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You and Me You and Me DF 11.15. 2025 Wrinkled I was first as you held my infant me. I was more scared when you raised me up than when you let me be. With two feet on the ground, I ran behind you. My hands pushed up your air, and when safe, your pant legs, too. Only for a short moment, today, I would iron out the wrinkles on your eyes. Naïve me hopes to delay looking up -- at the skies.

Haikus Haiku Resources 1. Wales Haiku Journal 2. Haiku Foundation -> Haiku Dialogu e 3. Cold Moon Journal by Roberta Beach Jacobson The Oracle of Delphi pronounced Socrates the wisest of Greeks; and Socrates took this as approval of his agnosticism which was the starting point of his philosophy: ‘One thing only I know’, he said, ‘and that is that I know nothing’. Philosophy begins when one begins to doubt — when one begins to question the accepted wisdom of tradition. Particularly the one’s cherished beliefs, one’s dogmas and one’s axioms. Delphian inscription: To be curious about that which is not my business, while I’m still in ignorance of my own self, would be ridiculous. And therefore I say farewell to all of this, but about myself. 08. 01. 2025 sweet morning birdsong entwined with flowing leaves holed by flying bees 07. 20. 2025 the confidence code write to learn, learn to welcome the dirty water 07. 19. 2025 don't be an oak be bamboo that bounces back do not snap, resist 07. 19. 2025 homemade petulla swim deep in bubbling oil memory blisters (petulla = fried dough in Albanian) 06. 07. 2025 an elegant rose fights for her life in water with kafe and raki 04. 14. 2024 today is sacred, the day Iran attacked the beginning of our end. fend the ancient grapes, and slurp for fun until numb, time is of our past. do we even know, when to stop and say I love you or do we not care? 03. 16. 2024 birds chirping to eat worms from a fallen apple removed from Adam. 03. 16. 2024 mountains of water — unreached limp bodies come crashing toward shore. 03. 16. 2024 our democracy, this vague and ice frozen – will not breathe again. 03. 16. 2024 a silhouette, chases me from my dreams to flowers on the grave. 03. 16. 2024 her independence – march for life, for freedom to be brave alone. 03. 16. 2024 gold, diamond, silver rings around the rosy – wrinkled anniversary. 10. 23. 2023 a young fawn walks by the old snow covered fox den. crack! Maple limbs fall. 10. 23. 2023 far away from home, the robin flies alone, low with a broken wing. 01. 21. 2023 a curious pause between two apt Delphians who don’t know themselves.

Chicken Tending 101 Be nefits and best practices for chicken tending. The book is not just a ho w-to for chicken tending like building a safe shelter, feeding and water, what to look out from predators, etc. It is filled with quirky fun facts, humor, and chicken photography. Cast: Buffy, Jimmy, Hope, Luna, Dada, Seagull, Blackhead, W hitehead-Blackdo t, R o za , Butta, & Bread. Fresh eggs Yard friends Barter & network Minimizes insects Limitless source of humor Grand composting eco-system Pre-order In the meantime, let's chat!

Stitched Recipes Work in Progress Have any special recipes to share?

Recited my work others' Relieved Three Generations of Women Magic Moments with sound What Is Your Name_ My Name Is ... This Is The Jumbo Jungle Shawn Slovo, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin O Malet e Shqipërisë Il Canzoniere Amaneti i Kolë Gjetos (song lyrics) Étude for an elephant Çka ka zogu që po qan Anything come to mind you'd like to share?

Love and Friendships Cadmus and Harmonia Cadmus and Harmonia Cadmus and Harmonia Cadmus and Harmonia Work in progress... Travel & Immigration Work in progress... Animals Work in progress... I am currently curating a few stories that highlight perspectives of 'in the middle'. If you have stories you'd like to share, please contact me :) Untold Stories Untold Stories Untold Stories Untold Stories

Prints Stickers Stitched Recipe book Western Balkans book Chicken Tending 101 book Prints of any published content Photography To represent your content Learn More Interview, Write-up To represent your content Recordings Content recordings of interviews, poetry, song, instrumental, meditation, recipes in American English, Albanian, Spanish, and Italian language. Learn More d Submit a Request and Get a Quote All digital content shown in the site is free, including the addition of your content and services. In return, I ask that you kindly credit the site and author of work, whether it features your work or that of others when sharing, republishing, printing. Any collaborations (one or multi-media) are also free, under the condition that they are to be added to this site. Services requested for your content that you do not wish to add to this site are billable. These services include printing, photography, recording and/or interviewing and/or write-ups of interviews, recordings, videos, recipes, etc. Prints of items listed above under Prints are also billable. 100% of profits go to support the Albanian Highlands via various projects aiming to protect the natural habitats while increasing accessibility. Submit Thanks for submitting!

