David's Graduation - Wofford Class of 2011

Last weekend David IV graduated from Wofford College. It was an amazing weekend full of festivities and memories and tears and laughter. It was a weekend of looking back and looking forward.

The campus was beautiful with the magnolias blooming and the sun shining and the bells tolling. The baccalaureate and the commencement services were held outside on the lawn in front of Old Main - the icon of Wofford College.

A Wofford tradition is for members of the graduating class 50 years prior to serve as escorts for the current class. So, members of the Wofford Class of 1961 were in attendance to support and encourage the Class of 2011. This is a neat tradition because while graduation is the ending of one phase of life it is the beginning of another and the presence of those who have gone before is like an anchor in a sea of change.

At the baccalaureate, Chaplain Ron Robinson spoke to the Classes of 1961 and 2011. He mentioned many of the trials and tribulations and events that the Class of 1961 experienced. The Civil Rights Act had not yet been passed but the Freedom Riders were riding, there were no women at Wofford, John Kennedy was dealing with Cuba, the Berlin Wall was just being built, the Soviets were already in space and Elvis and Chubby Checker were rock stars.

The chaplain went on to mention the Class of 2011 experience. Like Space Shuttles and social networking and 9/11 and the Blackeyed Peas.

He told the Class of 2011 that the future is in their hands, but that we were not just going to dump all the world's problems on them. The presence of the Class of 61 was to reinforce the message of continuity - of classes and generations working together and supporting each other. He told the Class of 2011 that while this is a major milestone in their lives, they will not be alone.

And then to reinforce that message, the Wofford Goldtones sang a beautiful and harmonius rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Pie Jesu. It was sung in Latin but the feeling of that song is so moving and restful. "O Sweet Jesus, O Sweet Jesus grant them peace".

After baccaluareate Susan and George had organized a dinner for the four roommates and families and then everyone headed off to the Senior Class Party. The band was versatile and high energy and so was the big crowd. One minute David and I were dancing to Carolina Beach music and the next minute I was surrounded by both of my sons and several of their friends doing the cupid shuffle. No doubt a good time was had by all.

Sunday Morning Commencement began at 9:30 am. I had been anticipating who the commencement speaker might be and hoping it wouldn't be someone with a long boring speech. I was not disappointed. Wofford President Benjamin B. Dunlap eloquently welcomed the graduates and their families and then introduced Henry St. Clair Fredericks. Otherwise known as Taj Mahal - world renown roots and blues musician and someone I had listened to since my own college days. Needless to say I was blown away.

Taj began his commencement address by speaking directly to the graduates. He said that they all will have many kinds of opportunities in life and will have to make many decisions on paths to choose. Taj said, "before you act the main thing is to hold each opportunity up to the yardstick of humanity and see if they measure up". If a particular opportunity doesn't measure up to the yardstick of humanity then you might want to pass but if it does measure up then give it all you've got.

And then he walked off stage. It was a very short speech. But he came back on stage with his guitar and sang the rest of his message. He sang about Sweet Jesus and about Fishin'. Mama going fishin', daddy going fishin', baby going fishin' too. What he was really singing about was relationships. And how building relationships - with family, with faith, with all of humanity - is the most important opportunity of all.

And seeing the relationships that have been built are what I loved most about experiencing the Wofford graduation weekend. David has developed so many close, close friends during his four years at Wofford. This was evident all along, but even more so in the exchange of handshakes, smiles, hugs, tears and love that we witnessed between David and his classmates. And Wofford faculty and staff. Even with a security guard who remembered David giving her some cream cheese and olives during freshman year. He called it "networking Grandpa style".

And David IV hasn't been selfish with these relationships. He has given David III, Jay, and me the opportunity to make good friends too.

After commencement, Susan arranged for the tailgate crowd to have lunch together and then Bob poetically summed up the tailgate crowd's time together. Then Susan and Bob presented each family with a cd of tailgate music reminding us that maybe we hadn't heard ALL of the songs yet. They had a picture of the senior football players on the CD. David was unfortunately in the hospital on the day the senior picture had been taken and I loved that Susan and Bob had thoughtfully photoshopped him into the pic.

