Pea Salad

This is another one of our dense veggie salads.  I like the flavor of cheddar cheese in this salad, but last night we were out of cheddar, so you're seeing jack cheese cubes, instead.

PEA SALAD (vegetarian)

1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen green peas, cooked & cooled

2 stalks celery, 1/4” sliced

1/3 cup sweet pickles, chopped

8 oz. cheddar or jack cheese, cubed

2 Tbsp. honey

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

2 Tbsp. cider vinegar

2 Tbsp. olive oil

lettuce leaves

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Place peas, celery, pickles, and cheese in a large bowl.

In a small jar, combine honey, salt, allspice, vinegar, and olive oil.  Cover and shake well.  Pour over pea mixture and gently stir to combine and coat the vegetables.

  

Can be served on a bed of lettuce.

Serves 4-6.

Veneta Dondaldson: Glimpse of Spring

Untitled oil painting by C.L. Donaldson

all rights reserved

Here's another poem by my aunt.  She was inspired by springtime every year, and this verse is from her early years of poetry-writing.  The painting above, was one of a pair done by her husband, which he presented to her in matching gold frames the year before they were married.  During the final months of her life, they were brought from her home to her hospital room, and hung upon the wall beside her bed.

Glimpse of Spring

by Veneta Donaldson

Each tiny twig reflects the spring

That haunts each tender, budding bough,

And I, who saw a robin's wing,

Stop not to ponder why or how

But steep my heart in rapture sweet

That grows with every passing year;

And store its beauty to defeat

Those days when sullen clouds appear.

This is part of a group of poems by Veneta Donaldson. A brief bio and the beginning of the series can be found here: Veneta Donaldson: A Poet in the Family.

Corn Salad

This is one of our denser salads, which we like to throw in for dinner between lettuce-salad nights.  I serve it on a bed of lettuce, though, so we still get some leafy veggies.  And as you can see, there's no bell pepper in this photo.  It's impossible to find it organically grown around here, so I just leave it out.  The lettuce provides plenty of crunch for us.

CORN SALAD (vegan) 

1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen corn kernels, cooked & cooled

2 tsp. brown or Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. cider vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 sm. red or green bell pepper, diced

1 lg. tomato, cored and diced

1 avocado, diced (or substitute 1/4 cup sour cream)

lettuce leaves

Stir mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper into corn.  Add tomato, bell pepper, and avocado, and toss gently to mix.

If you happen to be out of avocados and you're not vegan, you can top each serving with a dollop of sour cream instead.

Can be served on a bed of lettuce.

Serves 4.

Repurposed Furniture

This bench was made by my good friend, Steve, who built it for our patio out of recycled wood.  As you can see, he used cedar fence boards, posts, and other odds and ends.  I think this is a great example of the success you can have with a little imagination and some old stuff.  Steve builds all kinds of furniture for his wife's shop, Just Looking, in Texas.

Here are some more examples:

Outdoor bench made from recycled cedar fence materials.

Side table made from old sewing machine cabinet.

Standing cabinets made from old kitchen wall cabinets.

Child's bench made from twin bed headboard and footboard.

Hutch cabinet made with old window shutters.

Coffee table made from recycled weathered wood.

Veneta Donaldson: Snow Flakes

Untitled oil painting by C.L. Donaldson

all rights reserved

Here's a winter poem by my aunt.  She wrote it in her younger years, when, grieving for her lost love, almost everything reminded her of him.  The painting above is one of her husband's.  He was the great love of her life, who came into her life many years later and stayed with her until he died.

Snow Flakes

by Veneta Donaldson

Bright, myriad stars are falling fast,

Transforming all the countryside

Into a land of fairy charm

Whose beauty cannot be denied.

Each star-flake bears a treasure sweet--

For some a dream, for some the grace

Of love's deep truth and wondrous joy--

For one, the memory of your face.

This is part of a group of poems by Veneta Donaldson. A brief bio and the beginning of the series can be found here: Veneta Donaldson: A Poet in the Family.

Absinthia Returns, Part 14

This is part of a continuing series of email letters exchanged with my Swedish friend, Absinthia. To see the whole series, start with  Living a Simple Life.

Who Needs Money, Anyway?

I'll admit, I have often thought that if only I had enough money for a rainwater system or a solar panel, etc., I could live a simpler life.  Well, Absinthia has news for those of us who think that!

