Of Catalysts, Blogs, Terrariums, and Sunday Morning TV; Bring the Outside In

It is a beautiful, clear Sunday, after threats of being told that we would be deluged and inundated again with water, thunder, and lightening, this is a huge relief. I had the opportunity to visit a major University campus in the area yesterday, and to eat dinner at a religious colony founded 190 some years ago by German immigrants, similar to the mennonites and fans of communal living, but prospering in commercial endeavors of all types, especially large farming operations, applicance manufacturing later on, and winemaking. I visited a thrift shop run by the Mennonites with a SERV store in its center. I always find great artifacts and doll-related items there, and trip was no exception. I bought a Columbian doll, with no face, made of citrus peels and seed pods, with legs of heavy cord. She acts like a shelf sitter, and is very collorful. There was also a Marie Osmond special edition porcelain doll still in its box, only $5.00, and many nice pieces of vintage porcelain, including Capo di Monte and heavily enameled Italy ware.

I visited the local coop and picked up their free publication, Catalyst. Articles for the Summer 2011 issue include ICARE Pancake Breakfast Celebrates 25 years, "Meet Sweet Gift Orchard," "Garden Classes & Parties," "Eat LOCAL," " Shop on a Shoesring Budget," "The Local Dirt on MOSES" Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, and "Cooking Classes." The cooking classes are ethnic, and sound just fascinating.

The editors includ a column called "Don't Miss Out on the Good Stuff" where the staffers picke otu news on the Web they share on Twitter and Faceblook; some sites for this month are:

"Reversing Roles, Farmesrs Sue Monsanto over GMS Seeds." http://s.coop/15fv.

"The Last Days of the Low-Fat Diet Fad." http://s.coop/1640.

"Want to Feed the World? Technology isn't a Silver Bullet." [linking infrastructure to crop yields]. http://s.coop/15fy.

Compendium of Food Blog sites, featuring emerging food trends. [Maybe we can get on this!] www.tastespotting.com.

"Why Create Plantings that Mimic Nature?" by Fred Meyers. www.BackyardAbundance.org.

Also in the current issues are announments for a summer Sand in the City festival, where teams create large sand schulpture, and AMMA.org's sponsorship fo a lecure by spirtiual leader andhumanitaran Mata Amritanandamayi.

There are great classes at an organization called Earth Source Garden, which also features green garden parties, and a Summer Solstice celebration. Classes include Compst Management, Seed-Saving Parts I and II[a great ideas for those trying to grow the perfect gourd or pumpkin, and Culinary Herb Uses.

Great recipes, too: Cucumbert Salad, Cathy's 60th Birthday Potato Salad, Coweboy Caviar, Lacinato Kale with Cashew Butter and Habanero[rolled up like dolmathes], Spinach Artichoke Dip, Garlic Roasted Vegetables ithe Kale and Quinoa, Grass-fed Burgers, Deviled Eggs with Kalamata olvies, Blueberry or Mixed Beerry crisp. I will post some of these, and also try them and let you know how they work out!

The Article Sales on the Shelves Mean a Party in teh Pantry are great, here are some tips for saving money on groceries everhwere;

1. Pack your Pantry
2. Buy in Bulk
3. Shop the Sales. There is a deals flyer at http://s.coop/14gm.

Some of the food classes are just great, e.g.; Indian Butter Chicken Dinner, African Cooking with French Accent, French Baking, Hot Pepepr Fush, Summ White Wines, Facing Genetically Modified Organisms, GMOs, We Love Bacon, Julia Child's Beef Brourguignon, Hands-On Vegetarian Sushi Roll, It's Easy Being Green!

Check the site ofr allthis www.newpi.coop.

Shifting gears, Sunday Morning today covered blogs and terrariums. It's as if it were made for me, a little Serendipity! Terrariums date to the 1830s, the ivention of a naturalist named Natahaniel Ward, who acccidentally discovered plants could servivein a lcosed class container indefinitely with no watering. [All you Plath fans out there, are you thinking The Bell Jar!!!?] And, they were right, there was a boom in the 60s in 70s, and Mrs. Knox's first graders made several, and I did a couple in 7th grade. Miniaturists love them, and I am making modified versions with my miniature gardens today. I have a 12 x 12 inch patch of garden bed, encased in bricks, that is gard to cultivate. I had the miniature garden idea today, and nasty little Peters kids next door notwithstanding, I'm going to try it as a mini garden. I also use old pots, garden flats, Dutch Onions, bowls, etc., to create others. I love using mirrors as ponds and small stones and sculptures to populate them. The squirrels and a rogue racoon or two like to vandalize us, but too bad.

Other notes, now that we are through "picking trains" for the local Farnam dinner, I see trains everyhwere! I saw a very cute Halloween Train yesterday, and several wooden and mechanical ones here and there. This year's centerpieces will be chunks of limestone fossils, which is also very neat to me!



May be all be safe from more Tornadoes and disaster, and God Bless all those out East, in Missouri, and around the world who have been the vicitms of Floods, Tornaodes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis. May there be an end to all these for a long time. Midsummer, and my birthday approach. Celebrate by reading " Midsummer Night's Dream," or view one of the great films out there. Be safe, and respect Mother Earth. And above, all Forgive our Typos!