Tiffin

Since childhood, I've loved the line in a poem: "October's Bright blue weather" - a day like today!

With fall & return to school, it's a great time for all of us to think about packing lunches - & what fun options are available theses days!!
I was admiring stainless steel sets on-line, looking for 'the right one,' & a friend gifted me with this sweet three tier 'tiffin' - which closes with bails - rather like my dad's old aluminum mess kit!
They're sitting on a napkin I made last winter - there's a pocket for the chopsticks & spoon in the middle. This is reminiscent of one of the first 4-H sewing projects - a roll up placemat with pocket for utensils - I carry it in my purse! The Half moon napkin is double sided, & folds into a cute 'Christmas tree' - I made a bunch using fat quarters for my MOMs group gals last holiday season.
I've been reading about ideas for packing bento & tiffin sets, even the recommended amounts. Whew!! The height conversion chart puts me at 165 cm (typical Japanese woman is shorter, at 157) so the lunchtime amount would be closer to 800 calories (the recommendation for 157 cm is 600 calories/boxes containing ~ 600 ml).

Each tier of my 'tiffin' holds 2 cups, about 480 ml - so the contents of two well packed tiers is about the 'right' amount for lunch!! As 'Biggie' says: "So you ordered a bento box online, it arrives and you’re shocked at how tiny it is. People try to tell you to just eat less, but you have a sneaking suspicion that you may have accidentally bought a bento box sized for a 2-year-old instead of an adult."
LOL - that's exactly how this looks - & the amount of salad I'd normally pack explodes out of one of the tiers - so I intend to get a glass storage container to keep in our large fridge at work for several days worth of greens, & pack other veggies in the tiffin!
There's also a sweet tutorial on tying a furoshiki - which does double duty as a wrap for lunch & placemat! Since I already have the napkin & utensils, I'm set! I may also get a larger stainless steel container (our natural foods store carries several options) for days I'll be elsewhere & want a bigger salad! I also have a couple of stainless steel water bottles (two sizes) for days I'm not at the office.

I'll make my first furoshiki out of a couple of 'fat quarters' binding them with solid red or brown bias tape. I've thought of making a bag as well, but may just do this!! 

Love the comment "The Japanese Minister of the Environment recognizes the furoshiki as ideal for helping to minimize the waste of plastic bags." A small basket is another option.
This is a lovely way to meet your own dietary needs - gluten free, low carb, diabetic . . . just pack what YOU can eat!!
* use rice, quinoa or other GF grains; you can add sauted veggies to the grain or lightly stir fry - & think 'nutrient dense' - quinoa & amaranth are two of these super foods!
* pack small fairly solid veggies - cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, olives, shredded carrots & beets - eat from the rainbow - choose bright colours for maximum nutrition
* my set has a small sauce/dressing container, save your 'wet' ingredients for that
* when you're cooking for the week, make some of a main dish in ramekins or cut small servings from the main dish - freeze some for a variety of meals (label & try to use fairly quickly!)
* add spices to yogurt or kefir for dipping veggies - savory or sweet
* Keep some 'basics' at work - gluten free tamari or Braggs Liquid aminos, flaked nori, wakame or other seaweed to sprinkle on salad, a container of your homemade salad dressing (most commercial dressings are made with corn, soy, safflower etc. oils -stick to coconut & olive oil for maximum health!
* Pack your favorite eating utensils, & find napkins in colours you enjoy - anything you can do to make meals more fun & colouful.
* Pack whole, in season fruit separately when possible
* Think of creative ways to use leftovers (planned overs!) - I cook my grains (usually quinoa w/ a T of teff & one of amaranth) without seasoning, then season according to the meal, grate stirfry some veggies to add, etc
* if you have kids, engage them in packing/ choosing their own lunch fixings.
* when preparing veggies, toss onion skins, garlic, veggie trimmings (no dirt or mold) into a bag in the freezer to make stock - you can freeze some of the stock in an ice cube tray, then pack in a covered container to toss in when you're cooking veggies or soup!
* Peruse the bento sites for more beautiful & creative ideas for making your packed meals something to look forward to!
* Friends of mine have a blog with meal & recipe suggestions for using the veggies from our local CSA shares - this is another great resource! Check their archives for what's in season where you live.
* Tiffin/bento packing is great for increasing your consumption of local, in season food.

Please share your ideas for fall meals & ways you 'pack your lunch' - Happy eating!

