Twenty Twentysomethings Lessons

It is the last day I will spend in my 20's.  (If I were Korean, I'd actually be considered 31 already and this list would be much less exciting).  I have dreaded, feared, worried about, and looked forward to this day, to this season of my life.  I'm always looking forward...when I was a teenager, I couldn't wait to "have it together" and start my grown up life, only to find out we're always trying to grow up.  Matt said it best in a letter written in 6th grade to his future self.  "Open when you are 25" it says.  Because we for sure will have it together by the time we're 25.  Here are a few lesson learned, observations about, and goals set in this wonderfully tumultuous decade:

1.  I didn't have it completely together when I was 25.  In fact, I don't think I'll ever really have it completely together, and that's OK.

2.  My failures were mine to make, mine to suffer through, and my responsibility to learn from.

3.  I am never alone in my suffering through #2.

4.  Karaoke will always bring out the best in people.  

5.  Being right feels nice for awhile but being humble feels better.

6.  I have too much stuff.

7.  Dumpster diving is the key to material happiness.

8.  Sleep cures colds, soothes anger, and is essential for happy relationships.

9.  Lack of sleep fosters colds, increases anger, and leads to the inevitable end of relationships.  I will try to be nicer during periods of reduced sleep.

10.  God is a mystery who reveals Himself in beautiful ways.  Science is an exciting mystery that we are privileged to discover.  We cannot know everything about either.  One does not explain, un-explain, prove, or disprove the other. 

11.  I will shut up and listen more this decade.

12.  I will finish my masters degree.  Because my husband wants me to and he really is right about this one.

13.  There are things in my control and things out of my control.

14.  I will not worry about things out of my control.  Letting that gray hair grow was a good start.

15.  I will acknowledge and be thankful for beauty and love and loyal animals.

16.  Keeping up with the Jones' is a bunch of baloney.  I will try to keep up with my dreams.

17.  Processed foods may lead to the death of domesticity but I will fight!  With tomatoes!

18.  Following through is not my forte, but I'll work on it.  Check back in 10 years when I'm forty.  (Ha!  Get it?  Forte, Forty?  Addendum to #18 - keep telling dumb jokes.)

19.  *People will always disappoint me but I should love them anyway (because I will always disappoint people and I'd like to be loved anyway, too).  *even though I sometimes don't refer to them as people, 9th graders are included in #19.

20. It is important to live the life intended for me.  It is also important to remember to enjoy it now, even if I am eagerly looking down the road to the next season of life, when I'll for sure have it together.

Super Squash Soup!

It's been requested that I share my squash soup recipe.  I would be happy to...except that I don't really have one.  I cook by the seat of my pants and Matt seems to think that is a gift, rather than mere procrastination and luck.  We'll go with what he said.

All of the ingredients are up for discussion, substitution, or complete disregard, except for the squash if you really want squash soup.

SUPER SQUASH SOUP!
Put your big old soup pan on the stove on medium-low and add this:
One small chopped onion
some olive oil (so your onions don't burn)
2 crushed garlic cloves

Put the lid on the pot to keep the moisture in while you prepare the following:
2 carrots diced
2 celery stalks
1 potato/sweet potato diced
& any other veggies in your fridge you need to get rid of

When those are all chopped, add them to the pot, stir, and replace the lid.

Take your washed squash - I use butternut - and peel it with a vegetable peeler.  This is a huge pain, but I think you waste the least amount.  If you have another type of squash, a veg peeler might be out of the question and you'll just have to cut off the outside with a knife.

Cube the squash, being sure to remove the seeds and gooey part in the middle.  (Oooh and ahhh over the bright & brilliant beauty of the inside!)  Add it to the pot and replace the lid. 

(Keep the moisture in the pot - if there is not enough coming from the veggies, just add some water)

You might have to turn up the heat a bit if it's going too slow.  You want the pieces of squash and carrots to be tender so they can get pureed easily.  Cook for 15 minutes or until the squash is tender. 

Carefully scoop your soup into a food processor, add a handful of cilantro, and puree it to your liking. (I have to do this a few cups at a time since my processor is small).  Some people will only process half of the soup so it remains chunky.  If you have an immersion blender thingy, use it right in your pot.

