Cooking up a whirl

Song of the day: “Wrecking Ball” not Miley’s version, but Jasmine Thompson’s, a young girl I came across on Youtube. She made it downright beautiful. Doesn’t mean that Miley’s isn’t nice (as long as you don’t look at the video, that is) it’s just that Jas gave it a sweetness, rather than roughness. There’s a time and place for both, but at the moment Jas is in my head. Hah.

So let’s start with the fun part. This Thursday and Friday were my two days in Ronda, helping out at the clinic, cooking fully vegetarian meals which were, much to my regret mostly saltless and sugarless, and 50% raw. *sigh* It was a mild version of the Gerson diet.

I got up at seven on Thursday. Had a long trip ahead of me, and plenty to do still before departure. Had to check my bag, that I hadn’t forgotten anything (I didn’t, for a change), had to put new batteries in my camera, carry everything, including my computer bag up to the car, and then quickly have a shower, eat breakfast and then be on my way before nine. Left at ten past nine, deliberately didn’t say goodbye to the dogs, because to them it had to seem that I was going to work like usual, nothing to worry about. Don’t think they noticed, or mind all that much…I think that in the end I had more trouble with it than they did.
But anyway, the trip went well, I didn’t make any wrong turns, and arrived on location after a decent hour and forty-five minute drive. The day was a pretty one, and I arrived about fifteen minutes before the agreed upon arrival time. Yay.
Had a bit of extra time to say hi, to orient myself in the kitchen before it was time to get started.
It was a pleasure, I have to say. Such a wonderfully roomy, functional kitchen. It’s been a dream, I tell ya. Also, Maggy is very nice to work with…a breath of fresh air compared to what we’re used to working with, I tell ya…if it’s good she’ll say so, and if something is wrong she’ll just point it out for the next time. A big relief. Overdid the honey a bit for desert. Oops. Was worth it, though.

Still, the idea was, seeing as the “group” at the clinic were sick, to cook extremely healthy; meaning as little salt as possible (like, unless the taste is so bad you want to puke, the salt stays out) and no sugar. Some honey, palm sugar, Dade syrup were allowed, but only a little.
First meal were my chickpea patties with some buckwheat flour, loads of herbs and only one pinch of salt in the entire mix. They worked out well, I was pleased to discover.
We had salad to pile on top of the patties, all sorts of veggies, a olive oil/garlic/green herbs dressing and my pumpkin compote (on the spicy side, since no salt was added) to put on it along with grilled onions and grilled pumpkin slices to give the meal some substance. I was afraid that we might have made too much (there were six of us, me included)
Everyone looked pretty with it, so the fact that the oven dish I’d wanted to prepare for supper that evening didn’t get done in time (I didn’t keep track of time enough to have it in the oven on time) wasn’t too bad. Note to self: When making a fresh veggie oven dish, you need two hours of oven time. Grrr.
There was saltless soup, Maggy’s pumpkin soup, so that worked well, and together with some salad, followed by oat/almond/coco/buckwheat and honey cookies for desert. Again, loads of spices in there, along with some raisins to make it tasteful. Added to that was a fresh strawberry sauce that really helped, too.

The reason I was late with the oven dish was because I joined in on a “releasing” or a “letting go” session. It is part of the clinic’s program for the patients. Healthy foods, explanations, samples of course, the hows and there wheres, and the Sedona Method for the mental health.
You should check it out some time. A very fascinating technique that, theoretically, if you think about it, has limitless possibilities. For some reason I could really relate with it. Like, at a certain point there was a piece about letting go of “wanting” (or even needing) approval. Sure everyone wants approval for a job well done, and whatnot, but the wanting it won’t get it for you, now will it? It’s a good one for me, seeing as it is something I have been working on for quite some time. I have a tendency to compulsively want to please. I’m not as bad as I used to be, mind you. These days when I do my job, or something, I am starting to get to a point that I work hard because of “me”, because I like doing a good job, to be the best that I can be. That is all that matters. The rest is just extra, a nice added thing, but shouldn’t be at all vital to a pleasant way of functioning, now should. I mean, think about it. If my happiness is dependent on someone else expressing their approval of me, I’d be heading for a rather uncertain and often unpleasant future.
Doesn’t mean that I don’t like, or appreciate compliments (hey, I’m human, sorta anyway, I’ll battle that blush of pleasure as much as the next person) it just means that I am working on not “wanting” (in that obsessive compulsive way) them anymore. The realization was a nice one.
You should check out their website some time. I find the “letting go” a fascinating concept, fitting rather well with the lifestyle I have been applying over the past few years. Imagine how much easier life would be if you could “let go” of the baggage from the past? *wink*
Here’s the link: www.sedona.com

