Yesterday, someone had cabin fever. Having pneumonia wasn't reason for him to stay at home and rest. So, a road trip to Peterborough to pick up a nice loaf of sourdough bread and some triple cream Brie and have a picnic-in-the-car-next-to-the-canal was in order. We had the urge to see some countryside going home. We are learning what activities we can hold on to and what we need to change. Turning 70 has been a learning experience.
Spring is here, but so is winter.
The pneumonia was still and manifesting itself in choking, face-turning-blue coughs when we got home yesterday. Today, it is slightly better.
In recent years, I have forced spring to show itself. A few weeks ago, I pruned some chum bushes to get branches to bring inside. They are beginning to flower now.
A hint of what's to come. Never as beautiful as when the chum bush blooms on its own outside. But a glimpse of the beauty to come.
Because we are staying close to home this week, it's the perfect time to finish spring-cleaning the kitchen. What I love about spring-cleaning is that you get reacquainted with stuff on your shelves. Good time to fill up the spice bottles and think about what to do with your new Painted Mountain Cornmeal? I've already used it in My New Roots' Sweet Potato fries. Yum! And, in this Blueberry Cornmeal Shortbread Tart it was wonderful. I think long and hard about new things added to our shelves. We have a tiny kitchen. This one is here to stay.
Some foods on our kitchen shelves look like geology to me. Strata. The strata of three years of runner beans. Good memories and all of them mixed together will make for a great baked bean meal.
I was enjoying a forced spring this morning, but I was also holding on to past springs. About 40 years ago, Joel (5 or 6 or 7?) was commissioned to make labels for some of our spice jars. He took it upon himself to illustrate this label showing his clueless Mom that you need to open the lid.
This one fell off in recent years. There's a good amount of tape holding this memory in place now.
After 40 years, worries like will they ever learn to spell seem insignificant.
Future and past in one spring-cleaning day.
“Life can only be understood backwards;
but it must be lived forwards.”
Søren Kierkegaard
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