Food: Favorite Recipes

I love cooking, and I've given away enough food that I need to post some recipes!  Most recipes I find online and then add to or tailor as needed or necessary, so here goes nothing.

Granola: My Pride and Joy. 

1. Granola. 

I tried a few different recipes, and the one that finally worked for me was a mixture of different oils and oats and nuts.  It started from the Smitten Kitchen recipe, and I went with the following to make it more my style.  Also, I use grams so I can more effectively utilize my kitchen scale.

100 grams each hazelnuts, pumpkin sees, sunflower seeds (or just 300 grams any nuts you like)

150 grams cashews (because I love cashews)

300 grams oats (the normal ones, nothing cut or fancy)

Handful flax seeds, chia seeds, and bran

200 ml coconut oil

3 Tablespoons olive oil

Drip of honey

2 egg whites (whisked until frothy)

Cinnamon. I put a lot in, sometimes during, sometimes after I spread it out.

(Note: this original recipe called for maple syrup, which I wasn't keen on.  I use my glass measuring cup, measure the coconut oil, add the olive oil, then add honey until I get to 220 mL of fluid, not including the eggs)

Oven is at 300 degrees.  All nuts are crushed, and ingredients combined.

Spread all on parchment sheet in a tight layer. 

Bake 45-55 minutes, turning over carefully half way through.

When browned and dry the way you like, remove.

Add some dried fruit (I like cranberries) and keep in airtight container. 

Second recipe you may like is here. I found this one a bit like crack, and couldn't stop eating it. So, I stopped making it.

Ingredients in Wait. 

I make many soups.
Carrot Ginger and Lemon is my favorite.
This Pumpkin soup is incredible.

I've tried a lot of green soups (spinach, broccoli, etc) and found them wanting.  My yellow and orange blends are far more satisfying.  Peas didn't blend so well for me.  I prefer the spinach cooked. Etc, etc.

A friend also told me she puts red curry paste into her soups sometimes.  And that news made me put red curry in my pumpkin soup.  I've more often made butternut squash soup with a similar method.  And it is amazingly easy with a bit of coconut milk.

An average K dinner. 

A few things here.
I eat this spinach daily.  I saute it in some garlic (that I prepare every week or two in a hand blender) and it takes about 2 minutes.  Usually, I heat up whatever I'm eating for leftovers and while it cooks, I make spinach.

Here is also some salmon, which came from this recipe. This one also does salmon well. Salmon is easy to buy here, and easy to cook in the oven.  In fact, it is the only meat in my kitchen ever.

The squash is another variation on the soup that I love.  Here's a recipe for squash with golden beets (which I've never been able to find) and tahini.

Prep, and Prep, and Prep, and Prep.

Another soup, the ingredients of which you see here, is Mexican Vegetable Soup.  Chop up a bunch of peppers and onion (and I replace the corn and beans with zucchini and mushrooms) and you have yourselves some soup that tastes like taco night.  (Not really, but there is a hint of Mexico in the cayenne and the spices).  Also, it is relaxing to cook this when I need to zen out in prep for a few hours.

Cook all the things!

This shows a few things on the stove. The back pot is tomato sauce.  That's coming up next.  The side is pumpkin soup (I would guess).  The pan with all the eggplant and zucchini is a green curry in the making.

I don't have a recipe for this, but I chop up these things I love (zucchini, eggplant, onion), and put them in the skillet with some olive oil until they are brown and I want to eat them.  Then, I put the curry paste in the skillet, get it warm, and add some coconut milk until it looks good.  I can elaborate more if necessary, but that's the basics.

Tomato sauce in the making. 

Finally, one of my favorites.  Homemade tomato sauce.  Spicy tomato sauce, to be exact.  I remember I tried to make spaghetti sauce once in Cambodia (for my family) and failed so miserably, so this is a nice success to have.  The answer does seem to be "give it more time to simmer" and "add some spices" and that's what I figured out how to do.

This can be used for a variety of things:
- I put it with fried eggs and spinach sometimes, as one of my favorite comfort foods.
- I made this baked eggplant and mushroom dish that tasted amazing.
- I made a version of this shakshuka with it that was also quite good.
- These spicy mushrooms would have worked well with it.

