tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57714065310868769482024-03-05T23:02:51.037-08:00The Spiral of SeasonsA blog about seasons, home, garden, food, and natureJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.comBlogger182125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-84881785253628737662011-02-04T07:43:00.000-08:002011-02-04T07:48:01.419-08:00The blog is dead. Long live the blog.The Spiral of Seasons blog served its purpose long ago. I am shutting it down with this final post to announce my new blog: <a href="http://www.joyweesemoll.com/">Joy’s Book Blog</a>! The topics are the same on the new blog—they just include books! In particular, I am still blogging about food by participating each week in <a href="http://www.bethfishreads.com/2009/10/introducing-weekend-cooking.html">Weekend Cooking</a>. Check out my most recent food post, a <a href="http://www.joyweesemoll.com/2011/01/29/book-review-love-in-the-time-of-cholesterol/">book review of Love in the Time of Cholesterol</a> by Cecily Ross, accompanied by a recipe for Avocado Pizza. Please join me at <a href="http://www.joyweesemoll.com/">Joy’s Book Blog</a> this weekend for my Grand Opening, complete with a door prize!Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-79071285963639194092010-07-07T01:36:00.000-07:002010-07-07T01:37:25.867-07:00Alisa found alive!<a href="http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=206036&catid=3">Alisa Maier found alive in Fenton</a>Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-53899332677196197552010-07-06T19:53:00.001-07:002010-07-06T20:02:19.455-07:00Alisa Maier<div>I grew up in Louisiana, Missouri in a time and place when kids owned the neighborhoods in the summertime from the moment that dads left for work in the morning until the streetlights came on in the evening. We rode bikes, played in and around all the houses that had kids and some of the ones that didn't, and hung out in places that our parents pretended that they didn't know about to give us a sense of indepence.<br /><br />Louisiana, Missouri is the town where a 4 year old girl was abducted, apparently by a stranger, last night while playing in her front yard with her brother. Please take a moment to look at her photo on the <a href="http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&caseNum=1151284&orgPrefix=NCMC&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US">Amber Alert Page</a> and offer up a prayer.</div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXEY0yIFizJ3amejE6oWG5soSkwt_AdfR8b-_RLLyZ-sDrUg6LcVv8oTIPwdnvIobjKu2IFA0qFt6CjgM5T0JC57E13da7D3wHyYg9XiJn4R48J4yR0LNqPFQSWwVPlpu_HPbJIRLgyY/s1600/alisa.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 256px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490994217427798562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXEY0yIFizJ3amejE6oWG5soSkwt_AdfR8b-_RLLyZ-sDrUg6LcVv8oTIPwdnvIobjKu2IFA0qFt6CjgM5T0JC57E13da7D3wHyYg9XiJn4R48J4yR0LNqPFQSWwVPlpu_HPbJIRLgyY/s320/alisa.jpg" /></a></div>Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-46489123332458648122010-06-03T09:39:00.000-07:002010-06-03T10:11:10.039-07:00Grow Your Own (Salmonella-free) SproutsI feel myself becoming a zealot about having everyone grow at least a little of your own food. It makes such a difference how you think about all of your food if you put a little effort into even one small plant. If you haven't bought your <a href="http://thespiralofseasons.blogspot.com/2009/08/why-i-grow-basil-and-you-should-too.html">basil plant</a> yet, now's the time!<br /><br />Here's an idea for growing your own food that doesn't even involve dirt: sprouts! Growing sprouts recently got a whole lot easier because the <a href="http://www.sproutpeople.com/">Sprout People </a>put videos on their website. I had an <a href="http://www.sproutpeople.com/devices/ez/easysprout.html">Easy Sprout</a> (bought from another company) for a couple of years but the instructions that came with it were so bad that I wasn't using it. With the videos, though, I'm now completely confident.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXdIoWVPdH8T_W9XjJJnhDPaKSbtQu1deOH54eHqNb1VjO4GunfrBQVfxd_X7U2zXNBhMBKAP687yVqsraUfRCz8NKMHXRlUtjN7kdc_XgVDm_zmNNf3-Ob9YFAez42xDDWku4-55uFw/s1600/sprouts-for-web.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478595979086304226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXdIoWVPdH8T_W9XjJJnhDPaKSbtQu1deOH54eHqNb1VjO4GunfrBQVfxd_X7U2zXNBhMBKAP687yVqsraUfRCz8NKMHXRlUtjN7kdc_XgVDm_zmNNf3-Ob9YFAez42xDDWku4-55uFw/s320/sprouts-for-web.jpg" /></a><br /><br />I've been making sprouts for several months now. I switch between <a href="http://www.sproutpeople.com/seed/mothersmix.html">Mother's Mix </a>(no, I'm not pregnant -- the nutrients match up with what I read about the needs of perimenopausal women) and <a href="http://www.sproutpeople.com/seed/nicks.html">Nick's Hot Sprout Salad</a>. I keep them in the freezer and start two tablespoons every time the Easy Sprouter comes out of the dishwasher from the last batch. I'm growing enough sprouts for us to have some on every salad, sandwich, and pizza that we make. They are yummy, too -- I actually catch myself craving sprouts!Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-77114610163164857812010-05-20T12:35:00.001-07:002010-05-20T12:41:44.103-07:00Hermann, MissouriWe ended up with a perfect May day to take a 3 mile walk with our cameras around Hermann.<br /><br /><div>R was fascinated by the iron crosses that the German blacksmiths made for St. George Cemetery.<br /></div><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8z-XkIE-UJLXvKYM-GpcCwHnf9p1bUnB32irkb9t2qVHyfpF-HTA6c3WiidI0QnZ0ht1W43KLBDHiilo4M1ossF0lMIwUlzS3R-DDyyltbZmuj1ZOX8ABHK2qbNzmOW6m70cv8YDJ5O4/s1600/r-web.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 247px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473439275196627266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8z-XkIE-UJLXvKYM-GpcCwHnf9p1bUnB32irkb9t2qVHyfpF-HTA6c3WiidI0QnZ0ht1W43KLBDHiilo4M1ossF0lMIwUlzS3R-DDyyltbZmuj1ZOX8ABHK2qbNzmOW6m70cv8YDJ5O4/s320/r-web.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>We also got a kick out of this staircase which, on paper for the original city plan, was supposed to be Mozart Street. But these steps are all that exist of the one block that was way too steep to join the two sections of the road. A staircase was the only option. I imagine kids and parishioners still use it, though, since St. George church and school sit on the top of this hill. R took this photo.