Grapes just picked from the garden. Concord grapes are a native, so they thrive really well. Crostini with beluga lentil sprouts and “Russian Mix” sprouts from the “Sprout People” (includes onion and caraway); almond butter, avocado; and a dash of fine balsamic vinegar.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
I just received this letter and wanted to pass it on to those who have senators and members of Congress (those of us in DC still do not):
Dear Elizabeth Goodman,One of our lobbyists just reported to me that some members of the supercommittee are telling us they are open to cutting Pentagon spending. “We need to hear what the folks back home in our state have to say about this,” we heard.The most important voice in this budget debate is your voices as constituents. As they make their decision, your members of Congress need to hear your side of this story. They need to hear about the consequences in your communities when money isn’t invested in schools, roads, jobs, and other local priorities.Today, will you write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper? Refer to your members of Congress by name and point out the needs in your local community.Communities around the country are being squeezed. More people are relying on food banks; local governments are copying with both the neighborhood and family stress of foreclosure; schools are increasing class sizes and shortening the school year; and critical maintenance on bridges and roadways. Police and firefighters are losing their jobs. Yet, the Pentagon budget continues to grow.Congress will take action to reduce the deficit, which means budget cuts. But if Congress doesn’t act to cut at Pentagon spending by a significant amount — FCNL and others believe that number is $1 trillion over the next ten years — then the cuts to other programs will be much deeper. Cutting the Pentagon budget and potentially making more funds available to meet the needs of state and local communities. There is an opportunity to make this change.Thank you for your action.Sincerely,Diane RandallExecutive Secretary P.S. If you want to know more about how much Pentagon spending is slated to rise, or more on FCNL’s views on the debt, deficit and supercommittee, visit our website.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
By order, I mean how things are arranged in space or time. Even chaos theory presumes order in that sense. On and off the mat, there is a certain order to things that is optimal. We do not plant seeds and then till the soil. Or think of the difference between peeling and chopping vegetables and then cooking them or cooking them and then peeling and chopping them. One or the other is not necessarily wrong if you do not have a specific dish in mind, but which you choose will dictate the results. Once you have gotten started in the sequence, though, the path shifts and is partly set. To reach an exquisite rather than a disgusting result, the next steps are ordered by the initial choice.
If only one musician is playing a single note, then there is no possibility of discordance. Add more musicians and more notes and who plays what notes when can mean cacophony, a catchy tune, or an extraordinary and ecstatic work of art. None of us are alone and none of us are playing just a single note, so in the great fabric of our being, it is best to understand how to make music.
Sequencing on the mat is more subtle than what poses should be done in what order in a particular practice to emphasize backbends v. forward bends and twists to be able to do the strongest poses with the least possibility of injury, as important as that is. The order in which we apply the Anusara principles not only aligns the physical body, but brings symmetry to the physical and energetic bodies, helping us to feel more in harmony in everything we do on and off the mat. I am, in this, a decent musician and not Bach, but the more I pay attention to the optimal sequence of things (keeping in mind that over most things we have no control as to when, whether, and how they happen) and the more I learn and appreciate the exquisiteness of order, the more I feel, understand, and experience the subtleties and joys of harmony.
This is dense, moist, sweet, and fairly healthy as Thanksgiving type treats go:
1. Beat together:
1/4 cup walnut oil (or safflower or canola if you are avoiding nuts)
1/2 cup sucanat
1/2 cup maple syrup
dash of salt
2. cream 2 cups of pureed pumpkin into oil/sweetener mixture
3. mix together:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
dried powdered ginger, allspice, and cinnamon to taste (1/2 to 1 tsp each)
4. incorporate dry ingredients into wet until just blended
5. stir in chopped, toasted walnuts (optional)
The batter will be thick. Spoon into two oiled loaf pans and smooth the top with a large spoon or spatula. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 325F until a skewer or knife comes out clean. The bread will not rise much, but will have more of the appearance of a coffee cake. If you like, you could make a strudel topping. Let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan and then cool further on wire racks.