Return soup to pot on low.  If your soup is too thick, add some water*.  If it's too runny, take the lid off and cook for a bit.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

*If you can handle dairy, instead of adding water you might try cream.  I bet it tastes GREAT!

This would not be possible without the CRATE full of winter squash and zucchinis from my neighbors.  They are generous with their bounty and tolerant of oversize wood piles in our yard.  I am very grateful for these people. 

Happy Super Squash Soup making, friends!

waiting for a little life

Spring is something else, eh?  We wait and wait and wait for the teeniest bit of green to lift our spirits from the bitterness of winter and when it comes, we say, "I can't believe it!  It's finally here!" and yet we knew it would be here sometime.  Part of what makes these signs of life so exciting is that we KNOW it's coming; we think about how wonderful it will be, how it will smell, and how it will make us feel when we wake up each day knowing the goodness of life is all around.

Our house is showing signs of life, too. 

Even though outside snow may come and cover up peeking tulip/lily/iris bulbs that prompted some landscaping daydreaming this week, inside things are growing.  A plant survived a winter with me.  Not only did it survive, it's BLOOMING!  It's a Spring miracle, I tell you!  Mom better read this because she will be very proud that a plant in her daughter's care has finally stayed alive.  I don't even know the name of this gem but I plan on getting at least five more this summer to fill my house to make visitors think I have a magical green thumb.


The Seedling Adventure has also begun.  The first chapter goes something like this:

       ....she carefully placed each seed in their respective nook, gently covered them with precisely mixed soil, gave them a blessing, and waited for the sun and water to do its work.  Sometime during the night, the cat, who was irked there was neither catnip nor cat grass planted, decided to take matters into her own paws.  The gardener woke up, cursed the cat, and the romantic dream of planting and nurturing seedlings until they bore fruit, died.

So, yeah, we'll see how it goes.  So far the onions are going crazy.  I think onions might be one of those invasive species you have to gather and light on fire if you don't want it to spread.

The other thing that is growing in our house is a SCOBY for making Kombucha.  It's a big glob of bacteria and yeast that eats tea and sugar and somehow balances your intestinal flora.  Kombucha and I so far have a love love, hate hate hate relationship.  I loved it, carefully prepared it, waited 3 weeks (quite impatiently) for it to reach the right pH, only to find out it had mold!  You would think something as gross as a SCOBY could tackle some mold, but it couldn't.  Dumping out 3 weeks' worth of fermenting tea, I felt defeated.  This batch is going much better, and I'm being much more patient.  In fact, this photo was the only time I've uncovered it to look at the disgustingly beautiful alien being. 

Waiting around for life (and sometimes being disappointed) has been a bit of a roller coaster.  But I'm still waking up, hopeful. 

Blogbattical: a year without blogging

Sometimes we need to break away from things because they are unhealthy, sometimes because of time constraints, sometimes for reasons we don't know.  The last year required me to take a break from the reflection that blogging offered.  I would only later come to understand why.  The break freed up time (as sabbaticals often do) and I wish I could say I used my time to write a book (or at least read a bunch of them), knit a grown-up sweater, or sew something really difficult.  Yeah, well, none of those things happened.  I just got older.

I used to think I would accept age humbly and joyfully.  What a load of crap.  This year I found (TWO!) gray hairs and didn't get carded buying wine at the liquor store.  I cannot stay up past 10pm without pacing around the house groaning, "it's so laaaate!"  This winter, I begged Matt to grow a beard so he would look older (and not like a kid I was babysitting).  I now enjoy and PREFER to stay home on Friday night.

Despite my aging crisis, the year did not pass without gain and triumph.  In that extra time, I did some stuff  I'm quite proud of.  I finished all but 2 credits towards my Masters and started my research project.  A 9 month old was entrusted to me each weekday for half of the year.  I ran a marathon.  I rode a horse into the mountains and then climbed the mountain.  A teenager showed up, needing our love, time, and home cooking.  I started teaching again.  We found a church.  I found the perfect pizza crust recipe.  I finally learned how to tame my (graying) hair.   
   

The year was not a total loss. 

But I'm back to the familiar 'click click click' that puts ME out there to YOU, whoever, wherever you are.  My blogbatical is over.  The trees are aching to show us that they are alive, and I'm aching to let go of things I should have done and open up to the possibility that this year, too, will age and better me.