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqKBTy35cqjsKXcRRQpXonIPZC6Ie6V18ZULqLhZGaEHYvhDbhEIlAyXRETYkyl_uLD6kr-h4Iy7E2P4gGvB0joEG1_TS3Ge90APHT8LoiYQNmQuFxV_yc4to12NsHtJMvjfmYG84FUw/s1600/stairs-web.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 214px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473439281837057810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqKBTy35cqjsKXcRRQpXonIPZC6Ie6V18ZULqLhZGaEHYvhDbhEIlAyXRETYkyl_uLD6kr-h4Iy7E2P4gGvB0joEG1_TS3Ge90APHT8LoiYQNmQuFxV_yc4to12NsHtJMvjfmYG84FUw/s320/stairs-web.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>More photos on my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joyweesemoll/">Flickr page</a>. </div>Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-24176411281256538292010-04-28T17:13:00.000-07:002010-04-28T17:22:30.246-07:00Bamboo ShootsI bought a bamboo shoot at the <a href="http://www.schlafly.com/market.shtml">Maplewood Farmers Market at Schlafly Bottleworks </a>from the lady at the <a href="http://www.ozarkforest.com/">Ozark Forest Mushrooms </a>booth. She sold them with <a href="http://vegetables.wsu.edu/bambroc.pdf#xml=http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/cgi-bin2/texis.exe/webinator/search/pdfhi.txt?query=bamboo+shoots&pr=vegetables&prox=page&rorder=500&rprox=500&rdfreq=500&rwfreq=500&rlead=500&sufs=0&order=r&cq=&id=45b54fb73">this brochure</a> (pdf) from the Extension Office of Washington State University. I peeled the shoot, sliced it into rings, and boiled the slices for twenty minutes. According to the brochure, you can then serve it just about anyway you would any other vegetable -- on a salad, in soup, stir-fried, etc. We thought the flavor was pretty delicate (reminds me of Heart of Palm) and so decided it would suit us best on a salad.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBuCFikReGhWbmnupfvwDWNNCYc01Zarnn3jARu8iNG351wfRMzgy3Gd9ESked1-KNpM_DRAM7cO7KZUt9wYbFprradlcLNlV8N4qVW3S-5Y1lQg6fI59ueUYEUziQHPYnDf5vUA9ZIk/s1600/salad-for-web.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 178px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465347520725719986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBuCFikReGhWbmnupfvwDWNNCYc01Zarnn3jARu8iNG351wfRMzgy3Gd9ESked1-KNpM_DRAM7cO7KZUt9wYbFprradlcLNlV8N4qVW3S-5Y1lQg6fI59ueUYEUziQHPYnDf5vUA9ZIk/s320/salad-for-web.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br />If you haven't been to a Farmers Market this spring, things are really popping out early. I bought a chicken, beet leaves, and mushrooms. There were all kinds of other greens available as well as radishes and chives. I saw a sign that said strawberries, but they must have sold out before I got there. Also, lots of plants for your garden.Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-20240668433282221242010-04-18T15:15:00.000-07:002010-04-18T15:21:07.238-07:00Class Field Trip 2For the second Sunday in a row, we got up before sunrise to meet our photography class at the Missouri Botanical Garden, two hours before it opened to the public. The azaleas and tulips are spectacular.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dbGBvGEBi9V5NIczsKbnQWbAsDksbFNiqaaziw6q9fl4UGK5vlWwzX8hqhSUIb2SOpGh81F3GoCPzC7bwb_86OTeD2jJVT2blRF-4NG9Kye4C-zPad3fAdSjsyQRd_COze0bj9hy13k/s1600/waterfall2-for-web.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461605280304225410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dbGBvGEBi9V5NIczsKbnQWbAsDksbFNiqaaziw6q9fl4UGK5vlWwzX8hqhSUIb2SOpGh81F3GoCPzC7bwb_86OTeD2jJVT2blRF-4NG9Kye4C-zPad3fAdSjsyQRd_COze0bj9hy13k/s320/waterfall2-for-web.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWsnhMlC0KnLJ_ZFswsXmwTetUd22aBBKF0-81fIAwSaIEYIJ6bK7LoIBMKZ6xSdxaFNLdL7vekX0W-6mi00wR44bka5JvcUvfBM6zjYRA6wU0xx_a_fjNfDPrHf-qCZWPdv7HTGl8fI/s1600/red-tulip2-for-web.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461605281399459234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWsnhMlC0KnLJ_ZFswsXmwTetUd22aBBKF0-81fIAwSaIEYIJ6bK7LoIBMKZ6xSdxaFNLdL7vekX0W-6mi00wR44bka5JvcUvfBM6zjYRA6wU0xx_a_fjNfDPrHf-qCZWPdv7HTGl8fI/s320/red-tulip2-for-web.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepGLgARNRg9E0GKBiGUn7-EP811Q94CD9K2Pim5S4tZVuCeSx0jHJo0v8wjYZ0W4BF1ssU5JScPQz2gAdLlEht90LvYrcqZZJz54DXMoZIBr-BgJBJnWWDo-6oJkPLCqGPGkSNzQea6w/s1600/fountain-for-web.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461605293663719106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepGLgARNRg9E0GKBiGUn7-EP811Q94CD9K2Pim5S4tZVuCeSx0jHJo0v8wjYZ0W4BF1ssU5JScPQz2gAdLlEht90LvYrcqZZJz54DXMoZIBr-BgJBJnWWDo-6oJkPLCqGPGkSNzQea6w/s320/fountain-for-web.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div></div>More photos on my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joyweesemoll/?saved=1">flickr page.</a><br /></div>Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-8185333475916387112010-04-17T10:19:00.000-07:002010-04-17T10:22:13.191-07:00Evening light at the GardenWe stayed at the Missouri Botanical Garden after volunteering at the Archive during the day on Wednesday. It was fun to see how active the ducks and geese were at that time of day. The azaleas were brilliant.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCNRvJGTojCOdjtu0EopeGaO004G81-KrAXKWmBiwXBSQSFQ1s9gYMUyO6wYlAHcudsWh0tnXXZPBaoa7AlTc5K2MaQMjOiDESKe-d64sMP7iB_lFzzdDJcDFNVxi-51-URZ1573Qu6k/s1600/goose-for-web.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 264px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461157847453349714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCNRvJGTojCOdjtu0EopeGaO004G81-KrAXKWmBiwXBSQSFQ1s9gYMUyO6wYlAHcudsWh0tnXXZPBaoa7AlTc5K2MaQMjOiDESKe-d64sMP7iB_lFzzdDJcDFNVxi-51-URZ1573Qu6k/s320/goose-for-web.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br />More photos on my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joyweesemoll">flickr page</a>.Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-15595610764469004942010-04-11T14:37:00.001-07:002010-04-11T14:46:50.280-07:00Photography Class field tripRick and I are taking a photography class through the Missouri Botanical Garden. Today's adventure was a field trip starting two hours before the Garden opened to the public. I took 269 photos, but culled them down to 21.