A walk to Buoux

Daily Gratitude

• Waking in a cool, dark room was wonderful this morning. My stay in Europe has been hot and bright. No complaints. However, the morning is a welcome relief.
• Seeing a person from a different perspective can be a gift. I am grateful when a not-so-flattering first impression can be dispelled.
• Isn't technology amazing? Staying connected with friends and family while being halfway around the world is something I appreciate today!

Walking to town

Rising early, my friend fed me a healthy breakfast. As soon as the dishes were cleared, we headed out to run a few errands. Running meaning walking; walking up and down hilly roads. No need for a run!

Alters can be found at significant points on the ancient roads.

The business of the day started in the small town of Buoux, which is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.

Coming into Buoux - such a lovely little town

Buoux is a little village, having a just over a hundred residents. They are fiercely proud of the medieval historical significance of its fort, as well as the stunning cliffs that are a popular draw for rock climbing enthusiasts.

Lavender fields, punctuated with Cyprus tress, cover the valleys

The village is a cluster of municipal offices, bed-and-breakfasts, and homes. All are quaint, rustic stone buildings roofed with tile.

Vines and shady trees provide refuge from the intense heat

Water for man and beast

It is a cool place to reflect under the tiled roof

Steps and hilly byways

Continuing down the hill, the road exits Buoux

Many farm houses, large and small, have been converted to inns and bed-and-breakfasts. Tourists from around the world come to the region for an immersion in hospitality and generosity.

Incredible farm villa captures the old world charm

Wild poppies color fields and byways

Our morning in town was fascinating. So colorful, so artistic. Of course, I wanted to move in! I know that there is more coming and can hardly wait. Buoux, you're beautiful! 

A thousand ways grateful

Today I am just grateful

I believe that every good thing comes from God. There are a myriad of good things in my life and I want to say Thank You to Him. I like how King David expresses his gratitude:

Thank you! Everything in me says "Thank you!" Angels listen as I sing my thanks. I kneel in worship facing your holy temple and say it again: "Thank you!" Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; Most holy is your name, most holy is your Word. The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength. Psalm 138:1 

Today I have a thousand ways that I'm grateful

Please indulge me as I say that I'm thankful for the ways God expresses His love for me. Here are just a few:

• My Sarah. The words to describe my beautiful, talented, shining daughter escape me. I am not skilled enough yet in this craft of words to tell the deep emotions that rise when I consider her. Yet, I continue to try. Today they are the colors bubble gum pink, smokey grey, and mysterious violet. 
• New lipstick. The scent encountered the first time one twists up a fresh tube of lipstick is a little bit thrilling. The smooth surface of color is perfect and I almost hate to mess it up. Yet, I can hardly wait to dress my lips with the slickness of the new shade. I like it...
• Sally Cat. She persistently pursues my affection my insisting to be on my lap when I'm at my computer or reading in my big green chair. My lap is her throne. 
• My Creator. I can't begin to comprehend the ever evolving, ever expanding universe. I will never get my mind big enough to fully enter the world of quantum physics. The intricate details of things big and small boggle my pea brain. All I can say is, wow! God, the harder I look, the deeper I delve, the more honored I am to be called your beloved. 

• Lively conversations about good reads. When a fellow read-acholic can get as excited as I do, well, it's pure heaven! Learning from someone I respect about a new book or being introduced to a new author is mind expanding. Yes!
• Icy cold martinis. Yep, the crisp ginny juniper essence barely cut with a kiss of vermouth. Oh...! 
• Friday morning phone chats with mom. Our standing weekly date is Friday morning at 8:00. I call mom, she answers with a sunny hello. The previous seven days are encapsulated.
• Warm hugs and kisses from friends. As I venture out in the world and encounter friends, I am happy to embrace them in greeting. The brief moment of closeness fills me with joyful energy that keeps my shine going. 
• Planning family gatherings. My family is a lot of fun, as we're a creative bunch. Getting together for Easter holiday is going to be an event. Just like it always is. Excited conversation. Amazingly creative food. The planning part is almost as fun as the doing part! 

