Strawberry Day

It's strawberry season and yesterday we bought 5 flats (60 quarts) of strawberries. They are so beautiful and so delicious - local and unsprayed (although not organic, which are hard to find around here and very expensive) but unsprayed works for me.

Fresh produce always looks so great. You always feel good buying it in the store and bringing it home. Colourful and beautiful. 

& everything strawberry is beautiful!

We set up production. Washing, hulling, setting trays of them in the sun to dry and bagging most of them for the freezer. ..for when strawberry season is over. 

After sitting in the sun they tasted even sweeter, almost like strawberry jam.

Our back porch with strawberry plants, tomato plants and solar water.

It seemed sad to put them into bags, but we'll appreciate them later. Enjoy strawberries now!!

Yoga and Foraging at the Cemetary

ok, this may sound weird.. but one of our main hang outs lately is the cemetery. I've just realized/worked out that Mom used to take Buddy often to the cemetery for walks. My dad is buried here, and my grandparents and other relatives.. and in the back section its cleared and kept landscaped and mowed, but only has a dirt road to drive on and not many people are buried here yet. ..and in back there's an area they are just clearing, which is almost always just empty, there's never anyone there - the dog can go free and we can pick wild strawberries and forage for greens for our smoothies.

Most of the cemetery has plaques on the ground, but some areas have tombstones, sculptures and landscaped park areas. Along the edge of the cemetery on each side it wanders off into wooded area, on one side you have to cross water.. which Buddy loves to get into. 

It was finally hot here today. Its been a very cold, wet, rainy spring and is just starting to warm up.. I'm loving it!!. But I really enjoyed a shady area we found and doing yoga there. I've missed doing yoga very much during the past 2 years.. and am really enjoying getting back into it!! : )

ps. The best thing about the cemetery is that Mom is always so happy going there. ..and the curvy fun road that you drive getting there.. its hard not to speed a bit here on these roads, they make driving fun. & the speed limits higher out here! 

Happy Ivan Kupala Day!!

On Ivan Kupala day, children are engaged in water fights and perform pranks mostly involving pouring water over someone. Many of the rites related to this holiday are connected with the role of water in fertility and ritual purification.  Youths would jump over the flames of bonfires. Girls would float wreaths of flowers often lit with candles on rivers and would attempt to gain foresight into their relationship fortunes from the flow patterns of the flowers on the river. Men may attempt to capture the wreaths, in the hope of capturing the interest of the woman who floated the wreath.

There is an ancient Kupula belief, that the eve of Ivan Kupala is the only time of the year when ferns bloom. Prosperity, luck, discernment and power would befall on whoever finds a fern flower. Therefore, on that night, village folks would roam through the forests in search of magical herbs and especially the elusive fern flower Chervona Ruta. 

Traditionally, unmarried women, signified by their garlands on their hair, would be the first to enter the forests. They are followed by young men. Therefore, consequent to the quest in finding herbs and the fern flower may be the blooming of relationships between pairs of men and women within the forest.

It is to be noted that biologists have held the persistent scientific fact that ferns have never and will never bloom.

The Russian name of this holiday combines "Ivan", Russian for the name John (the Baptist), and Kupala which is related to a word derived from the Slavic word for bathing, which is cognate. The latter is reinterpreted as John's baptizing people through full immersion in water (therefore his biblical title of the Baptist). However, the tradition of Kupula predates Christianity

Images from fiski.net and google images
Info from wikipedia

Whats going on in the Kitchen?

Pizza Crusts just coming out of the dehydrator - 2 square, 2 round. I'm going to spread a square one now with cashew cheese and marinara and toppings and put the rest in the fridge, so they are ready to create a quick meal. (I have extra cashew cheese, marinara and pesto made from the lasagna I recently made ;)

The herbal tea brew.. I always feel extra witch-like when I make special blends of herbal teas.. even the hands taking a picture, dont they look witch-like?? ; ) 

wow, this is bad, you know what? I dont even remember! ..probably crackers. I have been looking for and creating ways to use up the pulp from the almond milk - one of the ways was crackers, and it gave them a really great texture. 