<br /><br />The Japanese Garden has beautiful light at 7:00 in the morning.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2K820q8Ds9k7ndCVF_VMa7LP0fnA9WLMNg5oBzeEW8c1wwQ6vXoqE9k67xppxNrdLZEoNwmCbqQmDGJeA4efgVpiyl2NzoH7ftv5AUNIcxpjwKDCryDVVcQGR9Oto6zRGjs2fcsb_yY/s1600/bridge2-for-web.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 244px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458998429383708162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2K820q8Ds9k7ndCVF_VMa7LP0fnA9WLMNg5oBzeEW8c1wwQ6vXoqE9k67xppxNrdLZEoNwmCbqQmDGJeA4efgVpiyl2NzoH7ftv5AUNIcxpjwKDCryDVVcQGR9Oto6zRGjs2fcsb_yY/s320/bridge2-for-web.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The class is called "Understanding Exposure," so I took many shots of this white bridge to get a good exposure.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdpSzkw3ekIQjyQEGJR8DRQ_qgWgmrdjnXdCoEd4JSs_R0szshGLDzVCg6DSCY0gNqLUWuxbHga6WFiWImUcANi4BLSwCl4kRmi0eAvScsoq6vBkourryQGPctFhqFUV71-128_PbaEM/s1600/bridge4-for-web.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 202px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458998435107627810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdpSzkw3ekIQjyQEGJR8DRQ_qgWgmrdjnXdCoEd4JSs_R0szshGLDzVCg6DSCY0gNqLUWuxbHga6WFiWImUcANi4BLSwCl4kRmi0eAvScsoq6vBkourryQGPctFhqFUV71-128_PbaEM/s320/bridge4-for-web.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The tulips are blooming with more to come.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwavh3JFFYWCfUO3TjCvM7qJTg6EMnaHtUodxSfG732Z_jvTCL-PRPO1EwJ-j5hKfml4VRY3R3mHyCCUPtcOTOKJAMdXjQD395p2MM0h4ndmD4_fBgORXrC66EMkbQee2n04nk9QI1aM/s1600/bud-for-web.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 207px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458998438647315010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwavh3JFFYWCfUO3TjCvM7qJTg6EMnaHtUodxSfG732Z_jvTCL-PRPO1EwJ-j5hKfml4VRY3R3mHyCCUPtcOTOKJAMdXjQD395p2MM0h4ndmD4_fBgORXrC66EMkbQee2n04nk9QI1aM/s320/bud-for-web.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Many more photos on my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joyweesemoll/">flickr page</a>.Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-74583012141479368662010-03-15T14:13:00.000-07:002010-03-15T14:17:25.166-07:00Celery Growing In St. LouisRick and I are volunteering in the Archives of the Missouri Botanical Garden. I am cataloging the slides of Walter Hodge, botanist and photographer, a collection numbering in the tens of thousands of photographs arranged alphabetically by genus. I might get through the Acers (maples) next week. Rick is scanning the same slides that I cataloged in the fall of 2009, the photographs by Jack Jennings whose work graced the annual Garden calendar for decades. <br /><br />Rick's work contains a fair amount of downtime as the slide scans, so he has been reading old issues of the <em>Missouri Botanical Garden Bulletin</em>. An article he read last week has to do with growing celery in St. Louis and was published in March, 1915. Here is the <a href="http://www.botanicus.org/item/31753002460811">link to the 1915 volume</a> on Botanicus; the celery article starts on page 41. According to the article, "it is possible to grow good celery on a small scale and with but little effort." It also says that celery "is a garden product good only while perfectly fresh. Its flavor and crispness are soon lost after the plants are removed from the conditions surrounding their growth." If that's true, we both believe we may have never eaten a good stalk of celery. <br /><br />Another reason to grow celery is that it is number 4 on the <a href="http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php">list of highest pesticide load</a>. So, celery is a great candidate for growing instead of purchasing conventionally grown and marketed stalks.<br /><br />There are late and early varieties of celery. The article mentions three early varieties that are recommended for St. Louis: White Plume, Golden Self Blanching, and Golden Heart. Of these, only the Golden Self Blanching variety seems readily available now. The White Queen and Giant Pascal varieties "should be selected for winter use." White Queen is available at <a href="http://www.kitazawaseed.com/seed_194-152.html">Kitazawa Seed</a> and Giant Pascal is available from several seed companies. <br /><br />Much of the celery article explains how to blanch or bleach celery. We found this confusing in all details from "why?" to "how?". I think, to start, I'll try the Golden Self Blanching variety and look for some modern sources about how to grow celery. If anyone in the St. Louis area is growing celery and would like to offer me a demonstration, I would love to see your garden in action this summer.Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-61632768106867430122010-02-21T08:59:00.000-08:002010-02-21T09:06:21.516-08:00Sunday Transcendentalist QuoteFrom Ralph Waldo Emerson's address at Harvard Divinity School in 1838, as quoted in <em>The Concord Quartet</em> by Samuel A. Schreiner Jr.<br /><blockquote><p>The stationariness of religion; the assumption that the age of inspiration is past, that the Bible is closed; the fear of degrading the character of Jesus by representing him as a man; indicated with sufficient cleanness the falsehood of our theology. It is the office of a true teacher to show us God is, not was; that He speaketh, not spake. The true Christianity, --a faith like Christ's in the infinitude of man, --is lost. None believeth in the soul of man, but only in some man or person old and departed.<br /></p></blockquote><br />It's really no wonder that we have become a nation where most of us don't go to church with this in our past. But, I think the Transcendentalists would be disappointed in us as a society. We don't take the time and effort that we used to put into church and seek God in the woods or in our hearts.Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-80036236892848917982010-02-14T09:47:00.000-08:002010-02-14T10:47:45.840-08:00Sunday Transcendentalist QuoteEmerson, reflecting on a Higher Power, before it was called that:<br /><br /><blockquote>I find this amazing revelation of my immediate relation to God a solution to all the doubts that oppressed me. I recognize the distinction of the outer and inner self; the double consciouness that, within this erring, immortal mind, whose powers I do not know, but it is stronger than I; it is wiser than I; it never approved me in any wrong; I seek counsel for it in my doubts; I repair to it in my dangers; I pray to it in my undertakings. It seems to me the face which the Creator uncovers to his child. It is the perception of this depth in human nature, this infinitude belonging to every man that has been born, which has given a new value to the habits of reflection and solitude.</blockquote>This is from Ralph Waldo Emerson's journal during a trip to Europe that he took after relinquishing his pulpit and before writing <em>Essay on Nature</em>, as quoted on page 26 in <em>The Concord Quartet: Alcott, Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau, and the Friendship that Freed the American Mind </em>by Samuel A. Schreiner, Jr.Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-60421884808777457422010-02-10T16:39:00.000-08:002010-02-10T16:45:47.470-08:00Orchid ShowWe went to one of the evening opening parties for the Orchid Show, but were back at the Missouri Botanical Garden today and took the opportunity to see the orchids in the daytime.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHt8v4PTVGAB_fvuxW3o41wTA5d4QuaZzNQCC7HpXpr_fg5ABb85e_h9P3_-8UcnSLRGX7UvlziXz-3zlMYRyhIo9gNo_A-nGReMQa-aHgWZY5E_UNTpFYNg5_Z953c3CwU0Yl1_3y0U/s1600-h/orchid3-for-web.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 219px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436780094267567202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHt8v4PTVGAB_fvuxW3o41wTA5d4QuaZzNQCC7HpXpr_fg5ABb85e_h9P3_-8UcnSLRGX7UvlziXz-3zlMYRyhIo9gNo_A-nGReMQa-aHgWZY5E_UNTpFYNg5_Z953c3CwU0Yl1_3y0U/s320/orchid3-for-web.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br />Peter Raven passed through while we were there. We didn't realize until we got home that he must have been leaving the press conference that announced his retirement, as covered by the Post-Dispatch <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/sciencemedicine/story/D233899928873E3C862576C600633D81?OpenDocument">here</a>. We're pleased that Dr. Raven is staying on as president emeritus and that the new choice, Peter Wyse Jackson, has wonderful experience in the botanical world.Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-76542758120781186002010-01-31T08:38:00.000-08:002010-01-31T08:51:12.443-08:00Sunday Transcendentalist QuoteLouisa May Alcott wasn't a Transcendentalist, but her father, Bronson Alcott, was. Her story <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=M_LQAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA352&dq=eli" ei="oKtlS5XcL5SQNZrqkdwB&cd=1#v=onepage&q=eli's%20education&f=false"">"Eli's Education"</a> is the way she imagined her father developed from farm boy to educated man. It was originally published in <em>St Nicholas: a monthly magazine for boys and girls</em>, which has been scanned by Google books.<br /><br />The story begins with his self-education:<br /><blockquote><p>Many years ago, a boy of sixteen sat in a little room in an old farm-house up among the Connecticut hills, writing busily in a book made of odd bits of paper stitched together, with a cover formed of two thin boards. The lid of a blue chest was his desk, the end of a tallow candle stuck into a potato was his lamp, a mixture of soot and vinegar his ink, and a quill from the gray goose his pen. A <em>Webster's Spelling-book</em>, <em>Dilivorth's New Guide to the English Tongue</em>, <em>Daboll's Arithmetic</em>, and the <em>American Preceptor</em>, stood on the chimneypiece over his head, with the <em>Assembly Catechism</em> and <em>New Testament</em> in the place of honor. This was his library ; and now and then a borrowed <em>Pilgrim's Progress</em>, <em>Fox's Book of Martyrs</em>, or some stray volume, gladdened his heart; for he passionately loved books, and scoured the neighborhood for miles around to feed this steadily increasing hunger.</p></blockquote><p>Young Eli goes through many trials and tribulations, but all ends well: </p><blockquote><p>There his youth ends ; but after the years of teaching he began to preach at last, not in one pulpit, but in many all over the land, diffusing good thoughts now as he had peddled small wares when a boy ; still learning as he went, still loving books and studying mankind, still patient, pious, dutiful, and tender, a wise and beautiful old man, till at eighty, Eli's education ended.</p></blockquote>Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-44904850020210763562010-01-17T08:35:00.000-08:002010-01-17T10:36:15.455-08:00Sunday Transcendentalist QuoteHave you seen the American Masters program about Louisa May Alcott on PBS? I was fascinated by the experience she had as a child at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Fruitlands</span>, a commune built on Transcendentalist ideals founded by her father, Bronson Alcott, and his friend, Charles Lane. Utopian communities are easy to make fun of, and this one is probably funnier than most. The only person who lived at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Fruitlands</span> and wrote extensively about the experience was Louisa. Her piece, written many years later as an adult, was a parody called <em>Transcendental Wild Oats</em>.<br /><br />Ralph Waldo Emerson famously wrote in his journal after a visit to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Fruitlands</span>, "I will not prejudge them successful. They look well in July. We shall see them in December." In fact, that statement proved prescient as the community broke up in January, unable to feed themselves, in part because the two founders spent the growing season traveling and lecturing rather than working the farm.<br /><br />Another source of contention was a belief by Charles Lane that their community should be celibate like the Shakers. Mrs. Alcott did not share this vision and one assumes that she had intellectual and other means to persuade her husband to see her side of things.