Death & Remembrance

Jeff back in the 80's at YCP

Happy Birthday Jeff!!

This week is going to be a week of death and remembrance.  

Today would have been my friend Jeff's 47th birthday.  He died 2 March 2012.  I will quote what a good friend posted that day because she said it so well:  "He was one of the funniest, kindest, big-hearted, empathetic, coolest people I've ever known. The suddenness of it all makes me long for more chance to tell him how much I loved him. I'm pretty sure he knew, but oh, to have that one last chance. If there is a heaven, I hope he's up there drinking a nice glass of Italian vino, keeping an eye on all of us (when he's not driving around twisty roads in his Fiat 500 Abarth he never got the chance to buy). Rest in peace, and music, and wine, and greyhounds, and cats, and fencing, and everything you loved. You will never, ever, ever, ever be forgotten. Until we meet again ... ♥"  We raise a glass of Kahlua & Cream in your honor!


Tomorrow the church will be honoring my father, Charles, who died 12 February 2011.  He loved the history of people.  He loved working on the family tree and telling the stories of our past.  He followed suit by investigating the history and people of his church.  He and the other members of the History Club found the original deed to the church one day and my fathers wish was to be able to get it restored and framed one day.  He never got around to doing it; so, after his death, my mother asked the church if we could use some of the money that people had donated in his honor.  One of the History Club members investigated what would need to be done, how much it would cost, etc.  The restoration is finally done!  So, hopefully it can be picked up and presented tomorrow evening.  If not, then another day.  The point is that it was restored for him.  I wish that he could have seen it.

Later this week my good friends husband will bury his mother, Donna Lee Henry.  She died 23 November 2012.  I did not know her, only met her once - maybe twice, but my friend thought that her mother-in-law was a lovely women.  She was happy to become part of her family.  And she raised a pretty great son (my friends husband), so that says a lot about her.  I feel for my friend, her husband, and the rest of her family and friends.  I know all to well how it feels to lose a parent, a loved one, a friend.

So, today I remember all those who have passed:  my friend Jeff, my father Charles, my friends mother Donna, another friends Uncle Joe, another friends mother Antionette....  And I give thanks for all of them being a part of my life.

Half: One woman's journey...

HALF: One woman's journey to lose weight

Julia Kozerski's Website
Originally found  on Facebook.com from www.mamamia.com

‘While I genuinely believed that my hard work and dedication would transform me into that “perfect” person of my dreams, the reality of what has resulted is quite the opposite. My experience contradicts what the media tends to portray. While it is easy to celebrate and appreciate the dramatic physical results of such an endeavor, underneath the layers of clothing and behind closed doors, quite a different reality exists.’  J Kozerski


This series of photographs struck me on so many levels that it makes it hard to find a direction to start.

First:  It's Thanksgiving 2012, which means that many Americans across the country just stuffed themselves to the point of bursting.   The Holiday Mecca for over-eaters everywhere that starts today and goes through the New Year.  We are a nation of indulgers.  I include myself in this as well; I have too many things, need to lose weight, etc...  It's no wonder that our children are increasingly becoming more obese.  Ah, but this can be a rant for another day.  So our indulgences led this woman (and many other) to have the need to lose weight, which produced this series of photos on her blog.

Second:  So many of us think that we need to be perfect.  We strive to have perfect bodies, perfect grades, perfect homes, perfect family....  Because we want people to like us, love us even.  Because we think that everyone else has a perfect life.  So we do things like buy the nicest house, lose weight, send our kids to the best schools...., to make everyone else think that our life is perfect.  All the while, popular culture, the media, advertisements tell us that we should be perfect, that we can be, that we want to be.  If we only do this, buy that, eat this but not that; we can obtain our desires and look like the "pretty people" we see on TV and in movies.

Lastly (and more importantly):  I found these photos to be beautiful.  In their raw honesty, we see into the soul.  We see the woman, not her weight or the wrinkles of her skin.  She shines through.  She is flawed, normal, just a woman, not particularly special, but so perfect in her own way.  She is her perfect self.  I hope that we can all achieve this, if even for only a moment.



 

Ethiopian Cole Slaw

ETHIOPIAN COLE SLAW

1# Cabbage

1 small Red Onion

1-2 Jalapeno Pepper

12 oz Shredded Carrot

3 Granny Smith Apple

1# Sauteed Portabella Mushrooms Minced Garlic

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Lemon Juice

Salt and Pepper

Saute Mushrooms w/ some Olive Oil and Garlic, allow to cool.

Mix all vegetables together to taste.

Add Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar & Lemon Juice, taste and add more if needed.

Add Salt and Pepper, taste

Chill and serve

This is a really fresh, crisp salad that would make a great side dish, lunch or light dinner.  