Next up in the cooking this week:
Butternut squash: Roasted whole (saw that in a magazine), Steamed (also magazine) and roasted (perhaps for a soup).
I made this warm eggplant salad with hemp seeds and kvass because it seemed Russian-esque and was pretty good.  That recipe needs tailored some though, so I'll play with the rest of the ingredients.
And very little else. School's almost out and it's time to think about travel.

Dessert!

I made this two ingredient sorbet with a pound of raspberries and strawberries, since it is the season.  Please enjoy the recipe, which is a pound of fruit, frozen, and a quarter cup of honey.  Beautiful.

Happy Cooking!

A Clean Sweep

This week, the library is working on inventory and weeding.  It’s fairly tedious library work, scanning every single book and double checking its place in the collection, but also somewhat rewarding.  The library that I’m working in hasn’t had a book removed from it for years, since 2008 I believe.  Librarians know that things get accumulated during those times.  Librarians may also know that without any oversight on purchasing or selection, the library ends up as a repository for all the things that will never be checked out.

I find the process immensely satisfying.  To remove the dusty, underused books from the collection to be able to see the fresher, newer, better books provides me with such mental clarity and peace.  Perhaps that’s nerdy.  I don’t mind.  I need a bit of nerdy since my librarian glasses are permanently removed.

It’s amazing to me what the people around us begin to care about when it may not be available anymore.  A book, left unused and unloved for years, suddenly becomes the best, most special book in all the land.  I doubted Mary Kay Biagini when she talked about this in library school, but I’m beginning to see just how crushing it is to lose these sentimental things called books.

I’m sitting here, thinking about the week, and the discussions I’ve had.  I’m ruminating about the massive amount of time my colleagues and I have spent pouring over texts and deciding their fate.  The dusty, the unused, the graphic (lots of boobs), all will need to find a new home.

There was this show that used to be on TLC before that channel became reality show nonsense, and I loved it.  It was called Clean Sweep.  Their goal was to take one of those spare rooms that houses had, ones that were full of… whatever… and turn it into a usable space.  In order to accomplish this gorgeous new room, the staff took all the belongings in the room, put it on a big tarp in the front yard, and gave them an equally large tarp for “garage sale” as well as a tiny tarp for “keep”. The counselors, or hosts, or whatever, would talk them through this, and I remember some of the phrases at play…

What have you used this for in the past couple of years?

Does this really add value to your life?

Why are you keeping this thing in this room if it really is so important to you?

I found myself thinking about this show because it’s what we’re doing with the library… giving it a clean sweep.  I also find myself thinking about it in terms of my own personal belongings and possessions.  I came to Thailand with a couple suitcases.  Before that, I destroyed my mom’s basement getting rid of stuff that I hadn’t touched for years.  With my photos, my music, I’ve done the same. 

In this age of overload,  I want to clean up my spaces and make sure that the only things in there are things that I can pick up and enjoy and love with a moment’s notice.  I don’t want to sift through 15 albums I feel neutral about before I find one song I love.  I don’t want to have to pick through 30 versions of the same photo before I find one that I like.  I want all the best, right now.

This is my goal at the moment, finding the simple life and enjoying what I have.  And the library is my current show of that goal.

Garden 2.0

I made this because I was thinking of my Grandmother's
house, her porch, and morning coffee with her and mom.

I was worried about my plants.

I found evidence of insects, and Google told me I needed to act fast or risk my whole garden.  They were little red monsters trying their best to kill my water plants.... my lotus, my water lillies, my green circle plant thing, all of the aquatic plants.

I also had something of a sun problem.  Yes, I know, it's Thailand and the equator is right next door.  But, there was this one strip in my garden where I kept the full sun and desert plants.... and they were still just dry all the time, more dry than they should have been.

There was an added worry about time and energy.  This week was crazy busy, and I just didn't have the time or the energy to spend in my garden.  Plus, leaving for Cambodia gave me limited time to worry about these things.

I waited until I saw my man at the weekend market, the wonderful man that I owe the majority of my garden to.  I bought some insect killer from him, soil, all the things of garden tending.  I maybe bought a few more plants as well (I have a problem!!).

Then, I went to go pick up a package at the post office.  It took me about an hour to get all the steps together to get there.  I biked up to the road, caught the special truck to the wat, grabbed a moto to the post office, and did the whole thing in reverse with a giant box.  So exhausted from the sun, I stopped at my favorite coffee shop for a pick me up scone and coffee.

I saw an umbrella.  I wanted an umbrella.  I asked for an umbrella.

