Awwww....the final post of 2011

I set out to blog more this year, and I think I did write more than in the past, but I'd still like to have a post a week in 2012. Today's a cloudy day, but warm for this time of year (5 degrees). I just finished cooking some soul food to welcome in the new year southern style. All ideas compliments of my cousin Kim and her husband Pete who grew up with good southern cooking.

Kim had written that the food she was preparing was symbolic for the new year blessings. There was black-eyes peas for good luck, cabbage for prosperity, and rice for abundance. I mixed it all together in the following recipe (which is dairy free and vegetarian):



Abundance Dish

one pound cabbage (1/2 a small head)
one can black-eyed peas (do not drain)
one bag of boil in the bag rice
one medium onion
1/2 cup or so of vegetable broth
tablespoon olive oil
spices to flavor

Cut up cabbage and steam. While that is steaming, boil up the rice. Chop onion, into fine pieces and fry in the olive oil. Add spices to the onion and oil mix. Open the can of black-eyed peas and DO NOT DRAIN. Add the peas to the onion mix and let everything come to a warm temperature.

Once the cabbage is steamed and is soft and easy to break with a fork, drain and add to the peas and onions. I like to chop mine somewhat smaller, so that the pieces aren't long and messy. After that cooks for a bit add the rice and the broth.

Simmer and season until it's to your liking.


I've also made some simple salmon in phyllo cups. Sounds hard, not at all! ;)

Happy New Year. Reflect and move forward, but keep friends and family near.

Recap of my 2011

Quick ReCap of 2011

New Year’s Eve 2011 was spent with good friends: Christine, Meski, Lisa, Jeannette and Shelly at Shelly’s house. Her dog Kiva was with us too, Kiva was growing quite old and it would be her last new year. The group of us went to a Pow Wow. And yes it was indoors, I’m still not into roughing it. It was my first and it was very exciting. What a great way to set things in motion for the new year.

Maybe I should state how much New Year’s is my favorite holiday! And due to being a teacher, I get two of them!

I’m a person who has learned there is great power in intention. Don’t make resolutions, not that I don’t say: “this year I will lose weight, or this year I will save money.” I do like to plan, but that’s a little different from a resolution and a resolution is a little different from an intention. This was the year when my intention was to explore adopting a child. In February, I began classes to become a foster parent. I felt pretty certain I was doing the right thing and in May I “graduated” with my group of about 10 people. Summer came, the perfect time to start with a child, but there were no calls. By fall I did a lot of soul searching and decided that adopting and foster care were not for me. I love children, but the time and effort for me being alone would make it very difficult. I just didn’t have a large web of people to rely on, and really, it does take a village!

In between all these life changing decisions I traveled a little. In May, Christine and I went to NYC for a Yoga Journal Conference. We did three different Yoga classes while we were there. Most of the participants were women, but of all ages, reminding me that healthy has no age limits and that I need to keep myself fit. Not that I did in 2011. I didn’t run any 5K races, didn’t do Yoga, didn’t lose weight.

I did go to Chicago in July! That was fun. I always wanted to just visit a random city for a weekend. That’s precisely what I did. It was pretty serendipitous, the best kind of travel.

Two big changes were made on my house. I had my beautiful Douglas Fir cut down because she was too close to the house (and 90 feet tall). I also pulled out the carpet in the living room and had the hardwood floor refinished. Otherwise, house changes are slow moving since they can be so expensive.

In August my peach tree gave a yield of three dozen peaches. I made a few crisps (I don’t like pie) and froze some that Ellie and I had picked at Fix Brothers orchards. I gardened a little, mostly keeping up the flower beds and growing tomatoes. Mom came to visit in August and spent a few days.

School started, and then it didn’t! Excessive rain following only a week after Tropical Storm Irene cause flooding and my school was closed for four days (they closed the school’s county, but the school was fine). So the start of the year was odd. Soon, we were back at it, and what a wonderful group of students I got for this year! I’m still teaching Special Education, still grade 6. In fact, I’ve been at the same school for 15 years. I’ll retire in 13 years! Hard to believe how quickly time passes.

