Six Random Things

Thanks to Michelle and Gina for tagging me to share six random things. The perfect tag, really, for a blogger who never keeps in step with meme themes!

1. I like even numbers. Six (as in "six random things") is an even number. Therefore I like the number six. If we were sharing a plate of chocolate chip cookies (oh could we?), you'd get three and I'd get three. Even split.

2. The word eventually actually includes the word even, which is kind of cool when you consider that, when it comes to memes, I always eventually get 'round to them. (It's been a while, hasn't it Michelle? Sorry!)

3. Eventide (linguistic roots in Middle English) is a cool word. Not only because it sports the word even in its confines, but also because it makes me feel a sense of something beautiful on the horizon. The way velvet night promises stars after the sun goes down.

4. The name Steven reminds me of St. Even. Which is kind of comforting. If even Even could be a saint, perhaps I could be one too.

5. Eleven. The word El means god or God in Hebrew. Interesting that the El of the bible is not even. God is odd; three in one. Not a single even number in sight. I have to think about the implications of that for someone like me, who as I said before likes even numbers.

6. Even Dogs Can Have Blogs. This too is a comfort. If Max can run a successful blog, maybe I can even run one too.

Okay, that's it. Six random things. Well, sort of random. If you count random things around a single, simple theme like even as random!

Play or not now: Andrea, Christianne, Ann, Llama Mama, Craver, Brandon. That's six. I even counted.

Even Split Tree photo, by Sara. Used with permission.

7 Weird Things About Being Vegetarian

Thanks to Rudy for tagging me with the "7 Weird Facts about Me" tag. To keep with L.L. tradition, I'll modify the tag a little.

So here it is. 7 Weird Things About Being Vegetarian.

1. You have to eat your veggies, thus creating a reconciliation with your mama. (Remember how she was always telling you to eat your veggies?)

2. You don't eat meat. (According to some people, that's weird. Maybe even according to your mama.)

3. You get healthier (okay, that's only weird in a fast-food culture)

4. You begin to stare openly at the beautiful vegetables in the produce section

5. You bring things like hummus and carrots to your church's morning coffee hour

6. You may start to like animals more, even the squirrels who stole your daughter's bird feeder and hid it in the prickly pines

7. You may begin to eat the flowers off of trees (Forsythia Sunshine Breakfast photo below).

8. Oh, and number 8 (which is weird in a "7 Things" tag) is that you don't have as many people to tag in your meme. So I'll leave it at this. The meme ends here I guess. On the bright side, you can spend the extra time sharing a recipe like the one below for Black Beans & Spinach Burritos. Enjoy!




Black Bean & Spinach Burritos...

I generally use leftovers for this recipe. If I've made a black bean dish the night before and have some rice on hand, here's what I do:

Put a bit of each of the following in a whole wheat wrap. Wrap it up and saute lightly for about 3 minutes on each side or until cheese seems melted:

• cooked black beans, sauteed with a little onion and minced garlic and 1/2 tsp cumin (not necessary if taken from leftover recipe)
• rice
• salsa to taste
• spinach, chopped
• cheddar cheese, grated


Food photos by L.L. Barkat.

She Found Me (Spaghettiepie, that is)

And when she found me, she tagged me. And here's what happened next...


1. What’s the one book or writing project you haven’t yet written but still hope to?

Now that's a secret. But I'm open to suggestions and guesses!


2. If you had one entire day in which to do nothing but read, what book would you start with?

Alternatives to Economic Globalization. It's very technical, I know. But I realize that economists are the ones who make the world turn, particularly with how they influence government policies, which in turn create either prosperity or great suffering. It is a new thing for me to read about such things that I used to deem as the arenas of intellectual or political types.


3. What was your first writing “instrument” (besides pen and paper)?

Always my brain. It spits stuff out and when I'm lucky I actually catch it.


4. What’s your best guess as to how many books you read in a month?

Depends on the month!


5. What’s your favorite writing “machine” you’ve ever owned?

My tea pot. You know, all good writing begins with a cup of tea.


6. Think historical fiction: what’s your favorite time period in which to read? (And if you don’t read historical fiction–shame on you.)

I like to read in modern times. I just don't have the wardrobe to read in Victorian times (or the time machine, for that matter.)


7. What’s the one book you remember most clearly from your youth (childhood or teens)?

Oh, that one about the little house that gets overtaken by the city, but is later rescued and rolled to the country. Maybe that's where I get my passion for preservation.


Thanks Spaghettipie, for the tag. And now I tag Lilies Have Dreams, 23 Degrees, and Blue Mountain Mama


If you want to make the recipe above, here it is...


Red Lentils Over Pasta Nest

Boil 25 minutes or until tender...

- 1 cup red lentils, with a good amount of sauteed onion and garlic added
- 2 or 3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1 TB tomato paste
- 1 carrot, shredded
- water to cover (and keep adding, as needed)


Add to lentils...

- olive oil garnish
- chopped basil garnish
- salt and pepper


Serve over...

- whole wheat pasta or rice noodles, surrounded by assorted baby lettuces

8 Things I Used to Do

Thanks, Haddock, for tagging me with an 8's tag. I'm going to bend the rules, as usual, to fit my fancy (I guess this means I actually play by the rules, if my rule is always to break the rules?)

Here are 8 things I used to do. On my journey into stewardship living, I've changed my ways. And I'm still changing. The key is to start where we are and make changes as we learn, grow and discover, isn't it?

1. I used to buy liquid soap in plastic bottles (see lovely green bottle above). Now, my daughter Sara taught me something new. I can make my own liquid soap by cutting up a bar of regular soap and letting it sit in a cup of water overnight. No new plastic bottles to buy. And most of our soaps are used-soaps that we keep from hotel stays.

2. I used to eat meat. Then I read too many things about the "third world" and how "first world" eating habits impact that. The article that "tipped" me into veggie land was about a poor woman in a famine-stricken area. She sold her children after she simply had no other means to care for them, and then committed suicide out of grief. The point of the article was more about market forces, but when I put it together with all my other reading, my heart was touched. I don't expect other people to feel the same way, or make the same decisions I have. But I feel better living this way.

3. I used to buy granola, ketchup, bread and peanut butter. Sometimes I still do, but mostly I make my own. It's amazing what we can make with our own two hands once we discover how.

4. I used to throw my kitchen scraps in the garbage. Now I compost them. In the winter, I use the vegetable scraps to first make vegetable broth.

5. I used to bag up produce in plastic bags, take it to the register and carry it home in more plastic bags. Now, when I remember (which is more and more often), I just put things into my cart loose and bring them home in canvas bags I provide.

6. I used to shop solely at the grocery store. Now I belong to a food co-op, where I buy foods in bulk. This means less packaging in the end. I'm also making an effort to go to my farmer's market every Saturday, where I bring my own containers and bags to carry things home.

7. Number seven hinges on numbers 1 and 3-6: I used to put out three bags of trash a week, to be "taken away" to landfills and incinerators. Now I put out one bag about every two to three weeks. I haven't bought trash bags in months and months.

8. I used to worry that I could never do enough to save the world. It's true, I probably can't. But somehow I don't lose hope. I wrote about it here.


Liquid Soap photo, by L.L. Barkat.

Green Inventions Invitation: if you write a related post and LINK back here, let me know and I'll link to yours.