Yard Projects

I've been working on cleaning up my yard! My 'BD gift' from the city was a note that I needed to get rid of 'noxious weeds' over 10" tall. Now I *love to garden* - & get overwhelmed with the amount to be done . . .

My daughter lived next door several years, then moved across town. I'd relied on her & her hubby for help, in *exchange* for a lot of babysitting :) That's shifted the last few years, now that the littlest is in kindergarten, I don't even watch them Monday mornings!!

My son Josh was going to be in town, & I asked Mary & my friend Leonard if they could help - we got THREE loads of yard debris to 'Greenlands' - the composting branch of our local garbage service! We did one load last Thursday (my birthday :) & got most of the rest into the driveway for taking yesterday - what a nice change!! Leonard brought a weed eater, Mary, Josh, Alyssa & I clipped & chopped extra brush & the ubiquitous blackberries . . . Josh would ask 'why did you plant this?!' & I'd reply - I didn't - the birds did!!' Hazels, an oak tree (way too close to the fence, & our native oaks get HUGE) . . .

This morning I'm clipping a bit more in the driveway, chopping out a few weeds, & moving the garbage & recycling bins closer to the 'garage.' Mary still has a bunch of boxes in the garage that need to go home for sorting - another use for that nice big truck! There be spiders, so we need a few sunny days.

& Leonard brought over a 1x6 board to replace a couple on my back step that had rotted out - which necessitated a trip to Lowes for nails - & I found some lovely big rings on eye screws that I'll run a hazel rod through to make a new clothes bar for the square dance outfits I'm accumulating!! I think I'll put up two, one for the fluffy petticoats -

Josh brought his post setter, & drove a green fence stake into the ground so we could slip an 'umbrella' clothesline post over it - viola! A new clothesline!! My folks hung clothes & bedding out whenever they could, & I've missed having one here! A gal friend got one at Bi-Mart last summer, & someone suggested the fence post rather than sinking a sleeve into concrete - made sense to me, & I just happened to have an extra post from an old bit of fence! This morning I hung out a few clothes!

My next project is a new compost bin. I helped Leonard with a few projects around his yard on Monday, & he has a pile of pallets for a project - with some extras. I have one of those black bins (back left in the shed photo, behind the blue tarp) which is great, but I've wanted something a bit easier to access - so checked on line & found this fun bin, made with pallets! I'll line it with hardware cloth to keep rodents out, & plan to cover it with a carpet strip as suggested (with 1x1s nailed to the ends, so it will drap over easily, but also be easy to remove! I may use a devider with hardware cloth down the middle, so effectively have two bins, fill one first, then begin the second, with lots of room for the worms to 'migrate' to the second side!

I'm also thinking of what kind of fence to put up at the back of my yard - Mary & I took out the huge shrubs on her side of the chain link fence, & we installed a gate - with new neighbors, I want something taller again. The neighbors to the N & S have cedar fences, & we looked at the cedar boards at Lowes. One friend did a lovely fence using both cedar & bamboo, I need to visit & see how that's weathered.

Iskiate & brain health

Recently my son-in law sent a text asking where I get my Chia seeds? . . . I replied our health food store carries them - over in the seeds for sprouting section. When I was at their house a few days later, I noticed a recipe for Iskiate posted on the fridge, & when I got home I made a batch - yum!

• 8 oz water
  
• 2 T whole chia seeds
• 1-2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1-2 tsp sugar (maple syrup, honey...)

Mix together & let sit 5-10 minutes. You can experiment with the liquid; coconut milk, sun tea, water kefir . . .

Matt's a runner, & recently hired as the Assistant Track Coach for the HS (he also manages the local Starbucks) - sounds like he'd been seeking a more 'natural' high electrolyte recharge drink - this is a great one! Inexpensive & easy to make it yourself.

Another friend recently mentioned the book Born To Run, about the Tarahumara Indians 'a Meixcan group of super-athletes,' & how they run barefoot. They also drank Chia Fresca or Iskiate; which has been making the 'circuit' in the running world since the book's publication. Today I picked up some Grade B Maple Syrup to use instead of sugar (I've also used a bit of honey or agave nectar) & here's another 'take' on the recipe.
I sometimes use ~ 1/4 C of my water kefir in the mix, I tend to drink more of my coconut milk kefir, so it's nice to find a new use for the water kefir! Already tart, & with herbs added in a second 'culture,' the water kefir is also high in probiotics. Chia seeds are high-fiber, omega-3, high-protein, antioxidant, & anti-diabetic. Myelin, the 'white matter' of the brain, is the insulation that surrounds the brain & nerve axions. Omega 3 oils support the recovery & regrowth (re-myelination) of the myelin!

