Black Walnut

Buddy and I collected a few green fruits and brought them home to study. Some we left out to dry and that created the dried nut look that I posted. That is the outer shell and it needs to come off to reach the actual walnut. There are two methods to getting to the nut. Both are a difficult process.
A green one we decided cut. With a very sharp knife I cut the green away to see the inside. It was very messy and left a trail of black juice under my nails. A good vegetable dye.! Black. We let the nut we found inside dry. It changed in colour and texture. And after drying out it begins to resemble a black walnut. Since we did not scrub it hard, some black streaks are visible on it's rough shell.

The walnuts we buy at the store look smooth and lighter. They have gone through a bleaching and polishing process.  Buddy and I have a greater appreciation for the harvesting of this nut and getting it to market. What remains a mystery to us is how the squirrels deal with this nut? Do they use the first or second method?                                                                          

Drying Nut

When the green nut is given a chance to dry it starts to take on this appearance. The shell is still a bit soft but in time dehydration will allow it to harden. Then it will be preserved and keep until it is used as a nut to be consumed. It's colour will lighten. Do you like this kind of nut Kleinste Motte?

What a Nut!

See the little leaves at the top of this fruit? Looks like a new plant trying to take hold. We found this beauty in the grass under a lovely tree by the pond. When you hold it up to your nose you'll experience a lime-like fragrance. But there is so much more to knowing what this is. Tomorrow I'll tell you a bit more. Hurry back Kleinste Motte.

How Nutty? Ugh!

Since hazelnuts are a favourite of mine I naturally gravitate to chocolate bars that include them. I figure that's a natural outcome, though I will gladly eat the peanut kind or the almond if they are the only alternate. But there's a limit to what I'm willing to I will eat coated in chocolate.
Imagine how I felt when I bought a Ritter Sport bar with hazelnuts. My anticipation was so high that I immediately ripped the packaging open, broke off a piece and savoured it. Sort of??
But something wasn't quite right. The usual tender, juicy nut coated with yummy chocolate felt dry and brittle on my tongue. Yet there was no hint of a stale or unpleasant flavour. Weird. I chewed on a bit but something bothered me. Curious to find a reason, I decided to look at the chocolate bar remaining inside the wrapper. I needed to determine the cause of my disappointment. Here's what I saw.

Clearly visible was a creature that had nibble on this bar and left it's trail of chocolate covered feces and itself. I guess the chocolate did it in? And what kind of bug was it? What nationality? Clearly it had hitched a free ride but it's outcome wasn't a "flavourable" one. Ha ha ha...
I have a low tolerance for any kind of bug protein especially once I have discovered it visually! I could not eat chocolate covered bugs knowingly. It's a brain thing. UGH!!!
The decision to abandon eating this bar was a no brainer!
Though I'm sure that we eat all sorts of invisible little parasites, some even good for us, I prefer not to clearly see them Kleinste Motte.

P.S I'm sending the bar and wrapper back to Ritter Sport so they can send me a fresh one, I hope.

Nuts

When I read a recent post about recycling containers I was amused to learn that a  container for some peanuts came from a tennis ball purchase. It had me wondering what I'd done to recycle. As I glanced over to the kitchen table, next to the violet, I saw this (see photo). Quickly I got out the camera and took this shot. Why? What are the odds? NUTS  and they are also in a  recycled container, a used gift box!
We like to eat nuts as a snack but if they're tucked away in a cupboard they seem to be overlooked. Leaving them out makes them very handy. This little round box is just perfect. It holds the nutcracker too. My favourite nut is the hazelnut Kleinste Motte.

Sight

Yesterday I mentioned that I eat lots of blueberries for their lutein. May I encourage you to protect your vision as best as you can? Your retina is extremely important. Imagine having to live without it? Blind? 
Having been totally blind in my left eye for three days in December 1992,  I can tell you first hand that losing ones' sight is very scary. Thanks to  an innovative retinal surgeon my curled up and detached retina was "lasered" back onto my eyeball on December 23rd. It took three weeks before I saw any  light and three more before I could vaguely see my surgeon's two fingers shaped in a V. He was ecstatic and told why. He had experimented. Normally the severely curled retina would be written off as not repairable but he decided to try something never done before. There was nothing to loose and so much to gain . He reattached some bits and pieces of what he could uncurl and removed my vitreous (seems we can see without those). My good outcome meant he could use this procedure with a positive outcome. What a great gift!  After a few months I began to regain  more sight and a high myopia  (-24)  external lens correction got me to the second row of letters on the chart. But at least I had some sight.  In May 2000 a cataract surgeon took a chance and implanted an artificial lens while removing  a cataract. That's when the eye got high definition  20/20 vision for some time. It changed in May 2010. Now my retinal and the cataract health need lots of  extra lutein Kleinste Motte.

