Precious Resource

The above photo was taken in my garden after a rain today. We needed it…it has been hot and humid, but mostly dry this summer. Water is such a natural and precious resource…sometimes (most times) I forget this; most times I don’t even think about it. But I should. It’s beautiful–jiggling and shimmering on a broccoli leaf in the sun–isn’t it?

Five Quotes from Lao Tzu

The image of Lao Tzu was found here. To learn more about him, click here.

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.

Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. 

He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty.

He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.

In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.   

Five Quotes from Lao Tzu

The image of Lao Tzu was found here. To learn more about him, click here.

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.

Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. 

He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty.

He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.

In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.   

Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike (#342)…and a brief comment

Things on the bike: A gym bag full of wet clothes and two slices of pizza (yes despite my garden full of vegetables–click here–I had pizza for dinner…I swam an extra 15 laps to earn it).

A brief comment, or comment on a brief conversation: The pizzeria is at an intersection and as I exited the parking lot I had to stop for a stop light. There’s a bus stop with a bench at it at this intersection, and there were a man and woman sitting on the bench drinking 40s out of paper bags. This was my brief conversation.

She: Are you the new [pizza] delivery guy?
Me: Nope, just delivering my dinner to my house.
She: Well you should be, ’cause you could strap a lot of stuff on that big bike with all those bungee cords.
Me: Yes I can.
She: You could probably strap me to that big bike and take me home.
Me: Umm…I gotta go (just then the light changed).

Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike (#342)…and a brief comment

Things on the bike: A gym bag full of wet clothes and two slices of pizza (yes despite my garden full of vegetables–click here–I had pizza for dinner…I swam an extra 15 laps to earn it).

A brief comment, or comment on a brief conversation: The pizzeria is at an intersection and as I exited the parking lot I had to stop for a stop light. There’s a bus stop with a bench at it at this intersection, and there were a man and woman sitting on the bench drinking 40s out of paper bags. This was my brief conversation.

She: Are you the new [pizza] delivery guy?
Me: Nope, just delivering my dinner to my house.
She: Well you should be, ’cause you could strap a lot of stuff on that big bike with all those bungee cords.
Me: Yes I can.
She: You could probably strap me to that big bike and take me home.
Me: Umm…I gotta go (just then the light changed).

Multi-Pug

I took a few pictures of my dogs today and thought I’d share….they crack me up, which means they are doing their job. Pugs, I’ve read, were originally bred to amuse the Emperor of China. I don’t know if it is true or not but they sure amuse me. I’ve always been a “dog person” and have known they were good for me, but as of late it’s a proven fact that being an animal lover–cats, too, but especially dogs–is good for you (click here or here). That’s Maxwell on the left and his younger brother Franklin on the right (same parent, different litters). Notice how Franklin is looking away in a couple of the photos; poor little guy is hearing impaired and he probably can’t hear me talking to him. Sometimes they are annoying as hell (like when they chew stuff), but mostly they bring me joy and make me smile. Sometimes I don’t feel worthy of their unconditional love.

Multi-Pug

I took a few pictures of my dogs today and thought I’d share….they crack me up, which means they are doing their job. Pugs, I’ve read, were originally bred to amuse the Emperor of China. I don’t know if it is true or not but they sure amuse me. I’ve always been a “dog person” and have known they were good for me, but as of late it’s a proven fact that being an animal lover–cats, too, but especially dogs–is good for you (click here or here). That’s Maxwell on the left and his younger brother Franklin on the right (same parent, different litters). Notice how Franklin is looking away in a couple of the photos; poor little guy is hearing impaired and he probably can’t hear me talking to him. Sometimes they are annoying as hell (like when they chew stuff), but mostly they bring me joy and make me smile. Sometimes I don’t feel worthy of their unconditional love.

Cold Food

Like much of the the nation it was hot again today in Buffalo…sticky, humid hot. I had a medium-sized party at work and thankfully much of the food was cold…great for a hot day. Two of the courses–Gazpacho and Salade Nicoise–are also two of my favorite summertime foods. For this reason I thought I’d share a couple pictures and recipes. The recipe for Gazpacho (posted below) was originally published in this article for Artvoice (click here for more tomato recipes). And while I don’t have a typed recipe for the entree salad, this looks like a good one; it’s a recipe from Julia Child.  I also recommend serving Aioli with Salade Nicoise (click here for my recipe at Alternet). All of these recipes can be made ahead, so you’ll be sure to keep cool at mealtime.