This week I was invited to a talk on keeping our brains healthy as we age, by Roger Anunsen. I felt lucky to get a 'booster shot' from this expert on keeping our brains flexible & alert. This was an hour long overview of 'what's new' & a refresher on the info he presented last year. Roger is working on web casts, as he constantly seeks new info on optimizing brain health! He comments that he & a few others are working on translating the research into 'plain English' so more of us can access & utilize the info! The 'cogwheels' that support brain health are:

• Pysical exercise
• Mental exercise
• Socialization
  
• Stress Management
• Nutrition & healthy diet (inc. plenty of antioxidents & Omega-3 fats)
  
• Adequate sleep, including naps (ideal naps are: 23 min, 45 min, 0r 90 minutes)
  

I was tickled that dance provides the first 4! & calling square dance is a particularly good form of mental stimulation & social activity! He commented that some 'stress' is good - & encourages taking on the challange of learning something new fairly regularly.

Another 'brain health' expert, in his talk on 'Movement is Medicine' commented that ballroom dance has an Altzheimer's Risk REDUCTION factor of ~ 75%! He & his wife began taking ballroom lessons shortly after learning about the mental health benefits! His formula for "Optimal aging" includes: life satisfaction, social participation, self reliance, coping ability, setting new goals.
& a reminder for anyone who hasn't heard how great coconut milk & oil are for enhancing brain health, check out Mary & Steve Newport's story of reversing Steve's early onset Altzheimer's with the help of coconut & MCT oil!! Steve's last MRI (April 2010) "was reported as "stable" compared to the previous study." (June of 2008, about the time they began using coconut oil!) I use coconut oil for all my cooking, mixed with olive oil in salad dressing, & drink ~ 10 ox of coconut milk in the form of kefir daily.

I love this summer season of abundant fruit & fresh veggies - though with our longs cool spring, home crops are a bit limited. I am also thinking of how to 'revamp' my back yard - want to make some new raised beds, & clear more of the tall grass! I currently have apples, pears & a loaded fig tree! I dried some of the figs, as I couldn't eat that many fresh, & the grandkids who LOVE them are 2 hours away.

In good health!

Healing Rays, Grounding, Aura Clearing . . .

Returned this week from a lovely 4 day 'stint' at Breitenbush' - ah, Breitenbush, your river dreams a dream, you mountains sing, & your people, we grow strong' (from the Breitenbush tape 'concert for the Trees)
- You can just see a tiny corner of the roof of my tiny second Breitenbush home (92-93) on the left in this photo - it was 9'x19' with a loft bed!! (think of that when you're feeling your living space is 'tiny!')
The shared kitchen at that time was about half that size - now replaced with the lovely structure in the mid-left - two industrial size stoves & two sinks, plus a lovely large fridge. My garden plot was just beyond the tall motherwort in the right of the photo.

While staying in 'North Wind' - my next home (fall of '93- fall of '94), I enjoyed the evening air through the open window of the loft, & skimming several books on 'Telos' Mount Shasta, & Lemuria. Sweet.
In the late 90s, my friend Margo & I went to Mt Shasta for a fall equinox gathering, & fell in love with that mountain! Leaving the area, Margo saw Mother Mary's face on the mountain, & I saw a white dove fly across in front of us! Ascension teachings indeed! (My daughter & I had seen a white dove on our way down from Breitenbush a few days before this excursion - the symbol of ascension, or embodyment of our divinity)

As I read, the sections on daily preparations & Rays stood out. Daily practices can be so powerful, & serve as basic reminders that we are indeed fragments of Divinity, exploring human incarnations! Does it matter what the practices are? I think not, as long as they raise your energy & make you more available for this life journey!

Here are a few suggestions :
AM: Ground yourself - connect to the center of the earth (* instructions below for those new to this concept) Invite your angels, guides, Higher Self & Masters to support you as you release any old thoughts & habits that no longer serve you. Invite a new perspective - the unknowing mind, the knowing heart. Invite the lessons/experiences of this day to be easy, gracious 'mirrors' to awaken consciousness.

