More On The Possibility Of Goulash

A chill in the air, fall coming and time too take a pic of the firewood waiting to bring warmth.
A chill in the air, fall coming and time too take a pic of the firewood waiting to bring warmth.

I switched those words around didn’t I? Maybe it is Moreons In The Goulash or The Possibility Of More Goulash. I’m getting confused here. I think what I am shooting for is More On The Goulash Of Possibilities. Yea, that’s it.

Our Jennifer had this conversation yesterday while we walked sparked by our visit to the neighbor with the cancer hobby. He left an impression on us with his methodical manner in finding his way down his walk using building blocks of logic. These are my words. Jennifer was analyzing his method and trying to find parts and hints for her own thinking for her own walk.

All this sparked some words from my thinking which I have been rethinking and mulling over since. Somehow my thinking is less logical, precise, scientific. I tend to work off my gut, my instincts, my intuition. My right brain straining against the harness wanting to go to work. So in that realm what do I come up with?

I tend to gather broad landscapes and try to boil them down to their essence.
All mechanisms have a central underlying idea. Getting to that and understanding it and ultimately putting the concept to use seems a way, a method, a guiding principle. Sometimes I find a part of something that seems to explain the whole. Maybe like finding a table of contents to a book will give you a pretty good idea what is going on. Yea, so?

Well we were talking about the phenomenon of cancer and our ability to deal with it on a personal level. Personal is the keyword here. That is how I am viewing my Cancer lately. It is very very personal to me now. It does not have to do with anything external to me. It’s all mine, every single cell. It’s my own body run amuck, a loose cannon, an onboard fire. Somehow I created it, caused it, encouraged it, kept it going. I did? I did.

That’s mysterious. Just why would I do that? I don’t know the answer to that but realizing that I did so much to put me in this particular situation may mean that I also have some room and ability to start to heal from the inside out so to speak. In other words if I have the ability to move in one direction maybe I should stop and see if I can move it the opposite direction. What would that look like or mean? Does that make any sort of sense?

When I look at the goulash of possibilities in the area of cancer cure presented to me I glaze over. There are so many and they mostly seem plausible and on top of that they seem to have a certain amount of success individually. How can one choose in this goulash of treatment ideas? And how come they all seem to have a certain amount of success that keeps the idea alive? Is just sitting still and smiling also in the goulash?

Somehow I am guessing that the individual, the cancer hobbyist, is a big factor in all these equations. His or her very personal makeup, energy, thinking, being, fear, is the center of gravity around which the other factors revolve and are influenced by. I’m on thin ice here but there is something going on and I am hot on the trail of it.

Oops, time to go walk and get to Ronsavalles on Phil’s Camino. Thanks for putting up with me and my half baked goulash, love, Felipe.

A Goulash Of Possibilities

Weather moving through.
Weather moving through.

Yea, a phrase used by Our Catharine at tapas today. Nice huh? It was a heavy duty tapas with no need for dinner. Everyone brought amazing contributions to the menu. Sort of a mini Thanksgiving Dinner at the end of August.

Our Catharine and Our Jennifer accompanied me for the walk today and darn it we are just short of Ronsavalles, tomorrow then. It was beautiful with nice weather after the storm. Two people were killed in Western Washington during the storm by falling trees in the last few days.

Yea, the day was a goulash of possibilities. I was booked every minute with something. Catharine went with me to Mass early. Then a visit to my client who I have been repairing a deck. Then Jennifer and I went to visit a neighbor that also has a cancer hobby going, a Commando mission. Then off to an hour with Sister Joyce. Ah, Sister Joyce, what a joy getting my batteries recharged. Then back to walk the Camino clearing the trail through the woods of downed branches as we went. Wasn’t this supposed to be a day of rest?

Just as well that I keep busy. Tuesday I have a scan at the hospital to check on my innards. This is the part of my Cancer Camino that is the hardest for me personally, full of anxiety. I guess I am blessed that it is this minimal, just a few days of anxiety every three months. Yea, could be a lot worse.

Well there you have it, a day in the life of a Cancer Commando. Maybe have a couple of scrambled eggs before bed. Yup, always in your corner, Don Felipe.

Beautiful Rain Today

Ground Zero Vashon.
Ground Zero Vashon.

A stormy day today here on the Island. The trees are bending this way and that. Weather moving through at a fast rate. The power is down so we have the generator fired up. Trying to get the blog out to you where you are, Radio Free Camino.