Mom's homework (a small part of it) - her words of the week are: Joan, walk and smoothie. I have to try to get her to say them as often as possible. Her therapy and this process we are going through is really interesting. Mom is great at responding 'off the cuff' or 'spur of the moment' and is getting better and better all the time.. but the problem with aphasia is that the connection gets lost when you think something and then have to voice the idea.. if you have aphasia the more you think about it the harder it is. So you can sometimes get the right responses by surprising it out ..which leads to some interesting homework sessions. Not to mention Mom has a great sense of humor (which I have only really discovered since coming home in April, and it is amazing to see this side of her that I missed before) We get so silly sometimes, its kind of ridiculous - For 3 nights in a row I was laughing so hard I was literally crying.. just really crazy.  Now, dont get me wrong.. its crazy and bizarre and fun sometimes.. but its also hard, for both Mom and I - There are periods when its really frustrating for her not to be able to convey her thoughts ..and periods for me when I feel very inept. I know I'm most likely the best person for the job.. but sometimes I feel so clued out. Most of the time I think I am fairly good at translating or deciphering what she is getting at.. but sometimes, its like shes talking Japanese.. and I'll go get James and he'll figure it out ..and I'll wonder what I am doing here?? But, I know that really, I'm just too close to her and miss things because of that sometimes. Sometimes a really simple idea will take a half hour, even longer to figure out.. we have all these different strategies we can try to figure it out. A few nights ago after trying and trying.. finally I said 'can you show me?" (one of my favorite lines now) and outside we go running in the rain to get the 2 bananas we left in the backseat of the car. I thought that was hilarious. Its really kind of bizarre around here sometimes - Mom has a new name she creates for herself regularly (it changes each time) and often when I dont know what she wants I just ask if shes suggesting ice cream, or buying me something interesting or going to some fanciful place.. I have my ways to make her smile ..and turn it all around to the most important things in life - Having Fun!!

Last 2 Cinnamon Rolls, with a squeeze bottle of Macadamia Caramel Frosting (from Sweet Gratitude ; ) Yumm!!

Burgers

This has been one of our favorite things to eat for lunch - Burger Wraps! I've made burgers about 4 times in the past month. We have been really into making lots of other things also: pizzas (just made 4 crusts a few days ago), lasagna (a few times), lots of crackers and dips and more - but burgers may win for frequency.

I made a burger sauce (a sweet mayonaisse with tomato and a bit of mustard), which is great! and another time I made a chili sauce for the burgers, like a sweet and savory BBQ sauce. We bought a stone ground mustard and a habanero sauce that I love from Shashi who sells East Indian food at the market. Indian is a bit of a weakness for me.. and James brought me $58 worth of Indian spices and Masala blends from Toronto when he came.. I have done some experimenting with Indian also.. but here I only went through a temporary phase - it was taking too much of my time, I just put it away.. but the burgers stayed. 1. They are easy  2. They are delicious 3. They are filling.

I havent really followed a recipe, basically its a blend of nuts/seeds/vegetables.. and herbs and spices. You have to get a feel for it - texture-wise, ingredient-wise - so that it holds together well. The last time I made it I decided to use sunflower seeds because I had lots - it was basically 2c sunflower seeds, 1 c walnuts, 3 cups vegetables and I had a cup or so of almond pulp left over from making almond milk.. and for the veg, I just cleaned out the fridge - carrots, cauliflower, red pepper, onion, celery ..I am fairly frugal here, and burgers are great for using up ends of things - we eat insanely well, but food prices are high out here.. I cant even think Toronto prices, often for produce its 40-50% more, maybe its the transport costs? but C'est la vie!  Oh I love mushrooms chopped up in burgers also.. Mmm and garlic ; )

Mushrooms are good for holding the burger together but make it dark.. I didnt have them this time and just ground up the seeds really well to bind the rest of ingredients together. Think about texture with raw foods,  leaving some veg's (or mushrooms or nuts) not chopped up too much can give a nice texture - onions and peppers can give a slight crunch and mushrooms left just chopped can give a tenderness. Parsley and fresh herbs are great for flavor. Spice is always nice. Enjoy, create ..turn the music up and have fun! : )

Our Garden

At the back of our house, actually the side, as our house is on the corner of 2 streets, we have a garden. Every year Mom puts in a garden.. and I suggested to her when she was still in the hospital that we put one in again this year. she loved that idea.  

The pictures above are side by side of the garden. Moms brother came one night and turned the soil, by hand (well, and a pitchfork) That was a big job! but made our job of planting it easier. Mom and I went through a seed catalogue from William Dam and picked out about 12 packages of seeds, mostly different varieties of greens. We started some seeds inside from yellow cherry tomatoes she grew last year. ..and we went to the garden center and splurged on some plants already started.

