by Krista | Jan 28, 2014 | Summer
“I believe the nicest and sweetest days
are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens
but just those that bring simple little pleasures,
following one another softly,
like pearls slipping off a string.”
L.M. Montgomery
As much as I adored the rain that fell in sheets and dollops this past week, it is even more exquisite to look out my window and see green now, as far as the eye can see.
Ground that was parched and brown now shimmers with lime and emerald, and even the rocks are decorated with new seedlings nestled at their bases.
The animals are loving it!! The moment I let the chickens, ducks and geese out of their pens, they are busy nibbling fresh green grass and foraging for a new crop of insects. The chickens are laying again, lovely big eggs that furnish us with breakfast every morning.
The dry season lasted so long this time, leaving the earth sun-blasted and scorched, making a person thirsty every time they looked outside at the endless expanse of brown. I suppose it is similar to what my snowbound friends are feeling, wondering if Spring will ever arrive.
Thankfully it always does. Always.
It gives me courage to press on through the dry stretches, and to create my own lushness wherever I can.
This week it’s in my garden. Thanks to a ripping good sale at the nursery, I now have heaps of seedlings and trees to find homes for, hopefully ending up with lavish amounts of melons, zucchini, peppers, mulberries, pears, rhubarb, and herbs.
Bear and I have been eating rather lushly as well, making all sorts of delicious Middle Eastern fare: olives marinated in harissa spiced oil and a whole lot of dips that go beautifully with Turkish flatbread or cut up veggies.
I like to have a variety of dips to keep the flavors from getting predictable. Roasted Garlic Hummus is always a winner, while Dilled Carrot Dip provides a gentle, sweet variation to all the spice and heat. Our hands down favorite is a Red Bean Sun-Dried Tomato Dip spiced with paprika and chili powder with a splash of red wine vinegar to keep the flavors lively.
What “little pleasures” are making this season of your life easier? xo
Red Bean Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
Ingredients:
2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped roughly
1/2-3/4 cup beef bone broth
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Add more broth if necessary and season to taste.
- Serve at room temperature with pieces of Turkish flatbread, crackers, or raw veggies.
Roasted Garlic Hummus
Ingredients:
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp tahini
1 head roasted garlic (bake head of garlic at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes until insides are creamy), cloves removed
2-3 Tbsp ground cumin
1/4 extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2-1 lemon
1/2 tsp sea salt
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Add more olive oil or lemon juice if necessary and season to taste.
- Serve at room temperature with pieces of Turkish flatbread, crackers, or raw veggies.
Carrot Dill Dip
Ingredients:
olive oil
1 onion, peeled, cored and diced
6 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
1 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cups chicken broth
Directions:
- In saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat, add onion pieces and cook, stirring occasionally until translucent.
- Add carrots, dill weed, and sea salt, add chicken broth and cook 15-20 minutes until carrots are soft enough to mush with a fork. Set aside to cool 10 minutes.
- Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Serve at room temperature with pieces of Turkish flatbread, crackers, or raw veggies.
by Krista | Jan 22, 2014 | Summer
“The richness of the rain made me feel safe and protected;
I have always considered the rain to be healing
—a blanket—
the comfort of a friend.”
Douglas Coupland
We’re in the midst of a scorching heatwave and a drought. Land that is usually lush and green this time of year is parched, withered and brown, the grass crackling underfoot.
But yesterday clouds rolled in. Massive dark clouds that looked like maybe, just maybe, they were not teasing clouds but real rain clouds that were going to pour water down upon us.
I didn’t get my hopes up though. Not until a gale blew through and the trees bent from rain-scented wind and leaves pelted the tin roof. Then I scurried to the back veranda with my bowl of blueberries, and sat down to watch the show.
First came crashing claps of thunder that shook the ground.
Then slashes of lightning that split the sky.
Then, at last, glorious rain.
And not measly raindrops either, gloriously fat ones that splatted into the dry earth and turned it into rich loam dotted with puddles.
The gum tree trunks turned from pale beige to marvelous streaks of color: russet, burgundy, dark green.
