Photography Art – Page 10 – Sugar And Spice… Among Other Things

Christian, Personal Musings, Photography Art, Stories Around the World

The Basket of Apples

Posted on October 15, 2018September 29, 2018 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Autumn mornings are the best in October with smell of the crisp rosy apples in the air. With the apple tree in the backyard in full bloom, it is reminiscent of both the harvest and blue skies.

From the initial days, man has always been fascinated with apples. Myths, folklore and feasts have been held in the honor of apples. No Halloween is complete without the traditional game of apple bobbing. From the bedtime tales to children especially the fairy tales of Snow White and The Juniper Tress, to the famous phrase of “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, apples have been an essential part of the childhood years. As we grow up, the apple tree features in Newtonian physics and then either we become a part of adult world (The Big Apple) or we end up owing an Apple product.

Interestingly although the fruit that Adam and Eve had eaten from the forbidden tree was never named, by popular tradition it is often pictorially represented as an apple. Thus by the Old Testament, the apple stood for the symbol of knowledge, temptation, fall of man and sin. On the other hand artistic renderings portray Christ holding an apple, signifying that the apple is an emblem of the redemption from the fall of man. Whereas in Norse mythology, the apple tree is sacred and is the symbol for rebirth and beauty. The Celtic meaning of the apple tree deals with many things, including wholeness, purity, goodwill, and even motherhood.

For me, the apple tree has been linked to a story I heard during my days in Sunday School. It was based on giving the Lord our apples to let Him shine them. I f you haven’t read or heard of it before, do read on.

A Simple Story of Apples and an Apple Basket

One day an elderly man entered into a hospital. He was grumpy from being on medication and the nurses thought him to be insane, as he yelled for his wife to get the apple basket. By the time they had checked him into his room the nurses were exhausted from the fight he was putting up.
“Sir you have to calm down we are doing everything we can for you” they would try to explain.
“I don’t need your help” the grumpy man would yell “I want my apple basket”. He finally slept. The nurses sighed with relief and talked among themselves whether they should call the hospital psychologist about the old man and his obsession with the apple basket.
As they talked and laughed about the situation the wife came in carrying the basket of apples. They looked kind of stunned as she asked if she could see her husband and deliver his basket. Sure, they agreed as they watched her slip past into his room. Curiosity consumed them over the next few weeks as they tended to the elderly man. He was eaten with cancer and the doctors had given him no hope of survival. He turned out to be a very calm, happy man once he had his basket. His wife, they noticed, would come in with apples and go out with apples and the curiosity grew even more till one nurse couldn’t stand the suspense.
One night as he was nearing the end, the nurse sat down in a chair by the wife.” May I ask why do you have that apple basket? I just don’t understand the significance.”
“I am an apple farmer by trade he sighed. From the time I was 20 till the day I do die I will forever have my apples.” The nurse nodded thinking she understood. He just likes his work, she thought, assured now he was a little bit crazy.
As she started to leave, the old man asked her to sit down. “At age 20 I was saved, I accepted the Lord as my Savior.” Oh no, the nurse thought. Here comes the lecture on religion. The old man continued. “The day I accepted the Lord as my Savior I got this basket, and each time I had a problem or concern that I could not handle, I put an apple in the basket un-shined.”
“Why?” the nurse said shaking her head.
“Because it reminded me to give those problems to the Lord for him to shine. See my basket now,” he stated. “As my problems disappear so do the apples. As I get new problems, ones I cannot handle alone, I put an apple in.”
The humble nurse looked into the basket…only one apple was there……..
With that, he took a big breath and grabbed his wife by the hand and faded into eternal sleep. The wife paused for a moment and got up from her place to take from the basket the last remaining apple. She whispered in his ear that his reward awaits him in heaven.
The nurse stayed still and asked with tears in her eyes, “what do you think his riches will be?” The wife knew what they were, eternal life with Jesus Christ. But she could see the concern and sadness upon the young nurses’ face and handed her the apple and said “the biggest apple pie you can imagine!”
That was the day the young nurse was saved, and from that day on she always had a basket by her bed.

While we may or may not be a fan of apples, the sure thing is that all our problems can’t be solved by us alone. Sometimes we have to hand them over to the Divine Grace for sorting them and help us navigate through choppy waters so that we reach the shore safe and sound.

