic dear brother in law Barrie!
Hope’s Basil Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups of basil
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup of pine nuts or walnuts
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
(not in the picture but additional items, kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, sprinkle of lemon juice)
Directions
Put basil, garlic cloves and nuts in a food processor and pulse it until they are ground really well.
Once well processed, add the oil, slowly to the consistency that you desire. I like my pesto a bit thicker but if you are making pesto to spread on a pizza or as a pasta sauce, you may want to add a bit more olive oil to make it thinner.Taste as you go.
Add the parmesan cheese and process really well.
Finally, add a pinch of salt, some freshly ground pepper and a
squeeze of fresh lemon, mix again then you are ready to dig in.
I like to eat my pesto with Triscuit crackers (Rosemary and Olive oil is my latest fav) but our oldest daughter Alyssa likes to eat it with a spoon, a big spoon, and if caught she has a guilty smile on her face. I wish you were here now Alyse to eat my latest pesto, ’cause it was delish, but interesting note, it did go farther than usual. It lasted all of an hour today.
I hope you like my recipe and plan to double your basil plants for next year too. Enjoy! In JOY!
This is a great afternoon snack for my family…but boy does it go fast!
Until, I see you again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
