Garden Glimpses

There's Nothing Better Than...

... a little stitching at the beach!!

Today

Peach Jalapeno Flatbread...

... at Prince Street Cafe.

Yummmm!!!

Unbroken and Me

I finished reading this book several weeks ago and simply can't get it out of my mind.  By far one of the most impacting books I've ever read....

I keep asking myself - what gave Louie Zamperini and all those other POW's the mental tenacity to want to survive, first the agonizing 47 days of drifting at sea, then suffering two years of disease, exposure, starvation, and near-daily beatings from guards?

  I'm afraid I would have been like McNamara, the other guy in the raft who understandably cracked under the stress and gave up the will to live.

And, how in the world did their physical bodies survive such assaults?  Such horrendous circumstances?  Such dietary horrors?  I can't sleep unless I'm in my own bed with my favorite pillow, and I need my bi-weekly visit to the massage therapist and chiropractor just to maintain a semi-normal life.  I'm such a wimp when I consider what they endured....

So often we ask I ask, "Where was God in my dark hour?"  "Why did He allow such horror or suffering?"    "Why, oh why, didn't He intervene when He certainly has the power to do so?"  But, maybe we're asking, maybe I'm asking the wrong questions?  Instead, maybe I need to look at what God saved me from.  What my life would have looked like had God not intervened.

At the 1949 Los Angeles Billy Graham crusade that would change Louie's life forever, Graham spoke the words, "... God says, 'If you suffer, I'll give you the grace to go forward.'"  And He did.  Oh how He did!

Louie's "conviction that everything happened for a reason, and would come to good" would serve him well.  It allowed him to remain "infectiously, incorrigibly cheerful".  

I want to train myself to be like him.

PS - I read this book with the intention of wanting to read the book prior to seeing the movie.  However, my understanding is that the climatic final chapters of the book of Louie's conversion and spiritual rescue aren't even included in the movie.  If that's missing from the movie, I don't see any need to see it....

Quilt Display at Blossom Hollow Farm

You can read more about this amazing day here!

Welcome Back From Vacation...

What a kind Welcome Home from my garden!

Today

Garlic Scape Pesto

Yumm!!!

It's Bridal Season!

Paleo or Not??

OK, I'll admit - this is one of the finer moments of Paleo dining.  But, let me be clear - for me, it was only a moment.  For numerous health reasons (primarily autoimmune issues,  Leaky Gut and a whole host of food sensitivities), I've decided I need to give the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol a try; but, it's been terribly heartbreaking to come to this conclusion.  It's been an unsettling, isolating, and extremely expensive experience so far.  I am trusting that this is only a temporary approach until my body catches up with what it's supposed to be doing on its own; that's the only reason that I can even consider this perspective.  

I'm not even going to share the above recipe, because I don't know if I want to encourage others to go down this trail.  I certainly don't feel good about eating pricey imported grapes that were encased in plastic, and I'm not happy about eating expensive hunks of meat, even if it is good quality.  And, it drives me nuts to be running to the grocery store or the butcher all the time, or filling up my recycling bin.  Why??

I believe with all my heart that the local/in-season/organic approach is the approach.

It's sustainable.

It's economical.

I believe it's the ideal approach for the masses.

I believe we are called to partner with God and grow as much of our own food as possible, in gratitude for the very fruits and vegetables He created and provided to nourish our bodies.

I believe the creative outlet of cooking from scratch does wonders for our bodies, souls, and minds.

I believe we must teach and model gardening, cooking and grateful eating to anyone who might be watching, especially the younger generations.

I believe Michael Pollan knows what he's talking about.

I'm determined to get back to this approach.  Determined to get back to the stashes of fabulous food waiting for me in my freezer and pantry.  But for now, I'm on a detour.  A heartbreaking detour.  I was so certain that the local/in-season/organic approach would heal my body, but it didn't.  And so I need to consider a different approach, at least temporarily.

I've been reading, researching, asking lots of questions.  If you feel you must explore this approach as well,  I've found this book to be the most helpful.  Of course, there is oodles of info available online.

I miss my pastured eggs.  Risotto.  Eating out. Cannelloni beans, any beans!  Whole grains.  My mozzarella cheese made from raw milk.  Eating with others.  The pizza crust I finally perfected!!  Cooking with my nephew.  Posting Recipes on my In Season recipe blog.  Strawberry Rhubarb Slab Pie - boo hoo, boo hoo, boo hoo!!!

