Afternoon coffee break (besides it is raining) So I've gotten most of the driveway garden cleaned out and we ordered our composted manure this morning from HD. They will deliver 3 pallets on Monday AM. Half of one pallet is for my next door neighbors but the other 150 bags are mine. te he! (6,000 pounds!!! maybe I won't have to lift weights next week. LOL) V, I'm so sorry I missed the mating dance of the Whooping Cranes on your front lawn. That must have been amazing to see!!! And those Ivory billed Hummingbirds were here also. They stopped in to feed at my fuchsia that are in full bloom hardening off in the driveway. ~~ So you have 32 pots of perennials and shrubs? Hmpff... You think I need an intervention. I think I only have about ten perennial pots around here not 32. Jeesh.... T wow, you really scored with those wood chips. Fantastic! Your DH is too funny about the lawn but I completely understand. In this household I'm the kurmudgeon (sp?) who doesn't allow heavy equipment on the lawn. Doug would be over the moon if I told him to just drive the trailer up the hill whenever he needed to move it. How long do you think it is going to take you to move all of that? and do you have the curvy beds all laid out? Photos please? Eden, bummer about the weather there. We were able to get quite a bit done between the two lines of rain squalls that came through today. The only problem is that Doug decided to use the leaf blower to blow out the gutters and then blow off the patio. The only problem with this scenario is that the windows to the dining room were all open at the time so now the dining room has to be thoroughly vaccummed and dusted before company arrives tonight. Everything in here is covered with a layer of silty dirt. Grrrr.... I did ask why he didn't close the windows and he said it never occurred to him. Hmmm... I think Doug needs to dust and vac for a bit because that would probably tweak his memory the next time he uses the leaf blower and the windows are open. My very favorite Dougism to this day is the time someone asked how often we dusted to keep the house so clean and he said that we didn't need to dust because it never got dirty. Yes, he really did say that and mean it. ROTFLOL! ~~ Do be careful of that vaccuum. They tend to get cranky during the spring cleaning season. Mary, it sounds like the concert was a huge success but emotionally draining. What a wonderful tribute to your friends. I'm glad to hear you were able to catch a few extra 'z's' this morning. Hi Babs, thanks for checking in and for letting us know you've heard from EP. Glad to hear all is well with her. So Sue, did you get a lot done outside? and has the foster arrived yet? You must have been a happy camper that your Mom changed her plans and you have the weekend to garden. ~~ When is the Tony Advent lecture there? and do you have to be a member to go. OK break is over and I need to get motivated to get a few more things done before 5PM. Oh yes, I wanted to ask you guys if anyone grows Hakonechloa 'Albo Striata' and if so has it behaved itself in your gardens over time? My patch of it in the driveway garden was very well behaved for the first three years but last year it started travelling and it now looks like it wants to migrate to a different state. I'm going to have to dig the whole thing up and prune and replant it. Later all, Deanne

Betty, I LOVE the pink tablecloth in your tea setting. If you hadn't told us, I wouldn't have known it was plastic. It is such a pretty colour and goes so well with your beautiful dishes. What I find particularly appealing (besides sweet Hanna and the yummy food!) are the candlestick holders you used...I love candles of all sorts and those are great. Are they crystal? Thanks for keeping this post going, it's a good one! DD

Meems is a sweet girl and if she doesn't like to cook I don't think she has to learn a whole lot of cooking techniques that fit someone else's lifestyle. I think that's what AnnT is getting at. Everyone needs to find their own system of what works for them. My brother and BF are "plain food" people. They eat like LindaC suggests, a good cut of meat, a cooked vegetable, a quick salad and some kind of starch, all in their neatly arranged individual corners on the plate, lol! Me on the other hand, I like stir fry, a jumble of pasta, a melange of soup. That's why I can't really give quickie advice here, my quickie stuff is mostly some version of rice and beans, something most folks don't eat for dinner as the sole dish. My system is to cook some larger, more complicated dishes on the weekends and freeze them. And I love leftovers. Someone else's system might be to throw something fresh together every night. There are lots of quick and dirty ways to get a fast meal on the table. I am learning more and more of them everyday as I venture into the wonderful world of "cooking for two." Sooner or later you'll get a repertoire together that suits your new lifestyle realities. Seems like that's what you're asking for here, not a treatise on how to get along with your adult children. There are certain dishes I just won't do, not because I can't do them or they are particularly difficult, but because I just do not want to fuss with the process of making them. Pie is one example. I love pie, so I make it, but I rarely do the crust from scratch, I don't care how easy someone tells me it is or how much they enjoy homeade pie crust. I buy boxed pie crust, haven't found it to be all that much worse than my own homeade, and a whole lot less trouble. It is a compromise I'm willing to make. This week I'm making a quiche with one, which then makes quiche one of those easy, delicious, semi homeade meals. Add a salad, some good rolls and you're good to go. The pre-shredded gruyere at the market was actually way cheaper than the whole cheese, what a boon!! Sometimes it's not just the process of cooking that makes getting a meal on the table a no-fun endeavor. My kitchen set up is so awkward it has greatly reduced what I'm in the mood to cook. No matter how I've reconfigured it, it is still a pain. I love to cook with a good music or other NPR show on the radio as accompaniment. Maybe that is one part of motivating yourself to cook dinner--make the kitchen environment seem fun and welcoming to you when you come home tired from work. Unfortunately, mine is not, which explains a lot of why I don't like to cook. The other thing for me is cooking with someone else. I am WAY more motivated to cook something if someone else is helping. I am an extrovert who loves to be with friends, I love to cook with others so when BF helps me in the kitchen I am way more motivated to make things. Being a craftsman by profession, he loves the process of dicing and slicing, which I hate. So I would suggest that is part of the equation. Take a look at your kitchen and see if there are ways to arrange things that make cooking faster, easier and more enjoyable. I rotate my crockpot and my bread machine, one or the other is going on my counter almost every day. The joy of those appliances is not that they do such a spectacular job of cooking food, but that they fill up the house with wonderful, homey, mouth watering aromas, which makes you feel good about both cooking and eating. That's part of the process. A bowl of fresh fruit and nuts or a tray of muffins in a see through glass container on the counter, etc. I once lived in a big old farmhouse and the kitchen was loaded with counter space and was by far the biggest room in the house. I lived with some great roomates, we cooked together and hung out most of the time at the kitchen table. I cooked WAY more in that set up than I do now. I can't believe the baking and cooking I did back then, having no more time than I do now. Anyway Susie, I know I tend to be the alpha wolf in a lot of situations and sometimes what I need to do is ask for help, tell others I need help. Sure, you can cook everything all by yourself, but if you tell the kids you would really appreciate some help, they will find ways I'm sure!! Somtimes all you have to do is ask, because what one person automatically knows to do isn't the same for every other person.