But anyway, it was fun. Still that was relaxation, back to work.
I get into “the zone”, if you know what I mean. That place where you are completely focused on what you are doing, where you smoothly move from one place to the next, mind and body one. Like when you’re working in the kitchen and you’re doing one thing with one hand, another with the other, going around, under and past others without disrupting the flow. That zone where you manage to catch that glass bottle just before it smashes to the floor without anyone noticing, or you even breaking stride. Where you can imagine the taste of the meal you’re creating in your mind, even before you taste it. I. LOVE. THAT!
Anyway, there were good moments and not so good ones. There were moments that I wanted to be frustrated about not being able to use some element, but then I would remind myself of all the things that I could use rather than the ones I couldn’t…glass is half full, rather than half empty, ya know. It’s a good motto. Whenever I got stressed about “gawd how am I going to get this edible” I’d remind myself of this, and manage to salvage the dish I was preparing.

Nice folks in the group (besides Maarten and Maggy, who organized the whole get-together). Had wonderful talks with a guy from South Africa, and a couple from the Netherlands. Always a pleasure to meet new people, figuring out how they tick, so to speak. Conversations ranged from vacations spots, the economic crisis, business, pleasure, the whole shebang. It was actually all quite relaxing, regardless of the work. I would elaborate more about the lot, but I forgot to ask if they would mind if I talked about them here, so I can’t. Drat.
But, best of all, they were nice enough to compliment when a dish worked out well, and to keep kindly silent when it wasn’t. Hah.

So anyway, there was cleaning involved, you can imagine the mess that get created when cooking up a whirl. Still, it was not as if I had to do it on my own, it was a joint effort, which always makes work pleasant…and keeps me from showing OCD tendencies, since I only do that when I’m alone
somewhere with no one to witness…I’ll get to that later.

Had a few bad moments later in the day, after the work was done and the “patients” went inside to watch a documentary. I very deliberately didn’t join them, really. It was about eating habits and dieting, and I have to be so careful with seeing anything about that subject. I mean, regardless of having learned that diets aren’t good for me, and that they do me more harm than good, I would be watching something and think, “Maybe I should just…and then…and maybe…” which would lead to my silly head thinking that eating just a little bit less here, and skipping a meal there would actually have any use, and before you know it, I’m back to being insane, not eating well and gaining weight because following that path makes me stupid regardless of any good advice that people give to me. The decision I made several years ago to allow my body to find its own balance while I eat as healthily as possible and keep busy with lots of movement, has worked well for me, and no matter what, I shouldn’t let those impatient parts in me let me hope for anything else that would mess that up.

Well, enough of that. The bad moments: I had a total panic attack, of course. Suddenly there I was, work for the day over, the Zone gone without a trace, and me out there on my own to have my thoughts go every which way. Aaaargh. Stupid. I took just a minute too long to get my computer and get to work, because by the time I settled at the terrace table, I was hyperventilating a little, and in tears. Don’t you just hate it when that happens? I sure do. Took me some serious “letting go” there (hah) before I calmed down a bit. I mean there were the thoughts of the dogs (I missed them somewhat fierce, you understand), the uncertain future and all sorts of shaite like, you know, stuff! that just kept rolling around in my head, messing me up. I mean, normally I’d go bother big brother, who’d get all “cowboy up” with me (which is what I need at such moments. Nothing like “worrying about this and that” to mess you up) reminding me that whatever problem there is ahead, I can’t solve them at that moment anyway. You can do them in your head, of course, those talks, but it’s not the same, so I ended up writing him a short mail about having a panic attack, to which he phoned me, doing the honors, regardless. Good big brother.
You’d think I was old enough to not have this strange response to being away from what is familiar, but there you have it. Apparently I’m still a preteen in that regard. I better get over that soon, because otherwise life is going to be mighty unpleasant, won’t it?
Anyway, once I got past the hiccup phase, we got to gossiping about the insanities of our day job, versus my day at the clinic, which had me snorting, and after that I was calm enough to do some actual writing. Yay.
I’ll have you know that I did a proper two pages during my stay there, which is more than I can say for the past few weeks.

Did get to bed around midnight, meaning I got a solid seven hours of sleep. I know, wow, right? When was the last time I got more than seven hours of sleep in one piece? Seems like forever. Didn’t even dream either. I just passed out, which is the best type of sleeping, if you ask me.
I had my own room, with bathroom, so I could calmly go through the morning rituals, go down for coffee (breakfast was Maggy’s affair) and then head out with two dogs (Chi and Benito) for a nice short workout in the morning grayness with a nippy wind from the north. Didn’t have my weights with me, nor my boxing bag, but shadowboxing worked well enough for once. At least all the joints got lubricated, and the kinks popped from my spine. A big relief that.

