Seeds and community

Yesterday there was a seed swap nearby. It was hosted by a group of people (of which I'm one) who are interested in all things food, here where we are planted. It's interesting to meet people whose passion is growing vegetables and fruits and flowers and cooking and eating well. They seem to be a generous bunch; willing to give away their seeds and their knowledge to others who are interested. And they seem to be the busiest people; the same people who get called on when something needs to get done whether it is serving on the PTA or organizing a fundraiser to help out a neighbor in need. Some of these people have deep roots in this area, their families having been here since the 1800s. Others, like me are transplants who have been here for a while. Still others are transplants in process, perhaps in transition or planning to be in transition. But everyone seems to love idea of growing foods and flowers near home. Some haven't quite gotten to the point of loving the actuality of it, but they are enthusiastic and ready to roll up their sleeves.

Bring Back Special (or keep it where it exists...)

It's occurred to me more than once that I miss the sense of something being "special" that I grew up with. That thing or experience that was only available infrequently and whose appearance would create excitement. And the anticipation of it's arrival was almost as pleasant as the thing or experience itself. In my family one such special thing was Coke and 7-Up.

Suppliers or vendors to my the company where my father worked as a bookkeeper would send holiday gifts to him. I suppose it was to thank him for sending their checks promptly. I never really thought about why he would bring home the gifts. There were hams and towels (yes, bath towel sets) and more. But the one I appreciated the most was the company that sent a case of 12 oz bottles (green glass of course) of Coca-Cola and another case of 7-Up. These were as sure a sign of the Christmas season as the lights on the street or the tree in the living room. 

Once a year I indulged in drinking soft drinks that were never in the house other times. Or if they were I didn't know about it. Having a glass of Coke was as much a treat as opening gifts on Christmas eve. I would open bottles for my parents to pour glasses for the aunts and uncles who visited then but not during the year. Or to add to the occasional mixed drink that called for them. And my mother would make a wonderful 7-Up cake. The cases of Coke and 7-Up meant that visits were coming; that a turkey dinner wasn't far off and that the year was coming to a close. All these special memories just from two cases of soft drinks. The gifts went on until he retired...more than 15 years that I remember and possibly longer. 

Today I can have a Coke whenever I want. Wherever I want. It's nothing special. And more's the pity. Few things seem to really be special in a world of worldwide brands and franchises. Of sameness and uniformity. Maybe that's why the idea of maintaining the unique character of this place where I've elected to plant myself is so much a part of my thinking. Keeping the specialness of this "here" and not looking to yet another "there". I do worry though. It seems that to many people it is comforting to see the same things no matter where they go. And putting them in special places when they are not there....so that the place becomes nothing special. 

What's in the pantry?

I've been thinking about cooking even more with what I have rather than what I want so tonight I made dinner with what I found. I do this a lot, but I want to do it even more. Needs are very different than wants and I plan to focus on meeting my needs for a while.

I pulled some salmon out of the freezer and some barley and mushrooms I'd dried out of the pantry. Then I grabbed some green beans from the fridge. It was a meal. I cooked the barley with a bit of onion that was left in the fridge and the dried mushroom. I cooked it in chicken broth from the pantry rather than water. I roasted the green beans with pepper and some onion sugar (great stuff if you can find it!) and baked the salmon with a sauce of lemon juice, honey and some ground ginger and cinnamon. It was tasty. It was good for me in many ways.

Unfortunately when eating a green bean I also knocked off one of the brackets from my braces and so now I'm waiting to hear from the orthodontist's office whether I can wait til my regular appointment or if I have to make a special trip in to get it fixed. Rats... nothing is easy....

Bajiggity?

I guess it's important to explain a bit about the blog's name and reason for being. So here goes.

I'm a dreamer and someone whose life - from the perspective of the viewer who isn't me - has looked pretty satisfactory over all. I've enjoyed a good education, good, progressively responsible jobs, owned my own home, not been overwhelmed by debt, traveled some and pretty much been able to do what I wanted to. Yet, I've never been satisfied.

I've always looked for the perfect in myself and the situations in which I found myself. Not to mention in others. And one day I realized that always looking for the perfect made me miss out on enjoying the good. My never satisfied; next idea/relationship, please; happy = future; gotta have it the way I dreamed it way of life left me, well, bajiggity. Kind of antsy and anxious to be done with now to move on to tomorrow which undoubtedly would be better, happier, and more in keeping with my dreams. I remember as a child my mother telling me not to wish my life away. Well, that lesson took a long time to sink in.

So while I can't be anyone other than who I am - someone interested in all kinds of things and always seeing possibilities - I'm trying really hard to focus on the moment and what it offers. And take a deep dive into the few things that have stayed priorities with me over the years. Things like enjoying a conversation with friends, a shared meal, a sunset, a good book or just the fact that I'm here to think about all those things. And one more thing that stayed with me despite the years I spent full tilt running from it: my midwest roots. With all that freedom I could have lived anywhere, but never left the mid-est of the midwest - Indiana, Illinois and now, Michigan.

So the best I can explain it is that this blog is about the joy of being who I am, being where I belong and doing things that make me happy. And walking away from a bajiggity life.