Before shot.  SUNSHINE OF DEATH ALL DAY.

I got three umbrellas.

Well, I found the umbrellas in the back of the shop and asked Kang (like Kangaroo) if he wanted to sell them.  He refused to take any of my money.  Apparently, he was hoping for more space, and I helped clear out some of the old things that he just didn't want to get rid of.  They came back on my bike, because I'm brave or stupid or both.

Then, I hung them on my roof, which again.... brave or stupid, I'm not sure.  It involved a lot of me standing on the white wall.  Balance.


Then, plant man came over and helped me repot a bunch of plants, because they had coconut husks instead of soil in them.  This means that they get very very dry easily.  He must have spent 45 minutes with me, helping me repot plants and gardening with me.  Gosh, this dude is nice.  Best part?  He heard the song "Rock and Roll" on my shuffle and said, "Oh, Led Zeppelin, I like them."

Garden 2.0 is complete.

Awesome, though, huh?

All the plants found new homes based on their needs.

Side wall.

After gardening for 7 hours (or so), I had a nice mark on my forehead from pushing my glasses up.

On Birthdays

I haven't had a great birthday in such a long time.  Last year, I can't remember what I was doing, but I don't think it was wonderful.  I think I was with people who didn't quite appreciate me.  I worked on my birthday.  Worked both jobs that I had, in fact.  That's, of course, only some, but it wasn't a great experience.  One of my good friends came to visit me and brought me a rich chocolate cake, though I couldn't relax enough to enjoy it.  The year before was similar, in a new city and unsure how to create my path.  This year, there is no way I could complain.

I enjoyed two little kid birthday parties on opposite ends of the week.  The first was Aisha's, Kim's little girl, who threw a beautiful pink pony themed event.  Just now, I'm back from an Egyptian themed kid party, where I was holding a newborn and enjoying the energy of this very awesome family that I am now friends with.  I also had the opportunity to go out with some of the other new teachers for a Mexican dinner (and a margarita), and they put candles in the brownie that I blew out.  I received cards from my family, beautiful cards.  A card from my mother put in me tears.  She said she was so proud of me for going to a far away land and thriving there.  The card from my grandmother also put a tear in my eye.  She said my adventures were like a Bob Hope and Bing Crosby movie.

I feel so lucky to be where I am today.  I feel blessed at the people that I have in my life, and the times that I'm already enjoying despite being in this village for such a short time.  I think that this work and this place will be great for me.

I miss my family.  I miss the sailboat in Pella, and the Wilson's pizza, and grandma's Sunday dinners.  I miss Aaron, and my friends in Pittsburgh, and the life that I finally carved out of that world.  I miss many things.

But, my birthday was a very positive one.  It has been a long while since I've had such a beautiful birthday.  My lotus is blooming.  My garden looks positively amazing.  And, I'm going to Cambodia in a short time to see all the people that I love from my old home.

Oh!  On my actual brithday, I went to get a Thai massage from the awesome ladies who trade me Thai phrases for English ones.  I had a birthday burger at the local cool kids joint and was mistaken for a 24 year old.  Oddly enough, I also got mistaken for a 35 year old at school the same day.... something about being tall and confident in my work and my school life.  I can't help but laugh at being mistaken for different ages 10 years apart.  I can only say that the massage must have taken 10 years of stress from my back.

I live a blessed life.

Thank you all for every moment that your life intersected with my own.  I'm a better human with every interaction.

The trials and tribulations of gardens

We had a huge wind storm that blew half of my plants over.
My dangle plants are swinging and moving about.  

But, then I had this gorgeous water lily.

And this phenomenal Hibiscus. 

And my lotus is a few days from gorgeous,

Rizza loves the shade of the Frangipani.

My ylang ylang is almost in full glorious yellow and there are several more buds on the way.

This interesting plants collected some water.

These were waiting on my doorstep on Saturday night ... after a glorious little kid birthday party.

They are a special herb, a Butterfly Pea, that makes tea.

And they were a gift from the man that sold me many of my plants.

This is the Balloon flower, and it is so awesome.  Look at the color!

My gardenia is in bloom, and it smells ... ah.

This is the new addition; a Bromeliad.  It likes water.

It was a hard week.  But this garden is thrilling me with all the things I see.  I take immense pleasure in every moment I spend tending to these plants.

My Garden is the Best Garden

This weekend was an introvert weekend.  

And I filled my weekend with the buying of plants.

Now I hear birds chirping around.  

Next weekend, I may go to the Home Pro store to acquire some nighttime mood lights.

This is the view from my seat at the table.  I have a whole selection of plants that bring the joy to my garden.

A second view.  I have plants on the ground, flowers, vines, things hanging, and a plethora of flora and fauna to enjoy.

This is the view as I walk in from a hard day of work.  There are some fragrant flowers that greet me as I walk into the gate.

This is the coolest thing I got today. It has these little pods that (I would guess) trap water in the forest.  It is strictly non-sun.

This tree is the tree that Buddha was born under.  So, I got too.  I need all the Buddha I can get.  He says it gets to be very very large.

I have this orchid and another orchid.  I hope they don't die. 

This is my very fragrant Jasmine flower.  It is called mali, just like in Cambodia.

Goal Check

I've just finished looking over my finances today, which reminded me that it may be time to check in with the goals and how things are going.

• Learn Thoughtfully and Consistently
• Be Mindful
• Organize a Life of Photos
• Find the Joy of Cooking
• Save Every Extra Baht

Learn Consistently.

It's going well.  I've started reading again, about all sorts of topics, and I feel like I'm gaining knowledge about my job and the things that I should be working with.  The learning for work is going extremely well, and I'm having the start of a plan to become a bigger part of the IB world.  In this case, that means becoming a presenter for the IB conference on libraries.  I would run workshops in this part of the world on IB librarianship and how it would look in various schools and various ways.

I'm going to keep reading and keep learning about work, and improve myself and my knowledge in every way I can.  Progress.

Be Mindful.

I give myself half points.  I think I'm observing things around me, but I feel rude as a person who doesn't speak Thai.  I find myself impolite from time to time, and I am working to change that.  I do feel like I observe everything always, but in this I have a ways to go yet.  It helps when I blog.  It would help more to find some exercise that would be effective for me here.

Photos.

My MacBook Pro should be ready in a week or so, and then I will begin.  I may consider borrowing Kim's scanner, or buying one of my own, as soon as those photos show up.  Tabled.

Cooking.

Eating I've got down, but this... Hm.  Not yet begun.

Save Every Extra Baht.

It's really rough to start fresh, but as I looked over my finances today, I had a lot of hope.  My necessary expenses are minimal, my salary is good, and I predict that I'll be able to save about $2000 every month, for use in my emergency fund, retirement, travel fund, and student loans.  I'll update more on that later in the month; I'm missing the first few bills that will give me an indication of how much I'll be spending from month to month.  However, things look very promising.

Adding one more:

Add positive habits.

Aaron laughs at me for saying this, but he is a really big inspiration to me.  I've begun doing things in my home for myself, for the goal of improving my adult ability to live, and also with the notion that I want to live with him.  I admire his way of life, and am going to continue instilling in myself some new habits that will benefit our life together, and me as a human.  I've started doing the following things with that in mind.  

I make my bed in the morning.

I go to sleep with a clean sink, no dishes inside.

I iron my clothes in the morning.

I wake up earlier than necessary and straighten things up.

I end the day with books, not screens.

For every positive habit I add, I feel better about myself and my ability to add positive things to my life.  Because of that, I feel more positive about living with another human who is so very good at adding positive things to his life, because of his discipline.  I admire him.  I seek to have the same discipline.  I will work to have the same discipline.

A New Home

Borrowed bicycle and yard bereft of green... needs some
fixing.  I need some plants.

I have a wonderful new house.  I've just moved in yesterday, and spent the entire day trying to get myself unpacked and acquire the things I needed.  This is easier said than done.  My house is a bit.... out of the way.... which will eventually be very good.  But for now?  Well.  My legs were a bit tired from pedaling the bike and walking out in the sun.

On the plus side, I'm a 5 minute bike ride from Kims house, and a 10 minute bike ride from town.  This will eventually be a moto area, though.  I need to buy one to get things from place to place.  But later.  Everyone has been clamoring to see my new home, and I am finally settled enough to post some pictures.

Entryway into the kitchen.  3M hooks on the
wall there.

I went all over Sammakorn yesterday, looking around and finding out what is what.  I eventually became just exhausted looking for all the things I required, and even managed to break the ATM and get my card lost.  Now, I don't think this is an atypical problem, since the lady I called didn't sound very surprised.  I was trying to change my PIN number from the one they assigned, and the thing ended up freezing on me.  International life has its drawbacks it would seem.