Didn’t take long to get back into the zone once I got back to work. Prepared supper, a couple of soups (one was horrid. A carrot soup that ended up bitter rather than sweetish. Grrr) and a wonderful apple crumble. That one will have to go in my recipe book, because it was splendid despite it not having a single grain of sugar, can you believe it? It was a big success, and luckily I made two. Hah. Anyway, after lunch consistent of the seven veggie oven dish (which was perfect. The herbs were just right allowing me to forget that there was no salt in it. Yay!) I went for a little ride with the Land Rover. Had Chris and his friend along, since they showed some interest in the Land Rover. It is a darling, and both would want one, not surprisingly. Was a fun ride. Both young men were entertaining and had me laugh several times, so afterward I was nicely relaxed.
Had a walk on the property…on my flip flops, regretfully. Stepped on two nails (ouch!) which got stuck in the soles and had to be removed. Luckily it wasn’t too deep, and didn’t bother me all that much.

Did some cleaning (remember that OCD I mentioned?). First secretly (big brother warned me not to be too obvious about cleaning, since some people take offense), you know, clearing a surface here, scrubbing out a sink there, all very casual-like. Hah. Well, at one point, Maggy was out of the kitchen and I “accidentally” cleaned one shelf while I was putting away clean dishes…then another, and another, and before you know it I was rearranging the drawers putting individually styled utensils into separate slots until everything was neatly organized and the kitchen basically shined. Within half an hour, couldn’t do much but wait for the soup to boil anyway, all the shelves were clean and organized, after which I continued on with the counters, cupboard doors and sides, and whatever else I could get my hands on. Embarrassing, I know. I blame “the zone”. Hah. Strange, huh, how cleaning can be nice if it is not expected of you. Luckily Maggy was most appreciative because she didn’t look forward to the big clean up after the workshop was over.

So the day came to an end, I got all my stuff back to the car, cleaned my bathroom, removed used sheets, wiped horizontal surfaces and left my room as clean as I could without getting the vacuum cleaner out. Ate the last supper along with the guests and then said my goodbyes. Was ready to leave at a quarter past eight in the evening, only to stop again about 10 yards out with the realization that I forgot my phone. Couldn’t remember where I left it, but finally did find it in the bathroom. Hah. Imagine my chagrin if I would have realized that halfway back home? The horror.

Arrived home at ten in the evening (didn’t even fall asleep on the way home, thankfully, but did have to stop halfway somewhere to pee. Gawd, hobbly roads are a pain!) where the dogs welcomed me with no more exuberance than usual. Big brother was waiting for me with mc&cheese…don’t gasp. After all that healthy food for the past couple of days, we’re lucky there are no snack food places along the way home, or else I might have binged. Isn’t it weird? I hardly ever go to a snack food joint, but eat healthy for two days and suddenly you just have to “sin”! Hah.

Which concludes the adventure, doesn’t it? The next day was back to the grind…which was hard due to the inevitable comparisons, grrrr. Also, I’ve been burning the candle on both ends a bit for the past few weeks, and I think it caught up with me. Seriously, I couldn’t pry my eyes open…took me at least an hour before I could even function, so yesterday I left big brother and work after I finished my chores there, and went home for a siesta. I passed out for two whole hours and felt waaaaay better for it.

Other news. Not a lot going on. Did I mention Sitabah and Adma? My weimaraner and our pocket Beagle. Well, both girls had a uterus infection, meaning that they had to have an immediate procedure done to have the vile thing removed. I declined the honor of seeing the infected thing, and both girls are doing well now, thankfully. Very strange that they both had it, considering it is not considered to be contagious.

Indigo (black lab) and Tadaika (black and white mutt) are as of this week on a diet. It was getting to be too bad. They’re both big dogs, and yet they were starting to look like walruses with little stumps for legs sticking out of their fat rolls. Seriously, it is getting bad. So, they are no longer allowed to eat with the rest of the dogs, but instead get only one bowl per day. They are not pleased.

Plans for today are visiting a horse rescue center. A friend of ours is looking to acquire horses, so with a little luck a couple of these homeless darlings will find a good home in the near future.

As to the rest…well, life is continuing, but compared to what I already described, it isn’t all that interesting. We did practically finish that cabin, by the way, so that I could have talked about…I won’t. This is five pages already and I’ve got stuff to do still.

Gotta go.