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Personal Musings, Photography Art, Random Thoughts, Stories Around the World

Drizzle to Rain

Posted on October 12, 2018October 5, 2018 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

In the hustle of the morning rush hour on the road, there was a crowd of people on the sidewalk waiting to cross the road. Unfortunately there were not standing anywhere near the zebra crossing. Most of the vehicles sped up even on seeing them standing there to reach before the next traffic light turned red. Yet despite the rush, few of the vehicles did slow down to allow them to pass through. On watching the whole scene from the bus, I was wondering among them might be a few people who would be able to make it to time for work, while others would be able to head home after a long night. Yet come what may, they were able to cross the road because some vehicles had stopped to give a free path.

In the midst of the chaos of the modern life, we often wonder why do something kind and unselfish; as nobody really bothers and we don’t get anything in return. Yet the fact is that one small random kind act will influence somebody who will continue the change and eventually the chain will grow longer and bigger. Then the small difference becomes a momentous change which will affect and benefit a huge cause.

This reminded me of a story I had once read about the boy and the starfish. For those of us who haven’t heard about it, it as follows.

A man walked along the shore and suddenly saw a boy who raised something from the sand and threw it into the sea. The man came closer and saw that the boy was lifting the stars from the sand. They surrounded him from all sides. It seemed that on the sand – millions of sea stars, the shore was literally strewn with them for many kilometers.
“Why are you throwing these starfish into the water?” Asked the man, coming closer.
“If they stay on the shore until tomorrow morning, when the ebb tide begins, they’ll die,” the boy answered, continuing his occupation.
“But that’s just stupid!” Cried the man.
– Look around! There are millions of sea stars here, the shore is just strewn with them. Your attempts will not change anything!
The boy picked up the next starfish, thought for a moment, threw it into the sea and said:
– No, my attempts will change very much … for this star.
Then the man also picked up the star and threw it into the sea. Then one more.
By the night on the beach there were a lot of people, each of whom picked up and threw a star at sea. And when the sun rose, there was not a single soul left on the beach.

Likewise being a part of a bigger community, there is so much that we can do. Organizing small clean up drives in the public park, mowing lawns for the elderly, help in reading sessions in the town library, helping someone to load or carry groceries and so on. The list is endless.

A small act of kindness and goodwill doesn’t take much time or effort on our part. All it requires us is to keep our eyes wide open and be empathetic. While we may not be able to make a huge difference by a small act, it will make a change for one person. While one drop may not alone make an ocean, it contributes to the beginning of more drops and finally the ocean is there.

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Daily, Food, Photography Art

Cookie-Art Moments

Posted on October 11, 2018October 10, 2018 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Being trapped in the kitchen with a bored toddler in the early evening hours while it’s raining outside and the electricity is out is a very risque situation. Left in the lantern light, one option to put all the excess energy into good use was to bake cookies. Time flew as we started off with the mixing the wheat flour, butter and powdered sugar for the dough. Although halfway through, a bit of the batter was missing with a mischievous grinning kid nowhere to be found. Finally the cookie dough in varied shapes was ready to be baked . As the electricity was still out, I had to improvise and bake the cookies in the pan as the electricity was still out. On the whole, an hour and half later I had a plate of fresh cookies, a happy toddler drinking his milk and time well spent.

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It’s spontaneous moments like these which make life more fun. Moreover, when our children grow up and leave the nest, it’s memories like these which will hold dear in our hearts. To quote Crystal Woods ,“I want to take all our best moments, put them in a jar, and take them out like cookies and savor each one of them forever.”

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Daily, Food, Photography Art, Quotes

Art of Camellia sinensis

Posted on October 6, 2018October 6, 2018 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

If there is ever a concoction known as the “writer’s brew”, it may go to that prepared from Camellia sinensis. This popular aromatic beverage is known as “tea”. Originating initially in Southwest China, it began as a medicinal drink which slowly popularized to being a recreational beverage. Maybe it is the right combination of polyphenols, caffeine and L-theanine which helped tea beat down the stress and boost the creativity. Maybe it’s because of the latter, that tea can be labelled as the writer’s brew (although some writer’s may differ).

