International Day of Peace

International Day of Peace is a big event in Ajo due to one woman's efforts, Mimi Phillips. This year I contributed little to the effort as my focus has been creating peace in my own mind. But Jasmine and I helped paint the Peace Day mural last month and I helped with the solar oven demo yesterday and today I spent an hour and half painting children's faces at an after-school festival. I was reluctant to go and wished I hadn't committed to it but once I got started I loved it and wouldn't have missed it for the world. Painting faces is an intimate experience and I enjoyed getting to know some of Ajo's children a bit better.

The Peace Parade started from the after-school festival at the school and wound its way to the Plaza. The parade included several large peace doves and many desert creatures. Groups from Sonoita, Mexico and the Tohono O'odham nation participated.

Kenya Masala, who later led a drum circle with 200 drums, leading a group

in front of a giant peace dove from the O'odham Nation.

Women from Sonoita, Mexico carrying a headress later used in by a

high school Aztec Dance group from Sonoita.

A desert tortoise

Crows in the shadow of a giant peace dove.

Upon arriving at the plaza a festival commenced. Jasmine's Folklorico group danced.


Other acts included Native American Basket Dancers, an amazing Aztec dancing by a group from the high school in Sonoita (the little town across the border in Mexico), a community drumming circle, the high school band from Sonoita, and a Hispanic musical group. And through it all wandered stiltwalkers from Flam Chen, out of Tuscon.

Flam Chen stiltwalkers

The evening ended on a perfectly peaceful note. Our local utility company is replacing and moving waterlines in our part of town and last week the construction crew came through our yard. One of the workers enjoyed our garden telling me it reminded him of his grandfather's garden in Mexico. He wanted to give me some heirloom seeds from that garden. Tonight as we left the festival he ran up to let me know he had left some seeds for me in my mailbox.

Heirloom seeds from Mexico--Fava beans and some sort of pea

Grandma's Birthday

The celebration for grandma's birthday started last night. We stayed up late playing 10 Days in Europe. Grandma hadn't had a chance to play yet and was eager to so we all played together into the night.

Jasmine decided to make Challah for her grandma for her birthday. While waiting for the preparations to begin, she made Matzo based on something she had watched on a Holidays for Children movie (Passover and Hanukkah) the other day. She's fascinated with Old Testament History esp David since we watched a few of the Bible Collection movies. I am reading the Rebecca books to her. Rebecca is the newest American Girl to come out. She is a child of Russian Jewish immigrant parents living on the Lower East Side in New York City in 1914. So of course Jazz is exploring all things Jewish.

Making Matzo

Then Jazz and I got busy making a special dinner for Grandma. I had had a friend pick up Organic chicken, strawberries, cream cheese, and graham crackers in Phoenix. We cooked oven-baked chicken, local green beans, salad, local butternut squash, and strawberry cheesecake. And of course Challah. I haven't been willing to buy and cook commercial meat so my mom is eating a lot less meat than she likes. It was a really special treat for her to have chicken--her favorite.

Grandma with her Challah Bread (made by Jazzie)

Eating strawberry cheesecake

Jasmine has spent last couple of days making a tape to give Grandma for her birthday. On it she read from a reader she likes, recited poems, told stories and kept reminding her Grandmother how much she loves her. It was a beautiful present. Her grandma was so touched by it. I was privileged to witness their special moments together listening to the tape.

Grandma opening Jazz's present

Happy Birthday, USA

In honor of the 4th of July, we have been reading Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull. We are both enjoying it and both learning a lot about some of our previous presidents.

Jazz decided to make figures for the building she created yesterday.

Our friend, Vivian, who moved to California is in town for the holiday. Vivian and my mom shared vacation pictures and Vivian recieved a tour of the new gardens. Jazzie performed the things she's been working on on the piano and a flamenco dance and Grandma, Vivian and Jazz were off to a 4th of July party leaving me to do my thing--working on the blog, reading ACIM, and playing the piano. Fun was had by all. .

Looking at vacation pictures

Jazz performing the flamenco for Vivian

Jazz and Grandma headed off for evening festivities together. It's rare but good for both of them to spend time together. I really don't enjoy the fireworks celebration and I got time to play music and play on the computer and even make pesto.

I'm still on strike from much food prep, but I did make a couple of batches of basil as we are taking out 3 large basil plants from the garden the chicken tractor is being moved to. The garden bed that the chicken move off of will be planted with a traditional monsoon garden. I was scooping pesto into ice cube tray as fireworks went off.

Oh my and these keep multiplying

Celebrating the Summer Soltice

This morning I started cleaning the back patio--a job a long time in coming. In fact I finished the Christmas tree--taking the needles off to mulch strawberries and blueberries. The timing was perfect as you will see.

