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Almost vegetarian

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My dishes are ‘almost vegetarian’

Let me explain

Instead of one serving of meet per person

I use half a serving

For example 50 grams chicken instead of 100

I replace the other half a serving with vegetables

Mushroom, sweet peppers, beans and peas etc.

This way you can still have the taste of meet

And yet eat a lot of vegetables and greens

I’m sure many vegetarians would not like this classification

« There is no almost vegetarian, » they’d say, feeling frustrated

« How can you eat meet and call it vegetarian?”

But I said almost vegetarian, didn’t I?

Jan 18th, 2023

The little things in life

My almost translucent pink phone case 

Makes me happy each time I see it

I wonder why?

Perhaps simple things can bring us joy as well

My pink case is a bright happy colour

And it comes with a new phone of course

I don’t get a new phone often

So when I do I notice the differences

It’s good to look for little things in our 

Daily lives to make us happy

A good cup of coffee

Time spent writing in a coffee shop

Sunshine streaming through the window

On a cold winter day

Imparting much appreciated warmth

I’m thankful for bigger things in life 

But appreciate the little ones as well

My phone case makes me smile each time

I look at it

January 31st, 2022

The egg chair

The egg chair!

What, you ask?

Well it’s a chair 

In the shape of an egg

And it’s suspended from above

You sit in it…

So far it’s like any other chair

But you can twirl in the egg chair

Rock back and forth 

Go side to side

Or all the way around

It’s like you are floating on water 

Moving up and down with the waves

When you sit in the egg chair 

You can relax more

You can daydream 

You feel uplifted and light 

The egg chair is what Albert wanted this summer

But as far as I was concerned 

I thought it was a bit over the top

Did we really need an egg chair?

We’ve done just fine without it till now

After all it’s so big

Takes up so much space 

Will it fit with the rest of the patio furniture?

I had all kinds of reasons why it was an extra expense

But when I sit in it now

And swing and rock back and forth

The feeling is priceless

And I think Albert has good taste 

July 23rd, 2021

Unpleasant tasks

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Certain jobs are unpleasant to do

I postpone them as long as I can

Then I postpone them some more

Organizing my tax papers

Calling the roofers

Or the contractor I need to call

All kinds of paperwork

Visiting the bank adviser

Gardening and especially weeding

These are the tasks I avoid

Is there a solution?

I don’t know

They say you can’t wait to feel like it before you start

You just set a time and do it whether you want to or not

Today is one of those days

And I’m postponing my tasks

It’s much more fun to read and write

But I’m an adult and sometimes

I need to do those unpleasant tasks that need to be done

April 6th, 2021

Mask?

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To wear a mask or not to wear a mask?

First they said, don’t wear a mask 

We need them for the health care workers

That made sense

Then they said why don’t you make home made masks?

“Not all of us can sew!”

They said use a bandana

“That would look wired”

They said you can buy one on line

“That I can!”

 

The masks arrived after a few days

They looked cute

But for some reason I didn’t want to wear them

 

My smile tells people I’m friendly

My smile communicates warmth and love

My smile can brighten someone’s day

My smile makes me feel good inside

 

How am I supposed to let people know I’m smiling at them

If my mouth is covered with a mask?

I could paint a smile on my mask

But that would look awfully creepy

 

Some people wear masks

Others don’t 

If everyone did, it would be easier

So, I continue to wonder

To wear a mask or not to wear a mask?

 

April 24th, 2020

Our times

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We used to write our e-mails on paper

Then put them in a mailbox

And wait for someone to pick them up

They would then be brought to a sorting place

Put in a car or on a plane 

And delivered to another sorting place

Finally, after many days, a mailman would deliver 

These messages to the recipient’s home

 

Now, imagine waiting for a reply!

 

These days we write hundreds of what were called

Letters in those days in one day

And they are delivered in less than a second

No matter how far or near the destination

There are more advanced systems like

Facebook and WhatsApp or Instagram and Zoom

You can speak your message

Or deliver it in a video

You can video chat from anywhere in the world

You can have meetings thanks to Zoom

 

Soon, letters we’ve kept from years past

Will become as valuable as antiques

People will look at them with astonishment

And wonder how we communicated in such slow speeds

 

How times have changed

And how they will keep changing

We should not take what we have for granted

What I just wrote will be read by my friends across the world soon

No mailman, post office or plane needed

 

April 19th, 2020

 

Zen

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Cashew lies down on the floor

Very content 

Without a care

As I blow dry my hair

 

I’ve been wondering what goes on

In that head of hers as she lies there

I’ve noticed she spends a lot of time

Sitting and staring into space

What is her thought process during these times?

How does she entertain herself?

 

The times she sleeps, eats, and plays

I understand

But what about when she stares into the distance?

 

I know dogs are different from people

I should not compare

But this question comes up again and again

 

Maybe those times are her zen times

Her meditation times

Maybe that’s why she’s so relaxed

Maybe I should meditate more too

It seems to be working for Cashew!

 

April 17th, 2020

Zoom mehmouni*

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During these times of no mehmouni

We’re resorting to Zoom ones

There are advantages involved

With no commute time or air plain ride

We can come together from various counties in the world

Cross-continental mehmounis are what we have now

We can bring our cup of tea or our ‘tokhmeh’*

We can even have a meal at the same time

We can arrive when we want

And leave when we want

We can be inside or outside

Zoom mehmounis are wonderful

The only things we can’t do is talk at the same time

 

April 7th, 2020

 

Mehmouni:  party

Tokhmeh: seeds in their shell that are cracked and eaten as refreshment

Girls

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Why are girls so difficult, I wonder

One minute they’re happy

One minute sad

Emotions bubbling up regularly

 

Some are quiet when they’re upset

Some must vent and vent and vent

Some don’t want to talk about how they feel

Others want to do that continually

 

Some cook only when they’re in the mood

Some don’t like to organize their rooms

 

Sometimes they don’t get along with another girl

Girls like magnets, sometimes repel

 

But girls can also be so sweet

So caring

So delightful

So enchanting

 

They can lift a finger

And you do as they say

They can bring you lots of joy each day

 

Girls are wonderful but difficult too

After all,roses come with thorns

 

April 1st, 2020

Eternity

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Is eternity too long to live

After we leave this world?

Will we get bored?

What are we going to do with all that time?

Eternity is very long

Will we have things to do, places to go, things to see?

They say we will be spirits

But what does that mean?

Why all this secrecy about life after we die?

There must be a wisdom in it

That we’ll only then find out

 

October 30th, 2019

Inspired by Emily Dickinson’s

‘Because I could not stop for death’