Gazpacho

Makes: 4-5 cups
2 cups diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced red bell peppers
1/2 cup diced cucumbers
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Transfer to a blender or food processor and process until a course puree. Gazpacho may be served chilled or at room temperature. Traditional garnishes are raw onion, hard cooked egg, chopped parsley, and olives.

Cold Food

Like much of the the nation it was hot again today in Buffalo…sticky, humid hot. I had a medium-sized party at work and thankfully much of the food was cold…great for a hot day. Two of the courses–Gazpacho and Salade Nicoise–are also two of my favorite summertime foods. For this reason I thought I’d share a couple pictures and recipes. The recipe for Gazpacho (posted below) was originally published in this article for Artvoice (click here for more tomato recipes). And while I don’t have a typed recipe for the entree salad, this looks like a good one; it’s a recipe from Julia Child.  I also recommend serving Aioli with Salade Nicoise (click here for my recipe at Alternet). All of these recipes can be made ahead, so you’ll be sure to keep cool at mealtime.

Gazpacho

Makes: 4-5 cups
2 cups diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced red bell peppers
1/2 cup diced cucumbers
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Transfer to a blender or food processor and process until a course puree. Gazpacho may be served chilled or at room temperature. Traditional garnishes are raw onion, hard cooked egg, chopped parsley, and olives.

Bikes and Bread

I came across an article in the New York Times today titled, The Dutch Way: Bicycles and Fresh Bread. Bread and bicycles are two of my favorite things so I’m sure you can picture me like a dog with a silent whistle…my ears perked right up. It’s an article written by an American living in Amsterdam discussing the virtues of bicycling. It’s really a good article (I think), and I hope there are plenty of Americans who read it. Here’s an excerpt:

As an American who has been living here for several years, I am struck, every time I go home, by the way American cities remain manacled to the car. While Europe is dealing with congestion and greenhouse gas buildup by turning urban centers into pedestrian zones and finding innovative ways to combine driving with public transportation, many American cities are carving out more parking spaces. It’s all the more bewildering because America’s collapsing infrastructure would seem to cry out for new solutions. 

The rest of the article is good as well and I have to say that I agree with most of it,but not this statement:

Cyclists can’t carry six bags of groceries; bulk buying is almost nonexistent. Instead of shopping for a week, people stop at the market daily. So the need for processed loaves that will last for days is gone. A result: good bread. 

Some Americans can carry six bags of groceries on their bikes, do shop by the week, and still have good bread, really good bread. OK, I’m probably being nit-picky…the average American does not own a cargo bike or bake their own bread these days (hopefully that will change…even just a little). Anyhow, it is a really good article and worth your while to read (click here).

Bikes and Bread

I came across an article in the New York Times today titled, The Dutch Way: Bicycles and Fresh Bread. Bread and bicycles are two of my favorite things so I’m sure you can picture me like a dog with a silent whistle…my ears perked right up. It’s an article written by an American living in Amsterdam discussing the virtues of bicycling. It’s really a good article (I think), and I hope there are plenty of Americans who read it. Here’s an excerpt:

As an American who has been living here for several years, I am struck, every time I go home, by the way American cities remain manacled to the car. While Europe is dealing with congestion and greenhouse gas buildup by turning urban centers into pedestrian zones and finding innovative ways to combine driving with public transportation, many American cities are carving out more parking spaces. It’s all the more bewildering because America’s collapsing infrastructure would seem to cry out for new solutions. 

The rest of the article is good as well and I have to say that I agree with most of it,but not this statement:

Cyclists can’t carry six bags of groceries; bulk buying is almost nonexistent. Instead of shopping for a week, people stop at the market daily. So the need for processed loaves that will last for days is gone. A result: good bread. 

Some Americans can carry six bags of groceries on their bikes, do shop by the week, and still have good bread, really good bread. OK, I’m probably being nit-picky…the average American does not own a cargo bike or bake their own bread these days (hopefully that will change…even just a little). Anyhow, it is a really good article and worth your while to read (click here).

