Before we get started with our daily dose of ridiculous and verbose, or move on to anything else, I have to share that recipe I promised you guys days ago. For the entire thing, plus credits and pictures and the exact nutrition numbers, go here. (Seriously, go there.) For the basics, and just to give you an idea of what you were seeing in that little bowl Dan brought me to taste test, here it is:
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup chopped dried apricots
- ½ cucumber, seeded and diced
- ¼ cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
- ¼ cup blanched almonds, lightly toasted
- ¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp chopped mint
Directions
1. Put the couscous in a heatproof bowl. Add enough boiling water to cover the couscous by 1 in (2.5cm). Let stand for 15 minutes, or until the couscous has absorbed all the water. Fluff up the grains with a fork.
2. Stir in the pepper, raisins, apricots, cucumber, olives, almonds, and pine nuts.
3. Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, and mint. Pour over the couscous and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm, or let cool and serve at room temperature.
That particular site has a ton of great stuff on it, this one is not the only thing we’ve tried. Today I went in search of black mustard seeds (did not find them, had to get brown) for a dish that is made with orange cauliflower (there is also purple!), which I really can’t wait to try.
Our title today refers, partly, to the weather (and partly to me too, I did NOT forget the recipe again), it was so freaking sunny today! I went out on the bike, not much else to report about the ride. However, when I got home from my erranding, TA DA! there was box waiting for me on the porch.
Fender! Now affixed securely over the back tire, the better to keep water and mud and all manner of debris OFF of my behind-me areas. (Did Daniel and I have to argue and bitch and fight during, before, and moderately after the installation of this accessory? Of course we did. But then I left the garage, so the conflicts were over at that point.) Once I take it for a test run, I’ll be sure to report in.
One of the places I had to go this afternoon was the library. Across the street there used to be (a billion years ago) a Sears. Then (for another billion years) there was a big pit. Soon there will be an expanded downtown campus for our local community college. Currently it looks like this.
Every time I go by there I want to stop and just watch the progress, it’s a fairly huge thing for us. Not that it will have any bearing on my life, directly, but it’s interesting all the same. (Oh wow, in googling around to find that first link, I found this, which says they have a webcam aimed at the construction. I am totally gonna come back and check it out. You know how I love webcams!)
I’ve had this note in my draft folders for weeks, but I don’t have any pictures to go with it, so I keep just NOT writing about it: hats. My Beloved has been making me new hats. We’ve just about run out of “good” yarn around here because of my special requests. Cotton is the only option (especially now that we know bamboo as fibre is a poor choice). Or cotton with alpaca maybe (not that we have any of that). But mostly just cotton. I promise, over our next weekend we’ll get the camera out so you can see how beautiful his work is, while I’m wearing it (or possibly them).
Just about the first thing I did today was flip over our card. When I saw what the top of it said I kept repeating it in my head, and I was conscious of staying on the awares*. (That’s another part of today’s title, which made itself known, very clearly, as I pedaled past the burnt-up house.)
*I can’t recall where that phrase started, seems like it had to with Winnie the Pooh, but it may have just been used by us during the years we watched those videos with the witchlings several times a day, or even when the original version first played, when I was a kid. I just know that it’s something that sticks in my head, and I still say it.
“Pay Attention ~
Notice repetitious signs and your inner guidance, as they can yield valuable information.
Heaven is giving you important messages, and by drawing this card, you are asked to pay extra attention to them. Notice conversations you overhear, comments made to you by others, inner feelings and thoughts. Look for common threads among the signs, as they are forms of guidance to help you manifest your Divine purpose and desires.
It is not your imagination that Heaven is sending you signs and Divine guidance. Anytime you hear or feel something three or more times, especially within a short time period, it is information worthy of your attention. These signs also give you feedback about your current belief system, since your thoughts attract mirroring experiences. Use these signs to heal beliefs that dishonor you, and swim in the direction that your guidance points you.”
(Standard Doreen Disclaimer: if the word Heaven does not resonate with you, please feel free to substitute it for something that does. I like Universe, but put whatever is comfortable for you in that spot.)
This illustration has its good and bad aspects for me, but the message is entirely good. It has a few levels to it though. The obvious one, about paying attention and noting signs that we are being given, is a great reminder. But she also tosses in that last bit at the end, about belief systems.
My thought here is that she’s basically saying to follow our heart, more specifically, if we are in a position of seeking some spiritual assistance, stay tuned-in to what our emotions and senses are telling us. If we feel as though the place we go for solace is not doing the job, keep looking, don’t settle.
I really like the line that talks about healing “beliefs that dishonor” us. Honor and respect for ourselves are necessary foundational building blocks, basic elements we all need, because once that stable self-support is in place, we are better able to express to others (consciously or subconsciously) that they treat us accordingly, as beings who are worthy of love, honor, respect, and so much more.
Foreign License Plate Report:
that new, very colorful, Alaska; and the newer Idaho one with the bird on it; lots of Texas people; plus a Minnesota.
Today’s Deck:
Magical Mermaids and Dolphins Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue
