Today, June 29, is World Scleroderma Day, whatever that means. So, my quandary, how to mark this auspicious occasion? Well, my stomach appears to be fairly settled today and coming from someone who has gone weeks without eating, that is no small matter, so I said to myself, I said "Self, why not try a new recipe, something to take advantage of all those beautifully scented herbs in the garden?" And since I have an abundance of sage, and a nice organic chicken breast on hand I googled "sage chicken" and the result was the picture you see before you. The best part was the sage leaves which ended up nice and crispy which, along with the perfectly fried chicken, made for one delicious lunch. Life is good. Happy World Scleroderma Day mes amis.

Mudras

Saw this on facebook the other day. Take a close look at the ALOKE  mudra. Look familiar? It sure did to me. In fact my hands could have been the model for the image - except for the fact that I've had a finger amputated Ü. And so, I now have a new perspective from which to view my hands which are permanently frozen in the ALOKE or LIGHT mudra because I can take comfort in the fact that they symbolize light or a lamp. Taking this one step further, by being locked in this position my hands are sending forth healing light to everyone I meet and even those I don't meet.  From now on, every imd I shake hands with someone I will imagine that I am giving them the gift of healing light.  

Beats my previous association of something dinosaur like - sclerodactyly (almost) rhymes with pterodactyl.

Just call me grandpa

Born June 2, 2014 @ 12:41 pm. William Charles Michael Birtch, 9 lbs. 3 oz., 22". Everyone is doing great.

Happy to say, I was present (in another room) for the birth of my first grandchild. This picture was taken about an hour and a half after he was born. What an amazing experience. Right up there with the birth of my own children. I am one very happy grandfather.

Balcony Garden Update

Click on image for larger version.

Picture taken a week ago. I now have two more 'bag' pots and a couple of regular pots added to the mix. I really am amazed at how well my garden is flourishing. Had enough basil to make a batch of pesto and a head lettuce which I harvested along with some oak leaf lettuce and herbs for my first garden salad. So glad I took this project on as it is giving me so much satisfaction and pleasure. I really had no idea how much I missed gardening.

My herb garden

And the apple tree is thriving, covered in blossoms and leafing out really well.

Update: July first and I harvested my first carrot today. Have also been eating peas for a couple of weeks now.

Update, July 26:

The garden continues to flourish. Have had carrots, beet greens, tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, a pepper, lettuce and plenty of herbs. Yesterday's lunch consisted of a tomato, a cuc, a pepper and some basil - delicious. Added a few crackers and a very mild blue cheese