Throughout the day: Pay attention! Invite the energies of trust, love, faith, compassion, grace, & gratitude to flood your cells & your DNA with the purest vibrations & to build your energy. Do some Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga; take a walk through a park, breathing in the Air & admiring the beauty. Even if you just take a couple of minutes for 'conscious movement' it will help build your energy!
Do the 'Land Clearing' for your property/public areas close by, any other areas you feel OK about clearing. 'Cleanse, Clear, Rebalance, Illuminate!' is the 'quick phrase, after you've done it awhile :)

PM: Receive & embrace in profound honor all the day has brought you, & set your intention of integrating it into your heart. Feel your cells & DNA expand to the new Vibration. Express gratitude for whatever abundance or insights have come your way.
Before sleep: Thank your guides, angels & Ascended Masters for their blessing & assistance this day. If you wish, ask travel to 'dream school' in a lovely, Green Jade temple (in Telos, under Mt Shasta, or another favorite healing/learning space with which you resonate.)

Here are some practices to explore: grounding, shower of light, aura shield, & harmonizing your interactions with others.
I recommend beginning with grounding, & if you're often 'spacey,' try grounding daily for a couple of weeks, & see if it makes a difference! One of my teachers comments that healers esp are often 'ungrounded,' perhaps because we work with that unearthly healing energy!

* Grounding Basics (inspired by Erica Ginnis, Berkeley Psychic Institute & my personal practices)

• Sit comfortably & take a few breaths into your belly ).
• Allow a cord of energy to flow downward from your belly or a bit below(first chakra): Through the chair you are sitting in.
  
• Through the floor and down through the building you are in.
  
• Through the foundation and into the deep earth beneath.
  
• Allow your grounding to flow down into the earth past all the rocks and layers of the planet, past the water, deep deep into the earth, into the heart of the Mother. Until it reaches the fiery center of the earth.

Sit with that image for a few minutes, breathe, relax, & allow any emotions or energies you feel 'done' with to sink into the fire in the Earth's Heart. You may feel emotional release, a bit of sadness, joy, just allow the feelings to gently drain away, & within a couple of minutes, you are likely to feel peaceful & centered.
* imagine anything you release being burned in the core or feeding the Earth as 'compost.'

Play with the images you use, & see how they feel:

• Imagine a waterfall, flowing and cascading from your first chakra down through all of physical reality to the center of the earth.

• Next change your grounding into a supple and strong root of a tree, allowing it to grow from your first chakra to the center of the earth. (note how this feels, breathe, enjoy)

• Now shift your grounding so that it is a laser beam of light, shining though everything straight down to the center of the earth. (again, sit with it awhile)
  

• Play with colours, choose one or two favorites, & let your grounding 'root' or light shift colours. Breathe it in, send it down.

• Throughout the day, whenever you think of it, take a minute to let the old cord 'dissolve' & create a new one. This is a great time to play with colours, & see what 'fits' for you.
  

• Some folks find it's important to feel themselves 'anchored' between earth & heaven, & you may find you wish to send your spent energy to the sun or angels to dissolve. Do what feels best for you!

• When you enter a new space, take a moment to ground yourself, then imagine a green thread going from your feet to each corner of the room. Imagine a gold thread above your head, going to each corner of the ceiling. You are now anchored in the space. Many folks can be anchored in the same space - try it next time you're in a class or at a party! Absorb the cords or let them sink into the earth when you're done.
  

Shower of Light

• Standing - Ground yourself & imagine a a channel passing from the crown of your head down through your backbone, belly, & continuing to the earth
• Imagine a cosmic 'showerhead' a few feet above your crown, & invite it to shower you with vibrant golden light, which washes over your body, & through the central channel
• Let the shower run for a minute or two, washing away sadness, fears, anger, doubts
• Switch the shower to violet, & let it run for another minute, transmuting all of these outdated emotions & feelings into the highest good for you & all that you touch.
• Turn the shower 'off,' & move a bit to integrate the energy - shake, dance, wiggle

Aura & Roses:

• Standing - Ground yourself & imagine a a channel passing from the crown of your head down through your backbone, belly, & continuing to the earth
  
• Imagine your 'bubble' or aura shield, about arms length around, above & below you.
• Sweet aura colours:
  
• Celestial gold (your body's own 'self affinity' colour - this colour helps you maintain your highest integrity) this is the basic, other colours are layered over gold. Turn a circle with your arms outstretched to 'define' your aura egg. Imagine it the same distance above your head, & into the earth below your feet.
  
