It has been a crazy week dealing with the deluge and aftermath of the 2013 Queensland flood.
Today we were finally able to get into town, rumbling slowly over roads with the pavement washed away, gazing in amazement at once green fields coated with thick black mud and debris.
Our little village of Allora was nearly surrounded by raging torrents and fields turned into lakes. On the outskirts, water was encroaching ever closer, submerging roads and yards.
On Monday afternoon we decided to brave the roads and incessant rain to see what we could see.
My jaw dropped as we crested the hill and saw that the normally velvety green Allora golf course had become a massive lake.
It was a strange sense of deja vu for me. My first trip to Australia in January 2011 found me driving up this hill only ten minutes before the 2011 Queensland flood left us stranded for five days.
We drove outside of town, stunned by the paddocks and fences and trees under water rushing so deep and fast it was only inches from swamping the bridge.
You can’t tell in this picture, but the water was rushing down the street like a river and I stayed well away from the edge. While the depth of water is damaging, it is the speed of the current that is truly dangerous, easily knocking you off your feet.
Our village park was downright scary with flood waters hurtling past covering playground equipment and turning the roadway into a plunging waterfall.
I was able to get close enough to take this video of the river rushing through the trees.
We stopped by the local market to pick up some essentials but were unable to get milk for they were all sold out. By this morning locals were lined up outside the market, cleaning out the produce shelves.
Before I experienced a flood I thought everything would be OK once the waters went down. I know better now. Trucks carrying food and dairy can’t get through because roads are absolutely destroyed, bridges washed out. The food distribution centers themselves are often submerged. Going to the grocery store today there were mighty slim pickings in the fresh food aisle.
My friend in Brisbane is having an entirely different experience. Since the power was knocked out in her neighborhood, their market had to post security guards and only allow 12 people in at a time. The line of people waiting to go in was massive.We’re hearing of water shortages and horrible flooding and I’m so grateful that my friends in Brisbane and Bundaberg are OK.
I’m also thankful for my garden that is producing heaps of kale, beans, tomatoes and silverbeet, so we’ll be fine until produce is readily available again. And after all that rainfall, our water tanks are full and we have no shortage of water.
Our farm, Citadel Kalahari, turned into a watery swamp, but I admit that I quite like all the little waterfalls and creeks and ponds. Although walking anywhere is rather precarious what with slipping through lashings of mud, it really is quite beautiful.
There are so many people in Queensland and New South Wales who have lost so much in these terrible floods. If you are able and interested in helping them rebuild, please donate through this link: Australian Red Cross.
After terrible fires, scorching heat, and dry-as-a-bone days, it is pure bliss to celebrate Australia Day with hour upon hour of glorious rain. Apparently Australia is known as “the land of flood and fire” and now I know why! In spite of the crazy, sometimes scary weather, I love it here so much.
Bear and I drove out to Stanthorpe this morning, thinking that the perfect way for us to honor this day was to drive the countryside that we both love. Our road took us up into the hills over terrain transformed by rain from dry, golden mounds into scenes straight out of Ireland: craggy rocks glistening under cascades of water, vivid green grass and glossy leaves.
We met up with some old friends and total strangers to take an Australian weapons licensing test – Bear for his crossbows and me for firearms – and we both passed with flying colors. Yippee!!
It was so interesting learning the Australian rules for weapons use and safety. Some things are similar to the United States, but others are vastly different. I was intrigued to learn that wanting a weapon for personal protection is not a lawful or accepted reason in Australia for getting a weapons license. I asked the Aussies what you’re supposed to do to protect yourself from bad guys here and they burst out laughing and said, “Run!” Duly noted. 😉
To reward ourselves for passing our tests, we headed to one of our favorite stops, Vincenzo’s, for hot drinks and a visit.
Then, of course, we were ravenous, so I happily tucked into a rather marvelous steak pie while Bear got sandwiches and we shared a plate of piping hot chips. It was so nice chatting and eating and sipping as the rain pounded on the roof and the occasional gust of wind showered us with raindrops.
Then we drove home again, stopping to treasure hunt at one of our favorite thrift stores before donning boots and raincoats to feed the animals in the downpour.
Now it’s time to cozy in for the night with hot coffee and a stack of movies from the library.
After a killer heatwave that leeched out every ounce of energy, today I woke to stormy skies, gusting winds, and blessed coolness. It is marvelous and I’m loving every second of it.