plllog- If you soak nuts and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) in lightly salted water 12-24 hours and dehydrate them until they are crispy dry, they are easier to digest and you increase the nutrients. For more information check out "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. I use this method with all nuts and peanuts we consume because it germinates the nuts which increases the enzyme activity. Another way to offset difficulty digesting large quantities of nuts is to take an enzyme supplement to neutralize the enzyme inhibitors. I also stick to sprouted and dehydrated sunflower seeds for the same reason. You can purchase sprouted seeds from Nuts.com or goraw.com, but I make my own. Here are some tasty ways to consume chia seeds. CHAI CHIA PUDDING 2 c. boiling water 2 Chai tea bags 3 T. chia seeds small amount of milk of choice (cow, goat, nut milk) sweetener of choice (to taste) Steep tea bags in boiled water for 15-minutes. Remove bags and add sweetener and a small amount of milk to "lighten" the mixture. Add chia seeds, mix well. Let sit for 5-minutes and mix again. Refrigerate overnight. CAROB FUDGE \- a terrific high\-energy treat! (source: The Magic of Chia \- by James F. Scheer) 3/4 c. maple syrup 1 c. peanut butter 1 t. vanilla 1 c. almonds, chopped or ground 1 c. walnuts, chopped 1/2 c. sesame seeds 1/4 c. dry chia seeds 1/2 c. sunflower seeds 1/2 c. carob powder (I use 1/4 c. cocoa or cacao powder) Mix maple syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla. Add carob powder (or cocoa) a little at a time. Mix until well blended. Mix all nuts and seeds together and add slowly to carob mixture. Press firmly into a lightly oiled pan. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve chilled. Must be stored in refrigerator or may be frozen. Makes 24 pieces. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ \-Chia gel: 1 T. chia seeds + 9 T. water (you can use other liquids if you'd like). \-I add chia seeds or chia seed gel (water and chia seeds) to all yeast breads. It helps keep homemade bread stay moist longer and increases the fiber. If you don't like the dark seeds in your breads (slightly bigger than poppy seeds), mill it into flour and add it. \-Egg replacer. To replace one large egg, use 2 T. of chia gel. \-Fat replacer. Chia gel can be used to substitute for up to half the butter or oil in baked recipes without altering the taste, texture, or baking method. To replace butter or oil, use 1 T. of chia gel per tablespoon of butter or oil removed from the recipe. (Source: "Chia Seed Remedies") \-You can mill chia seeds into a flour in a coffee/spice mill. I regularly mill a 50/50 chia seed and flaxseed mixture and store it in the freezer. I add this mixture to our morning smoothie, baked goods, oatmeal, etc. \-I add chia seeds to homemade "energy bars". \-I add chia seeds to lemonade made with whey from draining my kefir. Chia Fresca is a favorite Mexican beverage. CHIA FRESCA 16 oz. filtered water 6 T. lime juice (fresh\-squeezed, about 2 limes) 1 T. chia seeds Your choice of sweetener. -Chia gel works in hot or cold beverages Add it to 100% fruit juice beverages, coconut water, etc. WATERMELON CHIA SLUSHY (source: "Chia Seed Remedies" 2 c. watermelon chunks 1 T. dry chia 1/2 c. crushed ice squirt of lime juice Sparkling water or seltzer In your blender, plus or chop the watermelon chunks. Be careful not to reduce it to liquid. Add the chia to hydrate and wait about 10-minutes. Add a squirt of lime juice, the crushed ice, and your amount of sparkling water. Pulse once to combine. Now you're ready to pour a glass of sweet, cool, refreshment. -I add chia seeds to my homemade popcicles. homemade tortillas, homemade pudding, granola...... CHIA COCONUT PUDDING (1 serving) 1-2 T. chia seeds (I like to use white chia seeds in this recipe) 1 T. coconut milk powder (Wilderness Family Naturals) 1 c. water Grind seeds or use whole (I grind them). Mix milk powder and water and heat to boiling point. Whisk seeds into liquid. Whisk again after a few minutes. Serve hot or cold with a drizzle of honey. -Add 2 T. chia seeds along with bread crumbs per 1-pound of ground meat when making meatballs or meatloaf. I use 3 to 5 pounds of chia seeds each year. -Grainlady