Thoughtlessness

Spring is around the corner. Today looks gray and cloudy, and the fish aren't biting at the lake says one fisherman. "It's too cold." I passed a father and son rollerskating around the lake path, met a friend and walked a lap, and now will brew a cup of tea and hopefully get some filing done.

Here is a poem shared by a friend from Vernonia. A couple of days ago, he called to say he had the respiratory mess that everyone was getting in town. Did I have anything I could recommend? I have my own personal 'magic bullet' for knocking a flu or sinus infection. I told him to come over and I'd give him something from my own cupboards. Two timed release natural Vitamin C, two 1-Gram capsules of Garlic with Spearmint oil and Rosemary extract and one of Shaklee's Nutriferon which stimulate the body's own interferon production. I told him to take one dose in the morning, and one at night. For good measure, I gave him 6 Defend and Resist w/ Echinacea Purpurea, Zinc, Black Elderberry and Larch Tree extracts to take 2 at a time during the day in a tea, swallowed or sucked on like a lozenge. I delivered two more of my combos that night, as I was short a vitamin C and had to borrow one from a friend of mine. The next day he called and the congestion and sore throat was much better. Ahh. Relief. Give the body what it needs to heal itself is my personal belief.

Below is a poem he shared with me.

"They say the world is round and yet
I often think it square
So many little hurts we get
From corners here and there.
But one sad truth in life I've found
While journeying east and west,
The only folks we really wound
Are those we love the best.
We flatter those we scarcely know
We please the fleeting guest
And deal full many a thoughtless blow
To those who love us best."

Author Unknown

Success

Below is a poem by one of Vernonia's talented citizens. It is entitled....

Success by KPF '61

Success Success
What a beautiful word
Sadly the meaning
to many is blurred.
Many think of success
as fortune and fame.
They're missing so much
like a bird that is lame.

Each day of your life
success can be found
Just open your eyes
take a good look around.
The first step of a child
the robin that sings
Learn to know success
in everyday things.

Success is never bestowed
upon you
Each measure is earned
this you will find true.
A job well done
satisfaction you sense
This is success
without dollars and cents.

Internet Connection Problems...

I realize I've been gone for 10 days, as my last post was the 7th. Since Friday, my Verizon internet has been out. Some faxed order to disconnect my service was made when I called after my phone/internet bill doubled. A manager was not willing to honor the 'bundling' offer I had signed up for, saying they didn't have the offer any longer, and I went round and round. The rationale used was if I wouldn't have signed up for the Freedom Basic, Essential, Bare Essential, or other company sign language plan without my phone services of voice mail, call waiting and Caller ID to try the new higher speed internet for the same amount I was paying, then they would just put me back on the original plan, that was now much more expensive. In not honoring their flyer, rep's representation and lack of recording the new 'plan', I used up a good part of one morning, and racked up several hours on the phone. I was to have no internet until tomorrow night after 6, so I'm glad another error apparantly occurred. Ah the travails...

I enjoyed pruning the pear tree out front yesterday. I'm getting quite a burn pile. I want to make a fire pit so I can have an occasional marshmallow roast or conversation pit, overlooking the lake at night. I have a lot of overgrown miniature green plum trees. I hate to severely prune and take them out, but the fermenting fruit each year, loaded with yellow jackets to walk through when taking the compost out, is just too much. I wish I had my fruit dryer, but the electricity here, provided by West Oregon Electric, charges the second highest rates in the nation.

Vernonia has a very short growing season because of late and early frosts. We are the 'pocket in the woods'. This year I want to make some raised beds, and get the greenhouse fixed up. The old mill windows are used in two sides of the greenhouse, but around 6 need replacing. The roof is dismally built, also, and needs repair. It has to wait its turn. It is picturesque, having an old Western type of board front. The old panel door has peeling paint that I treasure as an art form. A single red rose bush grows to the right of the door. I need to plant the Spanish lavender on the other side. I grew a bunch of baby trees. Every spring there's a sale at the old Hi School Pharmacy in St. Helens. Maybe I should get there again this year. I want to see about some Dogwoods again, and maybe some more Deodara Cedars. The gingko was planted by the old Maple stump, over some kind of buried garbage pit. The more I dug, the stranger it was. The little pine has overgrown its pot long ago. I tried to give it away, even to the city for the park, but it hasn't happened yet. So many loose ends.

As a person gets comfortable in their new surroundings, seasonal plantings and trees and gardens can be put in. I love tulips, hyacinths and daffodils. Spring is just over the hill. The primroses are already pushing blooms. We are a bit later than the Hillsboro, Beaverton or Portland areas. My Australian Mint Bush bit the dust the year I moved here. I really miss running my cupped hand up a stem and smelling all the lovely mint. Moving from a 2.38 acre 3 story family house to this little cottage has been a whole new experience in overwhelm, and things are not done fast enough. Sometimes it's like watching myself fail in slow motion. I have learned acceptance, and made a plant funeral home. I love creating with plants and flowers. Perhaps I'll get the berm in before I pull up my roots, lined with low-growing lavender, with a droopy cedar tree for the focal point. I'd like to make a bird village. The snow and black ice really grounded me this year. I think I'll be looking for a roommate, so I can be in warmer climates next winter.

