It was a very difficult week for the Jewish people – some say Tisha B’Av, the saddest day of the Jewish calendar came early this year. This is not a political blog; I could send you elsewhere to read some important posts, such as this one or this one. And here’s one that is quite thorough on a recent topic.
I will just mention the word nechama – comfort. What do you do or say or post when you need comfort? I’m posting flowers from my garden. Above are the columbines of spring – now gone, except for the seeds. You can sprinkle the seeds from the spring columbines in a different place in your yard, and if conditions are right, you get more columbines!
I grow these Mexican poppies instead of grass on my front lawn. Unfortunately, they are only in bloom for a short time in the spring. I have to be careful not to pull them up when the flowers are done – it is easy to mistake them later for weeds. Some of the poppies’ leaves are now turning a brilliant red.
Rudbeckia or black-eyed susan: one of my favorite flowers! These I grow all over my yard, front and back. They seem to be happy here.
Finally, here are some bright summer lilies. My neighbor was admiring these, and I told her I grew them by mistake! I probably pulled a lily in a different spot by accident and threw it by the fence. It took hold right behind a pink rose bush. I think the two look a bit silly together, but whatever.
Do you have favorite flowers? Do flowers bring you comfort?
What! She’s making yet another tree illustration! Again? What this time …
Here’s the back story … Tony Orlando, who popularized the song Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree, visited Israel. He was encouraged to do something in support of families of the three kidnapped teens. He visited the families, and he asked the people of America to tie three yellow ribbons in support of the teens.
A friend in our area has started a little campaign selling yellow ribbons, with the money going back to Israel to support the families and soldiers searching for the teens. I confess I still haven’t gotten the ribbons, but I did write this post.
So what is the history of the yellow ribbon? There is a great article by Gerald E. Parsons on How the Yellow Ribbon Became a National Folk Symbol. It seems the yellow ribbons started getting used as a symbol in the early 1980’s in support of the hostages in Iran. Parsons writes: “Ultimately, the thing that makes the yellow ribbon a genuinely traditional symbol is neither its age nor its putative association with the American Civil War, but rather its capacity to take on new meanings, to fit new needs and, in a word, to evolve.”
On a related topic, the Twitter hashtag #BringBackOurBoys was inspired by #BringBackOurGirls. There are actually, unfortunately, similarities between those kidnappings.
The names of the boys are Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar, and Naftali Frenkel. Hashtag: #EyalGiladNaftali
The boys are close in age to my own teenage sons.
Three yellow ribbons spotted on a tree in Highland Park, New Jersey
Checking into my blog to say hello to my readers. Above is a tree illustration, once again. This one comes with a story (paraphrased in my own words):
Once upon a time there was a traveler. He was quite weary, hungry and thirsty. He happened upon this beautiful tree. There was a stream flowing by the tree, so he helped himself to a refreshing drink of the water. There were fruits in the tree, so he ate of the fruit. He laid down under the tree and took a nap. When he awoke, he was refreshed and well-rested. Before leaving, he turned to the tree. Tree, oh, tree, how can I bless you? For you have so much already. So he blessed the tree with more of the same.
Source: Taanit 5B-6A
For those that read Hebrew, here is the original Hebrew of what the traveler says to the tree:
אילן אילן במה אברכך, שיהיו פירותיך מתוקין, הרי פירתיך מתוקין, שיהא צילך נאה, הרי צלך נאה. אלא יהי רצון שכל נטיעותיך יהיו כמותך.
Have you ever been grateful to something in nature? Or perhaps grateful to someone in your life who has given you so much?
Summer approaches: more opportunities to take food on the go. What do you eat when you travel? Have you ever made salad in a jar?
Last week I drove to U. of Maryland and back to pick up my son. I made my salad in a jar the day before. The only “rules” are put the green leafy vegetables like lettuce on the top, and have the dressing on the bottom. Then, when you are ready to eat, tip over the jar so the dressing runs all through the ingredients. Make sure to bring a fork and plate. It is difficult to eat salad in a jar if you don’t have a desk or table handy. Next time I travel maybe I will try a plastic bowl for the salad (not for storing it, just for eating it).