We are so proud of David and of the Class of 2011. And we are very thankful that he shared so much of his experience with us. We can each look forward with the peace and confidence that whatever the future holds we are not alone.

"We have shared four years together, years we will never forget, and we hope this short journey has made us all a little better. We wish you Godspeed and we wish you good luck. But most of all we wish you peace." Joe Paterno, 1973 Commencement Speech

Mid May - Raspberry Black Bean Dip

It's mid May and the last two weeks have been a fast paced blend of spring projects, spring cleaning, tennis, many gatherings of all kinds and an eye toward the coming weekend Wofford College graduation.

Spring cleaning included working in the yard and in the house and all kinds of places. As Cindy pointed out, we can play tennis all day long, but housework can really wear a body out! Spring cleaning is a ritual that I don't really look forward to, but I do enjoy trying to bring order out of chaos. As long as it lasts.

My friend Jody who is talented with fabric, needle and thread helped with a small project that became a really big project. Since I didn't get Mama's sewing gene it was wonderful to have Jody to help and I am grateful for her talent and her friendship.

Many others have been involved with all kinds of projects and events over the last several weeks. Our heads have kind of been spinning keeping it all on track. But no matter which direction we are going, it is always inspiring to find those people with special talents who can help move a project along. And who are truly using their God given gifts each and every day.

And speaking of God given gifts. Mother's Day was a special time for us. Both boys got up early to get home for Sunday brunch. The fact that they made the effort to drive home early on a Sunday morning warmed my heart because college boys love their sleeping time on a weekend! We were also glad that Lynn was in town. We fixed Sally Teddy's breakfast casserole and homemade biscuits. Of course Daddy brought some country ham. We felt more than blessed to have both our boys and both our mothers around the dining room table on Mother's Day.

I had another opportunity to honor Mama by attending a prayer breakfast at the Ruby Hunt YMCA. It was a good event and I enjoyed the fellowship. Hearing Renata Wingo's beautiful voice singing praise for both blessings and comfort during tough times was a sermon in itself.

We have had several opportunities to host or attend events involving young people in the last few weeks.

If anyone has any doubt about the calibre of young people, please don't worry. We had a wood fired pizza party for some high school seniors the other day. They jumped into the fun of creating their own pizzas and then chilled for a breather from their crazy busy schedules. We don't have our own high schoolers this year, but it was fun for us to see their positive energy and enthusiasm as they reach a huge milestone in their lives.

Then we attended Wofford College's Bosscars. Bosscars sounds like Oscars and it is Wofford's way of honoring athletes from all sports. It began with an upscale reception with all senior athletes who were presented with their letter and framed jersey. Then the Bosscars began with a Wofford Alumni as emcee and athletes from all sports presenting awards for Play of the Year, Comeback team of the year, etc. In between the awards each team had produced a video for entertainment. These videos were funny sketches about coaches and players and several about the new trainer who apparently pushes all the athletes pretty hard in the weight room. There were a lot of inside jokes and, after watching energy bars flying through the air, we picked up on the fact that the trainer also pushes energy bars.

We cracked up when one of the videos was a jeopardy parody which included a reference to David and his enthusiasm for home cooking. All in all the Bosscars event was yet another example of how creative and thoughtful and fun these bright college kids are.

Later on some of these same Wofford folk spent some down time at the Lake before their final exams. They had a little plumbing lesson along the way and, I have to say, it is a stroke of luck to have strong college boys with shovels when plumbing issues come up.

We took a quick picture on the dock of the group and realized just how much we have grown to love these kids. And how promising the future can be with young people like this on the horizon.

Raspberry Black Bean Dip

My friend Gretchen gave me this recipe a few years ago and it is a surprising blend of sweet, hot and salty. I have made it several times recently. It is quick, easy and somewhat healthy.

In a pie pan or 8 and 8 pyrex dish layer the following:

chopped red onion
1 can of black beans, drained well
1 8 ounce block of cream cheese (I just pull it off in little chunks and drop around)
I jar of raspberry salsa**
**Recently I couldn't find raspberry salsa but it works great to mix raspberry preserves and any kind of salsa together. Black bean and corn is especially good.
Mix about half preserves and half salsa then spread over the cream cheese layer.
Grated cheese on top - I use monterey jack with jalapeno and sharp cheddar

Bake at 350 degrees until everything is hot and bubbly and cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips.

