Sidetracked Artist

Bellingham ’s ban on non-reusable plastic grocery bags begins today.   Paper grocery bags are available at the check-out counter, but they cost 5 cents each.   We have a variety of reusable grocery bags that we’ve collected over the past few years, but I, for one, am not in the regular habit of using them. I’m not opposed to reusable bags.   I’m just not good at remembering to take them back out to the car.   And I’m especially bad at remembering to take them with me into the store. Also, there have been numerous incidents of food-borne illness associated with reusable grocery bags, but I would guess this would only be a problem if the bags aren’t washed between uses.   Unfortunately, not all of our bags are machine washable. This lovely reusable shopping tote probably wouldn’t do well in the washing machine, so it will only be used for non-food items. Fortunately, we have several bags that hold up well with regular machine washing and drying, like th...

This year's garden is well on it's way.  We've enjoyed many delicious salads this year, but it's too early to harvest much else here in Bellingham.  It's been said that summer in northwest Washington state doesn't really begin until July 5, and for the few years we've lived here that has been true.  We have a much shorder growing season here than any other place I've lived, but that doesn't stop me from trying to grow fresh vegetables for my family.  You can read more about why I grow food here . This year I have lettuce, green onions, zucchini, tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, shelling beans, and pole beans.  Potatoes?  My grandfather is probably rolling over in his grave, wondering, "Didn't we raise her better than to waste good land growing potatoes when you can buy a whole sack of them cheap at the store?" I love potatoes!  And of course I can buy them at the store, but I especially like those long, skinny fingerling potatoes, a...

  The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance. - Alan Watts Sometimes change jumps up and smacks you in the face, as it did three years ago when Fred’s job was eliminated.   He had made the choice to leave a good job to take what appeared to be a better job, but the company that had hired him just eight months earlier decided they needed to eliminate 100+ jobs to strengthen their bottom line. That company’s decisions affected us profoundly, resulting in so many unwanted, unimagined, heart wrenching changes. Sometimes change walks up, sits you down, and tells you it’s time to make other plans.   Fred’s current employer has announced that they will be closing their Bellingham facility in June 2013.   This time, we’ve been given over a year’s notice that he’ll need to make other plans for employment.   It’s never easy to hear that the job that supports your family is ending, but hearing, “your job will e...

Sending these Flowers For Leontien to help her feel better soon.

I haven’t posted much so far this year.   We’ve had an eventful few months, but most of our day-to-day activities haven’t been caught on camera.   This not only makes for less interesting blog posts, but I lose track of what I intended to write about.   And, well, I’ve been sort of distracted by some recent events. Everything is OK with us, there’s just been a lot going on, and some of it has been private.   And some of it is not up to me to share; not my story to tell.   Not now, anyway, maybe later. I’ve been reading a great deal this year, mostly because it’s been cold and rainy here these past several months, and I’m more comfortable staying in where it’s warm.   Being out in the cold makes my hands and feet ache.   I used to enjoy cold weather.   I loved downhill skiing, but my body just isn’t up for that sort of thing any more.   Keeping my hands and feet warm has become a daily challenge involving wool socks and slippers indoors a...

While most of the country basks in unseasonably warm weather, winter is still alive and well here in northwest Washington state. Look at that! Our weather forecast shows a sunny day a week from Friday! Something to look forward to. At least the light is returning.  During the darkest days of the year in late December, the sun didn't clear the horizon until eight o'clock and set at about a quarter past four.  When the sun reached it's highest point in the sky each day, it was still low in the southern sky, so darkness was descending in mid-afternoon. Now the days are a little longer and a little brighter.  Even beneath the cover of clouds, there is a brightness to the sky.  But it is still cold and wet, and I don't do well in the cold.  So for now, I'm staying inside near the fire with good books and knitting at hand, dreaming of warmer days. Cindy

We enjoy having homemade soup during this cold, rainy time of year.  I don't get too fancy with soup, and I don't follow recipes.  It's soup; no need to fuss! Lately, I've been making white bean and kale soup using canned white beans.  It takes about a half hour from chopping the first vegies to enjoying the first spoonful.  Of course, if I planned ahead, I could also make this soup with dried beans.  Dried beans are easy to work with and more economical, but planning ahead just hasn't been happening lately. To make this simple soup, drop a little oil and some chopped onion into a pot on medium-high heat.  Stir occasionally while chopping celery and carrot, throwing them in when they're chopped.  Saute for five or ten minutes, then add water or chicken broth.  Drain and rinse some canned white beans and stir into the soup.  Chop some kale, stir it in, and cook the soup for about 20 minutes.  Season with salt and peppe...