BRASSICA OLERACEA GEMMIFERA. . . EVERY CHILD'S WORST NIGHTMARE!

“We kids feared many things in those days -

 werewolves, dentists, North Koreans, Sunday School - 

but they all paled in comparison with Brussels sprouts.” DAVE BARRY

I was at my local Trader Joe's and found this fabulous stalk of brussel sprouts. Tis the season for this vegetable.  I was literally struck by the beauty of it. 50 shades of green! The stalk was beautiful.  If only I was an artist, I would try to capture this on canvas. When I was a kid, sure, I hated them.  The dreaded brussel sprout that might sprout up at any meal. But now, I have found, that if cooked and seasoned properly, they are quite tasty. 

 

As a member of the cruciferous family of veggies (which includes broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage) they have some seriously potent anti-cancer properties—plus loads of fiber and few calories. But it seems that Brussel Sprouts get the brunt of ridicule and hatred.  

 

There was an English post today:

A Royal Navy captain has banned Brussel sprouts from his warship,  because he loathes them so much, 

 and labelled them the "devil's vegetable".  

Now you would think he might ban aspargus in his ship because of the odorous flatulence. . . but no, he goes after misaligned Brussel Sprouts. 

When I googled brussel sprouts, I found some great recipes, even a brussel sprout pesto! So hopefully, if you have been prejudiced against brussel sprouts, I hope you will think out of the box and give them a chance.

 

  

I tried some of my own artwork with photoshop:

 

  "I'm told it was a beautiful Belgian day. . .

The smell of waffles and brussel sprouts

 filled the air."

BLOWIN' IN THE WIND . . . . OR. . . A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT!

 
 This last weekend brought us a series of storms, "cells", high winds, flooding and power outages.  Surprisingly,our power was never an issue.  However,  in the morning, when I looked out the window on my front yard, I was surprised to see that "a river ran through it!
Fortunately, it is designed for the seasonal creek.

The wind did a great job in shaking "autumn" out of the trees. E just sees it as more vacuuming, but I see it as a beautiful carpet of leaves and tell him to just leave it for a while.


Not a great time for the California Marathon. I felt no guilt that I had not volunteered. . . Maybe next year. . .

If they had just postponed it a few hours, there would have been sun. 



As this week has passed, the weather has settled down. Gentle rains, gentle winds, even some gentle sun.

The leaves will be vacuumed up or perhaps. . . 

just

courtesy Owen Burgess

blow away.

DOOKY BAUCHLES, DROOG-DROOGLE AND DEATH OF A DIALECT

CROMARTY FISHER FOLK

I was listening to NPR on my morning drive, last month.  Yeah, that's the radio station that gives you the "real" news, but according to a certain billionaire running for president. . . has to go.!?!? There was a very interesting story about the passing of a dialect.In the tiny fishing village of Cromarty on the tip of Scotland's Black Isle, the last speaker of the local dialect has died. Bobby Hogg was 92 years old when he passed away, taking with him a language that had existed for some 600 years. (I wonder if he ended up talking to himself?) The dialect is believed to have arrived in the area with fishing families that moved there in the 15th and 16th centuries. The families were thought to be the descendants of Norse and Dutch fishermen. In this small area, there were at least 3 maybe 5 different dialects.They were all very distinct, Avoch, Fortrose and Cromarty fisher folk had their own dialects. Then there was the Cromarty town dialect and the farmers' dialect.


 While few people may mourn the demise of Cromarty dialect specifically, it’s another example of one language that dies every two weeks. Half of the globe’s 6,000-plus languages are expected to die off by the end of the century. 

"BOB"

 Fortunately, hundreds of words and phrases are documented.This one must have been very useful with the fishermen: "A'm fair sconfished wi hayreen; gie's fur brakwast lashins o am and heggs" – or "I'm so fed up with herring, give me plenty of ham and eggs for breakfast." That phrase survives in print, but it will likely never be spoken again, unless you serve me too much herring. "Bauchles" are old, ill-fitting shoes, which kind of sounds like an old, ill-fitting shoe.  They actually had a word for doing heavy work in wet weather - droog droogle, which kinda sounds like a wet, rainy day. 

I love this word droogle.  I think I could easily fit it into the English dialect.  I also liked another word: dooky--"a tidy". If someone says your "dooky", it means your attractive, hot, sexy,cool, or sweet. Yeah, I am dooky "foamin for want"--desperate for tea.
  
 Our words shape how we think and how we understand the world around us. Cromarty can't go back and it won't. It has been said the loss of each language or regional dialect leaves the world poorer than it was before. "The more diversity in terms of nature we have, the healthier we are. It's the same with language." Without diversity the world is a poorer place.

"It's one less little sparkle in the firmament. One little star might go out and you might never notice it, but it's not there anymore."

I will try to keep Cromarty dialect alive with a few choice words, like dooky, droogle, and foamin for want!!

 Now where did I leave my bauchles?

