A Bit of This and That

 

The pot I purchased as mere green shoots has grown to foot-high stalks with streaky dark pink tulip heads now beginning to dry and thin like fine old paper. I have them in the entrance hall and pass them throughout the day, often reaching out to touch them gently.

As Brene Brown writes "I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness. It's right in front of me, if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude."

Monday was a holiday for Family Day. We didn't see family, as some sickness is keeping us apart these days and we are all just being careful. 

A few apples from our trees, picked last fall and stored in the refrigerator, needed to be used up. I baked an apple cake using this recipe. I think I added an extra 1/2 cup of flour as I was doing something else while baking. Although a bit dry, it still tasted very good. There is a bit of glaze on the cake, but because of the dryness I made some caramel sauce to serve with it. Yum. 

With the few apples left over I cooked up some applesauce and froze it. 

One night I made falafel. Rather than round balls, I made flatter cakes and served them with tzatziki, radishes, pea shoots, tomatoes, and lettuce. Oh, and quick pickled onions. It's the first time I've made falafel and found it quite easy. 

Memories are stirred by all of our senses - sights, sounds, tastes, touches, and smells. These memories triggered by senses act as reference points in life. So much passes through my mind and is stored there, and most of it is never retrieved. How wonderful it is that a small bit of stimuli such as a crisp bite of hot falafel and the contrast of crisp vegetables instantly brings to mind the image of Tim and I sitting side by side in a crowded cafe in the Marais in Paris, watching a livestream of the wailing wall in Jerusalem on a television in the corner while we ate our lunch. 

The clippings of pittosporum (mock orange) that I brought into the house are now blooming, with a faint citrus scent. They are a welcome bit of greenery these days as winter has let us know that he's not done with us yet. Early on Monday morning, while it was still dark, I heard rain in the gutters, and fell back asleep. We got up a bit late and I was shocked to pull back the curtains and see snow on the ground! The wind howled around for a couple of days, and it's very chilly out there. Winter's last blast, perhaps? One can hope.

Are you waiting impatiently for spring or content with winter lingering a bit longer?