Wisdom from Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

A movie, a song and a recipe.

I'm studying for a neuroanatomy midterm that marks the middle of my last semester of my first year... wow. I'll have July and August off and hope to climb out of the black hole of studying - if things work out I may even have a job on Mt. Seymour. Fingers crossed.

It makes me kind of sad to look at how little I've used this blog when there is so much I want to share about what I'm learning. I think it requires a certain discipline that so far is reserved for getting to class on time (slightly easier now that its sunny) and feeding myself.
So instead, here is a TED talk that touches on the beautiful complexity of our body's need for simple, good food.

* If you are inspired but don't know where to start, the best food 'support' to start with is your eggs - it is SO worth the few extra dollars to get good eggs from good hens. Plus you are supporting more than your own health - organic, local, outdoor chickens are better for the earth, and the farmer's job is loads better than working in a crappy chicken factory. It's a wonderful combination of sustainable health, social justice, and environmental stewardship wrapped up in a little golden egg. *

Also, a song and a recipe that have been keeping me going.
Cheers!

Johanna's 'Dal'

Ingredients: 

- 1 cup red lentils

-1 large yam 

-1 large carrot

- 6 green onions

- 3 tbsp tomato paste

- fresh ginger root (cut up about 1 tbsp into tiny tiny pieces)

- 1 tbsp of good curry - Garam Masala or I used 'Madras' which is now my fave.

-1/2 can of coconut milk (you want about a cup's worth)

- salt and pepper

-olive oil

1) Simmer lentils in 3 cups water.

2) Add chopped yam and carrot and 1/2 of the ginger.

3) As those continue to simmer, toss the curry powder in a frying pan and heat it up! this 'toasts' it and majorly helps the flavour come out. Don't want to burn it, just toss it around for a minute and you'll notice it smells nice, then put it back in the measuring bowl and wait. Now add the oil to the pan, toss in the rest of the ginger along with the chopped green onions. When softened, add the tomato paste and move it around like crazy until it too softens into more of a goop. Add the curry back in to the goop, stirring again to mix.

4) Now add your tomato paste mixture into the lentil base, also add the coconut milk, salt and pepper to taste, and let it simmer for a good 15 minutes. Everything should be soft and tasty and ready to eat. Good with bread.

hope-peace-joy-love-Christ.

Celebrating the journey.... Happy New Year!

I'm still amazed we were able to get this shot, 2 tries and everyone looking good, with a camera balance on a glove and a piece of log.

The California Couple came to us!

The ever imaginative Madison.

Lukas is so hard to get pictures of when he smiles, he just bounds away with that mischievous look.

Ali lacing up before lessons with the hubby.

Quality time with Lizzy.

Lizzy knows how big she is (sooo big!).

The beauty we live in.