Flower Power

Today was my day for gardening duties at The Secret Garden so I took my little friends, Jana and Malak, along to help.  When we arrived, we ran into a volunteer from last year who was donating flowers and eggplants to the garden.  Malak loves to plant, so she did the little fish planter on the left.

For those of you experiencing snow and ice storms, this post is for you.

As a reminder that Spring will come.

After taking care of the garden, I took the girls on a walk to a special place just 10 minutes down the road.

Every year, this vacant lot is turned into a beautiful plot of sunflowers. It truly is amazing and such a pleasant and unexpected surprise.

Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men or animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the hollyhock. 
~Henry Ward Beecher, Star Papers: A Discourse of Flowers

Warm wishes,

The Knees Said No

For the record, I will walk slow, I will walk fast, but there will no longer be any jogging or running.

My poor knees protested big time and it took almost two weeks for the pain to subside.  Ever since I had surgery in 8th grade on my left knee I've had problems, so have to be very careful how I twist and turn and jump.  The knees definitely did not like the running.

It was only yesterday that I realized I was pain free.  Since there are different exercise machines along the walking path, I will be making use of them instead.

Sometimes I walk alone and sometimes I take my little neighbors along with me.

We play.

Pick up garbage.

Take cat food along in recycled jars so we can feed the street kitties.

We talk about all sorts of things.

Find beauty along the way.

 And always leave a little love behind.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Meatless Monday: Soup and Shepherd's Pie

Every day is meatless for me, but thought I'd share a couple of recipes with you in case you'd like to try some meatless meals, too.

Yesterday I was going to make a stew to eat over wild rice,  but decided to turn it into a soup instead.  I never measure and don't often follow a recipe.  You can't really go wrong with soup if you are using ingredients and seasonings you know and like.  Sometimes I'll read through many recipes, figure out what I have on hand and then just make it up as I go.  

White Bean, Spinach and Wild Rice Soup

Saute 6 cloves of minced garlic, a small chopped onion, small tomato and Italian seasoning in olive oil.  Add about 6 cups of vegetable broth, a can of drained white beans, a bunch of fresh or frozen spinach.  I always add extra garlic powder, even when I use fresh garlic.  Sea salt & black pepper to taste.  Boil and then simmer until the spinach is done.  I cooked a pot of wild rice separately so put two big spoons of it into the soup, then squeezed in the juice of one lemon and stirred through before serving. Adjust seasoning as needed. Served with toasted multicereal bread and a fresh spinach salad.

Today, I made vegan shepherd's pie.

The recipe is from the blog Minimalist Baker.

I've made many of their recipes and have always been pleased with the results.

(Though, again, I don't always follow the recipe to a tee and usually always add extra spices.)

We had broccoli on the side.

My husband just had surgery and requires a fiber rich diet and the best sources for fiber are beans and legumes, vegetables, fruits and whole grains.  He had a tendency to moan and groan just a little bit as he sometimes felt like I was depriving him with my plant-based diet; but I think he may just be coming around to my way of thinking now. 

Health and Happiness,

Five on Friday: Out and About

'Ahlan Wasahlan

Hello and Welcome.

Today I am joining Amy at Love Made My Home for Five on Friday.

Yesterday I missed my daily walk because of a horrible migraine; actually went to bed at 8:30 p.m. and didn't get up until 7:45 this morning.  I'm guessing my body needed some serious rest.

Thankfully I awoke ready and raring to go and today was a gorgeous day to be out and about.

Every winter these hollyhocks are a happy sight at a home right across the street from my neighborhood walking path.

We went to one of our favorite seafood restaurants for lunch only to find that it had been moved to the front of the hotel and no longer has a sea view (we were told a new Chinese restaurant has taken it's place).  Seems a shame since the seafood restaurant is decorated with memorabilia from Kuwait's past based mainly on maritime trade and activities.

Snapped this picture of the moon in a deep blue sky while walking back to the car after lunch. 

It is a beautiful and delightful sight to behold the body of the Moon.

-Galileo Galilei, The Starry Messenger, Venice 1610: “From Doubt to Astonishment”

Have a fabulous Friday!

Out and About With My Colorado Boy

While my son had his teeth cleaned this morning, I sat and talked with a former co-worker who just happened to be at the dentist's office; then spent the rest of my waiting time crocheting hearts.

We then did some birthday shopping for my husband who turned 58 today; and picked up some cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery for the occasion.

We enjoyed lunch at a Lebanese restaurant.

Then got home and took a walk together.

Since he will be leaving in a week, I've got to get as much time with my boy as I can.

Our sweet neighbors sent over roses and Arabic coffee to wish my husband a happy birthday (and I, of course, sent cupcakes over to them).

Wonderful Wednesday Wishes,

Cloud Cover

The best thing about winter in Kuwait is that I can walk any time of day.  I don't have to walk early morning or at night to avoid the heat like I do during the summer months.  Temperatures have been very mild lately, which makes for very pleasant walking weather.

I don't know how accurate the health app is on the iPhone, but I figure it's good enough to at least give me an idea of what I accomplish on a daily basis.

Of course, today I was more interested in what the sky had to offer so spent a lot of time looking up.

You must not blame me if I do talk to the clouds.

 Henry David Thoreau

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Gleeful Garden Helper

Adj. 1. gleeful - full of high-spirited delight; "a joyful heart" elated, joyful, jubilant. joyous - full of or characterized by joy.

Mondays and Wednesdays are my days to take care of gardening tasks at The Secret Garden, the community garden where I volunteer.  Watering plants, picking up garbage, turning and taking care of the compost pile, etc. are the usual duties.  Most days I am there alone, sometimes I take my little neighbors, Jana and Malak, along with me; and sometimes, there are happy encounters with people who are curious about what I'm doing.

  Today these two cuties from Nepal showed up and, as you can see, toddlers find watering plants to be a very joyful experience.

Seeing the world through the eyes of a child is the purest joy that anyone can experience.

Constance Zimmer

Sending smiles your way for a 

Happy Monday!

A Wonderful Start

Happy New Year everyone!  I had a lovely day from start to finish.  Our neighbors invited us across the hall for a very bountiful and delicious breakfast buffet.  Afterwards, I took a walk with Jana, who is 6 years old, and Malak, who is 11. We left a crocheted heart behind at the garden and Jana picked me the teeniest flowers that I will press into my scrapbook.  We saw pretty roses along the way with busy little bees doing their thing.  And this evening, we went with friends to see the Indian movie, Dangal.  It's based on a true story and is very inspiring.  The movie is in Hindi, but at the theater we went to, there were Arabic and English subtitles.  We highly recommend seeing if you get the chance ( it was released in the States on December 21st).

Wishing you a year filled with peace, love and happiness.