Ingredients:

1 cup pineapple juice

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2/3 cups sugar

2 cups milk

Mix pineapple juice, lemon juice, and sugar. Chill, then add to milk. Freeze one hour, beat thoroughly, then freeze about 3 hours. Serves 4.  (Mrs. Louis T. Parker/Josephine Walker.)

If you try it, let me know what you think!

• “Love is everything it’s cracked up to be…It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for.”~Erica Jong
• “Since feeling is first who pays attention to the syntax of things will never wholly kiss you wholly to be a fool while spring is in the world..”.~ee cummings
• “There is no remedy for love but to love more.”~Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862) Journal, July 25, 1839
• “But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.”~Kahlil Gibran
• “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ~Lao Tzu

May all of you feel lots of love in your lives today!

He wanted to see what it would be like to live with just one color, apparently. Obviously I can’t put up the photo, or I would, but you can see for yourself here. Apparently his neighbors are not amused. I can’t understand why.

Would you paint your whole home a single color? If so, what color would you choose?

And do you believe the guy when he says he did this just to see what it was like to live with one color?

But really I’m feeling  a bit interested in anyone’s life who wants to share! (So I’m a bit voyeuristic. Sue me.)

And I wonder if any of my imaginings about people in other countries have any truth to them… For example, I have always the idea that people in places like France and the UK go to the grocery (or greengrocer, or supermarket–I don’t even know what people in other countries call it!) nearly every day or every other day. That their food is much fresher than what you get here–which has usually been harvested several weeks before hitting the stores. Is there truth to this?

• I have the idea that most people in England go to a pub at least once a month. (I’m told that pubs are not at all entirely- or even mostly- “just” about drinking alcohol, contrary to the American “pub” styling which is really only a pretentious bar here in the USA.)
• I imagine that people in Germany have in general very clean and organized homes and cars and office spaces. And based on an article I read years ago, I imagine that most employed Germans get at least four weeks of paid vacation a year (vs. the two weeks that Americans get – if they’re lucky.)
• I figure that most people in Mexico and South America and Italy are very close to their extended families and see them often. (Weekly?)
• I wonder if nearly all Italians are into “football” (for the Americans, that’s what we call soccer) and at least have a passing interest. (For instance, can you name the top three teams right now?)
• I’ve been told (frankly, to my surprise) that there is a large number of people in Switzerland who for whatever reason have a gun in their household. Any truth to this?
• My youngest sister told me that some of the friendliest people she ever met anywhere when she was overseas were from Croatia. Would anyone agree?
• I have the idea that most Canadians watch what happens in America fairly closely but aren’t terribly interested in visiting here–much less moving here. Further I’d venture to say that most Canadians (90% or better?)  have never come here for medical treatment  – and have no interest in doing so.
• I am reasonably sure that the number of people born elsewhere who really wish they could be (permanently) Americans (contrary to our occasionally self-important and prideful ideas here in the US) are actually pretty much in the minority, on this planet of seven billion people. Would you snap your fingers and become an American if you could?
• My guess is that a fairly large number of people, who aren’t from the USA, if asked to choose the nationality of a person they would be trapped in an elevator with for a few hours–would NOT choose an American–or Americans would be fairly low on the list. True?

I could go on but really I’m just showing my embarrassing lack of knowledge, I guess, but I really would like to know.

And I know that people are individuals, and that it’s beyond stupid to paint a whole country with a stereotype, which was really not my goal. I guess I’m just trying to incite some discussion/commentary.

Anyway, I’d be interested in what anyone has to say….

YUM!

I wanted to quickly share a meal that a lot of people may not have ever had, (particularly most Americans) which my British friends and family taught me about.

Sometimes, particularly in restaurants, this is served with sausage and tomato. It’s inexpensive and surprisingly good, filling, and with plenty of protein. See ingredients and the simple how-to on the flip.

You will need:

• Approximately 2-3 eggs per adult
• Large can of baked beans if you’re feeding two or more adults (whatever type you like, I think British beans really are better–they seem to have less sugar than the American type–but any kind will do.)
• About 4 pieces of bread per adult
• Butter or margarine (actually optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
• Hot sauce if you’re into that kind of thing (optional)
• Other Herbs at your whim (optional)

In the picture attached to this post, It looks to me like the eggs have been scrambled, but you can do them fried and that’s the way it’s generally eaten at my house. We like the eggs over easy, so you can dip your toast in!