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For me, the tussle between “the theophylline”, “the caffeine” and “tisanes” are pretty strong. However without fail everyday, the morning is commenced by a pot of black tea with a liberal addition of milk or cream or sometimes sugar, depending on the mood of the hour. Preparing the morning tea is a very comforting procedure and brings back good memories to start the day. Besides there is something to be said about doing a routine which my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother had done every morning. As Muriel Barbery wrote in The Elegance of the Hedgehog, “When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things. Where is beauty to be found? In great things that, like everything else, are doomed to die, or in small things that aspire to nothing, yet know how to set a jewel of infinity in a single moment?”

This beverage has proportioned to become a culture. Come to think of it, every country has its own set of tea rituals. In India, every home starts the morning and evening with tea. Even guests are greeted with tea, not to mention office breaks and post-meetings sessions.The tea ceremony is different in Japan, where it is a cultural activity involving a cup of powdered green tea (Matcha) and savories. Where ever the place maybe, tea settles a lot many problems. To quote David Walliams in “Mr Stink”, ““In Britain, a cup of tea is the answer to every problem.
Fallen off your bicycle? Nice cup of tea.Your house has been destroyed by a meteorite? Nice cup of tea and a biscuit.Your entire family has been eaten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex that has travelled through a space/time portal? Nice cup of tea and a piece of cake. Possibly a savoury option would be welcome here too, for example a Scotch egg or a sausage roll.”

As for the varieties of tea, there is an endless list but it is not the same as herbal teas. As Bryan Lee O’Malley wrote in Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, “What kind of tea do you want?”
“There´s more than one kind of tea?…What do you have?”
“Let´s see… Blueberry, Raspberry, Ginseng, Sleepytime, Green Tea, Green Tea with Lemon, Green Tea with Lemon and Honey, Liver Disaster, Ginger with Honey, Ginger Without Honey, Vanilla Almond, White Truffle Coconut, Chamomile, Blueberry Chamomile, Decaf Vanilla Walnut, Constant Comment and Earl Grey.”
-“I.. Uh…What are you having?… Did you make some of those up?”

All said, tea with its’ own variants like black tea, green tea, oolong tea and so on have become an art in its own right. For many generations , tea sets and porcelain have been heirlooms, thereby adding the rich tradition and culture to art.

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Food, Photography Art, Quotes

Ice Cream-Art

Posted on October 1, 2018September 21, 2018 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Among the priceless knowledge that has survived centuries of time, there is nothing that can bring forth joy like ice cream. Originally named as iced cream or cream ice, the roots of ice cream began in the first Persian empire (as early as 500 BC). Since then it has been modified with addition of fruits, honey, even rice and has been made into various versions such as sorbets, flavored sorbets and so on. Today ice cream has been added to sundaes, cakes, milkshakes and even can be baked. Although in the present day,ice cream is often sold in carts and local delis, at one point of time it was expensive and considered a privilege to the upper class. Since the mid-18th century it has been popularized and accessible to middle-class homes especially with Agnes Marshall’s recipe books.

All said, ice cream elicits an emotional response. In spite of the simplicity of ice-cream, each scoop brings forth its own flavours. Eating ice-cream is like an emotional and palatial feast. Maybe it’s because of the love and care that goes in with each scoop or maybe it’s because it just makes everyone happy. Even now if a drop of ice cream falls or scoop of ice cream spills over, brings deep disappointment.

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At home, being with my two year old son who is resistant to anything nutritious especially vegetables,fruits and even cereals; ice cream is an all time buffer. Like in most homes, on certain days ice cream is a treat or a reward for eating all the vegetables and fruits (though we limit it to 1 scoop). Other times, it’s a medium for various fruits and vegetables, ranging from diced kiwis, boiled baby carrots or corns, sliced berries or dates to even boiled rice, vermicelli, wheat and even oats.

Though the most important role to play is when surprise guests come over and I’m out of pie or cake for desserts. Then ice cream is the answer. Delicious treats can be made by adding hot chocolate or fudge, chopped peanuts or almonds, whipping cream, sprinkles or even candied fruit to a scoop of ice-cream and voila, dessert is ready. One can even reverse the combinations and add ice cream to pies, waffles coffee, biscuits and even doughnuts, depending on the mood for the day.

