chopped, yet philosophical about it

I write this listening to Hawaiian music (have I mentioned how happy that makes me?) and sipping a G&T. Yeah. Yay! It's been that kind of day. But all is good now.

Here's what's interesting. On Friday, at my therapeutic massage appointment, Kate (a genius) goes at one point...."Aaah there it goes. Your joint is now back in." Amazing. She was so right. She managed to wrestle my errant SI joint back where it belonged. End of pain. Just like that. I love that gal.

So, immediately, I start not-so-slowly breaking back into yoga, swimming, and walking. I can't help it. I like to do things. Which leads us to today's issue. I met my buddy Bernie to walk at 8 am, then zoomed to the gym for a swim. The pool gym is ever so close to Goodwill. Who wouldn't? I got a cool belt, a Coldwater Creek red quilted jacket and a pair of shorts. Schweet.

This stop got me home later than expected. While hurriedly throwing together a stew for the crock pot, and chopping onions, I forgot about my thumb. Oy. Not good. Yes. Clear to the bone. Have I mentioned that, as a child, my nickname was scab due to my general clumsiness? I was rarely without a few scabs, in various stages of healing, up till age thirteen. Today I was brave enough to look at the hideous thumb. That's progress. I called my doctor to describe the ugly knob, and she recommended I immediately head to the nearest hospital or Care Now.

Care Now was amazing, so fast and un-busy (if you are holding stock, dump it now). The best part was I only got steri-strips, not stitches, and a prescription for antibiotics. No big deal. Yay!

My point, and I do have one, is never, ever rush when you are wielding a sharp knife. It will not end well. Trust me. Peace. Relax. Enjoy the chopping process. Everything else can wait. Namaste.

salad days

So, I'm back to my salad addiction for lunches. Today's salad was so pretty, I had to awaken Agnes (my camera) from her Sunday morning sleep-in to take these pictures. That girl does not like to be roused before noon on weekends. Slacker or bon vivant?  You decide.

For this salad, I threw in everything I could find in the fridge, thinking that eating the entire rainbow is best. By that I mean I subscribe to the theory that ingesting every color of food will get you a good assortment of vitamins and minerals. Guess what all is in here. The culprits are listed below. For dressing, I tossed in some balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Delicious and healthy.

This salad included iceberg lettuce, red leaf lettuce, fresh spinach, cooked red beets, onions, chopped tomatoes, aged white cheddar cheese, Virginia ham, strawberries, artichoke hearts, and chopped broccoli. Salads are like life. You should throw in everything and anything and gather up as many friends as you can to share it with. I halved this with quiet Guy after yoga class, followed by a cup of English tea with milk and sugar, which is always a good idea of a Sunday afternoon. Next, we mulched the flower beds. Oh yeah! Life is so good.

pearls and poetry

Yesterday, I was at a friends house and got to see these lovely pearls. Look what beauty God has made. And to think that each of us is more precious than one of these.  Hard to imagine. Poetry month is almost over. My back is slowly improving. That's all I know for now. Relax and enjoy the weekend. That's an order. And if you have the time, write a poem!

Lift

Lord, sometimes

I’m in pain, but

your world is

wide and filtered

with sunlight

in places where

cool streams Flow.

Lay me down

against the mossy

rocks. Wash

me in clear waters.

Rinse all but

my essence away

and let me soar.

    2013Kimberly Laustsen

easy baked stuffed apple recipe

Here's the recipe I promised. It's for baked stuffed apples. This makes an excellent breakfast, or topped with ice cream, a tasty dessert. It has about 225 calories per apple.

Maple Pecan Stuffed Apples

Gather pecans, pretzels, maple syrup, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and four medium sized crisp, juicy apples, preferably organic. I used gala and cameo. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the following together:

1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup crushed pretzels
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Core the four apples, using a small spoon to scoop out all of the seeds. Stuff the apples with the nut/pretzel mixture. Place in loaf pan with 1/2 cup of water in the bottom. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or so, until tender. Cool slightly and top with ice cream or eat as is. Enjoy!

On Saturday, when QG was cutting the grass, he discovered this beautiful wild strawberry growing in the back yard. You never know what delightful surprise life is about to throw your way. Keep watch!

music, crafts, and you, my dear

Welcome! Thanks for reading my blog. You are busy, and yet you read. I appreciate that. Today I am crushing on Keali'i Reichel. His Collection One CD is the newest addition to my Hawaiian music collection. I cannot adequately describe how much joy and happiness listening to Hawaiian music brings me. It is so free, easy, peppy, and melodious at once. What more could you ask? It reminds me of being on the Big Island hiking in the tropical rain forest or chillin' on the beach. Get you some Hawaiian music, people, and get it soon. You will not regret it.

