Quote of the Day: Thomas S Cowan
The intellectual mind has discovered that sunlight moving through the air at certain angles produces red and orange colors; and that the moon’s light is due to photons bounding off it’s surface. But when we experience the beauty of a sunset, or the magic of a moonlit night, we are not thinking of photons or refractive indices. The poetry of nature speaks, first and foremost, to the human soul.
Thomas S Cowan, MD (The Fourfold Path to Healing)
This past week we’ve been having the most wonderful moon rises. The nights have been fairly clear and the moon has been really bright. This doesn’t happen all the time, just certain times of the year. It’s funny how the moon rises and sets every day, yet there are those days when it makes us stop in our tracks and watch in wonder!
What part of nature do you find speaks most to your soul?
Share this:
Maple Sitter
When we headed off to Florida two weeks ago we were in the middle of sugaring season. The season started in early February and we had already collected over 100 gallons of sap which became 2 gallons of finished syrup. We thought the sap would stop flowing before we left, but that wasn’t the case. The weather was still perfect and it looked like it would continue most of the 2 weeks we were gone. Sadly we resigned ourselves to the fact that the sap would we wasted.
One of our neighbors happened to stop by to chat the week before we left, while she was there we gave her a small jar of syrup. This piqued her interest in the whole process and she starting asking questions. After explaining the process to her, she asked if she could collect the sap while we were gone. The day before we left, she brought over a box full of various milk jugs and other bottles, we replaced our glass jars with hers and I gave her a quick lesson in maple sugaring. While we were traveling, she gathered sap, boiled it down on her stove, and was happy to end up with about a quart of syrup.
Her family did a taste test with imitation maple syrup and said they were all blown away by how great it was (the fake stuff tastes like chemicals she said). They enjoyed doing it so much that they’re planning on tapping all of their maple trees next year. I love passing on the love of real food and the joy of making your own to someone else!
Have you ever found a new hobby by helping someone else out?
Share this:
Friday Favorite: Seafood
I love seafood! Sadly, it’s difficult to find good seafood/fish here in NE Ohio. Sure I can find good seafood if I drive to Cleveland, but that’s an hour and half each way. We often end up in locations with local seafood when we travel so I eat up when we do. While we were in Florida that was the case, particularly in Key West. Our first night in Key West the friendly folks at the campground recommended Hogfish Bar & Grill; it was quite good!
Back when I requested suggestions for our trip to Florida, one of you recommended Blue Heaven. We ate dinner there on Tuesday night and enjoyed it as well. Mr Chiots got a fresh Florida lobster tail and we ended our meal with classic Key Lime. Pie.
One of the things I’m super excited about with our plans to move to Maine is the seafood. I can’t wait to buy fresh local seafood at the local farmer’s market. We’ve already looked into clamming regulations and would love to learn how to do it. I don’t have a particular kind of seafood that’s my favorite, I pretty much love any kind of fish & seafood, especially those that taste of the sea. Freshwater fish is welcome on my plate anytime too!
Is fish/seafood welcome on your plate or would you rather stick to something else?
Share this:
The Parade has Begun
When I was out washing out the cat litter boxes on Tuesday afternoon I decided the weather was nice enough to check the front yard for crocus blooms. If you remember I planted hundreds of crocus and mini daffodil blooms in the lawn last fall. Low and behold I spotted a few bit of purple in the sea of green. Only about 15 are blooming right now, I can’t wait until the rest of the 500 bulbs bloom. I plated 5 different kinds of crocuses in a variety of colors.
On the back hillside, which was planted with over 800 tulip and other flowering bulbs the snowdrops are coming out in full force, pushing their way up through the mulch of chopped leaves and reaching for the sun.
These small splashes of color in the garden mark the beginning stages of a parade of color that will last until late May. I’m so looking forward to watching everything unfold as the coming months progress. Gardening truly is one of those hobbies that brings much joy.
Anything blooming in your garden yet? What’s usually the first bloom you see?
Share this:
Whew….
We finally arrived back at Chiot’s Run at 2:30 am yesterday morning after a LONG drive down to the bottom of the US and back. Last Saturday it was 95 degrees when we were in Naples, FL and when we arrived home it was 17 with the ground covered in snow.
All sorts of wonderful experiences were had, from watching my friend run her first half marathon, visiting Ernest Hemingway’s house, taking my first sea plane ride, eating lots of seafood, meeting some great new folks, all while enjoying the warm sunny weather of Florida. We even had a few hours of relaxation in between our weekends of work and the long hours in the car.
Stay tuned for lots of great photos of lush tropical foliage and flowers. I soaked up a good dose of vitamin D, hopefully enough to keep me going through the busy seed starting season that is now upon us. Even though the warmth of the sun was nice, I’m certainly glad to be back in the chilly north – I’m a northerner through and through. Give me snow, cold weather and some warm woolens and I’m happy as a clam!
What climate do you find suites you best?