• Soap. Gorgeous French milled soap. Hand-crafted organic soap. Prettily wrapped boutique soap. Italian goat's milk soap. Mmmm, I love you all!
• My girl friends. I thought to list each, then realized the list was so very long. And, what if I inadvertently missed one dear?! May the richness you've added to my life return to you tenfold. Each of you are rare and beautiful gems. I wear the love of our friendship with honor.
• Job interviews. I'm actually showing up on employers' radar. Many job seekers feel that all their efforts are going into some black hole at the far end of the universe. I think a few of my letters of interest have ended up there as well. Yet, the lovely opportunities I've had are confirming that I really do got it going!
• My Morgan. To have a son who honors me, expresses in his life some of my own dreams, and who still on occasion calls me "mommy" is a delight beyond expression. Thinking of him conjures visions of sparkling surf, homemade pizza, and all things "suvvy." 
• Eddie Dog. Rambunctious, adorable, crazy Eddie. My little buddy is super glued to me and I love it.

• Robust and complex coffee. You all already know my love affair with java. I'm just saying I'm thankful...again.
• The rushing creek down the road. It has come to life with the melting snow. It's fresh. It's wild. It's sparking with spring!
• My guy friends. You champion me. You validate me. You challenge me. Some of you think I'm pretty. One or two even think I'm sexy. I love you!
• Peace in times of strife. Trusting in God's provision during lean times has taught me the sweet joy of falling into Him. They ways He cares for me are precious. 
• Yummy smelling things like exotic incense, the top of a baby's head, sun-warmed tomato plants, freshly baked pumpkin pie, a freshly showered man, a perfectly scented candle, money (the green kind), and warm laundry from the dryer. 

The list goes on.... pot roast with carrots and potatoes, cards in the mail, snuggling, bird baths, an eager audience, completing a to-do list, funky and cool jazz, mint tea, junking treasures, foreign films, my bed after traveling, seeing the potential in another person, baby clothes, a balanced checkbook, a hike in the woods, the car wash, getting flowers, the robins in the tree out my window, praise for a job well done, plane boarding passes, the full moon, synchronicity, long and hot showers, tree canopied roads, reading poetry with a friend...

Today I am a thousand ways grateful. 

The first camping trip of the year

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• An extra hour of day light in the evening. Not loving loosing an hour in the morning, but know that I will adjust in a couple of days.
• Warm showers and washing machines. These were the two things I ran to immediately upon returning from my first camping trip of the season! 
• The safety of both of my kids. Both Sarah and Morgan took trips and came home with great memories. I'm so thankful they've returned happy and sound.

Ah! The great outdoors! 

When friends learned that Mountain Girls Adventures Genia and I were going camping this weekend, they shook their heads like I was nuts and told me to keep warm.  Even the cashiers at Walmart and Winco Foods had funny, wondering looks on their faces. Why in the world would anyone want to go camping in early March?

Because there's adventure in going and doing! 

Camping is something I've done since I was a kid. Most of the time I've wilderness camped. That is, going into remote locations where there isn't another human in sight. Nor are there water and power hookups, restrooms, showers, or tidy tent pads. Occasionally, I will camp in a campground. Usually not by choice. However, this trip it was a great decision.

Genia has a long history of summer adventures at Farragut State Park in northern Idaho. And, while we packed plenty of gear for tent camping, she thought one or two nights in one of the cabins would be fun. She made a good choice!

This little cabin is just great! It includes bedding and a log table with two small benches. It's wired for power, so there were lights and a heater/air conditioner unit. It sleeps five, however we thought it was just great for two people with a dog. Fortunately, Genia is small, so she could fit the little bunk bed. Eddie and I were grateful for a full sized lower bunk. 

So, maybe it wasn't wilderness, tent camping. But, it was pretty close! We still had outdoor cooking and outhouses. We packed in our water and used our flashlights. And, campfire smoke permeated our clothes. It was camping.

While hot dogs, hamburgers and smores are the mainstay of most camping trips, I like to fix up healthy and fun food ahead of time. This trip I thought it would be fun to try new camping recipes. Here are a few:

Pumpkin Apple Pancakes

1 large egg

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1/ cup canned pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 apple peeled, cored, and shredded

2 tablespoons butter, divided

Syrup

Mix together all ingredients except butter and syrup in a bowl. Melt 2 teaspoons butter in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Spoon batter by 1/3 cup portions into pan, making 3 or 4 pancakes at a time. Cook turning once, until cooked through, 8 to 10  minutes. Continue making pancakes with remaining batter, adding more butter to pan for each batch. Serve with syrup and more butter. Camping note: Mix dry ingredients and place in small ziploc bag. Mix all wet ingredients except apple and place in small ziploc bag. Place the two small ziploc bags, the whole apple, and measured butter all in a large ziploc together. Before preparing to mix and cook, peel, core and shred apple. 

Mexican Squash

3 Mexican Squash

1/2 heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Coarsely chop squash. Place in pan with cream. Cover and simmer until squash is soft. Add salt and pepper. Serve!