<br /><br />However, in spite of all the fun to be had at the expense of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Fruitlands</span>, many of the ideals were admirable and some seem quite modern. I was startled at how much the following passage, from a published letter written by the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Fruitlands</span> founders, echoes things I have read in the last couple of years about eating locally, the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">inefficiency</span> of cattle as a provider of meat or milk, and the merits of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">veganism</span>.<br /><br /><blockquote>Debauchery of both the earthly soil and the human body is the result of this cattle keeping. The land is scourged for crops to feed the animals, whose filthy ordures are used under the erroneous supposition of restoring lost fertility; disease is thus infused into the human body; stimulants and medicines are resorted to for relief, which end in a precipitation of the original evil to a more disastrous depth. These misfortunes which affect not only the body, but by reaction rise to the sphere of the soul would be avoided, at least in part, by the disuse of animal food. Our diet is therefore strictly of the pure and bloodless kind. No animal substances, neither flesh, butter, cheese, eggs nor milk, pollute our tables or corrupt our bodies, neither tea, coffee, molasses, nor rice, tempts us beyond the bounds of indigenous productions. Our sole beverage is pure fountain water. The native grains, fruits, herbs and roots, dressed with the utmost cleanliness, and regard to their purpose of edifying a healthful body, furnish the pleasantest refections and in the greatest variety requisite to the supply of the various organs. The field, the orchard, the garden, in their bounteous products of wheat, rye, barley, maize, oats, buckwheat; apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries, currants, berries; potatoes, peas, beans, beets, carrots, melons, and other vines, yield an ample store for human nutrition, without dependence on foreign climes, or the degradations of shipping and trade. The almost inexhaustible variety which the several stages and sorts of vegetable growth, and the several modes of preparation afford, are a full answer to the question which is often put by those who have never ventured into the region of a pure and chaste diet: "If you give up flesh meat, upon what then can you live?"</blockquote><br /><br />Originally, this quote was from a letter published in the <em>Herald of Freedom</em>, September 8, 1843. I transcribed it from an appendix of <em>Transcendental Wild Oats and Excerpts from the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">Fruitlands</span> Diary</em> by Louisa May Alcott, a 1981 printing by The Harvard Common Press.Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-52671680302917657202010-01-10T09:17:00.000-08:002010-01-10T09:28:56.712-08:00Sunday Transcendentalist QuoteStudents of Transcendentalism despair at arriving at a satisfactory definition of the movement, but I quite like this one by Elizabeth Peabody (1804-1894), educator, bookstore owner, and publisher. <blockquote>Transcendentalism belongs to no sect of religion, and no social party. It is the common ground to which all sects may rise, and be purified of their narrowness; for it consists in seeking the spiritual ground of all manifestations.</blockquote><p><span style="font-size:85%;">As quoted in <em>A Journey into the Transcendentalists' New England</em> by R. Todd Felton, pp. 5, 7.</span></p>Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-2628909700456338532009-12-28T20:21:00.000-08:002009-12-28T20:29:23.314-08:00Garden in DecemberWe test drove Rick's new little camera at the Missouri Botanical Garden today. The Garden has half of their parking lot closed for renovation. With a crowd to go to the holiday train show, the parking lot was full. We parked on a side street. Other than the train show and the restaurant, the Garden was pretty quiet. <div><div><br /><div>The camellias are starting to bloom in the Linnean House, so we want to go again soon.</div><br /><div>Here I am in my wool coat, petting one of the new pair of lions along the path to the Chinese Garden.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tRsVBV9yasWQpVCrcIE9uX-4OGYNvI9GA1Ek1tHoRqB2TWil5fGxP_a-OgXasUVeKtznaxRSGMPLNCglfAc7hA52gv2PNZlArRKEbzVeDkqdHVL_yMui4gpeBetW3T4XYC6OulhBoL0/s1600-h/joy-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420510084282169090" style="WIDTH: 190px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tRsVBV9yasWQpVCrcIE9uX-4OGYNvI9GA1Ek1tHoRqB2TWil5fGxP_a-OgXasUVeKtznaxRSGMPLNCglfAc7hA52gv2PNZlArRKEbzVeDkqdHVL_yMui4gpeBetW3T4XYC6OulhBoL0/s320/joy-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div>And here's Rick in his new coat, next to the witch hazels he likes in the Chinese Garden because they have been pruned to look sculptural in the winter.</div><div> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXMZsXkhLmO84OoYzCeTgRPjNB0BY6TMtfDXSftFldUqd22ZARSjqDLnL5XFm7SzGqDD-fKFk0f70BSUM2dzdr5fWixZr7tczR96wHWcqLc-80y7c5selS6JIjT_e1g2ZmHiU59knduc/s1600-h/rick-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420510095247635234" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXMZsXkhLmO84OoYzCeTgRPjNB0BY6TMtfDXSftFldUqd22ZARSjqDLnL5XFm7SzGqDD-fKFk0f70BSUM2dzdr5fWixZr7tczR96wHWcqLc-80y7c5selS6JIjT_e1g2ZmHiU59knduc/s320/rick-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>We were impressed with the winter showiness of the Heavenly Bamboo (<em>Nandina domestica</em>) -- red berries and green leaves in December!</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMM6sAD8JxF7CcWDO0jRRwLyF5yHGPH63kDelzzg48pUT5a83hdu7vGXNIRKbW31-U6ahIfIVZxkZVtP4ZQ7PeUlfypuP27nlbxA7mTCnEpPUPoW2-DNBmRjTBw9xrFJuWXE_WR_QpkSg/s1600-h/nandina-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420510086189212418" style="WIDTH: 270px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMM6sAD8JxF7CcWDO0jRRwLyF5yHGPH63kDelzzg48pUT5a83hdu7vGXNIRKbW31-U6ahIfIVZxkZVtP4ZQ7PeUlfypuP27nlbxA7mTCnEpPUPoW2-DNBmRjTBw9xrFJuWXE_WR_QpkSg/s320/nandina-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>More photos on my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joyweesemoll/">flickr page</a>.