Shedding To Simplify

Simplicity directs you to the practice of finding joy and spirituality in ordinary daily life.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh  said  in Gift From The Sea, "One should lie empty, open, choiceless as the  beach, waiting for the gift from the sea."  She talks about the shedding of tangibles and intangibles, such as pride, vanity, wearing a mask and hypocrisy to name a few. We know about the tangibles: clothes, gadgets, shoes, furniture etc. But one that Anne mentioned  I never thought of, "I shed my Puritan conscience about absolute tidiness and cleanliness. Is it possible that too is a material burden?"

                Shedding is a great technique in the quest for simplicity . No gadgets to go wrong. No need for vanity, just be yourself. Shedding hypocrisy leads to freedom from lies. Shed possessions  so you are not possessed by them. Shed negative people thus decreasing stress. Our tendencies are distraction and dissapation; shed them.  You will gain focus and time to be creative. Shed the distractive, expensive addiction of mindless shopping.  See   "Bored? Don't go shopping" entry from 12-6-11.

                  Shed pounds, bad habits, preoccupation with what others think you should do and be.  I'm sure your creative mind can think of things appropriate for you to shed.  I suggest reading , or rereading,   Gift from the Sea.  Very inspiring!

                                    

Order is a Gift You Give Yourself

One of the alternatives to decluttering  is you trip over the clutter, break yor leg and someone else may declutters for you ." Oh, what happened to the old cigar boxs gramps  gave me  ten years ago? "  you ask. The accidental declutterer answers " I got rid of those ugly things."
  " ....Now we are grapping with shortage of resources; while we are living with garbage and clutter of "stuff" that we have to be encouraged to declutter and simplify ." Karen Lee http://www.ecokaren.com/ .
    Our greed our misunderstood notion of well being has turn us into pack rats. Do you know the mammal (Nestoma crietidae)woodrats alias pack rats? They are nest builders but if they find something they want,they will drop the material for the nest they are carrying  and bring the shiny objects back to the nest instead. Thus they are over run  with stuff way beyond what is needed.
    We have become slaves to possesions . Eventually loving our bondage.
     Just like a smoker will say "cigarettes give me much pleasure," as they cough up brown blobs of sputum. This is true of all addictions. Defending the addiction , "shopping rewards  me for hard work," as the credit card debt mounts , the house fills up and you fill up with guilt.  The house looks over stuffed with stuff to the point you are unable to appreciate any of the things. What pleasure? What reward? You are enslaved.  Where is the peace of mind, the beauty, the health, the blessed well being?
    Declutter, break the addiction.  Set yourself free.
        How?
One way is get will power.
Two: Start loving yourself . Give yourself the gift of order !
Three: Use your creativity. Yes, you do have it .  Use it. Don't let others or advertising blind  you to your creative gifts. 
Four : Start slow , one step at a time. "Do it your own way" as Carl Jung advocates.

Simplicity Path

  Cheers

Quickest, easiest Hot Meal Without a Kitchen !

One way  I'm being simple is by using other people's excellent entries. This is from  stonesoup.com . Thanks, Jules

So what is the quickest, easiest way to get a hot meal without a kitchen?

You guessed it! It’s cooking with your kettle. Or whatever source of boiling water you have at your disposal.
When I told my Irishman I’d had this great idea about cooking with our kettle, I got a funny look.
‘You’re what?’
After reassuring him that I wasn’t going to actually put anything in the kettle except for water. And that his Barry’s tea would still taste exactly the same. He looked a little more interested. But not exactly excited.
Now, I’m happy to report that his doubts are all gone. We’ve both grown quite fond of our ‘kettle meals’.
So today I wanted to share with you a few ideas for this super quick and easy method of cooking when you don’t have access to a proper kitchen.

why cook with your kettle?

1. It’s quick.
2. It’s super easy to clean up after. Just your eating container and utensils.
3. It’s delicious.
4. It’s perfect for when you feel like a warm meal, but don’t have access to a proper kitchen.

Situations like:
- work lunches
- in hotels – when you’re sick of eating out and room service
- when you’re flying – just ask for a cup of hot water
- backpacking
- camping

don’t have a kettle?

You don’t actually need a kettle as such. It’s just about having a source of boiling water.
This could be boiling a pot on the stove. One of those continuous hot water thingys you often get in offices. Or even filling a thermos with hot water to take with you. (Wish I’d thought of that the bitter Winter I spent pruning vines in the Barossa Valley)

how does it work?

Too easy really. 3 simple steps.
1. Just pop your food in a heat proof container, preferably with a lid.
2. Cover with boiling water from the kettle or wherever. Pop the lid on (or you could just cover it with foil).
3. Wait a few minutes & your hot meal is ready!

which foods work well in ‘kettle soups’?

Basically anything that doesn’t require much heat to cook it.
I like to use a combination of the following:
1. a mix of fresh veg, chopped finely so they heat up quicker.
2. something more substantial like chickpeas, couscous, canned lentils or noodles, cooked chicken, canned tuna, salami or chorizo.
3. seasonings for the ‘soup’. Soy sauce is a fav. You could also try spices, bullion powder, stock cubes, curry powder, curry pastes, miso, ketchup, tomato paste, pesto.
In case you’re wondering, I’ve tried eggs. They didn’t get enough heat to cook them. Leave it with me though…

looking for more quick cooking ideas?