In the Garden of Good and Evil

Having visited Savannah last weekend, I was fascinated by the history, the garden squares and by the story of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". Reading the book has been on my list but is one of the things I have put off for too long.

In literature and religion and music and movies and, for sure in real life, the struggle between good and evil is always the major theme. The struggle can be each person's individual struggle or the human struggle as a whole. Sometimes the individual and the human dilemnas collide to make an even bigger struggle.

As I have watched news of Osama bin Laden's demise the truth of the struggle between good and evil couldn't have been more apparent. Or the truth of how difficult the choices can be. I am proud of the leaders that we know, and the individuals that we will probably never know, who did struggle with good and evil and then made a difficult choice.

I cannot imagine the turmoil that must have existed in the minds of our leaders and, in the minds of the brave souls who carried out the dangerous mission. I am grateful and proud of the way it appears they carefully strategized and executed the plan in order to achieve their goal but avoid the deaths of civilians in Pakistan.

No doubt the struggle in everyday people's lives and in the human condition will continue all over the world.

There have been many times throughout history when people like bin Laden have risen to lead and there is no reason to believe there won't be more.

But there are many other leaders who I hope will get more attention than bin Laden. We don't need to give the bin Ladens in our garden more attention than the leaders who lead, not with fear and hate and blame, but with love and understanding. And who lead with a willingness to work together for a better world.

Bin Laden blamed Americans, Hitler blamed Jews, and, like Sly and the Family Stone sang "and so on and so on and scooby dooby dooby."

We are everyday people. All over the world. Like the young folk's movement that's being called Arab Spring who are working for a peaceful transition to a modern Middle East.

As Dad always says "the world would be a better place if more people focused on the power of Love than on the love of power."

In Savannah, we noticed a large sign with a quote from John F. Kennedy. The sign was asking for people to get involved in Savannah's future using Kennedy's words, "Our task is not to fix the blame, but to fix the course of the future."

We do what we have to do with the weeds in our garden but our main task is to cultivate all that is good.

Like Sly sings, "We've got to live together."

King Party of Four - Green Jacket House Salad

My Dad says that all friends are wonderful but old friends are really special. Maybe it's because old friends have been through a lot of times together - happy, sad, tough, easy, births, deaths, fearful, courageous, solemn, funny. Old friends survive and thrive through all kinds of times.

We had a chance to spend a fun weekend with old friends and we couldn't have had a better time. The stated purpose was to gather for a golf event - something we had not done for many years. The outcome was a weekend of long talks, shared stories, new friends, old friends, and of course some amazing meals.

While some played golf others donned a Burger King Crown to watch the Royal Wedding. I loved the Royal Wedding. Through all of the British tradition and ceremony and history, the wedding was so sweet, loving and real that I was honestly inspired with hope for the future.

Watching the wedding, I was flooded with a million different images. Some images were hilarious. At one point I couldn't help but laugh out loud remembering the funny scene in "The Princess Bride" when the Bishop says, "MAWWWRIDGE. Mawwridge is what bwings us Togevver Today".

Years ago in Lattimore, we had a 78 rpm with someone reciting the Cinderella Story backwards. It is hilarious and gave us all kinds of phrases that our family still uses today. Always with huge laughs. Nine times out of ten if I call Penny and ask what's she's been up to, she responds with "Flopping the moors." In backward Rendercilla story, this means mopping the floors. Mama often mentions "the pransome hince". As a warning someone might be reminded not to "slop your dripper". You get the idea. While watching the Royal Wedding I think I saw the "mean old mepstother" AND the "Two Sisty Uglers".

The Archibishop of Canterbury, whose position goes back so many centuries reminded me of hearing Mrs. Hamrick at Shelby High school reciting the Canterbury Tales in Old English. Chaucer is actually buried at the church. The same church where we watched the two young princes at the funeral of their mother.