</div></div></div>Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-60868229983900302122009-12-06T16:01:00.000-08:002009-12-06T16:07:45.871-08:00Happy St. Nicholas Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1XKUsb19AUKEq2yltAbUR6Iqb2I3ZRX8ksMVPe4fLL92g2d_NeWUiHDmPxjFWYnvdW4u4l4FqXOVaSOQ2nsw0BuXeCTO38CkyslYV9YbMOilvVzCeACLsq-0ZTDEI_8ZP7lvKVaU7bg/s1600-h/santa-postcard-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412278586936024306" style="WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1XKUsb19AUKEq2yltAbUR6Iqb2I3ZRX8ksMVPe4fLL92g2d_NeWUiHDmPxjFWYnvdW4u4l4FqXOVaSOQ2nsw0BuXeCTO38CkyslYV9YbMOilvVzCeACLsq-0ZTDEI_8ZP7lvKVaU7bg/s320/santa-postcard-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Sunday Postcard Art chose <a href="http://sundaypostcardart.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/st-nicholas/">St. Nicholas </a>for today's theme, of course! So, I dusted off my rusty Photoshop skills.<br /><br />St. Nicholas from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/suzee_que/4154705850/in/pool-47411174@N00">Vintage Santa/Christmas Postcard </a>scanned by Suzee Que and posted on flickr.<br /><br />Everything else from a collaborative scrapbook kit called White Christmas by Ziggle Designs and Pixel Geek Designs.Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-35918365864225080402009-12-05T10:25:00.001-08:002009-12-05T10:31:01.444-08:00Little WishesThere are still lots of wonderful gifts to give to foster children in the St. Louis area available at the <a href="http://www.foster-adoptstore.org/">Little Wishes website</a>. Check out the Activities -- you can, like I did, give a child the experience of visiting the City Museum!Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-43348744338032719152009-10-27T13:47:00.000-07:002009-10-27T13:52:17.762-07:00The End of OvereatingIt's been more than two months since I read <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/259266767"><em>The End of Overeating</em> by David Kessler </a>and I haven't had a candy bar, potato chip, or nugget of orange chicken since then. I have cut out commercially processed foods before, most aggressively after reading Michael Pollan's book <em><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/173243755">In Defense of Food</a></em>, but this feels permanent. If I do slip again, I'll re-read <em>The End of Overeating</em> and expect to be reinvigorated in my conviction that abstinence is the only way for me to cope with an eating environment that caters to my worst instincts.<br /><br />The book finally convinced me that what I'm experiencing in relation to doughnuts, bacon cheese burgers on toasted sourdough, and french onion dip is addiction. And that addiction has been carefully orchestrated by the food industry's ever new creative ways of inserting more fat, salt, and sugar into the foods they process as well as sophisticated marketing techniques that have conditioned me to think that I deserve a break and an edible treat is just the way to get it.<br /><br />Getting angry at the food industry helped, mostly because it gave some energy to the idea that I need to set some rules for myself about eating. Normally, the notion of rules pulls out my inner teenage rebel and the whole endeavor goes down in fiery turmoil. But with anger at the food industry at the root of this, my inner rebel had a different way of looking at things. My rules help me subvert the conditioning of the food industry while asserting my will. My inner teenage rebel likes being subversive and independent.<br /><br />The rules that made the biggest difference for me were "No eating in the car" and "No eating anything purchased from a drugstore or gas station." Kessler points out that each person reacts differently to the stimuli in our environment, so my rules may not help someone else overcome their conditioning by the food industry.<br /><br /><em>The End of Overeating</em> made it clear that my environment was not supporting a healthy lifestyle. I am now carefully building an environment that does. For me, this new environment includes a constant influx of health books from the library, an almost daily presence on the forums at <a href="http://www.3fatchicks.com/">3 Fat Chicks</a>, and a commitment to eating food made from scratch in my own kitchen with very few exceptions.Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-47618794542396899272009-08-16T14:56:00.000-07:002009-08-16T15:27:58.939-07:00Why I grow basil (and you should, too)<div><div>1. It's so easy! Grow it in the ground or in a pot, outside or on a sunny windowsill.</div><br /><div>2. It's so cheap! A basil plant will often cost you the same as a package of fresh basil at the grocery store -- and it will keep giving you more basil.</div><br /><div>3. It's so good! We use basil all summer in cucumber and green bean salads, on pizza and pasta, in my favorite <a href="http://thespiralofseasons.blogspot.com/2008/08/ols-week-9-csa-hash.html">vegetable breakfast dishes</a>.</div><br /><div>And then, there's the pesto. For the last couple of years, I've made pesto in August and again on the day of the first predicted freeze. (There's another thing I love -- caring about the first freeze and having a traditional activity to do that day). I cut the basil back to a third of it's size in August and there's still plenty of basil left to make more pesto when the freeze comes about ten or twelve weeks later.</div><br /><div>Here's a picture from before I started harvesting today. The Genovese on the right is about four feet tall! The purple basil on the left is a little shorter but very lush and dense. And I thought my purple crocs looked good with all of this.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3xH6HlKI2IV70cgQABTaIfOEFPEFJ6qPDMbiCHkHLfPVLq1CDvQRD-wz-XtTsXkJDeplg7fPjP4Ege_RI3CdUCURH30Y_x0F64CxY6RuxlriLtvCNwMQfi1cXqLaEm54bT8bCVToe4g/s1600-h/basil-plants-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370691230432512178" style="WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3xH6HlKI2IV70cgQABTaIfOEFPEFJ6qPDMbiCHkHLfPVLq1CDvQRD-wz-XtTsXkJDeplg7fPjP4Ege_RI3CdUCURH30Y_x0F64CxY6RuxlriLtvCNwMQfi1cXqLaEm54bT8bCVToe4g/s320/basil-plants-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>I was inspired by a <a href="http://foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com/2007/08/tomato-pesto-pizza-my-favorite-basil.html">recipe on Farmgirl Fare </a>to make a lower fat version of pesto than I did last year. But I still wanted to incorporate the traditional ingredients that were in last year's <a href="http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001329fresh_basil_pesto.php">recipe from Simply Recipes</a>. Also, I leave out the salt and cheese because I prefer adding those to the final dish rather than to the pesto. So, here's the recipe I used today:</div><br /><div><strong>Pesto</strong></div><div>3 cloves garlic</div><div>1/2 cup pine nuts</div><div>4 ounces basil leaves (Farmgirl says this is about the same as 4 packed cups -- it's easier to weigh)</div><div>6 Tablespoons olive oil</div><br /><div>In the food processor, coarsely chop the garlic. Then add the pine nuts and basil, processing to the consistency you like. Scrape the bowl down once during processing. While the processor is running, add the oil a little at a time through the chute.