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Japanese curry soup

Oh dear, I hesitated on posting this, but the soup turned out to be so delicious… I thought why not. Coming from a culture that loves its soups (Chinese)… my Mom was a wiz at pulling together a soup for almost any occasion, and usually it involved left overs and of course always rice. After my trips to Japan, I developed a taste for Japanese Curry. Since I am currently dealing with a mild concussion, I don’t feel like cooking or eating even, but being the mature .. responsible adult I am… I know I have to eat. So for the last many days I have had a soup going on the stove.

My first soup was a rice, mushroom and chicken soup, it was cooked up much like a congee… and would take from the pot a bowl every time I felt I should eat. That was eaten up… and I needed to come up with another easy peasy soup..

I found a cabbage sitting forlornly in my fridge… I chopped it up with a lonely carrot that was in the crisper and put it on the stove to simmer while I got ready to go to church… ( my symptoms were such I never made it to church, I got about 2 miles away from home and turned back.)

I turned the burner under the pot of cabbage soup back on.. and looked around for what to do with it so that I could let it cook and have myself a tempting cuppa when I got hungry. I spied box of Japanese curry in the pantry. (it comes in flat squares) I had one square left. The Japanese curries come in mild, medium and spicy, This was a mild piece. I added it to the broth.

I also found a couple of small pieces of pork liver that I had cooked a few days ago, that got chopped up and added along with what was left of the Tim Horton’s chicken noodle soup a friend brought me yesterday. I cut up a nice fresh potato into thin strips and added that too.

Letting that simmer. I came in to my office to do the blog, the aroma of the soup called me back to the kitchen. It is delicious. I took a picture of it after I realized that it was yummy and really hit the spot. It was so good that I almost demolished what was made this morning… so … I have now put in what is left of the congee and added a chicken garlic broth (Campbells) so that I will have enough to dip into for the rest of the day,

When I made the congee I had also used dried beancurd sticks.. So there will be some sticks in this new batch, can’t wait to try that later.. I’ll let is simmer for awhile.. the flavours will be richer in doing so, In the congee there was also dried chinese mushrooms and shrimps…that had been soaked and added… it will be a whole new taste delight for me to enjoy later,. Especially combined with what is left of the Japanese Curry broth. .OOOH OOH YUMMY.

Because of the way we make up our homemade soups… they never come out the same way each time, that is what makes them soooooo wonderful.

Make the best use of materials and money. You can do different things as materials and money play their roles. How to make them work is important.
Perfect Liberty 2023.16

the little green bits you see .. fresh garlic shoots cut up into tiny bits so that you get that tangy hit of garlic, you put it on (if you like garlic) fresh as a topping when you serve.

I added no salt.

Category:

appreciation, educational, expression, feelings, Life, mind, mirror art, Oneness, perfect liberty, philosophy, photograph, pl, prayer, quotations, sadness, sharing, smile, spiritual, Taoist, teaching, Uncategorized, unconditional love, visual art, wonder

coming to terms

Coming to terms with the reality of Now. When was younger, I was always confident that if something didn’t happen today it would tomorrow. Now ,, I realize that what is happening Now, is the reality of the moment and even if you wake to a new day, it will still be NOW.

If today is when you want ice cream, then either get it and enjoy it, or forget it. Tomorrow should you wake to live it, it will be a brand new day. It is simple really, don’t live for tomorrow, live for the moment, NOW is all you can be sure of.

Respect the existence of each other. the world consists of people with different circumstances and different lifestyles. Respect and understand each other.
Perfect Liberty 2023.14

Don’t think too much. Simply live each moment the best you can.

Today is Thursday isn’t it. Here is my door for today..

I wanted nothing fancy, nothing new, I just wanted to be able to enjoy the view. I picture this little cabin somewhere in a wooded area, an easy walk to a babbling brook, or a lazy stream. come join me .. sit a spell, let’s simply enjoy being in nature together.. No cell phone, no television, not even a radio.