That may be one reason the wedding was so sweet. The two little boys who broke our hearts walking in the funeral procession for Diana were now two mature young men who have survived without bitterness and are carrying the torch.

I loved that the wedding in all the regalia somehow focused on the couple and on 'generous love'. In all of the wedding hoopla Will and Kate, and the new creation of their own lives together, was not lost.

Friday night after the wedding, we had our own King's Celebration. That is a dinner party at the King's great house in the low country. Lynn and Kevin served a Low Country Boil of shrimp, red potatoes, corn, and sausage. David cooked ribs and I brought pound cake with fresh strawberries and made a cake of cornbread. The cornbread was a funny story in itself because I panicked when I realized I had not brought the cornbread pan. Lynn assured me that she had one, but I wasn't sure since it wasn't my old seasoned cornbread pan nor was it the same size. Much to my surprise the cornbread worked anyway, but it was touch and go there for a minute.

In honor of golf, Lynn made Green Jacket House Salad and shared the recipe with me. The salad is from the Green Jacket restaurant that used to be in Augusta, Georgia. The restaurant no longer exists but the recipe lives on.

Saturday Lynn and I toured Savannah, Georgia while David and Kevin played golf. Savannah is a really interesting town that I had always wanted to see. It's full of history that I hope to blog later on. One thing I couldn't resist was a store where they sold Gold Mine candy, Chiclets and Teaberry Chewing Gum. Lynn and I were probably in Junior High school when these things were popular and giggled because I actually remembered the steps to the Teaberry Shuffle.

Then we all got together again to hear the golfers tell their own versions of the day. And stories of previous days. We laughed a lot but especially when JP recited with great drama how golf reveals the truth of being an extension of one's mentor.

Sunday morning we got up for an early boat trip to breakfast and sightseeing of the area. Along the way, we spotted the unusual black squirrels, saw a few dolphins, a jellyfish, a lot of pelicans and a blue heron that seemed particularly friendly.

We laughed about more old stories like when David nearly broke his leg skiing off the dock at Lake Lure and when Kevin tipped his hat while playing in the Heritage. And memories from a friendship that started in 5th grade when two little girls surfaced at the same time in a swimming pool, face to face, inches apart, giggled and said, "Hi!"

With old friends sometimes it just takes a word or phrase to conjour up a memory. And a laugh. And a plan for the next King Party of Four.

Green Jacket House Salad

Salad:
Romaine Lettuce (1 bag per 3-4 salads)
2 diced tomatoes (med size ripe)
1 bunch green onions diced
1 bag regular sized pita bread
*place all slices (6) pita in oven diretly on oven racks and heat at 350 for 10 minutes on each side. Turn oven off and allow to cook with pita remaining in oven til cooled. Place in zip lock bag and break into pieces.

Mix salad right before serving to keep crisp. Add however much pita you want. You can store any remainder for another time.

Dressing:
**can make day before or even store for 2 weeks
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar (Lynn prefers garlic flavored)
1 tbsp Lawry's seasoning
1 tbsp Accent
1 tbsp oregano flakes
1 tbls parsley flakes
1 tbls garlic powder
1 tbls pepper

*Mix in a container with a lid so you can shake ingredients up or mix in blender. Lynn usually doubles or triples the recipe for a large group or to just have ready in case a party breaks out. (which is often at her house)

Right before serving (it get's soggy as it sets) lightly coat salad with dressing and mix well throughout. Use sparingly as it can be strong and get soggy quicker. You can always add more if needed. Like Mama taught us you can't add less.

Easter 2011 - Nanny's Pecan Pie

There were lots of people coming and going on Easter weekend and lots of cooking and communion going on too. On Saturday afternoon the old rugged cross began it's transformation with Sally T, then many Roaches, Albrittons, Saleebys, Sister, Corns, Hunts, Roysters, a McCullen and a Byron. There may have been others because the cross kept on transforming through Easter Sunday morning. Last Easter there were primarily camellias and azaleas in the cross but with Easter later this year, there were more iris and knock out rose blooms. But every year the cross transforms and it is always a joy.

