juice

We are literally surrounded by things our brains may never comprehend.  Our neighbor’s expertise may be as foreign to us as the syllables dancing from the beaks of rain forest birds thousands of miles away.   We've  heard them on the Discovery channel, but what are they saying?  I've  seen them rolling over miles of dirt, as I lift a finger to keep the dust out of my car.  The closest I have gotten to farm life were the animals at county fairs. My affection for country life is admittedly superficial, outweighed by city living.  However, I have not a true understanding of either as  I've  always straddled the stream between, jumping out on both banks… a puppy surrounded by new faces. Who  didn't  have a farm friend growing up in southeast Wisconsin?  The perfect places for bonfires and capture the flag.  I  didn't  have to travel 9,777 miles to take a sip of this physically demanding life-s...

Written Nov. 12 And so I find my mind all over the place.  Struggling to write down all the details and wishing I had one of those mini-tape recorders to place on all the tables I share with good company. Last night was one of these tables.  Our Monday night Bible study was another time of reflection, education, laughter, wine, and oh so sweet treats.  I had picked up a honeydew melon and some strawberries running errands with Sonia earlier in the day, thinking I would throw together a simple fruit salad to compliment all the other sweets that night.  I tend to pick cantaloupe (or rockmelon, as they call it here) mainly by smell and color.  Honeydew is a bit more confusing for me and my purchase proved I need some work on identifying the ripest individuals.  I give myself a little slack with only a few to choose from, all looking identical on the outside.  Fortunately, Sonia suggested we make dark chocolate-dipped strawberries for the group an...

A few things I have been meaning to mention... Another spectacular soup, with a little kick -->  http://souvlakiforthesoul.com/2008/06/lentil-soup-with-chickpeas-and-quinoa * I used brown/green lentils, but it would be fun to try the red ones next time! A few more Aussie things (and my understanding of them): "good on ya" - I believe this means something real similar to, "good for you," but I have heard it where I think "you're welcome" would go... "chook" - a chicken "ta" or "cheers"  - An informal "thanks" "biscuit" - A cookie, but not a real rich, desserty type "lollies" - candy "crook" - not well/ill "bloke" - fellow/dude Also, fruit salad is more of a after meal treat than a complimentary side salad. I suppose it's important to note that Warrnambool is only one city in all of Australia.  In that case, I should be careful not to gener...

I have the rest, or some of the rest, of the previous post waiting impatiently for your attention.  Sonia and I spent the day together yesterday and showing her my blog was a grand idea.  I think she got quite a kick out of the descriptions I've made so far of the juicy details of her Australian life.  I also appreciate her editing my mistakes... Thanks Sonia! *** Yesterday, the 11th of November, at the 11th hour, we recognized Remembrance Day by attending a brief, yet touching, ceremony at Flagstaff Hill.  We said a prayer, listened to beautiful singing and trumpet playing, and commemorated those who served in World War I.  Bright bouquets of flowers were placed at the foot of a proud angel statue, positioned above two plots of red poppy adorned white crosses.  The layout reminded me of the memorial day presentation in Echo Park in my hometown of Burlington.