showing up

I ran into my friend MaryLu at Costco the other day and she asked how my race went. I told her slow and ugly, but she said, "You showed up". Which I guess emphasizes the subtitle of this little blog, paraphrasing Woody Allen: 80% of life (success) is just showing up. So once again, here I am, just showing up.


And yes, she is THE MaryLu of MaryLu's protein pancakes/waffles:

I made the waffle this morning because I knew I'd be working in the gardens all day and would need to be sustained for awhile. And then it started raining. Dammit. It's supposed to clear up later so keep your fingers crossed. I have TONS of stuff to do before I even think of planting this year's annuals - dividing, transplanting, moving pots, putting up my bottle tree. I'm just really glad I mowed and dug up some dead bushes yesterday. At least I feel somewhat productive, especially if it doesn't dry up and I'm forced to take a nap!

We took our fence down earlier this spring. Or rather, Dwight took it down after his hand was forced by a huge windstorm that knocked down a section due to rotting posts. I guess 25 years was pretty good to get from the fence. I hated it at first since I'm so used to being out back and feeling somewhat secluded and now I feel everyone can watch this sweaty woman working in the yard. Dwight really likes the way it looks, and - now don't tell him - I might be getting used to it and yes, it looks nice. Or will when our next-door-neighbor kid gets home from college to dig out the remaining fence posts for us. I have no danger of Dwight actually reading this since as I've mentioned before, he has never read my blog. I'm not even sure he knows the URL.

A yummy breakfast from yesterday was two eggs scrambled with a link of chicken Italian sausage, topped with salsa and half an avocado, and some berries on the side. That also kept me full for quite awhile - there is something to that whole protein-is-filling thing, I guess.

Oooh, nice depth of field. Did you get a new camera?! Or take a class?!

I saw this recipe on a page I follow on Facebook, MindBodyGreen, for a filling (is there a theme here?) and energizing drink. Or as the post is titled, The Perfect Tonic to Manage Weight and Boost Energy. (Author: Nathalie Chantal de Ahna)
The ingredients:

The recipe:
1/2 cup purified water (I just used Brita-filtered water)
1/2 cup coconut water
1 T chia seeds
2 T fruit juice (I used pineapple)
juice of half a lime

In a blender, soak the chia seeds in coconut water and water for 15 minutes. Add the fruit juice and lime juice and blend briefly. Drink immediately.

I made it and it was pretty tasty. I would for sure use COLD ingredients or blend it with ice next time. My liquids were out of the pantry, but they will be refrigerated in the future. At least the coconut water, which tastes vaguely like coconut-flavored sweat to me, tasted better. If you've ever used chia seeds, you know they expand and get slimy when mixed with liquid, so be prepared for that adventure. It's also probably why this drink is filling. I'll have to keep you posed on the energy benefits. But in the meantime, I may have to go take that nap.

Have a great weekend!