We had a crowd for dinner at our house Saturday night and David used two grills - ribs in the big cooker and chicken over charcoal. Boneless chicken thighs were on sale so last minute we picked some up and marinated them the way David has done chicken for years and years - in Zesty Italian Dressing. I can't count how many times we have cooked chicken this way and it is always a hit. He turns the chicken several times over the charcoal fire and every piece winds up really moist and tasty.

We had corn from last years garden, beans, potato salad, tossed salad with Fantastic French Dressing and sliced tomatoes with olive oil and fresh basil from the garden. I made Sour Cream Pound Cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream and neighbor Marge sent over a pecan pie. I don't have Marge's pie recipe but it tastes a lot like Nanny's Pecan Pie. Marge decorated the top of her pie with whole pecans while Nanny always chopped all the pecans but either way it is a great tasting pie.

The Easter Cross tradition at our house began because we enjoyed participating in the one at Shelby Presbyterian Church. This year First Baptist Church, Central Methodist and Shelby Presbyterian held a combined Sunrise service in the courtyard at the Shelby Presbyterian Cross. We love a Sunrise Service and so early Easter Sunday morning, we headed out dressed in comfy clothes, with our coffee and folding chairs. We put iris and knock out roses in the Shelby Presyterian cross. I added three sprigs of rosemary - "for remembrance" like Ophelia said.

As we entered the courtyard we were given a candle to light. Everyone sat quietly in the grassy courtyard holding their lighted candles. It was peaceful waiting for the service to start when suddenly the sprinkler system came on! Everyone cracked up and it was even funnier when the Methodist and Presbyterian preachers joked that the Baptists found a way to Baptize everybody!

But it was a great service and we were glad to be a part of it.

When we got home from the sunrise service, Turner Classic Movies was showing the end of Easter Parade with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. I helped Judy Garland sing the title song and was proud that I remembered every single word. I couldn't help but laugh remembering Lattimore Easters years ago when all five Hunt girls, in Easter clothes that Mama made, would parade around the house and sing. "...on the avenue, 5th avenue..."

The rest of the family went to the 11:00 service and then we all met at Sister's for a picnic style lunch. Everybody brought something and it was all delicious and fun to be together. The newest family members, Mary Katherine and Maggie, were darling in their pretty, little Easter dresses, picking up eggs and playing with bunnies. Gigi (Lynn) literally hopped in with an easter surprise for the two little girls. David and I enjoyed watching the one year olds and as he pointed out it was pretty entertaining to watch the grown ups too.

We missed the ones who weren't with us, but it was a great family weekend. By Sunday afternoon, everybody needed to get back home until the next time.

And we all know there will be a next time.

Nanny's Pecan Pie
(from Libby's handwritten copy)

1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup (Red Label) Karo All Purpose syrup
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 pinch salt
3 eggs (or 4 if they are small)
About 1 tsp flour

Mix everything together well and pour in unbaked pie shell. Bake at 300 degrees until the crust begins to brown and then 200 degrees until done.

Maundy Thursday - Sister's Seven Layer Salad

April 17th has come and gone. April 17, 1888 was the day my grandmother, Nanny, was born. It's the date I use for the Magic Planting Day when it is unlikely we will have another frost. We have planted 3 varieties of tomatoes - better boys, romas and sweet 100s - several varieties of sweet and hot peppers, squash and lots of different herbs. It will be a while before we can pick tomatoes, peppers and squash but it's been fun to walk outside for fresh basil, dill, chocolate mint, thyme, parsley, chives, rosemary and oregano. If I'm not using the herbs in cooking, I just pick a sprig or two for the kitchen window.

The dogwoods were about as pretty as ever this year and I took a quick cell phone picture of the ones in Lattimore a few days ago. I haven't been in Lattimore much but I did meet Mama and Daddy at Wendy's recently. Not unusual, we ran into some friends at Wendy's that brought on conversation about the Roger's Theatre in Shelby. The Rogers is being renovated now and is really looking great. Everybody had memories of the Rogers, but my favorite story was hearing about Mama and Daddy's first date. Daddy said he had wanted to ask Mama out for a while, but felt sheepish because she was four years younger than he was so he asked both her and her little sister to go to a movie at the Rogers Theatre. No doubt that was big fun for three kids from Lattimore.

