Tag Archives: food

Flowerbeds with edibles

“Creating your own urban farm is as simple as planting your flowerbeds with edibles.” — Greg Peterson Given my failures at trying to keep the squirrels out of our tomatoes, I tend to doubt that it’s as simple as Peterson makes it sound.  Still, I find the idea intriguing.  I don’t want to give up my …

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The genial flame

“Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. ”― Washington Irving Those who have been following this blog for over two years now will know that our family has so much for which to feel grateful this Christmas.  But there also have …

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Courage, cheerfulness and…

“Courage, cheerfulness, and a desire to work depend mostly on good nutrition.” — Jacob Moleschott The author of this quote lived more than 100 years ago, but he probably would get as much or more agreement with this statement today than he did when he first said it.  Though the average diet has undergone substantial …

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Forgetting where you put it

“Moi does not recommend dieting. The only way you can lose weight is the same way you lose anything – by forgetting where you put it…A very common oversight in most weight-limitation programs is to pay excessive attention to the calories you consume rather than to the enormous numbers of calories you routinely avoid…You can …

Continue reading

Like poignant land mines

“Nothing is more memorable than a smell…Smells detonate softly in our memory like poignant land mines hidden under the weedy mass of years.  Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once.  A complex vision leaps out of the undergrowth.”— Diane Ackerman Tangerines smell like Christmas to me, just as onions sauteed in …

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A kind of artist

“We have neglected the truth that a good farmer is a craftsman of the highest order, a kind of artist.” — Wendell Berry History tells us much about the wide-ranging though conflicted brilliance of Thomas Jefferson.  Aside from his celebrated love of books, farming may have been his greatest passion. He and his trusted gardener …

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A vast university

“The whole of Paris is a vast university of Art, Literature and Music… it is worth anyone’s while to dally here for years. Paris is a seminar, a post-graduate course in everything.”  — James Thurber People who love Paris and didn’t love school might not agree with Thurber, but I connected with his description immediately.  …

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That faint semblance

“That faint semblance of Eden, the picnic in the greenwood.”— Herman Melville If there’s anything more festive than a picnic, it’s a picnic at a fabulous outdoor theater just before a stellar production.  The California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, California, invites audiences to bring their own feasts (or buy food available there) and enjoy al …

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What grandparents do

“Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do.  Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.” — Alex Haley I’ve written about my mother’s wonderful mother.  I didn’t mention my other grandmother, or either grandfather, but suffice it to say that my siblings and I hit the lottery jackpot when it …

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Thy medicine

“Let food be thy medicine…” — Hippocrates You really don’t want to get me started on this topic, so I’ll try to keep it relatively brief.  I think one of the best ways to keep our minds and bodies fit and healthy is to take care what we feed them.  This applies to thoughts and images, of …

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I’ve tried

“I’ve tried talking to animals, but it’s no use – their minds are usually already made up.” —  Ashleigh Brilliant Since I’ve featured dogs, birds and other animals here, I thought it was about time to include a cat.  This is my sister’s cat, named Kit Kat after the cat we had as children. Kit …

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The incredible gift

“The incredible gift of the ordinary!  Glory comes streaming from the table of daily life.” — Macrina Wiederkehar One of the hardest things about the past year has been the need to cancel no fewer than three scheduled visits to see my parents.  It’s good that our grandson happened to be born in Atlanta, so I finally …

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Have a picnic

“…if you have a place where you can go and have a picnic with your family, it  doesn’t matter if it’s a recession or not…” — Jim Fowler One of the best ways to make an ordinary day into a special occasion is to have a picnic.  It can be elaborate or simple fare, and …

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Smaller and less sneaky

“Friends can make you feel that the world is smaller and less sneaky than it really is.” ― Lemony Snicket Sometimes, especially lately, it’s pretty hard to see the world as a friendly place. From the nefarious newsmakers who hack away at others figuratively, digitally and sometimes even literally, to the rude strangers who cut …

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Neatly-arranged and well-provisioned

“Life, within doors, has few pleasanter prospects than a neatly-arranged and well-provisioned breakfast-table.” ― Nathaniel Hawthorne I certainly agree with Hawthorne. Perhaps the beautifully bountiful breakfast was as special in his age as it is in ours; likely even more so. I’m sure the time to enjoy a leisurely morning meal was a luxury for his generation, …

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More important

“It’s bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children’s health than the pediatrician.” — Meryl Streep “Eat your vegetables. They’re good for you.” — almost every mother who ever lived Pediatricians are important in fighting children’s diseases, to be sure, but it might be even more bizarre that we somehow generalize their crucial responsibility …

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With little effort

“Whatever the season, and with little effort, your kitchen can be as headily fragrant as groves, orchards, gardens…bakeries, brasseries, coffeehouses, and tearooms.  If you view food and beverages as simply substances to be eaten and drunk quickly, you’re missing more pleasure than you could imagine.”  — Sara Ban Breathnach Let’s just say I’m no gourmet …

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Flowerbeds with edibles

“Creating your own urban farm is as simple as planting your flowerbeds with edibles.” — Greg Peterson Given my failures at trying to keep the squirrels out of our tomatoes, I tend to doubt that it’s as simple as Peterson makes it sound.  Still, I find the idea intriguing.  I don’t want to give up my …

Continue reading

The genial flame

“Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. ”― Washington Irving Those who have been following this blog for over two years now will know that our family has so much for which to feel grateful this Christmas.  But there also have …

Continue reading

Courage, cheerfulness and…

“Courage, cheerfulness, and a desire to work depend mostly on good nutrition.” — Jacob Moleschott The author of this quote lived more than 100 years ago, but he probably would get as much or more agreement with this statement today than he did when he first said it.  Though the average diet has undergone substantial …

Continue reading

Forgetting where you put it

“Moi does not recommend dieting. The only way you can lose weight is the same way you lose anything – by forgetting where you put it…A very common oversight in most weight-limitation programs is to pay excessive attention to the calories you consume rather than to the enormous numbers of calories you routinely avoid…You can …

Continue reading

Like poignant land mines

“Nothing is more memorable than a smell…Smells detonate softly in our memory like poignant land mines hidden under the weedy mass of years.  Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once.  A complex vision leaps out of the undergrowth.” — Diane Ackerman Tangerines smell like Christmas to me, just as onions sauteed …

Continue reading

A kind of artist

“We have neglected the truth that a good farmer is a craftsman of the highest order, a kind of artist.” — Wendell Berry History tells us much about the wide-ranging though conflicted brilliance of Thomas Jefferson.  Aside from his celebrated love of books, farming may have been his greatest passion. He and his trusted gardener …

Continue reading

A vast university

“The whole of Paris is a vast university of Art, Literature and Music… it is worth anyone’s while to dally here for years. Paris is a seminar, a post-graduate course in everything.”  — James Thurber People who love Paris and didn’t love school might not agree with Thurber, but I connected with his description immediately.  …

Continue reading

That faint semblance

“That faint semblance of Eden, the picnic in the greenwood.”— Herman Melville If there’s anything more festive than a picnic, it’s a picnic at a fabulous outdoor theater just before a stellar production.  The California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, California, invites audiences to bring their own feasts (or buy food available there) and enjoy al …

Continue reading