Cogitation 4, 2020 Friday 24 January It wasn’t planned, but I’ve stopped doing Facebook for a spell. On Monday I was trying to post a Stanford University overview of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Somehow, I ended up in the early stages of creating a new account. Facebook wanted me to add friends. All I wanted to do was upload the excellent Stanford piece for the friends I already had. Unable easily (by my skill level) to return to my original Facebook page, I just scratched both.

I’ll go faceless for a while. I’ve appreciated some of the content, skipped over a lot, and just generally found value in scanning the screen. But, I can do without this ubiquitous online social media and social networking service for now. It will help me concentrate on this weekly blog.

National Pie Day

National Pie Day was observed on Thursday. I did not know that when we bought a peach pie for company earlier in the week.

The pie did not live up to expectations; our company exceeded expectations in graciously dealing with the way too thick, top and bottom, crust. We ate half the pie, with no compunction about leaving most of the crust. On Thursday I made baked oatmeal by scraping out the leftover peach filling. It made for a surprisingly tasty breakfast dish.

The adapted recipe included 2 cups of rolled oats, 1/2 cup walnuts (stirred together in a large bowl), and these ingredients mixed in a blender: one banana, 2 cups milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the leftover peach pie filling. I poured the blended mix into the mixing bowl, stirred it well, and scraped it into an 8-inch square greased baking dish.

(The original recipe called, Banana Berry Baked Oats, included 1/2 cup maple syrup, 2 tablespoons flax seeds, almond milk, and 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries).

In a 375 degree oven, bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top of the oats looks dry. Serve warm or cold, and store in refrigerator for up to 4 days.

I had just two cups of rolled oats left to use in this recipe. The oats came from Oak Manor Farms, on Oxford Rd. 5, Tavistock, Ontario. The Reibling family, whom I knew growing up, started and continues to operate Canada’s original organic mill. You’ll find out more about this niche-run business online.

From the side panels, in English and French: “Delton Reibling knew he had found something good. / In 1943 Delton found a stand of oak trees nestled in Oxford County. Knowing it takes fertile land to grow an oak, he established Oak Manor Farms. / When his son David became a pioneer in organic farming he too found something good–for his family, the land and the future. / The Reiblings started up their first stone mill in 1975. Now your family can enjoy the goodness of organic, heritage-milled flours, hot breakfast cereals and grains. / All Oak Manor products are packaged without preservatives and certified by Pro-Cert Organic Systems, which meet all ‘Canada Organic’ standards.”

Robert Burns Day

Saturday, January 25, is Bobby Burns Day. It’s time to celebrate the life and poetry of Scotland’s famous poet (25 January 1759-21 July 1796). It’s neeps and tatties, accompanied by haggis. Neeps refers to a yellow turnip or rutabaga, sometimes called a swede, boiled and mashed. Tatties, of course, are potatoes, boiled and mashed. There’s even a vegan haggis made with lentils, mushrooms and other ingredients. Whether meat or vegan, the meal gets washed down with a wee dram of whiskey.

Friends at St Anta & All Saints church in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, UK, observe Bobbie Burns Day in high style. We can only join in vicariously, awaiting tales of the food and drink and dance and dress and music when we arrive next month.

Carbon neutral by 2030

The English Duchy of Cornwall was the first local authority in the UK to declare a climate emergency and set plans in motion to be carbon neutral by 2030. During the first phase, the county is planting 50,000 trees in a project called Forest for Cornwall. The trees are being planted in urban areas as well as distributed across the county, some as a larger forest.

Cornwall, 80 percent surrounded by water, could see sea level rise by 80 cm by 2100, when babies born this year will reach 80 years of age. Cornwall Council is making key decisions according to their social, economic and environmental impacts. They are working on greener bus services, making social housing homes more energy efficient, and harnessing renewable energy sources, and managing coastal change and flood areas.

Ode to Porridge Oats

O bag of porridge oat mix

Organic to the core

Stone-ground, ready a.m. fix

Bountiful goodness, and more.

Ingrained nutrition,

Stored in every seed,

Like the loaves and fishes made whole

A seemingly impossible mission

To satisfy everyone’s need,

Combining mystery to feed body, mind and soul.

Images from this week

Cheerio, O, O.

–John