Life Is Rich ...

Susan photographing a praying mantis consuming a butterfly!

Last weekend my friend Susan, from Visual Voice came for a visit. It was wonderful to have her here and to share with her life on the river. We ate well, talked and talked and went kyaking up Ivy Creek where we spent almost 30 minutes with a young Great Blue Heron who refused to be disturbed by us. We also saw Little Green Herons, Kingfishers and a variety of other birds that didn't want to hang out with us. I know Susan took some great photos of Big Blue and I'm sure if you keep checking her blog she will be posting some soon.

Yesterday, I attended a raw foods workshop where I learned to prepare wonderfully delicious uncooked foods right from the garden. We had a fabulous luncheon of cucumber and pineapple gazpacho, three different kinds of crackers made from nuts and seeds, zucchini "pasta" with both an Alfredo sauce and a pesto marinara and then tacos made with large leaves of Romain lettuce, filled with walnut meat filling, avacado, green peppers, cheese made from nuts and spicy salsa. There were tastes of veggie burgers with a sweet curry relish, a "massaged" salad of kale, avacado, lemon and salt, pickled veggies and for desert pecan cookies and real live fudge with raspberries and nuts. Oh my! I was stuffed and enjoyed every morsel.

I've been playing around with green smoothies for breakfast for a couple of months now and really enjoy them. They keep me filled up all morning with no need for snacks before lunch. I make mine with a banana, fresh ginger, seasonal fruits such as fresh peaches or nectarines, almond butter, greens such as spinach, turnip (my favorite), beet, chard or kale. I've also added zucchini, cukes, kiwi, or whatever else I might have on hand. I also add a bit of agave nectar, some strawberries and fill with water to the top . I've also experimented with a raw cream of shitaki mushroom soup and even my "Oh no, now what?," fussy husband loved it! I'm not sure I'll go all raw with my eating but I've started a new trend in the household and who knows where it will lead.

I signed up for a six week herbal class in September and am already reading and studying. I've harvested some St. John's Wort, which I'm making into an oil for aches and pains, made a mullien oil for ear infections and dried mint and lemon balm for later use. I've planted a number of new herbs and in the spring there will be many more.

At the end of this coming week I will go off on another adventure and when I get back will hopefully share pictures taken in Northern Canada and Greenland. I am very excited but also feeling a bit guilty for expanding my carbon footprint for this trip. But I am drawn to the North and the ice and feel that if I can bring back a message of its beauty and the need for habitat for wildlife like polar bears, I might be able to help just one person understand the devastation we are and have been causing our planet.

I am feeling hugely grateful for all of the opportunities that I am being given. Life is rich and so very wonderful!!

My garden, July 2007