Sprouts!

I have been growing my own sprouts for a few weeks now and am delighting in the process. I picked up a sprout starter pack and a variety of seeds from a health food store while we were on vacation in the Okanagan. I have always wanted to grow my own and include more in my diet because of the many health benefits. Initially, I thought growing sprouts would be complicated nevertheless I was pleasingly surprised. The only commitment is being sure to rinse them so twice a day, I participate in the rhythmic routine of rinsing and swirling and then rinsing and draining. I find this process meditative and grounding, not to mention distracting from the other kitchen duties that seem to be in a constant state of perpetual motion :) So far, I've grown two batches of alfalfa sprouts and we've enjoyed them on salads, sandwiches and even on their own. Tomorrow I am going to try growing a blend titled Spicy Lentil Crunch. Yummy!

Construction....

My husband, Nigel, thrives in the chaos of construction and can see the beauty of a project in motion. I, on the other hand, find it difficult to appreciate the heart of construction and resonate more with the finished poduct. Unfortunately for me and fortunately for Nigel our house has been and probably always will be in the middle of one construction project or another:) This summer we have been working hard on the outside yards, both front and back. We rented an excavator and went to work leveling out the "layered" back yard. As usual, the whole family participated in the project and worked well as a team. It was very interesting observing how natural the boys were at operating the excavator (Zaniel is pictured above demonstrating this) . They maneuvered the machine around with grace and precision, as if they had been navigating one their whole lives. I suppose all these years of video game and computer play contributed to this dexterousness. After 14 hours of excavation and 30 hours of shoveling, lifting, raking, leveling, hauling, etc....our back yard is level and ready to be turfed! I have to admit that although I find it difficult to embrace the chaos of construction's mess, I unequivocally enjoy the sweat, blisters and sore muscles that is the essence of it. Not to mention, the unity of the family and the sharing of the sense of accomplishment.