However, as I went for my walk today, I was composing this blog, in my mind, so I had to come home & get right to it. As I know the fragile way in which my mind works…
First off, today, when I opened my bedroom blinds, this is what I saw:
Incidentally, sorry for the grainy shot - it was early - I forgot to pull back the screen…but you get the idea. I woke up to an inch of fresh snow, at least, on what was my previously dry vineyard! And my initial thought was…argh, I am going to have to shovel (the ever-so-steep-for-a-prairie-girl driveway) before I can head out to my Weight Watchers meeting because the shoveler-in-chief is out of town…I did one of those cheat shovels where you just clear a track for your wheels, & even at that, I failed miserably in executing the shovelled path. I gave the driveway a full shovel when I returned!
I do believe that Weight Watchers is the best choice out there in the "diet" field for me. For someone whose inherent nature is to cook, it is the plan for me, because as long as you stick within your points allowance for the day & week (includes optional point values,) no food is out of bounds. You just must count it. The meetings are, for me, another story. I sit there distancing myself from all the talk centered around fat-free puddings, fat-free jello, Weight Watcher snack & product options, & eating all sorts of paraphernalia that I just wouldn't consider. But, I am admittedly in a weight category I am not happy with & that said, I know 2 things to be true. I want to be more at peace with my weight for Alexis' wedding & I am someone who has to face the scale to arrive at the # where I will achieve that peace.
But, today, the meeting chatter was focussed on celebrating victories apart from the # on the scale. This discussion came around to how Weight Watchers is a lifestyle, not a diet. That's everyone's new mantra isn't it?! Us included. And by us, I mean our family business. We tout our storage business as a lifestyle…the Modular Lifestyle. As the leader continued, she started talking about how those of us who struggle with our weight, turn to food to fill, not only, our hunger but our souls. Now, she had my attention. I wanted to get up & shout, "yes, yes, that's it!" But the Weight Watchers lifestyle isn't what's gonna fill it. I know I am not relationally ready to share my faith with this group of women & be heard, but I will eventually succeed & get an opportunity to share how I achieved success. Success, for me, will not come wrapped in fat-free packaging, I am afraid, but rather in the constant repositioning of my eyes on Jesus. That's all I'll unpack on that for today…
After only losing 1.2 lbs, (the # does matter deeply to me,) I drove off to do my errands, come home & finish my shovelling & decide that the temp was lovely enough to head out walking with the ever-ready Shaquille. Sometimes our walk is just that - a beautiful Okanagan valley walk - but a walk. Today, the path was freshly blanketed in snow with gentle flakes continuing to fall as we went. It made the air seem new; like "first breaths of life" new. It almost had a visceral taste-quality to it, as if some primal need was being met, for me, as I breathed it in & out. Whatever was going on, I felt deeply blessed by it, & the shallow feeling of defeat I had from the small weight loss was swallowed up in the simplicity of the moment.
It probably just looks like another "Reg walk" photo to you, but was packed with meaning for me…
Since I have to leave you with a morsel of a recipe, when I got home, I made myself a delicious cup of Keo's tea & threw out the $4 latte from Starbucks that had since gone cold. (I can't face nuked coffee…more of my issues!)
Though the ingredients may seem incredulous to you, they are easily obtained from any oriental market. My son & I used to meet at Keo's restaurant for lunch, when he was working at our storage facility, painting as summer employment. That's when Keo's used to be on 33rd St. I like the new place on Broadway but kinda miss the ambiance, that was uniquely theirs, at the old place…anyway, I would go on about their house tea & once got up the courage to ask for the recipe...
Keo's Tea:
Pandan Leaf
Galanga Root (a close neighbour to ginger)
Kaffir Lime Leaves
Lemon Grass
As you will note, I have provided no measurements. That is why the photo follows. That is about how much I use of each item. You will notice the lemon grass is very finely chopped. In Kelowna, at the Oriental Supermarket on Hwy 97, (which I love!!) you can buy bags of it already chopped & frozen like that. I love it. It is wonderful for soups, stir-frys, sauces…I have used regular lemon grass (just the white part) many times too.
My guess is that I used:
1 tsp of the lemon grass, chopped - or - 3 very small pieces of fresh
3 - 4 lime leaves, depending on their size
a good pinch of pandan leaf
2 - 3 small chunks of galanga root
This makes either a teapot full of the tea or a perfect serving in my little Brewt gadget pictured here. The gadget is readily available in specialty tea shops. We love ours…note: this kind of tea is not good confined to a tea bag. It tastes best when left loose. It is in large enough pieces to stay out of your tea cup, when poured, anyway.
Ready to drink & blog. This is my nice, new, little "Noble" Asian tea cup from David's Tea. Perfect for Keo's tea...
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