The Light Is In You

This evening I was looking for a document and remembered it was probably on an old computer, the computer I had before the one on which I type these words. And isn’t it interesting that a computer is considered old if it is a mere 8 or 9 years old (egad, it ran Windows 95). Anyhow, I dragged it out, plugged it in and booted it…then it crashed, and I rebooted it…then it froze and I rebooted it. Then, as I was remembering why I finally gave in and purchased a new one, it booted up fine. Slow, but fine. Anyhow, as I was searching through the small hard drive (by today;s standards) , I came across some photos I had forgotten about, including the one you see above. I can’t remember if I shared this story or not (I know I told it to a few people), but I searched this blog and couldn’t find it. So here it is.
The picture is from August of 2008, almost 3 years ago to the day. I was on holiday with my son in NYC; he was 13 at the time. It was hot; the type of hot that can only be felt in a large city like New York; grimy hot. We had pounded the pavement for much of the day, had eaten dinner, and were now walking through the East Village. I came upon a used book store, and is often the case, was drawn to it like a fly to a flame. I picked up a book by Ernest Holmes (who I was just starting to read at the time, but since has had a great influence on me). Anyhow, in the book he was talking about how not only do each of us have the spark of the Divine within us, but we are all connected, and that whatever we do–no matter how small or big–it effects others close to you in some way. And I truly believe this; I always have. We then left the book store and were walking back to our hotel. The sun had just set and it was finally starting to cool off. As we were walking, without talking, I was thinking about the book and we came upon the above inscription in the sidewalk. I stood and looked at it in disbelief, and took out my camera to take a picture of it (much to my son’s embarrassment). 
Coincidence? Maybe. But then again, maybe not.
The Light is in you…and me, and everyone you and I know. But sometimes–oftentimes–this is very difficult to remember.

The Light Is In You

This evening I was looking for a document and remembered it was probably on an old computer, the computer I had before the one on which I type these words. And isn’t it interesting that a computer is considered old if it is a mere 8 or 9 years old (egad, it ran Windows 95). Anyhow, I dragged it out, plugged it in and booted it…then it crashed, and I rebooted it…then it froze and I rebooted it. Then, as I was remembering why I finally gave in and purchased a new one, it booted up fine. Slow, but fine. Anyhow, as I was searching through the small hard drive (by today;s standards) , I came across some photos I had forgotten about, including the one you see above. I can’t remember if I shared this story or not (I know I told it to a few people), but I searched this blog and couldn’t find it. So here it is.
The picture is from August of 2008, almost 3 years ago to the day. I was on holiday with my son in NYC; he was 13 at the time. It was hot; the type of hot that can only be felt in a large city like New York; grimy hot. We had pounded the pavement for much of the day, had eaten dinner, and were now walking through the East Village. I came upon a used book store, and is often the case, was drawn to it like a fly to a flame. I picked up a book by Ernest Holmes (who I was just starting to read at the time, but since has had a great influence on me). Anyhow, in the book he was talking about how not only do each of us have the spark of the Divine within us, but we are all connected, and that whatever we do–no matter how small or big–it effects others close to you in some way. And I truly believe this; I always have. We then left the book store and were walking back to our hotel. The sun had just set and it was finally starting to cool off. As we were walking, without talking, I was thinking about the book and we came upon the above inscription in the sidewalk. I stood and looked at it in disbelief, and took out my camera to take a picture of it (much to my son’s embarrassment). 
Coincidence? Maybe. But then again, maybe not.
The Light is in you…and me, and everyone you and I know. But sometimes–oftentimes–this is very difficult to remember.

Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike (#341)…and a brief comment

First the things on the bike: A cardboard box containing 4 loaves of freshly baked multi-grained bread, a canvas bag carrying a few books and writing implements, another canvas bag containing various small tools (for which to change a tire), a dough rising bucket, and a used tire.

And a quick comment: As most of you know I mostly ride my Mundo bicycle day-to-day during the summer months, and I pass by the above photography studio nearly every day on my way to work…Mundo Images. Anyhow, I’ve been thinking of taking a photo of my Mundo in front of their Mundo for a while…and I finally did.

Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike (#341)…and a brief comment

First the things on the bike: A cardboard box containing 4 loaves of freshly baked multi-grained bread, a canvas bag carrying a few books and writing implements, another canvas bag containing various small tools (for which to change a tire), a dough rising bucket, and a used tire.

And a quick comment: As most of you know I mostly ride my Mundo bicycle day-to-day during the summer months, and I pass by the above photography studio nearly every day on my way to work…Mundo Images. Anyhow, I’ve been thinking of taking a photo of my Mundo in front of their Mundo for a while…and I finally did.