A Story - "The Well-worn Shoes" and Lentil Vegetable Soup

A story:

The Well-Worn Shoes

The white sneakers were noticeably creased, grass stained, scuffed toed.  Marley picked them up, studied the worn soles.  The shoes were a testament to a life lived richly, generously, fearlessly.

Just four days ago, her mother had died. In life, she had always taken her time lacing up her shoes as she pondered where they would take her, who she would see.  Her acts were lovingly thoughtful, appropriate.

Marley felt the weight of the shoes as her mind swirled with memories.  Her mother's legacy would always be with her.  Bending over, Marley put on her mother's shoes, laced them tight, and walked into life.

                                  The  amounts are suggestions.  Soup is very flexible.

 Lentil Vegetable Soup

1 small onion

3 medium tomatoes (I used frozen from my garden)

1/2 green zucchini

1 large carrot

1/2 cup sweet pepper - any colour

2 cups dried red lentils

Saute the onion in a tablespoon of butter or oil of your choice.  Add 3 cups water.

Add chopped carrot, chopped zucchini, chopped sweet pepper.

Add tomatoes - I would use peeled tomatoes. Canned are already peeled, and frozen are easily skinned by running them under hot water and slipping the skin off.

Bring to boil, then simmer for 30 -45 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper, and any herbs you feel like. I used Greek oregano but thyme, parsley, marjoram, sage would all work well alone or in combination.

Simmer a bit longer to let the herbs flavour the soup.

If the soup is thinner than you like, simply simmer until more water evaporates.

Pair the soup with a sandwich and you have a substantial lunch that will get you through the afternoon.

A Story -"The Invisible Woman" and interesting Fungi, and pretty Mare and Foal

 A story:

The Invisible Woman

At the restaurant, elderly Patricia spied two Italian-suited middle-aged men sitting a couple of tables away from her.  They kept leaning towards each other, speaking in low voices.  Patrica turned up her hearing aid until she could hear what they were saying.

"We need to get rid of the Attorney General.  He won't work with us."

"Georgio can do the job."

Shocked, Patricia turned on audio record on her phone.  As they were leaving, she discreetly took photos.

She e-mailed her information to the police.

The puzzled looks on the men's faces when they were arrested, made her smile.

This fungi looks like layered rock.  Very attractive design.

With doom and gloom in the news,  I think it's nice to see a peaceful picture of this lovely mare and her foal.  This is a picture I took a few years ago. The horse belonged to my neighbour.

Another month to the shortest day and then we turn the corner.  Take care.

A Story - "the Unwanted Guest" and Cabbage Pear Salad

A story:

The Unwanted Guest

When they arrived, Joe wrapped Mom in a big hug, then exclaimed, "You look amazing."

Mom blushed and tittered.  Dad beamed, "Welcome, Son."

Sarah, Joe's wife, noticed the guest. "Bigoted man, drinking his Coke, judging us all. What a fraud."

Glaring at him, she strode to the table.  Joe helped her get seated.

After blessing the food, the unwanted guest prayed, "God comfort the sad, the frightened, the weary."

His heart's voice flowed like golden sherry. Sarah's face flushed.  Her heart gave a pound.  Her tears without warning spilled, erasing her make-up, exposing the purple and blue.

Cabbage salad 

 I'm trying out a new cabbage salad - my own version.  It has cabbage, pear, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries.

1 1/2 cup shredded cabbage

1 pear - any kind

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix together with mayonnaise to taste.

You could also add a little bit of green onion, some sweet pepper, and a mix of green and red cabbage would be nice.

A Story - "The Event". and thoughts on Leaves with White Markings

 A story:

The Event

Philip had been training for months.  Today was the day.  To warm up, he did some deep knee bends, waved his arms, stomped his fancy running shoes.  Mom gave him a high five.  Dad waited at the finish line.

Ready, set, go!  Philip was off.  Dad cheered wildly.

"Go, Phil, go!"

Mom held her breath as he charged along.

"Halfway there!"

They gasped as he wobbled.  Digging deep, Philip found his second wind and pushed to the end.

"Yeah! You made it!"

Grinning, Philip plopped down on his diaper-padded bottom.  He'd completed his first solo totter across the living room.

The acidentera bulbs and calla lily tubers that I got for free at the beginning of September have been growing quite well.  They were outside  on the deck for September and October, and only came in last week when we had frost.  I don't think the calla lily will bloom as the fall sun isn't very strong but I am pleased at how many leaves grew.  I will let it dry down now and give it a dormant spell December through February.  The acidentera should have bloomed as most bulbs have enough energy stored to bloom once but I'm not optimistic on that front.  Anyway, it makes some nice bright greenery at a dull time of year.  I will just throw the acidentera out when they have finished growing as the bulbs will be exhausted from being forced.  They are in water with some fertilizer.

I was looking at the calla leaves and realized that the white markings aren't actually white but are simply places where the leaves lack interior material.  Where it looks white, there is a thin leaf membrane on both top and bottom but nothing in between.

The lamium and the pulmonaria are different from the calla.  They both have a uniform leaf with the outer top layer having variation in colour.  Although the pulmonaria spots look white,  they are actually greyish and are very similar in colour to the back of the leaves. The pulmonaria also has hairs all over the leaves.

I was also thinking about plants that need resting periods.  Why do they? How do they know when it has been a long enough rest? Why does it sometimes have to be cold? So many things we don't know about plants.

All around us nature is amazing.