I got this CD at Barnes and Noble today on my adventure to spend a GC I'd gotten way back in February for my birthday. Thanks, Kathy R.! I discovered this cool system there, whereby you can scan almost any CD and listen to the tracks in the store to see if you like it. So I gathered up all of the Hawaiian music CD's and this one was the best. As a bonus, it even has two CD's to enjoy. Aaahhh. Whatever your taste, I hope you take some time to immerse yourself in music once in a while.

I'm trying to dream up a craft for craft day tomorrow with my buddy Morgan. I'm thinking something to do with coffee filter butterflies or tissue paper flowers, but if you have any better ideas, hit me. Besides crafts, we always play this Mario Uno game I got ages ago at Target on clearance. That girl always kicks my butt and I can't figure it out. She is gifted at getting Draw Four and Draw Two cards, and she loves it. It's cute and I am a willing loser, as it makes her happy, though, it must be said she wins fair-and-square game after game.

Last week we made some pencil holders/votive jars and this is a super fun, green, and adaptable craft. You just collect tissue paper from the next b-day or shower event you attend. Then you gather some empty pickle, condiment or yogurt jars. Besides that, you just need a mixture of half Elmer's Glue and half water with a couple of brushes or sponge brushes.

You tear the tissue paper into pieces. Then you paint the glue mixture onto the outside of the glass container and stick the tissue paper onto that in whatever arrangement you want. You can tailor this to any holiday or event based on color. When you have covered the entire container, swipe over the whole works with the glue mixture for glossy effect and let dry on wax paper. Enjoy!

Tomorrow: a recipe I have been working all week to perfect and a surprise. Meet me here.

slack and mellow

I like pictures where people are not necessarily posing, but are being themselves and having fun. This is life. The practice round. The place where you get to be yourself with nary a care as to how you are perceived. 

I am trying to be philosophical about pain. When your body is working fine, it is easy to take everything for granted and to think all of life makes perfect sense as you flow through your busy days. 

When your back goes out yet again and you are forced, against your will, to rest, you notice the small things. Pain makes you notice details, if for no other reason than to distract yourself as you learn to surrender. The glint of sunshine on the deep green grass. The joy of baked apples and hamburgers for dinner. The subtle dignity of your twelve-year-old dog as she lays in the backyard staking out the fat squirrel which is trapped on the uppermost branch of the live oak tree. The fact that all of life is a mystery, which is the beautiful part. And all we have is this minute. 

Flowers are good at being slack and mellow. They say, "Hey, take me as I am here and now because this is all you'll get." People should be more like flowers. Me, especially. I try. And when I don't learn the first time, I get another chance. Oh, joy. Note to self: breathe in, breathe out. Repeat.

twenty-five movie gems

Today I am having a pain in the butt. Aargh. It's that darn occasional chinky back thing. Oh well, into each life, some rain must fall, right? While I am waiting for the chinky to pass, it's a good time to enjoy pictures of vibrant flowers. Beauty is good medicine. It's also an ideal time to hunker down and watch movies.

Last night, QG and I found a good one on Netflix called Comes a Bright Day. We like quirky, offbeat movies featuring people with bad teeth. If not bad teeth, then at least poor fashion sense. Barring that, we'll take anything based on a true story, especially if it features a few pot bellies and lovely wrinkled faces. Perfection is boring, ya know. Here's a list of my favorite movie gems, in no particular order. If you watch all of these, your life will definitely improve. Really. You can count on at least one epiphany. Enjoy!

1.The Intouchables
2.Buck
3.Dear Frankie
4.Kinky Boots
5.Win Win (the one with Paul Giamatti)
6.In America
7.The Station Agent
8.The Last Station
9.Beginners
10.Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
11.Saving Grace
12.The Girl in the Cafe
13.Saint Ralph
14.Greenfingers
15.Cold Comfort Farm
16.Sunshine Cleaning
17.Another Year
18.The Descendants
19.Bernie
20.Lars and the Real Girl
21.Get Low
22.Once
23.Off the Map
24.The Last King of Scotland
25.Death at a Funeral (the original, British one)

you shine

I believe that everybody has a special light inside which is meant to be shared with the world. We are all beautiful in some way, all unique creations of a loving God. Do not compare yourself to others. Listen to your heart. Let your light shine. You were created to shine. You are full of wonder, a radiant being. Believe it.

gratitude day

Today, I am practicing gratitude. I am thankful for yoga. I know I sound like a broken record touting it, but here's what happened. On my Florida trip, I foolishly went a dozen days without doing yoga. Besides that, I sat crunched up on an uncomfortable couch working on my computer for two days straight, not to mention carrying heavy groceries and luggage. Result: wrenched back, whereas it was hard to stand up straight by Monday morning. I decided to go to yoga today anyhow, and modify for gentle stretches and poses. It hurt. In the middle, I was questioning the sanity of my decision. However, by the time I got home, the back was much, much better. Close to normal even. Yay, yoga! The dude above is Christopher one of our fave instructors.

