Berlin's Whimsy

amongst the leaves.

After a hectic holiday weekend, wandering through my garden is a much needed respite. It's no secret that summer is a challenge for me. It's hot. It's dusty. Too many activities.

But there are bright spots. Like the garden. Every morning, I go out amongst the leaves with a sense of wonder.

I find new leaves carrying morning dew drops like offerings to the rising sun. 

New bugs.

Always more weeds.

And delightful discoveries. 

Summer mornings in the garden are to be treasured. 

all in its place

My daughter created this little map. Within, she illustrated a layout of her own personal village where those that are important to her live close-by. She enjoys doing this: creating lists of friends, understanding her heritage, asking about her ancestors. It all needs to be in its place. Perhaps it is a form of security in trying to understand her own little slice of this vast world. I can imagine with all the changes in her life over the last couple years, these little illustrations help to put it in some form of perspective.

Don't we all desire perspective, though? To understand where we've been and where we're going? I know I do. I thought about this and I thought about the way my daughter handled it, drawing her own little map. Perhaps she's onto something----illustrating our own personal dream village. A village encompassing all that you love and that loves you in return. What a wonderful vision!

And sometimes I think our chickens might even need a little of this perspective---- especially when they peer through our windows so longingly, waiting for us to come and tuck them in for another night in their little coop.

Maybe we all need to have a place for everything and everyone. All in its place.

seeking knowledge.

I seek knowledge today. In a classroom amongst other students. A different form of education than what I am used to. Though I doubt this class will satisfy my current hunger: a hunger for the knowledge of life and the whys and hows of it all. For example, why do people do the things they do and if they ever really know why. Or, if it's possible to truly understand another person, or even oneself. And why someone keeps dumping chickens at the end of my Mom's driveway... Oh, the quandaries of life. :-)

And in this pursuit of knowledge, I wish I understood it all. That I possessed the kind of wisdom that could answer my questions. Even just one.

And on the flip-side, I wish I didn't understand people as well as I do. That I couldn't see through the superficial games people play in an attempt to hide the substantive information underneath----the real stuff. The need for power. The need to hide feelings. To protect oneself. To take things out on others rather than recognizing our own issues and truly owning them. And I wish I wasn't so human in the fact that I sometimes play these games, too.

The human condition is so full of ambiguity. Sometimes I wish to be something else----- it seems animals are free to act upon their needs and show their true emotions. None of the usual human self-protective games and sidestepping the truth that is such a part of the human condition.

Nonetheless, I truly am of the human variety with all the flaws that come with it. So, I seek knowledge. And even though I may not learn the answers to what I seek in my classroom today, I will learn new experiences through interactions with more humans. 

summer food scenes.

Summer is the season of fresh flavors. Delicate flavors juxtaposed against the rich and sometimes brash tastes of summer's green crops. My kids lean towards those sweet and delicate flavors-----juicy peaches, bright red strawberries, fancy cherries, dripping watermelons; the expectation of summer in one bite.

Often to my children's consternation, I try to pass off vegetables more readily than even those wonderfully sweet fruits. We are beginning to harvest vegetables from our little garden, so my vegetable repertoire is growing steadily.

My kids turn their noses up at arugula, claiming it is "too spicy!!" I find this confusing since they absolutely love pesto made up of spicy basil. Recently, I made a pesto out of the arugula leaves from our garden and amazingly they ate it right up! The recipe was like this one only I substituted arugula for the basil and toasted walnuts for the pinenuts. I also drizzled a bit of sweet balsamic vinegar over the top. Stirred into warm, pixie-like pinwheel pasta, they found it a little more than passable.

I also keep cooked quinoa in the refrigerator, ready for a quick saute' with seasonal vegetables. I saute' the veggies in a wide skillet with some olive oil and garlic, adding some good-quality curry powder and a bit of fenugreek. I then add the cooked quinoa and stir it all around a bit to mingle those fresh flavors. To make it more pleasing for the rest of the crowd, I toss it with this feta cheese (the BEST!). It is great served at room temperature which lends itself to picnics and potlucks. This Yumm-y Sauce is absolutely GREAT on top!

found and made.

I cannot help but keep my eyes firmly on the ground when I go for a hike. For good reason, too: how else would I find a little rock shard with the faintest impression of a tree...

... and ready for my outlining and defining with a pen at home...

What kinds of treasures are you finding on this fine summer day?

Breathe in.

So far, this summer...

My son turned 13. And I sighed a long, sentimental sigh. Breathe in, breathe out.

And he slept outside with friends. Dear, sweet friends that make him happy. Me, too.

 
 
My children & I went hiking----just us, taking in the vast beauty around us while discussing our changing lives.

So, perhaps you will excuse my absence here while I took the time to catch my breath!

A Soapbox full of Vegan Cupcakes

I am gently dabbling in a vegan lifestyle. I have not adopted it fully, but rather along the same lines as the cookbook author, Mark Bittman. He chose to eat a more vegetarian and vegan diet based on his own health needs, but he also points out the great benefits a plant-based diet has on our planet. You can read and listen to his thoughts on the subject here. His book, Food Matters, goes into more detail and is worth reading.

