This evening I had the privilege of playing for some residents at Skyland Care Center in Sylva. I played a short very informal program including works by Haydn, Beethoven, Schumann, Bach, and Chopin, interspersed with some hymns and familiar songs. It was the first time I've played at Skyland, and it won't be the last. It was fun to visit with the residents, and they seemed to enjoy the music.
Early this morning we went for a hike on the Richland Balsam Summit trail. When we left the house we were in a blanket of fog, which is typical for mornings in the Smoky Mountains. The fog is patchy, though, and by the time we'd driven a few miles, we could see that it was a beautiful morning with just a few clouds in the sky, a perfect morning for a hike.
Richland Balsam is between Sylva and Waynesville, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, near milepost 431. We had been there before--last October--but the trail felt very different in the summer. The heavy rainfall we've had recently seemed to have kept hikers away while at the same time encouraging all the plants to grow, so the trail was a bit overgrown in places.
The trail head is near the highest point on the parkway, which is 6053' above sea level. The summit is just over 6400', and is surrounded by trees, so you don't get much of a view. There's a bench to sit and rest before beginning your descent. We stopped for a while and gave Cookie some water.
Hiking this year is a bit different for me. Last December, I was diagnosed with COPD and began treatment. I've had asthma for quite a while, but this feels different. I'm forced to go more slowly, to pay more attention to my breath,and to stop and rest much more frequently. The slower pace has made me aware of so many things I hadn't noticed before! I'm more likely to hear birds singing, and woodpeckers knocking on trees.
On the way down there was more time to stop and notice the beautiful scenery.
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21 (NIV)
Pope Francis has spoken out strongly against global capitalism in the past week. Hopefully his words will guide voters and public officials around the world in the coming months and years.
Yesterday--July 10, 2015--was Arlo Guthrie's 68th birthday. In belated celebration of this special occasion, today we'll listen to Alice's Restaurant.
Tomatoes! When gardens are overflowing with all sorts of good things, tomatoes are the one thing nobody seems to complain about having too many of. (Zucchini is another story: when I was growing up in Illinois, I remember friends and neighbors leaving grocery bags of zucchini at our doorstep at this time of year. We were zucchini bombed.)
We found some fresh tomatoes and basil at the store a couple days ago, and Bryan made this totally yummy tomato basil cream pasta, one of Angela Liddon's recipes. (We got the recipe from Liddon's Oh She Glows cookbook, and it includes spinach.) If you've never made a vegan cream sauce out of raw cashews, this recipe is a good place to start. The cashews need to be raw, not the roasted salted kind in a can. Cashew cream is wonderfully versatile, and it makes this dish rich and velvety without overwhelming the flavors of the tomato and basil.
