A Few Things I Love and Hate

This morning while trying to read my facebook, e-mail messages and getting ready to post my blog, my computer started getting all postal on me and then froze up.  I hate this.  Which gave me my topic for today.  I love that!

Computers - Gotta love 'em.  My computer gets me connected to many things I wouldn't know how to live without anymore.  This blog is an example.  It has opened up a new creative outlet for me.  I use my computer to pay bills.  I love that because it saves on stamps, checks and paper waste.  I use it to look up businesses, directions, phone numbers or hours of operation.  I use it for research, to subscribe to magazines, for my facebook and many more things.  I love to look up places of interest when we travel.  It is a very handy tool to have until, that is, it does not work properly.  Then I hate the stupid thing and want to throw it out the window.  I have to take a deep breath and after I have calmed down, I e-mail my brother.  That makes me feel better.

Cars - Now who doesn't love their car?  They come in so many shapes and sizes that there is one for every kind of person.  You have your sedan, convertibles, SUVs, mini-vans, pick-up trucks, vans, hybrids and much more.  They get us to work, shopping, visiting, appointments and vacations.  I get in my car, buckle up and turn the ignition with faith that it is going to start.  I love that!  But when it won't start, well, you know, I hate the stupid thing!

Electricity - OK, now who doesn't like electricity.  Everyday we wake up and see the electric clock.  We walk into the bathroom and flip the switch.  We go to the refrigerator, have coffee, cook breakfast in the microwave oven, watch the news, look at the computer and so much more.  It is all rote movements day in and day out.  I love that.  Then the day comes that the power is out.  You can't do anything.  In our home, we don't even have water because we have a well that uses an electric pump.  When we don't have power then I hate the stupid thing!

I could go on and on about my love/hate relationships, but I think you get my point.  I love my modern day conveniences. I love that I live in a country that we have access to these things.  It's just when they don't work that I realize how dependent I've become on them.  I think that's what makes me mad.  I am forced to do something else that doesn't involve them like, maybe, take a walk, read a book by candle light or, God forbid, actually have a conversation with my husband! 

Have a great day everyone.  God be with you.

SBG

Listening to the Quiet

Yesterday I was sitting in the waiting room of a doctor's office waiting for my mother.  It was a very nice waiting room.  One of those clean and spacious ones with nice furniture, a large flat screen television and two very large salt water fish tanks.  For about an hour there was only about a total of eight people as they came and went.  Everyone quietly waited for their turn to see their doctor.  I read a book and would occasionally look up at the fish tanks and get a nice tranquil feeling.  Then came a young girl with an older woman, maybe her grandmother who broke the pleasant atmosphere by talking loudly on her cell phone.  Thankfully I didn't have to listen to her too long because my mother was done with her appointment shortly after she arrived.

This made me think of one of my favorite things to do.  Listen to the quiet.  Even though the waiting room wasn't totally quiet, the television was at a volume that did not invade your senses with unwanted and unpleasant sounds.  I was comfortable and enjoyed the down time this environment gave me.  I noticed the quiet.

We are surrounded everyday with noises.  It is embedded into our lives and our senses.  For most of us our day starts with a blaring alarm clock.  Then we watch the morning news, get in our cars and listen to the radios and go on with our day.  We'll hear people talking, shouting, laughing and crying.  We'll hear emergency sirens, construction work, airplanes, all the while not registering that we are hearing these things.  This is because are used to them.

This is my favorite part.  As I have aged I find that I have some hearing damage and loss.  I'm sure it is the result of being exposed to loud noises and loud music in my younger days.  Why is this my favorite part you ask?  Because it makes me take notice.  When I want to hear something I've missed it makes me stop and pay closer attention to it.   It makes me slow down.

When I am outside working in my gardens I hear the birds and the other critters who are talking madly with each other.  Sometimes some of them are downright loud!  When I am in a group of people who are talking at the same time I have to focus on one conversation.  This forces me to be an active listener and give that person my undivided attention.  It makes me enjoy the moment.

How many times have you told someone something and within a few minutes they ask you the question to what you just told them?   I think that is because we fill our days with so much multi-tasking that we have forgotten how to concentrate on one thing at a time.   Our brains are used to listening to the radio or television while working on the computer, doing a task and holding down a conversation at the same time.  This forces our brain to pick one thing to register to keep us sane!

That is why I believe we should practice listening to the quiet at least once a day.  To do this just sit down somewhere away from a lot of people and noise.  You don't have to be totally alone, just be in a fairly quiet place.  Then concentrate on the quiet.  Listen to the nothing in the air.  What do your hear?  I hear calmness.  What do you see in your mind's eye in the quiet?  I see peace.  What do you feel in your quiet spirit?  I feel God.

