I had no idea, I promise

As I said last month post, it's been hot and humid. That hasn't changed, it's still hot and humid all the time. Every 10 days or so it dips below 80 and I realize that days have gone by with me in a complete fog!

Hmmm, is that true? Perhaps not a complete fog. I have been planning all sorts of 'stuff' for my labyrinth workshop. [Online registration is open now for the convention by the way.]  I am looking forward to it. I volunteered with my knitting group through June. I have been writing again and that feels awesome. It's still fun! But so much isn't happening. 

My garden is almost abandoned, I water it to keep it alive and pick blissful cucumbers but sit in it. Weed in it. Not happening right now. Cooking is a thing of the past and my sour cherry crop. Well there wasn't one. I find myself not wanting to move because I don't want to generate any excess heat. 

I am constantly trying to 'manage' the heat and my extreme aversion to it. Yeah, that's not working to well.  So...

Right now I am trying to be gentle with myself. Living with this heat may take some time to figure out. [really? my inner sarcasm peeks out.  hush] Perhaps there are tips or tricks that those who have lived or grew up in really hot places could share? I would love to hear some new ideas because I don't want to be a shut in the rest of the summer.

Strawberry Basil Sorbet

It's hot.

Summer arrived ten days ago but the heat has been here much longer. July starts tomorrow and the heat has settled in like a scratchy, buggy blanket. Since I have not [yet] figured out how to spend all day and night immersed in water I need other ways to deal with the heat. One has involved my ice cream maker and other frozen things. This week after thinking about it for years I have finally gotten around to making sugar free sorbet.

You don't need an ice cream maker for this one since the fruit is already frozen, a decent food processor or blender should work just fine. Whip it up whenever you need to chill, your amounts may vary by your taste and like all my recipes the variations are endless. Any way you make it, if the temp is above 90, it is sure to be wonderful.

Strawberry Basil Sorbet

1 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, whole or crushed
1 tablespoon fresh minced basil [trust me]
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup water stevia to taste, if your strawberries are really sweet you may not want it.

Blend the above in a blender or processor until smooth. Do not liquify, keep an eye on it.

Serve and enjoy!

This could be stored in an air tight container in the freezer if for some reason you had leftovers. That doesn't seem likely but it could happen. Perhaps you were full from dinner?

Summer Solstice 2012

Summer Solstice is here and the word I need to use is glorious.

It's been muggy and sticky most of the day, and now it is storming. The wet weather is adding a shine to all.  The cherries are not ripe although everything else is weeks ahead. I'm surprised but not disappointed. The cherries will come. I had the day off work, I had a massage, it's all been lovely. Heck I am even eating rice for dinner. It's a holiday after all and that's a time for treats. I spent a good chunk of the day reveling in sympathetic joy.

All of the above are lovely and I am grateful but glorious? Luminous even? They don't seem to match up exactly. But then the sum of the parts.... can be magical - luminous and glory-full.

There is a shift happening and I am opening my arms to it. Here we go.

Happy solstice [and summer perhaps] to all!

love letter to June

Dear June,  I am so very, very happy to see you. I don't know if I have ever felt this strongly about you before but right now I adore you dearest June.

Some people may say that I am comparing you to May which was an incredibly difficult month to have around and I suppose that's true. It can be hard not to compare. There were sweet things about May in the midst of the horrible. I remember them.

Still one result of the inevitable comparison is I am ready to embrace newness and change right now. I feel an eagerness and a trickle of energy along with normal apprehension.

So leaving May with a consoling pat and heart sigh,  and now sinking into you June. xoxox

First New [old] Rose for 2012

It's been a two hard, hard weeks in a row. This week is approaching normal-- I'm in the garden most days and when my thoughts turn to blogging they don't stray too far from the garden.

This year we invested in two new roses. One of them is quite old in rose history, Reine des Violette.  I was quite nervous about this rose as I planted it in valuable real estate -- my herb garden. [replacing the borage that irritated me so last year] 

I really dislike most pinks, would it be too pink I worried. But this rose turned out to be a plum color that I love and the rose does have that peppery under scent. It is charming, even the name Queen of Violets is charming

It inspires hope in me and that is a coveted and desired quality right now.  

the Butcher's block and catch up

May is zipping by at an alarming rate. [for me] It's the 11th, that seems impossible, but every calendar I check says the same thing.

One of the reasons it seems speedy is there is so much going on, which means tons to blog about with very little time to do it. So I am going to try to do snippets more often and ask you all to be forgiving [even more] of mistakes of all kinds.

Dining out for Life 2012 is over for the year but it was delightful as usual. My yearly quest to find a platinum level donor that uses a reservation system led four of us to the Butcher's Block this year.

The food at the Butcher's Block was delightful. We tried a wide range of dishes and enjoyed them all. Since I was still 'no grain' that evening I didn't have the pasta [or risotto] but our dinner buddies did with relish. 

Some highlights I loved and would have again. The eggplant saporite was rich and the artichokes and fennel in it meant I loved it even more. The chicken marsala was yummy-- the mushrooms and sauce so tasty. I am not a mashed potato fan though, I will try to get a different vegetable next time. The sole al limone was fabulous and a surprise. I wish more restaurants served this fish, it is one of my favorites. 

The weather was mild so we had a lovely 10 mile round trip by bike. This stimulated our appetite beforehand and helped the digestion after and we enjoyed the spectacular views of the river on the Third Street Bridge. You never see them by car. Truly a great evening for a great cause. I look forward to returning.

Coming up for me this weekend?  FriendsPlantSale and Shepherd'sHarvestFestival. I am fortunate to have a personal volunteer shopper at the plant sale so there will be lots of time with my hands in the dirt this weekend. I'll also pick up some fabulous new rovings for my workshops tomorrow. The weather looks good so I'll close for now by wishing you all a fabulous weekend! peace

Happy Beltane 2012!! and labyrinths

The first day of May and I spent part of it cutting grass. The season must be a month ahead -- at least. Surreal and wondrous.

I didn't blog last week but I did make many updates to my workshop information page and spent my time on this labyrinth, a demo for the workshop. 

For this one I moved outside my favorite color pathway, it has a gingham effect which is not typical 'me' but has charm I think.

I am looking forward to teaching this class. It will be fun and has space for becoming what the attendees need most. I love the accessibility of labyrinths as a meditative tool and I also love the making of them. I find making can pull you into a labyrinth in a whole new way. 

I am planning on teaching this workshop two other times in 2012, hopefully once outside this summer, and will update the page with those plans as they settle. If you have questions about the workshop check out my other page or shoot me a message. 

Meanwhile I hope May 1st gives you a flowery kiss of sweetness.