First, I will list the ingredients in my salad in a jar. Then I will make a list of all sorts of ideas of what one can put in the jar. Feel free to add your own food ideas in the comments.
Ingredients for One Version of Salad in a Jar
romaine lettuce – torn into pieces
raw kale – torn into pieces
bits of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chopped nuts
bean salad – I had a leftover bean salad I had made for Shabbat. It already had a light, garlicky dressing and bits of red onion and fresh oregano.
cucumber – chopped into pieces
dressing – olive oil, raw apple cider vinegar (add a few spices and salt/pepper to taste)
glass jar with wide top
fork and plate or bowl for eating
Make the Salad
Find a jar with a wide top. Locate all your ingredients and assemble them. If you don’t have enough ingredients, go to the store, walk through the produce section, and pick out some vegetables! Fruit might work, too. In my case, I chopped up cucumbers and a few red onions. I washed romaine lettuce and kale. I had already made a bean salad the day before.
My first layer is the dressing. I used only cold pressed olive oil and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. But in retrospect, a few spices might have been nice (salt, pepper, garlic powder, turmeric are possibilities). Then I added the chopped cucumbers. It is best to add heavy vegetables such as cucumbers, steamed cauliflower, or steamed brussel sprouts – something substantial that the rest of the salad can “sit” upon.
Then I sprinkled my chopped red onion. The bean salad went on top of that, followed by the kale and on top the romaine lettuce. I sprinkled some sunflower seeds and nuts on the top. I did have a hard boiled egg that I took on the side.
When you get to your destination, it is best to have a table or desk upon which to eat the salad. Be sure to take a fork! Turn the jar upside down so the dressing runs all over the lettuce. Put the salad on the plate, and enjoy. You may find this more than you can eat – it would be nice to share with a friend.
Comparison to a sandwich: it is much easier to eat a sandwich on the go. However, I much prefer the taste of this salad in a jar. And my body prefers it as well.
Long List of Ideas for Salad in a Jar
Lettuces: romaine, red leafy, green leafy, all kinds of leafy!
Greens: kale, spinach, watercress – it would be interesting to try some lightly cooked greens in the middle (you may not want it to touch the lettuces until serving time).
Hard boiled eggs (I stored mine separately)./li>
Hard cheese
Seeds – sunflower, pumpkin, chia seeds
Nuts – you may want to be careful about nuts because of the chocking hazard. Even an adult can choke – don’t move around when you eat.
Cucumbers
Beets – cooked, uncooked and sliced, fermented – but be aware you may end up with pink salad.
Turnips, Parsnips, chopped, shredded carrots
Cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli – I would want them lightly-steamed
In a continuation of a banner that will have houses, trees, clouds and some text, I started working on trees. The one above is the one I like best, although I realized that I should get the tree trunk to be straighter if I want to use something similar in my banner. There are many details to construct, and getting everything to work together and not be too busy will be an interesting challenge.
This was my first set of “flat illustration trees.” These trees are made up of triangles and circles. One version of this had a grunge look added at the end (using Photoshop – the shapes where created in Illustrator). If you examine illustrations of flat design, you will often see trees depicted in a similar manner of only these basic shapes.
What makes an illustration “flat design”? How does it differ from other art? It’s missing the shadows. And it’s made up of simple shapes. It’s often vector art, so it can be made bigger or smaller without losing its look, unlike a photograph with pixels.
Both these two illustrations use the same twirly tree trunk. The bends of the tree trunk add a certain look that might go well with a different illustration – I think I will go with a straighter trunk, as the houses are quite straight as well. On the other hand, maybe a twisty trunk would be welcome next to a stiff, geometric house.
Of these illustrations, do you have a favorite? Any parts that you like in particular? Have you noticed flat design on any sites that you visit?