Berries to Trust

Today I wondered where the blueberries I was eating came from. They have been on produce shelves all year. Since it's summer I thought I would try to buy locally grown. The package said product of Canada, packaged by Lally Farms Inc. It's in Abbostsford B.C. The distributor is SunntRidge Farm, Florida, USA. So why am I pondering about this? My question is one of curiosity. I know that nations, even localities have their own agricultural laws, What laws apply to produce crossing various borders and companies along the way? There is an organization known as Global G.A.P. <http://www.globalgap.org/cms/> that growers are to voluntarily allow for audits of their growth methods. In theory that seems good but when maximum profit is added into the equation I wonder. What we can't see we are asked to trust. Lally Farms recently received an award from B.C. hydro for applying hydro's method of maximum energy savings in the farm's cooling areas. Is Lally Farm applying the cost saving to create safer berries? My eyes are counting on it. Blueberries help in the slowing of macular degeneration. Lutein is the reason Kleinste Motte. 

Ipod Touch 'n Granny

Yesterday I reset the ipod touch my daughter donated to me. She switched to a blackberry phone, transferred her data and she no longer needed it. I thought I would not find any use for it but was curious to see what it can do.  I spent almost an entire day trying to figure it out and loading some of my data onto it. The first big hurdle was that both my mac and the ipod needed updates. That took time. Then I had to configure the wifi so it would respond to my itunes account. I was able to place my gmail as my choice for my email account. Finally I did a sync with the itunes I had purchased. Then I had to figure out how to play my tunes. With the headset on over my ears  listening to Yanni, I wondered if I could read my blog on this ipod. I set the browser to google and typed in the title, ChezKleinsteMotte. The first picture shows my result. Then I wondered how, with my limited vision, the type would be. Too tiny for me to read but I soon discovered the setting was adjustable.
Who knew that a granny type like me could derive so much satisfaction from figuring out these things? After all it's all about today's geek world. And of course the photos you see were taken with my Rebel Kleinste Motte.

HEART or B12

Until one experiences a change, one is not likely to fully understand it. Having taught little ones, raised and guided older ones and having studied Buddy with the greatest intensity, I believe we must each pass through similar processes to truly get an understanding that reaches deep into our core. I've heard my heart beating for years but wonder why it is only now that I admire it's rhythm. I've struggled with a very irregular beat  lately and the doctor just could not find a typical cause. Pills didn't give much relief. Maybe I didn't have a strong enough faith in them? The irony lies in the fact that my daughter decided to try some B12 supplements because she had trouble sleeping. She encouraged me to try them. I did. After a week of feeling very tired I now feel much better and so does my heart. Who would have thought such a little thing could impact so greatly? How did the doctor miss this little connection? A simple blood test for B12 is available. Seems I just didn't fall into the category of one who might be in the low range. Experience is a valuable tool but it needs to be applied at the right moment and fine tuning it is very tricky. Life's like that.

Ahh... experience! One year of blogging has led to some amazing new understanding of the my need for developing the skill to share ideas at a completely different level and with a totally different audience than I could have imagined. It can send me into fits of laughter and tears of woe at speeds that instil awe in me. I an able to feel child like happiness and the deepest woe all wrapped up in the words and pictures posted by friends who are miles away yet seem almost across from my front door. Neighbours. Friendly ones!!

What is it that grabs me so? Almost daily I want to read posts. Why? My experience suggests it may be my way of being an elder. It is the elders that spend their days sharing their experiences. It has been that way for centuries so it must be part of the process of moving on. I wonder if B12 could give Charlie a bit of extra time? His breathing is too laboured. And as I type this Leonard Cohen's "Halleluia" plays in the background and my eyes moisten as I recall the cartoon Charlie posted. And I get goose bumps and shivers. Oh Martha! Wendy too! Her David recently moved on and she is very saddened. 

Brenda is my first follower and mentor who encourages me and now there are many others. One year has taken me down a path that has brought much to my spirit. I an humbled by the path that you all journey on and are willing to share. What could be more fulfilling than that trying to grasp those experiences and reaching into ones own core? As Kleinste Motte I thank you all for the privilege.

Monday Rain

It's pouring at the moment.
Tomorrow will mark my first year of blogging and it rained that day! While I love the refreshed air after a rainfall, I recognize that this year the rain has created some extreme disasters globally. It is very sad to see water wash away the homes and loved ones. And there are the ugly mud slides and avalanches. It must be horrific. It makes me feel so sad and helpless as I sit here typing away.  I'm not in danger at this time but isn't that the way we think about our daily life? Tomorrow will follow as usual. But nay it may not. Each moment alive is a gift. Every breath is a gift. Water is gift. The raindrops pitter on the windowpane as I reach for a cold glass of water and give thanks. I pray for those who are faced with suffering. I pray that they feel there's hope. I hope Kleinste Motte.

Algonquins Return

Our piece of art is home. How grateful we are to have some of our treasures back with us. We're impressed with the fire restoration services. A good number of the things that meant a lot to us came back in amazing condition. Best of all, there was no trace of the smell of smoke. The science of cleaning and restoring is so advanced. 
Once everything was delivered over a period of two days, we arranged the things to make our current place feel more like our home. Rooms that had remained bare are now furnished. The echos of emptiness have vanished and coziness is back Kleinste Motte.