Taking a look at holiday time around the globe, we should all wish to be Finnish. 44 days each year. That beats handy hubby, who began his 6 weeks vaca last week, eagerly nose-diving into projects: drip irrigation on the sexiest garden yet, coop 2.0 for the forthcoming meat flock, and the usual homestead upkeep that keeps him out of my hair while still fully participating in this household. Goddess bless this rural life!
After 2 decades of nomadic life, neither of us could now imagine living anywhere else than in the sticks of East Texas. Except maybe Finland.
I’m not going to preach more about our over-worked, over-consuming culture, because it seems to be either to the choir or the critic. But, just one thing:
When we don’t take adequate downtime we become stressed, and when we are stressed, we often misjudge. When we misjudge continually, our mental and/or physical health breaks down.
I’m just asking: What does the Good Life mean to you? What is keeping you from creating it?
When I tell friends they are often envious of the 6 weeks handy hubby enjoys, not to mention his 2 week on, 2 week off schedule year-round.
I’d love I job like that, they say!
So then get one. Or take one. Or create one.
Because it’s seriously worth it! The changes we are making are absolutely improving our health. Ok maybe that’s not some great accomplishment like saving the planet, but I believe it all starts at home. I’m not trying to tempt fate here, but besides a stone or so in weight gained and lost according to the seasons, our combined health could only be described as pretty darn stellar. Soon to surpass that of our youths.
If you’re not lucky enough to live in Finland, well then maybe you could re-invent wherever you are living, and whatever you are doing.
Why not? Loads of folks have done it. You probably have too, maybe without even realizing, at some point in your life. But what have you done toward The Good Life lately?
Do something today that connects you to your calling!
Like what?
I don’t know what you can do, that’s up to you, but here’s what I’m doing.
I’m introducing a new segment in this blog called:
Now What?! For those times when your opportunity exceeds your skills or knowledge and the next step requires research.
This week’s Now What?! Radishes.
I love spicy crunchy radishes and they are one of the easiest veggies to grow in your garden, and one of the earliest to arrive. But what to do when you’ve harvested several pounds of them at once? They don’t freeze too well, but you can shred them first to flavor soups and stews. It seems some folks also dehydrate them, but that sounds too hardcore for me.
A Czech favorite dish of mine was Jarnà Salat, a mixture of shredded carrots and celeriac in a sour cream based dressing. With our first spring surplus from the garden I’ve created my own very healthy and delicious version of Jarnà Salat (Spring Salad) that is vegan and full of earthy flavor.
Moravia
Before you think you don’t like beets, try them fresh from the garden, they are sublime!
I’ll also be experimenting with a few of the pickling and relish recipes I’ve found.
Here’s 2 that look great:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg1021361225547.html
And one more:
Chili Tomato Radish Relish 1 1/2 cups tomato puree or crushed whole tomatoes 1 cup diced onions 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 T. minced fresh basil or 1 t. dried 1 T. fresh crumbled oregano or 1 t. dried 2 t. ground cumin 1 t. chili powder 2 t. lemon juice 2 T. sesame oil 1/4 cup vinegar 2 cups sliced radishes
Gently simmer all except radishes for 20 minutes. Pour the hot sauce over the sliced radishes, chill. Yields 6 servings
Lifted from:
http://forums.homestead.org/forum_posts.asp?TID=12300&title=radishes
Where I also read this great quote:
The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways. JFK
Apparently my question last week was not very compelling.
Let me try again:Â How much vacation do you take each year?
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I had the pleasure of living and working in Finland in the 1980s. My younger daughter was born there as well.
All Finns take a vacation in the winter to get some sun. This is for health reasons as well as for fun. I sent my wife and daughters to Florida for a month in the winter and we all spent a week or so at our home in Mallorca. My wife took our younger daughter to see a doctor while in Florida who had a small rash on her cheek. The doctor was excited - it was the first time he had ever seen a case of frostbite.
When Finns return to Finland from living abroad they always go in July - that is the only month in which there has never been a snowfall!
How nice Leo! I vacationed in Helsinki on July and then took the train up to Lapland–it was one of my favorite trips ever. The best things I remember were the strawberres, salmon and saunas. The worst were the mosquitos up north–enormous and swarming!
Mishelle
I enjoyed three of the Finns’ favorite passtimes- the sauna, ballroom dancing and horse racing. I also loved the salmon and strawberries as well as rhubarb. The downside was the long, dark winters. By my first spring with a hesitant sun peeking though the gloom I came to realize why ancient man made sacrifices (often human) to the sun.
I loved the “semi-awkward” experience of the real Finnish sauna: They knew to get unclothed was a bit uncommon for the more prudish foreigners and were delicate, but at the same time they made no excuses and offered no apologies!!
One of my all time favorite funny stories occured when the second man at our embassy in Helsinki looked gravely at the assembled staff at our weekly meeting and said, “Several of the male officers enjoyed a sauna evening with the Conservative Party the other night where allot of little things came up.” It took some time for the hearty laughter to die down and our second man to realize what he had said and recover.
hehe, that’s classic!
If you two keep this up, you’ll turn Helsinki into a winter destination. Forget the islands!
I like the way you write…and it is refreshing to meet someone outside of the local culture of “small”…I love my farm. My life is a vacation, hard work and all. Thanks for coming here. Thanks for talking. Thanks for listening.
Thank you so much dear Suzie! I agree with you, having a ball with this farmish life, feels like permanent vaca, dirt, heat, sore muscles and all!!