Stars

"A little girl was visiting her grandmother in the country. One evening they sat and enjoyed the panorama of stars in the heavens --such sparkling brilliance the little girl hadn't seen, living in the city with all the lights. She was in awe of the beauty and said to her grandmother, "If heaven is so beautiful on the wrong side, what must it be like on the right side?""
~Marilyn McAuley

Out of the mouths of babes eh? Sometimes it takes a child to help us see what is right in front of our faces. I was going to do the Simple Woman's Day book this morning, but then I read this and found it too good not to share.

Star gazing is something I love to do and have done so for years. I can remember as a girl, laying on the hood of my best friend's father's car late in August, and staring up at the night sky and watching the asteroid showers. They were beautiful and mysterious and fantastic . . .



When we lived in Northern Alberta, in a small town named Stony Plain, I could lay in my bed at night and look out my bedroom window and watch the Northern lights play across the night-time sky. I was always completely mesmerized as they rippled and arched across the night-time panorama which played itself out, seemingly just for me . . .

In later years, when I lived in a small town, on the banks of the Georgian Bay, I sat in my garden on warm summer evenings, watching the stars over head. They were so brilliant and so abundant and so beautiful. Occasionally a satellite would pass over, dark, hulking and silent in it's passage . . . the crickets playing their music in the grass by the shed, distant frogs adding to the mix . . .



I can remember when I was a wee girl walking home from Brownies on cold Manitoba winter nights, the snow squeaking beneath my boots, the air cold and crystal clear . . . and looking up at the night-time sky. Each star twinkled brilliantly and filled my heart with promise and wonder. I could name all the constellations and stars back then, but don't ask me to do it now. My memory is fading with age I suppose. As I walked and gazed, I dreamt of distant faraway places and planets and thought about the man in the moon. Of course man had not walked on the moon yet at that point, and so it still held a great deal of mystery. Was it really made of cheese?



Now when I look up at the stars, it is a comfort to me to know that thousands of miles away, across an ocean and in a valley, my children can be looking up at the very same stars and seeing them at the very same time as I am . . . they are a connection to loved ones both dear and far away, and a wonderful reminder that as far and distant as the miles may seem between us . . . in our hearts, we are still joined together . . .

Yes, . . . the stars are beautiful and they fill our minds with wonder and hope and promise, for indeed, if they are this beautiful on the wrong side . . . how much more beautiful they must be on the right . . .

"All through the night
your glorious eyes
were gazing down in mine
and with a full heart's thankful sigh
I blessed that watch, divine . . . "
~Emily Bronte, an exerpt from her poem "Stars"

When I got home from work yesterday, I whipped us up a quick lunch before heading off to my physio appointment. Tuesdays is one of my shorter work days and I usually fill them up with appointments and meetings so anything that I can cook which is quick is all to the good. I will never understand why people will opt to open a tin of mushrooms and dump them on their toast when this delicious dish is so simple and so quick to make. What a world of difference!



*Easy Mushrooms on Toast*
Serves 2

This dish makes the perfect lunch or light supper. There is something very comforting about sitting down to mushrooms on toast. Simple and tasty, these are pure bliss . . .

1 pound white closed cup mushrooms, wiped and thickly sliced
50g butter
1 TBS olive oil
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
2 TBS finely chopped flat leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
the juice of half a lemon
2 thick slices of sour dough bread

Heat half of the butter and the oil in a large skillet, over medium high heat. Once the butter starts to foam, toss in the mushrooms. Let them sit in the hot butter, without disturbing them for about 5 minutes, until they start to brown. Mushrooms are like tiny sponges. They immediately soak up all the butter. If you just let them sit for a bit they release the butter back out and then begin to crisp. Moving them about just releases all their juices and makes them tough and rubbery. (Be patient and let them sit, it's worth it in taste, trust me) Give them a quick stir and then let them sit and cook some more. Do this until they are all nicely browned and fragrant. Toss in the garlic, and give them a quick stir and let them cook for a few minutes longer, before seasoning with some salt and pepper. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Turn off the heat and let them sit while you make the toast.

Toast the bread well on both sides, then butter one side with the remaining butter. Place on heated plates and spoon the mushrooms over top. Serve.