Tag Archive | creative leftovers lunch

Enough to Eat

Aug30

I’m grateful for leftovers: veggie enchilada with shredded romaine and fresh garden tomato for lunch today, the last of the cauliflower soup tonight. I’m grateful that I have enough to eat, and a roof over my head, and good friends around the valley and around the country, and everything I need to bake cupcakes tomorrow.

I’m grateful that Hurricane Idalia wasn’t quite as catastrophic as she could have been in terms of human fatalities; though she’ll result in plenty of long-term suffering for millions of Americans along her ongoing path. Supporting my plea argument yesterday, R. Hubbell wrote in Today’s Edition:

         “The effects of human-caused climate change are manifesting themselves everywhere—as should be expected given the interdependence of the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, land masses, and ecosystems. We can feel overwhelmed if we simply catalog the many ways in which climate change manifests itself. We cannot give in to helplessness. It is never too late to make changes that will benefit current and future generations. The most important thing we can do is to elect leaders who will prioritize the reduction of reliance on fossil fuels…. It is time for all Americans to put climate change at the top of their issues list when deciding how they will cast their vote. Remember that at the GOP debate last week, Vivek Ramaswamy declared that ‘Climate change is a hoax.’ The only hoax is politicians who refuse to address a problem that is an economic and national security emergency affecting the lives of every American.”

Robert Hubbell, Todays Edition, August 30, 2023
I’m grateful for a quiet, uneventful evening walk among the late summer light and the altocumulus sky.

Hummingbirds

Jul24

So many things are different this year than in the past. This is the first year that the hummingbirds have thronged my feeders as they do some neighbors’. It’s a treat to sit out under the umbrella in the mornings before it gets too hot, and watch their aggressive acrobatics: It’s not like there isn’t plenty to go around, just that they’re so territorial. I’ve tried to upload a video where even more of them are buzzing the feeder, but the poor network connection that thwarted this upload last night also prevents the video from uploading tonight. Oh well.

I’m also grateful for leftovers! The two salmon cakes leftover from the vineyard Saturday night made a fantastic sandwich yesterday with mayo, dill pickle relish, red onion, and sprouts, with some Penzeys ‘sandwich sprinkle’ for seasoning.

I made up for no cheese on yesterday’s sandwich with extra Havarti on todays, along with avocado, sprouts, red onion, and mayo. Honestly, even after years obsessing over ‘the cheese sandwich,’ I am even more in love with its variety and potential than ever. And also more in love with this silly little dingo than ever.

And I’m still and always in love with the poetry of Mary Oliver, and grateful for my Portland sister who sent me this poem just as I came online tonight to share this post. Someone sent it to her, and she said “it made me think of you.” There is no higher compliment. I’m sure it was “The phoebe” that clinched it for her, though she knows me well enough to know that everything else in it is also me to a T, and I’m grateful to her for seeing me.

…one last try and it’s up!

Crusty Snow

Feb1
We discovered a new tree today, one I’ve never noticed before, or don’t remember if I ever did.

Today I’m grateful for crusty snow, allowing a different type of walk through the woods than usual. I skirt the trees, off trail, walking an uneven path along drip lines, where shallow crusty snow meets frozen juniper duff, picking my way carefully to avoid punching through unsupportive crust over deeper snow, aimlessly following the dog’s nose; the cat Topaz both follows and leads, intermittently running up trees. I’m always eyeing these trees: which can go altogether, and which can simply be trimmed, an ongoing fire mitigation and path pruning exercise.

Stepping along atop snow crust has its own peculiar charms, or there would rarely be reason to do it. The simplest way to explain it is to say it’s fun! How well can I gauge the crust’s strength step by step? How far can I walk without punching through with an uncomfortable jolt that sends snow down into the sides of my shoes? It’s a game of chance, and carries a similar allure to any other gamble; though the satisfaction is purely mental, and the risk of injury is real.

I’m grateful for Topaz who loves our off-trail rambles.
I love how she rockets up a tree, hangs out demurely for awhile, then flows down the trunk.

We explored until I was too hungry to continue then turned home, a well-earned hour of reality after a morning at the desk, a quotidian adventure with cat and dog, discovering new trees to climb and photograph, lifting our legs high to step over sticks and sagebrush, giving our hips and thighs good exercise. 

I’m grateful when I remember to do the things that bring home to me why I chose this place to be home.

I’m grateful for the first crocus tips up yesterday, and today other tiny bulb shoots as well. Spring is coming!
I’m grateful for lunch after our morning adventure: panisse on toast with avocado spread. So simple, so delicious! Grateful for avocados, and where they grew, and who grew them, and how they got to the store, and how from there to my kitchen, and how even those that aren’t ideal for slicing can be salvaged, mushed together with mayonnaise and a pinch of sriracha salt into a gourmet sandwich spread or salad dressing.