Happy New Year!

Hello friends!
Here we are in 2010 and much has changed for me since my last posting. It was a Fall full of abundant harvest from my garden, freezing & preserving, visiting with friends, Apple Tasting Event at Portland, whew! This Christmas I went to San Francisco to visit my family. After a decade of living in Oregon I was amazed to see the difference in horticulture and agriculture. Front yards were full of lemon trees, jade plants, geraniums, and palm trees. The farmer's market was full of delicious produce as if it wasn't mid winter! When I left Portland it had been 12-20 degrees. When I got to San Francisco it was sunny and 60 degrees! Wow! The image I've posted is me in Portland during the small snow storm we had on 12/29/09.

In December I moved from my home of 3 years and my beautiful bountiful garden you've seen featured on this blog. I've downsized into a small apartment with a tiny kitchen and no yard of my own. In this recession we do what we have to do to get by. This means big transitions in my personal lifestyle as well as my blog posting. Maybe now that I'm not busy in my own garden every day I can post recipes to the blog more often. Which is my goal in 2010 to start the new year fresh and really focus on keeping the blog updated. I just watched "Julia & Julie" and got inspired!!

This Fall I also experienced severe asthma which would not respond to herbs, inhalers or steroids. So I decided to experiment with my diet to investigate food allergies potential effect on my asthma symptoms. I eliminated wheat, then all gluten, dairy and sugar from my diet for several months. I then gradually reintroduced it. My health definitely improved. It was difficult to maintain this diet while I was moving and celebrating the holiday season away from home. Beginning this month I am once again aiming for very limited gluten, dairy & sugar in my vegetarian diet. I am excited to share with you recipes and tips I've learned the past 6 months.

It is the season of nesting in our homes, soup simmering on the stove, bread baking, curled up with a good book under a blanket by a fireplace. Please browse through the recipe archives for some great Winter recipes. Go to the search window and enter in "soup" or "casserole" or "baking" for great ideas from previous years. This is also the season for gardens to browse seed catalogs, dream and begin planning for Spring.

Thank you for your continued support and interest. May 2010 bring you many blessings!

In Love, Light & Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

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