Later we can build a fire, or start the old wood stove and listen to the crackling of the fire around the dried wood. while we wait for the water to boil and we will share a refreshing cup of ginger tea. I have a shawl or blanket if you feel the chill of the early evening, we can watch as the stars start appearing in the sky.

If you would like to see more doors please visit.. Dan’s No Facilities site. https://nofacilities.com/2023/07/13/more-from-iowa/

Cheers.

Category:

appreciation, art, Life, living, mind, mirror art, musing, nature photography,, quotations, sadness, sentiment, spiritual, Tao, Taoist

S o S

Good Morning … how are you today? Please I would like you to take a moment … sit back and listen.. Can you hear silence? Do you recall the ” Sound of Silence.” When did you last hear “silence”?

Let me explain, the other night, the dog barked to go out, it was something like 2 a.m the house was dark, I didn’t even think to turn on a light I made my way to the back door, opened it and let them out. Velcro is very good and letting me know he needs out… Keeper being the smart whippet she is, knew to take advantage of the situation and join him in his outing. I let them back in, I still have not turned on any lights, we are moving around with the light from the back veranda and the moonlight.

I tripped and fell, I heard the dog dish clatter and the sound of my head hitting the wooden banister and the wooden gate we had installed to keep the dogs out of the kitchen when we needed them out of the way. After that I am aware of lying there taking inventory of my body, my situation. I knew not to move until I was sure nothing was broken etc. (if you are new to this blog, I am what is known as a mature individual, I can get senior discounts at some stores =^_^=)

Obviously I did get up, and I went back to bed, pulled up the blankets, snuggled down and went back to sleep. That was a couple of days ago. I woke the next day, a tad sore, but went about my daily routine and “business”…BUT of course the body was not simply going to snap back into “all is well”….so for the last 24 hours or so, I have been doing a lot of sitting, lying down, and when I can sleeping.

I lay there this morning realizing that I am surrounded by a constant “hum” “noise” whether the ceiling fan, the air purifier, the central air, outside noises, AND my own AI (artificial intelligence) “stuff”… iPad, cellphone, television, desk top…refrigerator, also known as “white noise”

When you are lying on your back just doing nothing (or trying to) it is amazing the “stuff” that runs through your gray matter. I also had read a fellow bloggers post on the summers in NY city back when there was no such thing as air conditioners, fans, and the like. People had to try to find somewhere, or place they could sleep the heat was so oppressive. You can see, being quiet, having to be still… was having an affect on me. I began to think back… and of course all the while I am aware of the whirling of the ceiling fan, the constant whirring of the air purifier, etc etc…

My audio from the iPad was droning on about the need for us to find silence in our lives (Alan Watts, philosopher).. darn… I thought.. I must be feeling better, I’m awake and hearing all this noise.. for the last while I hadn’t cared. my body was bruised and just wanted to heal. Now, this must be I’m feeling better..

I got up and turned off the air purifier.. and the fan on my bureau.. NO I didn’ t turn off the ceiling fan.. Daft I’m not.. nor is my brain fried… but I did hear the difference and it got me thinking.

So here I am.. asking you for your input, should you wish to join me in this exercise. Do we have access to quiet, real quiet…? What is quiet to you?

Today’s calendar…

Others are others … I am I … If you force your values on others, it can be self-righteous. don’t be overeater and have a sense of “Others are others, I am I”
Perfect Liberty 2023.13 English translation was done (quote) in Japan

Calling for rain for the next 3, 4 days… stay dry and enjoy your week-end it is just a day away,

Category:

appreciation, educational, expression, faith, feelings, friendship, Life, Light, living, mind, mirror art, nature photography,, pl, sentiment, sharing, spiritual, Taoist, teaching, trees, trust, truth, Uncategorized, unconditional love, Universe, wonder

