Dinner with the Birds

This past weekend we went out to dinner at the Birdhouse with some friends. It was my writing partner's birthday pick and since we all love Heidi's so much we were eager to try this new venture.

I am inclined to start with the good:
-The decor- clean lines, no fuss, unobstructed windows. I love restaurants in buildings that used to be houses!
-The staff - helpful and responsive.
-The food - My wife's trout was fabulous. The soup [cauliflower/parsnip puree with pear and blue cheese], squash with mushrooms/bacon [veggie side dish] and the salads were big hits also.

Areas needing improvement:
-The decor - no soft furnishings make for very noisy rooms.
-The staff - We had 3 courses and had to wait for silverware to eat both the delivered soup and dessert at the end. My glass of wine was forgotten completely. [well not by me]
-The food - The bread was horrible, it tasted old [even though we all love multi grain bread]. The gnocchi special merely ok. The waffles and creamed chicken were mediocre. Even the desserts - lemon curd and apple crisp were shatteringly average. Since the food was mostly blah everything seemed overpriced.

Other thoughts: Have I ever bothered to comment on staff and decor in a restaurant review before? Usually I go straight to the food... that may more to the point than anything else.

Summing up: Make your reservations at Heidi's instead.

Overheard in the lunch line

As I waited to pay for my turkey, gravy and broccoli I became aware that the cashier was talking politics with the person in front of me. I felt myself start to clench. I have noticed I am always bracing for rejection from people who identify as republican or christian. Sad I know but that is how it is for me right now.

Then the cashier said, 'But I have a lot of gay friends so of course I am not voting for that amendment." The customer warmly agreed with her and the ball of ice in my stomach started to thaw in the safety they had unknowingly created.

After all this time it is still hard to come out over and over again in daily situations and interactions. But 'coming out' does mean something, it does increase our safety and it can feel very unsafe at the same time. I wanted to thank them both for their support but I was overwhelmed by pain and relief. So I thank them now and also their friends who came out to them.

My wife and I got married this month five years ago. They have gone by in a flash. I wonder if we'll have our third wedding here within the next five years?

secret messages in Ontario

Ontario. I never knew how incredibly beautiful you are.

My two days driving through you were a constant delight consisting of lakes, rocks and stunning autumnal trees. I like to drive in general but Ontario made it an unforgettable experience.

Is there a reason why no one ever told me how great it was? Did I miss that information somehow? I am so glad I know about you now.

Also the picnic table signs on the highway that I finally realized meant "there's a rest stop up here" so charming I can hardly stand it. My new favorite restroom metaphor.

Once again Canada makes my heart sing.

what to do with basil flowers

One of the benefits of neglecting the garden all July is that I have 6 more basil plants than I planted. They were seeded from the year before with no effort on my part.  [I have self seeded aster plants all over the garden and I am delighted about this as well]

Most years I have basil in my garden and most years I can't 'keep up' with it. I eat huge amounts of caprese salad and so does my wife but still the basil starts to flower and I snip the flowers off [and off and off] so that it keeps producing until I either make pesto or we have a hard freeze.

I end up with tons of basil flowers snips. I tried them in salads and did not enjoy them. So they kept getting tossed into the compost with some regret. Until I had a brain flash thanks to one of the vendors [Gai Gai Thai] at the Kingfield Farmers Market. Lemon Basil Water!

I take my handful of basil tops/flowers put them into a pitcher with water and let them steep in the sun all day or overnight on my counter. Then I remove the plant matter, pour the water over a glass of ice, add a small spoonful of lemon juice and a few drops of stevia and stir. 

If you are me you drink this while sitting by the waterfall trying to decide what of a million possible things you could do next and it makes the decision making a tiny bit easier.

best friends and birthdays

My best friend is having an eventful 2012. So eventful I don't yet know if she'll have the energy to celebrate her birthday in any of the typical ways. Healing takes a lot of energy even on one's birthday!

But still it is a glorious day. She was born on this day and I am so grateful for that. If she hadn't been incarnated this time around I know I would have spent this entire life feeling like I was missing something. [and that would have sucked!]

So here I am raising my glass of switchel in her direction and writing out my version of this gut healing drink for the hot weather that is due to return.

EB's Switchel

12 oz water
1 tsp apple vinegar
1 tsp honey [or 8 drops of stevia]
1 tsp ginger root [dried and ground]

Combine together and adjust to taste depending if you want more sour, more sweet or more warmth.
Serve over ice and enjoy!

-hopefully while sitting in the yard on another perfect birthday with perfect birthday weather.  

As usual.  xo and big love to all the other virgos with birthdays out there. You know who you are!

when blazing new trails

chocolate chip cookies are helpful mandatory!

So to support my friends who are currently on a grain free journey here is one of my 'go to' grain free recipes. It is based on about a million recipes you can find on the internet. This one has my own tweaks since I enthusiastically use both butter and eggs.

Chocolate Chip Cookies [about 20 cookies but your size may vary]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchement paper

Combine in a bowl--

1.5 cups almond flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t sea salt


Break up dark chocolate [80% or higher cocoa solids] bar to make a 1/2 cup of chunks, set aside.

In another bowl combine--

1 egg
1/4 c butter [you can use coconut oil]
1T vanilla extract
2T coconut nectar [you could use honey or maple syrup]

mix the dry with the wet ingredients
stir in 1/2 c chocolate chunks.

drop balls of dough onto baking sheet, bake for about 8 minutes depending on size.
do not let them get too brown, cool on rack.


Enjoy!

Lughnasadh 2012

This post will go up late but that's fine. Lughnasadh was brilliant in every way. In memory it inspires  many happy smiles.

There is so much depth to this date for me. It's the date my most recent border collie was born. She was so dear.
This is the date a dear one lost her father unexpectedly a couple of years ago. [[ hugs and sighs ]]

This is the year that Lughnasadh showed her sweetest face to me. I played all day. 
I had meet ups with four dear ones and a short time with a fifth. So many different types of love, acceptance, joy, sangha. 

I went off my grain free and low starch eating and indulged in pizza at dinner, fries at lunch and enjoyed a spponful of maple syrup on a buckwheat pancake in the morning! Holiday foods. I tasted a crumb of chocolate cake and made my "ick sugar" face to laughter. 

To quote one friend "Life is magnificent".

I was the celebration all day long. Deep gratitude and welcome to August. I'm glad you are here. xo