• You may wish to experiment with Silver, & see if that 'fits' better - or platinum :)
  
• True Blue - (over gold or silver) give your aura a light coat of true blue when you venture into public places, & when you wish to speak your truth.
  
• Violet - St Germain's transmuting violet flame - this protects you from negative energies of others, & keeps your energy 'to yourself' when you're out of sorts. Great to remember to put on the violet when you go to the mall, or into the city!
• Rainbow - think of the irridescence of oil on water, or a soap bubble! This is fun to play with when you're in nature, on a walk, hanging out with girlfriends.
• The colour of the Ray for the day (see below) - again, begin with gold or silver, then layer with yellow, or pure white, or emerald green . . .
  

• After you've got your 'aura colours' in place, imagine 4 beautiful roses, in your favorite colour(s) - one in front, one on either side, & one behind you, just outside your aura. These assist in absorbing energies that are out of balance throughout the day. Place a 5th rose above your head, perhaps a rose bud, poised to bring in insights & blessings throughout the day.
• At the end of the day, thank the roses & allow them to dissolve. If you have a stressful experience, let the roses dissolve & melt into the earth or pass them to an angel, & imagine a fresh bouquet surrounding you! You may wish to imagine a rose above you at night, or at the entrance(s) to your room.
  
• In the morning, after renewing your aura 'sheath,' start with new roses.
  

Ideas for harmonizing interactions

• If you have an intense experience of any kind, take a few minutes to reset your grounding cord (you can let the old one dissolve into the earth), then check your aura & place new roses.
• When you find yourself in conversation with someone who has similar issues to yourself, place an extra rose between you & them, inviting it to 'catch & dissolve' any 'matching pictures' of the issues that you share!
  
• Before you encounter that person again, or when you go for a job interview, etc, imagine yourself & the 'other' as tall as trees, & invite your high self to 'visit' with theirs, setting your intentions for the meeting - that it be aligned with the highest good for each of you, that the outcome be positive, beyond any expectations! As my friend Peter Moore said "whenever I remember to do that, things always turn out better!"

& finally, the idea I began this, connecting with one of seven 'healing rays/flames' on each day of the week!
Sunday - Yellow Ray/Wisdom/ Divine Mind
True wisdom arises from the higher perspective of consciousness - merge Divine Mind with personal mind to bring more congruency
Monday: Royal Blue Ray / Divine WILL .
Focus on Divine will, align with Divine Will to experience Divine Harmony. Bathe Mind, body & Soul with Divine Energy daily - & Invite the Blue essence into the second chamber of your heart.
Tuesday: Rose Pink Ray/ Divine Love
Divine transformation of love dissolves limits, heals & harmonizes all things. Breathe in & merge with the rose pink divine flame of love. Multiplies all you desire & deserve.
Wednesday: Emerald green Ray/ Divine flame of Healing precipitation & abundance
Focus on energies of divine Healing in all aspects of life. Balance & soothing for all the disruptions you have created. Invoke & Visualize radiant Green Liquid healing light transforming & uplifting all areas, bringing balance, peace, joy. This green light also energizes abundance & manifestation.
Thursday: Golden Ray of Resurrection/restoration of Divinity
A day to remember we are Divine beings, experiencing Human Life & learning from it!
Invoke & merge with purple & gold energies of Resurrection/ remembrance of all gifts & abilities of that Divinity.
Friday: Pure Dazzling White Ray of Purity & Ascension
Alchemical Union of Human & Divine Essence of purification. This ray purifies all miss-qualifcations of Divine Energy, clears negativity, false beliefs, poor attitudes & habits that distract you from your Spiritual Mastery. Fill Auric field & every cell of your physical, emotional & etheric bodies with pure dazzling white ascension flame.
Saturday: Violet Ray of Divine Transmutation & Freedom from Illusion
Violet flame of change, alchemy, freedom from limits, royalty, diplomacy. Fill your auric field & heart with the violet flame, invite the frequency of violet flame to clear all obstacles, & karmic blocks to manifesting your purpose.

• You can add the 'ray of the day' into your shower of light - on Friday, bathe in the Violet flame a bit longer. Violet can be draining if you're not used to it, so gradually add a bit more time, as you feel ready!
• Loving your body as a Divine Repository of Spirit is important to loving the totality of your spirit.
• "I AM a being of Light & joy, reflecting perfection to all beings.
• Fountain of Youth: become a fountain of pure light. Visualize light pouring out from you, ever being filled by the eternal fountain.
  
