On My Mind Today

Watching and working alongside the bees is a joy. Each year I look forward to my time with them in the garden and flower bed. As they buzz from flower to flower we work in unison; each of us creating beauty and bounty. It would be not only heartbreaking, but detrimental to our food source, if they were to become extinct. WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT THEM: Pollination is essential to ecological survival. The human race and all of earth’s terrestrial ecosystems would not survive without pollinators. Of the 1,400 crop plants grown around the world that produce all of our food and plant-based industrial products, almost 80% require pollination by animals. When bees and other pollinators visit, the result is larger, more flavorful fruits and higher crop yields. WHO ARE THE POLLINATORS? Although birds, bats, and other creatures are also pollinators, insects do the bulk of the pollination that affects our daily lives. The familiar pollinators are bees and butterflies, but you might be surprised by s...

I love vegetables and try to find ways to prepare them to spice them up a bit. This recipe is a variation from a Food Network Magazine offering. They used edamame for their dish, but I am a fan of sugar snap peas so decided to use them. The garlic and red pepper flakes give them a nice kick, and the fresh lime juice is the perfect flavor to top them off. This will be added to my recipe file, and I may try other vegetables in the future. Chile-Garlic Sugar Snap Peas 1 pound sugar snap peas 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 cloves garlic, sliced Cook the peas in salted boiling water until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Drain. Heat olive oil, red pepper flakes and garlic in skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the sugar snap peas, and season with lime juice and salt.

One thing is certain in life – eventually we all run out of time. This truth is much clearer with each passing year. That feeling of invincibility from our youth fades ever so slightly with each decade. Nothing can bring us face-to-face with our own mortality more than the loss of a loved one or dear friend. Even if we are aware that their time with us is slipping away, we are never prepared. As they leave behind all that binds them to the earth, our hearts feel like they have been crushed by a heavy weight. Grief is a natural response to losing someone that is important to us. Processing a loss is different for each person, and grief is never experienced in the same manner. While some can allow themselves to feel their grief and release it, others hold it in and keep it hidden from the world. Losing someone is difficult at any time in our lives but can be even more heartbreaking and traumatic if we are facing difficult times. Our ability to accept loss when life is good is never easy ...

There was a time that a four year college degree would pretty much guarantee you a great paying job with a good company. If you worked hard there was always room for advancement; the sky was the limit. It takes four years to earn a college degree. Although lifetime wages for a traditional college graduate are higher, they accumulate a larger loan debt in those four years. Job prospects for new college graduates are not as bright as they were many years ago. Over the past five years graduates have faced a slower labor market, and are also faced with limited job opportunities making it difficult to pay off their student loans. College degrees are a career investment requiring a considerable amount of both time and money. A portion of graduates are unable to find desirable employment (or employment at all) and are seeing negative returns. A trade school, also known as a technical or vocational school, is an educational institution that teaches skills related to a specific job. Trade schoo...

This recipe comes from Taste of Home contributor, Emmajean Anderson from Mendota Heights, MN. Rotisserie chicken, green chiles, corn, cannellini beans, spices and more fill this chili with an abundance of flavor and a kick of heat. Using rotisserie chicken from the market it is very easy to make, and can be ready for family or guests in about 40 minutes. White Chili with a Kick 1 large onion, chopped 6 tablespoons butter, cubed 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups chicken stock 3/4 cup half and half cream 1 rotisserie chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces 2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 1 can (11 ounces) white corn, drained 2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chiles 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 1-1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese Salsa, sour cream, chopped green onions (optional toppings) In a Dutch oven (or large soup pot), saute' onion in butter. Stir in flour ...

Welcome to the caregiver club! No application or membership fee required, and the rules are slightly different for everyone. The only thing we can guarantee is life as you know it changes forever. Although this is not a club anyone expects to be a part of, many will be at some point in their life. As our population ages, more caregiving is being provided by people who are not health care professionals. A caregiver is anyone who provides help to another person in need, such as an ill spouse or partner, a disabled child, or an aging relative. Caring for a loved one can strain even the most resilient people. If they are working outside the home the caregiving role becomes even more difficult. In our role as a caregiver, we want to be there to ensure our loved ones receive the personal care that only we can provide. We know them better than anyone else and will make sure that they are comfortable and have what they need. We have their best interests at heart. Caregiving does have many rewa...

The anti-bullying movement has been on a crusade since 1999 to eliminate mean behavior among students. We have been talking about bullying and ways to stop it for a very long time. Schools are asked to protect our children from bullies, and most of them make a concentrated effort to ensure it doesn’t happen. However, here we are more than a decade later with our children still being terrorized by classroom bullies. The bullying today is far worse than 20-30 years ago. With online access they are able to target other children through social media, and most have phones which they use to send threatening text messages. The simple name calling that used to take place has been replaced with a brutal onslaught of ridicule and hatred where dozens, and sometimes hundreds of others join in. The worst case scenario from this can be a child being pushed to the point where they believe suicide is the only way out. Of course, much of this would not take place if parents and other adults in our ...