I added the carrots, mushrooms and apples to the recipe I got from a friend.  You could add any fresh seasonal vegetable that you like.  Even some raisins or craisins and some nuts would be fabulous.  I'm going to try that next time.

I first had this at a pot luck luncheon at work, thanks to my co-worker SG.  I've wanted to share it with others, but only got the opportunity this past week at a lovely dinner / house concert.  Everyone really enjoyed it; but because cabbage seems to multiply exponentially, I had plenty of left overs.  So, what do you do when you have a large container of salad and only two people in the house?  You take it to work!  In the morning I was worried that by the end of the day I would still have this huge container of quickly degrading vegetable and be forced to consume it in large amounts over the weekend!  AAHHHH!  But Lo and behold, when you place a full container of food in the kitchen, complete with a sign, cups and forks, you end up with an almost empty container that is now manageable for you to finish in the next day or so.  Happy me!  I also met some co-workers that I had not met yet (this being a fairly new job for me), and struck up some conversations starting with "The  salad was wonderful!".  The power of food!

"This dish is “Ethiopian” for one reason: I first had it at Enat, a wonderful Ethiopian restaurant in Alexandria, Va. The owner has no Amharic name for it, and he began serving it with his vegetarian combo platter after an Ethiopian woman in his neighborhood made it and he liked it. But perhaps there’s another reason it’s Ethiopian: karya (jalapeño peppers). Ethiopians love this vegetable and use it liberally."   Ethiopian Food * Mesob Across America

Every hand extended in love....

I found this on a page on Facebook -
 The Truth Is Out There/Photo Album:
 Our Home - Mother Earth

 

I just saw this on Facebook.  Whether it is true or false, an old story or new, an amalgamation of many things, or something all together different... it does not matter.  It touches the heart and makes me think.-----

 "Recent headline of the San Francisco Chronicle. Female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spiderweb of crab traps and line weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, tail, torso and a line tugging in her mouth.  
 A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her. They worked for hours and eventually freed her.
 When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as she was thanking them.
Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same."

If we would all just take this attitude everyday, how much better would the world be?  A kind of "pay it forward" idea.  It starts small, but can do big things.  And the action can be small.  It doesn't have to be saving a whale from entanglement or stopping poverty; just reach out to someone.  Open a door for them, offer a smile and say hello, buy coffee for the person behind you.  Then where you can, help in a bigger way.  With recent events like Hurricane Sandy and the battles leading up to election day, it is heartening to see people helping others, reaching across the aisle, doing and giving where we can.

I'd like to think that I can remove my rosy colored glasses, to see this continue and build momentum into the holiday season (no matter what holiday you choose to celebrate) and beyond.  That we can all take a new attitude as we move forward.  Repair the damage, come to an agreement, put hate and anger aside, extend a hand in love.

Election Day 2012

No matter who you voted for; and I hope you voted; today is an exciting day.  Watching democracy in progress.  We should feel honored and privileged in the US that we can vote.  That EVERYONE can vote.  You just have to take the initiative and do it.  There is nothing stopping you.  Only yourself.  Yes, someone might try to stand in your way, put up obstacles; but you can still get out there and vote.  You can get people to help you remove the obstacles.

Well, let's see who wins this.  What path we will be on.  Exciting stuff!!

Still a work in progress....

Still a work in progress, this site and myself.  

I've add a few pages, although they may not yet have anything on them.  I will add info and pictures to each page as I can.  As I sort thru things, I'm sure that there will be revisions and editing involved.  I find this to be true with life (ooooh, no real new concept here).  I try to look at my day, my life and assess what could have been different.  What would I change given the opportunity?

For starters, I would have gotten up at 7:00 am to walk.  Or at least 7:30 am.   I need to start walking to help my leg heal... improve.... get the blood flowing (see May Thurner Syndrome).  Seems that walking will not only help me lower my weight, but will also help keep my body doing what it should be doing to remain healthy.  Go figure.

The rest, may be a bit on the personal side.  Or perhaps for another day.

Get out there and vote tomorrow.  No matter who you vote for.  It's a privilege that we should cherish.

Day One...

Hi,

Welcome to my blog!  This will be my attempt at blogging.  

I'll show you the things that I am working on; including my new micro business creating custom jewelry and catering events,  crafting projects, random thoughts, amateur photography, everyday life, technological findings, an occasional nerd-fest, and what ever else crosses my mind.  My objective is to show you what I am doing creatively in all areas.  As I come across things that I am interested in, I will share them even if I don't start that project right away.  It might be something that you will find interesting. 

I will always give credit where credit is due; naming names and posting links.  I will always appreciate your thoughts and suggestions as I move forward.  As I am human, an will certainly make mistakes, so feel free to call me out on this.