I got everything I really needed despite the setback.  A fan, for sure.  Somehow, the man who lived here before didn't have one.  He also didn't cook much given the lack of cookery in the kitchen.  He did, however, leave some boss pillows and some nice backpacks.  I also have more furniture than myself and Rizza will ever be able to utilize, and no plants in the courtyard.  I'll work on that with the first paycheck.

Fast Facts:
My first meal was Mama noodles.
I drank every bit of water in the house.
I hooked up my coffee maker, which was the best decision.
I remember I really like the decorative windows.
I woke up to bright sunlight from my east facing window.

Modest kitchen.  Not sure how they forgot all the
cabinets, but that's all good.

Bedroom, with the giant bed and giant window.  Giant
armoire is behind me. 

Desk area in the living room, right by the other door.
There's lots of air there that makes it really cool.

Living room.  They made me keep the TV.  And all this
extra furniture... 

Bathroom.  Hot water shower.  There is another bathroom
with just the hose, but this one seems more legit.

This room has the washing machine and ironing board,
plus a door to the drying.  Not sure exactly the
point of the sink.

Backyard.  For drying the clothes and ... um...

Also for the Christmas tree.  *shrug*

A Market Kind of Day

This little guy should always be treated with respect.  

After I signed my lease with Khun Gai, he was kind enough to drop me off at the Weekend Market, which was touted to be quite the happening spot for the local villages.  I wanted to get an idea of what local produce and items would be available right down the street instead of trying to rely on the big grocery stores and shopping malls that have become so ubiquitous in BKK.  I'd enjoy browsing through the local market on the weekend and planning my meals based on what I've found.  It has the farmer's market sort of feel to it, which is something I've always admired.  I want to cook, and be able to be creative in the kitchen with more than just flour.

So, to the market I went.  Much of it was clothing, some odd housewares, several prepared food stalls, the usual fare for a small local market.  It was chaotic, and people were moving in every which way.  It immediately reminded me of the markets in Cambodia.  Either way, I was browsing slowly, looking at different stalls, finding my bearings.  I noticed a small shop that seemed to have an odd mash of used dishware.  I saw a Starbucks cup shop.  But what caught my eye was a small shop of Buddhist imagery and icons.

I'm not sure why I felt so compelled to stop; Buddhism was not a huge part of my journey through Cambodia.  I participated in the holidays but felt most in tune with the solitude of the temple as opposed to the statues within in it.  However, I stopped and looked at the fares this man had and was incredibly glad I paused to say hello.

I said the traditional greeting, "Sawadee Ka," with the broad smile I imagine it needs said with.  I was also surprised with the response; the seller spoke quite wonderful English.  I didn't expect that in a small stall that would likely be patronized by Thai people.  I told him I was looking for a token for my friend, which was exactly what had popped into my mind when I saw the stall.

My friend, Lee, is a good friend from Pittsburgh and actually lives with Aaron.  Lee is, in fact, the person I thank when I think about meeting Aaron.  He introduced us and suffered through a few months of both of us asking (him) for dating advice.  I adore Lee; he is a great human.  He also has some of the worst luck I have ever seen in another person.  I attribute some small percentage of this luck to male decision making, but it is also this luck thing.  So, I told him before I left that I would try to find him a charm that could bring some sort of fortune to his life and his car.

So, I acquired for him a small statue of a monk that went on a journey and had some bad luck that he turned around.  The seller was able to give me a brief background, write for me a prayer, and say it a few times so I could write the English phonetics that accompanied it.  And all of that was for such a low priced statue.  I ended up buying a second icon for my own home after he gave me a few suggestions about where to keep the stone and how to treat it.  He was patient with me, answering questions and teaching me about his culture and these things that were important to him.

It will be Halloween every day.

I believe I made the right choice by deciding to live in this village.

Another thing I found as I walked near the market was a pet store that sold cheap pet clothing.  Which Rizza will absolutely hate very, very quickly.  I'll be sure to update you on this.

I went into the main town center after I left Sammakorn, the name of this village.  I walked around some of the main city centers and found myself even more happy that I chose to live where I did.  The hussle was a hassle and I'm glad I'm far away from it... near a calm lake and a quiet street and a pleasant market.

House Hunting

Well, I think I have a new home.

I have two, for sure, two excellent choices.

