Y5 – Day 148 – Mountain Mama Soup

As it is cooler in the San Bernardino mountain range at 5300 feet above sea level and the air is breezy and clean, I decided to make a triple C invention: a Cauliflower, Cannellini bean soup thickened with Cashew cream and topped it off with water sauteed mushrooms, red onions and fresh basil. Yum. Satisfyingly delish. No oil, no salt, no sugar, no starch.

Y5 – Day 146 – Desert Blooms

It took a steep, rugged hike over some dry rock to find artistry in the canyon hills of Santiago Oaks. Thank you to my daughter, V, for sharing this adventure with me. Although the October fires seared the land, nature found a way when the rains came. The sunrise colors and paper textures of the petals juxtapose with leathered or spiny greenery. Vivid against the arid terrain, the desert blooms revealed the grace and wisdom I imagine Georgia O’Keefe sought to convey.

Y5 – Day 145 – Wholeness

Basically feeling whole is subjective. For me, it means three states of being.

  1. Being ok with the past. Compassionate perception, led by the heart and sprinkle in reaching out to others thereby showing I am human and I am vulnerable, flawed yet resilient.
  2. Doing my best, on that day, whatever that looks like. Effort equals a sense of accomplishment.
  3. Knowing I am divinely powered.

What does your whole self feel like to you?

Y5 – Day 143 – Orange Environs

On Monday, we gallivanted over to the center of Orange and visited The Duchess of Cambridge Design Center and Green Door Cafe.

Strategically positioned, every inch of space at The Duchess is a vignette of class and sophistication. Whether indoors or outside, the store exudes posh and chic style. The natural setting and the structure’s fine bones all lend to exhibiting elegant material goods. The mood is set, the colors are modern yet soothing and the older home is built with fine craftsmanship and expensive millwork.

ML at one of the many Duchess garden spots under a banana yellow Datura Tree.

After a pleasant shopping experience, we headed towards Green Door Cafe, a few blocks away. At Green Door, vegan and vegetarians eat together amidst art created by the owner’s son. My favorite appetizer is the buffalo cauliflower. The florets are drenched in an orange, hot sauced batter and baked. The accompanying vegan ranch dip cools the heat and coats your mouth with tanginess. 

We agreed on sharing the kale walnut muffin with icing which was to die for.

Although we stayed close to home, we had a satisfying adventure.

 

Y5 – Day 142 – Love Never Dies

On Sunday, we had the pleasure of attending the sequel to the Phantom, Love Never Dies.

The story is based on the novel The Phantom of New York. It took place on Coney Island, in fact.

Getting dressed up and made up for the show was part of the package. Act 1 was a revelation but once we grasped the reality of the situation and bought into it as being plausible, Act 2 scenes soared as high as any moment in the original Andrew Lloyd Weber show.

BTW – Hamilton is coming to town as you can see on the marquee behind us. I am grateful to have both Sunday showings and experiencing it first on Mother’s Day with my V.

Y5 – Day 141 – While you were in Europe

While M and J hit the European trail, ML came and visited the Southern CA sights!

While LA doesn’t hold a candle to Vienna or Paris, it was a great location to meet ML off her flight. My novel intensive course took place in an LAX airport hotel conference room. Her plane was scheduled to land minutes before my class wound down. She just ubered right over. I was blown away by packed yet simple information garnered by generous, passionate writing teachers. And then, I was re-energized seeing my BFF even if it was a full day of learning and note-taking.

Y5 – Day 140 – Begin Again

Every time you fall or drop off the planet, you need to jump back in. Just like that. No apology. Begin again. Claim your fresh start.

Which reminds me of the theme for my yoga retreat. In creating, planning and hosting a women’s two night, three-day getaway, I lost track of time and space.

Then, I was exhausted. But, no justifications or explanations needed. Right?

Immediately following the Grand Event, ML came out from NY and I was determined to have a great time and sprinkle in some travel.

And, now that she is back safely on the East Coast, I am re-grouping from several weeks of non-stop fun. No judgment.

Begin again whenever you suspend or slack off from your regular schedule and duties. No excuses, just start anew!