 DOOKY BAUCHLES

listen to the dialect here 
 

DYSFUNCTIONAL HAIR? PROGRESSION OF AN AGING COUNTRY SINGER? OR HAIR DISABILLITY?

Took a few orange juice cans,teasing, spray to make this do!!
 but that flip could hold all the class pencils!

I am sure that most of you have never given your hair a 2nd thought!!  It, basically, just hangs, RIGHT? So I, having naturally curly hair all my life, with a short period of NO HAIR, am always having to struggle to keep the hair in order.  So when I made my trip to the North land. . . My diva cuz gave me NO MERCY and laid hands on me to try and tame my unruly locks!! She never knew me during those tumultuous 60's when straight long hair was popular.  I did get out the iron and "curl free", to try and be fashionable, but it lasted maybe minutes. I finally have put together a collage so my fans can see that the years have been very difficult for me!!

When I showed this to to the Prima Diva-here was her response:

I guess your hair is 'your cross to bear'. Sorry, but I now realize that you have a hair disability and I have been cruel when actually you need therapy and counseling and understanding to overcome your handicap. I feel with patience and practice you can become 'hair capable' and can learn to use a flat iron just like the rest of us.

Next time we are together I will work with you within your limitations and hopefully we can overcome the obstacles to your success. There is hope...there is always hope. 

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries or the way she combs her hair. --Audrey Hepburn--
WHAT A RELIEF!!

"Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, 

but eventually you find a hair stylist you like"

HAIR BY PRIMA GINA (WITH LIBATIONS!)

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. . . STARTING OVER, DAZED AND CONFUSED, AND OTHER RAMBLINGS!!

I know that I have been derelict in posting.  If I had any followers to begin with, I am sure they have all gone to greener pastures, warmer climates, or where ever blog readers migrate to. Life has been just a bit chaotic these days, but then I know you will say: "THAT IS NO EXCUSE!" So no excuses, I am finding the time to blog!?

THEN THERE WERE NONE:

I have blogged before about my chickens.  They consume our scraps, leftovers, and most kitchen waste. We haven't named them, but we consider them our pets.  They give us a few eggs, which we give most of them away. So it was horrifying when Ernie went out to collect eggs and there were 10 chickens slaughtered.  There was one small hole under the fence line.  Too small for a coyote or dog, but about right for a possum!  Trap was set, but the next night he avoided the trap and killed the last 2 chickens.  Our neighbor wasn't spared either. . . . Don't worry, I am sure it won't be long till we catch the furry little murderer.
STARTING OVER: The chicken yard is going to get remodeled into a critter proof fortress.  And we are starting over with a new batch of cute little babies.

DAZED AND CONFUSED: 

"AGING SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY AVAILABLE WAY
 TO LIVE A LONG LIFE"

I wrote a blog before about parenting my parent:

 http://intheeventofanon-traditionallanding.blogspot.com/2012/01/i-dont-remember-what-it-was-like-when-i.html

Again, over this last month, this role has been stressful and challenging.  My mom fractured her femur.  No, she wasn't doing somersaults, or dancing on a table.  She is old and osteoporatic, etc, and managed to do this climbing a couple steps. So we are back to the cycle of hospitalization, nursing home, infections, harassing the nursing home to provide adequate care, confusion, physical therapy, learning to walk again, STUFF!! I am my mother's voice now, and her advocate for healing and compassionate care. Fortunately, she is improving and her fortitude reminds me of the energizer bunny!  I don't know where it comes from, but she just keeps going and going over one hurdle after the next.The golden years for her are so tarnished and unfair. The gravity of her situation doesn't sink in, cause she is "dazed and confused" so maybe that's not so bad after all.

RAMBLINGS: 

 

My son Kevin stared in a short film for the Sacramento Film Festival 10x10.  He did a fantastic job and if the festival kept up their web site, I could give you a link to watch it. So take my word, it was fun and creative. 

KEVIN & KAITLYN AT THE FINISH LINE

Maybe some of you have heard of the "Color Run". It is a "crazy, colorful" 5k run. Each km of the event has a designated color. As the runners/walkers reach the Kilometer COLOR RUN Zones, they are blitzed by with COLOR.  Kev says he will make it an annual event. I might join in next year, too. 

 

“I try to take one day at a time,

 but sometimes several days attack me at once.”

"HAPPY FEET!!"

FUNNY THAT A PEDICURE CAN MAKE US FEEL 

SO GOOD IN OUR HEADS--

AT THE EXTREME OPPOSITE END OF OUR BODIES!

I just got back from the nail salon where I met up with my friends for some much needed "SELF CARE". Not only do we get special treatment for our feet, but we also get a little soul therapy hanging out with each other. We leave the salon with our feet feeling better,and our spirits are uplifted as well. Maybe we haven't solved all the worlds problems, but we are there for each other to give support through the everyday ups and downs of our journeys. . .which for most of us have been more like a roller-coaster.

Now come to think of it. . . a pair of shoes can make us feel pretty good, too!!

My niece in her high-heeled sneakers!

