Today being 11/12/13 might seem extraordinary, but what I found striking and remarkable was this morning’s day break. It seems back in NY, it snowed for the first time this season, at the first blush of the day as well. Perhaps, wondrous things to come.
And seconds later…in a different part of the sky…
Belgian Waffle Works at Lake Arrowhead Village sits right in front of the lake where the Arrowhead Queen is docked. You can sit inside the cozy old fashioned decor with historical black and white pictures of the lakeside or you can sit outside with heaters, watching passerby’s, tourists and boat excursionists.
Waffles are served all day and there are sixteen ways to eat them. There are lunch items, specials, hot and cold sandwiches, salads, a homemade soup of the day and appetizers. It was a little after ten am on a sunny, crisp autumn Saturday. The town was already bustling.
My sweetie pie ordered the Sweetie Pie: A Belgian waffle (their own exclusive recipe) baked with chocolate chips, topped with chocolate ice cream and smothered in chocolate sauce and whipped cream.
Vegans don’t eat eggs, milk or butter so I had three choices: Oatmeal, a garden burger or a veggie sandwich. Garden or Veggie burgers can be tricky – some brands use cheese or eggs. The veggie sandwich was cold, consisting of avocado, bell peppers, onions, sprouts, olives, lettuce, cucumber and tomato. You could choose white, whole wheat, sourdough or rye. I decided I had a lot of veggies back at the treehouse (that’s what we call our cabin) I could consume later and they were organic plus I needed something warm. We were sitting outside, albeit cuddled up next to a roaring heater.
I chose Steel Cut Oats (after assuring myself it was made with water not milk) with warm spiced apples, golden raisins and instead of milk, I asked for soy milk (which I ended up using in my coffee). I also ordered a side of fresh fruit.
I piled on the fruit and it was sweet and filling. I was fortified till late afternoon. 
Things I learned this week, thought about and want to share:
I will not fear to look within today.
Once you release and admit any “shame” you no longer fear to share your emotions.
Do I make time my reality where I dwell in good and evil polarities or do I know at this moment in time, right now, I am one with Source, you and the Infinite?
I will not respond to any argument, statement or exchange of words until I listen to my inner wisdom.
I know I am doing something willfully when I am doing it out of fear and I have an investment in the outcome. VS. I demonstrate willingness when I do something with love and my intention comes from a place of love.
Willfulness is needing to have the power or control OVER anyone/everything. VS. Willingness is being open to the possibilities and letting the answers come from a higher plane.
We vs. I – Wellness vs. Illness
The power behind you is greater than the trouble ahead of you.
Divine Spirit releases me from every problem.
When you change your perception, that’s a miracle.
Recognize when you have a choice, question or decision to make – Is there resistance within you? Listen to your intuition for the highest good.
The whole purpose of any spiritual program, the world over, in all its forms, is to remove the blocks to Love. Otherwise, be wary.
The Power of Love IS the Truth.
The Truth never needs defending or has to be feared.
If every saint has a past, then, every sinner has a future.
Forgiveness is like training wheels. It encourages you to love. When you can ride; speak, be and believe in the Truth, let go, beyond symbols.
What awaits you is your True Nature.
In a perfect little idyll, our alpine chalet hideaway, I agreeably accepted tender, silky orchids from my romantic suitor who ascended up the hill to rendezvous.
I organized the fuchsia gems into a vase I value because of its dear giver, J the dog rescuer, and situated the display where I will see it often for the next two days… in the corner of our scenic bathroom flanked by two windows facing our forest of pines.
After a cup of java with almond milk and stevia, I usually take a walk with a friend or go to the gym (maybe two times a week). Then, I have breakfast. A typical breakfast consists of a green smoothie made with already squeezed, prepared juices and a ton of mixed greens. I add 1 Tablespoon of Maca powder because from my raw days, I felt it gave me energy and 1 Tablespoon of ground flax seed, I grind myself, routinely in small batches to keep it fresh.
Or, I make 1/2 cup of oatmeal with cinnamon and fruit and nuts or 1/2 cup of Ezequiel Cereal – or – I grab an apple or a banana sliced up with 1 Tablespoon of crunchy almond butter. Occasionally, on a slow morning, I will whip up a tofu scramble with assorted veggies. The key is to color the tofu with turmeric or paprika or both. It just seems more appealing.
Lunch and dinner almost but not always begins with a salad. Sometimes I whip up a homemade dressing and add whatever spice or herb and lemon juice to cashews or tofu.
Or add artichoke hearts, red bell peppers, green onions and instead of croutons (which i do add here and there) I add vegan “parmesan” (nuts with nutritional yeast – see yesterday’s post) or raw “fried” onions dehydrated I buy in convenient bags made by just pure foods or sundried tomatoes or I marinate various mushrooms in tamari and lemon and then roast them til crisp – and I keep it organic.