Ancestors’ Day

Ancestors’ Day – the 11th of each month. Through this ceremony we express our gratitude for the love and virtues of our ancestors … MAKE TODAY A “GIVE BACK DAY” We can live our daily lives owing to our ancestors, our elders and the work of our predecessors. Above all, kindness for others is the best way to give back.
Perfect Liberty 2023.11

Category:

appreciation, educational, Life, living, mind, mirror art, nature photography,, Oneness, perfect liberty, philosophy, pl, quotations

07.09

You all know my passion and love for crows, ravens, and now we can add the grackle… what some often call, blackbirds. The common Grackle is slightly more stretched, they are taller and longer tailed t han a typical blackbird and the adult male will have an iridescent bluish head and bronzy body in good light.

this photo from internet. male on left, female on the right.
I have been spending mornings with these birds, they come when I arrive for their share of peanuts and corn. What interesting behaviour they have. Especially when it comes to making their presence known in the community. They will stand up to the bluejay and dive bombing competition can get fierce if they zone in on the same coveted peanut.

What I found most interesting was that both the blue jay and the grackle have taken a liking to the special bird butter that I put on the tree limbs.. (it gets smeared on, much like putting icing on a cake) I put on only about a tablespoon in this one area, and then further up the limb where there is a pocket in the bark, I tuck in some more. They wait in the tall branches of neighbouring trees… while I spread the butter.. if I’m slower than then usual, I don’t know I get distracted by a chipmunk pulling on my pant leg for a peanut, or one of the wild turkeys chest bumps another turkey and I have to move out of the way… they (the birds) can get very vocal.

Today the parents brought their young to the feeders.. what a joy that was. I got to see them even closer than I did the other day. =^_^=

Perception is important … take immediate action once you suddenly perceive, You might discover something important in what you perceive.
Perfect Liberty 2023.9

Living where I can spend time with and in nature, is such a blessing. Have a wonderful start to a new week everyone! Life is to be enjoyed,

Category:

appreciation, Life, living, Love, mind, musing, nature photography,, Oneness, perfect liberty, philosophy, photography, pl, prose, quotations, sentiment, smile, spiritual, Taoist, teachings, Uncategorized, visual art, wonder

07-05

Always be humble. If you work on things with the attitude of asking a favor, people around you will advise you what they have noticed. There is something in fact you are not aware of that you do
Perfect Liberty 2023.5

Category:

appreciation, giving thanks, living, Love, mind, mirror art, pl, quotations, sentiment, sharing, spiritual, Taoist, teaching, Uncategorized, unconditional love, Universe

Tagged with:

Bruce Lee

staying calm

— We may not be able to change those around us – but we can change our reaction to them —

When we encounter a situation or “person” that creates in us a negative or upsetting reaction, pause, take a moment to reassess your reaction. We all have moments where we have to readjust our “thinking/reaction” to a colleague, in-law, family member, whoever could be a total stranger. This is an exercise in becoming more adept at communicating from a position of awareness rather than one of defensiveness.

Develop new ideas through your imagination -softly and flexibly. If you could find a way to add a twist you will have more joy,
Perfect Liberty 2023.28

^{photo Shriey Keen, NZ}

Category:

amazement, appreciation, art, expression, Life, living, mind, musing, nature photography,, sentiment, sharing, Tao, Taoist, Uncategorized, unconditional love, Universe, visual art, Wordless Wednesday, world peace

25 June

Overgrown, running wild, vegetation everywhere, even the Saskatoon berry tree has already given up hundreds and thousands of delicious berries, birds and passers by have been feasting. The heat has been unrelenting… looks like we are headed for another sun filled day with temperatures in the high 80’s Weather network is still putting out warnings of ongoing poor air quality. Great weather for holiday goers at the cottages and resorts where they can water ski, swim etc.

In fact for the first time in a long time, I have been so affected by the heat, I am sleeping a “dead” sleep. I’m not sure if I think this is good or bad. Talking with my sister last night reminded me of when we were younger … our bedrooms were on the top floor (2nd story) under the eaves.. it was HOT. stifling, a fan when we did have access to one was a small fan that only blew air around. Basically if you were in your room, you lay down and hoped to fall asleep in short order.