Be it summer or winter, ice cream is always stocked up in the freezer. I usually scour the net for various pictures of ice cream art which have inspired me to re-create, simulate or improvise. As too much of sugar is bad; a delicate balance has to be struck.

To quote Charles M. Schulz, best known for the comic strip Peanuts, “Life is like an ice-cream cone, you have to lick it one day at a time.”

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Daily, Food, Photography Art

Squash-Fun with Jam-Art

Posted on September 27, 2018September 26, 2018 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Last weekend we had a charity auction at church, consequence of which I had landed with two crates of black grapes i.e. about 20 kg. Nevertheless two days, everyone was sick of grapes even mixed with oatmeal, pancakes or desserts. Hence, it was a unanimous decision to make grape squash yesterday.

So towards late noon yesterday, the kitchen counters were grape stained and I ended with four big bottles of grape squash. The trick in making them right was to proportionate the grape extract to the sugar in a 1:2 proportion with the entire water required being equal to the amount of grape extract. In three simple steps;it was ready. First wash the grapes and boil them in just sufficient water so it gets cooked and while boiling continuously mash the grapes till it becomes thoroughly juicy. Strain the mix to get the grape extract and measure it. Second is to take the sugar (keep the amount twice the extract), add to it a minimal amount of lemon juice (1 tsp for 2.5 pounds sugar) and water (the entire water used should be equal to amount of grape extract) in a pan; and heat it till the sugar dissolves and bubbles up. To prevent charring of sugar, you make to intermittently stir the mix. Third, let the sugar syrup cool till room temperature and mix it with the grape extract to form a good consistent liquid. One can add grape extract (tonovin, 1 tsp for 2 pints or 1 litre of grape extract) or sodium benzoate (almost same measure as tonovin) if preferred. Since even refrigerated squash gets over fast at home, I had avoided the latter.

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On the whole, it was a fun experience for everyone including my two year old son who loved getting grape-stained. As for the remaining grapes, I had decided to make them into jam. Although making jam looks arduous, it’s actually easy and almost similar to squash, with few differences. Here the measure of grapes to the sugar is 2:1. It’s the same for all sweet fruits like strawberries, apricots but for bitter fruits like lemon and oranges we need a slightly higher amount of sugar ( I prefer a 2:1.5 ratio).

There’s nothing better than having hot dripping homemade jam especially on cakes and in pies or cold jam layered on bread. Besides making jam keeps the kids from getting into mischief indoors especially on cold, rainy days of autumn. As Sandra Dallas said, “Jam on a winter took away the blue devils. It was like tasting summer. ” Here are some pictures of jam-art to get inspired.

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Daily, Photography Art, Quotes, Reflections

Sweeten the Extra Lemon

Posted on September 24, 2018September 21, 2018 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

As I was making lemonade yesterday, I was recalling the day I made it for the first time when I was in junior high. It was disastrous as I ended up adding almost five times the amount of lemon than needed and squeezed a bit too much of the lemons that it had a very sour taste. To save my face, I had to correct it somehow. I ended up adding lots of sugar and water, that lemonade for four turned out to be a lemonade for twenty. I still wish that day I could remove some lemon juice from water to make it taste perfect!

Unfortunately, life has taught that certain things can never be changed. Some mistakes cannot be undone. Likewise many a time, we may not be able to undo the things that have gone wrong in life. Certain choices which turned out to be disastrous like bad decisions, wrong actions, bad associations and above all, angry meaningless words; were situations that couldn’t be taken back. Besides some things do happen which are beyond our control.

While we cannot turn back the hands of time, what we can do is to move forward. So when what went wrong can’t be changed; wasting more time over it is like removing the extra lime. What we can do is to rectify and improvise, so that the wrong things are corrected by increasing the number of things that went right in our time.

Human nature has two sides – the positive and the negative. Although we strive to be more positive, occasionally negativity may arise. However if the proportion of positives that we surround ourselves is high, then the negative fades away. Life like human nature can’t be perfect, but what we can do is to live for the better days and store away the cherished moments and sweet memories in the cache that God has given us.