Met with my Telious Bible Class early this AM and we covered The 10th chapter of Matthew. In the second through the fourth verse my version says: “Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them into the ripe fields. He gave them power to kick out the evil spirits and to tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives. This is the list of the twelve he sent:
Simon (they called him Peter or “Rock”),
Andrew, his brother,
James, Zebedee’s son,
John, his brother,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
Thomas,
Matthew, the tax man,
James, son of Alphaeus,
Thaddeus,
Simon,the Canaanite,
Judas Iscariot (who later turned on him).”
And going back up the list to the third name of James, Zebedee’s son, that is St. James or Santiago in Spanish, who we know and love.

Locally, in the corn news, the field has been harvested of remaining ears to feed a neighbor’s hogs. And I will chop up the stalks with my brush cutter and till that into the soil with the rototiller to get some more organic matter in there. Then a cover crop of rye and red clover goes in for more organic matter. Big fun. Then next spring after the field has a winter of sleep and I am still around we can start the process all over or Wiley can.

Our Anamaria is back in Madrid after spending a week or so on the Camino in between Burgos and Leon. I will try and pry some insights from her when she is ready. We will not rush the Princess.

We here at Phil’s Camino are going down the west side of the Pyrenees and into Roncesvalles. We are terribly slow but maybe things will pick up with cooler weather. It is good to be walking with the Spanish overlay in place as it sparks all kinds of great conversations.

Let me repeat our current walking schedule for you. Please come and walk with us if you find some time and energy.
Monday 0900 – 1000
Tuesday 1600 -1700
Thursday 0900 – 1000
Sunday 1600 -1700.

Well, have to go for now. Check the generator, wrestle with paperwork, look out the window, all that good stuff. Electric loves, Felipe.

A Bowl Of Tomatoes

Thank you.
Thank you.

Just lolling around in the thoughts, feelings and wishes of harvesttime. Just wish it for all mankind. Just remember to be thankful. Just feel rich and be generous. Just find a place of peace. Just…

A Plethora Of Plums

I could just look at sunflowers forever.
I could just look at sunflowers forever.

OK, I’m ensconced in the hammock digesting dinner. We had some chicken sausage from the market but other than that it was food from our garden or neighbors gardens. Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and corn. Man, this is a great time of year for the eats.

And we picked plums this morning and My Rebecca is turning those into jam or conserves or something. Everyone is overloaded with fresh produce and scrambling to find homes for it all. Freezing, canning, drying, giving away is the order of the day.

The clouds are moving in and it looks like we will have a rainy weekend. That’s why I thought that I would check out the hammock maybe for one last time. We are all hoping that some of this rain will reach the wildfires in the inland.

I am having an amazing sense of peace today. I know that Father Tom or Padre Tomas is praying up a storm for Our Jennifer and myself, our Commando Team. He is doing a heck of a job.

Might be a good sunset tonight with the new clouds and the smoke from the wildfires. Beautiful evening. There is supposed to be some visual event happening with Mars and the moon tonight, looking like we have two moons. Can I stay up for that?

Well look, it all seems good at the moment. Hope that you have that peaceful feeling also. Thanks for putting up with me. You are a plum of a love, Felipe.

OK, OK, Here Are The Baby Pix

First spoon hanging, old family tradition.
First spoon hanging, old family tradition.
I got up at 0400 to get our daughter Tesia, son-in- law Ramon and grandson Osian to SeaTac airport this AM. Great visit and a lot of you got to met them. But, in case you didn’t and for all the nurses at the hospital who are always bugging me for baby pictures, here they are:

Father and son.
Father and son.
Osian
Osian
With Tesia at tapas.
With Tesia at tapas.
Osian.
Osian.
Family secret.
Family secret.
applauding for his first corn on the cob
applauding for his first corn on the cob

Well there, you asked for it and you got it. Time for a nap, love, Felipe.

Another Day In Paradise. What To Do?

FOR THE MAGIC FOR THE MAGIC FOR THE MAGIC FOR THE MAGIC FOR THE MAGIC
FOR THE MAGIC FOR THE MAGIC FOR THE MAGIC FOR THE MAGIC FOR THE MAGIC

It’s a common greeting between Vashonites, well, in the good weather of summer. “Another day in paradise” sort of the Buen Camino of our local walk. It becomes more rich as the days of summer become more rare. It’s the end of August now and September can be very beautiful here also but we begin to savor the situation.

