Wednesday ponderings . . .

Imagine you are standing upon a seashore, looking out to sea. Before you a large ship spreads out her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is a thing of great beauty and magnificence . . . strength.



You stand and watch her at length until she hangs like a speck of white cloud, where the sky and sea meet to mingle with each other . . . someone at your side says, "There, she is gone."



Gone where??? Gone from your sight, that is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left the harbour, and just as able to bear her load of living weight to her place of destination.



Her dimished size exists nowhere, except in your memory . . . and just at that moment when someone at your side remarked on her being gone . . . there were other eyes watching her arrival and other voices to take up the glad shout, "There, she's coming!"



As I read this little story this morning, I realized that it was a good allegory for death . . . how like a ship sailing out of the harbour until it is a speck which finally disappears . . . that is what it seems like to our loved ones who have been left behind . . . but how joyous a reunion it is for our loved ones who await our arrival on the other side to greet us and call us home!!



I also have something really funny to tell you this morning. Last year we purchased something from Betterware called a "Cat Scare." Nothing mysterious really . . . it's quite simply a metal cat with glass bead eyes that you can put into the garden to help keep the birds and pests away. Todd "planted" it in the centre of the vegetable garden so that it might prevent any birds and pigeons from eating our seeds that we have planted. We never gave a second thought as to how it might upset the balance of things from a certain canine perspective!



Mitzie spent most of yesterday afternoon, alternately barking at it and then running away from it. She was not quite sure of what to make of it, although as the afternoon went on, she did get a bit braver and stand a bit closer. I have to admit it does look a bit eerie. It's eyes do glow and it is kind of freaky. Here's a little video that I took of her reaction to it. We did get a good laugh out of her afternoon antics. I wonder how she will be with it today? Oh, I do love her so!



Here's a tasty salad recipe that makes a great lunch or light supper. Healthy, quick and low in carbs, I quite enjoy it. I think you have to love raw vegetables like broccoli, carrots and cabbage though. It does have grapes in it which are kind of sweet and the tasty crunch of toasted flaked almonds. I quite like it!



*Turkey Broccoli Salad*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Healthy, delicious and low in fat and carbs. Quick and easy too. If you can't get the broccoli slaw, you can make your own using a mixture of shredded broccoli stems, carrot and red cabbage.

1/3 cup of white balsamic vinegar
2 TBS olive oil
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt

For the Salad:
1 (12 ounce) package of broccoli slaw mix
1 pound cooked turkey breast, shredded
1 1/2 cups of red seedless grapes, halved
1 cup of coarsely grated peeled carrot
1/4 cup of flaked almonds, toasted
freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together the vinegar, oil, sugar and salt for the vinaigrette. Set aside. Combine all the salad ingredients together in a bowl. Toss together with the vinaigrette. Serve immediately on chilled plates, or cover and chill for up to 24 hours, adding the nuts just prior to serving.



Now at the exreme opposite of the scale I bring you Golden Syrup Dumplings today in The English Kitchen.