New Hope

Spring is a wonderful season.There is so much freshness, newness and brightness in spring.

It's easy to find things to be thankful for when the sun is shining and the flowers are bursting in to bloom.  Here are my Friday Fave Fives full of brightness, newness, joy and thankfulness.

1.  Spring flowers!

The first California poppy blooms in my garden.

Geraniums in a pot.

Well, look at this.  Lobelia volunteers have taken over another pot.

The first blossoms on the first tomato plant.

2.  A new hiking spot.  Why had I never hiked here before this week?  I've passed the road, noticed the signs pointing to the regional park, but I didn't realize what a treasure was hiding within seven miles of my house!

Hill Canyon Trail

Walking between the cliffs 

along a creek with WATER in it! 

The gigantic California live oak tree.

The tumbleweeds, sage, and horses remind me that we are truly hiking in the Old Wild West.

3.  A colleague of The Professor's is expecting a baby-- a girl.

So I knitted a couple of Plain Vests,

a lavender 3-6 month size

and a turquoise 1 year size

cuz you can't have too many Plain Vests

Particulars for those who knit

Plain Vest by Pickles (oh, I love Pickles patterns)

smaller vest, needles size 6US

baby weight yarn

larger vest, needles size 9US

worsted weight yarn

I used the directions for size 1.

4. My students make me laugh.  Last week, one student wrote a story in which one character, a goldfish, was named (my name) and the other character, a raccoon, was named (The Professor's name).  She explained that she looked up our names so she could write about us.  Such a cute story.  Then this week one class had to write descriptions of people they know and one student wrote about me--she said I'm funny--heheh.

5.  I've saved the best until last-- We Have a Date!  Next month, I am going to become the official forever grandma meema to two precious children- ZG and L.  We've waited almost two and a half years for this day when my daughter and son-in-law will finalize the adoption of these two who have captured our hearts.

 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

Ah, Spring

Yes, it's spring. Vernal equinox.  I do love spring.  It means flowers and sunshine and vegetable plants for the garden.  So much to be thankful for this week, these first days of spring.  Thanks to Susanne who leads Friday Fave Five.

1.  Spring means my birthday has just passed.  I was born on St. Patrick's Day.

 My sister-in-law sent me this prayer--part of a prayer attributed to St. Patrick (written in 433 A.D.).  I love that my namesake day has such a legacy.

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

2.  My birthday was lovely.  It started with a bit of melodrama-- an earthquake.  Yes, all of Southern California celebrated my birthday, shaking and rocking.  Each of my children contacted me to wish me a Happy Birthday.  Other family and friends wished me a happy day.  I celebrated at noon by having lunch with my boss/friend and another coworker.  Cards, emails, many many facebook messages.  It was a Happy Birthday!

3.  Speaking of flowers--

4.  Holding a new born baby.  He's six weeks old now, this little son of our friends, and oh so snuggly.  Is there anything more wonderful than that?

5.  Spring is considered a time of new beginnings.  For me, that new beginning includes my garden.  It's a time of planning what veggies and flowers I'll purchase and plant.  So far I've bought one tomato plant and ordered two more.  I think I need some herbs like parsley and basil.  You can't have too much parsley or basil.  Oh, and flowers!  What flowers should I buy?

What I Eat, What I Buy

When people find out that I follow a plant based diet, they sometimes ask me what I eat.  (That's after they back away slowly, concerned that the condition might be catching.)  It's really not so weird.  I eat a lot of vegetables and fruit.  I love brown rice, lentils, black beans, and hummus.  That's normal.  I just don't eat anything with a mother or a face (link here to a better description) although I very occasionally have a bit of salmon. (Yes, salmon has a face and a mother.  I'm not perfect.)

First:  what I don't eat.  In cleaning out the refrigerator this week, I noticed a half empty jar of sweet relish.  Hmmmm, I don't eat it. I don't remember buying it.  I threw out the relish and recycled the jar.  There was a mostly full squeezable container of Miracle Whip back there too.  Best used by date:  May 2010.  Oops.  Neither The Professor nor I eat it anymore.  Out it went too.  Obviously, we haven't been eating those items.  Or the expired Crisco.  The cooked ground beef stayed and so did the other meat.  Those belong to The Professor.

Now:  what I do eat.