Magic Moments MAGIC MOMENTS 11.14.2019 When the sun rays shine through the dancing leaves Of brown barked trees She walks, and the air cascades Sweet and soft hues of ponderosa Whenever she is here alone, she feels company Old friends fifty feet tall invite her in their bubble And the charming duet of sparrow and chickadee Grandiosely serenade the mariposa And she walks and the air cascades That sour soil of old leaves and moss Tomorrow to bitterly be replaced By synthetic smells of citrus and mimosa She grin-and-bears the new world order Comfort replaces spirit, and work, life The chance of these magic moments Often demoted to the superficial hike And it is this path in which we burn the earth alive Slowly step by step and stone by cement Dwellings with a bush or two, fighting plastic to survive Comforting the owner and forbidding a bee of its hive This is the real magic The natural becoming unnatural The unnatural walking to evoke the natural Magic moments

PASTAS T'baftë mirë Breads Veggies Pasta Making, Spaghetti or Tagliatelle Recipe yields 8-10 servings of pasta (about 2 lbs. of dried spaghetti or tagliatelle) Ingredients 5.5 cups of semolina flour (plus 2 cups for dusting) 8 large eggs (room temperature) 2 tsp salt 2 tbsp EVOO (plus ¼ tsp for covering dough while proofing) 4 tsp water Utensils Large bowl or tray for dusting the pasta Pasta hanger for drying the pasta Large aluminum pans and plastic bag for storing pasta Dough mixer Pasta roller Pasta cutter Measuring cups Measuring spoons Pizza cutter or scissors Directions Pour all wet ingredients into mixing bowl and mix in medium speed. Use mixer’s bread hook. Slowly, mix half a cup of flour at a time. Adjust speed as you see fit. You may use a spatula to bring the dough down from the sides. Adjust speed up and down as you see the dough get wetter or dryer with the goal of getting it all together like a bread dough consistency (that stays together as a ball/disc shape) hooked around the bread hook. Remove dough from mixing bowl, form a ball and gently rub it with EVOO and plastic wrap it. Let proof for 30 mins. Cut dough into 8 even and flat triangles. (1 triangle will create roughly 1 serving of cut pasta. 1 serving = 1 pasta plate) Take one triangle at a time, lightly dust triangle with flour and pass it through the pasta roller to create one sheet. If you are using Kitchen Aid mixer and rolling insert, the recommended speed is 2. Regardless of the type of pasta you will cut at the end, the rolling should happen at an even and slower speed. The speed of the engine is different from the thickness setting on the roller. The thickness differs depending on the type of pasta you will end up cutting. For example, I roll both the spaghetti and tagliatelle sheets up to level 4 thickness. Others go up 1 or 2 more (to 5 or 6 thickness) to get the pasta thinner. I have found that it dries too well that thin and it can break on you very easily. You can do level 4 thickness to reduce risk of pasta breaking and still achieve great taste. As you roll to get to desired thickness, pass the pasta sheet on the same setting twice, folding it in half every time. (e.g. roll triangle through on thickness level 1, then fold it in half, then roll it again through thickness level 1, then fold it, and roll it on thickness level 2, then roll it again through thickness level 2 and so on) Roll of 8 triangles into sheets and hang them. Then, attach the pasta cutter attachment and prepare to cut your pasta. For spaghetti, I use mixer speed 7 and the spaghetti cutter. For tagliatelle, I use mixer speed 5 and the fettucine cutter. Take the first sheet and cut it in half. Take the first half and dust it with flour then pass it through the cutter. Dust the cut pasta in flour (on a deep tray or bowl) then hang. Take the second half and do the same. Then repeat the past 4 steps for the remaining 7 sheets. Let pasta hang to dry for 48 hours before removing it for storage. (For storage, I use large aluminum trays and cover them with large clear plastic bag.) Cooking: Fresh pasta will cook in 1-2 mins in boiling water and rise to the top of the pot; 48 hour pasta will cook for 2-4 mins; After 48 hours, will cook 4-8 mins depending Similar/good recipes https://culinaryginger.com/homemade-tagliatelle-pasta/ https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/homemade-pasta/ Green Pesto Pasta Make pesto sauce yields 10-12 ice cubes of pesto (2 cubes needed per plate of pasta) 70g basil leaves (no stems) 2/3 cup of EVOO (high quality) 140g grated pecorino romano 20g hazelnuts 1-2 garlic cloves pizzico of salt 1 cup of pasta water Blend well together and fill ice cube tray and freeze. Once frozen, remove from ice cube tray and store in zip lock bag in the freezer. Make pasta pesto (250g of pasta yields roughly two big plates of pasta) Boil pasta of your choice al dente. While boiling, grab a cup of boiled pasta water and add it to the sauce In a sauce pan, melt pesto cubes with a tablespoon of EVOO and a cup of boiled pasta water Add al dente pasta and mix well but gentle Let rest for 5 minutes before serving, mix one more time before plating White Pasta with Porcini Make porcini sauce ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp dried onion powder 2 handfuls of dried porcini 2 pinches of salt 2 pinches of black pepper ground 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce 2 cups white wine 1 cup whole milk ½ cup of pecorino romano 1 tbsp of EVOO (high quality) A few drops of truffle oil 1 cup of pasta water Soak dried porcini mushrooms for at least 30 minutes before starting the sauce. In a sauce pan, over medium heat, sauté porcini in EVVO, then add Worcestershire sauce. Mix while adding spices and truffle oil. Then turn the heat on high, wait a few seconds and pour in the wine. Let wine burn off for a few seconds then turn heat back to medium. Add milk and mix gently. Make pasta Boil pasta of your choice al dente (tagliatelle is my favorite). While boiling, grab a cup of boiled pasta water and add it to the sauce Add al dente pasta to the sauce pan; turn heat on high for 1 minute then let rest for 5 minutes before serving , mix one more time gently while sprinkling pecorino before plating Red Guanciale Pas t a Guanciale is an Italian cured meat product prepared from pork jowl (or cheeks). It is not smoked. Its name is derived from’ guancia’, the Italian word for ‘cheek’. Guanciale may be cut and eaten directly in small portions but is often used as an ingredient in pasta dishes such as ‘spaghetti alla carbonara’ and sauces like ‘sugo all'amatriciana’ or like the one below. It is a specialty of central Italy, particularly Umbria and Lazio. Pancetta, a cured Italian bacon which is normally also not smoked, can be used as a substitute for guanciale. Or bacon. Good quality ingredients will make this dish superb. Take your time choosing the right pasta, cheese, guanciale, and tomato purée (aka passata). Ingredients For the sauce 24.5 ounces tomato purée (aka passata) 5-8 small slices of guanciale 1 teaspoon Sea Salt 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder ½ teaspoon Dried minced onion ½ teaspoon Powdered Black Pepper For the pasta: 5 tbsp of EVOO ½ tsp of salt 1 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano Directions In a saucepan, slowly fry the guanciale pieces on low heat, without burning them, to get the liquid taste out onto the pan. Add the passata. Then fill the passata bottle 3/4 with water and shake, then add the liquid to the saucepan. Add 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp of onion and ½ tsp of pepper. Let simmer for 30 mins, stirring occasionally. In a large pot add water, ½ tsp of salt and ½ tbsp of EVOO and bring to a boil. Check the back of your pasta how long it takes for it to cook al-dente. Time it so when the sauce is ready, so is the pasta. Cook pasta and strain in colander. Add pasta into sauce (hopefully at the end of its 30 minute simmer). Stir. Turn up the heat for 15 seconds. Stir again. Let pasta congeal for 5-10 mins. Do not cover with a lid. Serve in a pasta bowl, with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano and heavily drizzled EVOO. B utter and Sage Ravioli 10 oz small cheese ravioli 10-20 fresh sage leaves 1 large garlic clove ¼ stick of butter Lemon pepper Sea salt Boil in sauce pan for 1.5 mins Drain and leave ½ cup of pasta water Turn heat on high, put back, add 1/4 stick of butter, 10-20 sage leaves, 1 large garlic clove (crushed), lemon pepper, sea salt. Mix lightly (2 stirs), turn-off, let sit for 3 mins and serve. You've got special recipes to share? Please do!

