Home Grown Yoga Retreat - Day 1

Tuesday, July 12

Good morning, Iowa. Mom and Dick hit the road for Colorado around 7AM. The first thing I did when they left was turn UP the air conditioning then shut OFF the TV. :) I made some tea and had a nice meditation practice on the back deck, aware of the birdsong and the hummingbirds buzzing the red geraniums in the flower boxes. After my sit, I made some toast (Mom! What is this high fructose corn syrup product masquerading as jelly?!), walked down and peeked at the baby robins. Mama Robin didn't like that too much so I didn't linger. I rescued Hoppy to the back porch, where I ate my breakfast. Not that we pick favorites, but if I were to do so it would be Hoppy. He is full of affection, and I was here the day he turned up. That must have been five years ago now? Butterball is in her hunting spot at the edge of the woods. The sky looks like it might rain. I couldn't figure out why I was still freezing then remembered there are two a/c units to turn up! That made me hungry, so I ate an oatmeal cookie.

11:00AM - It started raining and blowing just a bit, Hoppy was cowering under the wicker couch on the screened in porch, so I put him back in the gazebo. The baby robins are snug in their nest. Time for me to get my yoga mat out! The gathering room is now a yoga studio. Hopefully the weather will clear so I can move it outside.

1:30PM - Lunch. I made a nice organic salad and am enjoying it on the breezy porch. Why anyone ever goes inside is beyond me.

5:00PM - Where has this day gone? This time is going too fast! When are you leaving again, Mom & Dick? It's been raining off and on, so I've been forced inside but in between showers I made sure the three baby robins are still safe in their nest (they are), scattered some marigold heads around and on the cabbages to ward off those nasty big green cabbage-eating worms, and made some veggie stock for the celery soup to come.

7:00PM - Lucky for me I was able to get back outside to pick wild raspberries. It wasn't as fun as picking with Mom,

but nevertheless I enjoyed the mindfulness of plucking the dark purple fruit from their thorny vines, careful not to brush up against the stinging nettles. My hunt produced a nice bowl of berries and a peaceful walk through Mom's shade gardens - perhaps Mother Nature's way of making up for the lack of morel mushrooms this spring? I can't tear myself off the back porch, so Hoppy and I did some reading, and he's helping me type these words. But the time continues to fly, so I'm heading in to take a bath and find some veggies from the organic garden to eat. It's been a good day.

10:00PM – And if that wasn’t enough, I had homemade cherry pie and homemade ice cream for dessert. Good night.

Roasted Root Vegetables with Dill

Any combination of root vegetables will work in this easy recipe. Carrots, potatoes and beets pair naturally with dill. Fennel, turnips…. whatever suits your fancy! Feel free to go solo with just one root, too.

TIME 1 hour plus, mostly roasting time
SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS
2-3 medium carrots, peeled (or scrubbed if organic) and cut diagonally into 1 inch rounds
2 medium red onions, chopped into 2 inch pieces
2 small beets, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 small potatoes, turnips, fennel bulbs or other root vegetable, peeled if necessary and chopped into 2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 heaping tablespoons chopped fresh dill
6-7 cloves garlic, still in their skins (optional)

PREPARATION
• Preheat oven to 425°.
• Combine all vegetables in shallow baking pan. I like to use a rimmed baking sheet.
• Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons dill.
• Roast uncovered for 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven, stir, sprinkle with remaining dill, and place garlic on baking sheet.
• Return to oven and roast for another 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and browned.