be and do

Meditations on Jesus' Word..."...stand ye in holy places, and be not moved..." Doctrine and Covenants 87:8 Sometimes it is hard to do and be right. But...we can make our homes, minds, and other surroundings holy with His word and companionship. This will help us be immovable in resolves to be and do right.

Praying For...Tyson, our darling lego maniac. Hoping he will have a safe, loving, and even magical childhood. Also praying for him and his contemporaries around the world that they will be taught true, charitable manhood instead of false, violent machoism.

Cucina Fresca...It has been ages since I made pea soup. That dry spell ended this week. I have to say this fat-free herbivore version is by far the best.

Happy Heart Pea Soup for Two or Three

1 c. split peas
3-4 c. distilled water
1 red onion
1 c. frozen green peas
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. thyme
dash cayenne
a few twirls black pepper
salt (optional)

Cook split peas and water in a slow cooker until tender (yes, they cook a lot faster in a pot on the stove, but I always burn stove top cooked legumes--for me it's slow cooker or nothing).  Meanwhile, puree onion. Place it in a pan with a couple tablespoons distilled water and a bit of salt. Cover and cook over lowest heat until very soft and brown*. If onions stick, add a bit more water and scrape the pan. Add split peas after they are tender. Add green peas, bay leaf, thyme, cayenne, and black pepper. Cook over low heat about 20 min. Remove bay leaf. Puree or not. Serve with a spinach/berry salad and some beet with greens/kale/fennel/cucumber/pear/orange/ginger juice (I call it GG or Ginger's Green Juice even though it's red). *Cook up a big pot of onions and freeze in small portions, as they make nearly any savory dish better.

Dr. Ginger, Medicine Woman...Of course I'm not a doctor nor a medicine woman, but I do study a lot about nutrition and alternative healing. Even though heredity plays a part in health, the biggest determination of vital longevity is choice: diet, exercise, and mental outlook. It is so easy to procrastinate doing something good, because it is different or new. If you are sick but still can make your own decisions, just choose to change. You can do anything you want to do badly enough. Yes you can. Quote Walt Disney: Just Keep Moving Forward. One step or one bite at a time. Then, when you are healthy enough, take a walk around the block a couple times a day. You don't have to do anything fancy. Stop eating animal products, processed foods, excess salt, sugars, and oil. Start eating greens, legumes, brown rice, potatoes, colorful veggies, and fruits. Choose a positive attitude of 'today I choose to love myself enough to care for myself' instead of an 'I have to do this' attitude. It really is that easy. Time to take the first step.

Duds...years ago when we had a little farm in this wet climate, I wasn't a 24/7 skirt lady. With all these acres of grass, I spend a lot of time walking through wet fields and even more mowing in damp, breezy weather. None of my skirt suitable footwear was appropriate for work in this climate. More than once my lips were blue after a few hours outdoors. Burr! To keep warm and dry, I got some cute, waterproof, lacer boots that look great with my denim skirts. Yup, I know, but I've never been one to follow trends or be stylish. I make my own look.

Shot this from the middle of the field from the John Deer just after mowing. 
Finishing gave such a feeling of satisfaction that will be very short lived. 

Nature Walk...enjoy imitating the call of our resident owl. He always answers. A wonderful sight, Thursday afternoon a bank of fog rolled up our beach slope and engulfed the east field. Here are pics of the view out our kitchen and front room windows.

We don't use the dish, but there it is ruining the kodak moment.

I study scripture and play hymns in front of this window most mornings...inspirational.

Pen and Brush...trying to learn illustration so I can write/illustrate a happy-heart, herbivore Susan Branch-ish cookbook. This is a bowl of the above pea soup. Tasty soup but a very lousy painting. I'll keep trying.

And here's Ty's card...