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Homemade Dog Treats

Homemade dog treats

Finding Zeus

“Suddenly he knew joy and sorrow felted into one fabric. Courage and fear were one thing too.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Like so many of my neighborhood adventures, it began on my morning walk. With a bag of foraged lemons nestled over my shoulder I found myself smiling at a large black dog across the street from me. The woman with him acknowledged me and we both kept walking. At one point, she thought I had spoken to her and she invited me over to meet the dog. I started to learn about Zeus. He was a Chow-Chow, four months post-rescue from the local animal shelter. He had been surrendered to be euthanized. Covered in sores and malnourished, Zeus had been living in the dirt under a shed for all of his ten years. Denice told me he was adoptable through Animal Friends Rescue Project. She was a volunteer in the program and Zeus was the 21st dog she was rehabilitating. I returned home and went about my day. Only later did I find Zeus on the AFRP website and emailed his photo to Mr. R and picky daughter. READ MORE . . .

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Easter Eggs

Easter Eggs

The Kitchen Table

“When we were children we lived in a story that we made up. But when I grew up the story wasn’t enough. I had to have something else, because the story wasn’t true anymore.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Our kitchen table top was made from packing crates. Covered with a plastic cloth patterned to match the seasons it is the table my mom still uses. My dad was in the Army and we had returned to the states after his tour of Austria and Italy. There were six inexpensive chairs purchased in Italy but there was no kitchen table. Sitting on my dad’s lap I banged my knees on the huge gray trunks that held up the makeshift tabletop before he added four proper legs at the wood shop at Fort Bragg. So much has happened around that kitchen table, the history of our family is embedded in every piece of scrap wood. READ MORE . . .

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Rose Hip and Orange Marmalade

Rose Hip and Orange Marmalade

A Winter Adventure

“He walked by the sad little garden and all around the house—not a new house any more. Even the last added lean-to bedrooms were old and weathered and the putty around the windowpanes had shrunk away from the glass.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

It took me several weeks to gather up my urban foraging courage. On my morning walk I pass a house that is empty with a forlorn “for sale” sign that dominates the front yard. A gigantic rose bush hadn’t been trimmed and was filled with bright red rose hips. I took a pair of clippers and a bag on my walk and set about stripping the bush of all the rose hips. While I was clipping, the neighbors drove into the driveway next door and gave me a puzzled look. Thank goodness they didn’t speak to me. I was on the verge of being the crazy lady who lives in the neighborhood. I was waiting for “Um, hi there, what are you doing in my neighbor’s yard?” “Oh, I, ah, live down the street and am gathering rose hips for making jam.” I gathered up my treasure and wondered if I had enough rose hips to make jam. I had no idea what rose hips tasted like or that they take time and patience to clean and cook. This is my kind of winter adventure. READ MORE . . .

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Almond Breakfast Rolls with Amaretti Cookies and Amaretto

Almond Breakfast Rolls

Smile from the Inside Out

“He read slowly, moving his lips over the words. Everything is only for a day, both that which remembers and that which is remembered.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

I’m hoping almonds are a favorite. If so, this recipe will make you very happy. And happy is what we need to begin the new year. Resolutions and goals are perfectly fine, I made a few too. But I’m all for a big dose of being happy. I’m striving to be happier, to find joy in the present moment. Because really that’s all we’ve got. We know this, yet we don’t live as if we know this truth. We lost someone close to our family unexpectedly during the holidays. Our holidays are forever changed. With a basket of grief firmly griped in my hands I offer a gentle reminder to cherish each moment, smile from the inside out and find joy in each precious day. READ MORE . . .

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Asparagus with Fresh Ricotta

Asparagus with ricotta

Spring Zing

“A kind of light spread out from her. And everything changed color. And the world opened out. And a day was good to awaken to. And there were no limits to anything.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Light shifts with the seasons. It’s vague and unassuming at first. We’re never sure when it really happens. The annual time change confuses our innate ability to feel the change. We must see it. We are so busy reestablishing our daily rhythms that one day we realize winter with its sharp dramatic edges and deep shadows of light has been replaced with a softer focus. The plush velvet curtain of winter is pulled back to reveal a stage where the merry making of spring always surprises us. As the light brightens it pushes away the last scrap of winter revealing all the sparkling color we crave. READ MORE . . .