How to:

Heat up the beans

Make 1-2 pieces of toast for the base for each person. This can be buttered or not. I never butter mine (adds calories!) Put the toast on the plates. This is usually also served with toast on the side, which is usually buttered.

Once the beans are on the go, do up your eggs in a frying pan if you’re frying them. When they are nearing completion,  toast your bread you’re serving on the side.

Put beans on the toast on the plates. I put the eggs on top, or you can do them like the picture, and put them under the beans, particularly if they’re scrambled.

If serving with tomato and sausage, you may want to cut up the tomato before you start the eggs, and the sausage would go in before the eggs as well,  I would think.

This meal goes from the idea to actually eating in about fifteen minutes tops.  And it’s (at least) marginally healthful, particularly if served with tomato, I would think. It’s certainly inexpensive, and these days–most of us can use that!

I was a little dubious when this meal was first described to me, and it may not be the most appetizing looking thing in the world, but it’s worth a try and can also be a solution when for whatever reason there’s not much food in the house and you don’t feel like going out. (And/or for people like me who maybe are not the most gifted cooks in the world!)

Let me know what you think! How is (or is?) this a common dish in your neck of the woods? I know that it’s served frequently in the UK and I also know it’s eaten in Australia. Other places I’m not so sure.

Water Spirit Missamashoe which is found on the Goulais Bay reservation. (by Craig McKay)

When my husband and I met, one of the things that we talked about was that although neither of us were of the “first peoples” or Native Americans, that we had a tremendous respect for Native Americans and their cultures and ways of seeing the world.

That respect, and admiration, was one of the reasons why this website came into being.

I noticed in the log that people had come here looking for the “seven teachings” which of course, until now, they did not find.

Gaani Aki Inini (Dave Courchene Jr.) is an Ojibway (Anishabe) Elder who shared the following seven teachings with the world on the webpage of the turtle lodge.

Follow me on the flip and you’ll see that this timeless wisdom still offers us a great deal to strive toward today.  The Seven Teachings were as follows:

The Eagle: Love.

First Nations Peoples were to love themselves the way the creator made them, and were to carry out their actions in love. Children, too, were to be loved, as “children were gifts from the Creator.”

The Bear: Courage

First Nations Peoples were to have the courage of the bear–the mental and moral strength to listen to the heart. Did you catch that? I’ll say it again. It takes COURAGE to listen to one’s heart; the courage of the bear.

The Beaver: Wisdom

The creator gave us all special skills and talents. Showing wisdom is using your gifts to build a peaceful and happy community.

The Turtle: Truth

First Nations Peoples were taught to seek truth, to speak truth, to find the truth. And that truth, they said, lies (lives) in spirit.  “Living the truth is living the seven sacred teachings, living from the heart.”

The Buffalo: Respect

Ojibway people were taught to always respect all forms of life on Mother Earth. “To show real respect,” wrote Gaani Aki Inini, is to “share and give of yourself for the benefit of all life.”

The Sabe  (Sasquatch): Honesty

To be honest with yourself is to live in harmony with how you were created. Never lie or gossip. The more honest you are, the bigger you are as a person.

The Wolf: Humility

First Nation Peoples were taught to think of their families, their fellow human beings, and their communities before thinking of themselves. (Hmm… basically the opposite of modern culture, no?) To truly know humility is to know that one is not more or less important than anyone else, but the same. That is a lesson that I think is so sorely needed these days…as in truth, are all seven.

I would encourage you to read this in the original at The turtle lodge and if you can, consider supporting their efforts.

The artwork on this posting came from Craig McKay’s Native Ojibwe Art

No infringement ever intended.

May we all embody these principles more and more and more with each breath.

Share With Us. Everyone Has Something To Offer.

If you’re reading this on your RSS feed, we are very glad to have you along. Even if you never make a post, you are still sharing with our circle, and we appreciate you.  However, I wanted to make a point to let people know that EVERYONE is welcome to post here.  In order to do so you just log in under “Meta,” set up your account, (it takes two seconds!) Check your email and then log in.  You will then see a dashboard and can begin posting–on whatever topic you like and would like to share. Follow on the flip for more information on the Native American tradition that inspired the creation of this site.