The Super Quick Cooking class at The Stonesoup Virtual Cookery School could be just the thing for you!

From 18th Feb we’ll be focusing on speedy techniques such as kettle cooking, stir frying and ‘assembling’. As well as looking at time tricks to help make you faster in the kitchen.

More details over here:
www.stonesoupvirtualcookeryschool.com/landing/all/

chickpea kettle soup
serves 2
Inspired by the noodle hot pot in Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg Everyday.

If you only need one serve, you could halve the recipe. Or make both portions since the second one will keep in the fridge for a few days.
Feel free to use this recipe as a basic guide and explore different vegetables, seasonings and legumes.

1 can chickpeas (400g / 14oz), drained
1/2 red capsicum (bell pepper), finely sliced
2 handfuls sugar snap peas, sliced
2-4 teaspoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons soy sauce

1. Boil the kettle.
2. Divide chickpeas, vegetables, coriander and soy between 2 heatproof containers, preferably with lids.
3. Fill your containers with boiling water. Top with the lids and stand for 2 minutes, or longer if you prefer your veg less crunchy.
4. Taste & adjust seasoning if necessary.

VARIATIONS
noodle soup – replace the chickpeas with dried rice noodles, fine egg noodles or mung bean (cellophane) noodles.

pasta soup – replace the chickpeas with fresh pasta

different veg – pretty much anything that you’re happy to eat a little crunchy will work – carrots, zucchini (courgettes), baby spinach, broccoli, corn, tomato.. endless possibilities.

curry soup – replace the ground coriander with curry powder.

soy-free – use some vegetable or chicken bullion powder or 1/4 stock cube instead of the soy sauce.

carnivore – add in a few handfuls of finely sliced salami or chorizo or bits of  cooked chicken .

Slow Gardening manifesto

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Raves

Whatever Felder Rushing's "Slow Gardening" is, I'm fer it!

Here's my latest for Kirkus Reviews. Click here to read Amy's review of the clicken book "Cluck".
Felder Rushing, despite his actual horticulture degree, radio show, books, and years on the speaking circuit, is also one of the few real characters in the gardening world.  He stands out from the crowd not just by his distinctive look and Mississippi accent but by ruffling feathers with statements like these:

• “You don’t have to have your soil tested.”
•  “Green side up, that’s the big deal.”
• Or on how to compost:   “1. Stop throwing that stuff away, and 2. Pile it up somewhere.  There are whole books written about composting”, the existence of which he clearly finds ridiculous.

Thus in Rushing’s new book Slow Gardening, a Non-Stress Philosophy for All  Senses and Seasons,  he recommends “forgetting the stinkin’ rules” and “being in tune with whatever rings your bell”.   And for pity’s sake, do it yourself rather than hiring someone to do it for you.  Slow gardening is the opposite of the instant make-overs we see on TV and in perfect magazine gardens (done by professionals).
 
But don’t go thinking slow gardening is the same as low-maintenance gardening, because to Rushing, topiary artists and dedicated hybridizers are practitioners of slow gardening - because they’re doing what they’re passionate about.  And guess who else he includes in the happy world of slow gardeners – “sharply focused lawn fanatics”.  Sorry, I just don’t buy that lawn perfectionists are passionate rule-breakers who engage all their senses, connect with nature, yada yada yada.  But Felder, it’s your philosophy; you get to define it.
(Pardon the lapse into first-name familiarity but now’s a good time to confess that as two Southern garden writers still holding onto their hippie ways, we’ve become pals.)
But I’ll forgive Felder’s curious inclusion of what I call Torojockeys in the slow club because he’s a big proponent of less lawn and the use of hand tools, and he even declares that “the perfect lawn has become a symbol of ridiculous excess.” And I’m happy to report that his lawn care advice is environmentally sound.  (Actually, his advice about everything is environmentally sound – just not necessarily politically correct.)
Don’t go thinking slow gardening is all organic, either, because true to his laid-back nature and his horticultural degree, Felder’s no purist on any topic.  (He’s often heard recommending the controversial herbicide Roundup.)
Wish we were all slow gardeners
But for the most part, it would be hard for anyone to get their knickers in a bunch (as he’d put it) over Felder’s sensible approach, exemplified in his advice on dealing with pests:  Though some pesticides are safe,  why not just tolerate the pest or, if you can’t, grow something else?  “Try looking at the plant from 10 feet away.  Take off your glasses, stop obsessing, and a lot of garden headaches disappear.”  Works for me!
I’ve decided to adopt Felder’s laid-back attitude toward the few details in his book that I take issue with - the practices I advise against and the inclusion of some questionable types in his Big Ole Tent.  Hey, maybe those Torojockeys will read this book and stop being such resource-wasting tightasses!
In fact, I wish everyone would read this book and adopt a more Felderian attitude.  They’d enjoy their gardens

Step 6: Spend More Time With The People You Love | Kanelstrand

Step 6: Spend More Time With The People You Love Kanelstrand