I'm desperately trying to find the good in this.  (Of course, there always is a glimmer of good in anything if you look hard enough.)  1), I've discovered bone broth.  2) I've been forced to be even more creative with my own produce (like the rhubarb smoothie I had for breakfast today!).   And 3), I've discovered I'm not the only one on this long, winding journey.

To be continued!!

Can't Get Enough of Lovely Lilacs...

Lovely Lilacs

Garden Glimpses

Garden Sentinel

This is what greets me every time I go out to work in my gardens!  Last spring I started feeding my neighbors' dog Max the woody ends from my asparagus, and he has assumed this position next to my garden ever since, always in hopeful anticipation of some more garden treats.  Sometimes he whimpers or whines, but mostly he assumes this silent waiting posture.  I feed him the broccoli shoots that have flowered, or other garden scraps.  If he's not outside watching me, he is sitting in his sun room with his eyes peeled in my direction.

I continually remind Max that he shouldn't expect free organic garden produce from me if he's not going to earn his keep by keeping the rabbits at bay, but he is unfazed by my reprimands.  As I told his dad, I've concluded that he's a product of this generation and thinks that everything exists to serve his needs - ha!

This is what makes his day!

:)

Healing Bone Broth

My newest venture - exploring bone broth for its healing properties for the gut and for auto-immune issues.  This batch of beef bone broth will be simmering for the next four days!  I'll post more info once I get my bearings!

Oasis, the Oasis!!

I'm finally made it to the Oasis store today - what an oasis for a weary traveler navigating the bumpy road back to health via food!  I met Joyce, their very knowledgeable clerk who is on a similar health journey.  She was a wealth of information and very, very encouraging.  It was so nice to meet a kindred spirit and not feel like I'm from another planet for a change!  I bought some ground beef and ground pork, some osso buco (hadn't even heard of that before!) for soup, and a hunk of beef suet to render down into tallow (seriously!!!).  Joyce coached me through making nutritious bone broth - I plan to tackle that later this week.

Oasis at Bird-In Hand is a great source of grass-fed meats, eggs, raw dairy, and produce, etc.  I'm so happy to have found this little oasis!

PS - seeing the carcass ID on the label gives me great comfort - not something you would find on commercial meat!!!!

Welcome back!!

Oh, how I missed you!!!!

What is Wrong with This Picture??

Having to enjoy a free Rita's Italian Ice from inside your car because it is SNOWING on the First Day of Spring is just plain WRONG!!

:)

100 Happy Days, #5

Couldn't resist buying this fun tote at a local quilt shop this afternoon.  It's a closeup of a quilt by one of my favorite quilting celebrities.

100 Happy Days, #4

A HUGE (3400 yards, to be exact!) cone of  red & white bakers twine for only $8.47 at The Restaurant Store - just in time for Valentine's Day!  :)

100 Happy Days, #3

Photo credit: Marin Brandt

Wish I could take credit for this lovely photo, but this was taken by a local lady.  I have been enjoying watching a cardinal on the tree outside my bedroom window as I machine quilt these past few days, so I was thrilled when Marian e-mailed this picture to me; I had been wishing I could capture my cardinal with my camera, but she did it for me, without even knowing what I was wishing for!

100 Happy Days #2

I was going to give up on the 100 Happy Days Challenge since I have totally bombed in my intentions, but then I saw this view from my desk chair this morning....  So, maybe I'll continue!  Glancing at two quilts to bind, some applique blocks to stitch, and my beloved Carolina Lily Quilt on my favorite chair is pure happiness!

PS - the good thing about bombing on the challenge is that at least it motivated me to get back to my daily end-of-day habit of compiling my "God Stops/Love & Gratitude" list in my journal, chronicling any evidence of God's activity in my day.
:)

100 Happy Days Challenge, Day 1

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes fabulous felted wool mittens.

:)

Note:  So what is the 100 Happy Days Challenge?  You can read about it here.  A friend who is struggling with some health issues decided to take the challenge.  I decided I need to do it too, mainly to thwart this crazy worry trail that I can't seem to shake.  I worry about my plaguing health issues, then my finances, and then it quickly spirals downhill at an alarming pace.  I may as well be an 83-year-old woman who worries about her bowels on a daily basis, because that's about how crazy I've been behaving lately!! Shameful, especially since I claim to be a Christian.  Shame on me!!!!  Even though God totally understands my frailty and is way easier on me than I am, it's a horrible way to represent Him.  I don't want to live that kind of life, so this is an attempt to ramp up my discipline of noting God's presence in my daily life - kind of a gratitude journal in photos.

Wanna join me?

PS - These mittens were perfect for this afternoon's snow shoveling - my hands were nice and toasty, even in 15-degree weather!