Earth Day

    

     Earth day is every day, for us anyway. We take great pains to recycle, cut down waste, and live as organically as possible. We don't do this because we're trying to prove anything. We do it because it matters, to us and everyone. If you're waiting for "the other guy" to care about your environment for you, you'll be waiting a long time.

     Take charge of your life and how you live in your world. Use today as a spring board. Start something you've been meaning to start. Start making laundry soap, log on and sign up for Garbage  to Garden composting, start planning out your garden and then just roll with it.

I promise it will make you feel empowered, it will make you feel like a contributing member of our world and it will make you feel good!

Good Luck!

Simple City Sam

Bougainvillea

     It's not terribly fragrant, but ever since I was small, living in the Caribbean, it has been one of my favorite flowers. It is simple in appearance, yet complex in structure, beautiful, yet rugged. It is also one of a few 13-letter words in the English language, I think that's pretty cool. All in all, I'm very happy to have so much of it around!

Simple City Sam

Anxious

     I am here, at my brother's beautiful home, in complete quiet, watching the sky gently fade from it's deep darkness to a beautiful soft brightness. The melodies of various birds are beginning to fill the air along with a gentle breeze. It's only 5:30 am but I've been up for hours now. No, it's not jet lag. I'm a mom for crying out loud- the only species other than cats that can fall asleep instantly, anywhere, anytime, in almost any position. It's because we're all anxiously waiting to hear if we'll get to meet our newest family member soon.

     I'm trying to be patient, but as many of you know that's not my strong suit. So, I'm trying to do something that is my strong suit: keeping things simple and maybe bringing in a little unexpected happiness. Let's be real new parents are on cloud nine so my "little happiness" will go un-notice...or at least I sort of hope so.

     I've been puttering around all morning. I've taken out the trash, washed the dishes, and counters, taken the dogs out, made some tea, planned a few dinners, made a grocery list...blogged. Anything to keep myself busy. I am doing this because their house is a mess? Absolutely not, in fact it is far from it. The home is tidy, clean, and shows a family with respect for themselves and their neighbors lives here. Rather, I need something to occupy my time.

     I mean really, how many of you are moms or dads? Was taking out the trash or washing a few straggling dishes top of your "to do" list? It sure wasn't on mine when my babies were brand new! Those were the things that would actually put more pressure on me. Why couldn't I maintain my home as I had been? Why did I somehow not even notice that the dog was "crossing his legs" in a plea for piddling? Because I had a bigger mission, a more engulfing mission. I was a new mom. It didn't mean I was neglecting my other responsibilities (or pets) I just meant I was trying to be the best mom I could be, and that's a hell of a learning curve you've got to fight there!

     So I will continue to putter, and I will make a few dinners when they get home, and usher friends and neighbors away politely and nonchalantly when I see the new parents getting overwhelmed but are too warm and wonderful to ask for space. Heck, I'm even going to explore this beautiful island pseudo-solo (I do know and love my sis-in-law's family too) whether they ask for space or not.

     That's part of the happy, simple plan. Make it easy for them without them even knowing it. I don't want to add to their new stress levels by making them feel like I thought their home was unkempt, or they somehow were in dire need of me. They are more than capable to handle all of it, but that would defeat the whole purpose. Believe it or not sometimes anonymity in kindness can be even more rewarding!

Wish them luck, and I'll keep you posted!

Simple City Sam

Local Eats

     My favorite part of traveling is food! Ok, that's my favorite part of any place. But, seriously I love trying local favorites and something new. Brother and his beautiful wife brought me to Shiro's, on Oahu. They make, what he related to me-the novice- as really fancy ramen. It was accurate but didn't really give this meal  justice. There were over 100 menu items and over 50 sai min noodles combinations. I went with veggie with hot and spicy broth and it was freaking amazing! I brought more of it home than I ate and I left stuffed! Perfectly cooked noodles, tofu, tomato egg, mushrooms, cabbage and more in a deliciously delicate broth. I NEED this at home.