The entree is usually something warm like black bean pasta. This company also makes mung bean fettucini and soybean spaghetti.
Or brown rice already made found at Trader Jo’s in the freezer section. I “sauté” some celery, onion, mushrooms, cabbage, peas, brocoli, etc…the list is endless, in water or veggie broth, add the rice and serve it with rice vinegar for tang. That is a personal choice. You could add tamari, sesame seeds, cashews, etc.
Other dishes include a vegan eggplant “parmigiano” (look for a breakdown and recipe with pictures soon), cauliflower nibbles, soup or bake, minestrone or lentil soups, veggie chili and the list goes on.
For desserts: fruit sorbets, bakes, and raw cheesecakes!!!!TUNE IN
I love soups when the weather turns cooler. Doesn’t everyone?
After exactly one month, I have lost five (5) pounds by watching (not eliminating) my intake of fats, starchy carbs and going vegan. Oh and no sugar, just stevia.
I have fun creating menus and recipes and enjoy every meal. Here’s an example of how I suffer and how very hard it is to create a three course dinner or lunch for one. 🙂 By the way – I am not starving and vegetables, fruits and all beans and legumes (except peanuts) are limitless.
First, I start with a romaine or mixed greens salad perhaps including a few kalamata olives, olive juice (which stood in for the salt and oil), lemon juice, celery, yellow bell pepper, red onion, italian seasoning and beans. All ORGANIC!
Then, I whip up a soup and heat it up. For Creamy Tomato Soup you will need:
one can of tomatoes or one cup of prepared tomato sauce – 2 Tablespoons fresh basil – 2 Tablespoons of raw cashews – 1/4 cup of almond milk – 1/4 tsp vegetable better than bouillon paste – And as a treat and totally optional as a topping – – – raw vegan parmesan to taste sprinklered on top (mix in a blender or nutri bullet – 2 tablespoons raw walnuts with 1/2 cup nutritional yeast). ALL ORGANIC!
Chop up your basil with cashews and milk.
This is now your cashew “cream”!
Heat up your sauce with veggie bouillon in a saucepan.
Pour your “cream” into your sauce.
Stir to combine.
Voila! Enough for one and even seconds, accompanied by Mary’s Organic Crackers and topped with a sprig of basil and later I added my vegan “parmesan” cause I wanted more of a cheesy taste.
For dessert: frozen peaches, lemon juice (for tartness) and bits of raw peeled ginger tossed in the blender with a few drops of stevia liquid for sweetness, creamed to perfection in a blender – all organic!
Just writing this up and posting this is making me mighty hungry!!
My husband worked his tail off this weekend to rip out, prune and haul away most remnants of the summer; overgrowth, summer crops and past their prime zinnias. Then he cleared everything but two beds per my instruction and laid down very red bark on the trails and I had the fun job of opening bags of smelly organic soil, laying it down and re-wiring our drip system for each section. Presently, we have brand new oregano, cilantro, parsley, kale and I sowed spinach and radish seeds. I still have a couple of tomato plants, basil, chives and swiss chard producing at a steady never-ending outpour.
Welome to the new and improved winter garden beds, just waiting to flourish!
Surrendering, caving in and succumbing to our feelings, is one of the most rewarding, honest and renewing choices we can make.
Each time I have yielded to my highest, most authentic self, with every instance of allowing someone else to see my vulnerable humanness, I have had a breakthrough and grown. Some inner knowledge, however small, has peeked through and as I topple over the walls I built, answers and solutions seem to pervade my consciousness, entering the conversation of discovery, revelation and finally, the keys to unlock the meaning of any emotional or mind game entanglement spun out of control (in my own head).
Often, bandaging up our wounds, we miss the breakdown and miss out on finding new perspectives and re-building ourselves. When we gloss over or hide beneath the façade of “normalness”, we forfeit the opportunity to cut into the core of an emotion, the motive behind the emotional response and we end up just treating the symptom.
Triggered by an openness to heal, a willingness to divulge pain (and not see it as weakness) and a forthrightness to be rigorously honest with another, and ourselves – that, my friend, is Courage!
Surrender to win!
This is why I love it here. It is November and I just got to pick these amazing bursts of color from my garden!
And then I got to create a bouquet to give away! Zinnias, Mums, Butterfly Bush and Mexican Sage flower spikes.
My feet are firmly planted in the foundation of spiritual pursuit and the maintenance of it on a daily basis.
I have no need to judge, compare, compete, criticize or otherwise scoff. I am all I need.
Creative Intelligence is within and all around me. Whatever I want or desire, I ask for. What I need is already here.
Divine Source of all things, as I see it, completes me, created me and will envelop me when I die.
I give up all my past thinking and begin anew, never losing sight of the sagacious ideas left me; never allowing myself to believe myself wise, for I am always learning and I never want to be unteachable.
I am in process. I sit myself down, I write.