Hello,

It makes me a bit sad when people say they need more time and money in order to live a simple life, when it is quite the contrary. My husband and I started out on this journey because we needed to live on less money, not more. So “no money” is absolutely not an issue. Not at all. All you need is creativity, imagination, and the will to walk this path. If you have someone to hold your hand when you take the leap, it will make things much more fun, of course.

One of the reasons I agreed to do this series with you was my wish to kill the myth that you need to be rich to live a simple life. Let’s remember the people that lived like this before us, our foremothers and forefathers. They lived like this because they couldn´t afford any other way. If they had had any money, I am rather sure they would have made a few changes here and there ;-).

I have found that imagination is the mother of invention in many ways. If you have money, you stop seeing the possibilities, I think. Your mind becomes a bit lazy. Instead of finding out how to make a dish brush, you throw some money at the problem.  Instead of finding out how to build your own solar panels, you throw money at it.

As I mentioned in an earlier letter, I recommend The Complete book of Self-Sufficiency by John Seymour. It’s a wonderful book with hands on instructions on how to do all you need to live what he calls “the good life.” You can find it in most libraries.

I am not trying to be rude, or anything like that. I am just saying, you don’t need money to live simply. You need to stop thinking you need money, you need to see beyond money. Money is not the start and finish of all… money is just one tool among millions of tools. That is all it is, no more than that. I promise! :-D

- Absinthia

This is the end of "Absinthia Returns." In future posts, Absinthia and I will discuss ways to eat simply.

Absinthia Returns, Part 13

This is part of a continuing series of email letters exchanged with my Swedish friend, Absinthia. To see the whole series, start with  Living a Simple Life.

TV--Putting Life on "Pause"

We have arrived at Part 13 of this conversation with Absinthia... a fitting number for discussing television.  'Nuff said.

Hello,

I have thought a lot about what on earth might be the reason so many people go on saying “I don't have time to live simply,” and today I think I've got it! I think it is television. It passifies you. You sit there, and you receive other people's thoughts, other people's ideas, other people's activities. You can't change anything. Nothing is in person, and no one accomplishes anything without throwing money at it.

The first thing we did when we started our path to a simpler life was we got rid of the tv. It cost money to have it and we didn't need it for our physical survival in any way, so “out with it.” And the first two days or so it felt strange, but after that it felt liberating. So much time to do fun stuff instead of stagnating in front of the “dumb-box.” Nowadays we get our news from the newspapers on the Internet.

I no longer get what the charm is with sitting there and staring at a screen with people running around saying embarrassing things. I don't get the charm in sitting there hour after hour watching others doing things, when you can DO things yourself, for real. My husband and I have talked about this more than once, and we have come to the conclusion that tv actually is more than just a very passive activity, it has to be a kind of drug.

After 9 years without tv, we just don't get it anymore. Why on earth should we want to sit on a sofa and stare at a screen showing people doing things?! Why can´t we sit at the kitchen table and drink tea, instead, where the seats are comfier, the light is nicer and the background sounds are more discreet? Or maybe go out for a walk and enjoy the weather and nature!

- Absinthia

Dear Absinthia,

I think you are exactly right when you say it’s a drug. A major reason why so many people drink a lot of alcohol or take drugs is so they can stop thinking--about life and things that are bothering them. TV works the same way. It is hypnotic and mind-numbing.

- amanda

Hello,

Hmmm, now you make me think again! ;-)

When we visit someone, we always end up in their sitting room, on a sofa in front of the tv for “something to do.” For so many people, tv is seen as normality, common, and necessary for the survival of civilisation as we know it--which of course is not the case. Probably quite the opposite, if you think about it.

I know there is a silent revolution against this kind of behavior though. More and more I hear comments like, “Let's sit in the kitchen, it is so much more relaxed and nice there.“  A small kitchen revolution has been growing slowly but surely. More and more, people would rather sit in peace and sip some nice tea. It is a silent and humble reaction, but a nice and tasty one. ;-)

- Absinthia

Dear Absinthia,

I worry that our culture is being directed by tv, advertisers, media, and Internet services.  I suppose the best thing is to do what we personally believe in, and let everyone else march to those ever-present “drums” as they choose.

-amanda

 The conversation is continued here:
Absinthia Returns, Part 14.