Performances and family time with yogurt.

Happy New Year to you all!!! Shhhhhhh.... I know I'm a couple of months late with that but greetings to you and best wishes for your happiness and your health anyway. If you have missed me on blogger I assure you that I have been online enjoying the world of facebook, twitter, tumblr and what not. I haven't made the time to update you all Since October [*gasping*] 

WOW, I have not updated this blog since October?

Well, my whereabouts include lots of bed rest, school visits, shoveling, shoveling, classes on coding, and that other past time of most of the country this year shoveling. When I wasn't WD40'ing the edge of my snow removing device, salting, and traction gritting everything down; I have spent many a day thinking about Gardenfuss 2014 and what plants to grow, what gardens to visit, what new restaurants to try, what classes to teach this year, fun activities for families, and all that good stuff. 

Tomato-gate took a lot out of me last year and I sorely needed a break from thinking, moving, and feeling. Tomato-gate happened when my lovely garden assistant and daughter put in; I don't know 18 plants close together in an area I needed to do the matrix moves to harvest. Not to mention every other vegetable and fruit in the garden ripened at the same time which made my harvest prolonged and fatigue filled.

My mind and body were beat down first by the unprecedented heat, then a much too cool fall, and a winter that I swear has been around 6 months already. My rheumatologist had been very wary about my condition and we tried an aggressive approach again with infusions and what not to get things calmed back down. I am now in a place where I can think clearly about a few things and I'm not in daily pain. It helps that it is almost spring. I have been up and about finding or at least trying to create a more steady pulse and pace for my life. This includes an opportunity to share a different side of myself with my greater community. 

I will be participating in an upcoming Soul Food Monologues and doing what I can to assist in organizing for the Digging Deeper Spring Resource Event. Both of which are part of the Urban Agriculture Summit sponsored by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. I can tell you that I am both honored and inspired to be participating in this event. The vision for the future of urban food in our city is a broad and attainable one. At least I believe it's attainable, as do the hundreds of folks who are sure to come out to support and promote the work already being done here in the Twin Cities as well as providing ideas for the work that needs doing in the future. Our Keynote Speaker for the Diggin Deeper Conference is Dr. Monica M. White. Dr. White is an assistant professor of Environmental Justice at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is the President of the Board of Directors of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network So if you are interested in growing food in our city and/or learning more about urban agriculture and justice in our food systems please visit the Arboretum's website to register for Digging Deeper. Go to http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/2014UrbanAgSummit.aspx

Honestly, You DO NOT want to miss this! 

Getting to the yogurt and family time!

Today was a lazy blah kind of day and I thought what do my people really need to see from me since it has been at least 5 months? Now, before the tale of woe (not really woe just tmi so I may be woe'ing later) I woke up at a reasonably early time and realized I had left the 1/2 gallon of milk out all night for the yogurt that I should have made the night before. Honestly if you are making yogurt your milk needs to be room temperature anyway so this didn't bother me but it did concern a couple busy bodies who could/should have helped mom by making it themselves. But alas the process which I will go into later takes less that 15 minutes if you have decent mise en place skills. So cook, cool, culture, pour, and wait is what I did before jumping back into bed. Just 5 simple steps and this evening we have the bestest all-natural homemade yogurt.

Now onto the family time and my interrupted beauty rest!

Where am I? In my bed enjoying a much needed nap. All I can recall is boy, his beagle, and his big sister all vying for some time with mom. All I wanted to do was lay down for a much needed nap since the aforementioned shoveling and the next thing I know there is a beagle all up in my face. I yell at the nearest kid skulking around my bedroom door to "Let the dog out!" to which they reply in unison "He just came in!" then "He wants you to get up." Well, I get up at this point and I am fussy (shameless plug), I proceed to the bathroom where I'm hoping to take care of business undisturbed. My plan doesn't work because the beagle busts in [NOTE: I have got to get better at locking the door] and there are the other two right behind him wrestling with a hair tie and laughing about how they were successful at getting me up. *sighs* 

Got to love them babes.... Biggest to smallest they really are a joy even if I can't tinkle in peace!

Happy Garden Planning 

Tina