One is a house near Punnawithi BTS station.  That makes it close to everything in town. A quick walk, or bike ride, or moto ride, and I will be at the station that will take me to anywhere.  The house was nice, too.  It was pretty, there was a small bit of furniture involved, and it was generally a decent place.  Needs cleaned in the worst way, but that's a pretty easy fix.  I liked it, and it was so near to the city.  My commute would be a quick jaunt on the moto to the shuttle bus and there I would be.  The little neighborhood was nice as well.  There were a few restaurants, a couple of shops, very pleasant.

The other house is near to my friend in a very different village.  It's about half an hour outside of the center of town, but in a really nice little village.  I say little village, but it's still in the city.  Very much in the city.  It's a few kilometers from a shopping mall with a Starbucks and an Au Bon Pain.... a few more kilometers from the McDonalds and the cinema.  It looked insanely comfortable and I was greatly impressed with the amount of light shining through the windows.  The space was big, but not too big.  The kitchen was lovely and looks to be a great place to cook in.  I really fell in love with this place.  And, the benefit of living near a friend is sharing the commute, which takes a big burden off of me.

So, how to choose?

They are both the same price, which actually was more than I was hoping to pay, but I'm seeing the realities of the situation.  It is still extremely reasonable.
The water and electricity would also be similar, and the second house has a little extra charge because of the community life.
The commute trade off would more than make up for the previous charge.

Really, the only consideration that I'm making is what I would prefer to be close to.  Living near to the city has perks, like being able to grab the train to the Siam Supercenter Mall... and all the malls that surround it.  Though, that doesn't really agree with my plan to live a simple and frugal life.  Maybe I want to live near to the bars and the expat scene, though again... not quite my plan here.  I can get into town with about $5 and a taxi, and apparently there are some busses that run as well... and I keep wondering what I'll actually have time for.  This job is going to keep me mighty busy, and I may as well save some time with the commute as opposed to planning for the evening events that I don't even know exist.

That second house was so beautiful, and I imagine myself in there quite easily.  So, I've called and asked to take it.  I still need to confirm with my friend on some details, but that is the idea.

Pretty neat, huh?  In other news, Rizza slips around on these marble-esque floors while I point the laser pointer and it is hilarious.

Pac Pac Pac Pac Woman

I have narrowed down everything to two suitcases, a duffel bag, a backpack, and a cat.

My mom was interested in going to my grandmother's this morning, so I was gently encouraged to have all my things packed in order to prepare.  It was very positive, because I was able to sort through some things from the past and make sure I had everything in order.

I was about to say that my whole life was in those two suitcases.  Though, it isn't.  I'm trying to live a simple life, a life without distraction, and this is the first start to that.  In my suitcases, I have some clothes, some shoes (size 11 shoes in BKK are not going to be located), and a few other essentials from home.  Not very many things, honestly.  I have a hula hoop.  I have a bread cutter, some deodorant, my cross stitch.  Rizza's scratching post, some earrings, lip balm.  Not much.  There were some things I intentionally didn't bring: DVDs, my Wii, general technology things.  I'm aching for a simple life, and I have this opportunity to go back to this life where simple, effective living is the norm.

I'm wary of all the things I need to buy: furniture, kitchenware, bedding... even though I know it won't be a struggle.  It will be such a cost that I don't want to front, especially since I just sold up all my other possessions: furniture, bed, mattress, etc etc etc.  I wouldn't say that I have an attachment to the stuff, but I felt lucky with the things that I had been able to put in my home.  I'm getting to a certain point in my life where I'm feeling an exhaustion with moving.  Honestly, it makes sense.  I just brought my possessions over to Iowa in my car, from a house I'd only been in for 6 months.  Before that, I'd lived in a house for 6 months, and before that, another house for a year.  And this is all just in Pittsburgh... before that I brought my life back from Cambodia and started fresh in the very difficult US of A.  Here I am, going back and starting fresh again, and I'm somewhat ready to settle for a moment.

It will be a fresh new adventure when I arrive on Tuesday.  It will be a brisk transition, from start to finish.  And I'm trying to think of the things that I want to focus on for my home once I arrive.

1. A bed.  And pillows.  And sheets.

2.  A table. A tall one that I can use for a desk, a dining table, a little bit of everything.

3.  A hammock.

4.  Kitchen wares.  I need to cook the foods.

That's simple, that's good.  That's a quiet home and a simple life.