In between editing photos and writing articles, I took some time to recharge a bit with a glass of wine, quiche, and season one of White Collar. Tonight ended a perfectly good day with a warm summer rain.
I’ve been experimenting further with making homemade sausage: Smoky Hungarian, Sage Maple breakfast patties, and this week, Italian sausage.
It’s definitely one of my favorites thus far, mostly because it requires toasted fennel seeds which smell so darn good I can hardly stand it.
Add to that a bit of ground anise seed, some minced garlic, smoked paprika, fresh Italian parsley and a liberal dose of sea salt and pepper and you’re good to go. Mix it well then cover and let it sit in the fridge for a day or two to let the flavors meld.
After that you can form it into patties, fill casings to form links, or just crumble it into a frying pan for soup or quiche.
I added mine to a crock pot Potato Kale Sausage Soup. It smelled so good slow cooking for hours, the fennel standing out but not overpowering the other flavors.
What is your favorite stormy weather food?
Italian Sausage Recipe
Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork 2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted 1 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp smoked mild paprika 1/2 tsp ground anise seed 2-3 garlic cloves, minced 1 small bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
Directions:
Place ground pork in a medium bowl.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Cover and chill in fridge for 12-24 hours.
Shape and cook as desired.
Potato Kale Sausage Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
1 large onion, peeled and diced 1 rib celery, sliced thinly 2-3 carrots 6 potatoes scrubbed and/or peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes large bunch kale, chopped 1 tsp dried or fresh thyme 1 can cream of asparagus soup 1 pound Italian sausage, fried and crumbled water 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese 1 cup milk or light cream
Directions:
Combine all ingredients except water, cheese and milk in crock pot.
Cover with water, place lid on pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours.
Add cheese and milk, stir to combine, and cook for another hour.
I’ve been thinking a lot about love lately. What it is, what it looks like, but mostly what it feels like.
For part of my life I lived in a world where feelings were not merely dismissed as unimportant, they were regarded as dangerous and thus religiously suppressed. “Love” (kindness, affection, praise) was a control mechanism, only given to those who were obedient and submissive, who fit the model of behavior that was declared acceptable by those in authority. Those who did not fit that model were denied love and instead subjected to public humiliation, shunning, and silent treatment.
Love was a reward that could be taken away at a moments notice and held as ransom until the required behavior was exhibited.
It bred deep fear and insecurity, and obliterated any feelings of worth. We ceased to matter and a culture of performance, insincerity, and smothering of independent thought and personality flourished.
I’ve since learned that such behavior is not love at all. It is a cruel, twisted way to control others. It is evil.
Since leaving that world I’ve had to relearn what love is. I read about it, think about it, and find myself watching people a lot to see how they love each other.
I’ve learned so much.
Love, real love, does not try to control, it frees.
It does not try to suppress, but reaches down and pulls up, giving a boost until the struggling person can see light again.
It does not diminish or cut down, it highlights the good things and praises any sort of progress.
It does not discourage with I-told-you-so’s and if-you’d-only-listened-to-me’s, it hugs tight, heartens crumpled spirits and says, “No worries, mate, you’ll do better next time”.
It does not take advantage of fear or insecurity, but emboldens the quavering soul and reminds them of their strength and courage.
It doesn’t leave someone hanging in distress. No. It does whatever it can to assist and support.
It does not try to smother or mold the character or personality of another, instead it looks for opportunities to liberate from oppression and cheer wildly when false beliefs lose their power.
It does not try to force someone to grow or heal or process at a pace faster than they can handle or in a way that is more comfortable to them. No way. Real love accepts people right where they are, comforts them when they’re weepy, validates when they’re angry, soothes when they’re exhausted, and YAHOOS enthusiastically when battles are fought and victories won.
It does not pretend and it is not fickle. It is faithful and dependable. Even when it wavers because of fatigue or illness or plain ol’ selfishness, it owns up to it, says sorry, and starts over.
Most of all I’ve learned that Love cannot last if it doesn’t start with our own dear selves. We all matter. So much. Our happiness matters, our health, our peace, our safety, our well-being and freedom of thought, lifestyle and belief. It all matters. If we don’t believe that we deserve Love, eventually we’re not going to believe that others deserve Love either. It must start with us so it can bubble over to everyone we meet.
I really like this quote by Marilyn Monroe:
“Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don’t, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life’s a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.”
Love makes life beautiful. Even when we’re sick or broke or sad or lonely or unemployed, if we’ve got love for ourselves and love for others, we’re rich as kings.