• Monitor your thoughts: "How would a Master View This? What action would a Master take in these circumstances?"
• When in doubt: Sit with It! don't take action yet; ground, bathe your aura, connect with the ray/light of the day, invite insights & ENJOY!!!

Blessings

Behind the Scenes

Three cars arrive at 5, the girls begin unwinding cords & plugging in their mics. Tho they are smiling & exchanging news, they quickly get down to business, practicing an ever growing repetory of music - we're 'Girls Night Out,' & we call square dance!

When I began taking Square Dance lessons last September, little did I know that 8 months later I'd be calling! Since our quartet formed last spring, we've met weekly to practice, & called 'tips' at three dances!
It's been a bit harder over the summer, we've missed a few rehearsals,... but when we met yesterday, there were few glitches.

On the weekend, our club did several demos - two at senior care facilities on Friday evening, & one for the Amity pancake breakfast, last Sunday morning. 

Club members are 'promenading' in the photo below.

And - Girls Night Out has been booked for our first full dance - Sept 11 for the Sweet Home 'Squarenaders!'

Our club's caller Leonard recently began calling for Sweet Home, but had a prior commitment for Saturday. So GNO has been booked to do the dance!  

We've been working on some new songs - last night we practiced 16!

As Charlotte & I visited after rehearsal last night, I thought again how fortunate we are to renew this friendship! We were roommates in collage, 40+ hearts ago!

I moved to Breitenbush about the time Char began calling, & we lost touch. 

Oh, we knew HOW to reach each other, but we rarely did. Another blogger wrote of her experience reconnecting with her college roommate after a 20 year hiatus - I feel the same!

New Phone

After almost FOUR YEARS with my first cell phone, I've got a new phone!! I loved it when the guy at the phone shop said 'you can't really upgrade from that phone!' that it was pretty bullet proof (yes, four years of being dropped & run down & . . . my daughter's been through 4 or 5 in that time)
. . . but we've switched plans, my daughter now 'shares' with her hubby's plan, & I'm on my son's plan . . .
so there was an 'upgrade' credit we'd loose if I didn't get a new phone . . . .

Bless his heart, the sales rep, Mark, took in my 'deer in the headlights' look on being faced with the choices, & recommended one (I'd told him my 'basics') . . . how fun!! I 'could have' gone online with my old phone, with its small screen & number type pad. . . today I booked my first on-line apt using my phone!! & have transfered some of the phone #s etc . . . & run down the battery . . . & taken some awesome pics - wow! (these were 'old phone' photos - & darn it, I just learned how to 'zoom!' . . .

I'm still trying to figure out how to add photos for folks' contact info (if I have the pic in my phone or on my facebook page I've been able to do it) . . .

Meanwhile, I played for weddings the last two weekends, both at wineries, both on lovely days, with georgeous views. Last week my donation of harp music had been 'won' at an auction; this week I played for both wedding AND the cocktail hour, & the weather was perfect!
I had to pose Rowan with the wine barrels last weekend (Willamette Valley Vineyards) & on Sat (Wine Country Farms) by a hop vine. Thus ends the summer's weddings - unless someone decided, last minute, they must have a harper!

Weekend before last also marked the lavender festival, with a market in an area park, & various farms opening their doors to the public! Treats like lavender lemonaide & lovely vistas awaited those venturing out seeking lavender, lavender goodies, photographing & painting the fields.

I took a friend, tho I passed on clipping lavender to take home - I have half a dozen bushes myself, one particularly full. I did buy a dark purple variety from Van Hevlingen Nursery - friends whose herbal knowledge & variety of plants I've enjoyed for about 20 years!

Happy 4th of July

Happy Independence Day! Rather overcast here awhile - after 'morning sun!' . . .

We are (square) dancing on the float in another parade this evening, so I'm hoping it clears off & warms up! This will be the 3rd parade of the summer, in a small local town (Willamina) followed by their fireworks. Since our local firework display moved from a school ~ 15 blocks from my house, & easy walking distance to a site closer to the airport, with lots of congestion, I haven't been 'out' to watch them. My daughter is also happy to celebrate rather 'quietly' at home with her hubby, their girls & a few sparklers!

My dad disliked driving on holidays, even 'back in the 50s & 60s' when traffic was much lighter! I know he'd drag his heels at going to this parade, travelingon one of the busiest highways in the state! So with others, I raise prayers for travel safety, & clear skies!