Now, you might hear and see and feel totally different things than I do.  That's the beauty of it.  Try it.  Try to do this every day.  Listen to the quiet.  It will do your heart and soul a world of good.

Peace be with you my dear friends.

SBG

Friends

Good morning my dear friends.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  I had a special weekend because I spent some time on Saturday with a friend I have known many years but do not see very often. This gave me the idea to write today about friends.

Notice I addressed you all as my dear friends.  Some of you know me and some of you have never met me.  At least I hope there are people out there I don't know who is reading my eractic, yet heartfelt musings!  Friends, as we all know, come into our lives many different ways.  I was raised in the military so I did not spend all my life in one place attending school with a consistent group of people.  I've made friends and I've lost friends.

Let's talk about the many different kinds of friendships people form.

Best buddies for life friends - These are people who have probably known each other since their childhood.  As they grew up they shared life milestones together and nothing or no one is going to get between their special friendship.  They see each other regularly whether it's just the two of them or with other friends and family.  They share vacations, special occasions and holidays.  They are closer than many relatives.

Part of the Gang friends - These are friends who hang around together in a group.  They share special events together such as weekend gatherings, family celebrations or parties.  They support each other as a group.  There is a core group that remains consistent but they welcome other people who will come and go.

Casual Friendships - I think these are the most common among friendships.  These are people we know from work, church, our children's activities and groups or organizations we participate in.  We form these friendships because of a common bond.  These are people we don't spend special occasions with.  We only see them when we are sharing an event that brings us together.

Lifelong Friends - I'm including this category because these kinds of friends pretty much fall into all the categories I've mentioned but you don't see them very often.  These are the friends you've made along your life's journey.  They've had an impact on who you are today whether it be negative or positive.  You spent a lot of time when them once, sharing good times and bad times and experiencing emotional ups and downs with them.  Then for some reason, as happens in life, we change and they change.  We move in different directions and take different paths but they remain a friend you will always remember.

I am fortunate to have all these kinds of friends.  I do not have a best buddies kind of girlfriend, but I have a best buddy friend in my husbad.  I couldn't be more blessed than to have a husband who shares his life with me.   I have group friends who get together occasionally for fun activities.  I also have casual friends through my church and I enjoy getting together with them when we have activities and on Sundays when we get together to praise our best friend Jesus Christ.

Lastly, I have a lifelong friend.  She is the lady I got together with on Saturday.  We shared a rocky but ongoing friendship for many years until we went took separate paths.  Last week she was on my mind and I called her.  We decided to get together to reminensce and catch up.  It was a great time.  I value this kind of friendship.  This is why I call it this type of friendship "lifelong" because as we mature and change, we realize the impact some people had on who we are today.  They influenced who we are today and they remain friends for life.

As Will Rogers said, "I've never met a stranger I never liked".   I enjoy meeting new people and making new friends.  Thus another good reason to have a blog!

Good day, dear friends.   God loves you and wants to be your best friend, too.

SPG

Let's Exercise, OK?

Friends, let me tell you I am tired today.  I have been sitting here for the last few minutes trying to think of something to say and all I could think about is how I'd like to stretch out in my recliner and take a nap!   I started walking with my friend again last Friday.  We walk three miles at 7 a.m. and I guess today it has caught up with me!

That's why I named this post, "Let's Exercise, OK"?  I've mentioned before that it is common knowledge that exercise and a proper diet is how to stay fit.  However, I can do the proper diet and I can do the exercise, but for some weird reason I don't want to do them simultaneously.  Sound quirky?  I think I've been invaded by a little space alien who wants my body to have extra fat so he can study our world while residing comfortably in my body.  I have drawn an example of what I think he might look like.  I have not figured out what planet he comes from yet, I just need to figure out a way to get rid of him.  Notice I call it a 'him' because I'm sure it can't be a woman.  I don't care where you come from, a woman is not going to cause another woman to carry around extra fat and be lazy at the same time.

So, anyway, I really enjoy my walks with my friend.  It doesn't feel like exercising because we keep each other company.  But a funny thing happens us if one of us can't make it.  Neither one of us walks.  I'm pretty sure it's the alien.  He can't get to me when I am not alone, but when I am, his power is too great for me to resist. 

Anyway, what's happens is when I exercise he convinces me I need to eat more by making me feel hungryand when I don't exercise he tells me it's allright to eat as little as I want as long it is delicious, high fat and flavorful food like cheese or ice-cream.   I am going to show him.  I am going to exercise and eat healthy from now on.  At least for today.