</div><br /><div>As I described <a href="http://thespiralofseasons.blogspot.com/2007/11/pesto.html">last year</a>, I prefer a quantity that gets me enough pesto to fill two ice cube trays (once they are frozen, I pop the cubes out and store them in freezer bags to use all winter) and a little extra for immediate use. This recipe didn't quite fill one tray, so next time (tomorrow?), I'll triple the recipe. That will be a pretty big project. Today's adventure, though, took less than an hour. Tripling it is unlikely to triple the time although most of the effort goes into removing the leaves from the stems.</div><br /><div>Of course, the first question when encountering a recipe like this is "how much basil do I harvest to get 4 ounces?" I don't have enough experience to know, but I got lucky. This is our second largest bowl (we only use the largest for making stuffing for very large birds). Overfilling it with cut basil netted 4.6 ounces of leaves.</div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4gOaNp-h-rWBEERLhvC6-hRnDysDfiavTEsy7rTK8bsPpbtcb_s5uTfrtfD50LK0EIvjgPScsnxDQ9psFb881mHpyQYS3P25eUWeV6Qph_6Eyf1KwElpMTuHpv2NToEd6bVTUSlzY6U/s1600-h/basil-bowl-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370691242888883154" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4gOaNp-h-rWBEERLhvC6-hRnDysDfiavTEsy7rTK8bsPpbtcb_s5uTfrtfD50LK0EIvjgPScsnxDQ9psFb881mHpyQYS3P25eUWeV6Qph_6Eyf1KwElpMTuHpv2NToEd6bVTUSlzY6U/s320/basil-bowl-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div></div>Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-60533668458251717862009-07-26T12:24:00.000-07:002009-07-26T12:36:25.552-07:00Memories and Family News<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJisCKR1Kh39UOtLGnQ2De6gN01JqO_ZTMYGJSuvR-tu2OY3ccleU9zgBSYunUSWLhGSmaFuWAZYYgGHrQ-wJlZ9UmbfloMXfxjBs7t8BKCZmdVODNDluOq4_Q2yFhhOzmIBfechaSAM/s1600-h/moonwindow-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362854038429509426" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJisCKR1Kh39UOtLGnQ2De6gN01JqO_ZTMYGJSuvR-tu2OY3ccleU9zgBSYunUSWLhGSmaFuWAZYYgGHrQ-wJlZ9UmbfloMXfxjBs7t8BKCZmdVODNDluOq4_Q2yFhhOzmIBfechaSAM/s320/moonwindow-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I realized last week that I may not actually remember seeing the first time that man walked on the moon. As my brother said, I remember remembering it, but that's not quite the same thing. The memory I have in my head is of a different house than we lived in during July of 1969, so I've likely mixed up a later moon walk with the first one.<br /><br />A few weeks ago, Dale and I swapped some emails trying to piece together time lines of memories from our childhood. I have a slight advantage in getting things straight by being one year and three months ahead in age. Having that discussion fresh in my mind is what made it suddenly clear that I had the first moon walk memory in the wrong house.<br /><br />Walter Cronkite's voice is present in my memories of the Apollo program.<br /><br />This month has been challenging for what's left of my family now that our parents are gone. Dale was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma in the same month that his girl friend of fourteen years, Jana, was diagnosed with heart failure.<br /><br />Jana ended up in the rehab unit of a nursing home, hopefully for a temporary stint, while they work out what she may or may not be able to do now that she can't take many of the drugs she used to take for her rheumatoid arthritis. Jana's condition was critical for a couple of the days that she was in the hospital, so her current situation is much improved if still surrounded by a lot of uncertainty.<br /><br />Dale's cancer is slow-growing, not aggressive, and very treatable. He's to undergo a battery of tests in the next week or so to determine the extent of the disease. Then, there will be a decision-making process about treatment with one of the options being "watchful waiting." The other options are a variety of chemotherapy regimens -- all of which are much less damaging than what I went through in 1985. With modern chemo, many people get a treatment in the morning and go to work in the afternoon, often missing very little work. The worst side effect is often fatigue.<br /><br />Everyone involved is hopeful and in good spirits, most of the time, now that we seem to have turned the corner from what felt like an acute situation a couple of weeks ago to long term issues.</div><div> </div><div></div><div>Collage credits: Everything from <a href="http://shop.scrapbookgraphics.com/product.php?productid=24844&cat=0&page=1">Phuong Ton's Veiled Moonlight kit </a>except the earth which is from Tangie Baxter's <a href="http://shop.scrapbookgraphics.com/product.php?productid=24304&cat=0&page=2">Chronicles of Imagination, Chapter 3</a>.</div><div> </div>Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-67039537308939170002009-07-25T17:51:00.000-07:002009-07-25T17:58:46.621-07:00Lee Farm TourThe Family Harvest CSA, our source for our weekly box of produce, consists of two farms. We visited one of them today, Lee Farm near Truxton, Missouri.<br /><br /><div><div>Rick got a kick out of figuring out how this old planter worked, with the help of Rusty Lee, our host, and a neighbor farmer.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTQDjiJbsascMqc_DVU_wGlA4QtbdgvlGtcapPkFd87b8etf-jQPVLiVdjypXI2WjwMeunJHnxBHNvOZNLJKMcj0ULvsCVIxVUCIUCmQWUyTfPsYd9t9dEhENs2rxLfSy58_ngjOQbtk/s1600-h/planter-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362566561056647042" style="WIDTH: 308px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTQDjiJbsascMqc_DVU_wGlA4QtbdgvlGtcapPkFd87b8etf-jQPVLiVdjypXI2WjwMeunJHnxBHNvOZNLJKMcj0ULvsCVIxVUCIUCmQWUyTfPsYd9t9dEhENs2rxLfSy58_ngjOQbtk/s320/planter-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div>One of the workers is an intern who is doing experiments with cut flowers on the farm. Those rows were all blooming and pretty in late July.