Our House salad

Humans are creatures of habit - I don't think that is a new idea. I was thinking of habit this evening when preparing our evening meal - I guess we could call this our House Salad. 

Now, my salads are a bit different in that I don't want any greens, no lettuce, no spinach, no arugula.  Our most common salad is more of a vegetable salad.  The only required ingredient is fresh tomatoes, preferably Roma. If we have fennoccio (fennel bulb) that is a favorite.  Cucumber or avocado are acceptable additions. All ingredients are chopped at about the same size. We often add canned cecci (garbanzo beans) or canned salmon for additional protein and heft. Fresh basil cut from the pot by the garage, spicy Sicilian olive oil, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and a tiny splash of balsamic vinegar create the dressing.  Stir it up, let it marinate for a few minutes, and enjoy! 

Very nice with fresh bread and we often have a bit of wine.  DH is especially fond of any $4 Shiraz he can buy at Wal-Mart.  Surprisingly, not too awful.  The current vintage is Lucky Duck 2008 Shiraz.

Easier said than done, of course...

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”


― Buddha
 
This attitude of staying in the NOW is something that I am not very good at.  Fortunately, DH is a an adept!  Perhaps that is why he remains relatively healthy even in the face of a terminal disease. 

Quote for today

Wear your learning, like your watch, in a private pocket, and do not pull it out and strike it merely to show you have one. If you are asked what o'clock it is, tell it, but do not proclaim it hourly and unasked, like the watchman. - Lord Chesterfield, statesman and writer (1694-1773)

This quote reminds me very much of my two brothers and my father.  They are all learned men, and all modest about it. 

Quote of the day....

Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.
-Hal Borland, journalist (1900-1978)

Me and Coralee

Beginning a new project… a Blurb book about the two vacations that I spent with my late cousin Coralee in Namibia, in 1997 and 2002.  I’ve found the journal I kept on the 2002 trip and the photos too. I need to find the old emails that I wrote (hopefully the backups are still intact!) too.  My working title:  Me and Coralee.

a wake-up fall

This evening, I was trying to retrieve my coat from the back of the car after parking in our garage. To do that, I had to step over the lawnmower and open the car's back door. Somehow I got tangled up in the lawnmower handle and crashed to the ground, landing on both knees. No major damage, but I’m sure there will be magnificent bruises. What it points out to me is how different it is to fall now, instead of even 5 years ago. Age and weight are combining to make any tumble much more risky. Aspirin will take care of me now but it sure makes me aware of what I need to do. Eat less, stretch and exercise more, and work on balance. Call it a wake-up fall…


© Chrisharvey

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