All-in-one Postcard!

I received a post card in the mail last week! It is always a treat to get something that is not a bill or an advertisement or a necessary piece of correspondence, but this was particularly exciting because it contained all three elements of my blog title: Food, Art, and Flora!

Below is the postcard:

Now, I will admit, this is an odd sort of picture, yet perfect for me! In case you are not certain about the elements I have labeled below... Food in the form of chiles. Art in the form of painted mailboxes. Flora in the form of the wreath and paintings of plants on the mailboxes.

Dear friend, thank you for thinking of me and sending the postcard!

Art and Resistance.

I am reading a book right now called "The War of Art", by Steven Pressfield. It is about overcoming the blocks that prevent us from doing the creative work we feel called to do. The following section significantly altered the way I look at resistance, so I thought I would share it with you.

In some ways I think this is like breaking through a big brick wall. 

Resistance and Love

Resistance is directly proportional to love. If you're feeling massive Resistance, the good news is, it means there's tremendous love there too. If you didn't love the project that is terrifying you, you wouldn't feel anything. The opposite of love isn't hate; it's indifference.
The more Resistance you experience, the more important your unmanifested art/project/enterprise is to you - and the more gratification you will feel when you finally do it.

Where does the time go???

What happens to a blog when you work way too many hours? What happens when you are training for a marathon and the mileage has suddenly ramped up significantly? What happens when you get home from work and all you want to do is crawl into bed and sleep? What happens when you have a gazillion-mizmillion ideas you want to write about, but cannot seem to make the time to put anything to paper?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing happens.

You look back and there are no entries. The photos you took three weeks ago are still waiting to be formatted for the web. The fizzmillion ideas you have are still floating in your head, bumping up against the other thoughts about work and cleaning the toilets and doing laundry and paying the bills and checking on your family and getting your oil changed and... You get the idea.

My commitment to you, wonderful reader, is to post something at least once a week. It will continue to involve food or art or flora, but it may be less about my exploration in those areas and more about some of these thoughts bumping around in my head.

I would appreciate any feedback (positive or constructive) on what you have enjoyed about these postings, if you have learned anything, and what you would like to see more of on here. In the same vein, if something just doesn't work for you, please let me know about that as well.

I have enjoyed writing these posts and watching this space evolve. I look forward to further posting and exploration and appreciate any and all feedback from you!

Thanks!

My Favorite Tomato Sauce

Have you ever had one of those days when you get home from work and it's late. You still have to workout, so being the committed health-nut you are, you do your workout... and now it's later. You are hungry and want to eat, but know that whatever you decide to cook, it's going be even later when you sit down to eat. And on top of that, whatever you make will have to be cleaned at the end. What to do???

Enter: my favorite tomato sauce recipe. In the amount of time it takes to boil water and make pasta I can make this sauce from scratch and throw together a quick and easy salad. Ta-dah! Healthy and tasty dinner, done in about 20 minutes (and the dish load is 2 pots, 1 cutting board, 1 knife, and the bowls you are eating in along with silverware).

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil 
• 4-6 garlic cloves, chopped 
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 4-6 ripe tomatoes, chopped 
• 4-6 fresh basil leaves, chopped 
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• Pasta of your choice (follow directions on the package)

Directions                                                    

1. Follow the directions for your chosen pasta and start the water boiling in a sauce pan, once the water is ready add the pasta, cook as directed, drain and set aside if the sauce is not ready yet 
2. Meanwhile, in a separate sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium-hi heat 
3. Add the chopped onions and garlic - cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally (about 4 minutes) 
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, cover and let cook, stirring occasionally (about 8-10 minutes) 
5. Add the chopped basil, salt and pepper to taste 
6. Serve the pasta, drenched in fresh tomato sauce and enjoy! 

Options

• Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese or a few more pieces of fresh basil 
• Instead of tomatoes - consider making the sauce with yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli, spinach or any other tasty vegetable combination
• While the sauce is simmering and the pasta is boiling chop up a quick and easy fresh salad to pair with the meal

Giving.

Saw a billboard while I was out running today that gave me pause...

When it comes to giving, some people stop at nothing. 

Think about it.

Art. Lost between Food and Flora.

I look back over the last few months and note there have not been too many postings about Art; I have been much more focused on Food and Flora. I have decided it is time to change that trend.

Some would say that the fields of gardening and cooking, and their subsequent explorations, are art in their own right, and I would not argue with this statement. Growing and tending plants is not just about soil, sun and water; there is definitely an art to their cultivation. Cooking is similar to starting with a blank canvas, but instead of paints, I start with garlic, onions, olive oil, then combine them together, hoping to make something artfully delicious. 

The word 'art' has many definitions; I found sixteen in the dictionary. I happened to like the sixteenth best. It defined art as "science, learning and scholarship." That of course got me thinking about what do each of those words mean and what does that mean for a definition of 'art'?

• Science is a "knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation." (second definition out of seven)
• Learning is "to acquire knowledge, mastery or understanding by study or experience." (first definition out of three)
• And finally, scholarship is "learning or knowledge acquired by study." (first definition of four)

So what does all this mean?

Based on the definition of art being science, learning and scholarship I see the following results:

• Art is about knowledge
• Art involves observation and experimentation
• Art is about understanding a subject through experience (possibly observation or experimentation) 
• Art is about learning

I think the last part is the most important, ART IS ABOUT LEARNING.

Art is not just about the artist learning about the subject matter and mastering it. It is also about the artist helping others learn about their subject. It is about sharing knowledge and a unique point of view, based on observations and experiments.

If art is about knowledge and learning, and the learning is not just for the artist, but the audience as well, I think then, there are two additional statements that help shape my definition of art:

• Art is about teaching
• Art can change the world through the sharing of knowledge

Everyone practices art, whether painting or writing or acting or singing or cooking or gardening or sewing or crafting or speaking or something else entirely. The art that you practice is a way for you to interact with the world and share your mastery and your point of view.

How does your art change the world?

Definitions from Websters Dictionary.

Succulents can bloom!

I had no idea the succulents I recently planted (and a few not so recently) could flower! Apparently they are quite content in their new surroundings. I am seeing a plethora of new growth, flowers and (I swear) smiling plants. Alright, maybe it's just me smiling because I finally have low maintenance, happy growing plants.

Check out the happy new growth!

Space Rocks is one of two plants that survived last year's foray into the world of gardening. It limped through last year, then found itself in a new pot, in a new spot and voila.... it gets flowers! It is still one of the strangest looking plants I have ever seen... I don't think the new flowers do anything to change this opinion.

Look at this plant... how can you NOT think it's smiling??? I love happy plants!

More flowers.

Thanks and happy gardening!!