I’m so very, very grateful for the real love I’ve experienced in my life, both in my past and in my present. So thankful for the amazing people who have lived love before my eyes and shown me how wonderful it is.
“Sometimes the bravest thing we can ever do is to stand in the storm with our heads held high and wait for the storm to pass. Often this is the best thing for us to do…and the right thing. Then sometimes, dear friend, the bravest thing we can do is to walk away from the storm… or even run as fast as we can. Even when we are the only ones who can even SEE the storm… these are the hardest kinds of storms to walk away from. We often carry too much false guilt to walk away from things that are killing us… especially when no one else can see those things to tell us that it’s okay to walk away, or even that it’s absolutely critical. Sometimes our deepest agony is caused by things so private that no one else can see. Sometimes we are hurt by things that are so secret, so private, that it is hard to see how devastating they are to us because there is no light shed on them. In the darkness, lies are whispered to us…telling us that we deserve abuse, or that we brought it on ourselves. Your soul knows, sweetheart. In the deepest parts of yourself, your soul knows the truth. Your soul longs for light…not darkness. Your soul longs to be cared for, not abused. To walk away from any kind of abuse is brave, powerful, and critical to the life of your soul. You can do it, beautiful soul… and you must. NO ONE deserves to be abused, and NO ONE has the right to abuse you. You are loved. And you deserve to be loved.” Brave Girls Club
Over the past few years I’ve received a series of gutting communications from some people in my life. They would start and end with declarations of love, but in the middle was pure poison. Over the past few months they grew in frequency and intensity. I became afraid to go on Facebook, email, even my blog, scared of what I would find there. My health took a steep decline and each day was a difficult struggle dealing with migraines, nightmares, dysentery, and a host of other symptoms of severe stress.
For a long time I thought that I had to receive those communications or I would be A Weak Person. So I kept receiving them. Kept reading them. Kept allowing them to disrupt my life, unsettle my spirit, and ravage my health. I began to doubt myself, to question the things I personally had witnessed and experienced. I began to see myself through their eyes. It was not good.
Over the holidays I finally shared their messages with my counselor. She was horrified and said:
“They are systematic attempts to dismantle your Self, to depersonalize you, make you feel like you don’t even know who you are. It is akin to torture, to breaking down a person. Hostile, aggressive, cruel – it is a form of mental and psychological torture, mental abuse.”
Sometimes we get so used to certain forms of ill treatment that we need someone else to come along and say: “This is not acceptable.”
That was what I needed to find the strength to call the situation for what it was: Bullying. It also gave me the courage to stand up for myself, for my life, my relationships, my health, and to say, “No more. No Bullies Allowed.”
Then something amazing happened. Within a few hours of taking that stand, nearly all my symptoms disappeared. The migraines stopped, the nightmares ceased and I’ve been sleeping like a log. The anxiety and fear that have dogged me have been replaced by peace, courage, and a bubbly happiness that is natural, not something I had to choose. I got to cancel doctors appointments and stop taking medicine and I realized this:
I’m not afraid of them anymore.
Now that I’ve stood up to them, I can see things so much more clearly. It’s amazing how foggy-ing fear is.
These are a few things I’ve learned:
allowing bullies to bully unchecked is telling them and anyone who is observing that Bullying Is OK. It is not.
blocking bullies who will not change their behavior is not only healthy, it is essential for healing and growth and happiness.
bullying doesn’t have to be physical to be bullying. Psychological bullying is equally devastating, if not more so.
if someone doesn’t respect your boundaries, they are a bully.
if someone tries to make you doubt your own memories, experiences, and the things you have personally witnessed, they are a bully.
if someone believes they don’t have to acknowledge bad behavior before a relationship can be restored, they are a bully.
if someone will only accept you if you change your beliefs, lifestyle, or relationships, they are a bully.
if someone believes they have the right to dictate how you live and what you do and who you spend time with and what you believe and WHO YOU ARE, they are a bully.
if someone says you have to accept their bad behavior because “we’ve been friends forever” or “we’re related” or “God told me to tell you this” or “you need some tough love” or “you can’t be trusted to make good decisions” or any other arrogant nonsense, they are a bully.
the only way to know that a bully has changed is through their behavior, not their words. If their lies are replaced with truth, their cruelty with kindness, their attempts to control with loving support, then, and only then, is the restoration of a relationship possible.
This situation has also made me think of the opposite of bullying: Love.
And that’s what we’ll look at next time. XO
Have you ever been bullied? What helped you deal with it?
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