Every Tuesday, our friend Jewel comes over for dinner and a performance by Jazz. Jewel is a lovely audience for my little performer and a delightful dinner guest. As the Soltice was yesterday and I did want to celebrate it, we decided to do it tonight. I had a lovely little raw recipe in process and knew it would be ready tonight. My friends Nina and Peter would appreciate the Strawberry Crepes and celebrating the soltice, so they were called and invited.

Jasmine decided she would like dinner on the back patio so she finished the cleaning. The back patio table has been a planting and gardening station for many months and needed a lot of attention. Jazz hosed of the tables and chairs and set the table. We all enjoyed celebrating the soltice with good friends and summer produce. The Strawberry Crepes were to die for. The recipe follows.

I washed my hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar rinse today and it did the trick. My hair feels great. Notice below I'm wearing it down which I haven't been doing much lately.

Our Soltice Celebration

Jewel and Jazzie

Jazzie performing

Strawberry Crepes with Coconut and Cashew filling

makes 8 crepes

Ingredients:
6 ripe bananas
1 cup raw cashew nuts, soaked a few hours
1 cup raw mature coconut , chopped up
1 large lemon, juiced
4 teaspoon Agave Nectar.
0.125 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
1½ cup strawberries
2 teaspoon Agave Nectar
Preparation:
Crepe Shells
Place bananas in a food processor and blend until smooth. Remove from processor and spread about 1/8 inch thick on to a Teflex sheet on top of a dehydrator screen. Dehydrate for 12 hours or less. (Begin checking the bananas a few hours before to make sure they are formed, pliable, and solid in texture, but not getting crispy). Remove from dehydrator and slice into squares (about 10cm x 10cm)

Filling
Place cashew nuts, coconut, lemon juice, the 4 teaspoons agave and vanilla in food processor and blend until smooth. Then drizzle almond milk in until the consistency is a thick puree. Add more almond milk if need be.

Strawberry Sauce
Combine strawberries and the 1.5 tablespoons agave in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Assemble
Place scoops of filling on to banana fruit leather squares and roll up. Pour strawberry sauce over the rolled-up crepes. When ready to eat, top with a little Maple Syrup and garnish with mint Note: It’s important to let the crepes sit for at least a couple of hours with the strawberry sauce on top. The sauce will soften the fruit leather and make it “crepe-like” instead of hard and chewy. Left longer they will retain their perfect shape but the banana will melt in your mouth. These are also great the next day!
Adapted from an Alyssa Cohen recipe.

This is the recipe as I found it on GoneRaw.com. I didn't use cashews but just used coconut cream (baby coconut meat with enough coconut water to make a creamy texture mixed with a little vanilla and agave syrup) as the filling.

The Season's First Swim Meet, Juneteenth

We left for Tucson early this morning to shop and go to Jazzie's swim meet. We hit some of our favorite Tucson haunts, 17th Street Market, Agua Vita, and Speedway Outlet.

Jean Craighead George was our travelling companion. We listened to her book The Talking Earth on tape and enjoyed it immensely.

The Swim Meet was fun and Jazz did better than she expected, getting 2nd place in the breast stroke. Yeah Jasmine!!!

Ready

Get Set

and Go!

On the way home we stopped at the Juneteenth Celebration at Kennedy Park. It was late and we had missed all the gospel groups. I absolutely love gospel music so in celebration of Juneteenth I've posted a few of my favorite gospel songs.

Lift Every Voice and Sing is the black national anthem and I cry every time I sing it or hear it. This is an awesome version with Dianna Reeves. It takes a few minutes before she gets into the song and it is absolutely gorgeous.

Precious Lord, Take My Hand is my favorite gospel songs. I've always loved it and after I learned Thomas Dorsey wrote this song after his wife and child died, I wondered if I have such an affinity for this song because I, too, have had a child die. Here Aretha Franklin sings it. It's not the best sound quality but it's Aretha.

His Eye is on the Sparrow is another favorite of mine. It's sung here by an absolutely amazing 7 year old girl, Imani Bradford.

Holiday Tables

I have been inspired by the Waldorf School movement. One thing, I've wanted to do for 2-3 years is seasonal nature tables. Finally, this year I started, but they have been holiday tables instead. Here's pictures of a few we have done.

Chinese New Year

We also made lanterns for Chinese New Year.

Brigid's Day (Imbolic)

Valentine's Day

My homemade Valentine for my friend, Jewel.

Instead of making Valentines, Jasmine created a set of and performed a

Valentine's Day puppet play.

Easter

Jasmine also dyed eggs and we invited our friends, Eddie and Willie, for an Easter Egg hunt.

Cinco de Mayo