One Veggie Burger With Bacon Coming Right Up

Or perhaps we could call this entry "Sheer Madness" because that is what's happening.

What happens when Maaike has too much time to herself? Well, she actually accomplishes things. Amazing things she never really thought she could do.

I have been cooking--in a my-fire-alarm's-not- going-off kind of way. I found a recipe for nut burgers and made them. MMMM they are good! The recipe was rather large so if I make them again I'll have to cut it in half.

Now, I can't claim to be a vegetarian because every now and then I'll eat meat if someone else cooks it for me. But when I'm cooking for myself (or others) it's always vegetarian. I just HATE to touch raw meat. Actually, just ask any of my family or close friends to know how picky I am about "gunky" things touching my hands. (Like when Daniel was carving a pumpkin and I tried to hand him something but instead dropped it on the floor in sheer panic that the pumpkin guts on his hands might actually get on my hands. Yep. That's me.) I also managed to make a banana bread with chocolate chips in it! (I'm allergic to walnuts--go figure.)

Then, to continue my amazingness, for the first time in my entire life, I sewed a zipper into something. I was making pillow covers out of old t-shirts and thought that a zipper would allow me to wash them if I needed, and to change them when the whim hit. I sewed a total of three pillows each with a 16 inch zipper. I am amazing.

My newest zine "EnvironMENTAL Imp Pack: Certified Organic" is also completed. I've also caught up on correspondence, made several phone calls. Organized my CD's and DVD's and tomorrow I'll be finishing the last of the things on my To Do list that I made right before Christmas break started.

All I can say now is:

Friends, PLEASE COME BACK AND STOP THIS MADNESS!

Help! Something's Wrong With Me! I Hate Wrapping Paper!

Ah yes, tis the season. Christmas music pumped through every speaker in every store. Snow on the ground.

My sister starts playing Christmas music in July. I love giving presents to my friends and family. And, I do love getting presents from them, too. I love the idea that someone was thinking of me when they were shopping or even, when they didn't have to be thinking of me and found something that they just knew I had to have. I find stuff like that all the time and think "Oh, my friend would LOVE this!"

But what it comes down to is that I really don't like Christmas. I was in the store the other day looking for wrapping paper. I walked to the Christmas section with trepidation and located the wrapping paper. I looked for a bit and had to bolt. I just HAD to get out of there. I hate it! The paper was either too cute, too themed (to something that of course someone is making lots of money off of), or too expensive. I couldn't buy any paper. I just couldn't.

When I was little, Dad and I used to protest the buying of a Christmas tree. Neither of us liked the idea of killing a tree to put it in the living room and watch the needles slowly dry up and fall to the floor. Neither of us saw the purpose of decorating the house and the trees with lights. We didn't mind Christmas stocking or presents and we both love to give gifts. We just hate all the fuss.

Now EVERY holiday has to be celebrated by excessive spending and decorating. I just can't do it. I have my little nativity scene sitting on my shelf year round. I don't mind holidays, I really don't. My favorites are the non-governmental ones, though. Like Arbor Day and my birthday. But the commercialism and the unnecessary "stuff" that has to go with the new holidays is just out of control.

Holidays don't exist anymore. They've been replaced by blatant commercialism in a "gimmie-centric" world.

I Guess It Helps To Look Pretty

The Juniper #9 is out! Daniel's zine about the importance of guerrilla gardening is a rant worth reading!

He says, "I believe in small, independent, sustainable, local, organic farming because it makes more sense to me. But also because it is one big step in a series of large steps that I feel we need to take in order to free ourselves from our power-hungry addictions & habitual over-consumption."

And he's a guy who lives what he says...works for an organic farm, has his own small garden and lives a simple life. If you're tired of listening to people who have "good ideas" but don't live the life, then give The Juniper a try and find hope in those that practice what they preach. The cost is one stamp! To order:

Dan Murphy
PO BOX 3154
Moscow, ID 83843
USA

Giant Bucket of Cookies

Arlene Miller heard me telling Emily Holzmer about how busy my week was going to be this week. When I walked past her, Arlene grabbed my hand and said, "This sounds like a really stressful week for you. What can I do to help?" She's so sweet! She reminds me of my Mom actually. I said, "You know what I really want: a chocolate chip cookie." She said that she'd be happy to make me cookies, wrote down my address and promised to be at my house on Tuesday evening.

She did come. Tuesday there was a knock at the door that sent JJ (the Rat Terrier I'm babysitting) into a frenzy! I invited her in and she handed me a coffee can FULL of chocolate chip cookies! Oh man. I'm in heaven. We visited for a moment and then she was off. What a wonderful woman she is.

Yes, this week is at the half way mark. I'm still insanely swamped by things that I have to do, I'm in need of some serious hugging, and a shoulder massage, but as far as chocolate chip cookies go...I'm hooked up!

Too bad I don't know anyone to share them with... :D