School’s kept me busy throughout fall and here it is…winter and a new year!

Christmas was spent with Mom and cousins Dana and Kim, their families, and my mom’s sister Pat and husband Roger. Then Mom and I lounged around for a few days. I even made her watch the Buffalo Sabres play hockey (and she says she kinda liked the action). So here we are at the end of the year!

If I left anything or anyone out, forgive, but tell me! LOL! :)
I love New Year! Hope it finds you well and blessed!

C is for Compassion, not Consumerism

Musings in December

I had to go to Walmart today. No, not because I was compelled to go to the most evil store in the world, but because I had to get some gift cards for my amazingly smart students. I’ve run an incentive program since forever for them. If they make merit roll (85-89 average) they get a $ 7 gift card. Personally, I’d prefer to buy them a Target card, but many of them don’t get there at all, but they do get to Walmart. So, sadly, I have to buy them the Walmart card.

Walmart was not as crowded or chaotic as I thought it would be! It was really like any other Saturday at the Mega-low-Mart! ;) I did end up buying myself a bouquet of colorful alstroemeria flowers. alstroemeria flowers They were nothing like the right color or style for December, but they were very very pretty and I just love alstroemeria!!!!! So I got the gift cards and made it out of there alive and with my morality intact! I do believe it must be the mall that is teeming with evil, but I haven’t been there in several weeks; so I wouldn’t know.


What I guess does bug me about this time of year is the worship of Santa. It’s all about the list, all about what you want to receive. It just seems so sad that it is removed from a religious holiday. Everyone rushes to meet Santa, to let him know what you want. It’s a greedy holiday when the focus is on “making a list and checking it twice”! I’ve been behind people in Toys R Us who have a cart filled with presents! It’s fine to buy presents, but truly, do you need to spend hundreds of dollars? Do you need to up the credit card debt, does the child need ten things to open? And sadly, the man whom Santa steals his name, Saint Nicholas, was so far removed from the greed and commercialism of this holiday it is an absolute shame. It’s a dishonor to Saint Nicholas.

Who was St. Nicholas? He was a second century Greek who gave his riches and his life to the poor. Nicholas never wanted or expected anything in return-he showed his devotion to the Creator in extraordinary kindness and generosity to those in need. He did not supply luxuries to the affluent.

He took a vow of poverty and he fasted. Yes, fat Santa is not the Bishop of Myra, Saint Nicholas was not a big fat purveyor of greed.

Now I’m not a Christian, though I do believe in Jesus. Let me explain.

Jesus was a person, a spiritual leader, an educator, a prophet, and maybe yes, sent directly by God. I don’t have a clue when he was born, but I really doubt it was right after the Winter Solstice!

Early people worshipped nature and followed the seasons. My pagan ancestors would have celebrated Solstice as the rebirth of the sun. They would know the cold dark days were still upon them, but that the hope of the increasing light would see them through until spring. Winter Solstice for me is the return of hope. It’s a favorite of mine, right up there with New Years because that whole time you are thinking: “What can I do to make myself a better person?” I think that self-reflection is so incredible and inspiring.

Now while Christians might be out there praying for my soul (and sincerely I wish you wouldn’t, do you pray for the Dali Lama’s soul too, not that I have even a 10th of that man’s soulfulness)!!!! I’m trying to explain!!!! Listen! It’s not about votes. This isn’t X-factor or Dancing with the Stars. This is about a time of year that is entwined with commercialism. As I said, I don’t worship the church of Santa. I want this holiday to have the meaning of love, family, generosity, hope, rebirth, reflection, right living, and acceptance too. So I do hope that people who are Christian celebrate the birth of Jesus. I just wish people who weren’t Christian, didn’t celebrate the commercialism.

Rant aside, this month is moving along. I don’t have to find myself stressed worrying about getting the right gift. To me, gathering with family and friends is the best way to celebrate the spirit of a season of rebirth.