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNgeyhR6sJj5Jb9rZJkfng03elASbvZqoUJA3eQ_SpvvYQlizFCNAbjVtvE7EptoG3XKZ2kTjoKzlRZ33NP95Sx0X3YiKEDiPsO8lGEgcPO8Q_rGCLmHSN_8dTzesZN3cjXZ9N5a0Cwk/s1600-h/flowers-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362566568858203874" style="WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNgeyhR6sJj5Jb9rZJkfng03elASbvZqoUJA3eQ_SpvvYQlizFCNAbjVtvE7EptoG3XKZ2kTjoKzlRZ33NP95Sx0X3YiKEDiPsO8lGEgcPO8Q_rGCLmHSN_8dTzesZN3cjXZ9N5a0Cwk/s320/flowers-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div>We got a preview of the eggplant that we'll be getting in our box in the next week or two.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhax_LbRQ_k3czYB4CJvORzDgr4Ec_YKUfajpk8gl1UFhGgG0CURqw25rSH-mwKY4LBedSmOb1wAC-7DVAhZNWm7D1jtCLJgFXKbj4y6mTdh46gTS-nk7jiEmNjF8mw9cjWCLyFUmXNxJU/s1600-h/eggplant-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362566566660167666" style="WIDTH: 210px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhax_LbRQ_k3czYB4CJvORzDgr4Ec_YKUfajpk8gl1UFhGgG0CURqw25rSH-mwKY4LBedSmOb1wAC-7DVAhZNWm7D1jtCLJgFXKbj4y6mTdh46gTS-nk7jiEmNjF8mw9cjWCLyFUmXNxJU/s320/eggplant-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div> </div><div>More photos on my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joyweesemoll/">flickr page</a>.</div></div>Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-43777119298535373042009-07-23T06:57:00.000-07:002009-07-23T07:02:46.063-07:00The Garden 7-16-2009I'm late getting these up. I was mostly playing with reflections when we went to the Garden last week.<br /><br />Here is a canna and it's reflection.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFzvzcRQvLMu1MVEdZfklUdeTnFJXRnzRuI8882Hnln4bsgmoJy7tXDuwZ8Uo41Ln1UZCFoMnFWSXj6PaqbB6vfVXw4gnPQJSruonmsq3NMLCEW7NUbh4mMPjXaPMjr_fK0P8OOfmAVY/s1600-h/canna-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361655229763052098" style="WIDTH: 196px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFzvzcRQvLMu1MVEdZfklUdeTnFJXRnzRuI8882Hnln4bsgmoJy7tXDuwZ8Uo41Ln1UZCFoMnFWSXj6PaqbB6vfVXw4gnPQJSruonmsq3NMLCEW7NUbh4mMPjXaPMjr_fK0P8OOfmAVY/s320/canna-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />This is a waterlily with part of one of Chihuly's sculptures reflected.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPxw9fOIMoHVtPx-AuN1K35NHEFFnto2ssNEIuK2A-0rs9FpIEIWW3RGgYI3Ot3nzgH5_oyiuXE54jinQh1sCMR6ua2qdMp17P97AYyp37ZvYqNVKDXRMFVTZ7oSzwFj0slmP9RX3veg/s1600-h/chihuly_reflection-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361655238317264962" style="WIDTH: 302px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPxw9fOIMoHVtPx-AuN1K35NHEFFnto2ssNEIuK2A-0rs9FpIEIWW3RGgYI3Ot3nzgH5_oyiuXE54jinQh1sCMR6ua2qdMp17P97AYyp37ZvYqNVKDXRMFVTZ7oSzwFj0slmP9RX3veg/s320/chihuly_reflection-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />And here's a bit of the Japanese Garden with reflection.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6hocRVZ8wTEAE_HPZneQoHZqsFbAwn-NbhfhhfLPPW62kGL3l9qnf1emU0qgmOFraDSEePF2I3BXU_UxFHGRwm_ho5HT2u7Ozt51-UD6HiKuAT02mKiKzXjlFH4WX3ApG0SwVmkg_dU/s1600-h/japanese-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361655244211827202" style="WIDTH: 209px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6hocRVZ8wTEAE_HPZneQoHZqsFbAwn-NbhfhhfLPPW62kGL3l9qnf1emU0qgmOFraDSEePF2I3BXU_UxFHGRwm_ho5HT2u7Ozt51-UD6HiKuAT02mKiKzXjlFH4WX3ApG0SwVmkg_dU/s320/japanese-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />More photos on my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joyweesemoll/">flickr page</a>.Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771406531086876948.post-19942696631742291142009-07-13T14:27:00.000-07:002009-07-13T14:33:29.908-07:00Garden with company<div><div><div>We took Rick's nephew, Philip, and his friend, Gabbi, to the Garden today. It felt more social to not pull out the macro lens and start leaning over flowers, so I used my camera to take pictures of them.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHnElJgDjyM4Wb5umaGrU6gO1-tWKDhmkdHeHPpoy7xdUt5164ps9jtM51npjqYNYOyXD9qDvBtg6kOK35_WmzrJ65n-3Brm19FrlhXL3HMGMeBOS13VVFxuK6b-TDIJloYGEtdZz5eA/s1600-h/pg1-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358060773921708674" style="WIDTH: 191px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHnElJgDjyM4Wb5umaGrU6gO1-tWKDhmkdHeHPpoy7xdUt5164ps9jtM51npjqYNYOyXD9qDvBtg6kOK35_WmzrJ65n-3Brm19FrlhXL3HMGMeBOS13VVFxuK6b-TDIJloYGEtdZz5eA/s320/pg1-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div>This was an experiment in using the reflector. It's especially apparent on Philip's face that we were able to eliminate some of the shadows.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMItdv9WbXRSRIHZplVJhenGZqDzYqbGBYYHkmYW-PLRf_1-pHudpeUVX1isNqbbQyvfTPXq5qPHoYYDdOsvTebT46GyS38nVzjl7RvNsBwjgr9vtmvOx7hKHsZ68kCRGFAbMRPPe7PNA/s1600-h/pg2-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358060777239391362" style="WIDTH: 205px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMItdv9WbXRSRIHZplVJhenGZqDzYqbGBYYHkmYW-PLRf_1-pHudpeUVX1isNqbbQyvfTPXq5qPHoYYDdOsvTebT46GyS38nVzjl7RvNsBwjgr9vtmvOx7hKHsZ68kCRGFAbMRPPe7PNA/s320/pg2-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div>And, this is a crop of the previous photo which I quite like. Note to self: remember to zoom the zoom lens!</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbNaSArO1j2kTdl3KRGqz5d0S2Fpr3-xPYsFvCUFKZ_mT8bxtXCxeO3VGZ889PlOpn8pUxQdR5Wa040AFzPWatbsLL1YYfwAo34UDLkBKcWMlPX24Q818SDovUQyg3Ao5XCVYKmMsRQw/s1600-h/pg3-for-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358060787059035458" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 172px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbNaSArO1j2kTdl3KRGqz5d0S2Fpr3-xPYsFvCUFKZ_mT8bxtXCxeO3VGZ889PlOpn8pUxQdR5Wa040AFzPWatbsLL1YYfwAo34UDLkBKcWMlPX24Q818SDovUQyg3Ao5XCVYKmMsRQw/s320/pg3-for-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div> </div></div></div>Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14414405931825593371noreply@blogger.com0