Each of us is an indomitable spirit wrapped in a unique human package with the power to inspire, amaze, and transcend that humanity at any given moment. Charlotte and Jonathan, who sang together on Britain's Got Talent in 2012, exemplify the power of that spirit to move all of us to greater heights. Thank you Charlotte and Jonathan for sharing your beautiful gifts with the world.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
Beautiful and Amazing Lake Superior
I LOVE this Lake! It is ever-changing, powerful, and beautiful and I can't seem to get enough of it. End March will be our one year anniversary here in Duluth. We moved from Gladstone, Michigan on Lake Michigan's Little Bay de Noc in March 2012. Little Bay de Noc froze over providing much habitat for excited fisherman. Here is a photo of the ice shacks on Little Bay de Noc toward the end of the season, March 2012, when the ice was already melting.
When we moved to Duluth, I couldn't imagine this portion of Lake Superior freezing solid because the wave action is so consistent and the lake area is much larger than on the bay in Michigan. Although the lake hasn't frozen solid, I am continually amazed that it freezes and thaws and freezes sometimes all within a 24 hour period. Yesterday, I took these two photos of Lake Superior when the waves were strong and the water was churned up with sediment turning it a chocolaty brown.
Today, the Lake is white with chunked ice and so beautiful. Gently rolling waves undulate the surface ice in a mesmerizing rhythm that made me question just what I was seeing. This photo is of the same rocks as shown above, one day later.
The lake's ever-changing face reminds me that nothing stays the same for long and life's gift is to notice every moment before it changes and flees forever.
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| Ice fisherman shacks on Little Bay de Noc, Gladstone, MI, March 2012. |
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| An incoming wave on Lake Superior, Duluth, MN, Feb. 7, 2013 . . . |
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| Crash! |
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| Frozen beauty. Lake Superior, Duluth, MN, Feb. 8, 2013. |
Thursday, January 24, 2013
A celebration of humanity
Humans are incredible. This symphonic/choral flash mob is amazing to watch unfold. Here is the text that accompanied the Youtube video:
Published on May 31, 2012
On the 130th anniversary of the founding of Banco Sabadell we wanted to pay homage to our city by means of the campaign "Som Sabadell" (We are Sabadell) . This is the flashmob that we arranged as a final culmination with the participation of 100 people from the Vallès Symphony Orchestra, the Lieder, Amics de l'Òpera and Coral Belles Arts choirs.
Inspirational and beautiful and a celebration of all that is good in the human spirit. Enjoy.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Life is Miraculous!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Warm Winter Soup
Our friend Nick recently gave my husband two enormous chunks of King Salmon that he caught somewhere on Lake Michigan. Not knowing what else to do with an excess of salmon, I decided that it was high time I experimented with making fish chowder. It was so tasty that I am sharing it here. My recipe is based on http://allrecipes.com/recipe/salmon-chowder/ , but mine is dairy free. I served the chowder with collard greens cooked in an Americraft waterless pot and brown rice. I hope you enjoy it!
Salmon Chowder
Ingredients
1 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium-large clove garlic, minced or crushed
4 small potatoes or 2 medium potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
2 medium or 1 large carrot, chopped into 1/3 inch pieces
1 cup vegetable broth, low sodium (I used Pacific Natural Foods, Organic)
1 - 1 1/2 cups filtered water
sea salt to taste, approximately 1/4 teaspoon
ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 1/2 cups cooked salmon, chunks or 1 16 oz can of salmon
(1 tsp. olive oil and 1 T. lemon juice are needed to cook salmon)
3 T. flour (use rice, sorghum, or buckwheat flour to make it gluten free)
Freshly chopped scallions (optional garnish)
Directions
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in 2 inch deep saute pan on medium heat. Saute onion, celery and garlic until onions are tender. Add potatoes and carrots, cook 1-2 minutes, mixing well. Add broth, water, salt, pepper, and dill. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer approximately 15 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are soft.
If using fresh salmon, rinse thoroughly. Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in saute pan on medium heat. When hot, add salmon, skin down, and cook for approximately 3 minutes. Add water to cover bottom of pan, cover. Cook 10 minutes, add 1 T. lemon juice. When cooked through, remove skin and check for bones; break into chunks and add to broth.