Today is Maundy Thursday. Or Holy Thursday. It's the Thursday before Easter when Christians around the world remember the Last Supper of Christ with the apostles. For my Jewish friends this is the time for Passover which celebrates the Exodus of the freed slaves from Egypt. It's always interesting to note the similarities of religious celebrations within different groups all over the world. Most celebrations have two things in common - gathering and sharing a meal.

I like the Quaker's idea that every meal at every table is a communion.

As usual, we have shared many meals with many groups in the last few weeks - with hungry college boys, with tennis teammates, with tennis opponents, with workers from a fun new project in town, with friends at the Lake, with family at home. And of course at Wendy's.

We look forward to more communion this Easter Weekend. And I look forward to my favorite Easter tradition. The old rugged cross is in Nanny's pitcher and is outside on the front porch. Like the feeling of Maundy Thursday, the cross is sad and lonely and barren. But the hope is there that by Sunday morning everybody who comes and goes will add flowers and herbs and all kinds of plants to be a part of the communion and transformation.

Sister's Seven Layered Salad

This year we will go to Sister's for Easter Sunday Lunch. One of everybody's favorite things will be Sister's Layered Salad. Layered Salads can be made in many many ways and is good just about every way. As Cindy says, "When you have mayo and bacon on a salad it can't help but be good."

Sister's Layered Salad is truly wonderful and so recently we were talking about how to make it. Like all good cooks, she doesn't know exact proportions - it depends on the bowl she is using. She laughed when she remembered talking with Kathie about how to make layered salad because one instruction is, "Add more sugar than you think." To which Kathie replied, "how do you know what I'm thinking?" I can just see and hear Kathie's funny expression when she delivered that line.

Sister makes the salad in a three day process so it might be a good idea to start on Maundy Thursday!

Day One - Dressing

And I quote:

"- In a bowl stir in mayo, sour cream, mayo, sour cream
- add a little sugar "more than you think" then a little salt and some lemon juice.
- Stir it really good and let it sit overnight in the fridge to dissolve"

When I pressed a little, Sister said she uses about 2 parts mayo to 1 part sour cream.

You're on your own with the salt, sugar and lemon juice.

Also on Day one -

- Defrost a package of frozen peas and drain on paper towels in a bowl in fridge. You do NOT want the peas to be watery.
- Boil some eggs and cool in fridge

Day Two - Assemble Salad

- Shred iceberg lettuce and shred again. The lettuce needs to be in small pieces
- Chop lots of spring onions
- Grate or chop hard boiled eggs (I use a pastry blender or the back of a fork to really mash up the eggs because, like Mama, I am not a fan of chunky egg whites)
- Grate cheese - "any mix of cheese, Swiss and cheddar are good"

In a glass dish, layer lettuce, peas, onions, eggs, and spread dressing on top. "Make sure you get the dressing out to the edges really good"

Top with grated cheese, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.


Day Three

Top with a lot of cooked Bacon and Serve

Sister says she likes to use scissors to cut uncooked bacon and then stir it around in the frying pan. It's quicker and easier when you are frying alot of bacon.

Good Luck!

"Vishnye!" - Mediterranean Tuna Salad

April is always an action packed month and this year is no exception. The weather has been really crazy with hot days, cold days, sun, rain, fog, hail and tornadoes. Through it all there have been beautiful flowering trees and plants and a whole bunch of sporting events.

This year the Master's golf tournament and the Family Circle Women's Professional Tennis Tournament happened to be the same week. Today is the final day of play for both tournaments and we'll be going back and forth this afternoon to see what happens. We'll see if Rory McIllroy can win his first Master's at the tender age of 21 and if #1 ranked Caroline Wozniacki can beat unseeded Elena Vesnina.

I made my annual pilgrimage with Susan to watch tennis during Wednesday's rounds of the Family Circle Cup. We saw several top seeds playing singles and decided that Wozniacki was our favorite to win the tournament. Wozniacki is from Denmark but lives in Monaco. She is always smiling and cute but has a powerful tennis game. Her serve, like many of the other women, is often over 100 mph. And she seldom double faults. The sound of the tennis balls moving back and forth with the power and speed of these professional players is like fireworks.