Here's the list from today's local farmers market:

spinach, 2 bags
romaine lettuce, 2 huge heads
carrots, 3 bunches
kale, 1 bunch
cucumbers, a dozen
broccoli, 2 heads
little red potatoes, 12
celery, 1 gigantic bunch
baby bok choy, 6
tomatoes, 3
green beans, 1 bag
brussel sprouts, 1 box
asparagus, 3 bunches
sprouted lentils, 1 baggie
sprouted clover, 1 baggie
strawberries, 3 baskets
apples, 7 large
avocado, 3
whole wheat pita chips, 1 box (my decadent indulgence)
dates, 1 package (his indulgence)

asparagus should be placed upright in a bowl partly filled with water until you are ready to steam or roast it and gobble it up

Then we added a few things from the grocery store like bread, frozen blueberries, trail mix, 2 green peppers, 8 bananas, some anaheim peppers and tomatillos for the green salsa The Professor plans to cook up this week.  We threw in 3 cans of garbanzo beans, 2 jars of olives (for hummus) and some almond milk.  Oh, I almost forgot-- a lb of coffee, and green juice to add to our smoothies, and wine, and chocolate.

Will we eat all of this in one week?  Mostly.  The garbanzos were a stock item and we may run in to next week on the carrots and celery because we still had some in the refrigerator.  I'm sure we will be eating our breakfast oats (me) and eggs (him) and maybe some rice and lentils (and meat for him).  But that's it.

It's simple and so easy to purchase and eat what keeps my heart healthy.

Whirlwind Trip and Home

1.  We do love road trips.  Last weekend, we drove to Arizona.  A trip to Phoenix from coastal California takes us from Santa Monica Mountains into metro Los Angeles, past the San Gabriel Mountains, through the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs) and then into the Arizona desert.  That's a whole lot of climate changes in one day.  We passed peaks with a little bit of snow still on them.

 We blew past the acres and acres of wind mill farms.  Then we whizzed into sand and cactus country.

One small bonus was the spring flowers blooming along the highway.  One doesn't usually connect flowers with desert, but even a tiny amount of rain will cause the desert flowers to bloom.

2.  The main reason we drove a total of fourteen hours on California and Arizona highways was to spend a couple of days with The New Boy.  His mama was busy being a bridesmaid in a wedding so we took charge of The New Boy's entertainment.  It turned out that we spent most of our time in parks, playing.  This was his request.  We also went for a swim.  At least, HE went for the swim.  We watched.  The water was NOT WARM.  Arizonans don't heat their pools in the winter or spring.  It was lovely to have that time making memories with him.  And his mama.

Here he is making his fierce face and posing with his favorite drink, Starbuck's ice water and the paper sword with which he defended his territory.

3.  Also, our oldest, Son #1 and his wife live in Phoenix so we shared many hours with them.  When you don't live near your family, you treasure every moment.

4.  The Professor and I are good road trip buddies.  He loves to drive.  And he's a good driver.  Usually, I sprawl sit in the passenger seat and read or knit.  Once in a while, we'll talk, but mostly, we're quiet.  I'm thankful we are congenial companions.

5.  I have begun meeting again with my artist friends group.  We are reading through the book A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman.  I've barely begun reading, but I think it's going to be a favorite.

I'm keeping up with my Lent gratitude journal.  Three simple sentences each evening which sum up my thankful heart.  I'm thankful too for Susanne's faithfulness in leading us in Friday Fave Fives.

Deep breath.  It's Friday.  I'm ready for the weekend.  My plans are simple--just being home to do the usual weekend stuff.  I'm looking forward to it.  What are your plans?

Lent Begins, Fave Fives Continue

I missed my Fave Fives last Friday.  I had finished 4/5 of the post but just ran out of time because we were not at home.  We were in San Diego helping Daughter #2 finish up packing for her big cross country move.

1. Speaking of moving, I want to spend every possible minute and hour with our girl and the grandchildren before they are 3,000 miles and 3 hours time change away.  Although we were busy cleaning, decluttering, and packing, we still had plenty of time for hugs and snuggles.

2.  One item that wasn't packed and will stay close to a little girl for long distance snuggling is the afghan I finally finished knitting.

It's a large blankie because she's a tall girl.  We had to measure it.

Details (if you care):  64" x 48".  Size #9 needles.  Simply Soft yarn.

3. A rain storm. Another rain storm.  While this is certainly not an El Nino year of constant rains, we have finally had some rain.  Southern California desperately needs rain, and we are thankful for every drop of precipitation.  The sound of rain on the roof.  For this Native Oregon girl, the patter of raindrops is a comforting and memory inducing noise.  I fell asleep two nights to the pat, pat, pat, swoosh, of rain.

4. A highlight of my weeks occurred the last Sunday in February.  I attended Healthy Taste of Ventura which is a seminar focused on---healthy eating choices.  The premise of Healthy Taste is that eating a plant-based diet is the healthiest diet possible.  Since I have been eating that way for more than three years, I guess I'd have to agree.  It's my choice.  The seminar encouraged me to keep on keeping on.