I'm also thankful for spiders. Call me crazy, but isn't this guy so darn cute and fascinating? I found him in the piney woods of Naples, Florida. I named him Slossy, as it seemed to suit him. Miss you, Slossy.

Lastly, I am thankful for winding paths. To me, they speak of hope, mystery and adventure. May all of your paths lead to peace and contentment, whatever life may throw your way. Namaste.

Tuesday thoughts

The thing about travelling is, eventually you have to come home. Then you have to miss people. I hate that part. I got used to seeing my daughter again, and my sisters, but ours is a family that lives in distant spaces. Oh well. It is warm and breezy outside, and the same sky covers us all. Besides, my family also includes the family of friend, which is a special kind of treasure to be found in unexpected places. Families are both made and gathered. Here is a poem for today. I have not done perfectly on my poem a day in April, but who keeps score?

Rendering

On my desk

sits a jar,

empty but for

wishes. In

the dark, I like

to sit and

watch its

golden lights

churning on till

sunrise.

-Kimberly Laustsen

don't miss it

Back in Texas now and missing Florida with its beautiful palm trees and people. If you think about it, every place has some kind of natural beauty. May your eyes find something lovely nearby today and stop to soak in each detail. After all, what is life but a clump of tough times and tiny joys all jangled together with the ordinary? The trick is to stay alert and fully inhabit each pleasure; each palm tree, friendly chat, blue sky, carved bird, cup of tea or flower before it passes by. Be a finder.

poem day

Don't forget it's still National poetry Month. Celebrate your words today!

Zephyr

On my alter

is a jasmine-scented candle,

a six-inch-high

wooden man in flowing robe,

a smooth rock

gathered from ocean’s edge,

and a clean, white

sheet of parchment.

    -Kimberly Laustsen 2013

matchmakers, clean hair, and a discovery

Question. Is seven hour-long episodes of Millionaire Matchmaker too many to watch back-to-back? I think not. I'd call it good career training. If the photography/writing/editing thing doesn't pan out, as of yesterday, I am fully qualified to become a professional matchmaker. 

Hey, what's a girl to do when she's stuck inside her daughter's bare-bones work apartment with a bad cold and no crafting materials available? While watching, I managed to delete 1,214 photographs, process a couple hundred photos, write my next DMN column (which is due next Monday, so I'm waaay ahead of schedule), and to accidentally shampoo my hair four times in a row during one commercial break. That show has ridiculously long commercial breaks. If you timed it right, you could give birth without missing a second.

The hair  SNAFU was not my fault. It's what happens when you don't have your reading glasses and are faced with unfamiliar product in a poorly lit shower. First I shampooed. Then I slathered on what I thought was conditioner only to discover it was body wash. So I did another light shampoo so the body wash wouldn't leave any weird residue. Done. That's three. Then I slathered on a huge clump from the bottle clearly marked conditioner, only to perceive, upon closer inspection, that it said shampoo and conditioner in one. That's four. I'm now sporting what is possibly the cleanest hair in America.

As far as the column goes, I made an important discovery. After eight months of nervously slogging away, undergoing at least one identity crisis per column, I finally realized how to do it easily with no stress. I simply pretend that I am writing something that I will immediately  crumble up and toss into the trashcan. I mean, truly convince myself of this and believe it. Wallah. No more nerves. Writing this column was the most fun, and I ended up with something I'm really happy with. Who knew? Forest Gump was right. Life is like a box of chocolates. 

on tender mercies

Some things just attract me. Others don't. Can't explain why. I am obsessed with blue. The blue of the ocean and that of the sky are art, poetry, all of my happiest thoughts combined.I am in love with blue and happy to be alive this week.

 

I am thankful for fish, Florida and shells. I am thankful for those who have welcomed me into their home this weekend without even knowing me, and have now become friends.

I tagged along with my daughter Kelly to her boyfriend's grandparents home for a three-day visit. Some people are too sweet and inspiring for words. Just sayin'. And some people, like me, are just lucky. May we all remember to give thanks for tender mercies, open doors, and all the people in our lives. In the end, it always comes down to the who. 

