sharing

Sharing mango on a warm springtime afternoon...

guilt-free carbs

I remember well a time when I would never have put two starches in one meal.  I've struggled with being overweight my entire adult life, and even before the South Beach craze, which I joined briefly, I intuitively knew that consuming two starches at a meal was probably not helping my waistline.  However, a couple of months ago I was forced by some unpleasant health issues to adopt a wheat-free, gluten-free diet.  I've been up and down in terms of my enthusiasm for the plan.  While at times I feel as though there is nothing at all I can eat, the improvement to my overall well-being since I started eating this way has been undeniable.  And, the fact that I've lost a not insignificant amount of weight gives me the flexibility to eat polenta AND roasted sweet potatoes in the same meal.  Mmmm.


For anyone who might be interested, these were basic roasted vegetables (cauliflower, carrot, sweet potatoes--technically yams, I suppose--and turnips) that I tossed after roasting with some leftover mixed-herb pesto containing mostly parsley, some basil and cilantro.

Mister Neb

I know.  This doesn't look so happy.  He's recovering from some asthma that was brought on by an upper respiratory/ear infection a couple of weeks ago.  The asthma is gone, thanks in large part to a great invention called the nebulizer (or Mister Neb, as ours is branded), which only became available for home use within the last twenty to thirty years.  My husband didn't have one when he was a kid with asthma, and he spent a lot of time in hospital bubbles.  So, I'm super happy we have a nebulizer to use at home, and even more so that this little guy takes the treatments with nary a fuss.  Of course, he's being hypnotized by a video of Maisy and her gang of friends.  I guess I'm happy we have Maisy, too. Finally, at his checkup today his ears were all clear and we learned that we will only need to give him Mister Neb treatments for a few more days.  Hooray!  Goodbye, Maisy.  Goodbye, Charley.  Goodbye, Tallulah.  Goodbye, Eddie.  Goodbye, Cyril.  Hope we won't see you again until fall.

lazy wednesday morning

With the early-rising child on an overnighter at Grandma's and my toddler sleeping in, Mama was left to crossword in bed with the cats snoozing in the morning sunlight.  The goodness didn't end there, either: when I finally conceded that I'm stumped and it's my husband's turn at this puzzle, the boy was still sleeping, and I got a SHOWER!

blooming purple

I don't know what you purplish flowers are called, but you show up this time of year, when everything is just becoming all lush green and nearly summery, and you make me smile.  I certainly go out of my way to travel the roads whose sides you frequent. 

  
These photos were taken on a detour off my favorite route between Berks Co. and Lehigh Co.

Last weekend a family member confided that she had pulled over one day that week and surreptitiously pulled some of these beauties up by their roots in order to plant them in her yard.  Awesome.

 

I dream of living in a place where these grow abundantly, so that I can cut fresh flowers every morning to put in a clear glass jar on my kitchen table.