the friday feed: healing foods

 I’ve had laryngitis for the past six days. I’m getting to the point where I can talk above a whisper but still not talking much because I WANT MY VOICE BACK! (At least I can yell with capital letters) Try going to a wedding and having no voice. No fun. Going to the grocery store and typing a note out to order the Easter ham or to a restaurant and yet another note to the server with your order. Not being able to talk makes social interaction difficult and frustrating. 

I’m handling this on my own, no doctor visit, because it is just a big nasty cold. The burst of pollen from the spring blooming doesn’t help either. I took a COVID test…negative. Lots of liquid, decaf tea with honey and lemon or crystallized ginger. I made my immune boosting soup. Gargling with salt water. Not talking (even whispering is bad). Getting lots of rest. 

As inconvenient as this has been, it’s also had a few benefits: reading a couple books, designing a quilt for little grandson, writing letters, and just appreciating this slower pace. It will pick up soon.

Immune Boosting Soup

3 boxes of vegetable broth (I use chicken broth)

A whole head of garlic, chopped

3 inches of minced ginger, grated

3 onions, chopped

1 T. curry powder

1 bag of cilantro

4 carrots, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

Bok choy, kale, spinach, Swiss chard (your choice!)

Add all ingredients to a large pot, bring to a boil, simmer until vegetables are tender.

FYI: I add brown rice to my soup to add a little bit of substance. You can add any veggies you want. It's all about the garlic, ginger, onions, cilantro, and curry for the immune boosting.

trolling {april 6, 2023}

Three giant trolls are nestled among the trees of Aullwood Audubon near Dayton. Created by world-renowned recycle artist, Thomas Dambo, the troll exhibition, "The Troll That Hatched an Egg," pays tribute to Dayton's aviation history.

The giant trolls, Bo, Bodil and Bibbi, are made from locally sourced recyclable materials and are a permanent exhibit created especially for Aullwood Audubon. The wooden trolls are expected to remain intact for approximately five years until they decompose and return to the earth.

My nieces’ son was on spring break. They were coming to Dayton to go to the Restoration Hardware Outlet and they called to see if there was anything tun to do outside. We met at Aullwood to see the trolls and had the best time walking the paths to find and hug them. And yes, trolls like to be hugged.

wordy wednesday: national poetry month {april 5, 2023}

27 years ago the Academy of American Poets launched National Poetry Month in April 1996. National Poetry Month celebrates poets’ integral roles in our culture and the fact that poetry matters. The success of Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March led to the initiation of this month long celebration of poetry in April. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, K–12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, families, and—of course—poets, marking poetry’s important place in our lives. 

I enjoy poetry. One of my favorite movies is “Dead Poet’s Society,” and John Keating, the teacher extraordinaire in this movie shared these words to his students: 

“We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”

 Poetry, like music, painting, sculpting, is entirely human. It is carving your emotions, your life, your story into something that is entirely your own. It is a condensation of language which demonstrates an exceptionally high amount of skill and presence of mind.

I recently stumbled across this poem, “Purple,” by Kwame Dawes. It spoke to me immediately. When little grandson gets bigger, I plan to take him on walks around the neighborhood, in parks, through the woods, around the city, wherever the wind takes us, and teach him about plants and birds and flowers, the sun and sky, the wonder of the big beautiful world in which we live. With his little hand in mine, he will learn from me and I will see the world through his wonder-filled blue eyes.

hello, yellow! {april 4, 2023}

Yellow, the color of the caution light that says, "Slow down."

Yellow, the color of spring that says, "Bye, bye, winter...full speed ahead, bring on the sunshine!"  💛

"Spring won't let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again.” ~ Gustav Mahler 

monday's mulling: license to smile {april 3, 2023}

I've been sorting through photos and have found that I have A LOT of pics with license plates. Is this weird? Probably. But what I've noticed about license plates is that people use them to share a message, support a cause or an athletic team, bring a laugh, make you think. Lots of creativity out there.

So let's start Monday on a positive note ~ 

I like this one. You immediately notice the spread good vibes message but make sure to check out the license plate. You get a 2 for 1.

no joke! {april 2, 2023}

Happy birthday, Dayton! 

It’s no joke…Dayton, Ohio was founded exactly 227 years ago on April 1, 1796, by a dozen people known as “The Thompson Party.” The group had traveled up the Great Miami River from Cincinnati.

The pavilion at Founders' Point marks where Dayton's first settlers arrived and stepped foot on the land that would grow to become Ohio's sixth largest city.

Dayton is named after Captain Jonathan Dayton, who was born in New Jersey and served in the American Revolutionary War. He was the youngest signee of the United States Constitution. Dayton never visited the area, but when the city was established he owned land in the Great Miami River basin. Dayton also  served as the third Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and served in the U.S. Senate, too.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕

It’s no joke…My best friend’s daughter is getting married today and I have laryngitis. No voice whatsoever. Not even a squeak. There will be lots of smiling and nodding at the reception. Oy.

march gratitudes {april 1, 2023}

March is over, the first three months of the year have passed. Reflections on the past month...

🍀 My brother and sister-in-law visited for a few days. We went to a favorite restaurant, El Meson, and ate lots of delicious tapas and drank good margaritas. My brother who lives in Cincinnati joined us for dinner, too. 

🍀 Taking a walk along the flooded Great Miami River and ending up in Old North Dayton at a flood memorial park and a war memorial park dedicated to OND veterans.

🍀 Gave me a laugh..There are those mornings...

🍀 Retired teachers luncheon. Once a month I go to a luncheon with teachers who have retired from the school where I taught. Teaching was a second career for me; most of these women taught for their entire career, 30+ years. I love to hear the stories from these amazing ladies.

🍀 Yoga 3-4 times a week...good for the body, mind, and spirit.

🍀 The daffodil house with its explosion of yellow to welcome spring.

🍀 New recipes: Cauliflower rice with kimchi and other brain healthy goodies and beef barley soup with beef shank, which is hard to find, but makes and incredibly good soup.

🍀 Hope House fundraiser and the cupcake filled with sprinkles.

🍀 Seeing the waning quarter moon in the early morning.

🍀 First day of spring…woohoo!

🍀 A week of making posts about different aspects of the Great Dayton Flood. I discovered flood markers, the Miamisburg Hamburger Wagon, a section in Woodland Cemetery dedicated to flood victims, learned about the Miami Conservancy District, and the resiliency and compassion that comes out of disasters.

🍀 Def Leppard is teaming up with the Royal Symphony Orchestra to make an album. Heard “Animal” on the radio…very cool.

🍀 Daughter and son-in-law have been married 11 months. What a fun and fast year it’s been for them. 

🍀 Little grandson is 9 months old! I babysat him for a weekend while his parents spent time with friends and went to a concert. He’s crawling everywhere, standing at the coffee table, cleaning out cupboards, playing, laughing, eating solid food, discovering new things about the world everyday.

🍀 Aullwood Audubon MetroPark with my nieces and their son to see the three trolls, Bodil, Bo, and Bibbi. Bo is in the photo.