5.  Lent Season is here.  I can't decide if I love Advent or Lent better.  People often focus their attention on giving up something for Lent.  This year I've decided to do something different--I am 'adding' something.  Every evening during the forty days of Lent, I plan to write into a journal three things for which I am grateful.  I'm not a journal girl, but I've been wanting to start a gratitude list, so this is a fitting time to do so.  Do you have a plan for celebrating Lent?

This was Willow's Two Weeks.  If  I don't get around to read and comment on others' Fave Fives, it's not because I don't care.  It's because I will be traveling again this weekend.  Thanks to Susanne for her faithful leadership in Friday's Fave Fives.

Hiking at Satwiwa

As promised, I am sharing our day in the Santa Monica Mountains.  We hiked six miles of hills, cliffs and stream beds.  This is an area which was burned over during The Springs Fire last year.  That fire swept through the coastal mountains from Hwy 101 by (and past) my house and down to Pacific Coast Highway.

The next month, June, I hiked in the burned area and it looked like this:

Nine months later, it doesn't look much better.  There has been almost no rain to encourage new growth.  There are tiny spots of green where vegetation is reestablishing, but truly it still looks like a wasteland.

On the other hand, hiking here is still beautiful in its own way.  We shared the trails with birds

horses

and other hikers.

There are so many exciting places to explore

like the Chumash lodge

tops of hills

dry creek gullies

shale slides

Sometimes you just have to stop and sit until you catch your second wind.

 Were we really down in that valley?

Did we really hike that far?

Yes, we were.

Yes, we did.

Whirlwind of Gaiety

OK, let me catch my breath for a minute.  I've had a busy week.  Weeks brimming with activity are stuffed with blessings.  Besides the usual church services, teaching schedules and daily chores, we added five special events.  Because my daughter and two grandchildren were here, the week overflowed with happy times.  Here are Five Faves to share with you on Susanne's Friday Fave Fives.

1.  Family time.  All of The Professor's siblings met for a picnic along with some of the kids (well, they're adults, but they're our kids).  This happens maybe every fifteen years or when one of the kids gets married.

2.  Friday was Valentine's Day and I spend the afternoon at ... the beach.  With my grandbabies. (Oh, and my daughter was there, too)  They're explorers.  Finding mussels and starfish in their natural habitat are important discoveries.

3.  Saturday we took our little ones to Channel Islands National Park Visitors Center and Bookstore.  It was a very foggy day.  But the exhibit inside is small enough to keep them interested just long enough.

4.  Then, an old college friend called.  He was in the area with his grandsons and wanted to have dinner.  Authentic Mexican food, please.  A pleasant time was had by all as we caught up on life.

5.  As if that wasn't enough, we had a last minute meet up the next night with friends.  Seven for Indian cuisine in Santa Barbara.  The best part about this evening was listening to the conversation of some really bright math guys.  No, that wasn't the best of all-- that was chatting with my ninety year old friend (the mom/grandma) and admiring how wonderful she is.  (When I grow up, I want to be just like Faye!)

And I didn't even mention our six mile hike!  (Come back in a couple of days for a full report on hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains.)

For a couple of rather quiet people who value their down time at home, that was a whirlwind week of gaiety.  I think I'll spend a couple of days sitting and knitting to let my brain catch up with my body.

Lovin' the Week

Often by the time Thursday night arrives, I'm tired.  All week I think about what blessings have come my way and plan in my mind which ones I want to include in Friday Fave Fives.  Then, Thursday happens.  I'm tired.  I'm sleepy.  It's hard to remember what thrilled me on Monday.  This is why I love Friday Fave Fives so much.  I'm pushed to remember and be thankful.  That's a good thing.

1.  Lovin' the connection.  A new phone.  I needed a new one.  Finally, we decided it was time and drove over to the T-Mobile store.  We'd done our research so choosing the phone didn't take long.  Black 4G Android with a really cute purple cover.

2.  Laughin'.  A reunion with two former colleagues from our years in Papua, Indonesia.  Both are older retired single ladies.  We sat for hours and reminisced.  Margaret is a great story teller, and we laughed and laughed.  (Yes, Barbara, it was that Margaret.)

3.  Lovin' the sunshine after a little bit more rain.  The last half of this week, it's been light sweater weather.

4.  Lovin' a special woman.  Today is a very special day.  Yes, it's Valentine's Day, but that's not what I want to celebrate.  Today is my lovely daughter in law's birthday!  Happy Birthday to The Chaplain's wife!

5.  Lovin' my beach.  Even a short walk by the sea refreshes me.

And now I have a whole weekend to be lovin' on my daughter and grandkids because they are here for another visit!  I hope you're lovin' your weekend too.