Salade aux Trois Légumineuses (3 Bean Salad)

1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
8 ounces of fresh French green beans
1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans, cooked and drained
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 shallots, chopped

1 tablespoon Herbs d'Provence

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

Bring a large pan of water to boiling. Add edamame and green beans. Cook 4 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain. Combine edamame, green beans, garbanzo beans, and red pepper a bowl. In a small bowl, combine shallots and remaining ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzled dressing over bean mixture and toss. Camping note: Place bean salad in a large ziploc bag or plastic container.

Curried Lentils

2 cup dried lentils
6 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 teaspoon garlic chili paste
Sour cream
Fresh cilantro

In a medium pot, bring water, lentils, and bay leaf to boil. Cover and turn reduce heat for 20 minutes or until lentils are soft. Drain and discard bay leaf. In a separate pan, add oil, onion, and tomato. Saute until tender. Add garlic, curry powder, cumin, salt, and chili paste. Add lentils and cook and additional minute. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.  Camping note: Place lentils in a large ziploc bag or plastic container. We topped the lentils with a bit of shredded cheese rather than sour cream and cilantro. 

Chipotle-Lime Mashed Yams

4 large yams (about 2 pounds)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1 tablespoon adobo sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

Boil quartered yams in a large pot of water until soft. Drain and remove skins. Mash yams in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Camping note: Place mashed yams in a large ziploc bag or plastic container. 

I didn't get a picture of this, but it was sure yummy!

Mashed Avocado with Hummus

2 cans drained garbanzo beans
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tahini
1 lemon, juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
1 large, ripe avocado

In a food processor, make a coarse paste with the garbanzo beans. Add oil slowly as the processor continues to make the beans a thick paste. Add tahini and mix in. Add lemon, garlic, cardamom, and salt to make hummus. If serving immediately, smash avocado separately and stir into hummus. Camping note: Place hummus in a plastic container. Wait to mash and stir in avocado right before serving.

There were several more, but I'll post them on Mermaids in our next issue in May.

What a wonderful, beautiful, adventure-filled time! Coffee by the fire in the morning. Stars shining brightly against the dark, frozen sky at night.

Hiking around the hillsides and along the beaches.

Sharing the invigorating air, spectacular sights, and excellent conversation and laughter with a great friend.

What an exceptional way to start the season! 

Winds in the forecast

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• Sally Cat snuggled on my lap, head resting on my forearm as I work. Sweet kitty, her demands for affection are easily granted.
• Powers to be creative, God's amazing gift to us. I love that about Him - sharing the inspiration, frustration, and satisfaction of the process.
• Promises yet to be fulfilled. It's a challenge to be peaceful in the waiting. But, I'm so excited about them, that I'm deciding to be thankful, rather than impatient. 

The wind in the trees making beautiful music

Wind Gusts Up to 40 Miles Per Hour Anticipated

The weather forecast wasn't much of a surprise. The wind has been blowing all night. Pine needles blanket the forest floor and roadways. I used to hate wind. It messed with my hair and blew stuff around that would need to be returned to order. Things got dusty and it was just uncomfortable. 

Today I realized that I've changed my mind about wind.

As is our routine first thing in the morning, my dog Eddie and I took a potty walk down the road. (Know that this potty walk is prior to being caffeinated, so often I'm anxious to get it done quickly) Eddie was particularly rascally, chasing leaves and being overall rambunctious. Geez, Ed! 

Then, it struck me that the air was full of excitement.

Music was in the trees. The giant pines that surround the lake commanded attention. The symphonic waves of sound coming from their massive branches rose and fell. Large maples and oaks joined in with feeling. In the lulls, clusters of poplar and aspen whispered high, light notes. Here and there, accents of wind chimes from decks tinkled brightly. And, if I listened closely, I could hear the underlying rhythm of the lake pounding the shore. It was magical.

Wind has always been symbolic of change. I can say without exaggeration that there's certainly been windy times in my life, times when I've viewed the forces as destructive and chaotic. Wave upon wave of distress, discord, and disappointment. Times when I've been knocked around and knocked about. It was messy, it was confusing. Of course I hated it. 

Yet, when I look back, I find that these times, these winds, changed me in ways that made for something better. Blown away are relationships, situations, that no longer serve me. In rushed the fresh currents of the hopeful and helpful. I think if I'd tapped into the magical, transformative powers of change I may have heard the wind-music. 

So, I say, bring it on. I've changed my mind about wind.