We watched seeded American player Bethanie Mattek-Sands upset by unseeded Elena Vesnina. We were pulling for Bethanie since she was one of the few Americans in the tournament. It was powerful tennis, but there were some other interesting aspects to the match. Bethanie had the match won several times but just couldn't make it happen. It was like she couldn't stay focused. She was decked out in Under Armour and blacked under her eyes like a football or baseball player. She had on knee socks like a soccer player. No wonder she couldn't stay focused on tennis. We were having trouble ourselves. Susan worried about knee sock tan lines. I am a big Under Armour fan but they might want to go back to the drawing board on tennis gear.

Vesnina is from Russia and we learned a new word from her. After working hard for a winning point, tennis players sometimes yell, "Come ON!" This is a cheer and an affirmation. But, when Vesnina won a hard fought point she yelled, "VishNYE!" This may or may not be the proper spelling. In fact it may or may not be an actual word. But we all enjoyed watching Vesnina win an incredible point and then yell "VishNYE!"

The Family Circle Trip always includes lots of fun in the low country. This year we took a carriage ride in Charleston. There were 15 of us in a carriage with a very knowledgable guide named Matt and a very well trained horse named Bill. Bill took us through the Battery Area while Matt took us through about 350 years of history - Pre-Revolutionary War through Post Civil War. A Charleston carriage ride was on my bucket list of things to do and I couldn't have enjoyed it more.

At Isle of Palms we took a sunrise walk on the beach and saw all kinds of birds, shells and jellyfish. But the most amazing thing we saw were hundreds of starfish. I have never seen so many starfish at one time. They were all shapes, sizes, and colors. I googled them later and learned that there are over 2000 types of starfish in the world. And that they aren't really fish. They have an interesting life including being able to regenerate limbs.

We had some great food on the trip, but the recipe we wanted to copy was at Ali Baba. We had been there before and it was just as good the second time. The Mediterranean food tastes so fresh and flavorful. I tried grilled vegetables, greek salad and tuna salad. The tuna salad is really light and we found out it is put together with a tiny bit of olive oil, light lite mayo, and lemon juice. They also minced up a lot of other ingredients like black olives, artichoke hearts and roasted red pepper. Very mediterranean flavors that were tasty and healthy to eat.

To the Ali Baba people and to whoever wins the Masters and the Family Circle Cup "VishNYE!"

Tuna Salad Ali Baba Style

This is a guess at how Ali Baba makes their tuna salad based on what they told us. Adjust portions to your own liking. It's a fair guess that Ali Baba adjusts vegetables and aromatics depending on what is in season. Mainly the salad is not real chunky and is not creamy at all. It is light and is loaded with mediterranean flavor.

Tuna packed in Water or Fresh Tuna
Black Olives, minced
Onion, minced
Roasted Red Pepper, minced
Artichoke Hearts, chopped
Other vegetables if you want but not in big chunks
Season with pepper, garlic, oregano and dill

I asked if they added yogurt which would make sense for mediterranean food, but we were told it was a very tiny touch of Lite mayo.

Drizzle a few drops of olive oil, lemon juice and then add a touch of mayo just to hold the ingredients together. Serve with warmed pita bread.

"Cooking and Sports and who knows what else"

Exactly one year ago today I wrote my first blog post.

I have to admit that at the time I had a very vague idea of what a blog was and I had no idea where it would lead. In the first post I wrote, "So I am starting a blog and we shall see where it goes. I plan to write about cooking and sports and who knows what else."

Well Boy Howdy! as Mama Crowder might say.

There have been 110 posts since then. I have learned so much and enjoyed every second of it. Well maybe not every second. Sometimes I have struggled with finding time to write. Sometimes I have struggled with deciding what to write. Many times I have struggled with how to write.

Usually an idea would float around in the back of my head for a while and then it would just worry me to death until I finally wrote about it.

Once when I was struggling my son Jay gave me some great advice. He said, "Mom, just remember why you started the blog in the first place and stick with that."