Offerings of Vernonia Lake

Today I walked around the path at Vernonia Lake, met one of the past City Council members walking her sweet old Airedale, and walked around with her, a second time. We both commented how different the lake looks each time we come. There is always some new discovery, a different mood or color scheme. The weather and time of day and wildlife offer a new palette many times within the same day. There is something serene in a reflection of sky in water. The old mill cement remnants are caught in some of the photos. I'll try to get them all in with future blog entries.

A flock of slender-necked geese headed skyward from the lake, honking loudly. A little boy was fishing. Two couples sat near some picnic benches talking. One couple came on a Harley, though the air is still chilly, especially when the sun starts going down. The moon was up as I made the last lap, and the reflection in the water reminded me of the many night scenes. Sometimes the bald eagle pair fly with new young. Ospreys share the hunting ground with the eagle. Ducks swim nervously in a huddle when these birds of prey arrive.

Today the black Coots swam in their neighborhood, wild ducks noisily negotiated in another while the larger domestic ducks swam off when I approached the grassy banks, sending familiar ripples outward. I took several pictures, and will include some of them.

Vernonia Treasures

Today I share a great chipotle hummus recipe and another Vernonia Treasure:
The Blue House Cafe
I shared this on my www.leangreencafe.blogspot.com blog this morning, and didn't want anyone to miss out on the information on both blogs.

**Be sure to read the post "Review of Medical Doctors' Treatments...on www.leangreencafe@blogspot.com as I share various natural cancer healing options from 4-5 Medical Doctors, for those who need this information. There are 6 or 7 resources including Optimal Health insurance and maintenance tips in the beginning of the post.

No liability assumed in sharing research or personal accounts. Read disclaimer at end of above-mentioned post. Thank you.

Here's a hummus recipe you might like to try. I also made a Jalapeno and Lime hummus and my first pita bread with 1 c. whole wheat flour to 2 c. white.
I saw a recipe for a pineapple, curry coconut hummus that begs my attention.
Hummus can be made with black beans, w/ no tahini (sesame seed paste) or substituting peanut, almond or cashew butter for the tahini. There are so many variations.
Serve it with warm pita squares, and crudite' -veggies for a lunch, snack or small meal.

Veggies etc to use: Olives, radishes, jicama, raw green beans (very alkalinizing!), carrots, celery, raw red, orange, green or yellow peppers, zucchini or cucumber slices, etc.

Mediterranean Food is some of the healthiest for you.
In my small town of Vernonia, Oregon, The little Blue House Cafe, with Armenian owners make the best chicken gyros with pomegranate sauce, or beef and lamb gyros w/ Tzatziki sauce. (Made with Greek yogurt.)

Chickpeas or Garbanzo beans are high in protein, molybdenum and magnesium, etc.
1 cup provides 15 grams of the 50 daily grams of protein recommended.

(Since protein makes up 90% of our immune system, I use at least one serving of soy protein a day, for insurance. 60 studies show soy builds bone mass better than just calcium alone.) A quick cocoa or vanilla soy drink, (made with rice milk for me) or my favorite berry smoothie keeps my blood sugar level and gives me boundless energy. Carbs and caffeine spike the blood sugar and crash us into lethargic lizards with headaches, shakes, and a diuretic effect, flushing away that precious calcium. The only soy I recommend (for safety) is Shaklee's. (Non-GMO, water-processed on low heat to remove the anti-thyroid substance of soy, 50% calcium added to neutralize soy's acidic qualities.) Say NO to ACIDOSIS. It is deadly.
Click on Gabi's picture at upper right of www.leangreencafe.blogspot.com
This month w/ 50 PV of product, the $19.95 one-time Member Fee (15% off all products) is FREE.
Call 503-429-0240 to take advantage of this offer.

Chipotle Hummus
(Variation from internet recipe)
2 (15.5 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup tahini (sesame-seed paste) or peanut, almond or cashew butter.
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice or lime juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
(I freeze individual peppers on a cookie tray and put in a freezer bag to avoid wasting the rest of the can, thinking I will use them again later…)
2 cloves garlic-I use much more per individual taste. Garlic is an anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-bacterial agent. Also known to bring blood pressure down and thins blood.
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 (7 ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
I broiled a red pepper and peeled it=less money.
6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt- (I use sea salt.)
ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Place the garbanzo beans, water, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, chipotle pepper, garlic, and cumin in the bowl of a food processor; blend until smooth. Add the red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Pulse the mixture until the ingredients are coarsely chopped into the hummus base. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and chill until ready to serve. Can drizzle olive oil on top and garnish with cilantro and tomatoes or roasted red pepper.