Question 1: What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?
When life gets me down, having a meal with my family always makes me feel better. I also sometimes find something tasty to eat that doesn’t ruin my required meal routines. Yet, every once in a few months I can break the routine with an awesome chocolate sheath cake at Bear Moon Bakery in Boerne! What an off-routine treat for anyone who must be careful with what to eat.
Question 2: What’s your favorite true story that you enjoy sharing with others?
I love to the tell the true story of when my 18-year-old future husband showed up on my doorstep at 6am in the morning to start a blind double date on my 18th birthday driving through the California Mojave Desert to the San Diego Zoo. John showed up in jeans, boots, and a tassel-laden tan jacket. Underneath was a T-shirt with sleeves rolled up hiding a pack of cigarettes! With 53 years married and still counting, it was love NOT at first sight! Yet, 3 months later and several more dates, I started to get the love bug! I also gave John a gift of See’s caramel suckers in a heart-shaped bag. That stopped the cigarette habit, along with me not sitting next to him whenever he smoked. Love and something sweet to eat conquers all!
Question 3: What is the biggest change you have made in your life in the last year?
I have made several big changes in the last year. I created many new recipes that follow my eating routine. These recipes include rice crepes, almond rice/millet cookies, turmeric dressing, rice/fish patties, carrot/oat muffins, cranberry/hazelnut/raisin puree spelt cookies, just to name a few. I am currently working on adding my recipes to my website, Celebrating Your Journey, Recipes for Healthy Living. So, feel free to check out what recipes are there so far.
I also am weaving much more than in years past. Yet, one of the biggest changes is having my sister visit with me from California. She also ate just about every meal on my rotation schedule too! So sweet of her! Hopefully, we will be making the visit a new tradition for these two sisters.
Question 4: What do you understand today about your life that you did not understand a year ago?
As I continue to age gracefully, I understand more fully that food is medicine. But it also can be a delightful culinary adventure, helping me to actually age gracefully. . . and as healthy as possible!
Question 5: What is your favorite smell?
There are many favorite smells I enjoy when it comes to food. One of the best is the fragrance of my husband’s baked bread just out of the oven. There is nothing like the first warm slice with a drop of honey on it. I also love my blueberry turnovers baked on occasion, served with my goat vanilla ice cream.
Question 6: What is the number one solution to healing the world?
I truly believe if every family and stranger alike would share a meal together, the world would begin to heal the divide. Good food and an open, listening heart changes us all for the better, and ripples out its healing balm to this wounded world.
Question 7: Where do you spend most of your time while you’re awake?
Besides weaving and writing, I am in the kitchen on a regular basis cooking and baking the foods I need on rotation for each day. I gratefully get a break often when my hubby, John, takes over the meals and bakes his bread.