My son David had suggested that I write a blog when he was trying to explain the difference between sites like Facebook and Blog sites like this one. Social networking has come a long way in the past year - connecting friends, families, business, politics, charities and even playing a major role in Middle East revolutions. There are blogs by all kinds of people all over the world about every subject you can imagine.

I started this blog because I wanted to chronicle and preserve family stories and recipes for my children. I wanted to write about how our family traditions hold us together.

And I wanted to take note of a full year cycle of what happens in nature - in the yard, the garden, plants, animals, sunrises, sunsets - and to focus on how amazing the cycles of life really are.

I wanted the blog to include stories from the past and a snapshot of the present. I had attempted to do this through a word processing journal but had found it hard to keep up. I needed the pressure of declaring out loud that I was going to blog for one year and I needed you to hold my feet to the fire. You did and I thank you.

One of my earliest blog readers was Dr. John Buse, an amazing doctor and amazing person. I was blogging away but did not really understand it myself when I ran into Dr. Buse. To my surprise, he complimented me on the blog and then he said something that has stuck in my mind. It was one of those moments when time and place sort of stop and hang in the air and he said, "You have a voice."

And isn't that what we all need? To find our voice. To tell ourselves who we are.

So, while I thought I was writing as a gift to my children, it turns out that I have recieved the gift. The gift of not taking things for granted. The gift of daily observation of all that is beautiful and magical in the world. The gift of gratitude for family, friends, faith, food, fun and fellowship.

And the cycle continues. The sun rises and sets. The world keeps on turning and the balls keep on bouncing.

Yesterday I took pictures of various things peeping out of the ground. Herbs are growing in pots out by the kitchen door. Wisteria and dogwoods are blooming in the woods. My USTA tennis team is playing well this season. And Butler and VCU prove that March is still full of madness.

Feed the Good Wolf - Liz's Vegetarian Chili

Feed the Good Wolf is a phrase we have used in our house ever since someone sent an email to me years ago. I printed that email and have had it taped to one of our kitchen cabinets so we can refer to it when needed. Which is nearly every day for me. Sometimes more than once a day.

The story goes:

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."


Everytime I read this I can just see a wise old Indian say these words wistfully to his grandson. Knowing full well what a challenge it is to always feed the good wolf.

Sometimes in our house someone might ask, "Are you feeding the good wolf?" Or someone might happily say, "That was feeding the good wolf." This can apply to all kinds of situations but we all understand what it means.

Yesterday I wanted to feed the good wolf by fixing a really healthy meal. My friend Liz owns a wonderful restaurant called Cafe at the Mall. Liz has been very gracious to help out our local Diabetes Center from time to time with healthy and delicious recipes.

This colorful Vegetable Chili is one of those recipes. It looks complicated,but once you have everything chopped it is really fast and easy.

This recipe makes a huge pot of chili so there is plenty to share. Which will help you feed your good wolf.

Cafe at the Mall Spicy Rich Vegetable Chili

3 Onions, chopped (I used one large one)
2 TBSP minced garlic
3 TBSP oil for sauteing
2 Large Zucchini, chopped
(I used 2 small zucchini and 2 small yellow squash. You know I can't follow a recipe exactly.)
2 peppers, chopped (I used one green pepper and one jalapeno)
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 med carrots, grated (I sliced them)
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed (This was wonderful!)
Fresh Cilantro
2 Cans diced tomatoes
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 can black beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
2 TBSP cumin
2 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP turmeric
Water

Liz's recipe did not have salt or pepper, but I added a little bit anyway.

Preparation:

Saute onions and garlic in oil. Once the onions start turning translucent, add all the fresh vegetables and continue to cook stirring till everything is wilting.

Add spices and stir for a minute or more then add tomatoes, beans and water to make it the desired soupyness. Don't add too much water at first. You know what Mama says, "You can always add more but you can't add less."

Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often and let chili cook for at least 30 minutes.

Serving Ideas from Liz:

Spicy Rich Chili, Green Salad and Whole Grain chips
Quesadilla filled with Spicy Rich Chili, cheese and guacamole
Taco Salad made with Spicy Rich Chili
Spicy Rich Chili over Brown Rice with Garlic Toast