Camera Critters 53

Starting a new year of Camera Critters!

Teddy is back.
This was his original *condo*.
He loved playing in it when he was a kitten.
Then, he got too big.
Or we thought he was too big!
We never threw it away even though we got a new condo
for Teddy (Theodorable) and the kitlets.

He looks so sweet and innocent.

He is so funny *getting in*. He enters the top with
his little tail end sticking out ... sort of wriggles ...
and next thing we know ... there he is ...
all curled up in the bottom.
Happy!

Hope everyone is Happy today!
Have a beautiful weekend.
Happy Easter!
Happy Spring!

Potpourri

Here's the Friday Journal Page. I think it says it all. Everyone needs to "Take Five" every now and then! I had a great time putting this page together and I finally used some napkins that Sharon sent to me back in December. Better late than never. The wrinkled feet are because my journal book is wrinkled. That's okay. I'm wrinkled, too!

Sharon is doing some videos now. You can find her on YouTube.
I did want to share this video from her blog on the use of napkins.
This is part one.

I'm getting ready for summer with lots of "brain candy". Abby Cooper: Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie falls under brain candy and fun. In the first book of the series, Abby's work as a psychic intuitive can be very rewarding but when a client winds up dead it seems that Abby may know too many details about the murder for her own good. She doesn't know if she can solve the case, but the killer thinks she can! This was a fast and fun read. There are at least five more in this series and Laurie has another "ghost busting" series. Between Miss Julia from last week and the Laurie books, I think I can stock up with some brain candy for summer!



A Lifetime of Peace: Essential Writings by and about Thich Nhat Hanh Edited by Jennifer Schwamm Willis is a whole different kind of brain candy. This is at least the fourth time I've read this book. I sit down and read a chapter ... put it down for awhile ... pick it up again ... read another chapter. You get the idea. I learn something every time I read it. I guess you could say it is one of my favorite books.

This book draws on dozens of sources to collect the very best writing by and about Thich Nhat Hanh. It is both a political and spiritual handbook which encompasses all of Thich Nhat Hanh's major themes—mindfulness, love, truth, compassion, and peace on earth. This collection not only presents Hanh's writing about his experiences during the Vietnam War and excerpts from his journals, but also subjects such as his advice for those entering into meditation practice and his unique insights into Buddhist and Christian theology. A Lifetime of Peace is an examination of the nature of peace—both as an inner state of being and as a real condition in the world.

Hope your Friday has been inspiring and beautiful and your
weekend is the same!

Tuesday Tribute

Last week was my first Tuesday Tribute. This week I would like to pay Tribute to my local farmer's market that just happens to be open on Tuesday. Today I will venture out a few blocks from my home, over to Rice University, where I will pick up a dozen fresh eggs from Dustin. His hens are free range, no drugs and delicious. Last week I picked up fresh strawberries and a small bouquet of flowers -- fresh picked, all with no insecticides ... no drugs! This market and the other four in town, have more than veggies ... cheese of all types, handmade soaps, grass fed beef, chicken. There is even a nice gentleman who shows up in his RV who will sharpen knifes. One stop shopping! Here's a look and a little history about "my" farmers market.

The Houston Farmers Market at Onion Creek on Saturday mornings was the first to open in Houston. Dedicated to providing a meeting place where farmer could meet consumer, the market has been a landmark in the Heights and the inspiration for the growth of markets around the Houston area. In 2007, Rice University invited the Houston Farmers Market to move its second location, a Tuesday afternoon market in Rice Village, to the more spacious and easily accessible parking lot adjacent to Rice Stadium on Rice campus.

Throughout the years the goal of the markets has remained the same: to make locally grown food available to as many consumers as possible, thereby providing a growing marketplace for local farmers and producers and a thriving meeting place for the community. Almost all of the food sold at the Houston Farmers Market has been done so sustainably, maintaining all the nutritional benefits (not to mention the flavor) without the health and environmental costs of artificial fertilizers and pesticides.

How's this? A Bakery just for dogs! It must be good.

There are always dogs here with wagging tails.

These are the flowers I bought last week.

Still going strong.

Sorry! The strawberries are long gone. Delish!

If anyone needs convincing as to why shopping at a farmers market is a good thing, here are a few of the reasons:

1. Local food tastes better. It is fresher and has been ripened in the field rather than in a shipping container.

2. Local food is better for you. The shorter the time between field and table, the fewer the nutrients lost.

3. Local food preserves bio-diversity. Large scale farming uses a limited number of varieties of plants and animals to maximize uniformity and shelf life. Local farms often grow a greater variety of plants and animals that are well suited to local conditions.

4. Local food has a smaller carbon footprint. Buying organic produce may seem like it would be better for the environment but it can actually have a negative impact due to the use of diesel fuels in hauling it long distances. Local farmers and ranchers travel relatively short distances to bring what they grow to you.

5. Local food supports local families. Local farmers sell directly to their customers, cutting out the middleman and enabling them to support themselves by what they grow. It also means that local dollars stay within the community and have three times the impact on the local economy.

(Source: "With an Ear to the Ground", Vern Grubinger)

That's my Tuesday Tribute.
Here's to my local farmers market.
A great big thank you to everyone who takes part.
I bet there's one in your area.
Try it, you'll like it!

Sunday Morning

"People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle.
But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth.
Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize:
a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child --
our own two eyes.
All is a miracle."

~ Thich Nhat Hanh