Ponderizations..."Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman walketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep," Psalm 127:1-2. This prophecy sure is telling for our time. If we don't turn back to God, we won't be able to keep anything safe; we won't have peace.
GC Sermon of the Week...Strengthened by the Atonement of Jesus Christ by Dallin H. Oaks reminds us that we are not alone, because Jesus suffered all our pains, heart ache, and more. He understands and wishes to lift us; He stands waiting for our invitation.
Garden Gate to Movement...Yesterday, I talked to a wonderful gardener, who gave me a great, though not original, idea. He told me about his mother, who used gardening to regain lost strength. I go up and down with my ability to exercise with my Adrenal issues. Anyway, his mother is 78, and over the last two years has planted 200 trees on her property. Nearly every day, she digs a bit for an hour. It might take three days or a week, but eventually her 3X3 hole is dug. Then she builds a one foot deep compost pile in the bottom, covers it up, and waits for spring or fall planting season. After planting a tree in excellent compost and covering it with mulch, she plants herbs, flowers, and vegetables around it. Two years ago, she had one of those horrible, sterile dirt 'pastures' so famous around here. Now she has a veritable oasis, which provides all her fruit and vegetable needs plus an abundance to share. I don't have acreage, but I still have some room to put in more trees, herbs, flowers, and so forth. Being outdoors and playing in the dirt in good weather, I can heal my body and lighten my spirit, God willing.
Teaching Little Children...this week I made Rainbow Letter work, so the youngest children can practice penmanship in a new way. I made handwriting work for those who have mastered penmanship. My oldest daughter loved botany and zoology booklets between ages 4-5. To make these, we print pages of the same black outlined bird, flower, leaf, tree, fish, child, and so forth. Then we make and laminate a booklet with the specific part colored in red and its nomenclature written underneath: eye, head, wing, breast, feet, beak, tail. The parts of flowers and leaves get a bit more technical than this. The child will take a couple sheets that has four of the same subject to be studied. Next they cut it into quarters, color and label the specific part, then staple it together between two pieces of construction paper. Because children usually learn to write before they learn to read, this gives them practice with the former and eases them into the latter. I can't wait to share these with the children; they're going to love the work.
Cucina Fresca...I'm trying to perfect my stuffing recipe today. Everything has to be home cooked. I can't stand veggie broth in a can, so I'm making my own with onions, celery, mushrooms, herbs, pepper, and other vegetables. That's how I've always been about broth.
If it turns out the way I hope, the big day of thanks will find me preparing gluten-free cornbread (not the sweet kind). I'll cube, dry, and toss it with poultry spice. I like to use this as everything is ground to a powder for optimum flavor without little dried bits, and no it has no poultry in it. They I dry saute a mushrooms and onions until they are very soft adding in celery for the last few minutes. Next I mix this all together with diced water chestnuts, put it in a round souffle dish (or medium pumpkin), and bake it for 60 to 90 minutes at 350F. It should make a lovely centerpiece on a platter, surrounded by roasted portabellas and frilly kale for our all-plant Thanksgiving dinner. The rest of the broth will be thickened to make gravy for our mashed Yukon Gold potatoes. Roasted savory garnet yams, steamed baby green beans, 3-sisters stew, green salad, cranberries, and various pies will complete our table. I will make a few things before hand like the stew and gravy. I'll buy the pies from a little vegan bakery down town. Without the turkey mess, it really isn't a huge job to cook or clean up.