The inspiration for this site was based on the Native American tradition of a “Sharing Circle.” Traditionally, in some tribes, the leader would share, then sharing proceeds around the circle in a clockwise manner. Often an object was passed around the circle as part of the sharing, as each person spoke, they would hold the object, such as a feather, or pipe. It was seen as an important way that children learned about the tribe and about the world. To quote one Native American group talking about such circles:

“It is believed that through the circle of life we are connected to all things. It is believed that through this manner of sharing, we hear our inner wisdom better.”

That is the goal, that is why we are here. Modern life can give few opportunities, at times, to really share what is on our hearts and minds and what we think people should know. Whether it’s a recipe, a timesaving tip, or a story from your childhood, I know you have something to share.

Will you step into the circle and offer it?

In any regard, thank you for being a part of our circle. We honor you.

1.) Governments would behave in a transparent way. You know, like the current one promised they would (in the US.)

2.) People would actually take advantage of all the information that is out there on the internet regarding what is happening, what has happened, etc., instead of being self-delusional or delusional a la what the TV news and the newspapers tell them.

3.) No more war, period.  The USA would be such a force for good in the world and so above board that the rest of the world would want to be like them rather than the USA being basically a pariah with the biggest guns.

4.) People including me would be better at communication.

5.) Chocolate would have no calories.

Here are the ways I think the world would be different if everyone on the planet did what I wanted them to do:

1.) Everyone would have high self-esteem.  A by product is that people with high self esteem treat themselves, and others, with respect, and probably resort less often to violence.

2.) Everyone would realize that as humans we are “all in this together.” So borders and nationalism would become less important, as would having piles of money. People would become almost as concerned about helping others as they would be about helping themselves.

3.) Taxes on the super-rich would be higher, which would enable governments (and NGOs) to do a lot more good than they are presently able to do.  Voluntary charity has never been enough to meet the level of need that exists in the world (hunger, homelessness, lack of clean drinking water, for a start….is still a factor in nearly every country in the world, I believe.)

4.) American Foreign Policy would become much more about meeting other countries as equals rather than trying to be the big bully who runs the world. American Domestic Policy would point toward a much more citizen-centric way of being, and would take great steps to modernize our transportation systems (or lack thereof) and also get us “off” our “addiction” to oil.

5.) All people who are parents would completely understand the precious gift that they have, and would make a point to spend time with their children every day. Child mistreatment would become a thing of the past as would child neglect. Agencies and organizations which invetsigate and deal with such things would be fully funded and supported with the full force of the government.

6.) Someone smarter than me once said that “a jury is a group of people charged with deciding which side in a court case has the better lawyer.” If everyone suddenly did what I wanted them to do, American “justice” would become full of justice and not about who has the better lawyer or the most money.

7.) People would be come a great deal more open minded. Part of the ramifications from that would be that things that really shouldn’t be stigmatized–like seeking mental health treatment, or “unusual” spiritual beliefs–would no longer have a stigma.

So that’s what would be different if I had a magic wand.  What would be on your list? Everyone is invited to respond.

Sharing Circle

It is my understanding that in first nation traditions, (Native American and other indigenous peoples) that one of the things they would do is to come together in a sharing circle. A sharing circle is an opportunity to come together and talk about what is on your mind and heart, what you want the community to know, and things of that nature. These sharing circles doubtless brought and kept their communities closer together. In modern mainstream America, one of the things that are said again and again in surveys is that people feel isolated and they feel no sense of community. That is what this website, I think, is about…to give people a chance and space to share their feelings, thoughts, and their knowledge.

But a “sharing circle” was not the only kind of circle that some first nation peoples held.

They also had gatherings that were called something like “teaching circles,” where the younger people in the community could come together and ask questions of the elders and receive their teachings. I believe that too is one of the reasons that this website exists. I hope that people of any age will feel free to ask questions here and to speak their minds, and that the community will give them thoughtful responses, just they would have received in a Native American circle.

We are all in this life together and to my mind there is a great deal that we can learn from the teachings, philosophies, and traditions of first nation people.

There is a website called the “Ojibwe sharing circle”  located here.

All are welcome here at this sharing circle, I am sure. Young, old, and any nation of origin. Share whatever you like…that’s the whole point!