Entrée Accompaniments T'baftë mirë Roasted Potatoes Yields a side for 4 people 8-9 yellow gold potatoes (medium to large) Ingredients For the boil Salt Paprika powder Garlic powder Salt Pepper For the roasting Dill Garlic powder Lemon pepper Salt EVOO Directions Peel and dice the potatoes in one-inch squares. In a large boiling pot, boil a gallon of water with ‘for the boil’ ingredients. Add diced potatoes in and bring to a boil for about 15 mins. Pre-heat oven on 425 degrees Fahrenheit. With a large strainer ladle, scoop potatoes from the wa ter into a large roasting pan. Drizzle ‘for the roasting’ ingredients. Shake back and forth in the pan to make them fall in place in a more even distribution. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit for 10 mins before serving. Polenta Polenta flour Milk EVOO Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 part polenta and 4 parts water is the standard. Try instead 1 part polenta, 2.5 parts water, 1.5 milk. 3 tbsp of butter is the standard. Try 3 tbsp EVOO and ½ cup of ground Parmigiano-Reggiano. Place EVOO, water, and milk in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat to lowest setting. Slowly pour in cornmeal while stirring with a whisk. Do so for 3 minutes then remove from stove and let cool for 2 mins. Add the cheese on top and enjoy! Falafel 1 can chickpeas Handful hazelnuts 1 cup of loose curly parsley ½ small onion 2 garlic cloves 1 tsp salt 2 pinches of cayenne pepper, paprika, and cumin. 4-5 cups of vegetable oil In food processor, blend all until smooth then cover and put in the fridge for 3 hours. 1 tsp of baking powder 4 tbsp all-purpose flour Pulse a few times to evenly spread the flour and baking powder. Pour dough into a bowl. Make balls, cover in panko gently, deep fry. Rice inspired by mid-east Ingredients 5 cups of white rice ½ cup of dried currants 1 cup of raw hazelnuts ½ cup of raw cashews 2 handfuls of parsley (chopped) 2 carrots (diced) 2 tbsp of EVOO 2 tbsp of honey Salt and pepper to taste 3 tbsp of vegan butter (Miyoko's Creamery European Style Cultured Vegan Butter with a Hint of Sea Salt) Directions Soak currants, hazelnuts, and cashews in a pot of water for 1 hour before you start the rest of the cooking process Cook white rice: In a medium-sized deep pot, sauté rice over 2 tbsp of EVOO until it starts looking transparent. Mix often to make sure it doesn’t burn on the bottom. Add ¼ tbsp of salt and 10 cups of boiling water. Mix well so it doesn’t stick on the bottom. Leave the heat on high until it comes to a boil. Then turn heat all the way to low. Cover with a lid. Note: My prefer method to a lid is a towel folded at least 4 layers thick. Wait to open for 15 mins. Taste rice to check if it is cooked. If yes, turn off. If not, add ½ cup of water by sprinkling it on the top and cover with lid again for another 5-10 mins. In a large sauce pan (I often use a household paella pan), over medium to high heat, sauté carrots over 3 tbsp of vegan butter. Then add drained currants and nuts. Then lower heat to medium-low, add honey and let it melt into the rest. Then add cooked white rice over it, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley and mix well. Cover with lid or foil until you are ready to serve it. You've got special recipes to share? Please do!

How to make a Medicinal Herbal Tea! Dried cornflower (Centaurea Cyanus), Rainbow Grocery Cooperative, San Francisco, California Recommendations Start with dried, cut or chopped herbs. Powders can be used but make a thicker tea. Use less powder. Aerial parts: Leaves, flowers, stems Ratio: 1 Tablespoon of herbs per 8oz of water. Method: In a tea kettle or pot, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over herbs in a mug or tea pot. You can use a tea ball, tea bag or just loose leaves. Steeping: Steep in the water 20-30 mins. For a full strength tea, strain and enjoy! If it is too cool, just re-heat. Daily Batch: To make enough tea for a day (about three cups), use 3 Tbsps. or slightly under 1/4 cup of herbs to 3 cups water. You can make your daily teas at night as well. Simply follow instructions for a day’s worth, let it steep overnight and strain the morning. Reheat if you like. Roots, Seeds, and Barks Ratio: 1 Tbsp herbs per 8oz of water. Add a little more water to account for evaporation. Method: In an uncovered pot, combine herbs and water. Bring to a boil and turn down to a low simmer. Continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Strain into a mug or pot and enjoy! Daily Batch: To make enough tea for a day (about three cups), use 3 Tbsps or slightly under 1/4 cup of herbs to 4 cups water. Medicinal Mushrooms Ratio: 1 Tbsp mushroom pieces per 10oz of water. For reishi slices, use about 2 of the larger slices. Method: In an uncovered pot, combine mushrooms and water. Bring to a boil and turn down to a low simmer. Continue to simmer for 30-45 mins., the water will evaporate to 8oz of tea. Strain into a mug or pot and enjoy! Daily Batch: To make enough tea for a day (about three cups) use 3 tbsp. or slightly under a quarter cup to 4-5 cups water (it will cook down to 3 cups). All strained herbal teas are good in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Or freeze in ice cube trays and heat as needed!

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