Welcome Home

I am back home in Arkansas.  My quest now is to see how much of the lifestyle of the simple, natural life I learned at the Clohesy River Health Farm can be incorporated into my life here in the United States.

We will ignore the first week.  I was dealing with a bad case of jet lag with mixed up days and nights.  My ninety-year-old mother needed some love and attention after being very ill.  She is better now, but I visited with her daily for the first week I was home.  The first week was spent recuperating.  I cooked some soup to serve our friends Arthur and Karl, and I ate too much of it...and too many organic, gluten- free crackers to go with it.  I enjoyed lounging on my own bed and catching up on HGTV.

My Mom - Recuperating from pneumonia with a bag of popcorn.

Sunday was my first day to attend church in five months.  I took food for our potluck luncheon.  I made hummus from The Farm Recipe Book, tabouli, sliced cucumbers, and sliced watermelon.  When we got to church there were big hugs for everyone.  Jessica and Megan made a Welcome Home sign and put it up in the kitchen.

I have the barbershop bug.  After church, Travis and I went to see the Vocal Majority from Richardson, Texas.  It made me miss Sweet Adelines.  Do I have time to sing with a Sweet Adelines chorus?

One of the first jobs that Travis and I did after I got home was to clean out our little greenhouse.  The plan is to grow some tomatoes and lettuces in here over the winter.

Walking around the neighborhood was the other activity to get the blood and lymph moving.  It was cold earlier in the week, so I wore my cap I knitted in Australia.

John Fielder's Hummus Recipe:

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup sesame seeds

1 medium cucumber

Juice of 1 lemon

Chopped onion to taste

Grind the seeds in the food processor.  Then add the cucumber, lemon juice and onion to the food processor.  Add water to desired consistency.  Serve with dip sticks...carrot sticks, cucumbers, mushrooms, etc.

Tabouli Recipe

1 cup cracked wheat (bulgur) soaked for 30-60 minutes in 1 cup of water

Add 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 Tbsp. fresh mint

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp sea salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine cracked wheat and water.  Soak until wheat is hydrated and water is absorbed.  Add parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Mix well.   Serve with chopped tomatoes and chopped onion.  Serve at room temperature or chill until ready to serve.

To health and happiness.