Natures Recipe
A little flower. Some river water. Add a few shivering leaves. Lacy ferns. Herbs are nice if you see them. Small mushrooms add zest, if not shriveled by sun. There should be no trouble finding fresh ingredients. And no cooking experience necessary. Leave your chef at home.
Oh, and it’s best not to include heat. No baking, please. High humidity causes this recipe to flop. If it’s done right, the sweetness factor pops a body awake. Clears the head. Makes words and dreams and memories rise.
Now put on sneakers. Stretch those crusty limbs. Dance first if you must.
Stir.
One can eat this treat to high heaven without gaining an ounce. As a matter of fact, it’s possible to get quite fit with this luscious recipe. It will also take you places. Allow your mind to wander. Refresh your soul.
It’s called a walk.
About Dorraine
A Southern Missouri native, Dorraine Darden was raised on land which bordered the Mark Twain National Forest. She has worked in forestry and taught ballroom dancing. She lives in Texas with her husband and three children.
Connections
Dorraine’s Favorite Books
The October Country Look Homeward Angel Boone A Sudden Country A Map Of The World The Poison Wood Bible East of Eden
Dorraine is a fan of
This is a lovely homage to
This is a lovely homage to the simple walk, Dorraine.
I gave my car away, so I walk almost everywhere. Some people think I'm nuts, but I really enjoy walking. And I'm lucky to live in an area where it is possible to do 90% of my activities of daily living on foot.
Ellen, it would be grand to
Ellen, it would be grand to be able to walk everywhere you needed to go. Much healther too. I'm glad you can do that!
When our kids were little, we'd pay the girl across the street to come sit with the them three times a week so we could walk. We are still walking eighteen years later. It's a little harder in summer here. The temps reach 102 degrees some days, which goes on for almost four months. But we still get out around 9:00 pm. about four days a week. Thanks and keep walking!
Really tasty Dorraine. I
Really tasty Dorraine. I can't go a day without a walk-if I happen to I am known to be cranky and out of sorts. Of course the dogs are always around for the impetus. Thanks for refreshing the recipe - it's all in the stir!
Thanks, Mary! I'm the same
Thanks, Mary! I'm the same way; cranky to the max if I don't get in my walking time. I prefer the woods but the suburbs doesn't offer them up, so I take what I can get. Keep stirring!
Dorraine, It's a beautiful
Dorraine,
It's a beautiful poem and a gorgeous photo. I walk everyday also. And I smell rosemary and red wood trees and anything fragrant. People might think I'm weird sniffing them.
Do you do that? I also pick up interesting looking leaves and flowers on the ground. So sometimes, I forget to take them out of my pocket when I do laundry. Then you know what happens. But I do it again next day.
When I saw a large pinecone in Big Bear for the first time in my life, I went nuts. A Japanese friend of mine and I discussed about a possible exporting business. But we needed a truck, so the idea failed.
Maple leaves
Keiko I have few 'Maple leaves' collected from kashmir forest since 1989. Dry smell of it reminds me of my golden time, spent there with my wife.
Dorraine, this is a beuatiful picture, I wish I could be there,right in the woods.
These do look a little like
These do look a little like Texas woods, Jitu. When it's not 100 degrees, that's where I choose to be; on a wooded path.
I'm sure you treasure those maple leaves from the kashmir forest. I would love to go there. But any forest is a good forest in my opinion.
Jitu, That sounds
Jitu,
That sounds romantic. In Autumn, I'm busier walking because of it. I had to pick up more leaves. And I love maple leaves. I'll collect the best kinds and place them in front of My mother's photo so that she can enjoy them.
Thanks, Keiko! Yes, I too am
Thanks, Keiko! Yes, I too am a sniffer. We do have a wild wood path that I like to take. I can smell the pine, water and a sweet licorice smell, but I'm never sure what kind of tree that is. And speaking of pine cones, my friend brought me some from Colorado, which were tall as a lamp bases. I put them out at Christmas.
My backyard is full of tall pine trees. I could see you back there, Keiko, collecting pine cones and sticking them in your pocket!
Dorraine, I'm glad to find a
Dorraine,
I'm glad to find a fellow sniffer.
Yes, I collect tiny pine cones in my pocket. They are so cute. I put them in a small ceramic container and place it on the table. Long ago, a friend of mine came over and threw those pine cones away because they were left on a napkin. I said, "they were my treasure!" "I thought it's trash," she said.
If you ever need any more,
If you ever need any more, Keiko, just come down to Texas and you can collect all you want in my backyard! They are fun to spray paint gold and silver and put on the Christmas tree as well.
Correction
I meant acorns here, not pine cones. It's hard to put a pine cone in my pocket. Everyone, please let me know if you find something funny in my messages. Probably a lot., but I appreciate any comments.
Keiko, your comments are
Keiko, your comments are lovely. And I have small pine cones that you could slip in your pocket, so there you go!
Ellen,
Nothing wrong with a quiet smartie. One can use a whole lot of slick words and still not be bright, if you know what I mean. And think of all the ways one can be intelligent anyway. I've met plenty of brillant people who have no common sense at all. The rare individual has a little bit of everything.
Dorraine, one of my friends
Dorraine, one of my friends is a smarty-smart girl (two Harvard degrees). During summers, although she is very thin, she used to work at a "fat farm." She once told me that the only form of exercise she noticed that really worked for the long-term was consistent walking. One can do it at any fitness level, at any age. And it seems to offer just the right combination of cardio and weight-bearing activities.
Yet another reason to get out and walk.
Your smarty-smart friend
Your smarty-smart friend knows her business! I love your description of her, too. Smarty-smart. I must remember that it takes two degrees to qualify.
She wears her smarts
She wears her smarts lightly, though. Isn't one to boast or brag.