Spring Calls

Hi there! I have been away for awhile, unexpectedly called to the U.S. to say goodbye to my wonderful Grandfather Irving Rosenthal, who passed away on March 12th at his home, surrounded by his devoted wife Lillian, and other members of his large and loving family. I am very grateful I was there, to see him again, and to share that moment with my aunts and cousins and grandmother, and my grandfather.

I have also been spending more time on my music career lately, and less time thinking about what to cook for dinner. I have some European tours coming up (Netherlands, Belgium, Germany in May and U.K. in October, plus more dates hopefully to be added). Also, I've been really learning how to use my website and have added more videos and other updates.

Although I am enjoying being back in this beautiful country (Deustchland), and watching the landscape take on hues of bright, fresh green and yellow, I find it very sad not to be able to dig into the earth and start my own garden. It has been a long time since I didn't have some land available to play around with in spring. I had a community garden plot in Northampton, and then in Jamaica Plain (Massachusetts) before that. In both places I enthusiastically turned over the little plot each spring, planted beets, beans, carrots, tomatoes, greens, pumpkins and other promising dreams...but then I would get distracted as summer came and only visit my garden occasionally, each time more fearful of what kind of weedy mess I might find. I do love gardening, but out of sight is sometimes out of mind for me. I think if I'd been gardening with a partner I would have done better; but enough excuses. I just want to state here and now that if I had a garden this spring, I would tend it lovingly and appreciate any harvest it might put forth. I want to feel and smell the dirt!

Instead I have been taking longer and longer bike rides into the countryside and farm land oustide of this village. I guess outside every city, town, village in Germany there is abundant open land, because they have great zoning laws here. And then there is the fact that bike lanes and walking paths connect every field and hamlet to any other, and you can ride and ride for hours getting lost, listening to the birds, contemplating the hills and newly-green fields.

This weekend Greg and I took a few great rides. On Easter Sunday we took a train about 30 kilometers south, to a cute town called Bad Sooden, where a funny medievil easter festival was taking place. Then we found the bike road which follows the Werra river through some fantastic land. We finished our ride at Hann-Münden, where the Werra meets the Fulda and becomes the Weser River. Next we'll take a train back to Hann-Münden and follow the Weser river north to the sea. It might take a few weekends of back and forth, but I want to ride every kilmeter of that fahradweg (bike way?). It passes through Hameln (of the Pied Piper tale), and Bremen (of the musicians) and other towns with similar-sounding names.

I promise (myself), however not to be too distracted by fair weather, and to continue my food-themed blog. I do still enjoy cooking, and every day I try to make healthy, vegetarian food, and to refine my cooking into the simplest and most pleasant kind of task.

Now I will share a couple of photos of meals I have made in the last few months.