Cook broth with salmon approximately 5 minutes, whisk small amounts of flour into soup to thicken broth. Allow to simmer, covered, another 2-5 minutes. Serve with freshly chopped scallions.
Salmon Chowder
Ingredients
1 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium-large clove garlic, minced or crushed
4 small potatoes or 2 medium potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
2 medium or 1 large carrot, chopped into 1/3 inch pieces
1 cup vegetable broth, low sodium (I used Pacific Natural Foods, Organic)
1 - 1 1/2 cups filtered water
sea salt to taste, approximately 1/4 teaspoon
ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 1/2 cups cooked salmon, chunks or 1 16 oz can of salmon
(1 tsp. olive oil and 1 T. lemon juice are needed to cook salmon)
3 T. flour (use rice, sorghum, or buckwheat flour to make it gluten free)
Freshly chopped scallions (optional garnish)
Directions
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in 2 inch deep saute pan on medium heat. Saute onion, celery and garlic until onions are tender. Add potatoes and carrots, cook 1-2 minutes, mixing well. Add broth, water, salt, pepper, and dill. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer approximately 15 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are soft.
If using fresh salmon, rinse thoroughly. Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in saute pan on medium heat. When hot, add salmon, skin down, and cook for approximately 3 minutes. Add water to cover bottom of pan, cover. Cook 10 minutes, add 1 T. lemon juice. When cooked through, remove skin and check for bones; break into chunks and add to broth.
Cook broth with salmon approximately 5 minutes, whisk small amounts of flour into soup to thicken broth. Allow to simmer, covered, another 2-5 minutes. Serve with freshly chopped scallions.
Monday, July 2, 2012
My Summer: redirected.
I am at my childhood home in Pennsylvania for what may be the rest of the summer. My mother broke her hip about a month ago and returned from the rehabilitation center a week ago last Friday. My parents, who live on 30 acres, have 2 horses, a dog and 4 cats, asked me to return home to help them as my mother continues her recovery. What does this mean for me? It means my fledgling plans in Duluth have been put on hold until September: my first summer in Duluth postponed until next summer in Duluth, my craft fair slot forfeited, radio station internship shelved, and Ageless Grace classes un-scheduled. It means I will be living far away from my husband and very attached feline, Haley, for longer than I have every been separated from them before. It means that my summer has been redirected from focusing on myself to focusing on my parents.
I could look at this experience as a burden. I could lament leaving my husband for an extended time and delaying everything I've started in my new home city. Instead, I've chosen to view this redirection as a blessed gift of time: Time to give back to my parents who have done so much for me throughout my life; Time to enjoy sharing their everyday lives without the frenetic excitement and inevitable exhaustion that large family gatherings induce over the holidays; and time to appreciate the gift inherent in shifting my focus from me to those I dearly love for longer than just a phone call.
When I return to Duluth in September, the days will be shorter and colder and darker. I will begin again, in a new season, to explore this rich city as Summer marches into Fall and to build relationships as I find my place in the Northwoods as a teacher and artist. Until then, I look forward to unwrapping this blessed and rich gift of time with my parents as I experience my redirected Summer with great gratitude.
I could look at this experience as a burden. I could lament leaving my husband for an extended time and delaying everything I've started in my new home city. Instead, I've chosen to view this redirection as a blessed gift of time: Time to give back to my parents who have done so much for me throughout my life; Time to enjoy sharing their everyday lives without the frenetic excitement and inevitable exhaustion that large family gatherings induce over the holidays; and time to appreciate the gift inherent in shifting my focus from me to those I dearly love for longer than just a phone call.
When I return to Duluth in September, the days will be shorter and colder and darker. I will begin again, in a new season, to explore this rich city as Summer marches into Fall and to build relationships as I find my place in the Northwoods as a teacher and artist. Until then, I look forward to unwrapping this blessed and rich gift of time with my parents as I experience my redirected Summer with great gratitude.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Are your possessions "stuff" or "crap"??
