TastyDesign

The Cinnamon Peeler

Certainly this is one of my favorite poems...Love how nicely it expresses the way love lingers on the body, even away from the loved one. And yes, wouldn't it be marvelous to go about smelling like chocolate? Scrumptious. The Cinnamon Peeler, by Michael Ondaatje

If I were a cinnamon peeler I would ride your bed And leave the yellow bark dust On your pillow. Your breasts and shoulders would reek You could never walk through markets without the profession of my fingers floating over you. The blind would stumble certain of whom they approached though you might bathe under rain gutters, monsoon. Here on the upper thigh at this smooth pasture neighbor to you hair or the crease that cuts your back. This ankle. You will be known among strangers as the cinnamon peeler's wife. I could hardly glance at you before marriage never touch you --your keen nosed mother, your rough brothers. I buried my hands in saffron, disguised them over smoking tar, helped the honey gatherers... When we swam once I touched you in the water and our bodies remained free, you could hold me and be blind of smell. you climbed the bank and said this is how you touch other women the grass cutter's wife, the lime burner's daughter. And you searched your arms for the missing perfume and knew what good is it to be the lime burner's daughter left with no trace as if not spoken to in the act of love as if wounded without the pleasure of a scar. You touched your belly to my hands in the dry air and said I am the cinnamon Peeler's wife. Smell me.

Her Ambition

This poem was written in 1929, when the only comfort that was offered the farmer was to take a tip from the housekeepers, adjust himself to the changed conditions and regulate his produce accordingly.

People were consuming food for their own pleasure or profit, regardless of whether it meant ruin or prosperity for some one else.

Her Ambition

by Earl D. Van Deman

Some sculpture dreams in marble blocks,

And some in fancy's words of fire,

And some their inner souls unlock

With soothing music's  raimbow lyre;

While others make, in piles of stone,

Cathedrals, castels, halls of state

Ambition's refuge, grand but lone.

My heart desires no fame so great.

I'd rather mix an "angel cake"

Than model, sing or pen a book.

My dreams within a loaf I bake:

I'd rather be my husband's cook.

The Barf Diet dit it!

Today I read an excellent article (Fixing an Epileptic Pug, by Bob Wallace) and was very happy to learn that I am not the only one feeding my dogs good, healthy, fresh food. Not the horrible kibble most of the people feed their beloved pets, not knowing they are actually making them sick.

I am quoting this paragraph from the BARF website:

"BARF is an acronym for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food and also stands for Bones And Raw Food. Other apt terms include evolutionary diet, natural diet and species appropriate diet. Every living animal requires a biologically appropriate diet. If you think about it, not one animal on earth is adapted by evolution to eat a cooked food diet. This means our BARF World diet is exactly what we should be feeding to our pets."

Actually, we -humans- will all be healthy IF we put ourselves on this kind of diet. BUT, to tell you the truth I do not feel like eating raw liver and bones every day! So, to make sure WE are eating the best, I do all my shopping selecting always the freshest and more colorful fruits, vegetables and meats.

The raw food principle is not new. Some groups have tried for many many years to educate US about nutrition. One of my favorite is The Weston A. Price Foundation, with their -Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts- magazine. They are a GREAT source of knowledge.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Melissa

P.S. Take a look at this photo album and meet my two beloved companions: Silky-Lu (weimaraner) and Hannibal (basset hound). They BARF every day and love it!

Breaking Eggs and Making Omelet's

This article was sent to me by a friend sometime ago...I do not know where it was published originally, but it is very good and thought would help many of you out there going though a situation like this.

Have a tasty day! Melissa

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By Michael Masterson

What do you do when you discover that an employee or colleague has been badmouthing you?

An example:

Several years ago (over the course of six months), I reduced Ellen's responsibilities (and job title). Although she had many excellent qualities, she was someone who saw business as a struggle for personal power rather than a struggle toward a common goal -- which is not the way a good leader should think. On top of that, we had different ideas about the way a major project should be handled.

But since Ellen was very strong in some ways (a hard worker, passionate, tough, and motivated), I didn't want to fire her. Instead, I finagled the business until I could create an important job that she could excel at.

Although we never talked about it, I felt that she understood what I tried to do. That seemed like a reasonable expectation, since I had simplified her job, focused her attention on work she could do well, and maintained her income level even though her work load was considerably reduced. All subsequent communications from her were as positive as ever, so I decided that the transition had, indeed, gone well.

I was wrong. As it turned out, she didn't like it at all. And she expressed her bad feelings in very strong terms in several memos sent to a few colleagues.

Those memos made their way back to me. And I was shocked to see how she felt.

My first reaction was, "After all the time and effort I spent trying to find a new job for her! I should have just fired her!"

But I got over that and eventually came back to the idea that I always come to when I hear that someone's been talking negatively about me behind my back: You can't pay attention to what people say about you when you are not present.

There are three reasons:

1. They are venting -- so much of what they are saying is exaggerated. (Have you ever said anything about anyone that was exaggerated?)

2. That which is heartfelt at the moment may be temporary. (Think about how your opinion about certain colleagues has changed over the years.)

3. Most of what is heartfelt and permanent doesn't affect you. It's just talk.

So don't worry about what people say behind your back. It is mostly a reflection of how powerless they feel. Focus on doing what you think is best and hope that your detractors will come around to seeing the wisdom of your ways.

If you want to succeed, you must learn to be a leader. Leadership implies change. Change involves fear and loss. When fear and loss are present, resentment is commonplace. Blame too.

So steel yourself against resentment, because it is the price you pay for making

things better.

If you do get word that there are grumblings against you, pay them no mind. Don't make the mistake of thinking it might be better to confront the offender. You'll only make matters worse. Instead, continue focusing on your common business goal, as opposed to your relationship, and hope the emotional bruises heal. If the grumbler's productivity decreases measurably, you can probably conclude things will go from bad to worse. In such a situation, it's advisable to dismiss him.

But if you can get the relationship back on track, chances are it will be a good one.