Even tho’ my home has central air, the heat is such that when you open a door to the outside, it reminds me of looking into an oven when its reached its hottest, …You all enjoying the heat? My creativity levels have dropped to barely moving.

Always have presence of mind. If you overexert yourself, you will get easily swayed by emotion. Always put your best makoto with presence of mind.
Perfect Liberty 2023.25

Makoto = sincerity

Category:

appreciation, coping, Dao, God, guidence, hug, joy, Life, Light, living, mind, mirror art, nature photography,, perfect liberty, photographs, pl, quotations, sentiment, sharing, smile, spiritual, teaching, trees, truth, Uncategorized, unconditional love, visual art

Doorways

Today I’m starting with doorways of places visited by friends Nick and Mel who are travelling/exploring and visiting with family in Europe. We see similar impressive entrances in our older buildings here in Canada when we visit bigger cities, and/or ones that have been around for a very long time.

This group of doors I took while on a scenic tour of a tourist destination in Ontario, about an hour plus from where I live. Out of interest, which doorways would draw your attention, the big wooden doors in huge impressive fortress type buildings, or the colourful and charming doors in older commercial buildings in small towns.??

Discover something new today. Have a willingness and an interest, start your day with excitement.
Perfect Liberty 2023.22

For more doors visit Dan’s No Facilities site… where you will find doors from all corners of the globe. This feature happens very Thursday (most anyway) https://nofacilities.com/2023/06/22/june-leftovers-2/

Category:

#Thursday doors, amazement, appreciation, art, educational, expression, Life, mind, mirror art, musing, Oneness, perfect liberty, philosophy, photographs, pl, quotations, sentiment, spiritual, Tao, Taoist, teachings, Thursday Doors, Uncategorized, unconditional love

now..19th

The turning point is now. life is a sequence of moments called now. You have the key to turn yourself around.
Perfect Liberty 2023.19

After many days, weeks and months, these two turkeys are comfortable enough with me to sit beside me on the fence and simply BE. They acknowledge that I’m an “energy” that they “know” shares space in their environment from time to time. I respect their space and they mine.

I have reached a stage in my life where I thrive on quiet, a contented state of “being” … I try to have my first interaction of the day a happy one. I remind myself of the positives in my life. Knowing that I can walk peacefully in a wilderness… where coyotes wander, rabbits join me for walks, birds of every size and colour go about their business while calling out greetings to each other … yesterday I heard and saw an “odd couple” of gulls bickering and arguing not far from where I was having lunch. In the morning I watched as a turkey vulture swooped down gliding on a current over and past my car as I drove down to P23. He landed on a tall tree where I could see him clearly .. but too far for me to get a decent picture with my cell phone.

What pleased me, I had stopped the car, my window down I called out a greeting… and he stayed in place and didn’t fly away. That was a stunning moment! These moments in time, happen because I have made the woodland part of my everyday … I do my best to simply BE … I let the energy around me happen, I try to blend in to allow life to happen.

When I was teaching meditation active/passive… I often encountered students who when asked why they wanted to meditate replied, they wanted to connect with “themselves”.. still the chattering of the mind… if the mind is constantly charging through all the “to do’s” and filtering through past events, holding on to old grudges…. your aura, personal energy will be exhausted and cluttered in no time.

Even if it is a few minutes of each day that you set aside for YOU…. you will find that YOUR personal well being will thrive. Your inner feelings are like rivers of lava, emotions can be like a volcano, they bubble under the surface…waiting for the time they can flow hot and searing with their own momentum… It is in letting go that the emotions will lose their heat ..cool and no longer be damaging and dangerous.

Today, zero in on one “thought” “thing” that is cluttering your mind.. and lose it. Less clutter (negativity) will help you stay calm.

Oyashikiri