Here is a wonderful article worth the few moments it will take to read it: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/clutter-clearing-your-housemates-may-hate-me.html?page=1http://www.care2.com/greenliving/clutter-clearing-your-housemates-may-hate-me.html?page=1 It is all about unloading all of that "stuff" that you have, but no longer use, yet continue to store, stare at, and, occasionally - curse - when you have to clean around it or it falls out of the closet for the millionth seeming time or you realize once more that it is broken - has been for some time - and yet, it is, still, unbelievably, still sitting there taking up much needed space.
A few years ago, my father-in-law and my husband and I were having a conversation about "stuff" vs. "crap." It occurred to me at that moment that "'Crap' is what you call it when it is no longer 'stuff.'" That is, when you no longer have a need for it, that once beloved item turns immediately into "crap." This article, written by Christy Diane Farr on www.care2.com, agrees.
Having moved TWICE in one year, April 2011 and March 2012, my husband and I have become somewhat skilled (still work to do on my part) at parting with, donating, throwing away - eegads! - and regifting, with insight and care (books mostly fall into this category, as my family can tell you). This skill has developed for 2 important reasons: 1) we have moved into smaller spaces than we once occupied, with less storage space and less floor space (Yes, for those who know me, our Charlestown, MA apartment was the smallest place we've inhabited in 8 years of marriage, but the dirty little secret is that we had "stuff" stored at 3 different places in NH to make that happen, including a car! Much thanks to our wonderful and forgiving friends - you know who you are - for helping to make that happen.)
When we moved to MI in April 2011 we collected all those lovely stored items from NH and had to make some hard decisions to fit what we most desired into the moving truck. Fortunately, Charlestown, MA is a wonderful place to put what we had deemed "crap" for FREE and passersby looked at it with glee and as they reached down to pick it up and carry it home it instantaneously turned right back into "stuff." Amazing!
After 6 moves in 9 years of marriage, my husband and I believe strongly in the concept of "circulation." If we are not using X - whatever X may be at the moment - then it is not fulfilling its purpose on Earth and must go out into the world to circulate once more. This philosophy, of course, is a work in progress. I still have a guest room with too many boxes in it for my liking and no home for all those items. This article is inspiring and helpful while I continue to contemplate whether the items in those boxes are still "stuff" or have fermented from non-use into "crap." Who wants to visit so I am forced to decide??
A few years ago, my father-in-law and my husband and I were having a conversation about "stuff" vs. "crap." It occurred to me at that moment that "'Crap' is what you call it when it is no longer 'stuff.'" That is, when you no longer have a need for it, that once beloved item turns immediately into "crap." This article, written by Christy Diane Farr on www.care2.com, agrees.
Having moved TWICE in one year, April 2011 and March 2012, my husband and I have become somewhat skilled (still work to do on my part) at parting with, donating, throwing away - eegads! - and regifting, with insight and care (books mostly fall into this category, as my family can tell you). This skill has developed for 2 important reasons: 1) we have moved into smaller spaces than we once occupied, with less storage space and less floor space (Yes, for those who know me, our Charlestown, MA apartment was the smallest place we've inhabited in 8 years of marriage, but the dirty little secret is that we had "stuff" stored at 3 different places in NH to make that happen, including a car! Much thanks to our wonderful and forgiving friends - you know who you are - for helping to make that happen.)
When we moved to MI in April 2011 we collected all those lovely stored items from NH and had to make some hard decisions to fit what we most desired into the moving truck. Fortunately, Charlestown, MA is a wonderful place to put what we had deemed "crap" for FREE and passersby looked at it with glee and as they reached down to pick it up and carry it home it instantaneously turned right back into "stuff." Amazing!
After 6 moves in 9 years of marriage, my husband and I believe strongly in the concept of "circulation." If we are not using X - whatever X may be at the moment - then it is not fulfilling its purpose on Earth and must go out into the world to circulate once more. This philosophy, of course, is a work in progress. I still have a guest room with too many boxes in it for my liking and no home for all those items. This article is inspiring and helpful while I continue to contemplate whether the items in those boxes are still "stuff" or have fermented from non-use into "crap." Who wants to visit so I am forced to decide??
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