When the downpour eased up a bit, out I went, letting the misty raindrops film my hair and eyelashes, cooling skin that has been hot for weeks.
I love how the ground transforms after rain here. Normally everything is a haze of bleached wood, burnt grass, and dried out leaves, but with the water the grass looks green again and the fallen curls of gum bark become vivid reds and oranges.
Even the lichen transforms from silvery seafoam to bright jade.
It feels like my little world has come back to life again and I love it.
Emerging from the trees I strolled through my gardens, marveling at how happy everything looks. Gone were the down turned leaves, hiding themselves from the fierce heat. Instead blossoms, branches, and leaves reached out and up, soaking in every bit of moisture.
What sort of turn in the weather cheers your heart? xo
by Krista | Jan 20, 2014 | Summer
“I am one of the searchers…
We like to walk along the beach,
we are drawn by the ocean,
taken by its power,
its unceasing motion,
its mystery and unspeakable beauty.”
James Kavanaugh
Is there anything more compelling than a path that leads to somewhere wondrous? The forest, the mountains, the beach?
Over the holidays Bear and I were able to take a mini-vacation to our beloved ocean and how we basked in it! We stayed with Bear’s lovely sister and brother-in-law in Burleigh Heads, Queensland and had the most wonderful time.
We strolled along The Esplanade in the cooler morning hours, sharing stories and laughter, stopping often to sigh happily at the views or find a shady spot to watch people and birds.
The beach at Burleigh Heads is a wonderful place, a combination of wooded shoreline, vine-covered dunes, and vast expanses of soft white sand.
Even though it was Summer Holidays, it never felt crowded or busy. There were always open benches for sitting and oodles of room on the beach for leisurely strolls or snoozes in the sunshine.
I explored the beach itself, marveling at the powdery sand, the water that felt so brisk after the scorching heat, the sun-dappled woods that gave glimpses of the sea through gnarled branches.
We spent hours on the balcony, sipping cuppas and eating fresh fruit as we watched the surf crash against the sand, luxuriating in the salty breezes that lulled us into afternoon naps.
I loved how the water changed colors throughout the day. First thing in the morning it was like burnished silver until the sun rose, turning it into a rainbow of blues and turquoises. Later, as clouds scudded overhead, the blue was replaced by deep grays, soft and fierce at the same time.
Next time I want to bring a blanket down to this very spot, a hideaway among the trees.
What sort of place would your ideal pathway lead to? xo
by Krista | Jan 17, 2014 | Summer
I’m emerging from a necessary and treasured month-long hibernation, so happy to be in a brand new year.
Last year was The Great Darkness for me. A year of crushing loss, debilitating health, and painful situations too numerous to mention. There were moments I feared things would never, ever get better, that I wouldn’t make it. But they did and I did. And all those horrendous scenarios somehow grew into breath-taking moments of deep healing, soul-soaring awareness, and precious relationships that saw me through the most difficult year of my life.
Today I feel quite emotional about it all, filled with such love for my Bear and dear ones who believed in me when I couldn’t, who were strong for me until I could be strong for myself, who shone glimmers of love and light through those dark days, giving me something to hope in and crawl towards.
It’s exquisitely wonderful to be on this side of that darkness and to face the hard things with renewed courage and resolve and good humor.
My health went kaput over the holidays, which was most vexing, particularly since the powerful medicine they had to put me on precluded me from indulging in any of the luscious spirits and liqueurs I’d made with such anticipation in the months before Christmas. How I suffered. 😉 The good news is that we continue to cross things off the list of things I do NOT have, which means we are edging closer to figuring out what in tarnation IS the matter with me. 🙂
Other than the wonky health stuff, this hibernation has been marvelous.
There was sunset-watching and grilling over an open fire and cuddles with our dogs.
Treasure-hunting in thrift stores where we found splendid old books, lovely bits of furniture to restore, and this rather marvelous afghan that makes me smile every time I look at it.
New traditions were formed: Christmas trousers instead of Christmas stockings, smorgasbord and a movie for Christmas Eve, and the weekly purchase of fresh berries and fresh flowers.