 

I CAN FLY. . . I CAN TOUCH THE SKY!

EAGLETS ARE BOTH FLYING!!
 

I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar

Hey if I just spread my wings
I can fly
I can fly

"NO NEED TO TEACH AN EAGLE TO FLY" ----GREEK PROVERB---

 

Since March, I have been watching an eagle nest located on a bluff overlooking Boundary Bay, British Columbia by "live cam". The eggs were laid March 13 & 16 and hatched April 19 and 21. The owner of the property has named the 2 chicks Echo and Foxtrot.

This has been so amazing to watch. . .

ECH AND FOXY

One of the craziest moments, was when Mom brought home the "CATCH OF THE DAY". It was a stuffed toy. She tore into it and made a total mess of it. . . but alas, NO MEAT!

WHERE'S THE BEEF?

 The toy is still in the nest. So perhaps Ech and Foxy got attached to it and can't bare to part with it.

SLEEPING WITH TOY MAY 20

JUNE 16

 An eagle can take its first flight, some 10 to 13 weeks after hatching. Today they have been flapping onto the branch.  Both were sighted hanging out together on the branch.

"BRANCHING" JULY 8

Other watchers of this website, predict that they will fly in the next couple of days. The recovery of the bald eagle is a national success story. These eaglets have been a blast to watch grow up.  You can watch Foxy and Echo fly yourself on .http://www.hancockwildlife.org
Select "live cameras" and "White Rock".

"I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
Till I'm free"

WHOOPS!! I DID IT AGAIN!!

HAPPY FEET!?!?

I am up in the NORTH again. In that FOREIGN COUNTRY THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO BUY DRUGS FROM or so the media reminds me. (Wouldn't want to cut into the profits for our illustrious "big pharma"--but that is a whole nother blog.)

 I could probably just copy my blog from last year and it is pretty much a repeat this year.  RAIN,RAIN,RAIN, and more RAIN.  But everything is beautifully green and water-logged!. There have been flood warnings,shoreline disappearing, and "river rising". . . .But since I live in a  probably the biggest "River City" in California, I am sort of use to this. Just NOT at this time of year.

 I JUST DIDN'T EXPECT THIS ON MY VACATION!!!

So the sun did come out briefly and being that I was of on-sound mind by this point from the moisture,  I said to myself-"Self, let's climb the Pulpit!"  I think last year I felt I was a fool if I didn't climb it, but after climbing it, felt like I would be a fool to climb it again!!  Alas, my menopausal brain has not much short term or long term memory anymore, so I set out again to climb "THE PULPIT". Being the daughter of a preacher man, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

"LE VUE"

If you don't recall, THE PULPIT is a vertical climb of about 1 mile to the top, here in the Nelson BC vicinity. I can't seem to find out how it got the name, but basically, it is an out-cropping of rock that has a fantastic view of the city of Nelson.

As I started the ascent, I saw a couple of bear cubs in a meadow, so waited for another hiker with a dog, and began the climb.  And once again, after a rigorous hike. . . ."Le Vue" was "extraordinaire".  I probably sat around at the top for a couple hours. . . visiting with other hikers. . . meditating. . . just enjoying the moment!!  and the  

SUNSHINE!!

Life is only traveled once.

 Today's moment becomes tomorrow's memory.

 Enjoy every moment, good or bad. 

BROCHURES MAY BE DECEIVING!!

BROCHURE KITCHEN

My cuz Thom, in preparing for a major surgery in Canada-land, was perusing a lovely brochure from the University of British Columbia Okanagan for accommodations in Kalowna, BC. We all checked out the brochure and thought that the rooms looked just lovely and the "price was right". Alas, what we got, was NOT what we saw in the brochure.  I should have heeded my previous advice: BUYER, BEWARE!! As soon as I walked in to the "lovely fully equipped kitchens, private bathroom, with high-speed Internet access in the comfortable Monashee Suites" . . . . I was dismayed!! The location of the campus was on the far side of the world. . . 20 miles from the hospital destination in the middle of no where. And there was nothing sweet about the  Monashee Suite!!

"fully equipped kitchen"

The fully equipped kitchen was sparse.  There was a private bathroom . . . which needed some repair. Never got the internet to connect.  The view was of a truck parked almost under the window. No fresh air unless we turned on the noisy air-conditioner. 

Gina was a little "dismayed" as well!

And the bed. . . . you probably guessed.  Sagged all the way to the hardboard. I ended up on the floor.






We all tossed and turned and napped for a couple hours. Didn't need an alarm (which didn't work anyway) to get us up and out of there in the morning and we NEVER looked back!

I found a lovely place, Siesta Suites, walking distance from the hospital and for a few dollars more, I have a comfortable bed, equipped kitchenette, indoor or outdoor pool/jacuzzi, exercise room, Starbucks across the street, and a short stroll to the Okanagan Lake beach. Whew! SWEET!

THE BEST PART IS THAT THE PATIENT, THOM, IS DOING FINE!!

(AND IT IS NOT COSTING HIM A PENNY!)