The most challenging part was planting as the communication is difficult and Mom is an accomplished gardener - when I was young we used to have over an acre of land where our cottage was and every summer she planted a huge vegetable garden. we had everything from corn to beans to potatoes and many fruit trees as well as lots of strawberries and raspberries ..and cranberries and blueberries just below our land growing wild, but plentiful. It was awesome there in the summer! We had a tire swing and the neighbours were farmers and had 2 young cows which my friend and I loved and petted and fed them things they shouldnt have, like apples from the trees and named them Fluff and Star.. until one day they werent there anymore and the neighbour came and asked my Mom if she wanted to buy the meat! (Ahh, uck, that was slightly traumatic!)   Oh, but I really got off track this time.. anyway, Mom knows vegetable gardening inside out and although I know a fair bit about it and have done it.. the communication problem really showed up here. I wanted to do it her way and ask advice, but she couldnt understand me, or I wasnt sure if she could and certainly couldnt answer me.. so we felt our way through it.. as we do most things. Its interesting how we have our way of understanding each other sometimes without language.  Dealing with Aphasia (I'm sure from both sides, hers and mine) is an interesting process. It can be frustrating and hard..but we try to laugh at it or just let things go that we cant figure out.

We have lots of containers of tomato plants!

I particularly like this little pot of pea plants running up thin stakes and small pansies (viola) in between. I was having a little thing with violas this year and went out and bought a whole bunch more to plant throughout the garden.. mainly because their edible and so pretty on desserts and in salads. 

Me in the garden : ) Its an every day event!

The Tidnish Bridge Art Gallery

Mom is a member of an art co-operative, a group of 8 artists - including mostly painters and also a writer and potters, who run a gallery throughout the summer - The Tidnish Bridge Art Gallery, just outside of Amherst, NS. Tomorrow is our Open House (I am including myself in here because as Mom is involved, I am involved - I am like her 'seeing eye dog, but more a 'speech and communication person' I try to decipher and translate as best as I can, often I can't, but I try. Mom has aphasia - this is a common effect from having a stroke. It seems shes textbook aphasia with a touch of apraxia.

Here are some quick pictures of the Gallery and surroundings:

These are mom's art cards.. all original watercolors!  She is a prolific artist and before her stroke taught several groups of art classes. She enjoys making these cards which she makes from the studies done in her classes or from larger paintings. ..all from before her stroke. 

Mom out for a walk, its really beautiful around the gallery!

Buddy, her dog, Loves the car!! ..sometimes its hard to get him out. Buddys raw too!! : )

I was so happy when I saw her doing this sketch when we were last there.. its so similar to her past style. Its a really good sign. 

She wrote some words on the bottom left page, but I am not sure what they mean.  yet. 

a personal note - I'm coming back

Hi,
It's been awhile since I've been here blogging. My life has had a dramatic flip in it.. life can be so crazy sometimes! I have moved and am now mostly settled in to my new life here in Moncton, NB. I just uploaded a bunch of pictures from my camera.. I have been getting into taking pictures lately. & this is such a new and different adventure that I thought I would share some of it online.

I am realizing that when I started blogging a primary reason was to share some of my life with my family and friends here in the east and now that I am in the east, I miss my Toronto family and friends and want to share some of my life here with them. ..And also of course anyone into the raw foods and healthy empowering lifestyles.

So I'm going to be back soon and share some pics and stories ..and whatever positive and creative things pop into my head.
Big hugs and LOVE  xo

Mom and life changes

The pics a little blurry.. I just took it from Randy (my brother's) facebook page (uploaded from his iphone).. Its me with my Mom outside the hospital. My Mom had a stroke almost 2 weeks ago and I have been here in Moncton, NB (east coast of Canada), since the day after she was admitted.  Its considered a 'major' stroke but fortunately she is not paralyzed on the right side as can often happen - the stroke was on the left side of her brain. Mom has had a history of high blood pressure which she has been keeping under control through the years.. the raw diet helped it a lot when we started 8-9 years ago and so she continued eating raw throughout the years.. but it still was fairly high. She was born with a congenital hole in her heart and had open heart surgery about 20 years ago. just to give some history and to understand that this was a lifelong health concern.

Mom's amazing. She continues to be my spiritual guru through this and stays positive, despite not being able to communicate a lot. We are working on the alphabet and numbers and colors.. how can an artist not know her colors?.. she had had enough of me this afternoon when I walked her past this painting that I always go through the colors with her on.. its a big painting of abstractish flowers.. as we approached it  she said ' oh no, not that painting!!' lol I let her off the hook.. she worked hard today, and she hasnt even officially started her therapy sessions yet.

