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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
August 2, 2006
/ 8 Menachem-Av, 5766
Gardening is in the journey
By
Tad Bartimus
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I subscribe to six gardening magazines, and not one of them shows mosquitoes and slugs in paradise. None tells me how to chase a self-propelled lawn mower across the yard. There are no pictures of allergic rashes or rusted tools.
I like arranging the flowers and eating the food I grow. I don't like most of the scratchy, sweaty, sticky effort it takes to make that happen. I don't like my arthritic knees kneeling on rocky ground, broken fingernails, my farmer's tan, split-end hair, stinky armpits and grimy feet. Show me a weed-free garden and I'll show you a gardener who either has a lot of hired help or is a sunburned, chigger-chewed masochist without a social life between planting and harvest.
Alas, in this peak of the growing season, when hard work is supposed to pay off at the table, I am buying most of my produce because, once again, fruit flies drilled my tomatoes, the sweet corn had worms, the lettuce was lunch for slugs and grasshoppers decimated the cucumbers.
I have an altruistic friend who says, "Plant lots so there's plenty to go around." I did, but the pests called their relatives and said, "Come on down!" Hardly a leaf or stalk is still standing.
When I set out dishes full of beer to kill the slugs, all they did was get drunk. When I sprinkled hot red pepper on the salad greens, the nibblers murmured "yummy." Even my sweet onions weren't.
The local senior center sells three kinds of fresh greens in a big bag for $3. A neighbor's sugar-snap peas are unblemished, crunchy and cheap; another's cherry tomatoes are so sweet they pass for dessert. Why bother growing my own? Maybe next year I won't.
Except today I note proudly that my two kinds of healthy sweet potatoes are scaling the fence to invade my neighbor's yard. And maybe my grapevine will yield this year; can homemade wine be far behind? I just savored a banana from the bunch my husband hung to ripen on the porch hook.
Glossy gardening magazines promise that if I give plants nourishment, water, a little attention and plenty of time to run their course, they'll offer up the expected reward. Except for interference from critters, that's true.
Such is not always the case with humans.
Oh, we get plenty of supersized eats, and so far there's enough water to go around. Though most of us could use more attention, we make do with what we get. It's that "running our course" that too often gets shortchanged. But not today.
Today, as I thin out weak plants, fertilize strong ones and prune overachievers ruthlessly, I surrender my conscious mind to the rhythm of clipping, pulling and digging. My pulse slows, my mind wanders, I get in sync with my natural surroundings. I notice fluttering butterflies, watch a ladybug crawl up my arm, marvel at a dragonfly's ability to hover.
These simple pursuits are more valuable to me than the beets I can grow, and the real reason I garden. There's so little nature left that when we make time to find it, that's "running our course," a worthy end in itself.
To condo and townhouse dwellers, a single pot of tended parsley on a back deck counts as much as a homeowner's half acre of perfectly mulched raised beds. We know radishes and green onions are plentiful at Safeway, but what really matters is whether we gardeners have dirty fingernails and a faraway look in our eyes.
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Angry at myself for being afraid
Summer travel not for the squeamish
© 2006, NEA
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