I can't help thinking about my car accident two-and-a-half years ago. The worst was the first day of rehab when the OT lady had me sit there in my wheel chair and separate beads from play dough. Granted, she may not have been the most skilled therapist ever, as my hands were uninjured. But I was clueless, and dutifully picked out the beads, thinking life as I knew it was basically over. I thought my fourteen broken bones would never heal into anything close to a normally functioning body. Just goes to show you can never give up hope. If you are going through a rough patch, hang in there. With time, goodness can spring from unlikely sources. Now I can never fail to appreciate sunsets or ordinary days.  

paradise found

Quick post. I have landed in paradise. Staying right on the beach of the gulf of Mexico. Beautiful weather. Wonderful company. Heading out for a beach walk. More later.

before the adventure

Just a quick poem from this week. I am packing to head to Florida in an hour. I'll get to spend ten days with my younger daughter, and see both my sisters and my mother-in-law. If I were a baseball player, that would be considered a home run. When you are anticipating something exciting it seems that all of your senses work so much better and you notice fine details that you might have overlooked. That's what this poem is about. I love that thrilling sensation of anticipation. I woke up five times last night, for fear I'd oversleep and miss the plane. Now I'm tired but wired. Wheeee!

Waiting

Sky dims,
leaves skim,
wind-a-swishing,
branches dipping,
heart-a-steady
blip-a-blipping.

                    -Kimberly Laustsen

attachments

Oh, man. I just had quite a fright. I couldn't find my Hawaiian nose flute CD: Ahupua'a by Anthony Natividad. I needed to hear that Cd, and now. Don't know why, just did. Alas, after a bit of searching, it appeared under a random stack of books. I am so attached to this CD. It is beautiful music which goes straight to my soul. I could listen to it it over and over again for hours. 

Funny how some things just resonate from the get go, and some people, too. I am horrifically attached to several people and to loose them would be devastating. I think of poem 303 by Emily Dickenson which says,

The soul selects her own society,

Then shuts the door;

On her divine majority

Obtrude no more. 

To me that poem speaks to heart connections. Where would we be without the people in our lives? Some of mine are relatives, many are not. I am thankful for sisters and brothers of the heart.

Besides people, I try not to get too attached to very many things, but I love this troll doll, which I have had since the fourth grade. I have hardly anything from my childhood, so I like knowing where this doll is at all times. That is silly, but life is silly. 

I like this poem by Thomas Merton, who was a Christian monk with Buddhist sensibilities. This poem has taught me a lot about getting myself out of the way, about reverence and wonder. I love Thomas Merton. 

In Silence

Be still.
Listen to the stones of the wall.
Be silent, they try
to speak your

name.
Listen
to the living walls.

Who are you?
Who
are you? Whose
silence are you?

Who (be quiet)
are you (as these stones
are quiet). Do not
think of what you are
still less of
what you may one day be.

Rather
be what you are (but who?)
be the unthinkable one
you do not know.

O be still, while
you are still alive,
and all things live around you

speaking (I do not hear)
to your own being,
speaking by the unknown
that is in you and in themselves.

“I will try, like them
to be my own silence:
and this is difficult. The whole
world is secretly on fire. The stones
burn, even the stones they burn me.
How can a man be still or
listen to all things burning?
How can he dare to sit with them
when all their silence is on fire?”

            

                -Thomas Merton

National Poetry Month: it begins

Today National Poetry Month begins! I am freakishly enamored with poetry, so this is my favorite month. It is a time to recommit to writing poems every day and to shout, Thank you, Poetry, I love you! 

Not that I am a particularly talented poet. It's just that writing poetry has changed my life. Over the years, the magic of reading and writing poems has been an essential emotional outlet, a safe place to work out what my life is about, and a delightful adventure. All of those, plus a way to connect with kindred spirits. What a deal.

I am certain this world would be a much better place if everyone wrote a poem a day. Try it, just for the month of April. Don't worry about whether your poems are good or bad. That doesn't matter. Process is everything. Just try it. And thank me later.

Just to show that I practice what I preach, here is a poem I just wrote. It is kind of...  eeh, mediocre. But who cares? Finding it was fun and gave me a chance to play with words, which is always a good thing.

Rice Paper Kite

Inside my lungs

is a well

ten feet deep,

and a cistern

where thoughts

overflow.

I am light,

translucent,

suspended on

a lofty beam.

I am flexible,

invisible,

a rice-paper

kite zooming

toward the sun.

    -Kimberly Laustsen