I was soo happy that she got into intensive rehab - they often only take people under 65 and Mom is 72.. but shes been very independent, living in a big house - same house that I grew up in with her 'wildish' but incredibly loveable dog (personality++) and her 16 year old granddaughter.. driving everywhere, teaching 3 sets of art classes, about to go for her 3rd gold bar on her black belt(maybe I shouldnt say that, she wouldn't, incredibly modest - but I think thats the way, when you get your black belt..humility is also taught.. but hey, I'm her daughter and proud) & mom is an artists artist.. like, she can stay up all night painting, very passionate about it ..its her life and what she loves most.. and so I am here to help her get it back.

I am moving back to NB to live here with her. James is coming and Zoey my cat ..the house is up for sale. My things are all being packed as I type by him (James) and friends and will be on a moving truck in days. Isn't it wild how life can change... expect the unexpected. go figure.. and now to sort it all out.

One thing I know is that its not an option but to be here with my Mom! Honestly, its like an honor for me.

Raw - Mom is amazing.. my guru once again - she is completely raw in the hospital. The dietitian wasn't sure what to do with her. and we worked it out. I make green smoothies everyday and bring those and salads. crackers etc to her. One day stuffed dehydrated marinated mushrooms and tomatoes with an herb coating.. salsa, guacamole.. today it was Indian food, complete with a coconut chai drink. Mom has her own gourmet raw chef here ; )  I made a list of everything she was having for awhile for the dietician.. her smoothie alone was a job to decipher I'm sure for her with all the herbs, superfoods, gojis, maca, blue green algae, medicinal mushrooms etc etc mixed in.. I got the green light and have fridge space to keep her going.  Everyday is a picnic there.. even the nurses come over to check out what we're having.
But life is busy, her dog is raw also and that was an adjustment to get used to taking out a dog 3x a day and making his food.. but I have it down. Its a full day but its flowing, speaking of which, bedtime.

ps. I should have my camera back in a week or so when my things all get here. I hardly brought anything, only a small suitcase so I wouldnt have to check anything on the plane. I had no idea how things were going to play out when I left Toronto, or that I wouldnt be going back. life changes.. gotta flow with it. We just keep doing our best!! peace.

psps. Moms website - http://www.joangregory.ca/

Life - black mud, Spanish, ducks and raw foods ...and lemon water

ok, this is probably a super-crazy picture to come back with after 2 months away. 2 months!! wow, where does time go? (gotta love that question!!) and what have I been up to?? or better asked is probably - What have you been up to?? Ah, but I can only answer for me.

I have been really into my Spanish in my spare time.. and that probably accounts mostly for my lack of blogging. It's been really awesome and enriching, in a different way from raw foods.. like exercising the brain muscles. & now it feels really great that I can understand radio and tv from Spain and Latin America.. and forget that its another language and just have to look words up now and then. But then again I'm having a good day.. there are ups and downs with learning.. I still have moments when I listen to something Spanish and am totally clued out, but for the most part I get along fine.

I am still very into my raw food thing. I dont think I will ever eat again another way, it just makes too much sense to me. That being said I have had my moments this past year or so when I have only considered myself high-raw (instead of the complete raw I used to be, and very likely will be again) and I've slacked off a few times here and there. I know I feel at my best the more raw I am.. I've just gone through some emotional life stuff in the past few years ..but I'm feeling strong and like a duck.. y'know how they just ruffle their feathers and shake it off and float along again. Oh, to be a duck! ; )

I got very into drinking lemon water in the mornings.. and have been almost living on green smoothies. I made some flax crackers this past week.. and have sprouted buckwheat ones sprinkled with sesame seeds in the dehydrator right now & I made some super-hot salsa today with about 5 kinds of peppers in it. I'm so into hot and spicy foods these days!!  & it turned out so good.

The pic above is because there was a cricket match today between India and Pakistan and I live in Little India and it was so loud walking down the street this afternoon, hundreds of flags everywhere, on cars, people, shops.. the traffic was almost at a stand-still it was so packed. It was very loud and busy and fun to walk through.

Tomorrow morning I am going to go for a black-mud super-steam crazy high vibe morning bright and early, where we do just about every good thing there possibly is you can do for yourself. I went a month or so ago also and took a pic, but it was too dark in the steam room to show you.. but picture candles, essential oils, magic black rocks and cedar boughs everywhere and us covered in black mud..  and the best food ever, after that is. Maybe I'll have pics tomorrow.

& 1 more thing. We're building a new website - yes, all raw foods based, the best foods ever! Tell you more later. xo! Peace and love!!