We read books and watched a fabulous documentary on the Vikings and took day trips and visited with dear friends and slept in and went for walks with the dogs and fenced and gardened and studied all sorts of things that interest us. It was wonderful and just what we needed.
Next time I’ll tell you all about our getaway to the beeyootiful Gold Coast.
What are some of your favorite memories from your holidays? XO
by Krista | Dec 21, 2013 | Summer
With cuppas and mince tarts at hand, Bear and I are nearly ready for our little Aussie Christmas here on the farm.
We picked up our mulberry Christmas tree and she will go up today, festooned with bells and stars and little tin hearts. After Christmas we will plant her in our growing orchard alongside our Christmas pears, crabapples, and citrus trees from past holidays.
We had a jolly day trip together this week, driving to Brisbane on a bright, sunny morning to visit our favorite Croatian and Russian food shops. We stocked up on delicious smoked Croatian hams, Danish salami, Aussie corned beef, Hungarian sausages, Danish cheeses, a smoked pig’s tail for scrumptious bean soup, an array of new Aussie teas, Russian ajvar spread, and a whole kilo of Brazil nuts to roast with sea salt and fresh rosemary. Such happy, delectable food. Add all that to fresh bread rolls, apricot pie, peach crumble with walnut streusel, fresh mangoes, and homemade liqueurs, and we have marvelous celebrating ahead of us.
We are both really looking forward to utter relaxation this holiday, with new books and movies and fun little projects and day trips to keep us from getting bored. I will teach Bear how to play Settlers of Catan and he will teach me how to use the new power tools we got for wood-working.
I will be taking a blogging break until mid-January and am so excited to implement some changes here that I will unveil then.
We wish you a wonderful holiday, wherever you are, filled with all the people and experiences that make your heart soar. XO See you again mid-January!!
Raspberry Mojito
Ingredients:
6-8 mint leaves
5 raspberries
3 half lime slices
1 tsp lime juice
1-2 tsp simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water heated until sugar dissolves)
2 ounces white rum
Directions:
- Muddle leaves, raspberries, and lime slices in a glass.
- Add lime juice, simple syrup, and white rum, stirring to mix.
- Serve immediately.
by Krista | Dec 17, 2013 | Summer
I don’t know about you, but as much as I love the hustle and bustle of the holidays with dear folks, I have got to get away by myself now and then to maintain my sanity and equilibrium.
It is good to be alone now and then. To head into the forest with your own thoughts, setting your own pace, stopping at the things that make you catch your own breath.
I love the strange silence of the woods, a magical silence that is not void of sound but of stress and clamor and obligation.
The forest lets you be quiet, the meandering trails calming frazzled nerves and frantic thoughts.
I like to sit by a quiet pool, gazing at the water with its reflection of ferns and palms, admiring the thick carpet of russet leaves covering the bottom.
It’s a good place to just breathe…
…and take blurry selfies to remember how happy and free you felt in that lush, green place. 
I like a slow-moving river too, broad and shallow, flowing silent and steady, never hurrying.
And a cute little bridge almost hidden in the undergrowth. It doesn’t take too much imagination to picture it leading to an exotic treehouse that would do the Swiss Family Robinson proud.
Where is your favorite place to restore when the hustle and bustle gets a bit much?
XO
Ground that was parched and brown now shimmers with lime and emerald, and even the rocks are decorated with new seedlings nestled at their bases.
The animals are loving it!! The moment I let the chickens, ducks and geese out of their pens, they are busy nibbling fresh green grass and foraging for a new crop of insects. The chickens are laying again, lovely big eggs that furnish us with breakfast every morning.
The dry season lasted so long this time, leaving the earth sun-blasted and scorched, making a person thirsty every time they looked outside at the endless expanse of brown. I suppose it is similar to what my snowbound friends are feeling, wondering if Spring will ever arrive.
Thankfully it always does. Always.
Bear and I have been eating rather lushly as well, making all sorts of delicious Middle Eastern fare: olives marinated in harissa spiced oil and a whole lot of dips that go beautifully with Turkish flatbread or cut up veggies.
What “little pleasures” are making this season of your life easier? xo