I'm still tired, but I have chores to do.  Then maybe I'll make a nice cup of hot lemon balm tea, stretch out in my recliner and watch cooking shows on TV. 

Have a wonderful weekend my friends.  God Bless you and your loved ones today and always.

SBG

A Few of My Vegetarian Recipes

Yesterday I shared information with you about what a vegetarian is and why I am a vegetarian.  I also told you that my husband is not a vegetarian and I enjoy cooking for him.  Making a meal for my husband is like giving him a present.  It's fun to make it for him and it's more fun to see how much he loves and appreciates it.

Although he's not hard to please, he does not like a lot of the same vegetables that I do.  The only thing he likes in the basket here are the tomatoes!   I try to do at least one meatless meal a week for him, which is not hard to do.

The easiest way to serve him a meatless meal is when I make a large pot of beans.  Most of the time I make a bean soup with a mixture of pinto beans, navy beans, lentils, black beans, great northern beans and lima beans.  I never presoak my beans.
My recipes are not exact measurements, just cook what amount you want.

For Bean Soup just wash and sort your beans and set aside.  Heat up some extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or vegetable oil in a large soup pot and saute some chopped onions, garlic, carrots, celery and green peppers if you like. Add a dash of salt and pepper.  Then add seasonings to your taste.  I add in the saute mixture, cumin, coriander, and sometimes chili powder.  Then after about five minutes add your beans, a can of chopped tomatoes, a bay leaf and more spices to your taste and water to cover the mixture about two inches.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until done.  Sometimes I add diced potatoes, too.  Check periodically to see if it needs more water.  The beans are usually done after about two hours, however I like my soup real creamy so I usually cook it longer.  

I like this recipe because I can put in on early in the afternoon and pretty much forget about it.  For the meal sometimes I make cornbread,  potatoes fried with onions or sometimes we eat the soup with rice.  You can prepare any kind of salad you like and depending what's in season I just make a fresh vegetable tray.

One of my varieties of basil.

When I make spaghetti I make a marinara sauce and cook some sausage in a separate pot for my husband.  For my Marinara Sauce saute some onions and garlic in EVOO or vegetable oil until limp, add chopped carrots and saute until moist, then add a pinch of hot pepper flakes and saute for about another minute.  The carrots give the sauce a good sweetness without adding sugar.  Add two or three cans of chopped tomatoes, depending on how much you are making, a small can of tomato sauce and a small can of tomato paste.  Season with salt, pepper, basil, oregano, parsley and add a bay leaf or two.  Let this cook for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle.  Just before serving taste for seasoning and if you have it, add some fresh basil.

I serve my marinara sauce just like this because I like my sauce lumpy.  You can put this in a blender or food processor and process it until it is smooth. 

You can make a very large amount of this sauce and freeze any extra in canning jars or freezer containers to have for quick dinners in the future.  Then serve this sauce with any pasta you like.  I even use this on my pizzas, eggplant parmesan, lasagna and other baked pasta dishes.

For our mexican style meals I make beef enchiladas for my husband and cheese enchiladas for me.  But we both like black bean tacos.  Black Bean Tacos are very easy and fast.  Just wash and drain a can of black beans heat them up in a small skillet in some oil with cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.  Sometimes I add a small can of chopped chilis.  Serve these in some heated taco shells just as you would beef or chicken tacos with chopped tomatos, lettuce, cheese and salsa.

I also make Huevos Rancheros.  Fry some corn tortillas until crispy and set aside.  Heat up some refried beans and season with your favorite seasonings.  Spread the refried beans on a tortilla, add some shredded cheese, add the fried egg, put heated enchilada sauce over it and top with shredded cheese.  That's the way we like it!  Very good.

As you have seen here, I have not used any canned or frozen vegetables.  These are meals I've made for years only I have modified them for my vegetarian lifestyle.  I use canned and frozen vegetables more in the winter when fresh vegetables are out of season.  I make all kinds of soups and stews which I will share with you another time.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and please let me know if you have any requests or questions about other recipes you may want to see.

May you feel the presence of the Lord with you today and know that He is with you always.

SPG

On Being A Vegetarian

Good morning dear friends.  It is a beautiful cool morning here in my part of Oklahoma.  It rained off and on yesterday and brought in a welcome respite from the hot and humid days we've been having.  I hope you all are having a break from the heat, too.