Savoring the situation, that’s nice. Why don’t we run with that for a while. I find myself more in this sort of zone as my own personal walk progresses. Glimpses of truth, goodness and beauty become important, vital. Relationships become important. My fellow walkers progress becomes important. Many things have lost there value, their attraction. I find the timeless values of the Camino to be fertile ground for me and others. How fortunate am I, are we, to have stumbled across this jewel after all this time of wandering. Thank you to you St James, companero of the Christ.

Oh me oh my, I’m a fool for you baby. Love, Felipe.

Jennifers To The Rescue

FOR THE MAGIC!!!
FOR THE MAGIC!!!

A multitude of Jennifers are here with us. It seems like more but there are really only two but they are heavy hitters. One is here with me and one is with PFJuan in his network. So I received this work from PFJuan and from His Jennifer. I think she wrote it but I don’t know for sure. But whoever wrote it, well done, you left me in a puddle.

“The fine art of pilgrimage, warm manchego, honey, bread, and red wine, will sustain us through many days. Breaking bread with fellow pilgrims, drinking in views over the Pyrenees, with clinking cattle and sheep bells. Cafe con leche, toast and jam, red table in the sun next to the road, feels like an old Michener novel. End of day climb aching for rest, a gift… a bed at a monastery, next to an open window. A window with a cool night breeze, sleep will come with the hourly church bells, then wake to the crowing roosters. There will be sacrifice and pain and there will be, “WHY am I doing this?”, for the magic, Pilgrim, for the magic! And the pilgrimage continues, we are all just walking each other home. The Way… where the soul meets the road. – Jennifer xo”

“where the soul meets the road”, wow! I’d give my left arm to write stuff like that. Well, I’m sorry to put that piece up without permission but you guys know me well enough by now that nothing much is safe. If I like it and I think that you will like it then it’s on the blog.

“we are all just walking each other home”, how about that?!? I am just overcome with emotion. I haven’t felt this pierced since my reentry days. Our Jennifer and I were talking about this subject today although we used other words. Same day and I am getting hit with both Jennifers.

For the magic, love, Felipe.

Back To The Meseta

Our thoughts and prayers are with Our Anamaria as she navigates the  wide dry plain in August.  She sent these two pics to us.  The pic of the sunset, gorgeous.  And all those trees in one spot, probably three quarters of all the trees for a hundred miles.

The end of the day on the Meseta.
             The end of the day on the Meseta.

Then Anamaria sends this pic entitled, “The decorated feet of a peregrina”.   Ah, yes, our stigmata as Mary Margaret used to say.   It’s a thing of beauty really, in the sense that the pain is a certain gateway or portal to further understanding.  We know that Anamaria is really working it now.   We think of you.  We pray for you, Our Anamaria and your fellow pilgrims.

Medals of Honor.
                             Medals of Honor.

We are doing some more filming today for the documentary and it is time to work on that.  St. James is afoot, love your blisters and scars, Felipe.

Back to Corn

Here is a post that I owe you for yesterday.  It was Jennifer ‘s birthday and we gave her a canoe ride and My Rebecca made a plum pie birthday cake.   Here is a couple of pics and then the basic sweet corn ice cream recipe that Jennifer dug up somewhere.  We are thinking it needs salt and butter flavor so we are still playing with it.

Jennifer with her birthday pie.
               Jennifer with her birthday pie.

 

Birthday card with great old school canoe graphics.
Birthday card with great old school canoe graphics.

Sweet Corn Ice Cream

2 ears corn
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
1. Set a box grater in a large bowl. Using the large holes, grate corn kernels (and their “milk”) off the cobs. Discard cobs.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, milk, and corn. Bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk sugar and egg yolks until pale and thick. When cream mixture reaches a simmer, slowly ladle 1/2 cup of it into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Repeat with another 1/2-cup ladleful. Reduce heat to low, whisk warmed egg mixture into saucepan, and cook, whisking, until mixture thickens a bit, about 5 minutes.

3. Pour mixture into a medium bowl, stir in vanilla, cover with plastic wrap (letting the wrap sit directly on the mixture’s surface), and chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

4. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight plastic container and freeze up to overnight.

 

Our Cancer Camino takes us back into Seattle today to the hospital and then to a visit with Sister Joyce.   That is always fun and productive.   OK, off to our day, love you, Felipe.