Saturday, December 30, 2023

Gourd Curry by Grandma and Daughter | Village Life


I don´t know what it is about this channel...these videos of a hardworking grandma and her daughter in a village somewhere.....simply making food.

Perhaps it is the sanctity of the ritual of prepping a meal with a loved one. That sense of safety, of good will and the desire to feed your family and guests well.

Watch the way the grandma sits washing each vegetable thoroughly before calmly slicing and dicing each one to the right size. The garlic is washed and sliced and then mashed into a paste with an old fashioned mortar and pestle. Lovely.

Sometimes, we in north america look too much at recipies, at fancy notions of gourmet meals, when the answer lies in humility.....
The answer sometimes lies in being content to do that which is simple and repetitive until it yields a tasty result.

I am sure this grandma has prepared this kind of meal a hundred or perhaps thousands of times. She never rushes and never endangers herself with the sharp utensils. Both the grandma and the daughter work peacefully and silently together.

The result? A healthy beautiful hand made home cooked meal, bursting with flavour and fresh natural foods.

I just must say ¨Hallelujah¨ for mothers and grandmothers such as these who show us ladies the way...how to provide, prepare and above....to be patient in the process.

Peace,
Carla

Saturday, December 16, 2023

He Called me Handsome?




Not sure what this is all about....is it the brown hair? or is it the curls?

For most of my life I have been a curly/wavy haired brunette, unless I dive head first into the red hair dye, which does happen upon occasion.

But, I have noticed that I kinda fall into a certain ¨type¨...
Think  
@TheRachelMaria ....or the Mom from the sitcom Ïn the Middle¨ played by Patricia Heaton, or 
the curly haired attorney who plays Helen Tudor Fisk on the netflix show ¨Fisk¨, named Kitty Flanagan.

We are all cute and sometimes fabulous, but none of us are devastatingly gorgeous.....and for the most part, I´d say.... we are ok with that. ( sorry ladies if you´re not).

But what is the deal when a man says you are  ¨handsome¨...... is that an insult? Is it some kind of compliment? 

Er ...um  ....Is it flattering for a woman to be handsome? Or should I be ticked off???

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Heaton













https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Flanagan 


https://youtu.be/eIzJFbAVZr8?feature=shared   (the Rachel Maria´s youtube channel)
She does a hilarious Nancy Pelosi skit...
 (screen grab below courtesy of https://www.therachelmaria.com/team/rachel-maria/  )




Is it comparable for a guy to be called a pretty boy, as for a woman to be called handsome?
Should a guy be annoyed for being called a pretty boy?

Ok folks, I´m still in a quandary on this one.
Do spill.... tell me what you think on this one....unless you try to call me handsome....please don´t :)

from your fave brown curly haired middle aged blogger,

Carla.



Friday, December 8, 2023

Why Do Meditation Gurus Tell Us to Empty our Minds?

Oh Lord, I do feel a rant coming on. 

Why do those who teach meditation try to get their followers to empty their minds.....and then call it mindfulness?

If my observations of the folks of my modern world are any indication .....we need more FULL minds.....not empty ones.

I suppose the argument then is about WHAT to fill one´s mind with. Yes, I can understand how one would desire to empty out the annoying and unimportant stuff floating about one´s mind....But hey....our human minds are not garbage cans....we can´t just take them to the curb and empty out that brain can.

If I have any accurate understanding of the human brain ....it would be this: If you don´t like what´s floating in your brain....you need to input more of the good solid stuff....stuff that is filled with truth and light and love.

And if you are saying ¨Öh my,,,,, now she is going to evangelize¨......then you might be partially correct.

It is no secret that I am fan of the old King James Version of the Bible. I like it in the audio  version and play it often. I have discovered that the chaos of modern society bows down to the gentle and concrete wisdom of this ancient book. But hey, truth be told, the bible is more than just an old book. It is alive.
It is the book that you never really finish reading. That used to be make me mad....because I would try over and over and over to ¨finish¨ reading the bible.....and discovered much to my dismay that every time I read the book, I found more depth....more territory to explore and more beauty and kindness and wisdom than I had ever thought possible. 

The bible is literally an unending book, written by the Spirit of the Unending Father....who keeps us and entrusts us with this miracle book. It is a book of fire....that fire consumes that which gets in it´s way.
No need to empty one´s mind first before reading the bible aloud or listening to it in audio form or listening to someone else read it to you. This book is most gentle and yet most powerful....a mysterious contradiction. 

Friends, before I chat on too long, I just want to say this....please be careful of those who try to get you to empty your mind. Your mind was not intended to be empty, but to be full of the words of your heavenly Father. The good will push out the wasted thoughts and useless obsessions. You are a created being. Commune with your Father, the Creator. 

Peace,
Carla