Thursday, April 1, 2010

To All of Those That We Love~~~



Speaking softly wasn't always my strongest suit,
But today I was moved to learn an aged old virtue.
As a child I was shy, but I don't think anyone knew that or maybe…
I tried too hard, I drank too much, I talked over people.
I wanted to get over it, and thought that was the way.
I made big mistakes and made sure everyone knew it.
Then I was ashamed. I wanted to live down those mistakes.
I was reclusive, I was lost, I was torn.
I yelled, I threw fits; I searched for the ‘answer’ that
No one could tell me.

Time took care of it after all.
I want to cry out like the proverbial 'Town Crier',
But this is neither the time nor the place.
My solace today is quietness and peace.
In that quiet I found myself.
My self that is small and awake.
That self that doesn't have words at all sometimes,
And sometimes has just a couple, at others it is dictionary.

Quietness,
It softened me; which is, I suppose, the point.
I know that when I heard of a friend taking
A hiatus from speech, I longed for it.
I also know that, when I am quiet, I feel freedom.
When I am quiet, I am more open.
I think I fear my emotions being seen there,
But I did it anyway, and I felt them.

I will go to the mountain, next time I need to ‘cry’, shout, or howl!
I will go to the sea at the storm time when I am so moved.
I will sit quietly with nature and be revealed for this time.
I will sit quietly with nature and ‘see’.
Thank you for those lessons.
I know that love lost is not wasted.
I know it is better to have loved and lost,
Than not to have loved at all.

I am overwhelmed with our family today
That faced their loss and move boldly forth.
They did what they needed to do for them.
I am proud to call them family.
I am humbled to have been in their presence this day.
I am forever moved, and will live the rest of my life
With the memory of their heroic stance at that darkness,
And at their light.
Thank you for our family.


©Allisonians
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Banana This; Recycle Old Peels~ fertilizer or silver polish

There are things you can do with that old peel.

1. Do you have a green thumb? House hold plants and outside gardens require fertilization. A great way to give your plants nutrients is with a banana peel. The banana peel is very rich in potassium and phosphorus, which give that added boost to your plants soil, especially so with roses. Here is how to use a banana peel to fertilizer your soil for your plants. Remove the peel from the banana. Place the banana peel on a cookie sheet to let it air dry. Grab a paper bag or envelope. Crumble the dried banana peel and place it in the bag. Let the banana sit at room temperature for about two days. When your caring for your plant, give it a potassium treat of crumbled banana peel. Mix well in the soil to ensure the roots are fed evenly.
2. Have you been thinking about pulling out that old silver? Well there is no time like the present. Bananas peel can also be used to polish silver. Yes, polish silver. Take the old peels and place them in a blender. You want the peels to become smooth and creamy. Once they have, grab a cloth and small amounts of the creamed banana peel and begin polishing your silver. The shine will be breath taking.

SOURDOUGH STARTER with WILD YEAST

SOURDOUGH STARTER with WILD YEAST
Wild yeasts exist in the air around you and to some extent on the wheat berries. There are wild yeasts on grapes (unsulphured) and apples and other fruits. It is those wild yeasts which are 'captured' to make a sourdough starter. The process takes from 3 to 5 days. I wish I had specific amounts for you, but you could start with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour and mix in enough warm (not hot) water to make a thin paste. DO NOT make it too soupy. That, in fact, is the trick to a good starter, according to the French bread makers, and I think they should know. And after you've fooled around with the flour and water thing, you might wish to branch out into adding those unsulphured grapes, apples, sour milk, etc as a catalyst in order to capture other strains of yeast. Each of these strains has a slightly different taste. In fact if you move to another area, you might end up with a starter that produces an entirely different flavor. For instance, San Francisco sourdough bread is well known and has a distinct taste due to the wild strains in the air there. On day one you mix the flour and water (and add any catalysts to encourage fermentation) and place in a warm spot. After 3 days, the dough should be moist, inflated, and slightly sour. More flour and water is added (mixed in) and left to sit in a warm spot. After 2 days the process is repeated. Then the next day it is done again. Note the order: 3 days, 2 days, 1 day. At this point you should be able to make a loaf of bread using part of the starter and adding back what you took out in the form of more flour and water. Rule of thumb: Use about 10% starter to size of loaf. In the case of a 2 lb loaf this is a bit over 3 oz of starter (3.2 to be exact). For a 1 lb loaf 1.5 oz would be used. A book that describes this process in great detail is The Village Baker by Joe Ortiz, copyright 1993, published by Ten Speed Press, Berkley CA. If it's not still in print, try the used books stores, that's where I got mine. Or try your local library. If they don't have it, they might be able to get it for you. ©2008 by Ernestina Parziale

Thank You For Visiting!

Thank You For Visiting!
Have a Great Day!