Anyhow, I have always leaned towards a vegetarian lifestyle both in my desire for healthy foods and my own philosophical beliefs about animals and sustainability. Because I am not a person to view things only in black and white but to rather take a bit of this and a bit of that and mesh them together along with my own values, I have never fully adhered to a vegetarian diet. I don't know that I will now, either, but we'll see where it takes me...  

Nowadays, becoming a vegan is much easier and I have been experimenting with it a bit. There are great products on the market that allow you to create yummy foods without relying on animal products. In the process, I developed a strong love for Earth Balance spreads. Their buttery spreads (and in stick form) are so yummy, I'd rather use that than real butter! Other staples to a vegan diet (ones that I already like, thankfully) are tofu, soymilk, and nutritional yeast. I plan to experiment a bit with making my own soymilk and tofu soon....

Rather than calling myself a vegan or vegetarian, I view myself as health conscious. Cutting back on the products derived from animals will greatly benefit my own health, and perhaps help the planet a little bit in the meantime.

So, in my experimentation, I discovered that I love vegan cupcakes! The recipe is here. They are moist and yummy. Next time I make them (very soon, I hope), I will try adding some Earth Balance in place of some of the oil. The recipe is from the book, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

And on top of all the cupcakey-chocolatey goodness, this vegan frosting is absolutely fabulous! (Vegan or not). It is thick and buttery tasting----but it is so much better for you than the regular butter cream frosting. Try it and let me know what you think!

Rich Chocolate Frosting that happens to be Vegan

1 C. Earth Balance Buttery Spread

4 C. powdered sugar

2 T. vanilla extract

3 tsp. espresso powder

4 T. plain soy milk

1/2 C. good quality cocoa powder

In a bowl, mash the butter with the back of a spoon until it is smooth. Add the remaining ingredients, reserving 1 T. soy milk to check for consistency. If the frosting is too dry/thick, add the remaining soy milk (or more). Whip the frosting a bit until it reaches a glossy and smooth consistency.

and the winner is...

Congratulations, Denise--- as commenter number 31, you are the winner of the beautiful wool rug from CSN Rugs! Please email me with your shipping address and you will receive your prize very soon.

 

Thank you to all of you who participated in the rug giveaway and shared your weekend stories with me. I very much enjoyed reading about your adventures----so many wonderful memories!

We spent our weekend taming weeds (hard to tame), perfecting the shangri la that is our chickens' coop, attending birthday parties, planning our own, visiting the library, and eating good food. Everything one would hope for in a weekend of wholesome fun... 

Wool Rug Giveaway!

Happy Weekend! What is it like in your little corner of this wide, abundant world?

We started our weekend like this... Mmmmm, thick and fluffy pancakes with a touch of cardamom.

And I have some good news: Rugs has generously offered this luxurious 100% wool rug for my readers. It measures 2' x 3' and I can only imagine how wonderful it must feel to the touch...

Here's how to enter: leave a comment on this post by Monday, June 15th, at 9 PM PST, and tell me how you spent your weekend. For many, this is the first weekend of your children's summer vacation----what did you do? I will randomly choose one winner from the comments to this post on Monday evening. Good luck, and again, thank you to  Rugs for offering such a lovely prize!

summer lists.

The first day of my children's summer vacation finds us sitting down to write up some summer wishes, dreams, and goals. Things like... What do you want to do this summer? What do you hope to accomplish? In the past, the list included things like 'ride my bike 10 miles in one day,' and 'make dog treats and sell them.'

As my children grow older, their dreams and goals evolve, reflecting their new interests, their emerging maturity, and my own influence, too. Additionally, their answers reflect a growing adolescent sarcasm and I try not to dismiss even those answers, wrapping them up into our projects, as well.

This summer, our list includes weekly spelling practice and a heavy focus on writing and grammar. Both of my children have a strong desire to write and I am more than happy to oblige them in this passion!

Recently, we discovered the magazine, Stone Soup, and my daughter has yet to put it down. It is a magazine for young writers and illustrators----I should have known she would immediately love it! Many libraries carry this wonderful magazine and it's worth checking out.

My daughter recently facilitated a family drawing night that revolved around one of our favorite books, The Little Prince. While she read the book to us, we each illustrated our own planet/astroid (as in the book). It felt very peaceful to listen to my daughter read to us while we all quietly slid our pencils along paper, creating our own worlds. I envision much of our summer revolving around related activities-----afternoons spent using our imaginations and creativity...

Try it!... While reading The Little Prince, ask your children what their own make-believe planet would be like? What would it look like? What would it be like to live alone on a planet? Or with one other person or creature? Who is that creature and what do they look like? For older kids, what was the author trying to convey with each new planet and its inhabitants? Who was your favorite character and why? Can you draw him/her? I'd love for you to share...

More resources...
* A Guide for Grown-ups: Essential Wisdom from the Collected Works of Antoine de Saint Exupery.