2018 Theme: Replenish

It's been a while since I've posted here, but I'm back (I think). Life has a way of forcing you to prioritize all of your obligations, interests, and challenges, and my life is no exception. Activites (even tedious ones), work, and classwork were taking up most of my waking hours and blogging took a backseat in my priorities. 

At the same time I was evaluating things, life took a turn that I'm sure many of you can identify with in your own lives. I was suddenly thrust into a situation of the brief, but terminal illness and death of my mother. Then, two months later lost one of my closest friends to cancer. Losing both of them like that was difficult, to say the least. I needed to slow down, allow myself a lack of focus and let my grief do whatever it was going to do. Plus....it was a long cold winter here in New Jersey and nothing was growing and I wasn't doing a whole lot of cooking worth writing about. Life made the decision for me to take a break.

Larkspur (pictured above) is the flower of the birth month of July. My mother, my friend, Sharon and I all were born in July. Photo courtesy of Johnny Seeds.

I read a blog post recently that suggested if setting goals for the year is difficult, to at least set a theme. I really like this idea. A theme is supposed to act like a beacon to guide you and your activities rather than pressure you with specific achievements and accomplishments. My recent life experiences left me feeling completely "tapped out" and "depleted." So, when I thought about what my theme would be for what remains of this year, "Replenish" came to mind. My focus should be on the people and activities that give me enjoyment, challenge me, and help me learn and grow...basically the things that "fill me up" and "replenish." Yes, I still have all of the obligations of work/life to contend with (who doesn't?), but this is a start.

So here I am, mid-year setting my "theme." My 2018 (what's left of it) is going to be a year of replenishing the empty spaces. Along with other parts of my life that fulfill me, I'm going to restore my focus and participate in the enjoyment of gardening, cook with my (hopefully) amazing garden goods, and learn a whole heck of a lot along the way. I've already gotten started by diving back into the garden and trying new and different plants and approaches. I'm just going to see where that takes me and I hope whatever I share with you from that lends itself to whatever your "theme" may be.

In the meantime, learn how easy it is to grow microgreens & use them as a garnish in dishes like Pea & Herb Risotto with Microgreen Garnish.