Today I want to talk about being a vegetarian.  I recently subscribed to a website called Vegetarian's Rock for my facebook.  There were comments on it this morning about how people like to challenge vegetarian's about their choices and also about all the comments we hear when people find out we are vegetarians.

Today's post is not about bashing my meat loving friends.  It is simply an explanation about my reasons for being a vegetarian and a little bit of information about the vegetarian diet.  I cook for my meat loving husband and do so because I love him and he loves my cooking!

To be a true vegetarian means you eat no fish or meat.  Then there are three kinds of vegetarians.

1.  Vegan  - these are vegetarians who do not eat dairy products and eggs.

2.  Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat dairy products and eggs.

3. Lacto-vegetarians are those who eat dairy, but no eggs.

I am a lacto-ovo and primarily am a vegetarian for health reasons.   High cholesterol, cancer and heart disease runs in my family and I have inherited the propensity towards all of these diseases.   Being a vegetarian is not a fail safe diet for these, either.  I have to watch my consumption of dairy products which includes my most beloved high fat cheddar cheese.  To watch myself on this problem I buy and drink only soy milk, vegan cheeses and vegetarian "meats" such as bacon, sausage and hot dogs.  All are made from soy and wheat products.

I do not like all the additives the producers put in their animal and chicken feed.  I buy only organic eggs and natural or organic meat for my husband or meat I know is additive free.

I am an animal rights advocate.  Note the word advocate.  I am not a radical.  In every organization or group of believers you have your advocates and your radicals.  It is the radicals who get the most attention.  This is what gives specific groups a bad rap.

I try not to be pretentious about my dietary lifestyle.  When people find out I am a vegetarian I often feel an immediate tension from them as though they think I am judging them.  This can not be further from the truth.  What you eat is your business.  I just ask that you treat me the same way.  Don't judge me or assume I am going to preach you a sermon about your health or lifestyle.

Lastly, I am a vegetarian because of the environment.  I am not going to get into a long tirade about the cattle, pig and poultry business and it's impact on the environment.  If you care to know more about this, you can do your own research on the internet or you can check out books at the library.  That is your business and I do not want to force this on you.

Tomorrow I will share with you many of my favorite delicious, healthy vegetarian recipes I cook for me and my husband.  Our diets are not just salads and some vegetables you pop out of a can or defrost in the microwave oven.

You will be surprised to find out what delicious meals you can make for you and your family.  For some websites to check out for vegetarian recipes, just google Vegetarian Times magazine  or Christina Periello on PBS.  They are only two among hundreds but they are my favorites.

May God be with you and your loved ones and give you a peaceful beautiful day.

SBG
 

This is a picture I took at the Oklahoma City Zoo.  I love all God's creatures. 

My husband begs to differ with me on this one!

Some of My Favorite Things about Oklahoma

Hi friends, I would like to share a cup of tea with you as we talk about our favorite things. I will tell you mine and I hope to hear what you like.

I like Oklahoma.

There is so much to do and see in our beautiful state.  My husband and I camp year round, weather permitting all over our state.  We have been to state parks, Corps of Engineer parks, city parks and private parks.  We have a little camping trailer that we can take almost anywhere.  To find the best places to visit we go to http://www.travelok.com/.  This site is packed full of information about places to see and things to do.  You can order maps and brochures for free.  They offer coupons for money saving ideas and much more.  It is a go to site for us everytime we plan a new trip.

I am a huge supporter of shopping and buying local.  We belong to the Oklahoma Food Coop.  It is a cooperative of private Oklahoma owned businesses that sell food, meat, crafts and so much more. To join, there is a one time $50 membership fee that is refundable should you decide you don't want to belong anymore.  Their website is www.oklahomafood.coop/.   You can order products online and they will be delivered to a site close to where you live.

You can also check out your local farmer's markets.  The newspaper lists locations or you can check out a website called Local Harvest at http://www.localharvest.org/.  I like this site because it lists markets nationwide.  I love to visit farmer's markets when I travel.  You never know what you will find.

We also like to visit museums.  To find Oklahoma museums simply visit http://www.okmuseums.org/.  My husband and I also love to visit small town museums.  They are generally free with an option to give a small donation.  You will learn about local history and sometimes, if you have a fun and interesting volunteer, you can learn so much more about their town than you will find in any history book.

I love our state for so many more reasons than I can list in this blog.  Hopefully what I shared with you today will give you a start on exploring and learning about our great state of Oklahoma.

Blessings to you and your loved ones.

I found this beautiful critter in our backyard.  Her web is under a large light our neighbor has in his yard.  She is no dummy.  Can anyone tell me what kind of spider she is?  My husband said she is a garden spider.


SBG