A few weeks ago, after a brief but very intense snowburst, I was hiking up a steep incline. The snow had left a thin sheet of spotty ice on the trail, with patches of dirt showing through here and there. As I crept my way up the hill avoiding the ice and searching for the safe dry patches were I could get my footing, I realized that this was exactly how my life felt as of late… climbing a slippery slope and looking for the dry earth amidst the ice on which to stand.

So here I am standing on a small but rocky patch of ground, trying to get my bearings…

I have spent a large part of the past month preparing to go to the BTD gathering on Samos in Greece. I am thrilled, excited, and honored to be attending and can‘t wait to meet all those lovely BTDer‘s on the other side of the water. I will also be taking the IfHI certification exam while there… wish me luck! Getting my work in order to leave has been challenging as this is part of our busy season. Plus my son graduates from high school one week after I return and relatives galore are descending for that one. April was busy but what a whirlwind May will be!!

In the realm of eating… I went to an awards luncheon and what was on the menu?… of course… chicken and tomatoes. It is always chicken and tomatoes… why is that?? I know… it’s cheap and easy to prepare. No matter… I’ve been to enough of these events to know I will always be assaulted with chicken. So I just eat lunch before hand and nibble on the salad… which ends up being a mighty expensive salad I must say…

And yesterday, in my little health food store, I found some organic, non-homogenized whole milk… with chunks of cream in it even!! I was thrilled! It would be even better if it wasn’t pasteurized, but I think one must have a Jersey cow in the backyard for that option.

But the taste… oh the taste was beyond compare… plus a smooth, velvety texture. Comfort food extraordinaire. If you have the chance to try some… you must. I am not a big cow’s milk fan, and I almost never drink cow’s milk, but I could finish off a half gallon of this milk in no time. Unfortunately, I must be careful with milk consumption at present so I treat this as a special splurge. And I think I will make some maple-egg custard and vanilla bean rice pudding as a send-off treat for myself.

Time for some Carole King too...