I can see why it is one of their favorite places, as well as a Hawaiian institution!

Simple City Sam

Getting Through Security

At this point we all know to wear easily removed shoes and have our IDs in hand. But now that "carry on" bags about as big as a 12 year old, security can still be a pain. Here's a tip. Keep 2 small plastic containers. One for the jewelry you're taking with you. The other empty, for you to put your personal items in prior to the security line. Be proactive! Also keep all your liquids (all 3 oz each) in a clear Ziploc bag. They all need to he inspected this way now, so cut them off at the pass and save yourself some time.

No mess, no hassle.

Simple City Sam

Strawberry Syrup, Simple

     Organic strawberries were on sale this week so I took advantage. I could tell they weren't all going to make it too long. I wanted to do something different than just freezing them, which is what I would normally do, so I opted for a fresh simple syrup...sort of. Simple syrups (often found in cocktails) are made with equal parts sugar and water. It is heated on a stove to a boil until all sugar is dissolved. Then it cools and can be used in a variety of ways. They are also very easy to infuse, as you can toss in just about anything during the boiling/dissolving period.

 

     I went for more of a "sweated" strawberry sauce. It involves far less effort, if possible. Halve the strawberries.

 

     This is quite easy when you have someone ever-eager to practice her knife skills.

 

     I know child labor is "illegal" and "unfair" but in this house I'm all for it. 

 

 

 

 

     Add half a cup of sugar, raw sugar ill work too it will just take longer to break down.

 

 

     Gently mix together.

 

 

     She's got good form!

 

 

 

     Go ahead, I dare you not to steal one.

 

 

     Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. As the added sugar and the natural sugars in the berries begin to break down the plastic wrap will keep all of the goodness locked in and the strawberries will essentially sweat themselves.

 

 

     Ours actually sat for close to 48 hours before we used it. We poured it over homemade banana "ice cream", pumpkin bread pudding, and I added some to a cocktail (or two).

 

 

 

     So yummy! The berries were juicy and soft and the syrup was perfect!

 

It's hard to go wrong with strawberries and sugar.

Simple City Sam

Pineapple Currently In Progress

      We heard about being able to plant your own pineapple just from the crown of a whole pineapple. I checked it out online (go here for the best info I've found) and sure enough, "they" say it can be done. So I decide it would be a great experiment for the girls. This is a long haul process and won't actually fruit for another two years, even if we do it right, according to my research.

 

 

     Pop the top (the crown) off the pineapple. Cut and store the pineapple as you would with any of your prepped produce.

 

 

 

     Remove some of the leaves from the stem; go about an inch up before you stop.

 



 

     Skewer that baby and put it in a small cup with water. A lot of the pieces I read about this process suggested using toothpicks in the sides of the pineapple to support it. I have no idea how that would work, those pineapple crowns are rugged! We used corn on the cob picks and they worked like a charm! Freshen and/or change the water regularly and keep in direct sunlight.

 

 

     After about two weeks we had some great roots starting to show.

 

 

 

 

     We let it go for a total of about 3 weeks and then planted it on one of the first beautifully sunny days we had all season. It's always better to plant, even if in a pot, outdoors. It can just be so messy especially if children are involved...and mine always are.

 

 

     A nice sized pot with proper drainage is needed. We will end up re-potting further down the line but it's still important for it to have plenty of room now. 

 

 

     Gently plant up to the leaves and, again, keep in direct sunlight. As always, many hands make light work.

 

 

 

     Water weekly for about the next 2 years is what I've read. So we will go from here. Wish us luck and I'll keep you posted periodically. I'm also going to try for a visit to a pineapple field while visiting Hawai'i, maybe I can get some inspiration for the journey. I'll let you know how that goes too!

 

 

Until then, we'll just continue with our pineapple currently in progress.

 

Simple City Sam