Kick the Butt

As some of you already know my Mom has been diagnosed with, at the least, serious lung disease and at the worst, lung cancer. Since she became ill everyone has asked me the same question: "What can I do to help?" and to most of you I give the same answer, "Pray, send healing thoughts/energy, whatever you believe. Thank you."

Yet some of you have gotten a different response, one which I'm sure makes you uncomfortable and if so I'm sorry...but to the smokers in my life, the people I love who are struggling with nicotine addiction I say this:

QUIT. Now. Please. This is what you can do for me, for your family, for your friends, but most especially, for your CHILDREN. Please, please don't make your children go through what I'm experiencing now. Don't let them sit with you in waiting rooms and doctors offices, waiting for a prognosis, praying that it will be good news.  Don't allow your children to see you lose 20 pounds in two months, coughing to the point of breathlesness.  Please, when your children beg you to quit, as they inevitably will, as I did from the time I was old enough to realize that it was bad for you, hug them, assure them that you'll quit, and let them see you DO IT.  Do everything you can to ensure that you are there to see your grandchildren born, graduate college, marry, and perhaps even have children of their own.  My daughter is getting married three weeks from today and I honestly don't know if my Mom will be at the wedding, if she will need surgery or treatment before then, if she'll be feeling too weak to attend what will be an incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience. I hate cigarettes for that, I despise them for possibly robbing me of time with my Mother, I am infuriated with nicotine for what it has done to our family, and yeah, I'm a little bit angry with her for not quitting, for not caring enough about herself, or at the very least not caring enough about ME. 

And for those of you who are undoubtedly thinking, "oh, Michele, you have no idea how hard it is, you've never done it!" I say, you're right. I don't know. I have never smoked. I can only imagine how difficult it must be. I have my own vices, I'm not perfect by any means, but by the grace of God/dess I have never become addicted to nicotine.  But you know what? As hard as it may be to quit, nothing, absolutely nothing can be as difficult as looking at your loved ones faces as they experience the pain, the shock, the horror, the overwhelming grief at the thought, at the possibility of losing YOU to an illness that could have been prevented.

I don't know what the future holds for my Mother, for our family, but if I have any regrets it is that I didn't DRAG her to the doctor, kicking and screaming, years ago when I noticed her coughing more. She assured us that she was getting regular check-ups and all was well, but clearly this was not the truth. I should have pushed, I should have insisted.  As angry as she used to get at me for nagging her, hiding her ciggies, as upset as she used to be...it would have been worth it if it had prevented this moment right now.

Tomorrow, May 31st is World No Tobacco Day. Please take this opportunity to kick the butt on smoking.  I promise that I myself will help you any way I can, but don't do it for me; if you can't do it simply for yourself, please, please do it for your children. 

A Lovely Day for a Picnic

We are going to my Dad's company picnic today, an annual event which we've been attending for years. It's always a great time with live music, good food and free beer, what more could you ask for? Oh, and the fact that it's a gorgeous South Florida day..perfect!

Afterwards we're going to see a cute little singer/fiddle player we discovered a few months ago, Amber Leigh. She's, in Beren's words, "cute as a bug" and talented as hell! Kevin and Kali are going to join us, sure to be a good time.

Since we'll be out all day and then going out to see my friend's band tonight, I'm going to put some soup in the crockpot so that everyone can eat as their own schedule allows.

I'm tweaking this recipe, using what I have in the kitchen, will be serving it with leftover bread & salad from Beltane. I cooked the pasta separate and left it in the fridge, diners will add their own scoop or leave it out as I plan to do.

Corrigan's Minestrone

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour
Yields: 12 servings

"Hearty and filling vegetarian soup with potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, beans and pasta."

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil
5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans,drained and rinsed
1 (14 ounce) can vegetable broth
1 1/2 quarts water
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and garlic into pot. Mix in tomato paste, beans, broth and water. Season with basil, oregano and salt. Cook and stir 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

2. Mix macaroni into pot. Continue cooking 10 minutes, or until macaroni is tender.

Blessed Beltane

Today was Beltane, a Sabbat that I often neglect to celebrate. This year, however, I was feeling a bit gloomy and decided that some cooking/crafting/entertaining would cheer me, and what better reason than Beltane?

So this morning I planned a last minute feast and plan for making our own miniature May Pole, zipped around to the grocery store and craft store after work gathering the necessary ingredients. I formed the "fertility bread" which was a ton of fun...evil grin....tossed the salad and enjoyed a glass of wine while waiting for the guests to arrive. Bambi gathered the ribbons and flowers for the maypole, set up a crafty area; Kali mixed the dressing and decorated the maypole; Kevin did the assembly and provided a lovely bottle of chilled champagne. Along with my children and their respective boyfriends, we were also joined by several of Kali & Kevin's friends which was the perfect amount of maypole dancers!

Later in the evening we headed out to the herb garden where Kevin provided us all with seeds to plant - beets for the girls, cucumbers for the boys. (yes, Beltane is all about symbolism!) We toasted our efforts, honored the earth and invited the fairies to come frolic in our garden.

The guests headed home, I am off to bed happy and content having honored a special Sabbat in a very meaningful way.

Bright Beltane Blessings to all!

On My Hearth:

Early Summer Salad

Let's face it, May isn't exactly the time when your garden is in full bloom. In fact, your principal crop right now may be mud. But never fear -- there are a ton of early summer greens and fruits you can combine into a salad, making this the perfect beginning to your Beltane feast! Make sure, though, when shopping, that you use the freshest ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 C leafy greens, such as baby spinach or arugula
* 2 C dandelion leaves, washed and drained
* 1 tomato, diced
* 1/2 C diced cucumber (remove seeds)
* 4 green onions, chopped
* A few leaves of basil, chopped
* 1/2 C nuts, chopped
* 1 C. fresh raspberries or strawberries
* 2 hardboiled eggs, sliced
* _
* Dressing:
* 1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
* 1/4 C strawberry vinegar
* 2 tsp Dijon mustard
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 Tbsp honey
* A pinch of salt and pepper

PREPARATION:

Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl. Whisk dressing ingredients together, and serve over salad. This is a perfect meal to eat out on the patio, with some soft buttered bread and a glass of wine.

Fertility Bread

Breads seem to be one of the staple foods of Pagan and Wiccan rituals. If you can tie your break baking into the theme of the Sabbat, even better. In this recipe, I've taken an uncooked loaf of bread (available in the refrigerated section of your grocery) and turned it into a phallus.

To make your fertility bread, you'll need the following:

* 1 loaf refrigerated bread dough
* Melted butter

The phallus bread, naturally, represents the male. He is the horned god, the lord of the forest, the Oak King, Pan. To make the phallus, use one of your refrigerated tubes of dough. Cut the dough into three pieces as shown by the lines in Figure 1. The longest piece is, of course, the shaft of the phallus. Use the two small pieces to form the testes, and place them at the bottom of the shaft (see Figure 2). Use your imagination to shape the shaft into a penis-like shape.

Once you’ve shaped your bread, allow it to rise in a warm place for an hour or two. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until golden brown. When it comes out of the oven, brush with a glaze of melted butter. Use in ritual or for other parts of your Beltane celebrations.