July brings several musical events - I'll be playing harp next Friday from 11-1 at Turkey Rama, & for several weddings at pretty vineyards the next few weekends.

It's almost a year now that we've been gluten free, & a weekend at the coast with my galfriends highlighted just how much I want to avoid the stuff. On the ride home midday Saturday, I wrestled with a a migraine (which I RARELY experience). I combated it with homeopathic gelsemium & arnica - by the time I got home & took a nap, was feeling almost normal. Was it triggered by histamines from the wine the night before? But I didn't awaken with it . . . or . . . .

I didn't intentionally ingest gluten, but picture the breakfast 'bar' Sat AM: a lovely fritata Martha made with fresh duck eggs, aspargus, local garlic & onion, topped with avocado - next, loaves of bread from the night before peeking out of their warpper; then the pan with sauted bacon, nice & crisp, followed by a plate of G containing muffins!
This was laid out before I noticed - I did go through the line 2nd - but who laid it out? Did they wash their hands between placing items?

Did anyone even HESITATE to place the bread between the main dishes? & did the person in front of me take bread? Does a bear poop in the woods? Well, of course they took bread! I got bacon with my own fork, & went outside to the deck overlooking the ocean, to dine with my friends. & within an hour or two, had stiff shoulders & a headache.

Ironically, a few weeks before one of my friends asked if I were coming on the beach retreat, & when I expressed concern about gluten contamination, she said - yes, we talked about that, & that it wouldn't hurt ANY OF US to go gluten free for the weekend!

Well . . .

Some of us headed over Thur, & ate out that first night. One of the bread baskets was in front of my plate between two of us, the other shared between the other four. When that basket ran dry, 'ours' was passed down (whew!) but more bread was requested. (& later someone asked me if the basket in front of us - which they'd emptied - had any more, & I quipped that I didn't intend to be their 'pusher')
I had a salad, stuffed chicken breast & aspargus. The chef recommended against the rice pilaf, ('can't guarantee that it's G F') so I had a baked potato. We had desert at home, inc yummy GF brownies Martha brought, in their own box & well labeled. (the rest had 'regular' brownies, from a seperate box)

Dinner Sat was lasagna - I brought my grain mix, & asked Donna to reserve some sauce & cheese, rather than bringing her GF noodles (knowing she was likely to bake it at the same time as the 'regular' lasagna) & cooked my seed/grain mix while I made the salad.
The seed & grain mix: quinoa & millet in equal parts (1/2 C each) & a Tbsp each of teff (African millet), amaranth, & chia seeds - bring ~ 2 C of water to a boil, pour in grains, stir, reduce heat & cook ~ 20 min. This is great for breakfast or dinner, & you can season as you wish.
Local strawberries over ice cream & a GF brownie for me (angel food cake for the others)

Snacks included the brownies & bags of chex mix, pretzles, M & Ms . . . . I brought dehydrated veggies, & found a pretzel in the bag, when I got home - I'd put it out on the snack table - should have put some out in a dish with a spoon, & kept the bag in my basket, where I had rice cakes, rice crackers, & a coconut mango bar. If I go next year, I'll ask that all the gluten items be placed on the snack table, & that any GF snacks be in a different area.

Do my friends have chronic health problems that are associated with gluten sensitivity? Yes, inc Asthma, Diabetes, Chronic pain, weight issues, one sleeps with a c-pap machine, . . . . & only one has expressed 'considering' going GF for a week & "seeing if it helps" . . . (another wanted to share the grain mix, as she's 'doing' weight watchers, but didn't avoid other gluten)

Yesterday, I visited with my daughter's friend Karen, who started us down the GF path, after hitting 'early menopause' in her mid thirties (yes, ANY fertility/ miscarriage/ premature birth issues can be linked to gluten sensitivity), & commiserated about people just 'not getting it' - she'd spent a 'mixed' Thanksgiving with 'well meaning' family members, & even after explaining how GF folks should serve themselves first, & others should only DIP food with the utensils, & not spread anything on bread . . . others jumped ahead of them in line, & immediately someone dipped & spread cranberry sauce on their bread . . .

Like others on this strange journey of being GF in the land of wheat, wheat, rye & barley, find it frustrating at times, but joyfully health giving!

Watched Julie & Julia Friday night at my daughter's, & think of Julie as I blog - fun to see her cooking her way through Julia's book, & thinking of Shauna's GF tome, due at the end of the summer! Now that would be fun to cook through . . . .